How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 6-13
Author: Dojyomaru
Date: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fiction; Fantasy; Light Novel
Description: Anthology containing: How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 6 How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 7 How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 8 (Premium) How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 9 (Premium) How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 10 (Premium) How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 11 (Premium) How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 12 How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 13
Publisher: J-Novel Club
Rights: Copyrights as per source stories

Prologue: Naden Delal

If you looked at the map of this world, there was the one diamond-shaped continent, Landia, and several outlying islands of varying sizes.

In the center of that continent, called Landia’s Navel, there were the three-thousand-meter class mountains that made up the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

This was where the dragons lived, gathering around the living godbeast, Mother Dragon, who was the subject of worship. It could even be called a nation.

The nations of mankind understood the Star Dragon Mountain Range to be the nation of the dragons. There was no clearly demarcated border, but no country wanted to infringe upon their territory so badly that they were willing to fight the immensely powerful dragons over it. And so, mankind and the dragons naturally stayed apart from one another.

Even though times had been chaotic since the Demon Lord’s Domain had appeared on the continent, the Star Dragon Mountain Range was a natural fortress, isolated from the effects of that.

In the high plateau in the center of the Star Dragon Mountain Range was Dracul, the dragons’ paradise.

Perhaps due to some act of Mother Dragon, the plateau enjoyed an eternal spring despite being at an elevation of over five thousand meters. It was a fertile and verdant land with an abundant supply of clean water.

In Dracul, the dragons lived a unique lifestyle.

Despite their large bodies, massive wings, and powerful horns and fangs, dragons could speak the human language. They could also take on beautiful humanoid forms. They formed riding contracts with the knights of their ally, the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, under which they would become the knights’ favored mounts, swearing an oath to fight together on the battlefield. At the same time, they were to become life partners, giving birth to the knights’ children.

Members of the race of dragons were sexually ambiguous, and unable to produce children between themselves. In other words, in exchange for fighting alongside the knights of Nothung, they had the knights guarantee they would have prosperous offspring.

Each child would be born either as a dragon, a dragonewt, or the race of the knight.

If it was a dragon, it would come in the form of an egg, and it would be taken from the parents to be kept by Mother Dragon in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. This was partly to keep the parentage of a dragon from being considered important, but it was also unclear how long a dragon egg might take to hatch. Because it could sometimes take hundreds of years, it couldn’t be left with the parents.

In any case, these partner contracts were formed between the new knights and the dragons at the Contract Ceremony held at the end of spring each year.

That time... had almost come.

In the middle of the 3rd month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar

It was a forest on the east side of the plateau Dracul in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

With its everlasting spring, the forests of the Star Dragon Mountain Range were always decorated with fresh growth. The leaves were a deep green, and when you looked up at them from inside the forest, they sparkled brilliantly in the sunlight shining through the treetops. However, further down, at ground level, there was little sunlight, and it was gloomy.

In those gloomy woods, there was a small cave.

A white dragon landed in front of that cave. Her white scales glistened in the light. Her silver mane blew in the wind. On her head was an exquisite pair of goat-like antlers. The silver dragon folded her large wings, craning her neck to look into the cave.

“Naden, you’re in there, aren’t you?” the white dragon called into the cave.

Though she was speaking, it wasn’t aloud. Dragons could converse by willing it, without using their voices. There was no response to the white dragon’s call, but a little noise did escape from inside the cave. Its occupant was probably pretending not to be there.

The white dragon groaned. “Stop ignoring me! I know you’re in there!” she called, sounding exasperated, and then took a deep breath. When the air she inhaled returned to her mouth, orange flames leaked from the corners of her lips. If she opened her mouth now, she would unleash her dragon’s breath, the flamethrower attack known to lay waste to entire countries. “If you’re too uncooperative, you’re going to get burned, you know!”

“H-Hold on, Pai! You’ll burn the books!” came the panicked voice of a young girl from inside the cave.

When she heard that voice, Pai swallowed her flames, then let out an exasperated sigh. “Honestly... Stop holing yourself away in there and get out here.”

“But I was watching Music Port...”

“Music Port? Wuzzat?”

“It’s a music program from the Gran Chaos Empire.”

“The Gran Chaos Empire?!” the white dragon exclaimed.

The Gran Chaos Empire was a strong nation with a firmly entrenched power base in the west of the continent. Though they had been on the defensive since the appearance of the Demon Lord’s Domain, they were still effectively the most powerful of all the nations of mankind.

During the time in which the Gran Chaos Empire had been trying to establish its hegemony over the continent, it had invaded the Star Dragon Mountain Range. This had been the Empire at its peak, with an army numbering in the hundreds of thousands, facing around a thousand dragons. As one might have expected, given that it was said that a single dragon could destroy a small nation, the Imperial forces were overwhelmed, leaving them no choice but to retreat. Ever since that battle, it had been hard to call relations with the Empire cordial.

“The Empire is hostile to us, you realize!” Pai cried. “What are you thinking?!”

“It’s not like we’re at war right now, are we?” Naden retorted. “The current Empress, Maria, is beautiful and seems peaceful. I think we should take the chance to try and make friends with them.”

“You say that, but... wouldn’t Lady Tiamat be angry if she heard you?” Pai protested.

Tiamat was the leader of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, the one that mankind knew and worshiped as Mother Dragon. She was like a mother to all the dragons who lived in this area, and when her name came up, the girl in the cave sounded a little panicked.

“Ahaha... That’s kind of scary... You’re scaring me, so keep quiet about this, okay?”

“Oh, for goodness sake...” Pai sighed. Her entire body emitting a bright light, she instantaneously transformed into a beautiful young girl with pale skin and long, flowing white hair, wearing a white one-piece dress. She looked unmistakably human, but the goat-like horns sprouting from beneath her hair and the white tail extending from her rump clearly showed she was the white dragon from before.

Pai walked into the cave. It wasn’t as dank as it looked. If anything, the air was fresh. This was normal for caves in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

Pai progressed through the cave, coming to an area where it suddenly opened up.

Before her eyes spread a room that, completely unlike the rock walls of the cave up until this point, was very girly. There was a cute dresser and bed. The bookshelves were lined with books from the nations of mankind (mostly romance novels). Pai addressed the person watching the simple Jewel Voice Broadcast receiver in the middle of that room.

“Oh, Naden, there you go, watching that simple receiver again...”

“Yeah, and?” the girl called Naden responded. She had black hair and was wearing a black one-piece. “I can watch what I want.”

There were deer-like antlers growing out of her voluminous black hair on either side of her head, and a black tail sprouting from her rear end. At a glance, she looked to be around fifteen years old. She was short, and looked underdeveloped. However, when looked at in profile, her young face had a hint of beauty, and if she dressed right, she would probably look very cute.

Knowing that, Pai sighed all the more at her disappointing friend. “Sigh... I don’t know which is worse: this, or when you had your head full of dreams, reading too many romance novels.”

With the past suddenly brought up, Naden coughed in surprise. “I-I was just reading books! It’s not like I was only reading romance novels, okay?”

“You were obsessed with them. Saying things like, ‘I’d put love before duty!’”

“I read ordinary adventure stories, too!”

“Dragons don’t usually read human books to begin with...”

The reason for that was simple. Since the only country that had diplomatic relations with the Star Dragon Mountain Range was the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, not many products from the nations of mankind made it here. If one wanted to acquire products from the nations of mankind, one had to go to those nations directly, leaving the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Most dragons were not interested enough in the world outside, or in products from the nations of mankind, to do so. Those like Naden, who used every opportunity she could find to go outside and come back with foreign products, were a rarity.

“Wait, where did you get that receiver anyway?” Pai asked, startled.

“Hmm? I found it at a flea market in the empire. It was broken, basically a piece of junk, but when I gave it a little zap, it started showing things. Hee hee! It was a great find.”

As she said that, Naden’s black, lizard-like tail slithered toward the simple receiver. When it got there, there was a clicking sound, and the image on the receiver vanished.

Naden could store electricity in her body. By releasing that stored electricity, though Naden didn’t understand the principle behind how it worked herself, she was able to turn the simple receiver on and off. There were definitely other creatures that could store electricity in their bodies, but Naden was probably the only one who could control it so skillfully.

Watching her do that, Pai shrugged in exasperation. “You’re skilled in the strangest of ways, you know that, Naden?”

“Hey, I was lucky enough to have an electrified body. I’m not going to let that go to waste.”

“I know, but is that really something a dragon should be doing...?”

In Dracul with its everlasting spring, the dragons who had yet to form a contract lived their lives as they pleased. They did things like fly around in dragon form, play in the water, and go hunting.

There were times when the dragon priestesses who served under Tiamat would teach them about dragon traditions, the outside world, and reading, writing, and arithmetic; but other than that, they could each use their time to do whatever they liked.

Among all those dragons living in that old-fashioned way, Naden was probably the only one who could use tools from the outside world so skillfully.

Pai asked her with some exasperation, “Are you really a dragon?”

“...I wish I knew that myself,” Naden said, her gaze returning to the screen.

Pai got a look on her face that said, “Oops, I screwed up.” That subject was probably painful for Naden.

“Um, uh... So, this music program thing? What is it?” Pai asked, trying to change the subject.

“They broadcast cute girls in cute outfits singing and dancing for the people to see,” Naden said. “It’s fun just watching it. Though, from what I hear, the ones who are the real creators and masters of broadcast program production aren’t the people of the Empire, they’re the people of the Elfrieden Kingdom. It’s a shame I don’t get them on this simple receiver.”

“The Elfrieden Kingdom? You mean that country where they summoned a hero, and he became their king?” Pai asked, surprised. When she heard the name “Elfrieden,” the image that came to mind was a very traditional, or, to put it less kindly, old-fashioned kingdom.

Naden waggled a finger at Pai and tut-tutted her. “You can forget everything you think you know about Elfrieden. Oh, wait, they’re the Kingdom of Friedonia now, aren’t they? I don’t have all the details, with my information coming from the Empire, but it sounds like they’ve been growing in power really fast under the new king’s program of reforms.”

Naden picked up the simple receiver with her tail and played with it.

“I think the way he took the Jewel Voice Broadcast, something the royal family had only used to make one-sided announcements of things that were already decided, and used it to create something fun like these broadcast programs shows incredible foresight. Unlike this country, which never changes, the Kingdom of Friedonia is pressing further and further ahead. I’d like to meet this hero king of theirs myself. Maybe I’ll land in Friedonia next time I go out.”

Pai stomped her feet in indignation. “Good grief! What are you thinking?! It’s almost time for the Contract Ceremony, you know? There’s no way you’ll be allowed to do that at an important time like this, when our futures are going to be decided!”

“That doesn’t... really matter,” Naden said. “I’m sure no knight would ever choose me. I mean, I can’t fly, and I can’t breathe fire, after all.”

“...”

Naden’s eyes filled with resignation.

There was nothing Pai could say in response.

Though she, Naden Delal, was a dragon of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, she had no wings with which to fly through the skies, and she could not breathe fire. Her appearance was very different from the other dragons, too.

That was why the other dragons called her a worm (saying she was long, thin, and not much else) behind her back. That was part of the reason why Naden tended to hide away in the cave. Pai was one of Naden’s few friends, but there was nothing she could do for her about this.

“Erm...” Pai said, thinking frantically. “B-But you can shoot lightning, Naden!”

“...What good is that? No knight will choose me as a partner. If they did, they’d be the only knight who couldn’t fly, you know?” Naden averted her eyes.

The dragon knights of Nothung were famed across the continent.

These knights, who rode atop the already tough and powerful dragons, would soar through the skies, tearing through enemy lines and burning everything away with dragon fire. Though they were a small country, the dragon knights had been responsible for making the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom capable of fighting on even terms with the Empire, even if it was only on the defensive. There could be no place for the flightless, fireless Naden in their ranks.

“You’ve got it good, Pai,” Naden sighed. “A pretty white dragon like you... I’m sure you’ll have your pick of the litter.”

“...I’m sensing some hostility in those words.”

In the ceremony held to form contracts with the dragon knights, the knight would first choose a dragon to become his mount, and then the dragon would decide whether to accept or not. That meant a dragon who received multiple offers would have her pick of them. Naden was probably thinking that Pai was sure to have that.

“Maybe I should just leave the country?” Naden asked, moping. “I could probably pass myself off as a sea serpent.”

From what Pai had heard, the race known as the sea serpents and Naden in her human form looked quite similar. As for what made them different, the antlers on Naden’s head were bigger, and sea serpents lacked the ability to transform like true dragons, but there were few enough of them that no one would notice unless she said something about it.

Pai groaned in exasperation. “If you take a defeatist attitude, you’ll become a defeatist at heart!”

“But...”

“Besides, didn’t Lady Tiamat give you a prophecy? It’s going to be fine.”

The dragons who would attend the Contract Ceremony in any given year were chosen by Tiamat. The will of the individual and how old they were didn’t come into it. Those dragons who were chosen would receive an oracle from Mother Dragon at the beginning of that year. Naden had been one of them.

“Eventually, one who knows your value will appear. That is when you will leave the nest.”

That was definitely what Tiamat had said to Naden, who had all but given up on her future. Tiamat said it with the gentle eyes of a mother. Naden couldn’t imagine that Tiamat had been lying to her. However, at the same time, she couldn’t see that prophecy coming true.

“That’s... got to be something Tiamat said to console me,” Naden said at last. “Even I don’t know what my value is. What is a complete stranger supposed to see in me?”

“But, from what I hear, Lady Tiamat has never had a prediction fail to come true.”

“Fine, I’ll be the very first failure. Hurray for me.”

Pai groaned. “You’re such a defeatist.”

“Pai, if you keep making that groaning noise, you’re going to develop black spots like a cow, you know?”

“Moo! Moo! Moo!” Pai exclaimed.

While watching Pai get angry out of the corner of her eye, Naden sighed. If there really is some value to my existence, and someone could find it for me... how wonderful would that be? If a miracle like that happened, and they take me away from this boring place where it’s always spring and nothing exciting ever happens... Well, it’s just not possible, is it?

Naden forced that earnest wish of hers deep into the recesses of her heart.

Chapter 1: What You Get out of Louts and Scissors Depends on How You Use Them

15th day, 3rd month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar

It was a sprawling prairie in the northwestern part of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

A single wide road ran across that prairie with its excellent view, and on either side of that road were demon-destroying trees from the God-Protected Forest planted at regular intervals. This was one of the national highways that had been laid down as part of the transportation network. If one were to follow this road, they might pass merchant caravans protected by adventurers, or rhinosaurus-drawn freight trains.

It was a quiet spring day with clear skies. There was a covered wagon drawn by two horses traveling down said highway. In the covered cart were the wares of a common traveling peddler, but the horses which drew it were quite magnificent beasts.

We were inside that covered wagon. And I was talking to the guy who was running behind the cart.

“What do you think, Hal?” I asked. “How’s it feel running down a road you built yourself?”

“I won’t deny it’s gratifying, but... when you’re the one who says that, it pisses me off a bit...” Halbert said grumpily, still running outside the cart.

Currently, there were four of us riding in the covered wagon: Aisha, Kaede, Tomoe, and me.

This was the group traveling to the Star Dragon Mountain Range at the direct invitation of Mother Dragon.

However, we didn’t know the reason for this invitation, and only a few of my closest retainers had been notified, so we needed to travel incognito. That was why I was wearing my usual Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago traveler’s outfit, consisting of a conical straw hat and a traveler’s raincoat; Tomoe was wearing a white mage’s hooded robe; and Aisha, Hal, and Kaede were each dressed as adventurers.

Of course, once we arrived in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, we intended to change into our formal uniforms that were loaded in the wagon.

Incidentally, the last member of our party, Carla, had gone ahead to scout out things in the direction we were traveling. It was useful having a dragonewt who could fly at times like this.

Aisha and I were relaxing inside the wagon, while Tomoe was in the driver’s seat, having Kaede teach her to control the wagon. Because Tomoe and Kaede were of the similar-looking mystic wolf and mystic fox races, when they sat together in the driver’s seat, they really did look like sisters, which put a smile on my face.

Hal had been in the wagon, too, at least initially, but then he’d said, “My body’s gonna get all numb like this,” and gotten out to start running.

“You were going through hard training as a dratrooper, weren’t you?” I asked. “You should take the chance to relax now, at least.”

“You’re taking it too easy...” Hal gave me a stern and somewhat appalled look.

Uh... Yeah, he might be right.

I was in the covered wagon right now, resting my head in Aisha’s lap. My hat was resting on my chest, and I was taking things maybe just a little too easily. I shifted my head backward to ask Aisha, who was patting my head with a goofy look on her face, a question.

“Aisha, are you okay? I’m not too heavy?”

Aisha came back to her senses, and shook her head with all her might. “Not at all! If anything, I should ask if my lap is too hard for you. I have a lot of muscle, after all...”

“Nah, I think it has just the right level of springiness. Look, my finger sinks right in.”

“Wah! Hold on, that tickles!”

When I poked her thigh, Aisha writhed a little. It was kind of cute.

“Oh, for the love of... I don’t want to be in a wagon with that atmosphere,” Hal said with an “I can’t take any more of this nonsense” attitude.

Yeah, if I were in Hal’s position, I’d probably feel the same. Tomoe was hogging Kaede, too.

“But, if I hadn’t chosen you to accompany me, you two would’ve been aboard the Hiryuu, training as usual, right?” I asked. “Isn’t it nice being able to relax?”

“Well, yeah, but... why are we on this relaxed trip, anyway?” Hal demanded. “They’re meeting us at the border, right? Couldn’t we have just taken a wyvern there?”

As he said, someone from the Star Dragon Mountain Range was going to be coming to get us at a village on the northwestern border of the Kingdom of Friedonia. Once we got there, a dragon would carry us to the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

From the standpoint of pure efficiency, we could have stayed in the capital until just before it was time to go, and then traveled to the village by wyvern on the day of. But that would’ve been bad.

“I’ve finally been given a long vacation,” I said. “It’d be a shame to ruin it by rushing things, don’t you think?”

“Really? I don’t think traveling is something to enjoy...”

This was a difference between the way people in this world looked at things, and the way a modern person would.

In this world, where there were vicious wild creatures, and even monsters that may appear, it wasn’t possible to take it easy traveling, even inside your own country.

In the history of Earth, it was only recently that we’d become able to travel so easily. Even in the Edo Period, when public order had been in a reasonable state, when Matsuo Bashou had traveled, he had to accept he might not come back alive.

Thinking of it that way, it made me realize once again just how incredible Poncho was, having traveled around to so many different countries, and having spent a great deal of money, all to pursue his interest in food.

“I like traveling,” I said. “Seeing unfamiliar vistas makes my heart dance. My grandma and grandpa liked traveling, too, so they often brought me with them.”

“Your grandfather and grandmother did that, sire?” Aisha asked.

“Yeah. Though, with them being an elderly couple, it was a lot of trips to temples, shrines, and castles.”

Going to Nara in autumn.

Red leaves and senbei crackers.

Those had been good times.

Back then, even going to the neighboring prefectures felt like I was going somewhere really far away. I never would’ve imagined then that, years later, I’d find myself traveling to another world entirely.

While I was basking in those memories, Aisha said, “Now that I think of it, there’s something I’ve been wondering about...” She sounded mystified as she continued. “This wagon, it doesn’t shake. Normally, we wouldn’t be able to relax like this, you know?”

“Well, it may look like an ordinary covered wagon, but... Genia designed this thing,” I said.

“Um, why do you suddenly look so exhausted?” Aisha asked.

“The rhinosaurus train primarily carries freight now, but if we want to have it pull passenger cars eventually, the shaking would become an issue,” I began.

“Now that you mention it, when we went to the dark elves’ forest, it was shaking really badly,” Hal interrupted, wincing.

Perhaps he was remembering what it had been like that time. We’d been going there for disaster relief, so every moment counted. That was why we’d gone as fast as we could, without regard to the shaking, and most of the members of the Forbidden Army who had ridden with us had suffered motion sickness as a result.

“That’s why I asked Genia to develop a setup that reduces shaking in the car,” I explained. “It’s just... Genia always manages to exceed my expectations in ways I’d never see coming.”

I’d been envisioning something like a coil spring. My studies had been focused on the humanities, not engineering, so I didn’t understand the exact way to set it up. But I’d given Genia the Overscientist a rough image of what I was thinking of, and hoped she could develop something close to it. What Genia did develop had been beyond my imagination.

“I never thought she’d come up with shock-absorbing materials first...” I murmured.

“Sh-Shock absor... What now?” Aisha asked.

“I haven’t seen one myself, but apparently there’s an armadillo on this continent that’s so huge you could mistake it for a glyptodon, right?” I said.

“I don’t know what a glyptodon is, but you’re talking about the giganto armadillo, right?” Aisha asked. “They mostly live in the forests. They have a hard armor shell, and even I have trouble breaking it.”

“Wait, hold on?! You can break it?!” Hal exclaimed in surprise. “They say it’s practically impossible to break their shells with a physical attack, you know?!”

“They do?” Aisha asked. “I hit it around ten times, changing greatswords in between, and I managed to break it.”

““...”” Hal and I were both speechless. It looked like Genia wasn’t the only one who was off the charts...

“W-Well, setting that aside,” I said. “So, we knew that the giganto armadillo defended itself from physical attacks with its hard armor shell, but Genia questioned where the shock from those attacks was going. No matter how much it looked like there was no exterior damage, she thought the impact might be reaching their soft internal organs. When she dissected one to take a look, she discovered the fat deposits on the inside of its armor shell had powerful shock-absorbing qualities.”

In other words, the inside of the shell had a fleshy texture; but, to put it in terms a modern person would understand, it had a number of qualities that made it like rubber.

I stomped twice on the floor of the wagon car. “The axles and wheels of this wagon are made with a processed form of that fat found inside their armored shells. That’s why this wagon shakes less than other wagons.”

“I see... That’s Madam Genia for you, all right,” Aisha said. “Coming up with something like this so easily.”

Aisha seemed genuinely impressed, but my feelings on the matter were a little more complicated.

It might sound a little demanding, but I wished she’d come up with a material that was easier to put into general use. Giganto armadillo fat was precious, and that made this covered wagon expensive in a way that didn’t match its appearance. If I tried to make a train that didn’t shake using this method, we’d end up overhunting the giganto armadillo.

It needs to be cheaper for the general public to be able to use it... I thought to myself.

However, Genia was a natural-born genius, and once she created something, it wasn’t in her personality to think of ways of creating a more budget-efficient version, or to improve its functionality. There was no helping that, so I turned the materials over to the diligent researchers, and asked them to research a substitute material that could be mass-produced.

As for their results, there was apparently a species of silkworm whose cocoons had similar shock-absorbing properties to this material. Those cocoons could be mass-produced, so I was looking forward to their future research developments. Naturally, I’d told them what I knew about springs, and I had them researching those, too.

The truth was, the ones supporting this country weren’t rulers like me, or geniuses like Genia, but those nameless researchers. It was important not to forget that.

It happened while I was resting my head in Aisha’s lap with my eyes closed, thinking about that.

“Hey,” Hal commented. “Looks like young Miss Carla’s back.”

Hearing that, I sat up. I called out to Tomoe and Kaede in the driver’s seat to have them stop the wagon.

When I got out of the car, Carla was in the middle of landing. It wasn’t a vertical drop; she came in at an angle to land like a passenger plane. She was probably landing that way to make sure no one saw up her apron dress.

“I have returned from scouting, Master,” Carla reported, fixing her skirt which had gotten just a little ruffled in the landing. It looked like she’d gotten used to handling her miniskirt maid outfit.

When I decided to have Carla accompany me, I had thought it was a bit much to make her wear the maid uniform while traveling, and I had planned to let her wear the armor she’d used in the war. But Serina the head maid said, “I thought this might happen, so I prepared a maid outfit for traveling,” and with a cool look on her face, she handed over the thing.

I used some of the materials that were offered to the royal family as gifts, ones where there were no other uses for, to improve my Little Musashibos, and it looked like this maid outfit used them, too. It was a superior product: blade-, arrow-, acid-, and heat-resistant; hard to stain, and easy to wash.

...Where does our head maid’s passion come from, and where is it going? I wondered.

That aside, I praised Carla for her work.

“Well done. How was it?”

“There were no dangerous creatures up ahead... However...” Carla said awkwardly, looking at her winged back.

I looked at her, wondering what was up, when I noticed two tiny feet sticking out from under Carla’s armpits. Carla turned to face the other way, and I saw a little human boy who was about five years old stuck to her back. The boy looked frightened, clinging tightly.

Carla seemed troubled, saying, “I found this boy alone and crying in an open spot on the mountains, and I couldn’t leave him alone, so I brought him back with me. He seems scared of something... and he won’t get down.” Carla shrugged as if to say she didn’t understand the reason at all.

“Isn’t he just scared because you flew through the sky?” I asked. It looked like she’d been flying at a pretty high altitude, so the boy had probably been clinging tightly so that he wouldn’t fall.

When I pointed that out, Carla’s eyes opened wide in realization. “Ah! Y-You’re right. I had forgotten that humans don’t fly.”

“Oh, come on...”

When I gave her a less-than-amused look, Carla blatantly averted her eyes.

Kaede and Tomoe spoke to the boy gently, and managed to coax him down from Carla’s back. But once he was down and the tension was relieved, the boy started to cry.

He was probably from a nearby village, and had gotten lost after wandering into the mountains. We had a boy on our hands who didn’t know his name, didn’t know where he lived, and kept on crying.

If I’d been the dog police officer in the song “Inu no Omawari-san,” this would be where I would start barking because I didn’t know what to do, and then give up.

The boy seemed to have taken to Carla because he was still clinging to her, and she was still panicking when I asked her, “Do we have anything to go on?”

“Uh... AH!” Carla cried. “Now that you mention it. I saw a number of strange men in the mountains.”

“Strange men?” I repeated.

“Yes. They had the appearance of filthy bandits. The fact that there were people like that lurking around in the area was one of the reasons I decided to take this kid with me.”

“Mountain bandits?” I pondered. “I haven’t heard any reports of bandits appearing in our territory...”

When I’d only just taken the throne, there were still occasional reports of thieves and mountain bandits. However, with the transportation network laid out, allowing troops to move around the country quickly, I stopped hearing reports of these sorts of robbers in the country. The only “thieves” I heard about were adventurers who took that name as their job title. Whenever there was a report of an incident, it was put down immediately, and if an armed band was found, the military would be sent to monitor them, or if necessary put them down.

That was how many groups of bandits had been defeated, or left the business of their own accord. Some of those bandits had actually been harmless, and for people like that... Ah!

“Hey, Carla, do you remember what color they were wearing?” I asked.

“Now that you bring it up... they were all wearing matching orange breastplates.”

“Yeah, I figured...” I said, nodding.

“You have some idea who they are, then?”

“Oh, I have more than an idea...”

I was the one who formed their organization.

We traveled for maybe another thirty minutes after that. When we brought the boy to the foot of the mountain where Carla said she had seen the men, the men in orange breastplates came out in force to greet us. I sent Carla ahead to explain the situation to them.

Like Carla had said, the men certainly did look like bandits. Their skin was tanned and swarthy, their faces thick with stubble, and they were a burly band of louts. They looked bad enough that Aisha and Hal tensed for battle when they saw them (Tomoe and Kaede were waiting inside the covered wagon), but the men showed no sign of bloodlust, and displayed no tension whatsoever.

One man who was larger than the rest stepped forward. “You the one, mister? I’m told you took a child into custody.”

The man spread his arms out in an exaggerated gesture, grinning.

“Yeah,” I said. “A member of our group took him in when she found him alone in the mountains.” It would be a pain to deal with it if our identities came out, so I explained the situation to him politely. “Have the boy’s relatives come to collect him?”

“Of course,” said the man. “Hey, you louts! Hurry up and bring the kid’s parents out!”

One of the men shouted, “Yessir!” and rushed off to the rear.

The way they talked, they were totally like a bandit boss and one of his minions.

Not long after that, a woman who looked like an innkeeper from a village threaded her way through the men to appear before us. That woman, who looked confused as she walked through the group of men, looked pleadingly at me with desperation on her face.

“Th-The boy... is my son, all right?! He wandered into the mountains on his own, and I haven’t heard from him since!”

So this was the boy’s mother? She must have been very worried.

“Please, relax,” I said. “There was no sign of him being injured.”

I asked Carla to bring the boy. When Carla brought him out from the cart, the little boy made a beeline for the woman the moment he saw her, jumping into her waiting arms.

“Moooooommy!”

The woman held him tight. “Thank goodness... Honestly, you silly boy! You had me worried sick!”

“I’m sor... sor... ry...”

“I’m really... glad you’re safe...”

The boy and his mother were reunited, and embraced.

While we watched that out of the corner of our eyes, the big man talked to me. “You really did us a favor there, mister. We’d split up to look for the kid, but we just weren’t having any luck. I wasn’t sure what we were gonna do.”

“No, like I said before, we only found him by coincidence.”

“Still, I’ve gotta thank you. I’m the leader of this band. The name’s Gonzales. From the look of you, you’re a merchant, are you?”

“Yes,” I said. “Kazuma Souya of The Silver Deer.”

It would cause trouble if it came out that I was the king, so I was using the alias I had prepared.

Gonzales went, “Hm?” and furrowed his brow. “Mister... Have we met somewhere before?”

“Have we? It’s my first time in these parts...”

“Am I imagining it? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before...”

“Well, I hope you’ll remember my face, then,” I said. “We’d appreciate your business at The Silver Deer.”

“Gahaha! You aren’t a merchant for nothing, huh?” Gonzales seemed to like that, because he slapped me hard on the back.

...It kind of hurt.

When I played it off like that and returned to my companions, Hal said, “Would you mind explaining the situation already? Who are those men, anyway? They look like a band of brigands.”

“Well, they did used to be mountain bandits, after all.”

“Huh?! What’d you just say?!”

“Calm down, Hal,” I said. “There are all sorts of mountain bandits out there, you know.”

There were mountain bandits who attacked merchants and villagers, stealing their possessions, abducting their women and children, and even killing people. These were what you would call villainous bandits.

However, there were also those that occupied mountain roads, charged a toll for merchants to pass, and protected them in exchange. These were relatively respectable (?) bandits.

Whenever there were reports of the former, I would just send in the military to exterminate them; but for the latter, it was a shame to lose such talented people.

In a way, they were experts on the mountains. They often had roots in the area, maintaining good relations with the nearby villages, and it would be a waste to just throw away their knowledge and experience. So, here was what I did.

“I hired those mountain bandits, and had them form ‘mountain rescue teams.’”

“Mountain rescue teams?” Hal repeated.

“When someone gets lost in the mountains, like what happened here, they search for them. They also patrol the mountain to keep an eye out for any strange happenings, and they protect travelers on the roads, like they had been doing before. The country pays their wages. They charge a fare for protection on the mountain roads, but the money they collect goes into the national coffers. If they’re found to be skimming off the top, obviously, we treat them like normal mountain bandits.”

“Wow, you’ve sure got a lot going on...” Hal said, sounding impressed, but I had to smile wryly.

“Well, I’m the king, after all.”

“Oh, yeah, now that you mention it, I guess you are. I forget sometimes.”

“Yeah, I do, too.”

The two of us laughed together.

After that, we said our farewells to the mother, child, and mountain rescue team, and set off on the road once more.

With every meeting comes another parting, and we had other meetings to get to.

What sort of people would we meet on our trip? I was suddenly looking forward to finding out.

Chapter 2: Time Begins to Move

“Ah... The scenery is beautiful, just beautiful.” I couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration.

This was northwest of the Kingdom of Friedonia, a small village on the border with the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria.

Looking out further to the west from the center of the village, the bluish-green peaks of the Star Dragon Mountain Range stood there with an incredible sense of presence. Even though they were still a long ways away, they still looked so big. It was a series of mountains the size of Mt. Fuji, so I could understand why the view was so impactful.

Was Dracul, where the dragons lived, in the middle of those majestic mountains? Just what sort of place was it? I couldn’t even imagine.

“What’s the matter, Big Brother?” Tomoe called as I stared vacantly at the mountains.

“Hmm? I was thinking, ‘Those mountains sure are big.’”

“Yeah. They’re really big.”

Seeing Tomoe and me gazing at the mountains, Hal objected. “Oh, come on. You can see the Star Dragon Mountain Range all the way from the castle.”

“Hal, you just don’t get it,” Kaede chided the unsentimental Hal with a wry smile. “Both from afar and up close, they’re a breathtaking sight, but in different ways, you know.”

Aisha and Carla returned from leaving the wagon’s horses at the inn’s stable.

“Well then, Sir Kazuma,” Aisha said, “are we to wait here in this village until they come to ‘pick us up’?”

“...Uh, yeah,” I said. “That’s how it’s supposed to work.”

Whoops. Because Aisha had addressed me as Kazuma there, like in the backstory I’d prepared for her, it had taken me a moment to respond.

Incidentally, in that backstory, I was the young heir to The Silver Deer, and I was traveling around many countries to find potential trade goods. Tomoe was my little sister, and I had her hiding her wolf ears and tail beneath that hooded robe.

The other four, Aisha, Halbert, Kaede, and Carla, were playing the role of adventurers we’d hired to protect us in our travels. For this trip, I’d actually talked things over with the adventurers’ guild and had them registered as such.

In an alternate plan, I would have been an adventurer, too, but it stood out so badly that my skill level was below that of the these four that I had to give up on that one. It was true that I was weak, but they were almost too strong. We had the best fighters in the kingdom with us, after all.

Let’s get back to the story.

The arrangement was that we would wait here for our escort from the Star Dragon Mountain Range to arrive. However, there was no set time for that. It was possible we would be delayed on our trip here, so we could only decide on a vague time, within a day or two of our arrival.

I said, “Well, if we just wait—”

◆

“—they’ll make contact with... Uh... Wait, what?”

I had been responding to Aisha, but suddenly she was gone from my side. Actually, Tomoe, Hal, Kaede, and Carla were gone, too. More than that, everything including the village and its buildings had vanished in an instant.

The next thing I knew, I was standing alone in the middle of a field.

What, why am I in a field?! Where did everyone go?!

It was a desolate field with no sign of people or buildings.

Let... Let me tell you what happened! I was in the village, but I somehow ended up in a field. You... You guys think I don’t know what I’m talking about...

Wait, this wasn’t the time to be joking around.

Unable to believe the situation I’d found myself in, I was looking around restlessly, trying to find someone else, when the whole area suddenly went dark. Had it clouded over...? No, that wasn’t it! There was something massive up in the sky, and it was blotting out the sun. When I looked up to see what it was, there flew a massive dragon, twenty meters in length.

“Awhuhwhuh?!” I babbled incoherently at the incredible sight.

◇　◇　◇

Bzzt.

Huh? Just now, for a moment, I felt something on my cheek... she thought.

At that same time, in her cave on the Dracul Plateau, Naden quizzically tilted her head to the side.

Naden had once again shut herself in today to watch broadcast programs from the Gran Chaos Empire, but she just felt something weird in her cheeks. It was small, like a little bug had landed there. However, when she rubbed her squishy cheeks, there was nothing there.

“...Well, whatever.” Naden returned to watching the broadcast program.

Suddenly, Pai rushed up to her in human form. “This is huge, Naden!”

The very next moment, bang, Pai struck her leg on the table. While Pai crouched down and grasped her leg in pain, the still hot tea that had been sitting on the table splashed all over Naden’s tail.

“Hiyahhhhh!” It was so hot Naden let out a scream that could have come from a kung-fu movie star.

Thrashing around, she almost knocked the simple receiver over, but desperately stopped herself just short enough to keep from breaking it. Meanwhile, Pai, who had already recovered from the pain in her leg, was looking at Naden in exasperation.

Groaning, Pai said, “What are you doing, Naden?”

“What am I doing?! This is all your fault! It was hot, okay?!”

“Hold on, that doesn’t matter right now,” said Pai. “This is a much bigger deal.”

“That was a big deal to me! If I break this receiver, I may not find another one...”

“I’m telling you, there’s something more important going on!”

“You can talk all you want. I’m going to sleep.”

Naden went to lie down in the bed she had acquired from the outside world, but Pai, who had a sulky look on her face, put a stop to that.

“No sleeping! Listen to me! Lady Tiamat has summoned you!”

“...Eep.” Naden froze stiff just as she was about to get into bed.

Tiamat, who was also known as Mother Dragon, the ruler of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, was sacred and inviolable, and her existence was an absolute. Not even the dragons could lay eyes on her revered face without good reason. Only when they were invited by her to perform some function, or on some other business, were they able to stand in her presence.

Furthermore, about the only time she summoned them was when she meant to bestow some honor on them, or harsh punishment.

Pai looked at Naden pityingly. “What’d you go and do this time, Naden?”

“Could you not immediately assume I’m getting punished?” Naden griped.

“Well, have you done anything you’d deserve to be honored for?”

“...No...”

While Naden was wracking her brains, thinking, What could I have done...? the idol dancing and singing on her simple receiver caught her eye. There were some dragons with more traditional values who opposed bringing in things from the human world like this.

“You think it’s this?” Naden stared at the simple receiver.

Pai sighed. “They say Tiamat can see everything in the whole world. She definitely knows.”

“I-If it was a problem, she would have told me off for it sooner!” Naden protested. “That’s never happened, okay?”

“Wasn’t she just letting it slide before? Or can you think of another reason?”

“A reason... Maybe that I’ve crossed the border over thirty times now?”

“You’ve been going out that much?! Wait, I’ve got another idea. Naden, you refused to participate in the Contract Ceremony, didn’t you?”

“But... I mean...” Naden’s face turned gloomy.

The Contract Ceremony, when the young knights of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom came to form marriage contracts with the dragons, was a grand occasion for the dragons that came around once in a lifetime. However, for an odd, wingless dragon like Naden it was only a place where she would be a laughingstock.

Pai knew how Naden felt about it, but she also knew that skipping out on things would only isolate Naden more, so she was stern. “You skipped the dance practice for the Contract Ceremony, didn’t you?”

During the ceremony, a knight and dragon would dance together as proof of their newly formed contract. Then, when the dragon had finished dancing in human form, she would take on the form of a dragon, and their contract would be formally established when they departed the Star Dragon Mountain Range together. The dance lessons were to prepare for this.

Naden puffed up her cheeks and pouted, turning her head to the side and refusing to make eye contact. “There’s no point in practicing for an event I have no intention of attending.”

Pai groaned. “Didn’t you get in a fight with Ruby and the others a little while ago, too?”

“They made fun of me for not being able to fly!”

“Don’t you think the combination of all that is what’s getting you called in now? In my opinion, it’s impressive she let you get away with all of that for so long.”

“Urgh...” Naden had no response to that.

“But, well, if she’s never said anything to you before, I don’t think you’re going to suddenly get punished for it, you know?” Pai said with a sigh. “If you’re doing something wrong, you ought to be scolded first.”

“Y-Yeah!” Naden said with relief.

“But even if it’s just a warning this time, will that change how you behave?” Pai put her hand down on the simple receiver as she spoke. “If she told you to dispose all these things you picked up in the lower world...”

“That’s like telling me to die!”

“It’s that bad?” Pai asked.

Naden pulled the exasperated Pai’s hand off the receiver and hid it behind her back. “I can’t throw this out. The simple receiver is my longing for the outer world.”

“And the romance novels?”

“My longing to have someone choose me.”

“What are you, a maiden with your head full of dreams?”

“I am a maiden. ...Even if I’m like this.”

Pai shrugged her shoulders in dismay. “Whatever; just be ready for it. Even if she’s going to be mad at you, it’s best to get it done with quickly.”

With Pai admonishing her like that, Naden reluctantly turned off the receiver.

◇　◇　◇

The big dragon descending from the heavens began to shine when it touched the ground. The outlines of its form blurred in the light, shrinking down to human size.

When the light subsided, before me stood a woman wearing all-white robes, a square hood over her head, and a thin veil over her face. It was hard to be sure with her face mostly covered, but she was maybe in her forties. Well, in a world with long-lived races, it was basically impossible to rely on how old someone looked, though.

The woman in white walked up to me. “You are King Souma Kazuya of the United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia, I presume?”

“I am... Are you here from the Star Dragon Mountain Range?”

The woman brought a hand to her chest and bowed to me. “I come on behalf of Lady Tiamat, our mother dragon. I will now bring you to the Dracul Plateau in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”

“Our mother dragon”... Oh, that’d be that Mother Dragon, I guess. Was Tiamat her name...? Wait, huh? Tiamat... Wasn’t that the name of the oldest dragon to appear in Earth’s legends? I vaguely remembered it because the name had shown up in all sorts of things.

For starters, it was said that Mother Dragon had been around since before the people of this continent had formed countries, so she lived up to the name, at least.

I asked the lady in white, “And might I inquire as to whom I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

“There’s no need to be so polite with me. I am one of the priestesses in the service of Lady Tiamat.”

“A priestess?”

“Yes. The dragons are a race that live a thousand years. However, if a dragon’s partner leaves this world before they can have children, that dragon lives in solitude for a long time. Such dragons return to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, becoming priestesses who serve Lady Tiamat. They care for her, maintain Crystal Castle, and look after the young dragons.”

In other words, dragons who lost their families returned to the Star Dragon Mountain Range to become priestesses.

“Can’t they get remarried to another knight?” I asked.

“There are some who can,” the woman said. “However, this is a matter of fate. It is up to the guidance of destiny, and to the blessing of Lady Tiamat who binds the fates of men and dragons.”

The guidance of destiny, huh. Was Mother Dragon a god of matchmaking or something like that, then?

That aside, I decided to ask the question that had been bothering me for a while now.

“By the way, where is this? I’m pretty sure I was with my companions in the village where we agreed to meet just a moment ago...”

“This field lies five kilometers to the northeast of that village,” the woman said. “Lady Tiamat used her power to move you here.”

Who could have expected teleportation?! Appearing in dreams, instantly transporting people... Mother Dragon’s power really was off the charts. I could see why people might worship her.

“Can all dragons do things like that?!” I exclaimed.

“No,” the priestess said. “It is only possible for Lady Tiamat, who has lived an eternity, and who is worshiped as a god. It is her divine intervention, you might say. Rest assured, she will never use that power for her own selfish desires.”

“...I hope I can believe that.”

Used correctly, it was a power with limitless destructive potential, after all. This was someone I didn’t want, and couldn’t afford, to make an enemy of. I wanted very much for her to be a god that watched over the world, but didn’t intervene in it.

I scratched my head. “Anyway, you were saying you’d take me to Dracul, but what about the companions I left behind in that village? I may not have been coronated yet, but I am a king, you know? Didn’t my sudden disappearance cause a total panic back there?”

The dragon priestess looked at me apologetically, and bowed her head deeply. “I must apologize. Due to the urgency of our circumstances, while I do realize this is rude, I ask that you come to Dracul alone. One of my fellow priestesses is heading to your followers now to explain the situation. We will invite your followers to come on another day, at some time before the day of the ceremony.”

“Will I be getting an explanation of those circumstances?” I asked.

“Please, ask Lady Tiamat for the details. I will just say... Lady Tiamat wishes for you to participate in this year’s Contract Ceremony.”

The Contract Ceremony... That was where the knights and dragons formed marriage contracts, right? Did this mean that, just as Hakuya had hoped, I would be participating as one of the partners?

“I’m the King of Friedonia, you know?” I said. “I’m not from the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, and I have absolutely no intent of becoming a dragon knight.”

“That is not a problem,” the priestess said confidently. “If Lady Tiamat says you are worthy to participate, that is all there is to it. Besides which, I hear the first king of Elfrieden was a hero who formed a contract with a dragon.”

The priestess spoke with certainty, as if Mother Dragon’s words were absolute. Even if they were... I didn’t know what to say about being suddenly told to marry a dragon I’d never even met before. Well, my engagements to Liscia and Roroa had been the same way, but it wasn’t exactly a thing you got used to.

“But isn’t the contract a vow between husband and wife?” I asked. “I still haven’t married them yet, but I already have four fiancées, you know? Is that okay?”

“That is, again, no problem,” the priestess said. “This contract is, by no means, something that has already been decided on. If you do not wish to form a contract with anyone, human or dragon, you may make that decision.”

Oh, I see, I thought. The Contract Ceremony isn’t something I’ll be forced into in any way? It’s more like a matchmaking session that’s hard to get out of because I can’t afford to offend my parents or the other party, then. If that’s all... I was beginning to feel better about the situation.

“However, Lady Tiamat is one who binds the fates of humans and dragons,” said the woman. “Lady Tiamat went to the trouble of calling you here, so I suspect that there is someone that you are meant to meet there.”

I was speechless.

The priestess said that with the same confidence as before.

Did that mean there was a dragon in the Star Dragon Mountain Range who was fated to be with me? And, if I went there, was I going to be stuck taking her as my wife? Just like the god of matchmaking, Mother Dragon, had claimed?

When I thought of how Liscia and the others would react, my head started to hurt.

Then the dragon priestess began to shine once more and turned into a dragon. “Now, I will take you to Dracul at once.”

“Wha?! Right now?!”

“Yes. Lady Tiamat said it was urgent.”

Urgent? Were the circumstances that pressing?

The dragon priestess grabbed me tightly with her large front leg. Oh, it was covered in a thin layer of fur, and was kind of warm... Wait, now wasn’t the time to think about that!

“Hold on, I’m not emotionally prepared for—wait, ah!”

“Now, let us be on our way.”

“Hold on! Ahhhhhhhhh!”

I was instantly taken away into the sky.

◇　◇　◇

“Oh...” For an instant, Naden felt her cheeks buzz again.

It was slightly numbing, like there was a jolt of electricity passing through them. It felt stronger than the last time, too.

Naden wondered what it could be, but... she had bigger concerns. After all, she had been summoned by Mother Dragon right now.

In the center of the Dracul Plateau was a lake, Lake Drag, large enough that waves formed on its surface. In that lake was Crystal Castle, where Mother Dragon resided.

That palace was made from an unknown material that was translucent like crystal, and it was more massive than any castle in the world outside the Star Dragon Mountain Range. The master of that castle, Mother Dragon, was the size of a hill herself, so it was only natural that her residence be so large.

Naden was in Crystal Castle’s waiting room. Everyone who’d been called in by Mother Dragon would wait in this room, then be magically summoned to appear in front of her when she had time to see them.

Incidentally, though there were no strict rules about this, it was customary to take dragon form, not human form, when having a meeting with Mother Dragon. This was because their human form was a temporary one, taken for the pledge with a knight, and it was seen as inappropriate to appear before a godbeast like Mother Dragon in it. However, Naden was still in her human form.

She hadn’t done that because she would be appearing before Mother Dragon. Naden was usually in human form. She hated her dragon form, which had gotten her ridiculed as a “flightless lizard” and a “worm.” To put it simply, she’d developed a complex about it.

Does having wings... and being able to fly make you all so great...? Naden muttered in her head.

The area around her suddenly began glowing. Then, the very next moment, a massive silver dragon the size of a hill appeared.

Her eyes sparkled like sapphires. Her horns looked incredibly strong. Her wings were large and powerful, with feathers like a bird’s, each of them was as large as a broadsword.

Furthermore, her entire body was covered with smooth hair, and in the light that shone down from the open ceiling, she sparkled with a color that went back and forth between silver and rainbow. She was a being so absolute that even Naden, who had seen her many times now, gulped and stared in awe each time they met.

She was the queen of dragons, the holy mother dragon: Tiamat.

When Naden came back to her senses, she knelt down, putting a hand over her breast and bowing her head. “...Naden Delal. Here at your behest.”

Naden was feigning calmness, but her heart was pounding. She couldn’t help but worry about why Mother Dragon might be upset with her.

Is it my skipping practice for the Contract Ceremony? Is it my fighting with the other dragons? Or... is it my having brought a simple receiver made in the Gran Chaos Empire back here? Oh, what am I going to do if she tells me to get rid of it...?

“Raise your head, Naden.”

Naden heard that peaceful voice come from above her head. It had a depth that sounded like three people speaking at the same time, as if it were echoing inside the listener’s own heart.

When she raised her head like the voice told her to, those sapphire eyes were staring right at Naden’s face. In that tense atmosphere, Naden thought she could feel the sweat running down her back.

“Um... Er...”

Naden tried to say something, but her tongue just wouldn’t move right.

Tiamat didn’t seem angry with her. If anything, it was a soft look on her face.

She’s not going to get mad at me? Then why did I get called here? Why is Lady Tiamat looking at me with such gentle eyes?

Those questions sprang to mind one after another, throwing Naden’s heart into disarray. “Um... Lady Tiamat...?”

When she managed to force just those words out, Tiamat began speaking softly.

“The furiously moving gear approaches the gear that has come to a stop.”

“...Huh?” Naden had no idea what had just been said to her. Gears? What was she even talking about?

Without any concern for Naden’s confusion, Tiamat continued. “Eventually, the two gears will mesh. The stopped gear will be forced to move, and the gear that spins furiously as if driven by something will slow its pace. However, that is nothing to be sad about. It merely means that they will spin at the same pace.”

“U-Um... I have no idea what you’re talking about...?”

It was too abstract for Naden to make sense of. Had she been called here to hear this? The furiously spinning gear... The stopped gear... The meshing of the two...?

“Naden.”

“Y-Yes!”

With Tiamat’s eyes fixed straight on her, Naden stood up straight.

“Be prepared. It will soon begin to move.”

Prepared? Begin to move? What would, exactly...?

“Um... Lady Tiamat... just what is going to start moving?” Naden ventured.

Tiamat took on the face of an angel delivering a revelation, or a mother watching over her child, and told her:

“Your time.”

Chapter 3: The Narrowing Distance Between the Two

“Cold... High... Scary...”

Right now, I was flying through the skies, being carried by the dragon priestess.

My body was wrapped in the dragon’s hand, so it was reasonably warm, but my face was directly exposed to the wind, and it was very cold.

That, and it was scary being this high up. It had nothing to do with acrophobia—I’m pretty sure anyone who suddenly found themselves skydiving with no past experience would be scared. That was what this was like.

“I apologize for the inconvenience,” the dragon priestess said. “However, a dragon only lets her partner ride on her back. Please forgive me for carrying you like this.”

The dragon priestess sounded apologetic, but I wasn’t convinced that was the problem here.

“No, it’s not that I wanted to ride on your back...”

Honestly, the only reason I wasn’t even more freaked out was that only my head was exposed. If I’d been riding on her back, feeling the speed and wind pressure with my whole body, I’m confident I would have passed out.

The members of our Air Force fly this high, too... I realized.

The dragon priestess asked, “Are you afraid of high places, Sir Souma?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah. Kinda...”

“In that case, I will go faster so we can arrive at our destination sooner.” With that, the dragon priestess accelerated rapidly.

“No, that doesn’t mean I want you to go fasteeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr!”

I screamed the loudest I had that day.

◇　◇　◇

“Eek!” Naden shrieked.

Having left Crystal Castle, she’d been on her way back to her den when the biggest jolt she’d felt all day had hit her.

This wasn’t like mere static electricity; this was like squeezing your foot tightly when it was numb from you sitting on it for too long, or suddenly having someone grab your sides. It was that sort of ticklish and stimulating feeling.

Naden rubbed her cheeks and said, “I thought it might be my cheeks, but could this be—”

She was then interrupted by something else.

“You there, worm,” a high-handed voice said snootily.

When Naden turned to react, there were three girls there. One was a beautiful young girl with defiant eyes and rolls of curly hair who looked like the epitome of haughtiness, while the remaining two were her blue- and green-haired flunkies.

The girl with rolls of red curls was Ruby; the flunky with the short blue hair was Sapphire; and the flunky with the long green hair was Emerada.

Naden had been walking on a little road in the forest. The three of them were standing to block it.

With a look of utter contempt on her face, Naden walked toward the three of them. “Oh, look... the three stooges.”

“Who’re you calling stooges?!” Ruby exclaimed.

“Well, should I call you drag-ons instead?” Naden quipped.

“Huh? Where is that pause in the middle coming from?”

“From how this keeps dragging on. You keep coming to bother me for no good reason.”

As one might have guessed from this exchange, Naden hated these three. This country was unwelcoming, both in a geographic and diplomatic sense, so many of the dragons had inward-looking personalities, too. That was why there was no shortage of dragons who mocked her as a “wingless dragon” or “worm.”

Dragons prided themselves as being creatures revered as godbeasts, so most of them wouldn’t tell Naden how they looked down on her to her face. But they still said it maliciously behind her back.

These three were the only ones who would openly mess with Naden.

Red-haired Ruby mockingly said, “Hmph! I heard you were called out by Lady Tiamat, so I came to see if you finally got yourself thrown out. Well? Was she mad?”

“Too bad for you, then,” Naden shot back. “There wasn’t anything she was upset about.”

“Hmph. Then why were you summoned?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business. Now get out of my way.”

Naden tried to pass the three of them, but Ruby immediately blocked her.

Naden tried to turn back the way she had come, but Sapphire and Emerada had sealed it off.

“...You three, cut it out, would you?!”

When Naden glared at them, Ruby took on a nasty grin.

“Oh, yes, it’s the Contract Ceremony soon, isn’t it?”

Naden gulped. The three circled around her, with Ruby closely scrutinizing her face.

“It’s so romantic,” Ruby said. “The young dragons and knights all meet, the noble knights offer their hands to the dragons, and the dragons accept their hands to become lifelong partners. It’s the highlight of every dragon’s life. The moment when we can be said to shine our brightest.”

Naden was silent.

“On that most important of days, I wonder if there will be a knight who would deign to choose you.” The corners of Ruby’s lips turned up, and her fang-like canines peeked out. It was an unpleasant smile. “Dragons prefer strong knights. Strong knights produce prosperous descendants, a mark of pride for any dragon. Knights prefer magnificent, majestic dragons. For the knights of Nothung, the dragons are their partners both in marriage and on the battlefield. In order to distinguish themselves in battle and to move up in the ranks—not to mention survive—they’ll choose strong, majestic, and ferocious dragons.”

Triumphant and mocking, Ruby’s words beat against Naden’s ears.

“But what about you? Will there be a knight who would choose you? You, who have no wings, don’t breathe fire, and can’t fly? Even if there is, what will he do? Is he going to ride you? Watching the rest of the dragon knights fly through the sky while he fights on a dragon that’s little better than a horse? Ahaha, what an idiot. He won’t be moving up in the world, that’s for sure!”

Bzzt!

Ruby jumped backward as that sound suddenly came from Naden.

Naden’s hair began to stand on end, and her body was wreathed in pale blue electrical discharge. Her voluminous hair spread out, wriggling in the air like tentacles.

Naden turned to Ruby, pointing a finger at her as she said, “Shut your filthy mouth. If you don’t, I’ll paralyze you.”

“Hmph! Do it, if you can.”

In the next moment, a blue bolt of electricity shot forth from Naden’s fingertip. However, by the time it reached its target, Ruby was no longer there, and the trunk of the tree that had been behind her was singed instead.

Naden looked up into the sky and howled, “Tch! Get down here, you dirty coward!”

There were three dragons, red, green, and blue, hanging in the air; it was none other than Ruby and her flunkies. The three flapped their membranous, wyvern-like wings as they looked down at Naden.

“What’s the matter? Weren’t you going to paralyze us?” In her red dragon form, Ruby seemed to have become even more spiteful. “Oh, right. Even if you can control electric shocks, you can’t hit us if you can’t fly.”

“Shut up!” Naden yelled.

“Who would ever choose you?”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

“You had better participate in the ceremony. Don’t run away. Though I’m sure no one will choose you, it would be good to see you put in your place.”

“Ngh!” Naden cried.

Naden ran away, turning her back on Ruby and the other two.

Damn it... Damn it...

She didn’t want to let them see her tears of sadness and frustration. If she cried, it would only let them bask in their sense of superiority. Not a chance.

Though I’m sure no one will choose you.

As Ruby’s words echoed in her ears, she imagined the other dragons mocking her at the Contract Ceremony.

Pai and Lady Tiamat told her to participate, but she wouldn’t let anyone make a laughingstock of her!

Who... Who would go to the stupid Contract Ceremony?!

Naden vanished into the forest.

◇　◇　◇

Having adjusted to flying at high speeds, I spoke to the dragon priestess as we got closer to the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

“So, I wanted to ask a question.”

“What might that be?” she asked.

“This Dracul place, where the dragons live—it’s on top of those mountains, right?”

“Yes. That is correct.”

“I’m still fine now, but if you carry me up there, am I going to be all right when it comes to air and whatnot? I’d rather not suffer from altitude sickness.”

This was the Star Dragon Mountain Range, a series of mountains the size of Mt. Fuji. The Dracul Plateau itself was kept in a state of perpetual spring by Mother Dragon’s magic, and the air there was no different from the air at ground level, but what about the route there?

If I was going to be going through an experience equivalent to suddenly being chucked to the top of Mt. Fuji, that would be hazardous to my health.

The dragon priestess shook her head. “You need not fear. Once we enter the Star Dragon Mountain Range, Lady Tiamat’s magical power will directly transport you the rest of the way to Crystal Castle in Dracul.”

...So there you had it. Basically, it was going to be another teleportation like I had experienced earlier.

“In that case, couldn’t she have just transported me to that castle or wherever to begin with?”

“Lady Tiamat can only exercise her fullest power within the Star Dragon Mountain Range. In other lands, her abilities are greatly restricted. When you get to be as far away as that village, she can only teleport you short distances.”

...Could a few kilometers really be called a short distance?

Well, it seemed she couldn’t suddenly send dragons anywhere on the continent, at least, so that was a bit of a relief. I didn’t even have an inkling of any intentions to oppose her, but it was still unsettling to have her unilaterally hold the power of life and death over me. Though, well, I could certainly tell that Mother Dragon was on an entirely different level from other creatures.

While I was thinking that, the dragon priestess picked up speed. “We will soon enter the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Please, brace yourself for transportation.”

“Brace myself? How am I supposed to do that?”

“Don’t be surprised if the scenery around you suddenly changes.”

“Oh, so that’s what you meant...”

The dragon priestess’s speed slowed, and when she had almost come to a stop...

◆

...the scenery changed. We had just been in midair, but now the floor was beneath my feet.

The dragon priestess set me down, and I was finally able to get my feet back on terra firma.

I looked around, wondering where I might be. It was bright, so I could see well, but it was an incredibly vast space I’d found myself in. There was a white wall in front of my eyes, but when I turned to look behind me, the wall on the opposite side was a long ways off. This place might be larger than a domed stadium.

When I looked up to the ceiling, still thinking about that, I gulped again. It’s not a wall?!

What I found myself looking up at was a giant dragon’s head. Right now, I was at the breast of a massive dragon that was sitting like the sphinx. That head... It was the same dragon I had seen in my dream.

Did that mean this supermassive dragon was Mother Dragon? I’d thought she was big when I saw her in my dreams, but because it’d been a dream, her size had been kind of hazy. When I saw her up close and personal like this, she seemed even bigger than I’d assumed in my dream.

I heard a voice from above. “You’ve done well. Let us have some time alone.”

The dragon who had carried me this far said, “Understood.”

She bowed her head, and was then erased. Mother Dragon probably teleported her away.

While I was still dumbstruck, Mother Dragon addressed me in a gentle (though psychic) voice. “Now then, I think it would be much too haughty of me to remain in this form when before the master of a nation.”

With that said, her body began to shine and then shrink down. When the brilliant light subsided, I beheld a woman who was roughly the same height as me. Her face was covered by a veil, so I couldn’t tell her age or appearance, but the woman was wearing a shining, silver robe-like garment, and had a well-balanced figure. As with the arms of the Venus de Milo, not being able to see her face made me imagine it to be incredibly beautiful.

“Is that... your human form?” I was awestruck, but somehow managed to get those words out.

She chuckled. “Is this my human form, you ask? That’s an apt name for it.” The woman lifted the hem of her robe and bowed. “I am pleased to meet you in person like this. Greetings, King Souma of Elfrieden and Amidonia. I am Tiamat, the one responsible for the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Madam Mother Dragon.” I returned her bow. “I am King Souma of Friedonia.”

Mother Dragon chuckled. “That name is something others just started calling me of their own accord. Please, call me Tiamat.”

“As you wish, Madam Tiamat. Um... sorry about my appearance.”

Much too late, I realized I was still in that Kitakaze Kozou-style traveler’s outfit. I felt bad standing in front of the divine figure I saw before me in this state. I had no time to change clothes, after all. But when I said that, Madam Tiamat shook her head.

“No, you look like that because I called you here so suddenly. If anyone should apologize, it is me. For a start... let’s sit down.”

A table made of glass and two matching chairs suddenly appeared between us. Teleportation sure was a convenient ability. If I had that, I could instantly find the documents I was looking for when working, so I really wanted it...

I was thinking like a total slave to my job.

Once we sat down, Madam Tiamat began by bowing her head deeply. “First, allow me to apologize for bringing you here so forcibly.”

“I will accept that apology,” I said. “But could I ask you to explain your reasons? I was already on my way here with my companions when you did so.”

“I will tell you, of course. But first...”

Suddenly, a tea set appeared before my eyes. The teacup sitting in front of me was already filled with a warm serving of black tea.

“Let’s have tea. Do you take sugar or milk?”

“No, straight is fine.”

It was time for me to stop being surprised by every little thing. She was worshiped as a god, after all.

I took a sip of tea to calm my nerves. I was more of a coffee person, honestly, but... it had a good fragrance. Tiamat drank her tea, then took a breath before opening her mouth to speak.

“Now, as for what led me to force you to come here, that is because there is an urgent situation that threatens the Star Dragon Mountain Range. In order to resolve it, I need your.... no, the powers of all of you. That is why I’ve summoned you here, well aware that I may cause offense.”

She had some sort of situation on her hands? And what did she mean about the powers of all of us? As far as I could tell, I was the only one here.

“What exactly is this urgent situation you speak of?” I asked.

“A storm is approaching the Star Dragon Mountain Range,” Madam Tiamat said with a mysterious tone in her voice.

A storm? Wasn’t Dracul a plateau at an altitude equivalent to the peak of Mt. Fuji? Wouldn’t they hear the thunder coming from below up here? But thinking about it a bit longer, I remembered the peak of Mt. Fuji could get still storms. They say cumulonimbus clouds can go all the way up to the stratosphere, after all. No, but before that...

“Even our country can’t do anything about natural phenomena,” I said.

“Of course, this isn’t a ‘natural phenomenon.’”

“...Is it a metaphor of some sort?”

“Yes, that’s right. I expressed an impending threat as a storm. In order to deal with this storm, we will need your power, Sir Souma, and that of one other. In order to bind the two of you together, I needed you to come to the Star Dragon Mountain Range on your own.”

Madam Tiamat spoke in a quiet voice, almost like she was composing poetry.

“There is little time. If we waited for you to come together with your entourage, there was the risk that the situation would get out of hand. However, even if we explained the situation, there is no way the vassals of a king would allow him to go to another country alone. Because of that, we resorted to somewhat more forceful methods. I once again apologize. I’m sorry for what we put you through.”

Madam Tiamat offered a sincere bow.

I had the mother dragon who was revered as a god bowing her head to me. What would Liscia and the others say if they heard about this?

That aside, she said she spirited me away because there was “little time,” but she was being awfully vague as to the reason why.

“You’ve apologized enough,” I said. “Could I trouble you for a more concrete explanation about this storm, or whatever it is?”

“The storm will definitely come. I cannot touch the storm directly. However, my children cannot handle it themselves. Except... for one of them. The storm will be a miserable calamity. We need you, who will be the key to dealing with it, and that girl who will carry you. It is a miracle that the calamity and the means of resolving it have encountered one another in this time frame, but looking at the eternal flow of time as a whole, it may have been an inevitability.”

I was silent. I really didn’t get it.

I scratched the back of my neck. “I do think this roundabout way of discussing things is fitting for a god, but...”

“If you find it unpleasant, I apologize once more. However, this is the most ‘guidance’ I can hand down.”

“Guidance...” I muttered.

“I am a being who exists to raise and watch over those who live on this continent of Landia. I can offer advice that guides things in a better direction, but I have not been given the authority to intervene directly in individual matters.”

“If you haven’t been given the authority, does that mean there’s someone who exists at a higher level than you?!” I exclaimed.

Mother Dragon was held up as the highest god by the practitioners of Mother Dragon worship. If there was a being in a position to give her authority, wouldn’t that make that being the actual highest god? If the practitioners of Mother Dragon worship heard this (setting aside the issue of whether they’d even believe it), it could cause incredible chaos...

While I was staring, dumbfounded, Madam Tiamat silently shook her head.

“There once was. But they are no more.”

“R-Really?”

Was this like saying God is dead? I couldn’t make a decision based on the information available to me, but Madam Tiamat gave me a slightly sad smile.

“Yes. However, the limitations placed upon me live on. That is how I was born, and so I must continue to abide by those limitations. Even knowing my own children will be exposed to the storm, I myself can do nothing about it.”

“So you called me here because of that storm?” I hedged.

“That is correct.”

“I think, as far as humans go, I’m one of the weaker ones in this world, though.”

“Martial prowess has nothing to do with it,” she said. “Your very existence is the key.”

“Does that have something to do with how I was summoned as a hero?”

“Yes. However, I am unable to tell you precisely how.”

“I dunno...” I scratched my head.

Going purely off the information provided to me, this didn’t seem like something I could make a decision on easily. However, seeing how sincere Madam Tiamat was, I could be absolutely sure that the situation was pressing, at the very least.

Argh. If I had Hakuya and his oratory skills here, I might have been able to extract as much information from Madam Tiamat as was possible within her limitations; and if I had any one of Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa with me, I could have consulted them on what to do.

Speaking of Liscia and the others...

“Madam Tiamat,” I said. “I’d like you to answer just one thing for me.”

“What might that be? I hope it’s something I’m not restricted from telling you.”

“It’s a yes or no question.” I finished my tea and calmed myself, then sat up, looked Madam Tiamat straight in the eye, and asked her, “Is this storm, or whatever it is, something that would harm me, or those who are going to become my family?”

If I couldn’t know all the details anyway, I at least wanted to make sure of the one thing that was most important to me.

Madam Tiamat’s response: “Yes.”

That more or less decided my answer for me.

◇　◇　◇

Naden was running through the forest.

She ran straight down the game trails, trying not to think about anything. That was because if, while thinking, she considered her situation for even a moment, she felt like she would be crushed under the weight of her sadness.

As she ran, Naden’s body transformed. She became four-legged; her body thickened and grew longer; and she sprouted deer-like antlers, a long tail, and two whip-like whiskers. She had taken on her dragon form.

She twisted her gigantic body around, slithering between the trees like a snake. There were, of course, no wings on her back.

Does having wings make you so great?! She asked herself the same question she had so many times before in her life. Is it so wrong not to have wings? Geez... I don’t even know anymore! What do you want me to do?! There’s nothing I can do!

At some point, tears had begun to fall from her red eyes. They wouldn’t stop.

Enough! I don’t care anymore!

She kept running, and eventually came out of the woods.

She’d come to a rocky place. It was a sheer cliff, and the far edge of the area that Tiamat’s magic kept in a state of everlasting spring. This was the edge of Dracul. The setting sun had dyed the sea of clouds that spread out below her red.

The scenery here truly was fit to be called breathtaking. However, Naden didn’t have the presence of mind to take it in right now.

She leaned out over the cliff, stretching out her long neck and shouting as loudly as she could in thought-speak: “You stupid suuuuuuuun!”

She added out loud, “Rooooooooooooooar!”

Ooooooooooooooooar...

Ooooooooar...

Ooooar...

Screaming out in psychic speech while roaring at the same time, her roar echoed as it vanished away to somewhere beyond the clouds.

Naden stood there, glaring into the sun.

“Th-That ryuu’s going through adolescence.” A voice that was lacking in tension came from behind Naden.

“Wha?!”

When the surprised Naden turned back, there was a young man in unfamiliar garb, standing there and looking at her like he’d seen something unbelievable. The young man wearing a traveler’s cloak over top of his shirt, and a conical straw hat was scratching his cheek as he looked at her, unsure what to do.

“I know from Madam Tiamat and the dragon priestess that it’s possible to talk with them, but when I see a ryuu girl shouting something out of an adolescent drama... I just don’t know how to react,” he added.

Naden’s eyes went wide. What is a human doing here? And in that strange outfit... He’s not a knight from the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, is he?

While she got information from the Empire through her simple receiver, Naden knew nearly nothing about the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, so she didn’t know the young man’s outfit was from there.

Continuing to stare at Naden, the young man opened his mouth and said, “Still, I’d heard the Star Dragon Mountain Range was a nation of dragons.... But I never imagined there would be a ryuu here, too. I feel like I understand this world less and less.”

A “ryuu”... That was what the young man had called Naden. “Ryuu” was another word for dragon. Naden opened her eyes wide.

“A ryuu, huh...” she said coldly, thinking he might have meant it sarcastically. “I don’t have wings, you know.”

But the young man tilted his head to the side. “Huh? That’s obvious, isn’t it? Ryuus don’t have wings.”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Ryuus are supposed to have wings, aren’t they?”

“Huh? If you’re talking about a ryuu with wings, there’s the ouryuu, also called the yinglong, but aren’t they supposed to be kind of a unique case?”

“Huh?” Naden asked.

“Huh?”

It seemed there was some inconsistency in their understanding.

“Hold on,” Naden said, “When you say ryuu... you mean a dragon, right?”

“A dragon? ...Oh, I see. So that’s it.”

The young man clapped his hands together, as if something suddenly made sense to him. Then, picking up a branch, he drew two characters, 龍 and 竜, on the ground.

“In the world I came from, we had the Oriental dragon, also called a ryuu or long, and the Western dragon, two similar but dissimilar creatures.”

“Your world? Similar but dissimilar...?”

While Naden still had a question mark over her head, the young man drew a circle around 竜.

“In my world, Western-style dragons were given this character, which is read as ‘ryuu.’ They’re creatures that are like giant horned lizards, but with wings.”

“Giant lizards, but with wings... That’s about right.” Naden thought it was an apt description.

It felt good hearing the other dragons, who always called her a worm, get called big lizards. It was refreshing.

“Hm? Then what about this other ryuu?” Naden added, pointing to 龍.

“They’re creatures said to have the head of a camel, the eyes of a rabbit, the ears of a cow, the antlers of a deer, the neck of a snake, the belly of a sea snake, the legs of a tiger, the talons of an eagle, and one hundred and seven koi-like scales covering their body.”

That was way more bizarre than some big lizard. What kind of mystery creature was that?

“From what you’re saying, they sound like total chimeras,” Naden said.

“No, no... I’m talking about you here.”

“...”

Me?!

That made sense. The long body, covered in scales, the front and hind legs with sharp claws, and the deer-like antlers... If you were to try describing Naden’s body using animals, it might turn out that way. She didn’t know what kind of creature a camel was, but did she really resemble one?

“I’m a... ryuu...” she said slowly.

“In my country, when you hear the word ryuu, the image that first comes to mind looks a lot like you,” he explained. “That’s probably the effect of a certain famous manga and anime, though.”

“Manga? Anime?”

“Never mind, that was just me talking to myself. Don’t worry about it. By the way...”

The young man suddenly slumped to the ground. He was holding his stomach for some reason.

“W-Wait, what’s wrong?! Does your stomach hurt?!” Naden exclaimed.

“No, um... I’m hungry... I was dragged off before breakfast, and now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten all day.”

“So you’re just hungry!” Naden cried, exasperated.

Bzzt! That numbing feeling came again.

In her ryuu form, she could tell. Her cheeks felt a little numb, but what really reacted were her two long, whip-like whiskers. These whiskers were Naden’s most sensitive sensory organs, and the slightest breeze across them was enough to tell her what the weather would be like for the next week.

My whiskers... Were they responding to him?

Naden returned to human form and stood in front of the hunched over young man. His face was turned downward, so she couldn’t see his expression. She reached out to touch his face softly. Her hand was close enough that she couldn’t tell if she was touching him yet or not, when...

“That’s a rather cute form you’ve changed into,” the young man looked up and said when he saw Naden in her young girl form.

Naden turned bright red at being called cute. “Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wha?! M-Me?!”

“Huh? You’re the only one here, aren’t you?”

“B-But, I’m so plain... and small.”

“Really? I think you’ve got good material to work with. If you dressed a little better, I think you might look good on screen, you know? If you were good at singing, too, I’d almost want to recruit you as a lorelei,” the young man said with a little laugh.

Though there were some unfamiliar terms, like “on screen” and “lorelei,” Naden’s head instantly boiled over when she realized she was being complimented on her appearance.

While Naden was still pressing her hands against her flushed cheeks, the young man hesitantly asked, “By the way...”

“Wh-What?”

“Do you have anything to eat?” A weak growling came from the young man’s stomach.

...

“...Pft.” Naden burst out laughing. “Ahahahahaha! What the heck...? Hahaha!”

It was a hearty guffaw. Where had all that sadness from before gone?

“You’re so weird.” She laughed heartily.

Then Naden transformed back into her ryuu form and picked up the young man by the scruff of his neck, like a mother cat might carry her kitten.

◇　◇　◇

Chomp... Munch, munch...

“Maybe try eating a little slower?” the ryuu girl said in exasperation, seeing me wolf down my food.

I was in the cave the ryuu girl brought me to, tearing into a hunk of meat. This den of hers looked like no more than a cave from the outside, but inside there was a bed, bookshelves lined with romance novels, and a carpet. It looked like a girl’s room.

She had served me some sort of salted, cooked meat along with fruit. Normally, this big of a hunk of meat would have been intimidating, but I was so famished that it looked like a feast to me. I felt like how Aisha acted any time there was food in front of her. I tore into it wildly.

“Mmm,” I said appreciatively. “I dunno what kind of meat this is, but it’s good!”

“Oh, geez, don’t talk with your mouth full,” the girl on the opposite end of the table said, resting her cheeks on her palms. “You were that hungry?”

“Yeah. I’m really grateful to you. By the way, what kind of meat is this?”

“It’s from a big deer I hunted in the mountains.”

“Venison, huh? ...Wait, you hunted it?”

“That’s how most dragons get their food, you know? We fly around the Star Dragon Mountain Range, hunting animals and gathering fruit to eat. That’s how we grow into strong dragons.”

“You’re living a much wilder life than your room would suggest...”

While I was eating, she explained that dragons became strongly attached to their families once they were wed to a knight, but in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, they each lived on their own. There were no stores in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and they hunted and gathered to feed themselves each day.

Also, dragons didn’t gather in large groups, so they were doing well if they had one, maybe two friends. It was said that they had adopted this mentality because the majority of dragons married and left for the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, so they did this to avoid having lingering regrets about leaving their homeland.

While listening to all this, I finished my meat and fruits and clapped my hands. “...Phew. That was a feast.”

“It wasn’t that much of a feast, though,” the ryuu said.

“That’s just a thing you say after a meal in my country. Oh, that reminds me. You treated me to a meal, but I haven’t gotten your name yet, have I? It slipped my mind.” I sat up straight, and bowed deeply to the girl across from me. “Thank you for helping me. I’m... Kazuma Souya.”

I hesitated for a moment, but opted to use my fake name. If I told her I was the King of Friedonia, explaining that seemed like a hassle. Madam Tiamat’s explanation had been too abstract, meaning I didn’t really have a good grasp of the situation, so this was good enough for now. I didn’t want to trouble someone who helped me if I didn’t have to.

“I was invited by Madam Tiamat and came here from the Kingdom of Friedonia,” I added.

“Oh, how polite of you.” Hooked into it by my own bow, the young girl bobbed her head, too. “I’m Naden Delal.”

“Huh? Dendera?”

“Naden Delal! Don’t shorten it in a weird way!”

“Dendera the ryuu... Denderaryuu...”

What was it? I was suddenly reminded of that children’s song.

“Denderaryuuba detekurubatten, denderarenken detekonken?” I asked.

“What’s that weird spell-like incantation?” she exclaimed.

“Oh, it’s a children’s song from my country.”

“Denderaryuuba” was a children’s song from rural Kyushu. By the way, there was no dragon called a denderaryuu in it. “Denderaryuuba” meant “if I wanted to go out” in that region’s dialect. That line of the song meant: “If I wanted to go out, I could, but I can’t go out, so I won’t.” Or so I’d heard. Was it about being a shut-in?

“Well, anyway, nice to meet you, Dendera,” I said.

“Na-de-n! Don’t call me Dendera!” Naden got all huffy about it.

I reflected that she was a cute girl whose expression changed a lot.

That was how I went to the Star Dragon Mountain Range and met Dendera... er, sorry... how I met Naden Delal.

Chapter 4: The Naden That Naden Never Knew

It was the morning after Naden and Souma had encountered one another.

In a place not far from the cave, light shone down through the branches of the trees, illuminating a small stream and a person washing themselves there. Maybe because they didn’t need to worry about the eyes of others in the forest, they wore no more than their underwear, soaking in the river and pouring water over their body.

Today was another clear day in the Star Dragon Mountain Range with its everlasting spring.

In fact, rain never fell in the middle of the day here. This might have been the result of Mother Dragon exercising her power. A fixed amount of rain fell at a set time each day in Dracul. That was why, even though the skies were clear every day, the abundant nature on the plateau was able to maintain itself.

Because it was a warm day like this, the clear water of the river, which was cool, but not too cool, felt soothing. The half-naked person sat down on a rock, wiping their face with a cloth that had been left there for that purpose.

“Wh-What do you think you’re doing?!” Naden exclaimed.

Naden, who had still only been half-awake, was suddenly shocked into full awareness.

“Oh, hey, Naden. You’re up?”

“Don’t face this way, you pervert!”

It had been Souma bathing in the river. His body, which, thanks perhaps to his personal trainer, Owen, had no excess fat on it, was exposed.

Unable to take any more of it, Naden looked away. “Wh-What are you getting naked here for?!”

“I’m still wearing my underwear, you know?”

“That’s not the problem here!”

“Well, since I’m imposing on your hospitality, I thought it would be rude if I was too dirty, so I was washing myself...”

“Still... You can’t show yourself in front of a young maiden like that...”

With her head still turned away, Naden stole a few glances out of the corner of her eye. Even though dragons, as a race, could be somewhat ambiguous when it came to sex, seeing a member of the opposite sex was unusual, and she couldn’t help herself but look.

Without a care for Naden’s innocent reaction to him, Souma began dressing himself and asked her, “Come to think of it, when you and Madam Tiamat are in your ryuu or dragon forms, you’re so huge. But when you change into human forms you’re already wearing clothes, huh? There’s no sign of them tearing when you grow in size, either. Could it be that those clothes are a part of your body, or something like that?”

When Souma asked her about that which had been bothering him, Naden answered with a blank look on her face. “Erm... Yeah. We’re transforming our scales, so that would be one way of putting it. We can’t do anything about the color, but we can change the design, and even have them disappear entirely if we feel like it. Also, if we wash our bodies in dragon form, we can wash our human bodies and clothes at the same time.”

“Hm... Sounds convenient, but does it hurt if your clothes get torn, or something like that?”

“Do you feel pain when you cut your hair or nails, Kazuma?”

“Oh, I get it now.”

Basically, dragons didn’t have nerves running through their scales. In fact, their scales might be something like a carapace they could freely control, covering their bodies and protecting their innards.

“Hm? So, that basically means, even when a dragon is dressed up, they’re still naked...” Souma murmured.

“Don’t say another word!”

Crack, crack.

With a little crackling sound, Naden’s hair stood on end. There were blue streaks of lightning running from hair to hair. Naden’s angry mode made Souma panic a little.

“Electricity?! Whoa, hold on! I’m all wet here, you know?!”

Bzzt!

Just as Souma got away from the stream, the electric shock Naden unleashed struck the surface of the water. The poor fish that got caught in the discharge floated to the surface.

Souma was dumbfounded by what he’d just witnessed, but he immediately threw on the rest of his clothes and beat a hasty retreat. He couldn’t take an electric shock while his body was wet.

Naden chased after him, shouting, “Hold it!”

Even as he felt terror at the crackling sound of electricity that was chasing after him, the calm part of Souma’s mind was already coming up with practical applications for Naden’s ability.

A ryuu that controls electricity?! The Star Dragon Mountain Range even has those? If we had electricity, there would be all sorts of things we could do with it. Wouldn’t having Naden give our research into electricity a real boost?

Whenever he met someone with a special talent, the first thing Souma did was think of effective applications for their gift. It was an occupational hazard of being a king.

“Hold it, Kazuma, don’t run away!”

Can I get her to come to the kingdom, with no need for a contract or partnership to be involved...?

That was what Souma wondered, even as Naden chased him around.

◇　◇　◇

By the will of Madam Tiamat, I was now being taken care of in Naden’s cave.

That was because there were still another five days until the Contract Ceremony I had been asked to take part in occurred, and she had suggested Naden’s cave as a place for me to stay. It turned out that, despite how grand the Crystal Castle was, it had little in the way of entertainment, and I would most likely just end up being bored if I stayed there.

Naden, on the other hand, had been gathering written materials from the world below, and had quite a few unusual items in her room. That, and it was probably most convenient for me to stay in a room meant for a human-sized occupant.

Though that’s all starting to feel like excuses now... I noted.

Madam Tiamat seemed intent on Naden and me getting to know one another.

When our meeting concluded, and she was about to teleport me to where Naden was so she could look after me, Madam Tiamat looked at me, her eyes full of sincerity, and said, “Please, teach that girl for me. About the her she doesn’t know.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You should already know the way. Please, offer her guidance.”

When she said that, Madam Tiamat had the look of a mother worried for her own child. Just as I was about to ask her why she had that look on her face, the scenery changed, and I was met with a black ryuu shouting, You stupid suuuuuuuun! in psychic speech.

After that, a formal messenger from Madam Tiamat came to Naden’s home, and Naden was appointed as my caretaker for the time that I would be staying here. Naden looked like she thought it was a pain, but she couldn’t defy an order from Madam Tiamat, so she reluctantly acquiesced.

I’d been here ever since, staying in Naden’s cave, drinking tea, and reading the materials she gathered from the lower world... Which was to say, romance novels that had been written in the nations of mankind.

Across from me was Naden, lying in bed and watching a simple receiver. A ryuu was watching the Jewel Voice Broadcast... She apparently picked it up at a flea market in the Empire, and giving it a little shock had gotten it working again. What, was it like an old TV, which would start working again if you hit it?

Naden glanced over at me and asked, “Is it any fun for a man to read romance novels aimed at women?”

“More than you might think. It shows you what the various women of the world hold up as their ideals.”

When I’d heard they were romance novels, I expected them to be messy dramas of love and hate, like a daytime soap opera, but they were light and fluffy like a novelization of a shoujo manga.

From a quick glance through, most of them were tales of chivalry. There would be a knight who swore his loyalty to a beautiful lady, and he would perform meritorious acts in service of that love... That was how a lot of them went. There were also Cinderella stories, where a simple village girl would help a young lord or prince who had left the palace in disguise, he would fall in love with her, and they would ultimately be wed. The plots could largely be divided into these two patterns.

“Is this the sort of thing you dream about?” I asked playfully.

“...Well,” Naden said, turning her head to the side in thought, “I’d like to let a cool knight ride me as we fly through the sky together.”

“Ahh, if you’re a ryuu or dragon, that’s the sort of reading you end up with, huh...”

For a normal girl it would be, “I want to ride on a horse with a cool guy,” but for the dragon races, it was apparently, “I want to be the horse, and let the knight ride on my back.”

When you interacted with different cultures and races, it was interesting to see those little differences in interpretation.

“So, what are you watching over there, Naden?” I asked.

I’d heard lively noises coming from the simple receiver Naden was holding, so I was curious. She said she’d found it in the Empire, so was it a singing program from there?

“Hm? It’s a music program from the Gran Chaos Empire. You want to watch it with me, Kazuma?”

“Oh! Yeah, you bet I do.” I was interested in seeing what sort of music program the Empire was making.

Naden sat next to me, putting the simple receiver in a place where we could both see it. To prevent news from leaking, it wasn’t possible to view broadcasts recorded with any jewels other than the ones used for broadcast meetings when you were in another country. During our post-war negotiations with the Principality and Empire, when Jeanne, Empress Maria’s little sister and general, had seen our country’s broadcasts, she said she’d like to imitate them back in the Empire. I wondered what kind of programs they were making.

While thinking that, I took a sip of tea, looked at the simple receiver, and...

“Hello there, everyone! This is Maria.”

“Bwuh?!”

“Whoa, Kazuma?!”

I spewed the tea I’d been trying to drink everywhere. On screen, wearing an idol-style frilly dress, was the Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire herself.

“Now, I’d like you all to hear my song.”

With that, Maria began dancing lightly as she sang in a clear voice.

Though her singing and dancing might come up short when compared to our Prima Lorelei, Juna, Maria had a greater charisma that drew people to her.

...And, wait, wasn’t Maria getting really into this? She looked like she might start sparkling at any moment.

Um... What exactly was I looking at here?

Calm down, me. In everything, there’s a cause and effect.

From what Hakuya had told me, the most popular program in the Empire was the one that followed what Maria did during the day. Like on The Imperial Family Album. Her sister, Jeanne had been complaining, “How did it turn out like this?”

Maybe this had been the flow of things:

1. The Empire begins producing programs where loreleis sing.

2. The most popular program was one detailing the life of Madam Maria.

3. If we make Madam Maria into a lorelei, won’t viewership numbers shoot through the roof?

4. A singing, dancing empress is born! ← Where we were now.

...Well, that had probably been it, more or less. It seemed the Empire was going through a process of trial and error to find ways of entertaining their people. This one felt like an error.

Well, the program itself was fun, so I watched Maria with Naden for a while, but...

“Oh, no, there’re more of them now...”

I heard a girl’s voice coming from behind us.

When I turned back to look, there was a girl in a white one-piece dress looking at us in exasperation. The girl had goat-like horns on her head, and a white tail protruding from her rear end. Was this girl a dragon, too?

When the girl looked at me, she let out a sigh. “I thought it sounded lively in here... Naden, you finally started bringing home men, too? Make sure you take him back to wherever you found him.”

...What was I, an abandoned dog? It made me imagine myself in a cardboard box labeled, “I’m an abandoned provisional king. Please, take me home.” It made for one surreal image.

Meanwhile, Naden, who had been accused of dragging home men, pouted. “Don’t make me sound so bad! He’s a guest!”

“A guest?”

“That’s right! Lady Tiamat ordered me to be his caretaker.”

“His caretaker, huh... It looks to me like you two are just fooling around together, though?”

“Urgh...”

The girl was right, so Naden had nothing she could say to that. I’d been given food, and she was looking after me, but she hadn’t really done anything else as my caretaker. I’d been more or less left to my own devices.

The white girl pointed at me. “I’m Pai Long, Naden’s friend. Who are you?”

“Kazuma Souya from the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

I smiled and shook Pai’s hand. When I did, she tilted her head to the side.

“The Kingdom of Friedonia? That’s that country to the east that Naden was talking about before, isn’t it? We don’t have relations with them... What are you doing here, Kazuma?”

“Ahh, well, I was invited here by Madam Tiamat for some reason.”

“By Lady Tiamat?” At this point, Pai had a look on her face like she just realized something, and she turned to Naden. “Hey, Naden, don’t you think Lady Tiamat might be planning to have this guy take part in the Contract Ceremony?”

“Huh? Kazuma, take part in the Contract Ceremony?” Naden asked with her eyes wide. “Kazuma’s not one of the knights of Nothung, you know? Can he even take part?”

“Have you forgotten? It hasn’t happened at all recently, but they say Lady Tiamat sometimes invites those who are likely to become heroes of their time, allowing them to form independent contracts with a dragon. Like the first King of Elfrieden did.”

“A hero of our time, huh...” Naden glanced in my direction. That look on her face... She didn’t believe it one bit. “I dunno, he doesn’t look that impressive to me.”

“That’s harsh, even if it is true,” I said.

“Didn’t Lady Tiamat tell you anything, Kazuma?” Pai asked, but I shrugged my shoulders, neither confirming nor denying.

It was true, Madam Tiamat had suggested she’d like for me to participate in the Contract Ceremony. However, I hesitated to tell that to these two. If they found I would be taking part, the next question would obviously be who exactly I was. Having them find out I was the king of a nation would be a bit of a headache.

“I’m not at liberty to say. If you want to know, ask Madam Tiamat.”

“Ahaha!” Pai laughed. “It’s not that easy to get to talk with her, though. Oh, I know!” Pai clapped her hands “Naden, you’re in charge of looking after Kazuma, right? It’s not something that comes up often, so why not show him around the Star Dragon Mountain Range?”

“Oh! I’d be interested in that,” I said. “Could I trouble you to?”

“Uh...” Naden openly acted like it would be a real pain. “The Star Dragon Mountain Range is pretty big, you know? Wouldn’t that be kind of hard for Kazuma, having to walk?”

“You can carry him on your back,” Pai said.

“Pai, a dragon only lets her partner ride on her back. You’re well aware of that, right?”

“Where’s the harm? Why not get him to contract with you?”

“I have the right to choose, too,” Naden shot back. “This boring kind of guy isn’t my type. I like strong guys who everyone can respect.”

“...You’ve been getting pretty sharp-tongued toward me for a while now, haven’t you?” I complained. It was like a knife being thrust into my heart... Then I realized something. “Hey, is letting someone other than your partner ride on your back seen as being unchaste somehow?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, where is your back, Naden?”

“Huh?”

Naden wasn’t a Western-style dragon, she was an Oriental-style ryuu. Her body was basically a cylinder going from the back of her head to her tail. While she did bulge out a bit around where her front and rear legs were, she didn’t have a clearly defined back like a western-style dragon did.

“Like, if I rode right behind your head, that wouldn’t be your back, it’d be the nape of your neck, right?” I asked. “How about there? There’s no rule against someone other than your partner riding on your neck, now is there?”

“...”

Naden had no counter to that, so it was decided we would be going out.

Forests full of fresh growth covered more than half of Dracul. Normally, these forests were neither too dark or too bright, and due to the lack of wind, there was no rustling of branches. They were quiet forests that were not too damp or humid.

Now, a black ryuu was threading quickly between the gaps in those forests’ trees. It was Naden in her ryuu form, of course. I was currently riding on her head.

Partly because of where I was sitting, I felt like the protagonist of this anime I’d watched a long time ago. While holding her two deer-like antlers as if they were the handles of a motorcycle, I held on for dear life and tried not to get shaken off.

We were clearly out of place in the quiet forest.

“Naden... Hold on, aren’t you going a bit fast...?” I asked nervously.

“You’re getting a free ride, so no complaining.”

I’d spoken up because I was scared by the branches whipping by over the top of my head, but Naden didn’t seem to be about to slow her pace. With the shape of Naden’s body, it was like being on a roller coaster, but it was only possible to enjoy those because you had a safety bar. Well, not that I had been one for riding scream machines to begin with...

“Come to think of it, Naden, what were you saying to Pai before we went out?” I asked.

Before we left the cave, they had talked about something in hushed voices. They glanced furtively in my direction, so I wondered what was up, but she turned her head to look away.

“N-Nothing!” Then, with her head still turned away from me, Naden seemed to be muttering something. “Darn it, Pai... Who needs your, ‘If you work hard to sell yourself now, maybe Kazuma will pick you at the Contract Ceremony’? Don’t be such a busybody.”

“Huh? Sorry,” I said. “Your voice was so quiet, I couldn’t make out what you were saying.”

“I told you, it’s nothing!”

We continued going back and forth like that while moving through the forest. Then... a few minutes later...

When we got out of the forest, I jumped down from Naden’s head into a grassy meadow.

Normally, it would have been vast enough to call it a great plain, but it didn’t feel that way when I looked at it. That was because, in the center of that great plain, there was a single massive tree, its roots crisscrossing the grassy field, with its branches spread out as if to cover the whole of the meadow. Thanks to this massive tree, I didn’t get the sense that I was standing on a great plain at all.

Looking up from below, the tree rose up into the sky like a towering castle. However, its leaves were golden, and they seemed almost blinding in the way they shone in the sunlight.

I let out a sigh of admiration despite myself. “Its... pretty amazing, huh.”

“Sure is,” Naden, who had at some point returned to human form, said, puffing out her chest proudly. “This is one of the famous sites of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, the Great Tree of Ladon.”

“Radon? The atom? Or the Giant Monster of the Sky?” I asked.

“What are you talking about? It’s Ladon, the name of the dragon they say protected this tree long, long ago.”

“Hm...”

There had been a dragon called Ladon, huh? According to Naden, there was a legend that said there was a golden dragon named Ladon who lived in the branches of this tree long ago, and it was that dragon’s influence that caused the leaves to take on their golden hue.

Come to think of it, there was a dragon that guarded gold in Greek mythology, too...

Was it golden fleece and golden apples that one had been protecting? The way the leaves bunched together, it didn’t look entirely unlike golden fleece. Though it was so massive, it was more like a golden cloud instead.

“It’s like something out of the world of legend,” I murmured.

“Heh heh! It’s pretty amazing, huh?” Naden nodded in seeming satisfaction, then looked up to the tree. “This great tree has never died, never dropped its leaves, and has stood here since time immemorial. It’s like a symbol of how the Star Dragon Mountain Range is eternal and indestructible.”

“Eternal and indestructible...”

“It’s the embodiment of the dragons’ pride. You won’t find another tree this beautiful in all the world,” Naden said with confidence.

There probably wasn’t a single person out there who could fail to recognize this tree’s beauty. That was just how beautiful, elegant, and impressive this tree was. If it had been standing here forever, I could understand why the dragons would be proud of it. But...

“Calling it number one might be a bit much,” I said.

“Huh?” My reaction made Naden’s eyes go wide.

“I’ll grant you that it’s an incredible sight, but I like plum and cherry blossoms, too.”

“Plum? Cherry?”

“They were trees in my country that had beautiful flowers. Plums would blossom while bearing the weight of the snow, and cherry trees would bloom to their fullest and then fall. They each had their own appeal, and they were quite beautiful.”

“But the flowers fall, right? They only blossom for a short time. The Great Tree of Ladon will never dry up,” Naden insisted.

I smiled wryly and stretched my arms wide. “Having things that stick around for a long time is important, of course. Like natural scenery, traditions, cultural heritage, and so on. But, in my country, there was an equal, or perhaps even greater, appreciation for things that move on.”

I crouched down and plucked one of the cottony, dandelion-like flowers that were growing all over the place. When I gave it a shake, the seeds were carried off by the wind. The everlasting spring of Dracul helped to lend the scene a peaceful, airy quality. I smiled to Naden.

“Don’t you think this is pretty in its own way?”

“But no matter how pretty it is, it’s over in an instant, isn’t it?” Naden protested.

“That’s what lets us look forward to the next one, don’t you think?” I sat down in the grass, then lay on my back. “Doesn’t the fact that you can’t just see it anytime you want make it all the more valuable? Even if it does end, you can wait eagerly for the day when it will come around again.”

“...I don’t really get it.”

Hm... The dragons were a long lived race, so maybe mono no aware, the Japanese appreciation for the impermanence of things, was a little hard for them to understand.

“It’s a difference of values, you see,” I said. “There’s more than one way of looking at things. It’s the same with dragons, isn’t it? To the Mother Dragon worshipers, dragons are sacred creatures. To the knights of Nothung, you’re their partners and comrades in arms. To the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria, you’re not much different from monsters. In my former country, a ryuu like you would have been worshiped as a god that controls the weather.”

“Me... a god?” Naden was taken aback for a moment, but then she burst out laughing. “Pft... Ahahahahaha!”

Naden clutched her sides as she chuckled. While I was looking at her, wondering what I said that was so funny, Naden gave me a jolly smile while wiping the corners of her eyes.

“Ahaha... It’s all so silly. To think, they mock me by calling me a worm here, but in your country I’d become a god. So this is what you meant by a difference in values, huh.”

Once she had a good, hearty laugh, Naden put on a blank expression and said in a mumble, “Would they be okay... with a dragon that can’t fly?”

...Huh? She couldn’t fly?

“Huh? You can’t fly, Naden?” I asked.

“How could I? I don’t have any wings.”

“No, no, it’s perfectly natural that a ryuu wouldn’t have wings.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

We looked at one another. What? There was something not meshing in our conversation...

“No, no, I have no wings, so it’s obvious I can’t fly.”

“Is there some connection between a ryuu having no wings and one not being able to fly?” I asked.

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

There was something weird. Like there was some inconsistency in our understanding.

“Kazuma, just what are you—”

Naden was in the middle of saying something when it happened. With a great gust of wind, three dragons, red, blue, and green, descended from the skies to land in front of us.

◇　◇　◇

The three dragons that landed in front of us were red, blue, and green. They were Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerada.

Honestly... Why did I have to run into them now, of all times?

Once the three of them had taken human form, they came to stare me down at close range.

“I heard you’d picked up a human, so I came to see... Is this him?” Ruby asked.

I said nothing.

Ruby’s glance shifted to Kazuma. “Weird clothes. You’re not from Nothung?”

“...Yeah. I’m Kazuma Souya, here from Friedonia.”

Kazuma, who was a bit nonplussed at the hostile atmosphere between us, gave a cursory self-introduction.

I clicked my tongue a little. “You don’t need to give these people your name.”

“I can hear you, Naden,” Ruby snapped.

“I said it for you to hear, you nasty piece of work.”

“Who are you calling nasty? You’re just a measly worm.”

It was a touch-and-go situation. Fire spewed from her mouth and electricity sparked from my hair. Kazuma, who still didn’t understand the situation, was standing there and scratching his head.

“Uh... Do you two not get along, maybe?”

“If you thought this looks like we get along, I’d have to doubt your eyesight. The red one’s Ruby, the blue is Sapphire, and the green is Emerada. They like to call me a ‘flightless failure’ and a ‘worm,’ among other things, and they’re always picking fights with me.”

“Flightless... huh.” Kazuma crossed his arms and seemed to be thinking deeply about something.

...What had he been getting at before?

Whatever it was, I turned back to Ruby and her flunkies to tell them, “You came to see Kazuma, right? Well, how about you go home now?”

“I don’t think I appreciate your condescending tone,” Ruby sneered. “My business isn’t with you.”

With that, Ruby walked right past me to stand in front of Kazuma.

“I’ve heard... that you were invited here by Lady Tiamat, were you?”

“Hm? Yeah.” Kazuma, who appeared to be deep in thought, responded as if he’d just noticed her.

“That means you will be participating in the Contract Ceremony, yes?”

“...Well, apparently it does mean that. Not that I think I’m worthy to.”

“If Lady Tiamat saw fit to invite you, it means you’re worthy.”

I gulped. Ruby, who mocked me as a worm, was recognizing Kazuma. Could it be that Ruby was about to make a pass at Kazuma?

If Lady Tiamat had called him here, even if he didn’t look like much, he still might be a person worthy of respect. During the Contract Ceremony, it was usually the knight who proposed. However, if a dragon took a fancy to one of the knights, they could also introduce themselves to encourage the knight to choose them.

At the Contract Ceremony... would Kazuma end up dancing with one of the dragons?

...I don’t think I’d like that.

What I imagined brought a pain to my modest chest. When I thought that the person who’d told me I was a ryuu might go on to form a contract with a dragon, my heart ached. Even though I had no intention of participating in the ceremony myself.

While I was in agony thinking about that, Ruby was closing in on Kazuma. “Hey, come stay with me at my house.”

My head shot up in shock. When I looked, Ruby had extended her hand to Kazuma.

“You fascinate me. I would love to learn more about you.”

“About me?” Kazuma repeated.

“Yes. You must be special for Lady Tiamat to have recognized you. If you live up to my expectations, I might even deign to form a contract with you.”

A dragon knight’s riding contract... Ruby couldn’t have fallen in love with Kazuma at first sight, could she?

With a glance to me, Ruby added, “I am a far superior dragon than that shut-in. Unlike Naden, I can fly, and I can breathe fire, too. I could show you every corner of the Star Dragon Mountain Range from up in the sky.”

“Urgh...” It frustrated me to no end that I couldn’t refute what Ruby was saying.

True enough, Ruby was a red dragon, the kind that was popular with the knights. It was said that red would intimidate the enemy, so it was easier for the rider to earn military accolades. On top of that, she had the big wings I lacked, and she could breathe fire, as would be expected of any dragon. When I looked to see how Kazuma was reacting to her being so forward with him... he had a bit of a troubled smile on his face.

“Yeah, well, I’m glad you have such a high opinion of me and all...”

I gasped. Kazuma’s words sent electricity coursing through my body, and my hair stood on end.

Hearing him give a positive response to Ruby, my chest filled with rage... and sadness. I didn’t want to hear those words from the person who told me I was a ryuu. It made me want to cry so badly. Maybe I would let loose an electric strike on Ruby and the others, then go on a real rampage.

“But...” Kazuma shook his head and said, “Is being able to fly and breathe fire all that valuable?”

...Huh?

“Huh? What are you saying?” Ruby demanded.

Everyone’s eyes focused on Kazuma. Kazuma scratched at his head as he replied, “Uh, well... I’m from a country without much contact with dragons, so forgive me for my ignorance here. Like you were saying before, is being able to fly and breathe fire what makes a dragon valuable?”

“Of course it is,” Ruby shot back. “While a dragon is their knight’s partner, they’re also their comrade in arms. What is sought after, more than anything, are wings that will carry them high and fast across the battlefield, and flames with which to incinerate their foes.”

“I see. Appearance doesn’t come into it, then. Well, it seems that there are a lot of beautiful people among the dragon race, after all.” Kazuma nodded at Ruby’s answer. “And you girls can all fly and breathe fire, right?”

“That’s right. Except for that worm over there, that is.”

“...I see.” Then, with a serious look on his face, Kazuma looked Ruby in the eye and asked her, “Then, tell me, what is it that makes you, personally, valuable?”

Ruby and the others’ value? Wasn’t it their ability to breathe fire and fly?

“Huh? What are you saying?” Ruby asked. She didn’t seem satisfied with that answer.

Kazuma shook his head. “It’s a given that dragons can breathe fire and that they can fly, isn’t it? Well, in that case, it’s nothing special that you can. It’s an ability that every dragon comes equipped with, and that means it’s not a special reason why I ought to choose you, right?”

When he said it that way, Ruby and the others’ jaws dropped, and they stared blankly at him. I probably had a similar look on my own face.

Kazuma continued on, paying no heed to any of us. “If other dragons can do it, too, then it doesn’t serve as a reason why I should go to the trouble of picking you, specifically. It’s valuable having something universal like that, but it’s nothing special. If you all start on the same basis, won’t the stronger or the more beautiful dragons win? Being the same as everyone else isn’t even a point in your favor.”

I couldn’t believe it. “Kazuma... You...”

Kazuma’s criticism was so on point that I started to doubt if he really had no familiarity with this country’s traditions. The fact of the matter was, the Contract Ceremony was an intense competition between the dragons. Since whether or not they were chosen by someone there would more or less determine the rest of their lives, that was only natural.

While we were busy reacting with surprise, Kazuma let out a sigh. “A standardized basis of evaluation, the rejection of those with individuality... I thought I’d experienced this atmosphere somewhere before, but it’s basically the same as the exam wars. Man, I had a tough time two years ago...” Kazuma murmured with a far off look in his eyes.

...Eggzam Wars? What were those? Was it a series of wars that had happened in some other country? But why was he talking about them now?

“W-Well, it’s better than not being chosen at all!” Ruby, who had come back to her senses, said with her face twitching. “Who would choose Naden, who can’t do the things that everyone else can?!”

She pointed accusingly at me.

Kazuma instantly responded, “It’s true, as a dragon, Naden lacks universality. But what she does have is individuality.”

“I-Individuality?”

“Something that makes her different from others. When evaluating the value of things, the simplest standard is ‘a thing there’s only one of in the whole world.’ If there’s only one of something, even if it’s just a child’s toy, or the lid to a jar, it only makes sense it would hold value, right? That’s equally true of people. I... No, the king of my country goes out of his way to collect those sorts of people with specific strengths.”

The king of his country... Did he mean Friedonia’s hero king?

“And you’re saying... Naden has that value?” Ruby asked, looking stunned.

“Here in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, is there any dragon other than Naden who can create lightning? She can do a thing that no one else can. That, in and of itself, is valuable. But, really, do you actually understand what’s happening here?”

“Wh-What...?”

“The reason you’re always picking fights with Naden,” Kazuma said. “It’s because you envy her for her individuality, isn’t it?”

“Wha...” Ruby seemed dumbstruck by what Kazuma had pointed out.

Huh? W-Was that really it?

With the truth being shoved in our faces, I didn’t know how to react, and neither did Sapphire or Emerada, who were standing back.

While Ruby’s mouth kept flapping open and closed, Kazuma continued to speak.

“I’d say the other dragons who hold ill will toward Naden probably do so for the same basic reason. From the perspective of those dragons, who are struggling inside a standardized system of evaluation, the existence of someone like Naden, who flouts that standard entirely to go her own way, is an object of resentment and jealousy, and thus they just can’t accept her, right? During the exam wars, if there’s one student in the preparatory class who says, ‘I’m gonna take over the family business’... well, yeah, they’re gonna stick out. Obviously, they’ll have troubles in their lives that those around them don’t, but for those who have been placed in a competitive situation, they don’t have the composure to stop and consider that.”

Kazuma seemed to be the only one satisfied with his explanation. I’d lost him somewhere along the way, too, and he was making no sense, but the one thing I did get was that he was saying I was special.

I stared at Kazuma’s back. Maybe it was because we’d been born in different countries, but in these past few days, I’d been forced quite a number of times to realize that Kazuma and I saw things differently.

However, Kazuma was offering me a new set of values, most especially one where I wasn’t worthless. My chest grew hot, and I felt like I might cry for a different reason than before.

“Eventually, one who knows your value will appear.”

Lady Tiamat’s prophecy had been true. That person was in front of me now.

“Hmph, that doesn’t change the fact that a flightless dragon is of no use!” Ruby declared, seeming to have regained her footing.

A flightless dragon; those words would have greatly disturbed me before. However... strangely enough, they didn’t bother me in the least now. That was because Kazuma had told me I was a ryuu, that I had individuality.

With a mystified look on his face, Kazuma tilted his head to the side. “This has been bothering me all along, but who decided Naden can’t fly?”

“Huh? It should be obvious that this wingless worm can’t fly.”

“I mean, why would a ryuu need wings to fly?”

“Whaa?”

“Huh?”

...I felt like I had heard this exchange somewhere not so long ago.

Having gotten sick of the atmosphere here, I tugged Kazuma, who seemed to have a question mark floating over his head, away by the collar gently. “That’s enough... Let’s go.”

“Hm? What’s wrong, Naden? Your cheeks look awfully red.”

“Y-You’re imagining it! Come on, I was in the middle of showing you around the Star Dragon Mountain Range, remember?”

“Oh, now that you mention it, you were.”

Leaving behind the dumbfounded Ruby and the others, we turned around and went back the way we’d come.

“Naden, you better be at the Contract Ceremony!” Ruby shouted after me. “Don’t you dare run away!” She seemed to have come back to her senses.

My response was to turn back, pull down my eyelid, and stick out my tongue at her.

“So, where to next? You’ve seen Crystal Castle already, right?” I asked.

Once we’d gotten away from Ruby and the others, I had Kazuma ride me again so I could show him around the Star Dragon Mountain Range. It didn’t even feel like a hassle anymore. In fact, I even found myself wanting to keep going on like this, and to see all sorts of things with him. Not just in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, but in the world outside, too.

“I was teleported when I came in and when I left,” Kazuma said. “I’d like to see its rumored beauty from the outside, but... before that, there’s one place I’d like you to take me,” Kazuma added with a thoughtful look on his face.

“There’s somewhere you want to go?”

“Madam Tiamat said I already knew the way. If she meant what I think... it’s worth trying it, I’d say,” Kazuma said with a confident look on his face.

Ten minutes later, after racing along in my ryuu form...

“Was this place really okaaaaay?!” I shouted.

“Yeaaaaah, it’ll do fiiiiine!” he called back.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

We were both shouting. Thanks to the endless rumbling, we couldn’t hear each other if we didn’t.

The source of the rumbling sound in front of us, with its spray of water that resulted in constant rainbows during the day, was the Great Waterfall. It was a curtain of water several dozen meters high, and several hundred meters wide, creating a mist that spread out far into the distance. Even among the many sights of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, which tended to be large in scale, this and the Great Tree of Ladon were in a class of their own.

Unable to remain quiet in the presence of such a sight, Kazuma shouted out, “Ohh, the scenery’s beautifuuuuul, just beautifuuuuul!”

“Huh? Whaaaaat? I couldn’t hear youuuu!”

“I said it’s beautifuuuuul! Alsoooo, there’s something I want you to tryyyyy!”

“I dunnoooo! Soooo, what is it you want me to tryyyyy?!”

“Ohhhh, I remember noooow!”

It looks too noisy, so I think that’s enough drawn out vowels from here on.

Kazuma started stripping his clothes off. It came out of nowhere, so I turned my back to him and cried, “Wh-Whoa?! Why are you suddenly stripping?!”

“To get in the water, of course.”

“Whaa?! Why?!”

“Come on, you get in, too, Naden.”

“Again, why?!”

Kazuma took off just his top, leaving his loose-fitting pants on as he started doing some light exercises, then got in the water. I tried dipping just the tips of my feet in, too. The water was being kept at the perfect temperature, neither too cool nor too warm. It felt good... But, before that.

“If we’re going to swim, there are calmer places to do it, like the lake, you know?” I said.

“It needs to be a place like this. Hurry on in, Naden.”

“Are you telling me to get naked?”

I hugged my body tightly. The idea of making my clothes disappear and getting in the water in front of Kazuma... It was so embarrassing, I thought I might die.

While I was acting shy, Kazuma laughed wryly and said, “No, no, you can do it in your dragon form, okay?”

“Oh... Th-That’s right, huh.” I blushed at having jumped to conclusions.

While I was still like that, Kazuma beckoned for me to come in. “You’re a ryuu, so you should be good at swimming, shouldn’t you?”

“I don’t know about it being because I’m a ryuu, but... I’m confident in my ability to, yes. But why is this coming up so suddenly?”

“There’s a little thing I want to try out. Okay, Naden. Let’s go to the bottom of the falls.”

At Kazuma’s urging, I turned into my ryuu form and plunged into the water with a great splash. There was a big wave that lifted Kazuma up and down. I asked the drifting Kazuma, “Why the bottom of the falls? Do you want me to train that way, or something?”

I’d heard that sort of training method existed in the world below. Was it that they tried to focus their mind while being struck by the falls? However, even if I went beneath the Great Waterfall, which would probably break a normal human’s bones if they tried to train under it, with the increased mass and defensive power of my ryuu form, it probably wouldn’t feel like much more than a massage.

“It’d probably help with stiff shoulders,” I commented at last.

“You don’t have anything that’d give you stiff... Okay, I was wrong. Please, no lightning.”

“Geez!” When I raised the hairs on my back in my ryuu form, showing some electrical sparks, Kazuma put his hands up. “If you don’t want to get shocked, you can just avoid saying things that’ll make me angry.”

“Nah... When I’m with you, I remember my female friends from back in my homeland,” Kazuma said, shyly scratching his cheek. “That’s why I end up making the sort of jokes I would’ve made back there.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah. The women in this world are all living their lives restrained by something, be it large or small. It could be a famous family, the need to produce an heir... For those of high enough birth, it could even be their hometowns or country. Those restraints also offer them protection, though. But, Naden, you don’t have anything like that, do you? You’re strong because you’re a ryuu, and if you set your mind to it, you could even live alone. Freely. In all of this continent, you’re probably the closest to the women from my homeland.”

I didn’t really get what Kazuma was saying. But...

“Even I... get lonely when I’m all by myself,” I said.

The word came out naturally: Lonely. I was more surprised than anyone that I’d said it. I never really... thought that way before. I’ve been happy not to be involved with any dragon other than Pai, because it was less hassle that way. Yet despite that... I’d just said I was lonely.

“Well, of course,” Kazuma replied with a smile. “Even if you can live on your own, it really is lonely being all by yourself.”

When I heard those words, I came to understand that I was no longer the me I had been up until now.

“The stopped gear will be forced to move.”

This was what Tiamat had been talking about.

By being with Kazuma, I learned the sense of security that came from being with someone who accepted you. I learned of the loneliness that came with being all by yourself. Now that I knew those things... I couldn’t go back to being alone.

I didn’t want to go back.

I didn’t want to go back... so I had to move forward.

“Naden?” he asked.

“I-It’s nothing!”

Whew... It was a good thing I was in my black ryuu form. If I’d been in human form, Kazuma would have definitely noticed my face was bright red. Not good. I needed to get my mind on something else.

“So, uh... Oh! Right. Why are we going the bottom of the waterfall?”

“Huh? Oh. There was a thing I remembered. For now, let’s just head next to the waterfall.”

With Kazuma urging me onward, we went up to the mist-filled waterfall basin. That was when Kazuma pointed to the top of the falls and said, “Naden, can you swim up these falls?”

“Swim, inside these falls? They’re roaring pretty loudly, you know?”

“Well, yes, it is a waterfall.”

“But why?”

“There’s this saying in my homeland, ‘By climbing a waterfall, a ryuu ascends to the heavens.’”

“Ascends to the heavens?! Really?!”

Could I gain the ability to fly from climbing a waterfall?

He whispered, “Though the saying is actually that a carp that climbs a waterfall will become a dragon...”

“Huh? Did you say something? I couldn’t hear you over the roaring of the falls.”

“It was nothing. You’ve got to be willing to give anything a try. Let’s do it.”

I looked up the waterfall. “Um... I think fighting this current might break some bones...”

“You can’t do it?”

“I don’t think I can’t.”

“Oh, also, Naden, close your eyes when you’re in the water.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Trust me, just try it.”

With that said, Kazuma waved to me, as if saying, “Have a nice trip.”

“Why are you acting like this is all someone else’s problem?” I shot back.

“More like someryuu else’s problem, am I right?” he joked.

“If I do this and nothing changes, you are so getting shocked!”

Having mentally prepared myself, I moved in and out of the water repeatedly, like the sea serpents depicted in paintings. I left my body sticking out of the surface of the water in a half-doughnut shape as I charged toward the center of the Great Waterfall. When I entered the waterfall, this time I twisted my body horizontally, climbing further and further up.

“Naden, close your eyes when you’re in the water.”

Kazuma’s words from earlier came back to me.

Oh, be quiet! I just have to close them, right? Fine!

Shutting my eyes, I swam against the flow of the waterfall.

Urkh, it’s pretty scary swimming with my eyes closed...

In total darkness, I kept swimming, sensing only the water on my skin, and the sound of the falls which had been dampened somewhat underwater. My sense of which direction was up or down was growing gradually more iffy. Was I swimming upward like I was supposed to? Or were the walls already behind me, and I was swimming horizontally now?

It was probably only a few dozen seconds of actual time, but it felt like several dozen times longer than that to me. Then...

Ah!

The pressure on my body suddenly disappeared.

It was like being thrown out into space. Despite that... I was still swimming. It was like I had lost my sense of touch along with my sight. I was swimming, but I didn’t feel the water.

What was this sensation? I was uneasy, but it felt pleasant somehow.

“Hold on, how long do I need to keep my eyes closed for... Huh?”

When I opened my eyes, looking down to complain to Kazuma, the ground was far below me.

The waterfall had ended long ago. Yet I was still swimming.

I was “swimming” in the sky. I could feel the air currents clearly.

By making my body float on them, I could swim through the sky. I was in the sky that I’d only been able to look up to before, looking down at the Star Dragon Mountain Range, the land, this world.

To think the world was this beautiful...

The tears started to flow naturally from my ryuu eyes. When the tears dried, I was awkwardly swimming in the sky, and I descended to where Kazuma was staring at me with his mouth agape.

“Kazuma... I... I could fly.”

“Uh, yeah...” he said. “Though that was more like swimming than flying. The legends of my homeland said that a ryuu would climb to the heavens through wind, clouds, lightning, and rain, traveling through the sky as if they were swimming at the bottom of the sea.”

“Traveling through the sky like swimming...”

“Though I didn’t expect this to go as well as it did.” Kazuma scratched his cheek, smiling wryly.

“Huh? You weren’t confident I could fly if I climbed the waterfall, then?”

“I gave it fifty-fifty odds. I mean, if you stop to think about it, even dragons and wyverns manage to fly. Even if they do have wings, they’re not built for flying the way birds are. In order for them to get those massive bodies flying, there has to be some element of magic involved. That being the case, I figured, since you’re a ryuu, having or not having wings wouldn’t affect your ability to fly. I thought maybe you just didn’t know the way to do it. That, and Madam Tiamat said something that suggested I would know how you could fly. About the only thing that came to mind when I thought of ways for a ryuu to fly was the waterfall climbing in the legends from my homeland. That was why I had you test it.”

It seemed Kazuma had been thinking of something when he’d suggested it. So Lady Tiamat said something like that to him... That pretty much guaranteed he was the person who would find the value in me that even I couldn’t.

Does that mean... Kazuma is the one I’ve been waiting so long for?

We returned to the shore, and I asked Kazuma as he was putting the clothes that he left there back on, “Hey, Kazuma. Tell me... If I hadn’t been able to fly like this, what did you plan on doing?”

Kazuma considered my question for a little while, then honestly confessed, “If it came to that, I would have apologized. ‘Sorry, it didn’t work out,’ is what I’d have said.”

“Wait, that’s all?”

“That’s all. Even if you couldn’t fly, your value wouldn’t change. I don’t know what the dragon knights value, but going by the value system of my country, I desperately want your ability to control electricity. If no one chooses you at the Contract Ceremony, please, come to my country. You’ll be welcome there.”

I was silent.

“Come to my country,” he said without the slightest embarrassment.

It felt like there was no place for me in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. But Kazuma said he wanted me. I felt like I could swim through the sky again in glee.

But, well... the way he said “If no one chooses you” ticked me off. So I decided to distract myself from that.

“Whoa, whoa, Naden?” I snatched Kazuma up by the collar, and forced him to ride on my back.

“Whoa?!”

Then, with a breath, I launched into the sky. In an instant, the ground was far away, and a panicking Kazuma clung to my back screaming,

“Naden, I’m falling! I’m falling!”

“You won’t fall,” I told the flustered Kazuma in an exasperated tone. “I have you on my back, after all.”

“Huh...? ...Now that you mention it, we went up on a nearly vertical path, but I didn’t fall off.”

“It’s a dragon’s power. We protect the humans that ride on our backs so they won’t fall off. It means the knights can ride without holding on, and they’re protected from the wind and cold. Notice how it’s not cold, even though we’re up in the air.”

“Now that you mention... I see. Little wonder dragon knights are so strong.” Kazuma sounded impressed.

I giggled. “I know, right? I wasn’t sure a ryuu like me would be able to use it, but...”

“Huh? If you couldn’t, wouldn’t I have fallen to my death?”

“I felt like I could manage it, and even if you fell, I just had to catch you.”

“You know, I’d prefer not to suddenly go bungee jumping without the cord...”

“Ahahaha. Consider it payback for earlier.”

“For the waterfall climbing?”

“For saying, ‘If no one chooses you.’ ...Hey, Kazuma?” I worked up my courage and asked Kazuma. “You’re going to participate in the Contract Ceremony, aren’t you? Won’t you choose me?”

When I asked that, Kazuma’s mouth shut tight. To form a contract meant to take me as his spouse. In other words, I was proposing to him. The reason he didn’t immediately respond was because he was giving it some serious thought, I was sure. Eventually, he slowly opened his mouth.

“I was just invited by Madam Tiamat. I’m not from the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom.”

“I know.”

“Even if you make a contract with me, I can’t become a dragon knight.”

“I’m not like other dragons, either.”

“Besides, I haven’t told you anything about myself. Not even my real name.”

“Huh?! Kazuma Souya was a fake name?!”

“And I already have four fiancées back in my country.”

“Four?!”

O-Oh... But, well, even the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom allowed polygamy. If the dragon was a partner who accompanied the dragon knight to the battle field, the knight needed another partner to stay and watch the home front, too. That was why I didn’t have any problem with the fact that he had other fiancées in and of itself, but having four of them wasn’t something he could do without being in very high standing. It was completely different from taking on a concubine after already having married his official wife.

“Kazuma... Just who are you?” I demanded.

“That, I can’t say just yet.” Kazuma managed to force those words out. “I’m not able to decide about the contract by myself, either.”

Was I... just rejected? My heart sank as I thought that, but then...

“So, would you come back to my country with me?” Kazuma asked. “You can go pretty fast in this ryuu form, I’ll bet. I’d like to go back to the Kingdom of Friedonia for a bit, and ask everyone else for their opinions on the matter. That way, if we end up returning to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, we’ll be here well before it’s time for the Contract Ceremony. Would that... be a problem for you?”

Kazuma sounded apologetic. I shook my head and told him, “...No. That’s fine with me.”

If it meant there was some possibility that Kazuma would form a contract with me, I’d fly to the Kingdom, the Empire, or anywhere else he wanted. I had the power to do that now.

“So, where do I head to?” I asked.

With a look of relief on his face, Kazuma responded. “Okay, to Parnam, the capital of the Kingdom of Friedonia, please.”

“Roger that.”

And with that, I swam off into the eastern sky.

Chapter 5: Even if this Love was Prearranged

Parnam, capital of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

With the antiquated, but still impressive, castle, the orange roofs that gave the city its color, and the round city walls that encircled them, it was a city that felt, in some way, nostalgic.

However, beneath all of that were Souma’s reforms to public hygiene, as well as the installation of a sewer system and transportation network, which had produced a city that was efficient and livable in a way that belied its old-fashioned appearance. This city was like a symbol of the Kingdom of Friedonia as it began to amass power.

Now, for all that Parnam was undergoing rapid advances, there were also occasionally bizarre rumors that spread inside the city. Urban legends, one might call them.

Last year brought rumors of the moving mannequin, and the kigurumi adventurer. These naturally subsided when sightings of moving mannequins came to an end, and when mentions of the kigurumi adventurer had started to bring responses of, “Oh, you mean Little Musashibo.”

However, of late, a new rumor had begun to take their place.

It was...

“The Dark Shadow That Moves through the Night Sky.”

This was how one metal goods seller, Mr. A, related the tale:

“I was hitting the bottle pretty hard that day, so I don’t remember so well, but... I was drunk off my hind end, on my back, staring up into the sky, when something passed overhead. It was all... blackish, coiled, and long.”

Here was another account from a merchant, Mr. S:

“I was comin’ back from my delivery to the castle that day. It was a clear day, and ya could see the moon and clouds right clear, but for some reason, the area ’round me went and got real dark all of a sudden. That was when I realized there was a big ol’ shadow passin’ overhead. It was blockin’ out the moon’s light. I got right scared, and my legs gave out, but the shadow flew over top of the castle and then, poof, it vanished. Here’s hopin’ it ain’t an ill omen of things to come...”

There were many sightings such as these, and it caused uncertainty among the townsfolk who were concerned that a monster might have come. However, when Chris Tachyon broadcast the truth behind these sightings from the castle, things began to calm down.

They say the two responsible for these rumors received a harsh reprimand about it later from their guardians.

◇　◇　◇

I was now on Naden’s back, flying through the night sky. The fantastical situation of flying through the sea of clouds beneath a starry sky on a ryuu’s back made my heart dance. It got me so pumped that, without even meaning to, I started humming the opening theme to an anime I watched long ago.

Incidentally, on our route back to the kingdom, we passed over the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria. In my former world, it may have been fair to ask if I was infringing on their airspace, but here, while civilizations may have mastered the skies, there was no concept of airspace rights. In this world, there was yet to be a system of international law that would allow other countries to take issue with wyverns and other such flying creatures being used to pass over their territory at high altitudes.

There was one clear, simple reason for that: They couldn’t enforce it.

For instance, if a wyvern entered a country’s airspace, there were no radar systems in this world with which they might detect it. It wouldn’t be possible to monitor all of their airspace, without a system like radar, using only patrols.

Because of that, such patrols were limited to the areas over major cities. This was done to prevent a small aerial force from entering their airspace to drop bombs over a city, or to drop off spies. Also, if a group was flying in formation close to the surface, they would be quickly spotted by those on the ground, and it would be possible to catch them.

So, turning that around, as long as we didn’t fly near the ground, in a formation, or over cities, it would be possible to pass over another country.

I sent Poncho to other countries to gather cooking ingredients in the past. On those occasions, we sent messengers to those countries to secure proper permission for him to land there. However, when passing over another country at high altitude like we were doing now, there was no need to tell them about it.

That said, if anything did happen, the country in question couldn’t be held accountable for it. This was a situation where we couldn’t complain even if they shot us down; but Naden was flying higher than the average wyvern could, so I wasn’t worried about that. That was why, when traveling from the Star Dragon Mountain Range to the Kingdom of Friedonia, we cut across the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria.

Naden flew the route that our relaxed trip had taken nearly a week to cover in a mere two to three hours.

“Hey, Kazuma... is this really okay?” Naden asked. The closer we got to the capital, Parnam, the more worried her questions sounded. “Parnam is the capital of Friedonia, right? Flying inside their territory is one thing, but if I fly over the cities, won’t it become a diplomatic issue and cause them to attack us?”

I patted Naden on the back to reassure her. “It’ll be fine. I’ve already notified them.”

“You say you’ve notified them, but... we’ve been in the air all this time!”

“It’s a bit too much effort to explain, but, well, just think of it as my magic.”

I had used a mannequin with the Factory Arm #1 that I’d left part of my consciousness in with Living Poltergeists so that it could do paperwork while I was away to write a message. The message said, “Be back soon. Will be riding in on a long, coiled creature. Don’t be surprised.” So they knew we were coming. The Factory Arm #1 was incredibly creepy to look at, but it could be used to relay messages like this, so it was still handy.

“I’m more curious how you were able to explain the situation to an entire kingdom, though...” Naden said.

I couldn’t read her expression when she was in ryuu form, but Naden’s voice sounded dubious.

“Well, let’s just say... I’m in a position to do that,” I said.

“You say you have four fiancées, too, so you’re no ordinary guy, are you, Kazuma? Maybe you’re really important in the kingdom? Like a major noble?”

“I’m an ordinary guy,” I said. “One who’s been forced into an extraordinary position, that’s all.”

When I gave her an answer she could infer as much as she wished from, the city of Parnam with its lightmoss streetlamps and the moonlit Parnam Castle came into view.

I’m back, I thought.

The way that I felt, even though I’d only been gone for about half a month, was proof that this castle had already become my place to return home to.

“Naden, land in that castle’s courtyard,” I directed.

“The castle?! That’s okay?!”

“It’s fine.”

That was where people were waiting for me to come home.

Naden remained floating in the air, holding me in her mouth until she could put me down on the ground. Then she immediately took on human form herself and landed, too.

The castle courtyard was pretty large, but it was still a bit too tight a fit for Naden to land there in her ryuu form. If she tried to land that way, the royal gardeners would probably cry. We technically had a heliport-like space for wyverns to land, too, but the courtyard was closer to the inside of the castle.

When we landed in the courtyard, the guards went stiff as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing, but they immediately saluted us and rushed inside. Not long after, Liscia, Hakuya, Juna, and Roroa came out.

When Roroa saw me, she immediately raced over and, using all of her momentum, leapt at me and gave me a flying tackle hug. “Welcome home, darlin’!”

“Urgh... I-I’m home,” I managed to say.

Roroa was light and delicate, so I hadn’t been knocked on my rear end or anything like that, but I had to spin around about one and a half times to kill her momentum. Roroa’s arms were securely fastened around my waist, and she was snuggling up against me like a cat, pressing her face into my chest.

“Darlin’, I’ve been so lonely without you.”

“Lonely?” I objected. “It’s only been about a week.”

“If I can’t see your face, whether it’s a day or a year, it’s all the same. Juna was actin’ restless, too, and while Big Sister Cia’s been feignin’ calmness, her brow was all wrinkled up.”

““Roroa!”” Liscia and Juna shouted.

While they both shouted at her for spilling the details of how they’d been while I was gone, Roroa laughed and hid behind me.

Ah... It was a bit vague, but it felt like I’d come home.

“Liscia, Juna, I’m home,” I said, smiling.

“Oh! Welcome home, Your Majesty.” Juna fixed her posture and bowed.

“Welcome home.” Liscia spoke in an exasperated tone. “You came back so suddenly, I was surprised.”

“Suddenly?” I asked. “Didn’t you get the message saying I’d be back?”

“It took too long before it came. Do you have any idea how many messenger kuis Aisha sent, worrying about your safety, Souma?”

...Oh. Now that she mentioned it, I’d left Aisha and the others behind in that village. I guess we could have picked them up on the way here, huh.

“I heard the Star Dragon Mountain Range were going to be explaining the situation to them, though,” I said.

“It’s meaningless unless you’re the one to tell them yourself,” Liscia retorted. “In the letter she sent me, Carla said that Aisha nearly took a swing at the messenger who came from there.”

“What? That’s scary...”

“Carla and the others desperately stopped her. Honestly, it almost turned into a diplomatic incident. Though it seems they acknowledged the fault was largely with them for taking you so suddenly, and then the envoy began apologizing.”

“Aisha... When it comes to me, she can be so indiscriminate,” I sighed.

Starting an all-out war with the dragons wouldn’t be funny. Show some self-restraint, please.

“It just shows how much she cares for you, doesn’t it?” Liscia retorted. “Make it up to her the next time the two of you are together.”

“Okay...”

Then I addressed Hakuya, who had been sitting out of the conversation.

“Did anything unusual happen while I was away?”

“Nothing that stood out. If you were to press me to come up with something, we gave Sir Piltory, who was dispatched to the Empire, permission to return here temporarily.”

“Piltory? Did something happen with him?”

Piltory Saracen. He was one of my retainers, and, in order to strengthen our coordination with the Gran Chaos Empire, I had dispatched him to be our ambassador stationed in the Empire. If Piltory has returned, did that mean something happened in the Empire?

But Hakuya shook his head with a calm look on his face. “It seems one of the wives he took to the Empire with him has gotten pregnant. He only returned temporarily to leave her with his family, who have more spare hands to look after her. Once he left his wife in their care, Sir Piltory immediately returned to the Empire.”

“That’s... wonderful news,” I said. So he’d come home because they conceived. I was glad to hear it wasn’t bad news.

If I recalled, when Piltory had gone to the Empire, he brought only his two wives and a small number of his retainers. Maybe, rather than have his wife give birth in an unfamiliar environment, Piltory felt safer leaving her back home. That seemed fair enough.

However, there was one other thing here that concerned me.

Hakuya’s expression.

Even though he was usually so calm and composed, today he looked a little bit happy.

“...Hakuya, did something good happen?” I asked cautiously.

“Hm? Nothing in particular. Why do you ask?”

“No, you just looked a little giddy.”

“...Do you think so?”

With that, Hakuya returned to his usual calm and composed demeanor. Hmm, had I imagined it? It bothered me slightly, but... Well, it was better than him scowling.

Once Hakuya was done giving me a more detailed report of the things that happened while I was away, Roroa, who was still clinging on to me and seemed sick of waiting, spoke up.

“So, darlin’, is this here the dragon girl you were sayin’ you want to form a contract with?”

When she asked me that, I realized I’d been completely neglecting Naden.

“No, I mean, yes, she’s a dragon, but not a dragon, per se... Wait, Naden?!”

When I looked over, Naden was frozen stiff, staring at me blankly with her jaw dropped. Like a computer that had frozen up because there was too much to process. There were probably all sorts of things going on inside her head, and her expression hadn’t changed for a while now, probably because her emotions couldn’t keep up.

I peeled Roroa off me and waved a hand in front of Naden’s face. “H-Hey, Naden?”

“Kazuma is Souma, and Souma is Yormajesty, so he’s... Yormajesty Kazuma?” Naden faltered.

“I’ve got another weird alias now?! Hey, Naden, get it together!”

“Huh?!”

When I grabbed Naden by the shoulders and shook her while calling out to her, she finally came to her senses. Then, with an angry look on her face, Naden suddenly grabbed me by the collar.

“Hold it, Kazuma! They’re calling you Souma, and Your Majesty, and what the heck is going on here?!”

“Souma... don’t tell me you didn’t tell her anything,” Liscia said to me, clearly exasperated.

“Given my position, I didn’t know if it was okay for me to give her my name or not,” I said. “But... you’re right. It’s about time I did. Erm... Naden?”

“Y-Yeah?”

“My real name is Souma Kazuya. I’m the king of this kingdom, the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“...”

Naden’s eyes went wide, and she froze stiff. I heard that when people were truly shocked, they lost the ability to speak, and it looked like that was true of ryuus, too.

If we kept talking in the courtyard at night, we were probably all going to come down with colds, so we decided to relocate to a conference room. We sat around a round table, and I gave a rough explanation of how things had gone.

How Madam Tiamat chose to have me come to the Star Dragon Mountain Range ahead of the rest.

How there was a “storm” approaching the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

How she had brought Naden and me together as a means of dealing with it.

How Naden had been the only ryuu in a group of Western-style dragons.

How Naden wanted to form a riding contract with me... Basically, everything.

Liscia and the others hadn’t known what happened after I went to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, while Naden hadn’t known about how I’d gotten there, so I ultimately ended up having to explain everything.

Roroa was the first to open her mouth after hearing everything I had to say. “Well, darn, looks like Mother Dragon’s had ya dancin’ in the palm of her hand all this time. It feels like your meetin’ with Nadie, all of it, was prearranged by her.”

“N-Nadie?” Naden’s eyes went wide at the sudden nickname.

They met less than an hour ago, but she was already being treated like a friend. I was amazed, as always, by how adept at socializing Roroa was. She’ll sidle up close to the other person, and not let them feel one bit of distance from her, after all.

“Well, Mother Dragon of the Star Dragon Mountain Range is known as a god of matchmaking, you know?” Liscia chimed in.

Roroa shrugged her shoulders. “Even if she is, isn’t it all a little bit too spot-on? For most of the people on this continent, if you say the word ‘dragon,’ they imagine a big lizard with wings. I’d say Darlin’ is about the only person out there who’d’ve been able to realize Nadie was a special and different type of dragon, a ryuu. Since she went and delivered him right to where Nadie was, I’ve gotta say the whole thing feels kinda contrived.”

“I believe Lady Roroa is correct,” Hakuya said in support of Roroa’s opinion. “If I might add, it could be that Mother Dragon... Madam Tiamat... is familiar with your world to some degree. If she was certain that you’d know about ryuus, that means she must have known that the world you came from had a concept of what a ryuu is.”

“Madam Tiamat... knew about the world I came from?” I asked slowly.

She’d known I was a human who came from “Earth,” or from “Japan.” I was sure about that. That being the case, she might have also assumed that I knew about ryuus and the legends of them climbing waterfalls. Was that why she brought Naden and me together?

“Hrm... That didn’t occur to me,” I said. “I should’ve asked more specific questions, huh.”

“I think that would’ve been difficult,” Hakuya replied. “From what you’ve told us, sire, if Madam Tiamat claimed not to have the ‘authority’ to tell you something, you wouldn’t have been able to ask.”

I realized he was probably right. It looked like she was doing as little as possible to influence mankind, after all. It was highly possible.

I noticed Juna was staring hard at Naden’s face.

Naden leaned back a little. “Wh-What? Is there something on my face?”

“No, I just thought your antlers resembled the ones that Grandmother has...”

“They do?”

“Yes,” said Juna. “She’s a member of what’s called the sea serpent race, but she has antlers that are smaller than yours.”

Excel, huh? If I recalled, the sea serpent race had tails and small antlers, and were similar in appearance to Naden in her human form. However, I had a theory about that.

“Excel and the other members of the sea serpent race are said to be descended from a type of sea serpent that’s also called a kouryuu or jiaolong, right?” I asked. “I think those sea serpents might have been ryuus like Naden.”

For instance, with Juna’s family, the Domas, their ancestors were said to have been loreleis. Because loreleis had a human form, it didn’t seem that out of place for them to have been descended from ryuus.

When it came to sea serpents, they were so much larger and shaped so differently, I had been somewhat dubious from the beginning about whether their mating with humans was even possible, much less whether such a mating could produce something like the sea serpent race. But if those “sea serpents” had been ryuus like Naden, all such doubts would melt away.

“The people of this world didn’t know about ryuus,” I said. “Also, Naden was so skilled at swimming that she could swim up the Great Waterfall. If they saw a ryuu who was so skilled at swimming, it wouldn’t be strange for a person in this world to think they were a sea serpent. Meanwhile, like Naden, those ryuus would’ve been able to take on human form, and so they would have been able to leave descendants in the form of the sea serpent race.”

Juna clapped her hands together as if she got it. “I see! So the sea serpent race isn’t half-dragons like the dragonewts, but half-ryuus instead.”

“Well, it’s still just a theory, though.”

“It made perfect sense to me. Then, that makes Naden like a distant relative of mine.”

“Huh? It does?” Naden asked.

When Juna smiled in response, Naden’s cheeks started to loosen for a moment, but then her gaze happened to fall on Juna’s voluptuous chest, and her smile became forced. She looked down to her own modest chest, and her shoulders slumped so hard, you couldn’t help but imagine an exaggerated sound effect.

“There’s no way we’re related...” Naden muttered dispiritedly.

“I dunno what it is, but I’ve got a feelin’ I can get along with this girl.” Roroa nodded sympathetically.

I... had some idea as to why, but I wasn’t about to put my foot in that, so I didn’t touch upon it.

“Anyway, what I’m concerned about now is this ‘storm’ that Madam Tiamat was on guard against,” I said. “It seems it may not affect just the Star Dragon Mountain Range, but this country, too.”

I’d turned the conversation back onto a more serious note, so everyone’s sense of tension returned.

“She said you were the ‘key’ to dealing with that storm, right?” Liscia asked, and I nodded in affirmation.

“Yeah. If I factor in how she knew about Earth, I guess it may have something to do with how I was summoned from another world. Also, it seems she’d chosen Naden as the one to carry me.”

Madam Tiamat had mentioned that she needed me, the key to dealing with it, and a girl who would carry me. It was more or less certain that the girl she meant was Naden. If there was anything I questioned about it, it would be why that girl had to be Naden in particular.

Liscia had her head cocked to the side. “It’s rather vague. This ‘storm’ doesn’t seem like a natural phenomenon, does it?”

“There’s no way it is,” Naden said firmly. She seemed awfully sure of it. “When I’m in my ryuu form, my whiskers are so sensitive that I can tell you what the weather in an area will be like for the next week. If a storm was coming soon, there’s no way I wouldn’t sense it.”

“Seriously?!” I exclaimed. “That’s super convenient!”

If we had Naden, we could start a weather forecast! We could start a weather corner on Chris Tachyon’s news program and broadcast it around the country. In her ryuu form, Naden could probably fly around the country in a day, so if we could use that to put together even a rough weather report, it would be a big help to the people.

I had to have Naden come to the kingdom now!

“Souma... it’s too easy to tell what you’re thinking,” Liscia said to me as I was getting all excited. It was apparently written all over my face.

I felt awkward about it, so I cleared my throat, then got back to the main issue at hand. “A-Anyway, in order to deal with this ‘storm,’ whatever it is, I’m sure I’ll need to go back to the Star Dragon Mountain Range again.”

“I don’t want you sticking your neck into anything dangerous,” Liscia told me with a look of concern. But I couldn’t oblige her.

“If I don’t stick my neck in this now, it’ll be just as bad if the same calamity befalls us later as a result. Besides, I don’t know if this is a problem we can put off dealing with. If I’m going to regret it later, thinking, ‘Why didn’t I do something back then?’ then it’s better to resolve the issue now, while I have Madam Tiamat’s guarantee that I can.”

“Well, yes... that may be true, but...”

I put a hand on the still-dissatisfied Liscia’s shoulder. “Normally, I leave the things I can’t do to those who can. But if there’s something that only I can do, I have to be proactive about doing it. I have to set an example for the people.”

“...Oh, fine, I get it.” Liscia reluctantly accepted.

I stood up and walked over behind Naden’s seat. Then, placing my hands on her shoulders, I said, “In order to deal with this situation, I want to form a dragon knight contract with Naden. What that basically means is that I’d be taking Naden as my fifth fiancée. Naden’s not the type to be a primary queen, so she’ll probably become a secondary queen, which will give her more freedom.” I looked closely at Liscia, Juna, and Roroa’s faces as I spoke. “But I have no intention of ignoring your feelings. If you have any objections, now is the time to raise them.”

“U-Um... I look forward to working with you.” Naden stood up and bowed her head.

Liscia and the other two looked at one another, but Roroa smiled wryly and threw both of her hands straight up.

“I’m abstainin’. I’ll leave this one to Big Sister Cia as the first primary queen.”

“That makes sense,” said Juna. “I’m a secondary queen, so I’ll abide by Lady Liscia’s decision on this, too.”

The first primary queen was in the position of having to lead the other primary and secondary queens, so this was a natural result, in some ways. Liscia, who had been entrusted with deciding for the two of them, must have understood this, too, because she let out a deep sigh.

“...Let me ask you this, Souma. This girl... you want to take her as your queen, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is that your decision as a ruler? Or is it based on your own personal feelings?”

“For the moment, I think it’s more as a ruler.” I didn’t want to say this in front of Naden, but even if I tried to cover it up, Liscia would see right through me. So I decided to honestly tell them how I felt right now. “As a ruler, I don’t want to let such a capable person go. She’ll give me a tie to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and by forming a contract with her, I can appeal to the authority of the first hero king. Besides, Naden’s abilities are appealing, too. Her ability to know the weather, and to manipulate electricity... both of them will allow this country to make great forward strides. I don’t want to give someone so capable to another country. I want her for our country.”

I glanced over at Naden, who had a slightly pained look on her face. I was talking about her like some sort of handy tool, so I could hardly blame her for that. I know it was weird for me to be the one saying it, but it was sickening. Still... in my position as king, I had to factor things like this into my decision-making process.

Liscia understood that, so she just nodded. “Then how do you feel about her on a personal level?”

“I have a good impression of her... but I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “We’ve only just met, after all.”

Naden hung her head.

No, I wasn’t trying to put that sort of look on her face. I wanted to make sure she listened to what I had to say until the end, so I placed a hand on Naden’s shoulder.

“But I think I can come to love her.”

Naden’s face shot up. I smiled at her.

“Unlike all of the other women in this world, Naden isn’t tied down by things like the concerns of her house, or the need to produce an heir. Even in times like these, she has the power to live all by herself if she chooses. Her free spirit reminds me of the women back in my homeland. When I was with Naden, relaxing in her cave, reading books, or watching broadcasts on her simplified receiver, it reminded me of life in my old world. If I have Naden with me, I feel like it’ll keep me from losing sight of who I once was.”

I looked Liscia straight in the eye as I spoke.

“Besides, though Naden’s birth and abilities may be special, she’s an incredibly ordinary girl.”

“Whoa, Souma!” Naden objected.

But I hadn’t meant that in a bad way. The way she laughed, cried, dealt with her complexes, sulked, fell in love... There couldn’t have been many girls in this era who were so girly.

“I find that ordinariness charming,” I said. “So... I’m sure I can love her.”

“I see...” Liscia cast her eyes downward, looking as if she was considering something. Then, when she looked up again, she turned to Naden. “I know how Souma feels now. So... Naden, it’s your turn.”

“O-Okay!” Naden burst out.

Liscia nodded, then turned back to me. “Souma, could you give Naden and me some time alone now?”

Alone... Huh? She wanted to interview Naden privately?!

“That’s...”

“Roroa, Juna, take care of Souma,” Liscia directed.

Roroa and Juna took me firmly by the arms. I tried to shake them off, but they definitely weren’t letting go.

“Well, this’s an order from the future first primary queen, after all, so there ain’t much else we can do about it,” Roroa said.

“Hee hee,” Juna giggled. “I suppose not. We have no other choice here.”

They said they had no choice, but didn’t they kind of seem to be enjoying it?!

When I looked to Hakuya for help...

“It seems this is a family discussion, so I’ll take my leave,” was all he said before quickly leaving the room.

He ran away?!

Liscia took Naden’s hand and started to walk away from us. “Now then, Naden, it’s a bit awkward to do this here, so let’s go back to my room. Oh, but before that... How about a bath first?” Liscia added, running her fingers through Naden’s long black hair.

“Huh? A bath?”

“Your hair’s all tangled. As a girl, you need to take better care of it. Come, I’ll wash it for you.”

“Huh? We’re going together? Huh?”

Dragging Naden, who was at a total loss for what was happening, along with her, Liscia left the room. I tried to stop her, but Juna and Roroa pulled on me hard.

“No, sire, you can’t do that. It’s best to let girls work these things out themselves.”

“Leave this to Big Sister Cia, darlin’. You stay right here for Nadie’s sake.”

“Juna, Roroa...” I said slowly.

It seemed like everyone had Naden’s best interests in mind. I was happy to see them doing their best to accept her, even if it might have left them with complicated feelings. However, Roroa and Juna’s smiles had an intimidating edge that left no room for dispute.

“Before that, we’re gonna make you tell us what happened between you and Nadie in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and why she likes you so darn much!” Roroa shouted.

“You won’t be getting any sleep tonight, so prepare yourself,” Juna added.

“...Go easy on me, please,” I sighed.

Sorry, Naden. Please, do your best on your end.

◇　◇　◇

“How is it? You’re not itchy anywhere, are you?”

“I-I’m fine...”

I’m Naden. I was currently in a bath, being washed by Lady Liscia.

S-Someone, explain this situation to me!

To calm myself down, I reviewed a little of the situation so far.

In order to form a dragon knight (or, in my case, would it be a ryuu knight?) contract with Kazuma, I had come to the Kingdom of Friedonia where he lived. But I’d been hit with the shocking revelation that Kazuma’s real name was Souma Kazuya, and he was the king (but he wasn’t crowned yet, so only provisionally).

By the time I had landed in the courtyard of Parnam Castle, which, while it obviously wasn’t as impressive as Lady Tiamat’s Crystal Castle, was still respectable, I’d been led into the castle by saluting guards. I met Lady Liscia, the foremost of Kazuma... no, Souma’s fiancées, who was therefore the future queen of this country. I was so confused I felt like I didn’t even know who I was anymore.

Then, Souma had said he wanted to take me as one of his queens.

“U-Um... I look forward to working with you.”

I’d managed to muster that much of a response, and to bow, but the inside of my head was utter chaos.

Huh? Was it really okay for me to marry Souma like this? I’d dreamed of marrying a knight, but Souma was a king, you know?

Sure, there were dragons out there who had married Nothung royalty. But we were talking about Friedonia, a country that had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Empire up until now. Was it really okay for me to become a queen there?

While my mind was still swirling...

“I know how Souma feels now. Next... Naden, it’s your turn.”

One of his fiancées, Lady Liscia, who they said was going to be the first primary queen, spoke to me.

She was a princess with pretty, platinum blonde hair, wearing a brilliant red military uniform. She looked to be about eighteen years old, but had a dignified air about her.

I’d stood up straight and replied, “O-Okay!”

Lady Liscia had stared right at my face, then nodded for some reason and said, “Souma, could you give Naden and me some time alone now?”

Huh? Time alone? The candidate to become first primary queen and me? Wh-What was I going to do?

Was I going to be called “You thieving cat!” like the homewrecker in that one romance novel I’d read before? No, since I was a ryuu, maybe it would be, “You thieving ryuu!” But ryuus had more of an image as protectors, so... Wait, that didn’t matter right now!

“Now then, Naden, it’s a bit awkward to do this here, so let’s go back to my room. Oh, but before that... How about a bath first?” Lady Liscia had said, and before I knew it, I was being led off to the bath.

And that was how I’d gotten here.

I was buck naked, and an equally naked Lady Liscia was washing my hair for me. Lady Liscia’s clear, white skin made even my heart race, despite being a member of the same gender. I was sitting with my legs in a “W” position, while Lady Liscia stood on her knees behind me, scrubbing my long black hair. While her chest might not have been as large as the blue-haired lady’s, I could feel her very pretty swells pressing against the back of my head.

...Yeah, I needed to say it in my head one more time...

Someone, explain this situation to me!

What in the world was going on here? I had the candidate to become Friedonia’s first primary queen washing my hair for some reason.

I turned to Lady Liscia and hesitantly asked, “Um, Lady Liscia? If I may ask, why exactly are you washing me...?”

“Because your hair was a mess, that’s why. You’ve got good material to work with, so you should pay better attention to your appearance... Well, not that I was one to talk, until recently, at least.”

“I-I see...”

Pai said something similar before, hadn’t she?

Then Liscia grinned. “Also, you can just call me Liscia.”

“I couldn’t. You’re going to be the queen of this country in the future, aren’t you?”

“You came here to become one, too, didn’t you? Souma seems to be charmed by how normal you are, so I’d be happy if you would treat me like you would a friend. Okay, close your eyes now.”

“Ah...!”

I closed my eyes when she said that, and then she poured a bucket of hot water over my head. The soap suds that were stuck to my head were washed away, and my hair clung tightly to my skin. I shook my head vigorously.

When she saw me do that, Lady Liscia... Liscia gave me a wonderful smile.

“You’re like Tomoe when you do that.”

“Tomoe?”

“My adopted little sister. She’s an eleven-year-old mystic wolf girl, and she’s just the cutest.”

“Really? I might want to meet her, then...”

“If you marry Souma, she’ll be like your little sister, too. Be nice to her.”

While talking about things like that, we got into the tub. It was a large, round tub, and three women could have fit into it easily. While I was still feeling tense, I sunk myself into the water.

“Just so you know, this bath is exclusively for members of the king’s family,” Liscia, who was soaking in the water across from me, explained. “I often bathe here with Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Tomoe.”

“Family... D-Does Souma come in here with you, too, sometimes?” My heart raced at the thought.

Liscia shook her head with a wry laugh. “Souma says, ‘We’re lucky enough to have a nice big tub in the castle, so I’d rather use that one,’ so he’s always going to the bathing area used by the castle guards. He plans his trips there around when there won’t be many people there.”

“I-I see...”

“Did you want to get in this tub with Souma, Naden?” Liscia teased.

“No! I think I’d still be a little... embarrassed...” Burble, burble.

Wait, what did I mean, “still”?! Hold on! I know I was the one who said it, but that was way too embarrassing!

I sank my face half way into the water. Liscia watched me with a smile.

“Naden... You wanted to form a dragon knight contract with Souma, right? That basically means you want to be his wife...”

“...Yeah.”

“What made you decide you wanted to marry Souma?”

Liscia was looking me straight in the eye. The look on her face was a gentle one, but she wouldn’t look away, and was trying to thoroughly evaluate what kind of person I was. Even if I gave her a nice-sounding answer to get into her good graces, she’d see through me in no time.

That’s why I straightened my back and answered with my honest feelings.

“Because... Souma showed me the me I had never known!” I decided to stand up in the tub, and hit her with exactly how I felt. “He taught me that I was a type of dragon called a ryuu. He taught me how to fly. He taught me what I always wanted to know, about what sort of being I am. That’s why I want to be with Souma, the one who understands me! I want to be the dragon Souma rides!”

“I heard all of that in Souma’s explanation,” Liscia said quietly. “But can you say with certainty that those feelings are your own? Madam Tiamat was the one who sent Souma to your side, wasn’t she?”

She’d hit upon a sore point. But... if I backed down here, what kind of woman would I be?

I brought my hand to my chest, then looked straight back into her eyes. “You’re right, Madam Tiamat may have arranged for Souma and me to meet. But, I can say without a doubt, my desire to be with Souma is entirely my own.”

Liscia’s eyes went wide when she heard my once-in-a-lifetime confession.

I turned the question on Liscia. “Or what... Are you going to tell me that a love that starts out prearranged by someone else isn’t real love?”

I felt a little sad as I said it.

Liscia leaned forward hard, sinking the upper half of her body into the water with a splash. She stayed like that, with nothing more than bubbles rising to the surface. Was it about ten seconds that she stayed under? I got worried, so I called out to her.

“U-Um... Liscia?”

“Bwah!”

With a loud splash, Liscia came back up. Wh-What was that?! I sat back down in the tub, and Liscia shook the water from her hair, scratching at her cheek awkwardly.

“Sorry. Your confession there made me feel a little embarrassed myself.”

“Wha?! What are you saying, Liscia?!”

“Like I said, sorry. But you had the perfect comeback there. Is a love that starts out prearranged by someone else not real love? If you put it that way, mine was the same, and I don’t think any of the others could argue with you, either. I mean, all of our meetings were arranged in some way.”

Liscia smiled as if indulging in fond memories.

“My betrothal to Souma was something my parents just went and did without consulting me. When my father, the former king, abdicated in favor of Souma, he announced our betrothal as a way of cementing Souma’s legitimacy. It was so sudden that, at the time, I got really upset and stormed into my father’s room.”

“R-Really?”

I was surprised to learn Souma and Liscia’s relationship had started that way. Especially after seeing how deeply they trusted one another.

“It’s not just me. She’s not here right now, but the candidate to become second primary queen, Aisha, came to make a direct appeal to Souma so that he’d do something for her homeland. Juna, the one with the blue hair, was a spy sent by the current commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, Excel, to judge whether Souma was fit to be king. Roroa, the one who talks in merchant slang, was formerly the princess of a hostile country, you know? She decided to marry Souma to force him to look after her people, who were impoverished and suffering from food scarcity.”

I was speechless. If everything she’d just said was true, not one of Souma’s fiancées had met and fallen in love with him under ordinary circumstances. No, I’d been reading romance novels, so I knew that the restrictions placed on people by their families could get involved in their love lives. And the view that dragons took on love, with their marriage to a knight practically already decided, wasn’t much better... But still!

“And... none of you are dissatisfied?” I asked hesitantly.

Liscia grinned. “You were the one who said a love prearranged by someone else can still be real love, Naden. I think that no matter what brought us together, what’s really important is the time you spend together after that.”

Liscia moved over next to me. Right now, she and I were sitting so close our shoulders were almost touching.

With a gleeful look in her eye, Liscia said, “To tell you the truth, I was a little worried.”

“Worried?”

“We’ve all overcome a lot of things together with Souma. Like getting this country back on its feet, the war with Amidonia, and the negotiations that came after. It was coming through all of that together that’s forged the tight bond we have between us. We’re like a family.”

Family...

Liscia continued to speak. “That’s why I was concerned... about whether you’d join us in that, and whether you could get used to that family atmosphere. Souma places great importance on how much we feel like a family. That’s because we’re the family that Souma finally found after his sole remaining relatives in his original world, his grandmother and grandfather, passed away.”

I couldn’t say a word. I’d been thinking of my own feelings first, but Liscia had been thinking about Souma and their family. I could see why Souma trusted her.

This is... the kind of resolve it takes to be the first primary queen, I realized.

In a show of concern for me, who had lost the ability to speak, Liscia continued in a peaceful tone. “If it seemed like you wouldn’t be able to fit in to this atmosphere, I intended to oppose your contract. If you couldn’t become a member of the family, I don’t think that Souma or I, or even you yourself, Naden, would be happy with that. I wanted to see for myself whether you could or not, and that’s why I arranged for us to be alone together.”

Liscia turned and looked me straight in the eyes.

“So, Naden, do you think you can fit in? Do you think you can think, not just of Souma, but the rest of us as family, too? If you can... we’ll welcome you.”

I looked at my own feelings. I didn’t have Liscia’s resolve yet. But... that was only true for now.

“I don’t really understand this ‘family’ stuff,” I admitted. “We dragons will protect the blood relatives of our contractors to the death, but we aren’t really a race with a strong concept of family.”

“I see...”

“Still, that’s all the more reason why I know the loneliness of solitude. I’m a ryuu, and was even more isolated compared to the other dragons, so I understand how gratifying it is to have friends, the glee of finding someone who understands you, and Souma’s desire to have someone at his side. So...” I stood up, turned to Liscia, and bowed my head to her. “Please, make me a member of your family.”

While my eyes were shut tight, and I was waiting for Liscia’s response, something touched my hands, which were resting on my lap. I opened my eyes to find that Liscia had taken my hand. Then, hand in hand with me, Liscia stood up, too, turning to me with a grin.

“Naden Delal, as the candidate to be Souma’s first primary queen, I welcome you. Thank you for coming to this country, coming to be with Souma.”

“Liscia...”

“Hee hee! The way we are now, you’d think it was the two of us who were getting married.”

“Ahaha, you might be right.”

We were holding hands, bare naked. What was with this arrangement?

“Oh, but you have to get permission from Aisha, who isn’t here now, okay?” Liscia added.

“Urkh... I-I’ll try my best.”

“Well, if Souma asks her, I’m sure Aisha will be okay with it.” With that said, “Mmm...” Liscia stretched herself wide. “Now, I’m feeling a little lightheaded, so maybe it’s time we got out.”

“Sure.”

“Oh, right, Naden. If you’ll come to my room, there was something I wanted you to help me with.”

“Something you want me to help you with?”

What could that mean?

Liscia had a mischievous smile on her face.

◇　◇　◇

“Phew...”

It was the next day. I was in the governmental affairs office, looking through the pile of papers Hakuya had handed me, saying, “Since you’re here anyway, please look through these important documents.” But... I was super sleepy.

Roroa and Juna put me through the wringer last night, asking me all sorts of questions about what had happened with Naden, so I was a little sleep deprived. But, well, maybe it was best to do what I could now.

It had been decided that Naden and I would return to the Star Dragon Mountain Range within the day.

I already reported back to Liscia and the others about Naden, and what Madam Tiamat had been saying about the storm bothered me, too. The plan was to pick up Aisha and the rest on our way there.

While I was working, there was a knock at the door and Liscia and Naden came in.

Seeing how Naden looked when she entered the room, I let out an impressed “Wow...”

When she noticed me staring at her, Naden glared back at me, blushing, and said, “Wh-What...?”

“Nah, I was just thinking you look real pretty now.”

“P-Pretty?!”

I thought Naden had good material to work with, but she had been unconcerned with her appearance, and her hair had been full of kinks, so it was hard to be sure of her full potential. But now that Naden was wearing her straight, long, smooth, black hair down, she had a neat and tidy beauty, like a yamato nadeshiko, the hypothetical ideal Japanese woman. It seemed she’d gone for a bath with Liscia after what had happened, so Liscia must have given her a good washing then.

“Yeah, I think you’re real cute.”

“Aww... Um... Thanks.” Naden managed to force out just that much as a reply. The way she was acting was so innocent and cute, too.

...Yeah, Naden looked fine. Naden did.

Pressing my fingers against my temples, I looked at the other one, who was an actual problem.

“Liscia... What do you think you’re doing dressed like that?”

“This doesn’t look good on me?” Liscia turned around slowly, giving me a good look at her outfit.

“If you’re asking how that looks on you, of course you look amazing in it! But what I’m asking is why you’re wearing that sort of outfit.”

Right now, Liscia was wearing a chest plate, among other things, over the top of a shirt and pants. It was what you might call the adventurer look. In that getup, she wouldn’t have looked out of place in Juno and Dece’s party. Behind her, I could see what looked like luggage.

No matter how I looked at her, she was ready to travel. She was blatantly planning to tag along with me.

“...Liscia, I asked you to stay behind in the castle, didn’t I?”

“‘We can’t have the top guy and his number two both away for that long.’ That was your reasoning, right? I heard from Naden that you made it from the Star Dragon Mountain Range to here in about two hours, right? If we can come right back in the event of an emergency, there’s no reason I should have to hold down the fort, now is there?”

“That... might be true, yes...”

“Ahhhhh!” Roroa entered the room and shouted out loud when she saw how Liscia was dressed. “Big Sis Cia, that’s no fair! You’re clearly plannin’ to go with him!”

“I can’t condone you trying to steal a march on the rest of us, Lady Liscia.” Juna was the next to raise a complaint.

Liscia put her hands together, as if pleading for forgiveness. “Someone needs to persuade Aisha, so let me go. Naden says she’ll make trips back and forth between our destination and here, so the two of you can come later, okay?”

“Hrmph... Well, if that’s how ya say it is,” Roroa said grudgingly.

“We’ll just have to accept it...” Juna murmured.

The two of them accepted it?! Huh? She was really coming with me?

“Okay, Souma. Let’s go to the Star Dragon Mountain Range and lay our claim to Naden!”

“...”

Having gained the permission of the other two, Liscia said that to me with a broad grin.

Was this really okay? While I was still holding my head in my hands, Naden patted me on the shoulder to comfort me.

Chapter 6: The Plains of Grief

In the northwest of the Kingdom of Friedonia was what would, in later years, come to be called the Plains of Grief.

It was said that the name originated with a beautiful girl who, crying for her lover who would not return, had created a pond with her tears. There was, as a matter of fact, a pond in the Plains of Grief, and the local farmers used it as a source of water for agricultural purposes. It is said that this dramatic legend of tragic love has made the heart of many a young maiden who visited this land flutter.

However, those who knew the truth behind the legend could only smile wryly.

◇　◇　◇

“Wow,” Liscia said, admiring the view outside the window of the gondola.

Right now, we were up in the air. I could ride on Naden’s back, but if Liscia joined me there, the ryuu’s protection wouldn’t cover her, and she would be exposed to the wind and cold. Because of that, Liscia and I rode in a gondola designed to be carried by wyverns, and we had Naden carry it in her ryuu form.

Naden swam through the sky far faster than a wyvern could fly. Watching the scenery race past, Liscia said somewhat excitedly, “Look, Souma. She’s way faster than a wyvern.”

“Gwah!” I exclaimed.

“Hold on, what’s wrong?! Why are you suddenly grabbing your chest?”

“No... I only know it as a line from an old RPG, but hearing it come out of your mouth was a shock...”

“But why?!”

Yeah, she was never going to understand why I felt so pained to hear it, and she didn’t have to understand it. I hugged Liscia close as she looked at me with a perplexed look.

“Please, stay with me,” I told her.

“I don’t know what’s gotten you so worried, but... of course I’m going to.” Liscia rested her head on my shoulder. “The two of us... will be together forever.”

“Liscia...”

“Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!” When we started getting a good atmosphere going, there was an angry roar from up top. “You make me carry you around, then you go and flirt with each other?!”

“Oh, sorry,” I said. “Couldn’t help myself...”

“What do you mean you couldn’t help yourself?! For a start, you could ride up on my back!”

“Then the three of us couldn’t talk, though.”

In her ryuu form, Naden spoke using something like telepathy, so she could talk without regard for the walls of the gondola, or the sound of the wind whipping by. But if I rode on Naden’s back, I couldn’t talk to Liscia in the gondola.

Liscia leaned over and whispered in my ear, “You’re doing this on purpose because Naden’s reaction is so cute, aren’t you?”

“Nah,” I whispered back. “Well, maybe a little.”

“You’ve developed a bit of a nasty streak yourself, you know that?”

“Well, being surrounded by such a difficult group of girls, I’ve had plenty of training.”

“...Are you including me in that?”

“Come on, I told you not to leave me out of the... Huh...?” Naden’s complaining cut out midway. While I was wondering why that might be, Naden suddenly added, “Hey, could you two look at the ground for a moment?”

I opened the window, and Liscia and I looked down at the ground below while flinching at the wind that rushed into the gondola.

““Wha?!””

In the fields beneath us, there were a number of big holes. Craters, big and small, had formed there. It looked like the area had been hit by a localized meteorite storm.

“It’s like the area was bombarded by a wyvern unit...” Liscia whispered.

“Bombarded?! I never heard anything about that from Hakuya!” I cried.

“Wait, Souma! This is right next to the village where Aisha and the others were waiting, isn’t it?!”

“Ah! Let’s hurry. Naden, I’m counting on you!”

“Roger that!”

Naden performed a sudden dive down to the village where Aisha and the others were waiting.

We had Naden let us off near the village and assume human form, then we went through the entrance to the village. Unlike the beaten-up fields, the village showed no sign of being any different from how it was when I was last here.

Well, what were those big holes all about, then? While I was wondering that...

Stomp, stomp, stomp, stomp. I heard the sound of heavy footfalls, and then, “Your Majestyyyyyyy!”

I saw Aisha racing toward us at an incredible speed.

With the amount of inertia she had behind her, she was almost like a runaway horse or a wild rhino, and as she got closer, I could hear alarm bells sounding in my head. This was bad. I tried to turn and run the other way, but...

“Your Majestyyyy! I finally caught youuuu!”

“Gwah!”

““Souma?!””

Without even the time to fully turn, she rapidly closed in on me, and I caught a flying tackle-hug with my side. The impact was like being run over by a small car.

...Is this going to be okay? Did she just break, like, two of my ribs?

However, my hell had only just begun.

“Why did you suddenly disappear?! That was so mean of you, deserting me like that! Let me stay with you always!” Aisha hugged me tightly through her tears.

The words she was saying were cute, and she looked like a young girl trying to get me to indulge her; but this was Aisha, the mightiest warrior in our entire country. With her strength, when she squeezed me tight, I could feel my bones creaking.

“Aisha! This isn’t just a hug anymore! It’s a bear hug!” I wailed.

“Ohhhhh, sirrrrrrrrrrrrrre!” she cried out, squeezing me even harder.

“I give, I give, I give!” I tried tapping the ground, but Aisha wasn’t about to stop.

Unable to watch us any longer, Liscia said to Naden with sigh, “...Naden, would you?”

“Can I? In their current state, I’ll end up hitting Souma, too, you know?”

“I’d say it’s partially his own fault. You have my permission.”

“...Roger that.”

With that, Naden leveled a finger at us. Huh?! What was she planning to do?!

“It’s okay, I can adjust the power level.”

“No, no, that’s not the issue...”

“Take that!” Bzzap!

““Gyahhh!””

Taking a hit from Naden’s electric shock, both Aisha and I ended up sprawled out on our backs.

Though I had finally been released from that bear hug, I did wish she could have saved me in a more peaceful way. Honestly... I’d gotten tackled, squeezed, crushed, and finally electrocuted. These past few minutes left me completely exhausted.

When we arrived at the inn where Aisha and the others had been staying, Tomoe welcomed me with a smile that was like a flower blooming.

“Big Brother! Thank goodness you were all right!”

I gave her a gentle pat on the head. “Sorry for worrying you. Where’s everyone else?”

Tomoe said, “About that...” glancing behind her.

Following her line of sight, I saw Hal, Kaede, and Carla passed out at a single table. The three of them had looks that seemed to say, “I’m burned out, like white ash,” with all the energy and vitality gone from their faces. Their clothes looked a little beat up, too.

“Wh-What happened...?”

“All three of them... They tried their best.”

Tomoe got a far-off look in her eye as she related what happened in the time I was gone.

◇　◇　◇

The story turns back to a few days earlier...

“Sire... Sirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre!”

Halbert narrowly dodged Aisha’s greatsword which she was swinging around as she cried. “Whoa! That was dangerous!”

Having cut through nothing but air, Aisha’s sword continued on to slam into the ground, leaving an indentation about five meters across. Seeing that power, Halbert’s cheeks twitched.

“Th-That’s getting into one-hit kill territory. Wasn’t this supposed to be training?”

“Stay on your toes,” Carla said, holding her sword at the ready. She was standing beside Halbert. “This is genuine combat now.”

“Oh, cripes. How did it come to this...?” Halbert said with a sigh, holding his favorite short spear in both hands. “Honestly... I’m holding a grudge for this one, Souma.”

“It’s not Master’s fault, but... I can’t say I don’t understand the feeling,” Carla agreed.

“You can say that again,” Kaede added. She was behind the two of them with both her hands on the ground. “I think I’ll be asking His Majesty Souma for hazard pay... you know!”

Crack! Crunch.

When Kaede pressed down with both hands, the ground around Aisha swelled up, forming walls to surround her. They thought that would be enough to bind her, but...

“Why, sire... Why...?” With teary eyes, Aisha swung at the walls enclosing her again and again.

Seconds later, the earthen walls came tumbling down, falling apart like a carelessly assembled pile of wooden blocks. On closer inspection, the earth had been cut into brick-sized chunks. Hard rocks and soft earth were both cut into exactly the same shape. This couldn’t have been done without a sharp edge and a frightening degree of strength.

When they saw that sight, all three of them felt their cheeks twitch.

“I like to think I’m pretty strong myself, but...” Halbert began.

“I can feel my pride as a military woman weakening,” Carla confessed. Though, I do realize I’m a maid now.”

“I’m seriously considering a strategy where we just throw Madam Aisha into the middle of an enemy army on her own,” said Kaede.

Without paying any mind to her three clearly disturbed companions, Aisha wailed, “Sirrrrrrrrre! Why, why did you leave me and go on by yourseeeelf?!”

“““She makes it sound like Souma/Master/His Majesty is dead!””” her three companions exclaimed.

“What am I to do now that you’ve left me behiiiiind?!”

“““No, Souma/Master/His Majesty isn’t dead, okay!”””

The three of them kept pointing that out, but Aisha wasn’t listening.

Now, as to the question of why Aisha and the other three were fighting, it had all begun the day before yesterday, when Souma ended up going to the Star Dragon Mountain Range alone. Even though the people from the Star Dragon Mountain Range had circumstances that made it inevitable, the fact was still that Souma had suddenly been abducted. Aisha, who was also Souma’s bodyguard, in addition to being the candidate to become the second primary queen, was distraught over it.

When one of the dragon priestesses in the service of Mother Dragon Tiamat had been dispatched to meet with her, Aisha tried to grab the envoy with a focused look in her eyes. Thankfully, Halbert and Carla managed to restrain her, so it hadn’t turned into a major incident.

Because the fault lay with the Star Dragon Mountain Range in this case, the dragon priestess had been apologetic, but it was a situation that could have easily developed into a diplomatic incident.

Even after receiving an explanation, Aisha was still crestfallen. She was soon so worried about Souma that her mind always seemed to be elsewhere.

When Tomoe became concerned about her, she consulted with Carla about what to do, and they decided that training would help take her mind off things.

Yes, this had started as training.

“Wahhhh... Sirrrrrre...”

Once they had gotten started, though, it turned into Aisha blowing off steam.

Aisha had always been known for her martial prowess, but it turned out she’d been holding back. Now, with her feelings let loose, and the limiter that kept her true power in check not functioning, the ground was pounded full of holes by her unrestrained prowess, and her training partners, Halbert, Kaede, and Carla, were beaten up and exhausted.

While watching Aisha cry like a child, Carla smiled dryly. “If she feels that strongly about him, Master is a lucky man.”

“It’s a heavy love,” Halbert said, spinning his shoulders in circles to loosen up his body. “In an it’ll-crush-you-in-one-hit sort of way. Wait, don’t we get any backup? You sent a messenger kui to the castle, didn’t you?”

“It seems the best they can manage is to put up a safety cordon and keep the general populace away from this whole area,” said Kaede. “They must be relying on us to work something out on-site. They can’t let people who don’t know the situation into a place where the future second primary queen may do something to embarrass herself.”

Halbert’s shoulders slumped. “You make it all sound so easy. They don’t know the suffering we go through out in the field.”

“Whining will get us nowhere,” said Carla. “Focus on the matter at hand for now, Sir Halbert.” Though she was just as beat up as he was, Carla seemed full of life for some reason.

“Hey... Why are you so energetic?” Halbert asked.

“I can feel the warrior’s blood inside me seething for the first time in a long while. I’ve done nothing but maid work lately, so I’ve been getting close to forgetting I was once a military woman. Oh, don’t you fret. Compared to the humiliation of being forced to wear that sexy costume” (designed by the utter sadist, Serina) “and play Miss Dran” (the evil female commander who appeared in the tokusatsu program Overman Silvan, now airing to rave reviews all across the Kingdom of Friedonia) “in front of a Jewel Voice Broadcast crystal, this is nothing!”

“...You’ve got it hard, too, huh.”

For Halbert who had, until just recently, been forced to do descent training as part of the dratrooper unit that Souma had proposed, he couldn’t help but sympathize with another person being run ragged by their superiors.

Looking at the two of them, Kaede shrugged her shoulders in dismay. “I think that’s enough of that silly conversation, you know.”

“Don’t call it silly! This is important to us, okay?!”

“I’m telling you, now isn’t the time! If you let your guards down... you’ll wind up dead, you know.”

“Augh, geez!” Having been warned, Halbert looked at Aisha, who had her greatsword at the ready. “Whatever! Let’s do this!”

Halbert and Carla kicked off the ground, charging toward Aisha.

Halbert and Carla’s battle had only just begun.

◇　◇　◇

“...And that’s how we got to where we are now,” said Tomoe.

“Just how much of a rampage did she go on to leave Hal and the others in that state?” I asked.

“They tried to avoid troubling the villagers, at least, by leading her into the fields near the village and fighting there. But it was still scary, with explosions like there was a war going on.”

“What, you were the one who left all those holes in the ground?” I said jokingly, with a look at Aisha, despite not having meant to. But Aisha was deliberately looking away and pretending she couldn’t hear me.

When Aisha was let totally loose, she caused changes to the area’s topography? I thought of her as a loyal dog before, but when she took it this far, she was more like a weapon of mass destruction.

I’ll contact the castle and have them fill the indentations back in, I thought.

For the time being, we waited for Hal and the others to recover, then went up to the four-person room where they were staying. I introduced Naden to everyone.

“This is Naden Delal, a ryuu from the Star Dragon Mountain Range who I’m going to be forming a contract with. The contract is one that is premised on us getting married, so she’s planned to be my second secondary queen. Naden, this dark elf warrior is my future second primary queen, Aisha. The little mystic wolf girl is my honorary little sister, Tomoe. The other three are my vassals, Halbert, Kaede, and Carla.”

Carla was actually my slave, but explaining all the details behind that would be too time-consuming, so just calling her my vassal was good enough.

Naden turned to everyone and bowed her head slightly. “I’m Naden. Nice to meet all of you.”

“Ohh, Madam Naden, is it? As fellow queens, let’s work together to build up His Majesty.” Aisha shook Naden’s hand in a friendly manner.

...Huh?

“I was pretty sure you were going to be opposed to it...?” I asked.

“Hm? Why would that be?”

“No, it’s just, you almost tried to kill the envoy from the Star Dragon Mountain Range, didn’t you?”

“That was because they just went and took you away!” Aisha explained with a snort. “I was angry at the Star Dragon Mountain Range because they took my sire away from me. But Madam Naden bought me my sire back. I have every reason to be grateful to her, and none at all to be angry.”

“I don’t really get the basis for that reasoning...”

“People who take your food are bad people,” said Aisha. “People who bring you food are good people.”

“It’s that simple?! And, wait, I’m like food now?!”

Well, considering how devoted Aisha was to eating food, I didn’t feel bad knowing she loved me just as much. I was a bit worried that my second primary queen was becoming more and more like a puppy, though.

“So... you don’t want to hog all the food to yourself, then?” Liscia asked Aisha.

What kind of question was that?!

Aisha gave her a blank look and tilted her head to the side quizzically. “Hm? Rather than hog the food to myself, won’t it taste better if we all eat together as a family?”

Liscia laughed. “Ahaha! I’m glad that’s the kind of person you are, Aisha.”

“???”

Liscia smiled as a bunch of question marks floated over Aisha’s head.

I feel bad saying this when they had such a harmonious accord going, but it was a bit chilling that I was being treated like everyone’s food.

...Well, it was better than them drawing daggers at each other, at least.

While I was thinking that, Tomoe introduced herself to Naden. “I’m Big Brother and Big Sister’s adopted little sister, Tomoe. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Naden.”

“Nice to meet you, too. You seem like a cute girl with a good head on your shoulders, just like Liscia was telling me.”

“Hee hee! Am I really?”

“Yeah. It feels like a real perk, getting a cute little sister like you!”

“Eek! That tickles!”

Naden hugged Tomoe. Naden was petite, but still much larger than the eleven-year-old Tomoe, so the younger girl fit in right against her chest.

Now then, with everyone’s introductions out of the way, I explained the flow of events so far to everyone who’d been left holding down the fort. I told them about the reason Madam Tiamat called me, and the storm that she (?) was worried about. That, and about how Naden was a special kind of being called a ryuu.

“That’s my sire, always sniffing out talented individuals wherever he goes!” Aisha declared.

She’d chosen a weird thing to be impressed with. What was I? A pig sniffing for truffles...?

Anyway, once they had heard everything I had to say, Carla was the first to raise her hand.

“I understand that Liscia is able to come with us now, but the limit on the entourage you bring with you to the Star Dragon Mountain Range was five people, wasn’t it? Doesn’t that leave us with one too many?”

“Yeah... About that, I was thinking I’d leave Tomoe here in the village.”

“Wha...?” Tomoe was dumbstruck when she heard she’d be left behind.

I felt guilty seeing the look on her face, like that of a kid whose field trip just got canceled because of rain, but her safety really did have to come first.

“Now that we have the unknown element of the ‘storm’ in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, I can’t bring Tomoe with us anymore,” I explained. “Pathetic as it is, I’m in a position where I have to have others protect me. There could be a situation where they can’t protect both of us. Nothing can be allowed to happen to me, but if anything were to happen to Tomoe, I wouldn’t be able to keep a level head.”

“...I understand,” Tomoe said, being the reasonable girl that she was, but the way that her ears and tail drooped communicated her disappointment all too clearly. “I’ll wait here for you and everyone else to come back.”

I patted Tomoe on the head. “Even when this matter with the Star Dragon Mountain Range is settled, I intend to keep traveling until the number of marriage proposals I receive at the castle dies down. I want to try visiting other countries, too, and I’ll definitely bring you with me, so I’d like you to be patient for now. That’s a promise.”

“Okay... Big Brother.”

When I wrapped my pinky finger around hers to seal our promise, Tomoe’s ears and tail perked back up just a little.

Once everyone was relieved to see Tomoe taking it a little better, Liscia asked, “I understand what you’re saying, but are we just going to leave Tomoe alone in the village like this? I’m a little worried.”

“It’s okay,” I told her. “Though they haven’t shown themselves, members of the Black Cats have been deployed to this village. So she won’t be alone.”

“Really?”

“Yeah... Inugami.”

The door to the four-person room opened, and a man wearing a black dog mask entered. This was Inugami, a member of the clandestine operations unit called the Black Cats, and the leader Kagetora’s second-in-command.

Inugami came to stand in front of me then dropped to one knee. “I have come at your behest.”

“Indeed,” I said. “While we are away in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, I want the Black Cats to look after Tomoe.”

“By your will.”

“Also, Inugami, as for you personally, instead of watching her from the shadows, I want you to stay by Tomoe’s side and give her someone to talk to. Your face is not widely known by the common people. You are permitted to remove that mask while you’re in this village.”

“...Understood.”

With that, Inugami removed the black dog mask he was wearing to reveal the face of a male beastman with a wolf’s face. When he saw that face, Hal shot up from his chair.

“Y-You! You’re Beo—”

“Mind your tongue, Officer Halbert,” he said sharply. “I am only Inugami.”

“...” Hal looked to me.

No, he could look all he wanted, but I wasn’t about to give him an explanation. The only ones familiar with Beowulf were Liscia and Hal who had been in the Army, after all.

Looking at Inugami, Tomoe tilted her head to the side. “Are you a mystic wolf, too, Mr. Inugami?”

“No, my people call themselves the gray wolf race. Because our faces aren’t human, after all.”

“But we’re both fellow wolf people, right? Let’s be friends, please.”

“You are too kind, Little Sister.” Inugami bowed his head to Tomoe.

They were a gray wolf and a mystic wolf, two races with outwardly similar appearances, and their ages were twenty years apart, so anyone looking at them would see them as a father and daughter. Despite that, they were in a weird position where the father was bowing to his daughter. Well, it looked like they’d get along, so it’d probably be fine.

With that all sorted out, I turned to the others. “Naden will be taking us to the Star Dragon Mountain Range. If we left now, we’d arrive in the middle of the night, so we’ll be setting out first thing tomorrow morning. Plan accordingly.”

“Then are we staying in this village tonight?” Kaede asked, and I nodded.

“That would be what it means, yes. Let’s see, as for how we’ll split up the rooms...”

“Let’s get one room for two and two rooms for four,” Liscia said before I could get any further. “Halbert, Kaede, Carla, and Inugami will take one room. Naden, Tomoe, and I will take another. Souma and Aisha, you take the two-person room.”

“Can we?!” Hearing she’d be sharing a room with me, Aisha wore a full-face smile.

I couldn’t argue with that face, so I whispered to Liscia, “Erm... Are you okay with this?”

“You had her worried sick, so be sweet to her for today, at least.”

“...Okay.”

I didn’t know what to say. Liscia was shaping up into a lovely woman, one suited to her role as the first primary queen.

It wasn’t just Liscia, I guess. Juna, Roroa, and even Aisha had each grown with every passing day since I met them, and they were all growing more attractive. I was sure Naden would probably be the same...

I needed to grow, too, to make sure they wouldn’t desert me.

That night, Aisha and I ended up sleeping in the same room.

“You had her worried sick, so be sweet to her for today, at least.” I remembered what Liscia had whispered to me.

...She’s right, I thought. I caused her a lot of worry this time, so today, I’m going to be really sweet to Aisha. I’ll do anything I can for her, whatever she wants.

I was prepared to do that, but...

Aisha had a surprising request.

“This is all you want? ...You’re sure?” I asked.

“Yes! This is the best, sire.”

So now I was sitting on the bed, while Aisha lay sideways with her head resting in my lap. In other words, this was a lap pillow. What Aisha had asked for was a lap pillow, and a head pat. Even just patting her head like she’d asked, and running my fingers through her hair, which was currently down, was enough to get Aisha’s face to melt. It was kind of cute.

With an entranced look on her face, Aisha gave me a satisfied smile. “When I was giving you a lap pillow in the wagon ride here, I thought, ‘I’d like His Majesty to do this for me, too.’ I’m very satisfied to have you doing it now.”

“...I’m getting off cheaply, huh?” I couldn’t help but smile wryly, wondering if something so simple was good enough. “I was ready to do anything for you, though. Liscia told me to be sweet to you today, so if you want to, Aisha, we could do something more... sexy...”

Oh, geez! It was embarrassing just saying it!

But given that Liscia had put us in the same room... that had probably been her intention.

If Aisha gave birth before Liscia it could result in a succession crisis, but Aisha was from a long-lived race, so it wouldn’t be that easy for her to conceive. Even if we did it here, it was practically guaranteed that she wouldn’t conceive before Liscia.

“That’s probably why Liscia put the two of us alone together, after all,” I said shyly.

Aisha chuckled. “Hee hee. That’s so like Lady Liscia. Not only does she think about the two of you, she also considers me, Madam Juna, Madam Roroa, and... was it Madam Naden? It’s strange for me to say it, but I think she’s a lovely woman.”

“...She sure is.”

“That’s why I want to be just as lovely for her. Well, of course, I’d like to have you make love to me, but if I let myself give in to desire here, I’d just be indulging in Lady Liscia’s kindness. I don’t want that.” Aisha snorted. “That’s why I’ll wait until after you and Lady Liscia have a child. In any contest, no matter who my opponent is, and even if it’s a battle for love, I want to win straight-up in a fair fight.”

Fighting fairly in a battle for love, huh. That was so like Aisha.

“I think you’re plenty lovely yourself, Aisha,” I said.

“Hee hee... You’re embarrassing me.”

Then Aisha sat up and turned over, looking at me with upturned eyes as she said, “But, sire, I’m still thinking about how I want you to make love to me, you know? When you suddenly disappeared, I felt so lonely.”

“R-Right...”

“So, please, hurry up and make a baby. As fast as you can.”

“...I’ll do my best.”

Aisha brought her face close, pressing her lips to mine.

Come to think of it... this was my first kiss with Aisha.

While my eyes were still wide with surprise, Aisha grinned and said, “Allow me this, at least. And... when you’ve made that baby, be sure you make love to me, too, would you? Darling.”

It went without saying that that cute gesture left me as red as a boiled octopus.

The next day...

“Now then, Your Majesty! Let’s head off to the Star Dragon Mountain Range!”

Aisha’s face was beaming as she declared that, full of energy, so Liscia and Naden gave me a knowing look.

Remembering our conversation from the day before, I felt embarrassed.

Chapter 7: The Storm

“Hmm hmm-hmm hmm-hmm!” Naden was swimming through the sky in her ryuu form, humming to herself as she went.

I, who was riding on her back, rubbed her and asked, “Naden, are you okay? It’s not too heavy?”

“Hm? I’m totally fine, why do you ask?” Naden replied, as if this really was nothing to her.

There was a reason I was riding on Naden’s back. Because Aisha had joined the others riding in the gondola, it became overcrowded. The gondola was as big as a houseboat, and it normally would have afforded space for ten adults, but we were preparing for the “Storm,” so a good seven of those ten spots were crammed with things we brought from the kingdom.

I figured the gondola had to be pretty heavy right now. When this gondola got heavy, two to four wyverns would normally be tied together to carry it, but Naden was easily shouldering (even without shoulders?) the burden all by herself. Naden in her ryuu form was far larger than a wyvern, but was this really not heavy for her?

“Are all dragons this strong?” I asked her.

“I don’t know about the other dragons, but it doesn’t feel that heavy to me. It’s like I’m pushing a wooden board through the water, I guess?”

“Hmm...”

Did that mean she was unconsciously manipulating the gravity? Well, she was making her own massive body float, so there might be some magical effect at work.

“Hmm hmm-hmm hmm-hmm!” Naden began humming again.

“You’re in an awfully good mood.”

“Hmm hmm-hmm! Well, of course I am. This time, you’re riding on my back.”

“Does it feel different from when I’m in the gondola somehow?”

“Oh, yes. Completely different. But... it might be hard to explain to someone from a different race. I don’t know, it just feels right. When I’m in my ryuu form, it feels like something is sitting right where it belongs, or something? Like it scratches an itch, you could say. It puts me at ease somehow.”

“Hmm...”

If that was what Naden said, she was probably right. Liscia’s favorite horse always looked so lively when Liscia was on its back, after all. I really shouldn’t be comparing my fiancée to a horse, though...

“But...” Naden added, in a concerned tone of voice, “is this okay? Bringing Liscia and the others without asking?”

She was apparently thinking about how Madam Tiamat said my companions would be invited to come later.

“Well, we don’t know what this ‘storm’ is yet, so I’d like to have my comrades at my side when something happens,” I said. “She’ll have to forgive us for not telling her in advance.”

“I guess you’re right. But, in that case, I wish we could have brought Tomoe, too.”

“Yeah... I wish we could have shown her the scenery in Dracul.”

The Great Waterfall... the Great Tree of Ladon... there were a lot of impressive sights. I very much would have liked to show them to Tomoe, who was curious about the world.

Naden suddenly said, “Huh? Souma, Liscia and the others are saying something.”

I was riding on Naden’s back, so I couldn’t overhear their conversation in the gondola. If I wanted to talk with them, I had to use Naden with her telepathy-like ability as a relay.

“What do they say?” I asked.

“Let’s see... ‘Look toward the Star Dragon Mountain Range’... they say. They’re making a fuss about something.”

“The Star Dragon Mountain Range?”

Naden was flying toward the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so I could always see it straight ahead of us. There hadn’t been anything unusual until a moment ago, but...

““Huh?!”” Our eyes went wide.

The Star Dragon Mountain Range was a chain of mountains the size of Mt. Fuji. In the middle of the sky above them, there was a single, big cumulus cloud.

“Isn’t that over Dracul?!” Naden sounded panicked.

She was talking about the plateau where the dragons lived. When I first arrived, Madam Tiamat teleported me in, so I hadn’t been able to see it, but it really was right in the middle of the Star Dragon Mountain Range. The cumulus cloud floating overhead, and the storm Madam Tiamat had prophesied... I had a bad feeling about this.

“In your forecast, there was no sign of a storm coming, was there?” I asked.

“Yeah. That, and it’s strange to have just that one cloud hanging over Dracul.”

“...It’s probably not just a cloud. For now, let’s try getting a bit closer. We’re too far away here, and there’s no way to tell what things look like in Dracul.”

“Got it.” Naden swam toward that cloud. It was visible even from a distance, but as we drew closer, its full scale became apparent.

I was shocked. “What the heck is that...?”

The cumulus cloud was conical, with a smushed, dome-like top. More than that, on closer inspection, there were many clouds gathered, moving from left to right along the surface of the cumulus cloud. Was it possible... the clouds were forming a whirling vortex?

“I’ve never seen a cloud like this before,” Naden said.

“Yeah. I’ve only seen this kind of cloud in a movie.”

“Mooovieeee?” she repeated the unfamiliar word.

“Just talking to myself. Anyway, it seems it’s just big enough to cover Dracul.”

Looking at Dracul, this cloud just covered the plateau, so it was blocking out the light and leaving it dark. It looked like some intense rain was falling, too. The winds sounded violent, so weather in Dracul had to be really rough. Even though, outside the cloud, the weather was good and clear. It was one strange cloud.

“This is a little too focused in one place to just be a localized torrential downpour,” I commented.

“Why are you so calm?! There’s no way it would be raining just over Dracul!”

“Haste makes waste, they say. First, we need to observe closely.”

While rubbing Naden’s back, I inspected the cloud. There was a lot of rain. At this rate, there was the risk that a large-scale disaster like what happened in the God-Protected Forest would happen here, too. The cause there had been rain that went on for a long time, but this much rain in a single place could have the same effect in a shorter amount of time if it continued.

But if we were going to come up with countermeasures... Yeah, we wouldn’t be able to find out enough from the outside.

“Naden, you managed to swim up a waterfall, so rain and wind should be fine, right?” I asked.

“Y-Yeah.”

“Well, then... I’m not that keen on doing it, but will you plunge into the middle of the cloud?”

“Whaaaa?!”

Naden was surprised, but it didn’t feel like we were going to get anywhere just looking at it from the outside. Fortunately, there were no cracks of lightning, so it was probably best to get a look at the inside.

“It’s hard to understand the situation from outside,” I explained. “We’ll go inside the cloud to investigate, and also make our way toward Crystal Castle at the same time. Of course, if you feel it’s dangerous, pull out immediately. Tell Liscia and the others in the gondola to brace themselves.”

“O-Okay.”

Naden slowly moved toward the whirling clouds. After hesitating for just a moment right in front of them, she seemed to make up her mind and slowly swam in.

It was like being in a fog at first, but as we progressed, it gradually became darker. The wind and rain striking my body rapidly increased in intensity. Not one minute after entering the cloud, my body was being pounded with torrential rain and sideways winds. If it hadn’t been for Naden’s protection, I’d have long since been blown off.

“Naden! Are you okay?!” I spoke up, trying to remain undefeated in the face of wind and rain.

“Yeah! I don’t know why, but I can see something like a flow!” Naden responded.

True, Naden was swimming through the sky, no different from how she had been before. I should have expected no less from a ryuu, said to be able to travel through wind, clouds, lightning, and rain. Even this fierce wind and rain wasn’t enough to intimidate her in the least.

Normal dragons or wyverns, on the other hand, wouldn’t be able to fly in this. That was because their big wings would be affected by the powerful wind.

Could this be... why it had to be Naden? I wondered.

Naden had to be about the only one who could fly in this. Madam Tiamat said I was the “key.” Then, saying there was a being that would carry me, she arranged for me to meet Naden.

Then is this rain and wind the “storm” Madam Tiamat was worried about, after all? I wondered.

I tried looking around, but it was dark, and with the rain coming down like someone emptied a bucket overhead, it was getting in my eyes and making it impossible to see much of anything.

“Naden! Do you see anything?!” I called.

“No! It’s too dark!”

It looked like Naden was in the same boat.

Then Naden shouted, “Souma! I’m all right, but Liscia and the others in the gondola may be in danger!”

We were getting pounded by this wind. There was a rattling sound, and Liscia and the others inside the gondola had to be having a scary time. The rectangular gondola wouldn’t be able to cut through the wind, and if it broke midair, we’d have a huge tragedy on our hands.

“We’ll need to try again later... Let’s land at Crystal Castle for now!”

“Got it!” Naden began smoothly descending.

When she did...

“...n’t...”

Huh?!

I was sure I’d just heard something.

“Hold on, Naden! Did you just hear something?!”

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything.”

“Wha... are you... goi... to do... bout... thi...”

“There! You heard it, right?!”

“You’re right...” It looked like Naden had heard it this time, too. This was... a voice, maybe? I heard some words clearly.

It seemed it wasn’t that way for Naden. “Yeah, but... I don’t know what they’re saying.”

Huh? She doesn’t know? Even though she can hear it?

“There was a ‘you’ in there... Didn’t you hear it?”

“Is that what they said? I couldn’t pick it up at all.”

What was going on here? Was it possible that I’d be able to hear, while Naden wouldn’t?

Something was wrong. Besides, this voice... Something about it bothered me. It was too high to be male, but if it was a woman’s voice, something felt off about it...

“If that’s sti... not... nough...”

I heard it again. This voice... Was it coming from above?

Looking upward, I glimpsed, if only faintly, a black shadow through a gap in the clouds. With the clouds in the way, I only had a hazy view, but that shadow looked big for how far away it must have been. It may be fairly massive.

“I... ll... destroy... to have...”

Destroy what?!

Destroy. I’d heard that dangerous sounding word very clearly.

That black shadow was hidden by the clouds. Naden must have gotten out of them, because I could see the rain-drenched plateau of Dracul spread out beneath us. The static-like sound of the rain grated on my ears.

While being lashed by the rain, I looked up to the clouds we only just left. From outside Dracul they looked pure white, but from directly below they felt dark and heavy.

That voice I heard, speaking what I recognized as language... There was no questioning it.

Something was in those clouds.

In the rain, we landed in front of Crystal Castle.

Though it must have been beautiful in the light, when it was gloomy like this, the castle looked dull.

As Naden began to take human form, I jumped down off her back and rushed to the gondola. When I opened the door, wondering if Liscia and the others were all right, Liscia, Aisha, and Kaede crawled out, their faces pale. Hal and Carla followed. They all looked fine.

I rushed over to them. “A-Are you okay?”

Liscia and Aisha both leaned against me.

“Blech... Souma, you’re too reckless,” Liscia mumbled.

“The wind shook us so much, I feel sick... Blech.”

“Oh... Er... Sorry.”

I rubbed their backs to comfort them as they vomited. Kaede had Hal and Carla looking after her.

Unlike those three, Hal and Carla seemed right as rain.

“You two are fine?” I asked.

“I was in the Air Force, and I flew on wyverns often,” said Carla.

“It beats getting dropped out of the air,” said Hal.

Carla’s Air Force experience and Hal’s dratooper training must have gotten them used to this sort of thing.

It bothered me that Hal seemed to be staring off into the distance, but... Anyway, it was probably better to get inside somewhere with a roof, rather than keep getting pounded by the rain.

“Hal and Carla, tie the gondola down so that it doesn’t get blown away!” I called. “Everyone else, we’re going inside! Naden, you lead the way!”

“Roger that!”

We went inside Crystal Castle. Once Liscia and the others calmed down, and Hal and Carla came back, I asked Naden, “I want to meet with Madam Tiamat. Where do I go to do that?”

“The great hall, I think. When there’s a crisis in Dracul, the dragons have been told to gather in Crystal Castle’s great hall.”

“Okay,” I said. “Then let’s head there.”

We decided to have Naden lead us to this great hall. It only took an instant when Madam Tiamat teleported me, but moving around in this ridiculously huge castle was a real hassle. We were all running, but it was taking a while to reach our destination.

When we reached the great hall after five minutes of running, there were two surprises waiting for us. One was that hall was so massive that “great” simply wasn’t enough of a word for it. The other was that, upon closer inspection, the great hall was actually the space I had been teleported into when I first came to the Star Dragon Mountain Range. It seemed that the great hall was the place where I met the mountainous Madam Tiamat.

When we entered the great hall, there were about a hundred people in the center. They were all sprouting horns and tails, so they were probably dragons in human form.

From what Naden told me, there were only about three hundred people (dragons?) living in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, at most.

Even considering their massive size, that was an incredibly low population density for a country.

Because that three hundred number also included young dragons and priestesses in the service of Madam Tiamat, that meant the hundred or so here comprised all of the grown dragons that could actually move around.

The moment we entered the great hall, we sensed something menacing in the air. In a space that could have fit tens of thousands of humans, the dragons were all gathered together in one compact area for some reason.

It sounded noisy, and no one took any notice of the people who just entered the room. It looked like Madam Tiamat wasn’t here anymore, so what could have happened?

Whatever it was, we approached the group. When we did...

“Naden!” A girl in a white one-piece jumped out of the group. That was... Naden’s friend... Pai, was it?

Naden caught her friend, who hugged her tight. “Pai! Thank goodness. You’re safe.”

Naden had a relieved look on her face, but the desperation on Pai’s was undiminished.

“Naden, where have you been?! I was worried!”

“Oh, sorry. I was making a little trip to Souma’s country...”

“Souma’s country? Who?”

Oh! Right, I only ever told Pai my alias, huh. It looked like Naden realized that, too.

“Maybe you’ll understand if I call it Kazuma’s country. The Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“Friedonia?! That far?! How...?”

“Ahaha, it’s a long story, but...”

“Wait, we don’t have time for this!”

Naden tried to explain the story so far, but Pai immediately cut her off. Pai had a serious look on her face as she clung on to the dissatisfied Naden.

“Please, Naden! Stop everyone! At this rate, Ruby’s going to...”

Ruby? Ruby was... the red dragon who kept picking fights with Naden, right?

Pai explained the current situation for us.

Here, the story turns back a bit.

It turns out that mysterious cloud suddenly appeared in the skies above Dracul this morning.

Even though the skies had been clear up until then, that cloud suddenly appeared and brought violent wind and rain to Dracul. The heavy rainfall made the lakes overflow, and knocked down the trees.

In response, the dragons gathered in Crystal Castle.

The wind and rain seemed only to be affecting Dracul, so I would have thought they would just evacuate somewhere else, but there was a reason why they couldn’t.

It was because the dragons’ eggs were beneath Crystal Castle.

I already heard that when a dragon who formed a contract with a knight laid an egg, it was left in the care of the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Apparently the simple passage of time wasn’t enough to make them hatch.

They were left in a place called the Cradle Room beneath Crystal Castle, and waited there for their time of awakening. That time would come only when they would be able to meet the one they were destined to form a contract with. There were cases when an egg went unhatched for close to a century, and that was one reason why they couldn’t be raised by their parents.

Because the eggs couldn’t be removed from the Cradle Room, the dragons had to defend this Crystal Castle, no matter what.

That was what led the dragons to investigate this bizarre cloud, but the winged dragons were buffeted by the strong winds, and none of them were able to reach the clouds.

In response to this situation, the dragons turned to Madam Tiamat for guidance.

Madam Tiamat answered, “A wingless dragon could fly through this wind and rain.” Further, she added, “That one already holds the key. Until they return, I will protect my children, the eggs that await their time of awakening.”

Then she took the dragon priestesses with her and went down to the Cradle Room.

The dragons left behind had gone into an uproar. It was terrifying that they were told there was nothing they could do to remedy the situation. They considered what the wingless dragon might be, and quickly thought of Naden Delal. It was well known that Naden was a unique individual who had no wings.

However, when they were about to go call Naden, Pai told them to stop. She told them that no one had been in the cave Naden used as her den for the last few days.

When they’d gone to check, Naden really wasn’t in her cave.

Naturally. Naden had gone to the Kingdom of Friedonia with me, and this morning, we’d been in the village near the border where Aisha and the others were waiting.

And so, the dragons were astonished. Naden, who Madam Tiamat had assured them could resolve this situation, was absent.

“At first, there were some voices of discontent, saying, ‘Where did she go off to at a time like this?’” Pai explained. “But because she wasn’t here, it didn’t really matter. Eventually, the question changed to, ‘Why isn’t Naden in Dracul?’ From there, it occurred to them it was because of their own feelings towards Naden. Their hearts had mocked her for being a wingless dragon, a worm. ‘Maybe she got tired of being called a worm, and that’s why she left the Star Dragon Mountain Range?’ they started to think. And then they turned on Ruby and her friends.”

Everyone knew Ruby often messed with Naden, and it often led to fights between them. So the dragons all condemned Ruby and her friends. That was the cause of the current commotion.

Pai clung to Naden and said, “Ruby’s the emotional sort who doesn’t think things through well enough, and she’s prideful, so she said she’d take responsibility for Sapphire and Emerada’s actions, as well. I was mad about all the things she’d said before, too, but seeing everyone gang up on her like this... I just feel so bad for her...”

“Don’t give me this,” Naden said in a pained voice.

When I looked over at her, Naden’s hair was sparking with electricity as it stood on end. It was like a visualization of Naden’s anger and indignation.

Naden left the sobbing Pai to me, then headed for where the dragons were gathered, her face a mask of anger.

“They’re all so selfish!”

“Naden...” a dragon gasped.

For a moment, I thought I should stop her. Naden wasn’t the one being crucified right now. If anything, she became the key person to resolving this situation, so she was going to get a certain degree of respect in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. There was no reason for her to pick a fight with the dragons here and worsen her position. But... I didn’t want to see Naden make a clever decision like that.

So I told her, “You should do what you want. Even if the dragons don’t like it, your place is in the Kingdom of Friedonia... in our home now.”

“You said you want to be part of the family, Naden,” Liscia confirmed. “Then there’s only one place for you to come back to.”

“The family always comes back to the warm place they call home, after all,” Aisha added, with a charming wink.

“Souma, Liscia, Aisha...”

“So go give them what for, Naden!” I cried.

“Roger that!”

Naden wiped the corners of her eyes, then took on her ryuu form, opened her mouth wide, and roared as loud as she could.

Roaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar!

Naden’s roar was so loud it shook the great hall, causing all eyes to gather on her. Then, as all the dragons watched, Naden flew up into the air.

“No way... Naden’s flying...” Pai covered her gaping mouth with her hands. The other dragons looked like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing, either.

Naden’s body coiled elegantly in front of their eyes.

As Pai looked up in dumb shock, she shed a single tear. “I see... That’s why Lady Tiamat... Good for you, Naden...”

Having said that, Pai wiped her eyes and smiled as she cried. She must have been concerned for her all this time. Naden had a good friend.

When Naden occupied the space above all the dragons, she cried out, “Enoooooooooooooough!”

Crackle, crackle!

She brought down lightning where the dragons were standing. There were screams here and there, and dragons fell one after another.

...Was she holding back at all? That was a nasty sound... I smelled something burning, too. W-Well, these were dragons. Maybe they’d be fine with a shock like this... Or so I thought, but the strained look on Pai’s face told me that, even by dragon standards, she’d overdone it. Naden must have felt just that unable to hold back.

The commotion came to a halt, and Naden landed in the center of the gathering, where no one was left standing, in her human form. Then Naden looked down at something lying at her feet.

That was... Ruby? Her hair was a mess, the corners of her mouth were cut, and the clothing that was made of her scales was damaged. In short, she was beaten up. It was clear she was subject to an intense lynching.

Naden glanced once at Ruby, then turned back and started shouting again. “Give me a break! I never liked the way Ruby picked fights with me, but are you people who were insulting me behind my back any better?! So, what?! Now that it’s not convenient for you anymore, you’re gonna push all the blame off on Ruby and string her up?! Are you stupid?!”

It was like a dam had broken. The emotions that had built up inside Naden all this time gushed forth. The dark, black feelings she kept bottled up inside her, unable to speak them.

“W-We just...”

There were dragons who tried to talk back, but they were ultimately silenced by Naden’s tirade.

“It’s a little late for that! You mock me all this time as a worm, a flightless dragon, and now you want to push all your troubles onto me?! You’ve got wings, don’t you?! You’re better than me, right?! Then how about you go and do something about this yourselves!”

“Naden...” With a sad tone in her voice, Pai started walking over toward her friend, but I stopped her. Now was the time for Naden to let it all out. I felt... it was something Naden needed to do to move on with her life.

“You made all sorts of fun at me! Now that there’s something only I can do, you’re gonna turn around and ask me for a favor? Don’t give me that! Listen, I hate the atmosphere here in the Star Dragon Mountain Range! With the exception of Pai and Lady Tiamat, I hate the dragons, too! Why should I have to do anything for you?! I don’t care one bit if this place gets wrecked!”

Naden glared at the dragons who were at a loss for words, and stomped her feet.

“You talked about me behind my back all the time! ‘She’s a worm,’ ‘She ought to learn her place,’ and more! What gives you the right to come to me for anything? And what is my place, anyway? Maybe you want to try putting your heads down on the ground and begging? Maybe it’ll change my mind?”

Ah... She’d spewed too much bile, and now she’d gotten into a weird mood. Naden probably didn’t even realize what she was saying anymore. Sheesh...

“Come on, we have to hurry...” Pai said.

“Okay, let’s leave it at that.”

I put a hand on Naden’s shoulder and stopped her.

◇　◇　◇

Souma grabbed my shoulder with a serious look on his face. “I think you’ve said enough. If you go any further, you’ll just be devaluing yourself, Naden.”

What? Don’t get in my way. I brushed off Souma’s hand, then angrily rounded on him.

“Huh?! What’s my value, anyway?! That I can fly, even without wings?”

“No.”

“My value is that I can fly in the storm? ‘So go fly,’ is that it?”

“No.”

“Well, what is it supposed to be, then?!”

“Your heart isn’t fixated on the value of things. That’s what makes you valuable, Naden!”

Souma placed his hands on my shoulders again, and said that firmly. He was gripping me tightly, so it kind of hurt. That pain... brought me back to my senses.

“Your ability to see the good in things, no matter what anyone else says about them; that’s your charm, Naden! If it’s fun, you’ll read romance novels from the world outside, and even watch Jewel Voice Broadcasts from the Empire. You’re even able to get along with a foreigner like me, who suddenly showed up out of nowhere, like it’s no big deal. You don’t care what other people think. You do what you want to do. That ordinary, free spirit of yours is what I love about you. It wasn’t any other dragon that I decided I wanted to form a contract with, it was you, Naden!”

I fell silent.

Hearing him say he loved me made my head rapidly cool. No, the opposite. It boiled over. My face was hot. My mouth bobbed open and closed like a fish gasping for air, and no words came out.

Souma kept going as if it didn’t matter. “If you go trampling on other people’s personalities just because your positions have changed, you’ll become what you hate most. I don’t want to see you end up like that.”

“S-Souma...”

“Besides, there’s no need for you to endure things on your own anymore.”

The next thing I noticed, Liscia and Aisha were at our side, too.

“Naden, you’re a part of the family now, so rely on us when you need to,” Liscia said.

“Indeed,” Aisha agreed. “I’m not smart like His Majesty and the others, so I do my best with my combat abilities. If anyone ever hurts you, Madam Naden, let me cut them down with this blade.”

Liscia had a wry smile on her face, and Aisha was saying dangerous things with a hearty laugh.

Oh... I get it. I had so many people now, not just Pai, who would see my pain as their own. I was sure I would see their pain as my pain, too.

I turned to Souma and the others with a bow. “Sorry. I was kind of getting riled up there.”

“Haha, well, I’m sure you’ve got to get it out of your system once in a while,” he said. “Besides, we were mad, too. Let’s twist the knife a bit.”

With that, Souma went to stand in front of the dragons who were watching at a distance. Huh? What was he planning to do?

“I am King Souma Kazuya of the Kingdom of Friedonia,” Souma suddenly named himself.

There was a buzz from the dragons.

“D-Did he say king...?!”

“And of Friedonia?! That big country to the east?!”

It was surprising that humans had come here before the Contract Ceremony, but on top of that, he said he wasn’t from the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, but was the King of Friedonia.

Even Pai, who knew Souma, cried out, “Wait, Kazuma is Souma? And a king, too?” blinking in surprise.

In a kingly voice, Souma continued. “On this occasion, I, Souma Kazuya, have come to form a contract with Naden under the guidance of Madam Tiamat. This is also a means of dealing with the ‘storm.’ In other words, Naden Delal will be becoming one of the queens of Friedonia.” Souma stared down at the dragons. “So, if any of you mess with Naden after this, be ready for it to become a diplomatic incident.”

When he intimidated the dragons like that, Souma looked less like the king of a country, and more like a demon king. He said he’d twist the knife, but this was too big to be a knife. It was like a stake, and he was pounding it through them, into the ground, to make sure they stayed there and got the point. As proof of that, the dragons were frozen stiff, unable to say a word.

In truth, he was just a frail human who they could have blown away with a mere breath, but Souma dominated the room. It gave me a new sense of how big the country was that Souma carried on his shoulders.

But Souma didn’t normally act like he wanted to use that sort of authority. I mean, he even went by a fake name when we first met. If Souma was relying on his authority to intimidate them... was he really, really mad?

On my behalf, because they mocked me... No, maybe I’m being too conceited.

While I was thinking about him like that, I saw Ruby, beaten up and lying on her side, out of the corner of my eye. I slowly walked over to her.

I looked down at Ruby, who was lying on the ground, her breathing ragged. It was the opposite of all those times she looked down at me from the sky.

I asked her a question.

“You awake, stupid Ruby?”

“Yes, I’m awake, dumb Naden.”

Beaten up or not, it seemed she was still in good enough shape to respond to attitude with attitude. Even in this state, Ruby was Ruby. Maybe because I just vented, I had no spite left for her. I ought to still have plenty to complain about with her, but I just didn’t care right now.

“I’d say the dragons overdid it, but you deserved half of this,” I told her.

“Hmph...!”

“I mean, couldn’t you have gotten off with less than this? Like, if you said I ran away.”

“If I did that... I’d be the same as them,” Ruby said indignantly. “All they ever do is talk about people behind their backs. I don’t want to be like that. If I think something, I’m going to say it right to your face.”

“That’s been nothing but a nuisance for me,” I snapped.

Well, since it gave me someone I could actually fight, it might have been better than the other dragons who kept their comments behind my back. When I got mad, I was able to hit her with an electric shock, after all. If she kept it quiet, I wouldn’t have been able to do that.

Ruby let out a little sigh. “...You’ve got it so good. You look like that, but you could still fly. And you’re marrying a king? Just how special are you? I couldn’t be more jealous.”

Jealous... It looked like what Souma said was true. Even so, I didn’t know how to react to that. After all...

“So many times, I wished I could have been born an ordinary dragon like you, Ruby.”

If I’d been an ordinary dragon, I would have never been put through any of that. If I’d been normal like Ruby. But Ruby now said she envied how I was special.

Ordinary and special. If only our positions were reversed... But it probably wasn’t that simple. If I was ordinary, I’d have wanted to be special, and if Ruby was special, she’d have wanted to be ordinary. People longed to be the things they weren’t, after all.

“Naden... Things just didn’t go well for either of us,” Ruby said.

“That’s life, Ruby.”

We both smiled wryly.

Honestly... things never went well.

“Naden, come with us,” Souma called to me. It looked like it was time to plan out how we’d deal with the storm.

“They’re calling me,” I told Ruby.

“Yeah, yeah. Go wherever you want. Whether it’s to the clouds, or to the kingdom.”

Leaving Ruby behind me with her usual spite, I ran over to Souma.

◇　◇　◇

Oh, geez... This is the worst... I thought miserably.

My whole body ached. Still beaten and blue, I lay on my back looking upward.

I, Ruby, had been rebuked for picking fights with Naden, and the dragons all ganged up to attack me. Even as dragons went, I felt like I was pretty strong, but the odds were too stacked against me.

The dragons attacking me said horrible things about Naden behind her back, but now that they needed her power, they turned around and condemned me.

“You deserved half of this.” Naden’s words from earlier came back to mind.

Yeesh, I know that, okay?

Naden’s husband-to-be was right. I was jealous of her. I’d always been jealous of Naden, who was born special, in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, a place where our system of values was stiff and inflexible and individuality tended to get buried. I wanted something special, something the other dragons didn’t have, like Naden...

“So many times, I wished I could have been born an ordinary dragon like you, Ruby.”

Things really don’t work out the way you want them to. In the end, we were both just wishing for what we didn’t have.

I looked up to the ceiling that was so high I couldn’t see it. The tears from the corners of my eyes streamed toward my ears. Oh, geez, where did I go wrong...?

“Yeah, I can’t just see this as someone else’s problem.” Suddenly, there was a voice from above my head. When I looked up, a well-muscled young man with red hair was looking down at me. “When I see how you messed up, got beaten black and blue, and left lying here, it reminds me of how I was, not so long ago. I messed up with Souma, too, and my old man gave me a thrashing for it.”

While he said that, the red-haired young man scratched his head. Then, crouching down to take a look at my face as I lay facing upward, he laughed.

“Ah... This may be none of my business, but one piece of advice: You can’t change the fact you screwed up. There’s no undoing it.”

I was silent.

“So, how are you going to make up for it? There’s stuff in this world you can’t make up for, sure. But if you can, you’ll want to do that, so you can puff your chest out with pride, right?”

Make up for it, and puff my chest out with pride...

“Make it up to the person I wronged, you mean?” I asked.

“No. To yourself.”

Make up for what I did wrong. So that I can approach myself with pride. I didn’t know why, but for some reason, I found myself easily accepting this young man’s words. Then...

“What are you acting so important for, Hal?” a fox-eyed girl asked.

“Wha, Kaede?! Where’s the harm? I’m just showing some compassion here!”

“Hmm...”

The fox-eared girl looked at him coldly, and the red haired young man began desperately trying to explain himself. He looked a little cool until just now, but his panic ruined it.

Sometimes he was cool, and sometimes he was goofy... He was interesting to watch. And besides...

“You’ll want to do that, so you can puff your chest out with pride, right?”

“To yourself.”

I felt like this young man’s words had given me direction. I got my aching body up.

“Ah! Hey, are you sure you should be getting up?” the young man asked.

“If it hurts, you can stay lying down, you know?” the fox-eared girl said.

True, my body hurt all over, but... If I just lay here, I wouldn’t be able to puff up my chest with pride for my own sake. So I turned to the red-haired young man, the one the fox-eared girl had called Hal. I turned to Hal and bowed my head deeply as I said, “I’d like to ask you a favor.”

◇　◇　◇

Now then, with the dragons put firmly on notice about Naden, it was time to think about the actual issue of what we were going to do with the storm.

In deference to the thoroughly beaten dragons, we left the great hall, which was filled with the sort of atmosphere you’d expect at a wake, and relocated to a smaller room.

From what Naden said, this was like a waiting room for those who would be having an audience with Madam Tiamat. In that room, I addressed my companions.

“Naden and I saw something in that storm.”

“Saw something?” Liscia asked.

I nodded. “I got just a glimpse of a black thing through a gap in the clouds.”

“You’re sure you didn’t imagine it, right?”

“We heard a voice, too, so I’m confident. I only really picked up fragments of words, like ‘you’ and ‘destroy,’ though. You heard it, too, right, Naden?”

“I did hear it, yes, but I wasn’t able to make it out that clearly.” Naden crossed her arms and groaned in thought. “That, and I don’t think it was in our language. Like, I could tell they were saying something, but I had no idea what it was?”

“Hm? Master could hear it, but Madam Naden couldn’t?” Carla asked in surprise, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“...May I interject for a moment?” Kaede, who had kept quiet up until now, raised her hand.

With her perception, Kaede worked as a staff officer for Ludwin, who was seen as the future commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force. In our current situation, without Hakuya around, she was a reliable thinker.

“If I recall, you aren’t from this world, right, sire?” she asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s right.”

“In your world, they must have used a different language than what we speak in this one. In spite of that, you understand our language, and we understand yours because of a strange power.”

That was right. To be more precise, Liscia and the others heard the Japanese I was speaking as Japanese, but they could apparently understand it. The reverse was also true. For instance, if I sang in Japanese, Liscia and the others would understand the lyrics, but if Juna then perfectly imitated my singing, Liscia and everyone else would have no idea what the lyrics meant.

Come to think of it... I can read and write in this world’s language, can’t I?

Mysteriously, I was able to recognize the writing system used in this world. I could write and read it.

On the other hand, if I were to show Liscia something in Japanese writing, she would have no idea how to read it. So that meant the translation ability only worked on my side. Thanks to that, I was able to do my paperwork, but... could there be some meaning behind why the translation worked differently for spoken word and text?

While I was wondering about that, Kaede asked Naden, “Madam Naden, you and your fellow dragons are able to speak directly to our conscious minds, right?”

“Yeah. We call it speaking into the heart, or psychic speech, though.”

“That’s where I’ve had a thought,” Kaede said. “I think His Majesty’s ability could be similar.”

That made sense. Telepathy, huh? It wasn’t directly working on the sense of hearing, it was working on the part of the brain that processed information. Maybe Tomoe’s ability to talk with animals and demons worked similarly.

But why had this topic suddenly come up...? Oh, right.

“It’s possible that the reason I could make out what it was saying, and Naden couldn’t, was that one of us had a power like that working for us, and the other didn’t, you mean.”

“Yes. I can’t help but suspect that.”

“Well, does that mean that whoever’s in that cloud was using the language from the world Souma came from?” Liscia asked.

Oh, yeah. That was a possibility, wasn’t it?

But Kaede firmly shook her head at the suggestion. “I don’t think so.”

“How can you be so sure?” Liscia asked.

“It would be faster to put this to the test. Sire, I know this may be a bit of a bother, but can you teach me how you greet each other in the morning in the language of the world you came from? Slowly, please.”

When she said that to me, I broke it down for her syllable by syllable. “O-ha-yo-u.”

“Ohayou, is it?” Kaede asked. “Ohayou, princess.”

Liscia looked surprised and her eyes opened wide. “Weird! They both sound like ‘Ohayou,’ but I understand it means ‘Good morning’ when Souma says it, and when I hear it from Kaede, it sounds like an unfamiliar language.”

“I-Is that how it is?” I asked.

Kaede nodded. “Yes. I think this is proof that the one in the cloud wasn’t speaking in the language of the world you came from. If they were using the language of your country, Naden would have heard them pronounce the words ‘you’ and ‘destroy,’ even if she didn’t understand them.”

Even if she hadn’t heard them as words, she’d have heard them being pronounced... huh.

Kaede brought a hand to her mouth and spoke as if thinking aloud. “His Majesty understood the one in the cloud, but Naden didn’t. And it’s hard to think it was the language of the world His Majesty came from. That would lead to the conclusion that the one in the cloud was speaking a language that isn’t the common language of this continent, and isn’t the language of the world His Majesty came from.”

What was that? Did that mean the person in the cloud wasn’t from this world, or from my world, but from some other world entirely? If there was someone like that out there, we’d really have no way of knowing how to deal with them.

...Wait, huh?

No, that’s not it, I thought. They don’t need to have come from another world. We already have them. Here, on this continent, there are already people using a completely different language.

“Demons...”

When I said that word, everyone gulped.

The mysterious races, different from monsters, said to live deep within the Demon Lord’s Domain. The only known case of dialogue with them had been a short exchange between Tomoe and a kobold. It was something that only worked because of Tomoe’s special ability, so that was to be expected.

It wouldn’t be strange at all for them to have their own language system, completely separate from the common language of this continent and the languages of the world I’d come from. Also, if the demons were able to speak, my mysterious translation ability might allow me to hear it. Just like how, in the middle of the storm, I was the only one who’d been able to make out what was said.

My ability wouldn’t let me hear what animals were saying like Tomoe’s did, but maybe it would allow me to talk to demons?

“...Do you think that could be why Madam Tiamat called me the ‘key’?” I asked.

“I think that’s likely it.” Kaede nodded.

Holding her head in her hands, Liscia said, “Suppose for a moment... that really is a demon in the clouds...”

“Suppose it is?” I asked.

“I don’t want you to go, Souma.” Liscia said, looking me straight in the eye. “It’s too dangerous. If anything were to happen to you, our country... I would...”

Aisha was the next to speak up. “That’s right! I’ll go in His Majesty’s place, and I’ll cut that evil thing down!”

I was sure they were both worried for my safety. I knew how weak I was, so I would normally avoid this kind of danger. But this one time, I felt like there was no way around it.

“If this could be solved with martial prowess, Madam Tiamat wouldn’t have bothered to call me here. There are plenty of folks out there who are stronger than me, after all. Since that’s not it, Madam Tiamat must think this incident should be resolved through dialogue.”

“But...” Aisha complained.

“I think this is a valuable opportunity. Our country has the good fortune to be far from the Demon Lord’s Domain. If we miss this chance, though, there’s no telling when our next opportunity to hold dialogue with a demon will come. We should gather what information we can, while we’re able to do it.”

“Souma...” Still looking worried, Liscia put a hand on my shoulder.

“Of course, I intend to keep myself as safe as possible,” I assured her. “We have the equipment we brought from the kingdom, too. I’ll also have Aisha come to escort me. I want everyone else to wait on the ground. Naden, I want you to let Aisha ride on your back, too. Is that going to be okay?”

I heard that dragons only let their partners ride on their backs, after all.

Naden thought about it for a while. “Hmm, I don’t like it, but... Aisha is my partner’s partner, so I guess we can treat her as being like my partner, too? Just remember that she won’t receive my protection, so she better be tied down tightly, okay?”

Carla crossed her arms and groaned. “‘The partner of my partner is my partner,’ is it? It seems I can’t accompany you, then. I can’t fly in these winds, either. I did want to do something to help...”

“There’s no helping it, given the situation,” I said. “Aisha, sorry to make you do this, but protect me.”

“I am already the one who protects you, your kochiji!” Aisha said, thumping her chest with pride.

Liscia took her hand. “Aisha, look after Souma for me.”

“Lady Liscia... Yes! Please, leave it to me!” Aisha put her other hand on top of Liscia’s.

Now then... For now, that was about it, right? Everyone had their roles assigned... Wait, huh? I looked around at my comrades and noticed something.

“Huh? Where did Hal go?”

“Huh? Now that you mention it... he’s not here.” Liscia looked around restlessly. There were only six people in this room: Liscia, Aisha, Naden, Carla, Kaede, and me. Where did Hal go off to?

“About that...” Kaede said, seeming to not want to say any more. “He has some preparations to make, you know? So he’s sitting this meeting out.”

“Preparations?” I asked.

“Well, um... Think of it as insurance, in case something happens.” Kaede said in a way that implied some deeper meaning.

Maybe Kaede was getting something ready in case an unexpected situation were to arise. Kaede had great foresight, so if she was preparing something to help us, that was reassuring.

“I wouldn’t get your hopes up, you know... (Is Hal going to be okay...? He understood what her proposal meant when he accepted it, right?)”

“Hm? Your voice got quiet at the end there,” I said.

“...No, it’s nothing, you know.” Kaede said, hurriedly shaking her head.

I didn’t really get it, but... Well, whatever.

“Anyway, everyone, I’m counting on you,” I said.

“So, why exactly are you wearing that thing, Souma?” Liscia asked, staring at me with distaste, while we were preparing to go into the cloud.

I was dressed up in a roly-poly kigurumi costume. In its hands was a naginata; over its shoulder a string of prayer beads; over its face a silk covering from under which peeked two adorable acorn-like eyes. It was one of the Little Musashibo (Large) dolls that I hadn’t worn myself since the time I drank with Juno and her party. This Little Musashibo was one of the pieces of equipment I’d brought with us from the kingdom, just in case.

“I told you I intend to keep myself as safe as possible, didn’t I?” I opened up the head portion wide and turned to face Liscia.

The one I wore before was the type you enter from a hole in the back, but on this one, the head opened upward like the lid of a rice cooker. It was markedly easier to put on and take off than the previous ones. I was working on even more simple upgrades to it even now.

“Even if it looks like this, I spent more money than I should have to make it out of good materials, so it’s sturdier than your average piece of armor, you know? It’s highly bladeproof, bulletproof, cold-resistant, heat-resistant, and acid-resistant. You can fight dungeon monsters in this thing. My Living Poltergeists works on it, too, so it’s easy to move around in.”

“Still... Sigh, I feel stupid for worrying.” Liscia was holding her head.

Wow, we hadn’t done this in a while. When we first met, I felt like Liscia was always being dragged around by whatever I was doing, and she was constantly holding her head.

Well... she had company now...

“Something is wrong,” Naden muttered when she saw me in my kigurumi equipment. “I dreamed of having a knight ride on my back, so why do I have to let this mysterious creature (?) fly with me...?” She held her head.

“No, no, I don’t want to hear that from an actual mysterious creature like a ryuu.”

“I’m going to fly with you wearing that thing?! Isn’t it a little too silly?!”

“...”

Dendera, dendera, a ryuu flies through the sea of clouds. On its back is a deeply satisfied Little Musashibo.

...Yeah. Just imagining that, I felt the sense of mysterious fantasy running wild.

“W-Well, this is an emergency,” I said. “Just bear with me, please.”

“Urgh... Fine, I get it.”

“Aisha, are you ready, too?” I called.

“Any time you are!” With her usual greatsword over her shoulder, Aisha gave me a firm nod.

Because we would be going through wind and rain, Aisha was wearing a rain-repelling cape that covered her whole body over the top of her usual light equipment.

Now then, with our preparations ready, it was time to go. To meet whoever was in those thick clouds.

And so, the ryuu flew into the storm. On her back rode a dark elf in a raincoat, and a roly-poly mystery creature (?).

The wind roared by our ears.

Naden pushed forward as if it was no big deal, but the wind and beating against our bodies was as strong as ever.

“Aisha, are you okay?!” I called.

“Just fine! The shaking isn’t as bad up here as it was in the gondola!”

Unlike with me, Naden’s protection didn’t cover Aisha, so she was experiencing the full effects of the wind, rain, and gravity. That was why I had Aisha sitting in front of me, tied down with rope, just like Little Musashibo. Though, with the way Little Musashibo was built, it did look a bit like she was strapped into a first class seat.

“Still, do you suppose we can find whoever it is out there in this storm?” Aisha asked, protecting her face from the rain with her arms. “The rain is making the visibility terrible.”

True enough, searching for anything in this rain was going to be hard.

...Actually, now that I was already wearing it, I realized this kigurumi suit left me with a really narrow field of vision. You might be thinking this should have been obvious, but because my ability, Living Poltergeists, let me look at things with an overhead view, it never bothered me before. However, in this storm, I couldn’t get the overhead view to work properly.

I mean, yes, I could see, but it was like looking at the static on an old TV with bad reception. I hadn’t noticed it before because I never tried moving things around inside a storm, but did my ability have other weaknesses like this?

With no other choice, I snapped open Little Musashibo’s head. There was a sudden, powerful gust of wind in my face, but if I couldn’t use my ability, I was going to have to rely on my own eyes. Like Aisha said, visibility was still poor, but there might not be any need to search to begin with.

“If they’re the one causing this storm, they’re sure to be in the center of it, Naden,” I said.

“I know. We’ll be at the center of the storm soon.”

Then, all of a sudden, the sound of wind and rain lessened. Had the storm weakened?

The feeling of raindrops striking my face was gone now. The wind was still strong, but the lack of rain made things much easier on me. Still, we were surrounded by clouds here.

Nah, if we were inside a cloud, it would feel like we were enveloped in fog. If I could tell there were clouds surrounding us, that meant that this spot was the one place without any clouds.

“This is...”

“Sire! Look up!” Aisha called.

At Aisha’s urging, I looked up, and there...

“What is that thing...?”

There was a huge, gray mass floating there. It was more or less a cube, with around ten meters to each side. Naden, in her current ryuu form, was around forty meters long, so it was questionable whether it would be possible for her to wrap herself around it once. That massive cube was ignoring gravity and floating there.

“Is that what you saw, sire?”

“...I’m not sure. I could only see its shadow.”

“But that’s definitely the thing that’s at the center of this current!” Naden said, glaring at the cube.

That was... what caused the storm? Kaede’s reasoning was that it was a demon, but was that thing even alive? Whether I judged it by the standards of this world, or the standards of my former one, that thing was bizarre. Then...

“Why.... you... not... answer...”

I heard that voice again. It sounded broken up, and was hard to make out, but it was high, like a woman’s voice, only something felt off about it. Was it coming from that cube?

“Aisha, Naden, did you understand that language?” I asked. “It was saying something about an answer.”

“Was it, sire? I couldn’t hear a thing.”

“I could tell it was saying something, but that’s it...”

Like we expected, they couldn’t understand the words they were hearing. I repeated the words I heard for their benefit.

“Tiama... you destroy... my children... so why...”

“Let’s see... ‘Tiama, you destroy, my children, so why,’” I translated.

“Why will you not des... I have no... left...”

“‘Why will you not des, I have no, left.’”

Naden and Aisha both groaned.

“Tiama... That’s Lady Tiamat, right?” Naden asked. “It’s gotta be.”

“It certainly does sound like they have something to say to Madam Tiamat,” Aisha said.

I agreed with the two of them. Did Madam Tiamat know something about this cube? Come to think of it, hadn’t Madam Tiamat predicted this storm?

Could it be... this object was in contact with Tiamat before? While I was thinking that, the quality of the voice suddenly changed.

“Even after... still you... don’t resp...”

“‘Even after, still you, don’t resp’... huh.”

The voice I was hearing was level, with no intonation. But, from the choice of words, I sensed something like anger. The full picture of things wasn’t clear, but it felt like it was criticizing her harshly.

“I feel like I get it, but I don’t,” said Aisha, twisting her head to the side. “I wish it would come out and say it more clearly.”

Naden was thinking, too. “‘You’ is... probably Lady Tiamat, right? Does that mean...”

“Hold on! They’re still saying something.” I cut Naden off, and listened.

“In that case...”

“‘In that case,’” I repeated.

“I... will destroy... your children’s world.”

“Wha?!”

“Whoa, Souma?! What’d they say?!” Naden shouted, but I couldn’t put it into words immediately.

I will destroy your children’s world?

If Naden was right, and the “you” here was Madam Tiamat, then her children were Naden and the dragons, and the world they lived in was Dracul. Did that voice intend to destroy it? It was a clear warning of destructive intent.

Is this... not something we can resolve with dialogue...?

“I... destroy. So that you... destroy me...”

“Wha?!”

I will destroy. So that you will destroy me. That was what it sounded like to me.

Destroying, in order to be destroyed? The owner of this voice didn’t want to destroy Dracul, it was trying to get Madam Tiamat to destroy them by doing so. They were mad because Madam Tiamat refused to do it? In other words, this storm was being produced by the owner of the voice’s desire to be annihilated.

“Souma!” Naden called, snapping me back to my senses.

“Ah!”

“Get it together! You’re the only one here who understands what that thing says, you know?!”

“Sorry. It seems like that thing is trying to destroy Dracul because it wants Madam Tiamat to destroy it.”

“Huh? It’s the one who wants to be destroyed, but it’s destroying someone else’s land? I admit I don’t understand the desire to be destroyed, but aren’t its objective and method somewhat disjointed?” Aisha looked perplexed.

Even I didn’t understand the reason.

“Well, whatever the case, that thing’s come all the way to Dracul looking to be destroyed. But Madam Tiamat seems to have refused, maybe for a good reason. That’s apparently why that thing caused the storm. It seems to think that if it puts Madam Tiamat’s children... that is to say, the dragons... in peril, Madam Tiamat will be forced to destroy it.”

“That’s a lot of ‘seem’s’ and ‘apparently’s’, don’t you think?”

“Hey, it’s not like I can help it. I’m working with fragmentary information.”

Madam Tiamat knew all the details, probably, but, like Hakuya said before, she told me she lacked the “authority” to tell me about it, so that was the end of that.

Could the reason Madam Tiamat chose not to destroy that thing have to do with this “authority” business, as well?

“I... destroy. So... you... will destroy...”

The voice repeated those words again. Then around twenty small spherical objects flew out of the upper half of the gray cube. Well, I called them small, but they were only small relative to the cube. In terms of size, they were probably a meter in diameter. Those spheres didn’t float, and were pulled downward by gravity.

Seeing that, Naden asked in a panicked voice, “Hey, Souma, are those...?”

“Yeah. They look like bad news to me, too.”

Countless mystery spheres had appeared after it talked about destruction. I had a bad feeling about this.

“Naden! Can you shoot them down without getting closer?!” I called.

“I’ll do it!”

Roaaaaaaaaaaaar!

Naden roared, unleashing an electric strike on the things that had flown out. The electric strike branched out as it went forward, piercing through the scattered spheres. Then...

Boom!

The moment the electricity struck them, those spheres let out a brilliant blue and white flash, and swelled up to become balls of light. Following the light, we heard a rumbling sound, and the wind pressure that slammed into us after that told us all too clearly how incredible the explosion was.

I knew it... Those black spheres were something like bombs!

Aisha turned back to me, as if she just remembered something. “This is bad, sire! Liscia and the others are down there!”

“I know. Naden, I’m counting on you! Shoot them down, no matter what!”

“That was the plan all along!”

While swimming through the sky, Naden unleashed electric shock after electric shock, shooting down the falling objects one after another. But there were just too many.

“Madam Naden! I will assist you!” Aisha undid the ropes fixing her in place, and stood up. “Sire, hold me in place, please!”

“L-Like this?!” I pulled my upper torso out of the Little Musashibo doll, and wrapped my arms around Aisha’s hips. At the same time, I controlled the Little Musashibo doll, having it hold Aisha’s ankles to keep her in place. Aisha, who was now riding on Naden’s back in a standing position, readied her usual greatsword.

“Now then, sire, keep your head down, please!”

“S-Sure.”

“Here I go... Hahhhhhh!” With a loud cry of exertion, Aisha swung her greatsword.

The blast of wind I had seen before while watching her training with Liscia flew forth, splitting one of the falling objects in two. Then a sideways swing; a diagonal slash from the left; a diagonal slash from the right. With each swing of Aisha’s greatsword, a sharp blast of wind would fly forth, cutting down one of the falling objects.

Aisha was always a bit of a disappointment in her daily life, but on the battlefield she was reliable, and the most powerful warrior in the kingdom.

With Naden and Aisha going to work, the spherical objects dropped by the cube were either blown up or cut in two. However, it kept dropping them, one after another.

“This is endless...” Aisha groaned.

“But if we don’t shoot them down, they’ll cause damage below,” Naden said.

“We cannot advance, and we cannot retreat. We’ll be whittled down to nothing like this.”

Aisha was probably right. Damn! If only we could get in touch with the ground, we could warn them of the danger and have them evacuate. I should have brought a Factory Arm to serve as a relay... Well, whining about the things I didn’t have wasn’t going to help.

“Oh, geez. What can we do?” I looked up at the cube, wracking my brains.

Then it happened.

“Heyyyyyy...”

I heard a voice coming from somewhere. It was unlike the voice I had been hearing up until now. This time, it was a man’s voice.

“Heyyyyy! Soumaaaaa!”

This voice was coming... from below?!

When I leaned over Naden’s side to look down, I saw a red dragon driving toward us at an incredible speed. Her wings were folded, and she was in an almost arrow-like shape. Hold on, wasn’t she flying awfully fast for not beating her wings?

Furthermore, Halbert was on her back, holding on for dear life.

“Hal?!” I shouted.

“Ruby?!” Naden cried out at the same time.

Ruby shot past us with Halbert riding on her back. The two of them continued to ascend vertically like that, but eventually they lost inertia, and started falling upside down. Her wings weren’t spread... Oh, that was it! Because if she spread them, they’d be affected by the winds, huh!

“Naden!” I called.

“I know!”

Naden got underneath the falling Ruby and caught her. From there, she wrapped her body around Ruby and fixed her in place. Ruby sounded relieved when she said, “This method of flying’s... not easy on the heart.”

“Ruby, how did you...?”

“Save the chitchat for later! We can’t let those things reach the ground, right?!”

With those words, Ruby inhaled deeply, and set loose the flamethrower known as a dragon’s breath. The flames stretched out like a blowtorch, frying the objects and making them explode.

When she saw that, Naden spun her body around flinging electrical shocks in all directions. With that, Ruby’s breath went around like the hands of a clock, setting off the falling objects across an even wider area.

The area around us was filled with brilliant flames, electricity, and explosions. It irritated my eyes.

By triggering all of them to explode at once, it had given us some leeway until the next set were dropped.

“So, how are you here, Ruby?” Naden asked Ruby, who was breathing a little raggedly, when things settled down. Now that she mentioned it, hadn’t we talked about how a winged dragon couldn’t fly in these wild air currents?

“I had this person here cooperate with me... and did some crazy things to fly up here...” Ruby said while trying to catch her breath. Stretching out her long neck, she used her snout to point to her back.

By “this person here,” did she mean Hal?

“Hal, just what on Earth did you do...?” I asked, feeling thoroughly exhausted.

Hal pointed behind him. “Souma... You brought this, didn’t you? We used it... to fly right here.”

What Hal was pointing at as he said that was the Maxwellian Propulsion Device affixed to the back of his saddle, the Little Susumu Mark V Light.

My eyes went wide.

So this was what Kaede was talking about!

◇　◇　◇

Earlier...

“I’d like to ask you a favor.” I sat my aching body up, corrected my posture, and then bowed my head to the red-haired young man.

When I did, Hal exchanged glances with the fox-eared girl... Kaede, was it? “I’m not sure this is the time to suddenly be asking for favors...”

“First, I’d like to hear what that favor is, you know,” said Kaede. “Is there something you’d like to ask Hal for?”

“I don’t care what it is. Just give me something I can do!” I said pleadingly. I bowed my head again deeply. “I don’t want to rely on Naden to fix this situation! If I leave the fate of Dracul to Naden, while I do nothing... I won’t be able to have pride in myself anymore.”

I couldn’t fly in this storm. Even so, if I let Naden do all the work, I wouldn’t be living up to the reputation of the dragons of the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

That wasn’t all. If I made Naden take all the risks, and then something happened to her, I’d never be able to forgive myself.

“You’re that king, Souma’s, vassals, aren’t you? There’s nothing we can do, but since you two have come from outside the Star Dragon Mountain Range, I thought you might have some way of doing it.”

“I dunno...” said Halbert.

“I don’t care how dangerous it is. I want you to let me do something, too.” My feelings were tearing me up inside.

Hal scratched his head with a troubled look on his face. “Hmm, I don’t have any idea how to fly when the skies are so bad that even a dragon can’t fly. Kaede’s magic manipulates gravity, but even with that, she can only make things float off the ground a little. Right?”

“Yeah. I don’t think earth magic is going to be able to do anything here,” Kaede nodded.

Was it like I feared? Was there nothing I could do?

When despair was beginning to set in, Kaede suddenly said, “But it’s not like we don’t have any way at all, you know.”

“Y-You have something?!”

“It’s dangerous, but... if your wings are going to catch the wind, you can just not open them, you know.”

Not open my wings? She was telling me to fly without flapping my wings? That was... something only Naden could do.

Hal also had a dubious look on his face. “No, no, how is a winged dragon supposed to fly without her wings?”

However, Kaede just looked at him with exasperation. “Have you forgotten, Hal? The thing we have in the gondola.”

“In the gondola? Let’s see, there’s that weird kigurumi thing that Souma uses, and... Oh, that! The propeller, that Little Susumu whatchamacallit!”

Propeller? I had no idea what they were talking about, but they seemed to think it would work.

Kaede pointed at my back and said, “Dragons and wyverns are different sizes, yes, but their overall shape is similar. If we put the Little Susumu Mark V Light on her back, like we do for the wyvern cavalry, then fire it up to full power, even with her wings folded, I think she could climb straight up from the ground.”

“I get your reasoning, but... isn’t that dangerous?” Hal asked dubiously. “She can only rise straight up, right?”

Kaede nodded, affirming his concerns. “Of course. There’s no way to change direction. It’s only able to go up. Besides, we haven’t tested it in storm conditions, so I don’t know if what I was just saying is actually possible.” Kaede looked concerned. “However, as things stand, if she wants to do something, this is about the only way...”

“I don’t mind,” I said firmly. “I’m well aware of the danger. Let me do it.”

“Ruby...”

“Aw, geez! Looks like I’ve got no other choice!” Hal scratched his head, a grin on his face. “I’m the one who got you fired up to do this. I’ll have to go with you.”

Halbert’s proposal made Kaede’s eyes go wide. “Hal... you do understand what you’re saying means, don’t you?”

“That I’ll be in danger? Yeah, I’m ready for that. Besides, the dragon wearing the propeller can’t control it. She needs someone to ride her and steer it, right?”

“That’s not my only concern... Oh, geez, there’s no other choice, is there?” Kaede muttered. “Fine. I’ll find a good way to tell His Majesty.”

Kaede shrugged her shoulders in resigned exasperation as she approved the idea.

“Thank you. Hal, Kaede.”

I bowed my head to the two of them again. I couldn’t have been more grateful.

Here and now, an impromptu red dragon knight was born.

◇　◇　◇

While Naden and Aisha continued intercepting the falling objects, I gave Hal and Ruby a quick rundown of the situation.

This cube was causing the storm, the objects it was dropping were bombs, and it would be dangerous to let them fall to the surface. I didn’t mention that the thing was apparently trying to destroy Dracul so that it would be destroyed itself. I had no proof, and I didn’t want to take the time to explain it.

When they heard my explanation, Hal and Ruby nodded in unison.

“Got it,” Hal said. “We’ll handle contacting the ground.”

“The other dragons can fight from down on the ground, too.” Ruby stretched her neck, bringing her face closer to Naden’s. “So, Naden, don’t worry about things down below. Head straight for that thing.”

“Can I trust you to handle this?” Naden asked.

“Your job is to carry Souma, right? As a dragon of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, I may not be able to clear the way for you, but I’ll at least cover your back.”

“...Okay.”

Naden uncoiled herself and released Ruby. The moment they were set free, Hal and Ruby let gravity take its course and fell straight down.

I shouted after them, “Hal! Take care of Liscia and the others!”

“Count on it! You do your thing, too!”

The opposite of the way they came, Hal and Ruby fell headlong to the surface. Even as they were falling, Hal threw the spear he was holding and took down one of the falling objects. It looked like his dratrooper training had paid off. Red-haired Halbert, riding on a red dragon, and throwing a spear... huh.

“They’re doing the whole dragon knight thing properly, huh...”

“You can say that again,” said Naden. “Meanwhile, we’re all weird.”

“Now, now, sire,” Aisha said. “They’re them, and we’re us. Why can’t we just leave it at that?”

““Pfft!”” When Aisha summed it up like that, Naden and I cracked up laughing. When she dismissed it in such a carefree way, even if Dracul was in danger, it felt like it wasn’t a big deal.

Yeah, I was starting to feel like we could do something about this.

“Haha... Now then, let’s leave the falling objects to those on the ground, and go take a look at that cube ourselves,” I said.

“Yeah. Let’s go, Souma, Aisha.”

“Okay!” Aisha cried.

With a burst of acceleration, Naden began to climb.

◇　◇　◇

When Halbert and Ruby returned to the ground, the dragons had all gathered in front of Crystal Castle. They could see Kaede, Liscia, and Carla standing at the feet of those huge creatures, so Halbert and Ruby landed next to them.

“Hal, how were things up in the sky?” Kaede asked.

Halbert pointed upward and said, “There was this weird blocky guy up there. Souma and the others are heading to make contact. More importantly, though, there’re going to be bomb-like things dropping. We’ve gotta intercept them.”

“You’re talking about intercepting them, but with all this rain, flames are going to be only half as powerful,” Carla, who also used fire magic, pointed out.

The flames that dragons could spew were powerful, but they would probably be weakened and blown away in all this wind and rain.

Liscia nodded bitterly. “My ice isn’t something I can shoot into the sky, either.”

“There is a way, you know,” Kaede said, then crouched down and ran her hand over the ground. “You’ll have to forgive a little change in the topography, though.”

With that, the ground began to swell up, and masses of rock and sand about a meter across rolled around all over the place. Kaede used her earth-type magic. Even at a glance, there had to be around a hundred of those masses. It must have taken a considerable amount of magical power.

As might be expected, Kaede stumbled, having overexerted herself, and Liscia hurried to catch her.

“A-Are you okay?”

“Sorry. I overdid it a little.”

With Liscia supporting her, Kaede explained the strategy to everyone.

“I want the dragons to throw these masses of dirt at the falling objects. With a dragon’s strength, you should be able to throw them fairly high. As for everyone else, I’d like you to use bows enchanted with magic. The priority is to protect Crystal Castle and the dragon eggs lying dormant beneath it. Even if you have to ignore the others, please prioritize intercepting any objects falling toward Crystal Castle.”

“Got it... You heard her, everyone!” Liscia helped Kaede to stand, then shouted to her companions and the dragons. Because she was the princess of a nation, she naturally ended up giving commands here. “We’re going to support Naden and Souma from here!”

“““Yeahhhh!”””

“““Roaaaaaaaaaaar!”””

Her companions let out a war cry, and the dragons all roared at once.

“Ruby, we’re going back to intercept them in the sky,” Halbert said.

“Yes. Let’s go, Hal.”

Halbert and Ruby flew back up with the Little Susumu Mark V Light.

Everyone was trying their hardest to do what they could right now. While watching that scene unfold, Liscia nocked an arrow.

We’re going to do what we can to protect this place.

As she drew back on the bowstring, Liscia thought of Souma and the others up in the sky.

So, everyone... Make sure you come home all right.

Letting it carry those feelings, Liscia loosed her arrow into the sky thick with clouds.

◇　◇　◇

“Whoa,” Aisha said suddenly.

“Are you okay, Aisha?” I asked with concern.

“Y-Yes!”

When we rose, we forgot that Aisha had undone the ropes that had been keeping her in place. I caught her when she lost her balance, and tied the rope around me to fix us in position. Even as I was doing that, Naden continued to evade the falling objects and approach the cube. Outside of scattering bombs, the cube didn’t do anything to intercept us, and we were easily able to come up alongside it.

Is this cube... ignoring us?

Did that mean its only target, or the only thing that interested it, was Madam Tiamat? Or did it have an absolute confidence that no one but Madam Tiamat could destroy it? Whatever the case, we’d gotten close enough that we could have hopped over to it, so we were able to observe the cube up close.

It was, as I suspected, a cube with ten meters to a side.

The surface that looked gray from a distance was made from layers of a glossy stone like cut obsidian, and there were elevated geometrical patterns on it. It was clearly artificial, but some parts were covered in moss. Other parts were hard to tell whether they were old or new. There was no sign of any sort of propeller or jet engine; it was really floating.

Hm... I heard a voice, so I was expecting a creature, or a vehicle of some type...

No matter how I looked at it, this was just a cube. Not a vehicle, or anything like that.

Still, there was no way an ordinary cube, with no means of propulsion, would be floating high up in the sky. Maybe, unlike its simple exterior, the inside of this thing was really complex.

I don’t know if this was proof of that, but the upper front side had countless holes in it, and they were spewing out those bomb-like objects. The image of it spitting out bombs at regular intervals was very systematic, and mechanical.

If that was the case, then maybe this was an example of what Genia called overtechnology, like the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewels, or the Lunalith which was said to be in the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria.

“Looking at the surface... I don’t think it’s impossible to cut it,” Aisha said. “Do you mind if I try?”

“...Can you aim for a corner? If it breaks and falls, there’s no telling what effect that could have, after all.”

“Yes, sir... Hah!”

Aisha swung her greatsword, firing off that sharp blast of wind. The blast of wind landed a square blow on the corner of the cube... Or it should have. However, the cube showed no sign of change.

Aisha lowered her greatsword and groaned. “Hrm... This surface is much harder than steel.”

Did that mean she could have cut through steel?

Aisha pulled out a knife from her pocket and threw it at the cube. The knife flew straight at it, then there was a strange high-pitched noise, and it fell.

“Look. There isn’t even a tiny scratch on the surface.”

“Does that mean it’s super hard?”

“No, it didn’t sound like it made contact. It looked like it was deflected just before it touched the surface, too.”

“Hmm... Does it have a force field of some sort up?”

“Forsfild? What’s that?” Aisha asked, looking confused.

“It’s a scientific sort of barrier. Even in my old world, they only existed in fiction.”

It was a sci-fi sort of ability, but I felt like it might be possible with overscience, which went beyond the realm of human understanding.

I had an idea for something we could try.

“Naden, could you hit it with an electric shock?” I asked.

“Okay, but... are you sure you want me to go at full power?”

“Yeah. Give it everything you’ve got.”

“Okay, then... Hah!”

Zap, crackle!

Naden’s mane stood on end as she unleashed an electric shock into the cube.

Purple lightning tore through the air, and just as it was about to impact the cube, another indescribable sound, much louder than the one before, echoed through the area. It was like someone magnified the sound of nails on a chalkboard, then ran it through a filter. It was a noise that grated on the ears like that.

However, even though the noise was loud enough to be pain-inducing, there was no change in the cube. How tough was that thing...?

I scratched my head. “Physical attacks, magic, and electricity, all ineffective, huh? It says it wants to be destroyed, but the thing’s way too tough.”

“Isn’t that why it wants Lady Tiamat to break it?” asked Naden.

“Yeah, that’s probably it...”

While wracking my brain over what to do, I heard that voice again.

“I will destroy. So that you will destroy me.”

I heard it clearly. The voice was too high to be male, which made it seem to be female, but there was something off about it. Now that I heard it clearly, something caught my attention about it.

This voice...

I’d heard it somewhere before. For some reason, that was the sense I got. But where?

I tried searching my memories, but the cube wasn’t going to give me time.

Tiamat... if this is not enough to make you destroy me...

There was a sound from the bottom of the cube.

“Naden, head down!” I called.

“You got it!”

We moved down, and the bottom face opened up like a box. Something shaped like a telephoto camera lens grew straight out of the bottom.

This telephoto-lens-like thing... I had a real bad feeling about it.

“I really will destroy everything of yours.”

The lens sticking out of the bottom began to emit light. It was a pale light at first, but it gradually grew brighter.

This scene... I’d seen something like it in an old-ish sci-fi movie. The bottom of the massive saucer from space opened up, it gradually filled with more and more light... and then the light flooded out and blew away the buildings and cities beneath it.

Wait, Liscia and the others were under this thing!

“Aisha, Naden, attack that part on the bottom!” I cried.

“O-Okay!”

“Roger that! Hahhhhh!”

Aisha launched a blast of wind from her sword, and Naden fired off an electrical attack. However, despite the loud noises, the telephoto-lens-like thing was unaffected, and it continued to gather light.

At this point, I could only imagine a future where that light was fired down at the ground.

“Stooooop!” I screamed, despite myself, as loud as I possibly could.

“S-Sire?” said Aisha.

“Souma?” faltered Naden.

I kept shouting at the cube. “If you want to get busted, then go fall somewhere, or sink into the ocean, and break on your own! Don’t get other people... don’t get my family caught up in your self-destructive urges, you dummy!”

“Com... lang... detected... abling functions.”

With that, the light suddenly stopped gathering, and the telephoto-lens-like thing sticking out of the bottom gradually lost its shine. Eventually it vanished completely, and the cube tucked that lens back inside itself. Had it... stopped?

Looking at it carefully, the cube stopped dropping those objects, too.

“Do you suppose it’s stopped?” Aisha asked.

“Did what Souma say stop it?”

Aisha and Naden were both perplexed. Like Naden was saying, the timing with which it happened suggested it listened to my shouting. Maybe my words got through to it? Come to think of it...

“Sup... lang... detected... abling functions.”

That was definitely what the cube said. There had been noise interrupting it, so I couldn’t pick up everything it said, but was “disabling functions” what it said?

If so, the first half, “Sup, lang, detected,” interested me. “Detected” seemed pretty straightforward, but “sup, lang” meant... Huh?!

This cube stopped because I shouted. If this cube detected my words, and disabled its functions as a result, then this “sup, lang” was in reference to what I said.

In other words...

“Supported language...”

“Supported language detected. Disabling functions.”

Had that been what the cube said?

A supported language... the language I was speaking... Japanese?!

Had this cube shut down because I used Japanese?

Was Japanese the key...? No, it was saying “supported language,” so it might support languages other than Japanese, too. Thinking more broadly, had the cube shut down because I used one of the languages of Earth, or because I used a language from a different world?

When I reached that conclusion, the shards of various memories inside me started to connect.

The reason Madam Tiamat called me the key and invited me to the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Was it not because I was a hero, but because I was Japanese, or I was from Earth, or from another world?

The language I used... I didn’t know whether it was because it was Japanese, because it was a language of Earth, or because it was a language from another world, but Madam Tiamat must have known it would be the key to stopping that cube.

“It could be that Madam Tiamat is familiar with your world to some degree,” Hakuya said. “If Madam Tiamat was certain that you’d know about ryuus, that means she must have known that the world you came from had a concept of what a ryuu is.”

“Madam Tiamat... knew about the world I came from?” I murmured.

I had this conversation with Hakuya just a few days ago.

We inferred that Madam Tiamat might know something about my world. I was becoming convinced of that now. Madam Tiamat, the cube, and the world I came from.

If there was some link between them, did that mean this world and that world were connected in some way, too? In other words...

This world, which I thought was another world, might not actually be another world.

Oh, geez... I just don’t know anymore.

I had a lot of different speculations flying around in my head, but none of them were any more than speculation.

Even if I wanted to make a judgment on it, I lacked the information to.

There was just one thing I knew about this world, and it was that I still knew nothing about it. Just as my mind reached an extreme state of confusion...

“I see... That’s why Tiamat...”

The cube started saying something again.

“The fam... are still... not... lost...”

Its voice was cutting out. It was hard to make out what it was saying like that, but it didn’t seem angry, or sad. It sounded lonely, but almost like it was praying for something.

“...iliar one... I have... request...”

“The fam... iliar one? Oh, familiar ones? But what is this request?” I asked the cube.

Perhaps because it understood me, the cube began to explain.

“Please... familiar one... before your li... to an end... beg you... ease... give my children peace... days...”

Damn! We were finally holding a conversation, but there was too much being lost in the middle. It seemed like the cube was speaking fluently, but the static was so bad that I couldn’t figure out what it was saying.

“I can’t hear you when you talk too long!” I called. “Tell me what you want, as briefly as possible!”

The cube answered in one breath.

“Go north.”

Go north, huh?

With that, the cube vanished.

“I-It disappeared...” I murmured.

It didn’t fly away, or anything like that. It just vanished in an instant. Most likely, it used a teleportation technique, like Madam Tiamat.

When the cube vanished, the storm that had been raging so hard turned into a simple mass of clouds that eventually spread out and dissipated. Before I knew it, we were left beneath a sky with the sun going down. The clear air and the red of the setting sun sparkled to an almost blinding degree.

“It feels like we dreamed the whole thing,” Aisha said in a daze. It was the kind of abrupt change that would do that to you.

“But it wasn’t a dream, right, Souma?” said Naden. “What did that blocky thing say at the end?”

I answered her, in as much of a daze as Aisha. “...Go north. That’s what it sounded like.”

“North? By north, that has to mean...”

“The Demon Lord’s Domain... I guess?”

I felt like I had gained a lot of information from this incident. However, it created more questions than it solved. About my world, about me, about the connection between the world I came from and this one...

The only thing I could say with any clarity was that none of the answers were going to be coming anytime soon.

“Whatever the case, the storm’s passed...” I said. “Let’s head back to the others.”

Naden nodded. “Yeah. I’m feeling really exhausted.”

The situation was more or less resolved, but we didn’t feel fully satisfied as we returned to the ground.

Epilogue 1: A Dance With You

“This is awful...” I muttered.

On our way back down to the ground, I could see the state Dracul was left in. It was pretty bad.

The stream that was near Naden’s cave had become swollen and muddied, and rivers everywhere overflowed, flooding the plains.

Dracul’s climate had always been controlled by Madam Tiamat, and it looked like she never considered drainage. Given how strong the dragons were, it was doubtful that any of them had died due to the flooding, but the brown, muddied rivers had ruined the once-beautiful scenery.

“Do you think Liscia and the others are all right?” I asked.

“I’m worried, but if anything comes up, I’m sure Ruby will fly back up here,” Naden said.

“I’m sure the dragons can fly now, after all,” Aisha agreed. “No news is good news.”

With Naden and Aisha saying that to cheer me up, we headed for Crystal Castle where Liscia and the others were waiting. Though the level of the lake surrounding Crystal Castle had risen, and it covered a wider area, there was no sign of any change to the castle itself. It might have been designed like a floating island.

We set down on the ground while I was still feeling relieved to see that, and Liscia and the others rushed over to us immediately.

“Souma!” Liscia immediately hugged me. “Thank goodness... you’re all right...”

“I’m glad to see you’re okay, too.” I returned Liscia’s embrace, and stroked the hair on the back of her head. I was really glad to see her all right.

Once we had held each other for a while, Liscia let go and, with a slightly angry look on her face, said, “Geez, you had me worried, you know? There were flashes up in the clouds, and then explosions. If Halbert and Ruby hadn’t gone up there, I was about ready to put a propeller on the gondola and head up there myself, okay?”

Launching the gondola?! That would have been way too reckless.

“I-I’m sorry to make you worry,” I said. “So please, don’t do anything so dangerous.”

“Look who’s talking!” Liscia pulled on my cheek.

She... kind of had a point.

Still, she’d have come after me herself... huh. I thought Liscia had been acting more like the soon-to-be first primary queen, but you could still see bits of her tomboyish side at times like this. Well, that was who Liscia was, and I loved her for it.

Then Liscia abandoned me, and turned to Aisha and Naden. “I’m glad you two are safe, too.”

“Of course we are! I got Souma there unharmed, just like I was supposed to,” Naden bragged, puffing up her not-so-ample bosom with pride.

Aisha, who was much better endowed, let hers fall with a sigh of relief. “All I did was cut down bombs, but it’s good to see things turned out all right.”

While watching the three of them, I turned to Carla, who had walked over, and asked her a question. “Was there any damage down here on the surface?”

“No. Thanks to Sir Halbert warning us of the danger, the dragons were able to intercept the falling objects, so there was no notable damage. Liscia, Madam Kaede, and I were using magic enchanted bows to intercept the things, too. But...” Carla averted her eyes. It looked there was something she was having trouble telling me.

“Did something happen?”

“No... But something is about to, I’m sure.” When she said that, she glanced behind her.

Following her line of sight, I found Kaede with her arms crossed and an imposing smile, and Hal kneeling in front of her. Ruby was behind him acting flustered.

Huh? What? It looked like he was in trouble.

“Hal, do you understand what you did?” Kaede said, looking down at Hal without dropping her smile. “You rode on the back of an unmarried dragon, you know? You know what that means, right?”

“No, um... I-I had no idea! Not that they only let those they were going to take as their husbands on their backs, or that not letting other men ride them was a mark of chastity!” Hal desperately explained himself, sweating bullets.

Ooh, now that he mentioned it, Naden said something like that. Could Hal have ridden Ruby without knowing anything? That was like stealing a kiss from an unmarried woman, or something along those lines. I wasn’t wrong when I thought he was in trouble.

“For reference, what happens if he rode her without knowing in advance?” I asked Naden, who had a troubled look on her face and scratched her cheek.

“Hm... If he forms a contract with her, there’s no problem, but if she tries to form a contract with someone else while he’s still alive, she’ll be seen as “easy” or a tramp. If she can’t form a contract with Halbert, Ruby might not be able to form a contract for another eighty years.”

Even if all they were doing was letting people ride on their backs, the dragons apparently had a very strict sense of chastity.

Kaede shrugged in disbelief. “Even if you didn’t know about it before, if you listened to His Majesty and Madam Naden when they were talking, you would have known this, you know?”

“No, I do think I messed up here! But, Kaede, back then... you never stopped me from riding her!”

“Because it was a crisis,” she snapped. “Knowing you, I had my doubts that you were aware of what you were doing, but given the situation, I decided to accept it, you know. Yes, even though we just got engaged the other day.”

“Ulp...”

Oh, Hal and Kaede were engaged, huh? Congratulations. Well, they were childhood friends, after all, and I expected it to happen eventually, so I wasn’t surprised, but... if that was the case, this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

Kaede sighed, and her shoulders slumped. “And what? You didn’t know? What about Ruby, who you took for a ride? She can’t attend the Contract Ceremony anymore. If you don’t take responsibility, she’ll be alone for as long as you’re alive, you know! Are you planning to waste decades of a girl’s life?”

“U-Um... Kaede,” Ruby ventured. “I was ready to accept that when I...”

“You shut up, Ruby!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am...” Ruby hastily stepped aside.

“To think she could shut down Ruby with one shout...” Naden chose a weird thing to be impressed by.

Normally Kaede was the hesitant type, but when it was time to stand her ground, nothing could frighten her. Like when Hal tried to go join Georg. That it usually involved Hal was a sign of how deep her love for him was.

At this point, Carla whispered in my ear, “Um, Master, is it okay for us not to stop them?”

“Do you think anything I say is going to be persuasive?” I murmured back. “Even if there were circumstances involved, I’m trying to form a contract with Naden when I already have four fiancées.”

“...I suppose you have a point there.” Carla scooted away from me.

Yeah... that was about the reaction I should have expected.

Raising a finger next to her temple, Kaede declared, “It looks like I have no choice, you know. Please, do right by her.”

“You’re okay with that, Kaede?” Halbert asked weakly.

“I’ll let it slide this time. I need to think about what’s best for the House of Magna from here on. If all I’m considering is how to grow the House of Magna, forming a contract with a dragon like Ruby isn’t a bad thing. If you’re a dragon knight, you’ll be viewed with deference by enemy and ally alike, and that should be helpful to you when you go to war. I can accept it as a benefit to my house.”

“Kaede...”

“But this is the last time I want to see you picking up other wives because you went with the flow!”

“Uh, right... I’ll take that to heart.”

“Th-Thank you so much, Kaede.” Ruby bowed her head to Kaede in relief.

Hal seemed like he couldn’t raise his head out of deference to her. It looked like Kaede managed to show her forbearance as the head wife, while placing herself above Hal and Ruby. Now Hal would never be able to talk back to her about domestic affairs. Just like me.

Now that I thought of it, Grandpa once said, “The secret to a happy household is to be clever about how you end up under your wife’s thumb.” Even my grandma, who was always smiling, had given my grandpa hell when he misbehaved when they were younger.

Were Liscia and the others going to get like that eventually...? I felt like I’d seen signs of it.

“You’re thinking something rude, aren’t you?” Liscia asked, giving me a cold look. She was apparently on to me.

“Oh, no... I was just thinking we should ask Madam Tiamat to sort out the matter with Ruby... or something like that,” I said hastily. “Yeah.”

“Hm...” Liscia looked at me with her usual dubiousness.

Uh, time to change the topic.

“Oh, right. Where’d the other dragons go? Carla was saying they were intercepting things from the ground.”

“Hm? Oh, that’s right. The dragon priestesses left a message for you.” Liscia clapped her hands as if she just remembered.

“A message?”

“‘Please, come to the great hall,’ they said. It sounds like Madam Tiamat is waiting for you there.”

“I see... Well, shall we go then?”

Madam Tiamat was waiting... huh. I had a mountain of questions, but how many of them would she answer?

We entered Crystal Castle and headed for the great hall.

“Huh?!”

En route, when we entered the corridor to the great hall, there were dragons in human form lined up along both sides of the corridor. When we approached, the dragons all took a knee and bowed their heads. They were like peasants welcoming a daimyo’s procession.

“Wh-What?! What’s going on?!” Naden exclaimed.

“All the dragons have gathered to bow to someone...” Ruby whispered.

When they saw that scene, Naden and Ruby voiced their surprise and awe. It was a familiar scene for Liscia, Aisha, and me, since we lived in a castle, but it was a bizarre sight for the rest of the group. I was scared to realize I’d gotten used to this at some point.

While I was thinking about that, a dragon priestess appeared from between the kneeling dragons. She bowed before us.

“Lady Tiamat awaits you in the great hall. Would King Souma, Princess Liscia, and their vassals please follow me?”

With that said, the dragon priestess walked down the corridor lined with kneeling dragons. Following her lead, we reached the great hall where, just as when I first arrived in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, the mountainous silver dragon that was Madam Tiamat was waiting.

The members of the group who were seeing her for the first time gulped in unison.

“Whoa, she’s huge... Ow!” Halbert yelped.

“You have to be quiet, you know, Hal,” Kaede hissed as she stepped on Hal’s foot.

Then Madam Tiamat lowered her long thick neck.

When they saw that, Naden and Ruby’s eyes bugged out.

“No way, Lady Tiamat is bowing!” Naden yelped.

“Wh-What a great honor!” Ruby cried.

Oh, so that was her bowing her head. She was so big that I couldn’t tell.

If Madam Tiamat, who the dragons of the Star Dragon Mountain Range looked up to as a mother, and the practitioners of Mother Dragon worship saw as a god, was bowing her head in our direction, yeah, I could see why they’d be shocked. Madam Tiamat slowly lifted her head and began speaking in a quiet tone.

“First, King Souma of the United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia, as representative of those who live in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and as the mother of all dragons, let me give you my greatest thanks for your efforts to resolve the crisis facing Dracul.” Madam Tiamat bowed her head again. “Furthermore, allow me to also thank those who accompanied you for their efforts. Naden, Ruby, you did well, too.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

“You’re too kind!”

Naden and Ruby had taken a knee and were bowing their heads.

I took a step forward, and spoke as a representative of the group. “Please, raise your head. I can’t imagine this was a problem that affected your country alone. Once the thing in that cloud causing the storm finished destroying Dracul, there was no telling where it would head next. It might have harmed my own country, too. It was only natural that I should cooperate.”

Then, after pausing to take a breath, I cut to the heart of the matter.

“I’d say that’s enough for our pleasantries as the heads of two states, Madam Tiamat. I have a lot I want to ask you.”

Tiamat, who raised her head, nodded as if in agreement. “I know. However, there is not much I am able to say.”

“That’s fine. You only have to tell me what you can, so please explain.”

“...Okay.”

With that, Madam Tiamat was engulfed in light, and she took the form of a woman wearing a silver robe, just like last time. I closed my eyes due to the brightness, and when I opened them, a large round table and enough chairs for everyone present had appeared.

Madam Tiamat put a hand on one of the chairs, and encouraged the rest of us to take a seat. “It must be hard to talk while looking up. Please, be seated.”

“You have a point,” I nodded.

Once I saw that everyone sat down, I asked Madam Tiamat, “Let me cut straight to the point. What was that thing in the cloud that caused the storm?”

“That is... not something I have authorization to answer.”

I knew it: the authority issue was going to get in the way. But I couldn’t just back down.

“You can just tell me what you’re able to, and if this... authorization makes it hard for you to say something, you can be vague, but give us as much information as you can.”

“Let’s see... It is, like me, one of the Old Ones.”

O-Old Ones? Old... Were they like gods, maybe?

“Each of the Old Ones has a duty,” said Tiamat. “Mine is ‘to watch over,’ its is ‘to create.’ Normally, the Old Ones are not supposed to interact, and the Old Ones are to do their utmost to avoid influencing the New Ones. However, that thing broke free of its bonds, and tried to bring harm to my children. While this is unforgivable, it also shows how badly that thing wanted to...”

“W-Wait, hold on a second.” I stopped Madam Tiamat, who was quickly going through her story.

Fair enough; I asked for as much information as she could give, and I said she could be vague where she had to, but if she was just going to keep going without us really understanding, we would only be left with no clue as to what she said. Maybe I needed to question her about the details.

Also, it would probably be best to have one of the Factory Arms I left my consciousness in back in the castle take notes so I could go over them later. I wanted to consult with Hakuya, too.

“What are the ‘Old Ones’?” I asked.

“Those with a different origin than the New Ones who live on this continent.”

“You’re one of these Old Ones, Madam Tiamat? What about the other dragons?”

“I am the only Old One in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”

It seemed Madam Tiamat really was a being on a different level from the rest of the dragon race.

“Are there any Old Ones other than you and the cube?” I asked.

“There were, at one time. However, that thing and I are the only ones left. The other Old Ones vanished with time, leaving their names behind as godbeasts, and other such things.”

“Did you say godbeasts?!” Aisha yelled out in surprise. “In my homeland, the God-Protected Forest, there is a legend that says a godbeast is protecting the forest.”

“That would be the forest of the dark elves in Friedonia. It’s true, there was once an Old One who took the form of a serow in that forest.”

The “once” in what Madam Tiamat said made Aisha grasp her head.

“What... am I supposed to think about this?” she burst out. “Should I be happy that it once existed? Or should I be sad that it no longer does?”

“W-Well, isn’t that what faith is like?” I asked.

“Oh... Should I tell my people the truth about this?” she asked hesitantly.

“...Let’s talk with Wodan before we decide that.”

It was a being no one claimed to have seen for a very long time, so even if it didn’t exist now, that wasn’t going to raise any problems for it as an object of worship. After all, gods were always a thing where you never knew if they were real or not, but it would be nice if they were.

But, still... Old Ones and New Ones, huh? Was it time that separated the new from the old? The flow of time in this world? If so... what did that make me, who had come from outside that time?

“No. You are neither,” Madam Tiamat said, as if to answer my doubts before I could ask.

Oh, right, Madam Tiamat could read my mind, couldn’t she?

“I thought I was human, like Liscia and the others,” I said.

“Yes. Your race is most certainly human. However, you cannot be categorized as a New One like the rest of the human race.”

“Is that because I was summoned from another world?”

“...I can find no way to answer that.”

“The cube called me a familiar one,” I said. “And you yourself once called me ‘You who have a familiar smell.’”

In that dream where our consciousnesses were synchronized, Madam Tiamat brought her nose close to my chest, and called me, “You who have a familiar smell.”

At first, I thought it was because she was comparing me to the first King of Elfrieden, who I heard had also been a hero summoned from another world, and who had formed a contract with a dragon from the Star Dragon Mountain Range. However, that cube in the cloud also called me a “familiar one.”

That cube had no connection to the first hero.

Furthermore, Madam Tiamat and the cube, who both called me “familiar,” were also both Old Ones. I was human, but didn’t fall into the category of New One, and the Old Ones called me familiar. That meant...

“Could it be I’m an “Even Older One,” or something like that?” I put forth.

“What do you mean?” Liscia asked, so I decided to explain my hypothesis.

“I think maybe this world and the world I came from are on the same temporal axis. Basically, that would mean this isn’t a different world for me.”

“Souma’s... not a hero from another world?” Liscia mumbled with a look of shock on her face.

Everyone seemed confused by my statement, but I was more bewildered than any of them. The inside of my head was utter chaos. But it added up in a lot of ways.

“If I think back, there are a lot of connections to the world I was in before. It’s most obvious with names. Tomoe and Kaede come from my former country’s language, Japanese.”

“Th-They do?” Kaede’s eyes went wide.

I nodded and said, “Yeah. Kaede was the name of a plant that turned red in autumn. The red leaves looked pretty in the setting sun, and girls were often named after it.”

“I knew it was a common name among families with ties to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, but... I never knew it came from a plant.”

They were using it without knowing that? I looked at Madam Tiamat.

“Also... the one that caught my attention the most, Madam Tiamat, was your name.”

Tiamat was silent.

“I only know this from games and such, but Tiamat was the name of a dragon that appeared in old legends in my world. And, what do you know, the Mother Dragon who rules over the dragons in this world is also called Tiamat. If the name is so fitting, I’m not about to write it off as happenstance. Weren’t you given the name Tiamat because you were the Mother Dragon?”

Madam Tiamat neither confirmed nor denied. She must not have had the authority to. If that was the case, then wasn’t it because my thinking was on the mark?

Take the overscience relics from the dungeons that Genia was studying, for instance. The jewels used in the Jewel Voice Broadcast were total overtechnology from the point of view of a society whose technological level approximated the end of the middle ages, and they still were by the standards of the world I’d come from. But if this was the world of the future, there was at least some explanation for it.

However, it only raised more questions.

If I were to assume the two worlds were connected on the same timeline, what on Earth could have turned that scientific world into a world of sword and sorcery? Besides, there were more than just humans in this world. There were a variety of races: beastmen, elves, dragonewts, and more.

How were all of them born?

What exactly were this world, magic, overscience, other races, monsters, and demons...?

I didn’t have one clear answer to any of it. This was no good. The matter had gotten too big to resolve inside my one, tiny little head.

“The answer to your questions may become clear in time.” Madam Tiamat’s quiet voice came to me as I was holding my head in confusion. “I cannot tell you everything, but if you wish to learn of this world, I am sure you will eventually find the truth.”

“Is that... a prophecy?” I asked.

“No. This is a wish.”

“A wish?” I asked, but Tiamat simply gave me a soft, lonely smile.

“Eventually, you will arrive at the truth, and then go north, to where that child awaits you.”

Ultimately, all I’d learned from my conversation with Tiamat was that this world might be on the same timeline as my own. Even when I’d asked for more, Madam Tiamat hadn’t answered.

Obviously, looking at the shape of the continent, I wasn’t going to have an “It was Earth all along!” moment, but... while, when it came to that cube and how this world came about, I had to imagine the world I came from was involved in some way, I was left frustrated, unable to come up with a clear explanation.

Even after being led from the great hall to what seemed to be a waiting room, I was going over our conversation in my head while sitting on the comfy couch.

“Eventually, you will arrive at the truth, and then go north, to where that child awaits you.”

Augh, what did she mean “the truth”? I couldn’t help but let it bother me. If I didn’t have a country resting on my shoulders, I’d have started flying around everywhere, looking for traces of the past world.

“Are you letting what Madam Tiamat said bother you?” Liscia asked, resting her head on my shoulder.

“...Well, yeah. It involves my origin, so I can’t very well not.”

“That’s true. But, Souma, you’re you... and you’re also the king.” Liscia put her hand on top of mine. “As king, you have the ability to move people. The people’s literacy rate is on the rise, and you’ve gathered so many intelligent people to work for you. So... don’t try to carry the burden all by yourself. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what happened to your world, I will accept you.”

“Liscia...”

“Though, I’m also saying that selfishly, because I want you to stay as king.” Liscia gave me a mischievous smile as she said that.

Aisha, who was sitting on the opposite side of Liscia, leaned in close enough that our shoulders were touching. “Indeed! No matter who you are, sire, we’re with you!”

“Aisha... Thanks. Both of you.”

With their encouragement, I felt like I could finally relax my shoulders a bit.

Meanwhile, Hal was sitting on the couch across from us, with a look on his face that was half exasperation and half admiration. “I’m amazed you can get such a syrupy sweet mood going with two partners, Souma.”

Kaede was sitting next to him, clinging to him closely, and, for lack of other spots, Carla was sitting on the same couch, feeling a little awkward.

Halbert sighed, then started scratching his head. “For me... it still doesn’t feel real that I’m taking Ruby as my bride. I mean, sure, political marriages are normal in the noble and knightly classes, but I already have Kaede. We were childhood friends, and... well... I wanted to make her my wife, eventually.”

Is he going to brag about her? I thought, but I stayed quiet and listened.

“But now I’ve gone and decided on a second wife.”

“Oh... I’m happy for you, Hal,” I said. “I’m glad Madam Tiamat accepted the situation with you and Ruby.”

At the very end of the earlier conference, I apologized to Madam Tiamat for the fact that Hal rode on an unwed dragon like Ruby. Even though it ultimately was to Dracul’s advantage, it was something my subordinate had done without sufficient thought, so I gave a proper apology to prevent a diplomatic incident.

Madam Tiamat smiled at Hal and Ruby. “I am sure this bond was also fate.” Then she lowered her head for Hal, too. “Sir Halbert. I leave Ruby in your care, until the day you die.”

When the being worshiped as Mother Dragon bowed her head to him, Hal reflexively stood up from his chair and responded, “Y-Yes, ma’am!” with a tense look on his face.

Thinking back to that moment, I put on a wry smile and said, “The Tiamat bowed her head to you. You’d better make Ruby happy.”

“About that...” Hal held his head in his hands. “I never thought it would come to this, so I have no clue how to interact with them. Should I accept it as a political marriage? Should I love them equally? Once I start thinking, ‘Isn’t that unfair to Kaede?’ or ‘Isn’t that unfair to Ruby?’ there’s no end to it.”

“Do you hate the idea of marrying Ruby?” I asked.

“If I hated it, it wouldn’t be bothering me so badly!”

Hal was, at his core, a simple and devoted guy, so he must have found it hard to come to terms with the idea of loving two women. It made me, the guy with five fiancées, feel pretty bad about myself.

When I looked at Kaede, wondering how she felt about how Hal, she had a hand to her mouth and was shaking. It looked like she was stifling a laugh. It was funny that Hal was wracking his nonexistent brains and worrying over something Kaede had already come to terms with.

I’d feel bad for Ruby if he kept that depressed look on his face, so I decided to try blowing things up a bit.

“Hal, do you know you’re a meathead?”

“Huh? Yeah, I’m aware, but when you say it that bluntly, it pisses me off.” Sure enough, he looked angry.

I sighed and told him, “Poor thought is akin to no thought. With your brains, you’re not going to come up with anything decent, so don’t waste your time thinking. Also, one thing is clear: While you’re being indecisive about what to do, you aren’t making either Kaede or Ruby any happier.”

“Urkh...”

“Besides, you’re more of a doer than a thinker, right? If you have time to worry about if you’re being insincere, use it to show the two of them some sincerity.”

“Don’t worry and show them with my attitude, huh... You’re right.” With that, Hal stood up, scooping Kaede up in his arms.

“Eek!”

“It’s not like me to waste time mulling things over,” he said. “I may not have really come to terms with it all yet, but I’m gonna do everything I can to make both Kaede and Ruby happy.”

That was the simplemi... er, sincere Hal for you. Once he decided not to think too much, he found his resolve. It was pretty cool that he could scoop her up in his arms and then say a passionate line like that while sober. Kaede’s face was bright red, too.

“Okay... then. Please, do your best, you know, Hal...”

With how embarrassed she was, it seemed that was all Kaede could force out.

Haha, looks like Hal got back at her, I thought and was smiling, but then...

“Since you said it, you do your best, too, Souma.” Liscia grinned.

“Oh! Oh! Sire! The princess and I would like to be carried, too!” Aisha added.

Getting that from both sides, I shrunk into myself.

Then...

A dragon priestess suddenly appeared and told us, “Sir Souma, Sir Halbert, the preparations are complete.”

“Souma, this is her big day, so keep your act together, okay?” Liscia said.

“Go for it, sire!” Aisha cried, sending me off.

“You, too, Hal,” Kaede added. “Don’t disgrace the House of Magna.”

“What, no kind words for me?!”

Kaede sent Hal off, too. She was like a wife in the Edo Period, sending off her husband by striking a firestone so that the sparks fell on his back.

Now, then... it was time to go. Naden and Ruby were waiting.

There were two reasons why I came to the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

The first was Madam Tiamat’s request to help deal with the storm bearing down on the Star Dragon Mountain Range. The other was to form a dragon knight contract, binding Naden, the one who could fly in that storm, and me together. For that reason, I had been asked to participate in the Contract Ceremony which was held between the dragon knights of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom and the dragons of the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

However, because events developed so quickly, the order of events had gotten all mixed up, and with the earlier storm having caused damage in Dracul, due to flooding, among other things, the Contract Ceremony that the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom would have been invited to was canceled. Even so, Naden and I, and Ruby and Halbert, had already essentially formed contracts. That was why it was decided that a Contract Ceremony would be held today with just us two couples.

When Hal and I were transported to the great hall, Madam Tiamat was already there in dragon form, and we were surrounded by dragons in human form. Naden’s friend Pai and Ruby’s former flunkies Sapphire and Emerada were there, too.

While we were still nervous, having been cast into the center of attention, Naden and Ruby appeared wearing a black and a red dress, respectively.

Ruby was a beautiful girl to begin with, but Naden was given a makeover by Liscia, so she shone just as brightly. The dresses looked like they’d been interwoven with metallic fiber, and the contrast between Naden’s black and Ruby’s red was stunning.

Meanwhile, Hal and I were in our usual military outfits. Mine was black, and Hal’s was green.

They walked over to us, took a knee, and brought their left hands to their chests while reaching out to us with their right hands.

Ruby was the first to open her mouth.

“My knight, my partner. I wish to form a riding contract with you.”

Hal inhaled sharply. “Accepted!” He took her hand, pulling her to her feet.

I heard this from Naden later, but the order contracts were formed in was decided by the status of the people becoming dragon knights. The highest ranked knight was saved for last, and after that it went in order of rank. That was why Naden went last, but with only two couples present, it didn’t really feel all that special being saved for that.

Well, that aside, next, Naden opened her mouth.

“My king, my partner. I wish to form a riding contract with you.”

“I accept.” I took Naden’s hand, pulling her to her feet.

I was surprised when she called me her king, but she was right; I wasn’t a knight, I was the king of a nation.

Once she was standing, Naden and I clasped both our hands together. We were in the perfect pose for high society dancing. At the same moment, music began playing in the great hall. Quietly at first, but gradually growing louder. The dragon priestesses in front of Madam Tiamat had started playing musical instruments. It was a slow rhythm, a relaxed melody.

“Huh?!” I exclaimed. “This piece...”

“What is it, Souma?” Naden asked.

“...No, nothing.”

I began stepping in time to the music.

I danced with Naden, matching the melody. Hal and Ruby started dancing, too.

As we danced, I leaned in and whispered in Naden’s ear, “Do they always use this piece for the dance at the Contract Ceremony?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve never heard this piece before.”

“I see...”

In that case, Madam Tiamat may have arranged this. The piece they were playing was one that had come from my world. It was the main theme from a movie where a beauty danced with a beast. Naden and I danced to the famous piece that played during the dance scene that was the highlight of the film.

Seeing Naden’s face up close, it made me wonder: Which of us was the beauty, and which of us was the beast? If you saw this as a human-animal marriage tale, as a ryuu, that would make Naden the beast, but she also deserved to be called a beauty. The girl in front of my eyes was truly a beautiful beast.

“What a fancy dance partner I have...” I murmured.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing. I was just thinking how lucky I am.”

While we were dancing, I looked over to see Hal and Ruby. Hal must not have been used to this sort of thing, because his moves were a little awkward, but Ruby was doing a good job of leading him.

“You can actually dance, Souma,” Naden said to me. “I thought you’d be bad at this sort of thing.”

“I was, but I worked desperately to learn how to get better. I was being called to a lot of social functions, after all.”

“Ahaha! You’ve got it rough, huh.”

“Yeah, kinda. For all the practice you skipped, you’re doing pretty well yourself, Naden.”

“I-I only started skipping recently. I was practicing like I was supposed to before.”

I looked fondly at Naden as she made excuses, when...

“Naden.” Madam Tiamat’s voice suddenly came into my head.

“Lady Tiamat?” It seemed Naden could hear the voice, too.

Oh, yeah. She’d been calling Naden, so of course she could.

While we continued dancing, Madam Tiamat’s gentle voice echoed in our heads. “Naden. There’s something I have to apologize to you for.”

“Huh? Apologize?”

“When you were troubled by the fact you looked different from other dragons, I was unable to tell you, ‘You are a ryuu.’ That you were born in this era meant that one who knew your value would appear. I hid your nature so as to not get in the way of that meeting, and for that I apologize.”

“Don’t!”

While still dancing, Naden turned just her face toward Madam Tiamat. The music was already past the midway point, and was rising. Our emotions rose along with the melody.

Naden shouted, with tears in her eyes, “You were always there to encourage me, Lady Tiamat! ‘Eventually, one who knows your value will appear,’ you said! When I heard it, I only half believed it... No, I hardly believed it at all... But I really did meet Souma!”

Big teardrops rolled down Naden’s face.

“So... I’m grateful. Thanks... ‘Mom.’”

It felt like Madam Tiamat smiled when she heard Naden’s words of gratitude. “Take care, my beloved daughter.”

The music was close to ending. I held Naden, whose face was messy with tears, close.

“Naden, I know I’m not the most reliable guy, but let’s work together from now on.”

Naden sobbed. “Yes. Yes!”

Here, today, Naden and I formed a contract as partners.

Prologue: Meeting Up

—In the middle of the 5th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—

Tomoe, who had been left in a town near the border with the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, had come to the noon market with her bodyguard, Inugami. A messenger kui had already delivered word that Souma and the rest were safe and would be taking Tomoe with them to their next stop, the Republic of Turgis, so she was to wait here for them to meet up with her. However, it seemed like it would be a shame to just sit around and wait, so she and Inugami had decided to look around the bustling market.

Thanks to being near the border, many merchants who traveled between the two countries gathered here, and goods from both nations were for sale.

“Hey, little girlie,” said one of them. “Why don’tcha have your daddy buy you this hairpin?”

“I’ve got some me real fine dried foods here, y’know?” yelled another. “Have a look, would ya?”

While Tomoe and Inugami walked through the market, the merchants in their stalls called out to them in merchant slang. It seemed they were being mistaken for parent and child. Their faces were shaped very differently, but it was common among the beastmen races for men and women to have very different appearances, so that might be why they looked like father and daughter.

Tomoe looked up and giggled. “Mr. Inugami, they think you’re my dad.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “It’s rude of me to say this, Little Sister, but it’s convenient for us to have them misunderstand our relationship like that. If a man is seen walking with a girl who is young enough to be his daughter, but isn’t, people start thinking things we don’t want them to.”

In other words, if the alternative was being mistaken for a kidnapper, it was far better to be thought of as father and daughter.

Tomoe looked up at him. “Um... Then wouldn’t it be better if you spoke to me less respectfully, and more like a father would?”

“No... I cannot do that...”

“You can’t?”

“I-It’s not that I...can’t. You’re probably right, Tomoe.” Having relented, Inugami dropped his formal tone.

Tomoe giggled. “Okay then, ‘Dad.’”

“What is it, ‘daughter of mine’?”

“I want to see what kind of shops the merchants who come from other countries are running here today.”

“Hm... In that case, that’s probably one of them over there.” Inugami pointed out a stall being managed by a fat man. It seemed he was selling dried fruits that would keep for a long time.

Tomoe tilted her head to the side. “How can you tell?”

“You see the accessory with the Lunarian Orthodox symbol he wears over his chest?”

Now that Inugami pointed it out, she could see the fat man was wearing an accessory with a symbol that looked like a combination of a full moon and crescent moon over his left breast.

Tomoe had no way of knowing this, but Mary, the person who had been sent as an envoy from the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, had worn a necklace with the same symbol.

“The devout believers of Lunarian Orthodoxy carry those at all times,” Inugami explained. “You can see the color on it is nice, too, right? That’s also a mark of someone who’s made significant contributions to the main church.”

“Oh, I get it. That’s how you knew he was from the Orthodox Papal State, huh.”

“That’s right. Do you want to go take a look?”

“Yes!” she exclaimed.

The two of them walked over to the stall. There were dried fruits and nuts out front, and in the back were a number of barrels where the man kept fruits preserved in honey.

“Hey there, little girl, I’ve got some yummy honey-preserved fruits,” the shopkeeper said with a grin. “Why don’tcha buy some?”

In response, Tomoe asked, “You’re from outside the country, right, mister? Do you have any interesting stories about your country?”

“Huh?” The shopkeeper was confused by the sudden question.

“Hey, it’s rude to suddenly ask him like that!” Inugami scolded.

As she stiffened from being yelled at, he lifted her up by the back of her hood. Tomoe was as helpless as a kitten suspended in midair.

Inugami put on a fake smile and bowed repeatedly to the shopkeeper. “I’m sorry, sir. We’ve got some business in the Republic of Turgis, but it’s a first for my daughter, and she’s gotten all excited. Every time she sees something, it’s ‘What’s this?’ ‘What’s that?’ She just won’t be quiet...”

“Oh... Hahaha, it’s good seein’ a child so full of curiosity.”

“You really think so? Oh, I’ll have some of those preserved fruits.”

“Thank you! Come again!”

With Tomoe still held up in the air, Inugami paid for the goods, then received a neatly cut melon preserved in honey and left the stall behind with a smile.

Once they were in a place the shopkeeper couldn’t see, Inugami put Tomoe down, crossed his arms, and looked her straight in the eye. “I ask you to forgive me for shouting at you. But Little Sister...”

“Y-Yes...?”

“Why did you ask a question like that?”

Inugami maintained as calm a tone as he could manage so as to not intimidate her.

Tomoe looked at him with upturned eyes, then hesitantly confessed, “I thought if I wanted to be able to help Big Brother and the others, I’d need to study up on other countries. That’s why...um...I wanted to ask him...”

Tomoe’s voice gradually shrank quieter as she spoke.

Inugami sighed. “There are spies who disguise themselves as merchants. If he were one of them, you might be marked for special attention because you wanted that information. It’s very dangerous.”

“I-I’m sorry...” Tomoe seemed genuinely contrite, and her wolf ears drooped.

Seeing her thoroughly discouraged, Inugami plopped a hand down on Tomoe’s shoulder. “So, if you want to know about other countries, tell me. I’ll teach you everything I can. Naturally, I can’t tell you anything classified, though.”

Then Inugami extended the bowl containing fruits preserved in honey to Tomoe. She accepted one, took a bite, and smiled.

“This is so sweet, ‘Dad.’”

“I can’t help but be sweet. Especially to my ‘daughter.’”

After that exchange where they may or may not have been on the same page, the two both smiled. To any who looked, they would seem just like a close father and daughter.

It was the next day that Souma and the rest met up with them.

Chapter 1: From the New City, Venetinova

This is a story from around the time Souma left for the republic.

The stage is Venetinova, a coastal city in the east of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

The Kingdom’s coast was bent in a < shape. To encourage more active distribution of goods throughout the country, King Souma had sponsored the construction of Venetinova at the corner of that shape.

If there was one thing unique about this city, it was its two-level layout. In the lower level, facing the sea, there was a fishing port, a plaza, parks, and more, while the residential quarter, governor’s mansion, and other similar buildings were concentrated in the upper level.

Nearly all of the shopping areas were along the hill road between those two levels. This town layout was in preparation for the great earthquake that was said to strike once every hundred years.

In one of the clinics along the hill road in Venetinova, there was currently an eight-month-old baby boy swinging his legs as he was held by his mother.

“Goo goo!” the baby cooed.

This healthy baby was named Fuku. During Souma’s visit to the refugee camp, Hilde Norg, a female doctor belonging to the three-eyed race, and Brad Joker, a surgeon, had delivered him by caesarean section. Incidentally, Souma himself had given the boy his name.

Today, little Fuku had come in with his mother for a regular checkup.

Hilde was the doctor examining him. “Hm... I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. He’s full of energy.”

Until just recently, she had been at Ginger’s Vocational School in the capital, Parnam, training doctors. Once it had gotten on track, Hilde, who had always been more at home treating the common people than hidden away in a lab studying, had left her duties to her juniors at the school. In order to follow the former refugees, having been concerned about them, she had followed them to this new city and opened a clinic.

That said, Hilde was considered one of the two greatest minds in the medical world, and the other one was the surgeon, Joker. So they were both frequently called to the medical school in Parnam, but recently, for a certain reason, she had been staying in Venetinova.

Hearing from Hilde that her child was okay, Fuku’s mother bowed her head. “Thank you so much. It’s all thanks to you and Dr. Joker that Fuku and I are both still here.”

“No need to thank me,” said Hilde. “It’s my job, you know. More importantly, like the king told you, you should really be thanking your child, for being born when both of us were there.”

Perhaps to hide her shyness, Hilde turned to look the other way as she brushed Fuku’s hair, which had finally begun to grow evenly.

Fuku clapped his hands in glee.

Fuku’s mother watched with a slight smile. “I guess you’re right. Now we can wait together for my husband to return.”

“Oh, that’s right, they found your husband, didn’t they?”

“Yes,” said another woman, stepping forward. “I received word from my elder brother.”

The one who responded to this question was an eighteen-year-old girl who wore an outfit similar to that of a stereotypical Native American, and paint on her cheeks that seemed magical.

Her name was Komain. She had originally been left in charge of handling the refugees by her brother, Jirukoma, and was now a community leader for the former refugees putting down roots in Venetinova.

Komain had come here today to give support to Fuku and his mother during their routine checkup. “According to the messenger kui my brother sent, he should be on his way here now.”

Jirukoma had returned north, leading all of those who refused to become members of this country, and who insisted on attempting to retake their homelands. He was now staying in the Kingdom of Lastania, one of the smaller countries inside the Union of Eastern Nations, as a volunteer soldier, having responded to their call for troops.

In that land, he was also gathering information on those who had been scattered while they were being driven from the north. Fuku’s father was just one of the ones he had found that way.

“He said your husband was searching for you in one of Lastania’s neighboring countries,” said Komain. “When my brother told him you were safe, and your child had been born, he dropped everything to rush here and be at your side.”

“Honestly... That man’s always been in such a hurry,” Fuku’s mother said, but she looked really happy.

Hilde gave an exasperated shrug. “Well, it’s good to have the family together. Just, let me caution you on one thing.”

“Huh? Uh, sure.”

“Your belly’s already been opened once for the delivery. The procedure went perfectly, and you can probably have a second, but...once the belly has been cut once, it’s weaker, and a natural birth becomes more difficult. So, the next time you give birth, it would be safer for both you and the baby to cut you open and take it out.”

Fuku’s mother and Komain both gulped.

Hilde grinned at both of them. “When your husband gets back, you’re going to have some romantic time together, right? If that makes you decide you really want a second, you’d better consult a doctor approved by either me or the country.”

“Right!” Fuku’s mother nodded enthusiastically.

Hearing that, Fuku let out a confident-sounding cry, too, which caused all three of the others to look at one another and smile.

“Is the checkup finished?” Brad poked his head out from deeper inside the clinic. He was a man whose expression was usually more subdued, but he was glancing worriedly at Hilde now. “Um...is it okay?”

“They’re fine,” said Hilde. “Both mother and child are healthy.”

“No... That’s not what I meant...”

“Honestly... You’re more nervous than I’d have expected.” Hilde stood up and shooed Brad into the back of the clinic. “For starters, there are no men allowed in here while I’m seeing a female patient!”

“No, you’re seeing the baby... I just...”

“Enough. You go over there and get ready for tomorrow! You’ll need to head out for the capital and look at the princess. They say she’s gotten sick.”

Having forcefully made Brad leave, Hilde returned to her seat. “Good grief,” she muttered.

Having seen that interaction between the two of them, Komain tilted her head to the side quizzically. “Dr. Brad is here, too, huh? I’d heard he had gotten a case of wanderlust, and was seeing patients all around the country.”

Brad was, indeed, prone to wanderlust. He was the sort who would tell King Souma to his face, “I want to heal the poor, not the rich.” To put it in more flattering terms, he was a solitary sort; in less flattering terms, he still had a mild case of middle school syndrome.

Even though he had received a request from Souma to hold lectures, he was still traveling around the country to see patients and treat them. Technically, he did take apprentices with him and call it training in the field, though.

That was why Komain had been surprised to see Brad here.

However, Hilde snorted. “What’s there to be surprised about? Men are so simple,” she said, rubbing her abdomen.

That gesture told Komain everything she needed to know. “You, too, Doctor?!”

“Wow, congratulations!” cried Fuku’s mother.

“Hmph...” Hilde turned to look away in embarrassment. But, still, in a vanishingly small voice she replied, “Yeah, yeah... Thanks.”

The way she said it made Komain and Fuku’s mother erupt in laughter despite themselves.

“Komain, thank you for coming with me today,” Fuku’s mother said, bowing her head.

“Dooo,” her little son agreed.

The time was a little past three o’clock in the afternoon. On the hill road outside Hilde’s clinic, Komain rolled up her sleeves and said, “Oh, it’s no big deal. Brother asked me to look after everyone. If there’s anything I can do, please, go ahead and tell me.”

“Thank you. Are you going home now?”

“No, I have some documents to submit to the governor, so I plan to head there next.”

“Oh, is that right? Well, keep up the good work.”

“I sure will! See you later, Fuku.”

Taking Fuku’s hand and shaking it, Komain said her goodbyes to the two of them and raced up the hill. The governor’s mansion was at the highest point in this city. While Komain was racing through the shopping street, the lady running one of the fruit shops called out to her.

“Koma, you always look so busy. Are you eating right?”

“Huh? Uh, now that you mention it, I may have missed lunch today.”

“That’s no good. Even if you’re busy, you’ve gotta eat!” The lady threw one of the apples she was selling over to Komain.

“Whoa... Thanks, ma’am!” Komain caught the apple, waved vigorously to the lady, then went on her way.

People often waved at Komain when she was running through the streets.

She was doing a lot of jobs lately, everything from cleaning, laundry, and babysitting, to deliveries and removing bee nests. Though she was a young girl, she’d firmly taken on her role as a community organizer for the refugees, and because she had the guts to give the local men a piece of her mind, even though they were hard workers and could be a bit rough, it was little wonder she’d gotten so popular. She didn’t know it, but she’d already been nicknamed the poster girl of Venetinova.

But...I can’t keep doing this forever, Komain thought as she ran through the streets of Venetinova. The refugees are starting to put down roots in this new city. If we’re going to assimilate into this country, it’s better if there’s no “wall” between those who were formerly refugees and those who weren’t. My role as an organizer for the community is emblematic of that wall, so eventually they won’t need me anymore. That in itself is a good thing, but...

Komain bit into the apple she’d been given and let out a little sigh.

It may be about time I begin looking for a way of living for myself, like Brother did when he went north.

Komain thought about it as she ran through the streets. While she was still thinking, she arrived at her destination.

The governor’s mansion; this was where the governor who ran the city lived.

It wasn’t the lord’s mansion because Venetinova was part of the royal demesne, and therefore the lord of this city was King Souma. However, King Souma was based out of the capital, so he’d needed to dispatch someone to manage this city.

There were times when administration of major cities was left to the nobles and knights working in the government office, but considering the importance of this city, a mere magistrate wouldn’t have been sufficient.

The title created for the post of running this city was “governor.” It was a new post, created for the person who would rule this important city on Souma’s behalf, and the place where this governor lived and worked was called the governor’s mansion.

Now, as for who was the city’s current governor...

“Excuse me. Is Governor Poncho in at the moment?”

Indeed, it was the former Minister for the Food Crisis and current Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta.

Because this important city couldn’t be left in the hands of anyone who was less than competent, the king’s close associate Poncho had been tapped, albeit temporarily, to handle the job. Because of that, Poncho’s days had been going by blindingly fast, with him going to work in the castle every morning, and returning to Venetinova every afternoon.

Technically, his replacement had already been chosen—it was the Lord of Altomura, Weist Garreau, who had distinguished himself in the war—but until he was prepared to take over, Poncho’s busy days were set to continue.

What was more, Poncho had another batch of troubles coming his way.

“The governor is present, but you’re looking at a long wait if you want an audience with him,” the guard said with a forced smile and in a way that seemed to imply something.

“I understand,” said Komain. “I have some documents to submit, so do you mind if I wait?”

“I understand. Go ahead, Madam Komain. You can stay in the waiting room.”

Thanks in part to her being a familiar face, the guard easily let Komain inside.

The maid standing by in the front entrance to the building who was tasked with guiding guests led her through to the waiting room where there were already four women waiting.

The women seemed to be gathered in one corner of the room and were talking about something. They all wore gaudy outfits, and Komain could infer they were young ladies of good parentage. The women glanced over at her as she entered the room, then huddled close and began whispering to each other.

Komain, feeling awkward, sat at a distance from these women. When she did...

“What’s with that outfit? Is that girl aiming to become Sir Poncho’s wife?”

“What a common girl. Does she think that, if it’s Sir Poncho, even a girl like her could seduce him?”

Komain could hear their whispering perfectly. She was from a tribe of hunters who had lived in the north, and they were sensitive to the presence of their prey and other noises. She could hear lowered voices like theirs whether she wanted to or not.

Komain sighed. I knew it... They’re women who’ve come to discuss a potential marriage with Sir Poncho, just as I thought.

There had already been a public announcement that King Souma would be holding a ceremony to celebrate his marriage to Princess Liscia and his other queens in waiting. In response to that, there was now a rush of marriage offers from those who wanted to secure a position as a queen for themselves, too. Not only that, these offers of marriage were also coming en masse to any unwed men among Souma’s vassals who seemed to have a promising future.

The intelligent and attractive Prime Minister, Hakuya, and the handsome Captain of the Royal Guard, Ludwin, were both popular, but the person these offers were most concentrated on was Poncho.

Being an upstart noble, Poncho was from a family of low status, providing a low barrier of entry for such proposals. On top of that, there was his pudgy body; those with confidence in their appearance thought he would be easy to seduce. In addition, many had an honest affection for him as one of the people who had helped end the food crisis.

In short, Poncho was visited by those of high and low statuses, those interested out of ambition and those who were pure... It was a truly diverse group of women who were proposing to him. The group here currently was no doubt full of women from ambitious houses.

“Just you watch,” said one. “I’ll make that pudgy man mine with this beautiful face.”

“He seems like a timid sort, so if I push hard enough, he should submit easily.”

“The way he looks, he can’t be used to beautiful women.”

The women continued talking in hushed voices.

This is kind of unpleasant, thought Komain. I don’t care what they say about me, but Sir Poncho worked with His Majesty to provide food relief to us refugees when things were hard for us. I want him to be happy, and I’d rather not see anyone too weird become his wife.

However, as these women were saying, Poncho had a somewhat unreliable side to him. If the women pushed hard enough, given his personality, he may not be able to decline. Komain was worried for Poncho, but then a question came to mind.

Huh? Then why hasn’t he gotten married yet?

It was true Poncho was easy to push into things. However, despite that, she hadn’t heard anything about him being engaged. This was despite so many offers pouring in.

He’s rebuffing all those offers from women like these? The Sir Poncho I know?

While Komain was still wondering about that, the maid came for them, and all of the women present to discuss potential marriages were led off one by one.

The next thing she knew, Komain was alone.

Then the maid came for her, informing Komain that her turn had come.

“I’m sorry for the wait. Madam Komain, come this way, please.”

As she followed the maid down the corridor, Komain saw one of the women who had been in the waiting room before walking quickly toward them from the opposite direction. Her face was tense, and she passed by Komain without seeming to take note of her.

Wh-What was that? She looked like she was on edge. Did her meeting not go so well?

While she was wondering about that, they arrived in front of the reception room. The maid knocked lightly on the door, then waited for a response from inside before opening it and announcing Komain’s arrival.

“Please do come in, yes.”

Hearing Poncho’s voice, Komain responded, “Excuse me,” and entered the room.

Inside the reception room, a somewhat tired-looking Poncho was seated on a sofa with a maid standing behind him.

Komain’s eyes went wide despite herself as soon as she saw that maid. For a moment, she was overwhelmed by this woman who looked to be a little over the age of twenty, with a beautiful face, and a poise that spoke to her great intellect.

Little wonder that woman looked so pressured...

With a beauty like that behind Poncho, it would no doubt destroy whatever confidence the visiting women had in their own looks. Had it been solely thanks to her that, despite all of the offers, no woman had been able to push hers through? In that case...

Huh?! Is she glaring at me?! Komain felt as if the maid standing behind Poncho had shot a glare at her.

When a beautiful person did the glaring, the impact was multiplied. Komain felt a chill down her spine, but this was the same Komain who spent her days openly speaking her mind to burly men.

She glared back, as if to say, I won’t lose.

At Komain’s return glare, the maid turned up the intensity.

Their gazes collided. It was as if an image of a wolf and a hawk could be seen behind them.

“Um, you two, is something the matter?” Poncho asked hesitantly, sensing the abnormal atmosphere between them.

Having been addressed by him, Komain was the first to come back to her senses. “Oh, that’s right. Poncho, I’ve brought the list of newly arrived refugees.”

“Well, well. Thank you for your hard work, yes.”

When Komain turned over the papers to Poncho, the oppressive vibe she had been getting from the maid vanished. In fact, the maid bowed to her and said, “I’ll go prepare tea now,” then left the room.

While there was still a question mark floating over Komain’s head at her sudden change in attitude, Poncho spoke.

“I’m sorry it seems we kept you waiting, yes,” he apologized as he perused the documents.

“Oh, no. Um... Do you have a lot of people expressing interest in marrying you?”

“Y-Yes. Let’s see. From what I hear, many of the unmarried men among His Majesty’s vassals have been receiving such offers, yes. Even I have received a fair number. If Madam Serina, who is the head maid at the castle, hadn’t handled them for me, I’m sure things would have gotten even worse, yes.”

Serina... Is that the incredibly beautiful maid from before? If she’s the head maid in the castle, she must be highly capable.

Poncho put on a troubled smile. “Of course, maybe it’s because of the way I look. I’ve received an awful lot of offers to discuss the prospect, but not one of them has worked out, yes. I’m often told, ‘Actually, let’s call the whole thing off,’ the moment they see my face at the interview.”

Huh? Does that mean...

Komain recalled the moment of first entering the room. She’d seen the kindly Poncho, and the super beautiful maid Serina standing behind him.

Yeah... That was the first barrier. For those who had a little confidence in their appearance and thought they could easily seduce Poncho, when they saw Serina’s beautiful face, they were likely to beat a hasty retreat. Even if they held their ground, the next thing to hit them would be that wave of intimidation from Serina. The average woman probably couldn’t withstand that pressure.

Even Komain had felt something akin to the kind of shudder she would feel if she encountered a large wolf.

“Serina has been kind enough to manage things, so I feel bad for her, yes,” Poncho said apologetically.

No, isn’t it Serina’s fault that none of these offers have worked out?!

Komain nearly said that out loud, but the maid interrupted.

“Pardon me. I’ve brought the tea.” Serina brought in the tea with what felt like carefully planned timing, so the words never left Komain’s mouth.

While she was drinking the delicious tea, Komain’s mind spun in confused circles. Madam Serina is getting in the way of Sir Poncho’s marriage offers? But why? Since she was sent from the castle, is that under His Majesty’s orders? No, that can’t be right. I can’t see the king doing anything so nasty. Then is it her own will? Does she have something against Sir Poncho, maybe?

While Komain was thinking that, Poncho gently began talking to her. “How are the former refugees these days? Is there anything troubling them?”

“Oh, right,” Komain said. “Everyone is getting used to life here. It’s a gradual process, but I’m getting fewer requests for mediation than before.”

“That’s good, yes. Peace is the most important thing.”

“It is. From my standpoint as a community organizer, I feel it’s a load off my shoulders, and I’m relieved. At the same time, I have less and less to do, so I’ve been thinking of starting up something new. Sir Poncho...you’re as busy as ever, aren’t you?”

“Yes. In addition to my work as governor, I also have to meet all the people making proposals, and His Majesty has instructed me to study something new, too. So I’m busy, yes.”

Poncho looked at the mountain of books beside his desk and sighed.

“Study...? What exactly?” Komain asked.

“The transportation of provisions. According to His Majesty, whether my name is listed among the people managing our soldier’s food or not will make a large difference in the entire military’s morale. That’s why, even if just for show, he apparently wants to place me in an important post, so I’m in the middle of having the bare minimum of base knowledge pounded into me, yes.”

Poncho was so widely regarded as a specialist on food that the common people referred to him as “Ishizuka, the God of Food.” Even just having his name listed as a manager of military provisions would be enough to convince the troops they could eat something good, and it would raise their morale.

That’s a trouble you run into when you’re famous, I guess, thought Komain.

Serina leaned in to whisper something in Poncho’s ear. “Madam Komain is your last visitor for the day. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh, she is? Thank you, too, Madam Serina, yes.”

“No, I was ordered by His Majesty to support you, after all.”

“Still, I’m always grateful, yes.”

Komain’s far-too-sensitive ears picked up their whispered conversation.

Hearing their voices, Komain quickly struck down her earlier theory. There was no trace of hostility in Serina’s voice. More than that, there was an excited “sweetness” in it. It was amazing Poncho could keep a level head while she whispered to him like that.

“If you’re that grateful, then do it again tonight,” Serina whispered.

“You really do like it, huh, Madam Serina?” Poncho whispered back.

Komain nearly spewed her tea.

Tonight?! She likes it?! Huh, what?! What are the two of them talking about?!

While pretending to drink, Komain glanced at the two of them over the rim of her teacup.

D-Do the two of them have that kind of relationship, maybe?! Oh! That explains why Madam Serina was being so intimidating! To keep anyone from taking Sir Poncho from her... Huh? But that’s a surprise. I wonder why a beauty like her is so deeply infatuated with Sir Poncho...

Komain’s head was filled with a different confusion than before, and it worried her.

“Oh, that’s right,” said Poncho. “Madam Komain.”

“Huh?! Uh, yes...?!” Komain unintentionally let her voice go a little shrill.

“Do you have some work after this, Madam Komain?”

“No, this was the last thing for today... Um, why do you ask?”

Poncho put on a happy smile and said, “Oh, it’s no big deal. I just thought I’d invite you to dinner, yes.”

H-How did it turn out like this...?

Komain didn’t understand the situation she now found herself in.

She was in the governor’s private dining room at the governor’s mansion. There, Serina and Komain were seated across from one another. Poncho was away cooking, so Komain felt indescribably awkward.

Serina suddenly bowed her head. “Madam Komain, I must apologize for earlier.”

“Huh? Um, why is that?”

“For looking at you with appraising eyes. I thought you were another one of those women who think they can so easily seduce Sir Poncho.”

It seemed that look hadn’t been a glare, but one of appraisal. Komain was relieved to realize Serina had been protecting Poncho from the venomous fangs of women with ambitions.

“Um... I was wondering, are a lot of the people who seek to meet Poncho and talk about marriage like that?” Komain ventured.

“Yes. Like you’ve seen, he’s a man with many weaknesses. I’ve been asked by His Majesty to make sure Sir Poncho isn’t ensnared by any strange women, but many of them run away at the first sight of my eyes. I do wish they would at least pay us the most basic level of respect.”

Well, yeah, of course they’d be scared, Komain nearly said, but managed to swallow the words just before they left her mouth.

Serina may have only intended it to be probing, but even those with no ill intentions might get scared and run away at the sight of that look.

“But you didn’t run away, did you, Madam Komain?” Serina asked.

“I come from a tribe of hunters. I felt like I was being glared at by a large wolf, but you can’t be a hunter if you let fear get the best of you.”

Komain’s words seemed to have left Serina a little shocked. “My look was on the level of a large wolf?”

At that moment, Poncho came back carrying a large pot. “Sorry to keep you waiting. This is our experimental dish for the day, yes.”

Poncho went on to serve portions from the pot onto each of their plates. When she saw what she was served, Komain winced for a moment. Her entire plate was covered in brown. What was more, it looked unappetizing.

Is this...the rice the mystic wolf people were cultivating? But I can see bits that look like thinly-cut pasta here and there. On top of that, the whole thing’s brown, too...

“Ohhh, this is wonderful, Sir Poncho.” Unlike Komain, Serina was entranced by the sight of this dish. “This is like the ‘sauce yakisoba’ you served before, but you’ve mixed in rice this time, too. The noodles are thin, making them easy to eat together with the rice. This sinful sight of a staple food cooked together with another staple food, combined with the scent of the sauce, is simply the best.”

Serina praised the dish like she was a young maiden in love. The gap between this and the intellectual beauty she had seemed like earlier was so great Komain found it a little off-putting. However, Poncho seemed reasonably used to this reaction, and went on smoothly explaining the dish.

“In His Majesty’s world, this is apparently called ‘soba meshi.’ First, you make sauce yakisoba, then add rice. From there, you add things like tendon and mix it all together. I’m thinking of serving it at my experimental restaurant in the castle soon, yes.”

“I’ll dig right in.”

Serina scooped up some of the soba meshi with a spoon and carried it to her mouth. The moment she put it in her mouth, she broke into a smile of ecstasy, as if she had just received a revelation from on high.

Poncho watched her with a smile on his face. “I must say...you really do like it, Madam Serina.”

Hearing those words, Komain recalled their earlier whispers. It seemed this was the thing she “liked” that they’d be doing “tonight.”

Feeling a little embarrassed at what she had imagined, Komain took a bite of the soba meshi on her plate without hesitating, and...

Ohhh! Komain felt like she’d just had a revelation from heaven, too. What is this?! It looks awful, but it’s so delicious!

The sweet and spicy sauce stimulated her appetite, and her spoon went back for scoop after scoop of soba meshi. What an alluring flavor. She could see why Serina’s face had melted like that. While she was satisfied with her explanation, she remembered what Serina had said.

“If you’re that grateful, then do it again tonight...”

Do it again tonight... Serina had said “again.” In other words, didn’t that mean Serina was eating delicious meals like this with Poncho nearly every night?

The moment that thought occurred to her, Komain couldn’t restrain herself. She kicked back her chair and stood up, then kneeled on the floor in front of Poncho.

“Sir Poncho!”

“Y-Yes! Um, Madam Komain? What are you doing, suddenly kneeling like that?”

“Madam Komain?” Serina asked, startled.

Seeing the dubious looks on their faces, Komain spilled forth the feelings she could no longer keep inside. “If I can eat food like this, I want to serve you, Sir Poncho! Please, keep me at your side!”

Komain was suddenly offering to serve under him.

While Poncho was still at a loss for words at the sudden turn of events, Serina rose from her seat to stand in front of the kneeling Komain. Her eyes had that same intensity in them which had driven away the women looking to discuss marriage with Sir Poncho.

While laying a gaze meant to make those it fell on shrink away on Komain, she said, “Is that...something you truly feel?”

“Yes! I swear it on the honor of my people.”

Komain looked straight back at her, eyes unswerving.

Serina and Komain were ignoring the man who, normally, should have been the center of this conversation, in order to stare each other down.

Poncho, as usual, was just flustered.

Shortly, Serina slumped her shoulders in resignation.

“It seems you’re serious... Very well.” With that said, Serina extended a hand to Komain. “I accept you. Welcome to the Ishizuka family table.”

“Madam Serina!”

The two exchanged a firm handshake. Their hearts had both been stolen by the same thing.

On this day, the two who were entranced with B-grade gourmet dishes were bound by a tie stronger than any plate.

Incidentally, Poncho, who had been left out of this, continued quietly eating soba meshi by himself.

Furthermore, though this is but a side note, from the next day onward, there were two women standing behind Poncho when women came to talk marriage with him.

Chapter 2: Urgent News and a Meeting

The Republic of Turgis.

It was a state situated on the southern edge of the continent Landia.

On that continent, the average temperature dropped the further you went south. The southern edge of the continent, where the Republic of Turgis lay, was a land of ice and snow.

It was a mountainous country, but compared to the Amidonia region, it had more flatlands and a greater amount of arable land. However, because the winters were long and the summers short, the period in which the land could be worked was limited, and crop farming wasn’t very prosperous.

The people of this country were supported by livestock farming. The people lived off of free-range animals that could live in cold regions like yaks, woolly rhinoceroses, and mammoths.

In this land, the majority of the population were beastmen belonging to what were called the Five Races of the Snowy Plains. The five races included the snow monkey, white rabbit, white eagle, snow bear, and walrus races.

In those five races, as with other beastmen, the women looked like humans with animal ears, wings, and tails, but the men had faces that were fairly close to the actual animals. Interracial marriage was allowed, but it seemed the children born from such a union always took after just one of the parents, so there was no mixing of their unique features.

The most common race was the white rabbit race, known for their high birth rate; the least common race was the walrus race, known for having an average height of over two meters.

Those races intermixed to form tribes inside the country, but their distribution across the land reflected the different abilities each race possessed.

The walrus and snow bear races, who could dive into the icy waters to catch fish, made up a large percentage of the population along the coast. The tribes living in the mountains, on the other hand, had a higher percentage of members of the snow monkey and white eagle races, who could easily handle the terrain. Finally, many of those who lived in the flatlands, working the fields in the short summer season, were members of the white rabbit race.

There were human merchants and members of other races present, too, but the harsh winters made it difficult for the other races to live in the country. With the exception of slaves, they generally left the country before the roads were closed off by the snow.

Almost like Snu*kin.

Because the climate was so harsh, this country had never been destroyed by a foreign enemy.

The air currents in the sky were always violent, and the temperatures were chilly even in the summer. Those facts kept air power such as wyverns away, and the icy seas prevented the use of sea power.

Because of that, the only avenue of attack was by land, and if the country put up a strong defense and held out through the summer, General Winter would come and sever the enemy’s supply lines, forcing them to retreat.

In addition, there was also the fact there was little to gain by seizing this country.

They say that, in its heyday, the Gran Chaos Empire could have gone toe-to-toe with the Star Dragon Mountain Range, but even then, the Empire had never once considered an invasion.

The Republic of Turgis was ruled under a primitive system of republic.

First, the chiefs, who were the representatives of each tribe, gathered in a Council of Chiefs. Then, the Council of Chiefs voted to select the nominal representative of the country, their head of state.

Matters of internal affairs were decided by discussion between the head of state and the Council of Chiefs, but foreign affairs (diplomacy, wars, and such) were controlled by the head of state.

This head of state was usually a position that lasted for one generation, but with the approval of the Council of Chiefs, the title could be inherited. The current head of state in the 1,547th year of the Continental Calendar was apparently the second generation.

Now then, having said all this about the Republic of Turgis, if we recall their relations with the Kingdom of Friedonia, they couldn’t really be called cordial.

In search of unfrozen land and warm water ports, the republic was always looking to the north for any opportunity to expand. Even during the recent war between the Elfrieden Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia, they had moved their troops close to the kingdom’s southern border looking for an opening to intervene.

I had deployed Excel and the navy close to the border, and that intimidation had been just barely enough to keep them from invading. If the war with the principality had bogged down, they surely would have attacked.

There was no letting our guards down with them. Still, I didn’t want to quarrel with this country.

If we attacked them, there was nothing for us to gain. Even if we occupied their territory, the ways people lived in the Kingdom of Friedonia and Republic of Turgis were too different. The kingdom was pretty cold in the south, but the republic’s winter was even more intensely cold. The people of the republic had adjusted their way of life to that climate, and no matter how capable a magistrate I may send, they wouldn’t be able to properly rule a country with a different culture, values, and way of life. And if we needlessly tried forcing our ways on them, it would just end in a rebellion.

A country we didn’t want to be attacked by, but would be too troublesome to attack ourselves—that was the Republic of Turgis.

This was precisely why I, as the King of Friedonia, wanted to build cordial relations with the Republic of Turgis. Fortunately, during the recent war, our forces hadn’t clashed directly with theirs. The sentiment of each of our peoples toward the other shouldn’t be especially bad.

Now, if I could just experience their culture and thought, and find a reasonable way to give them what they wanted, I suspected I could build cordial relations.

I knew this was a naïve hope. Still, a needless war would exhaust the country.

Wars like the one we’d fought against the principality should be a last resort, not something that could be made the norm.

That cube-like thing which had transcended human reckoning at the Star Dragon Mountain Range existed as an element of uncertainty, too. I never knew what might happen or when, so I wanted to avoid needlessly expending the power of my country.

We were coming to the Republic of Turgis to see if that wish could be granted.

We arrived at a town in the eastern part of the Republic of Turgis, Noblebeppu. This place, which was close to the border of the Kingdom of Friedonia, was a quiet inn town surrounded by mountains in the north and the sea to the south.

It was toward the end of May, and the ice and snow blocking the roads had melted at last. The cold had lessened slightly, and it was a period that was, relative to the standards of this country, comfortable to live in. Because of that, there were many merchants from other countries, and the town was bustling.

We walked through that town.

Our group consisted of Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Tomoe, Hal, Kaede, and me, making for a total of seven people. Tomoe’s bodyguard, Inugami, had come with us, too, but he was currently elsewhere patrolling and guarding us, along with the rest of the Black Cats.

To be completely honest, I had wanted Naden and Liscia to come, too, but Naden, as was typical of ryuus and dragons, couldn’t stand the cold, and Liscia had fallen ill after returning from the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so she was resting back in the kingdom.

I was really worried for Liscia, but she herself had told me, “I’ll be fine, so go see the world like a king should.” I couldn’t have stuck around to tend to her after that.

I was worried, but I had arranged for the best doctors in the country, Hilde and Brad, to look after her, so she’d probably be fine. If anything happened, Naden would come notify me. And in order to respond to Liscia’s feelings, I had to make a proper trip around the republic.

“I’d heard it was cold, so I was expectin’ nothing but snow, but it’s not that bad,” Roroa commented.

“It’s late in May, after all,” Juna said. “It still feels plenty cold, though.”

Roroa and Juna were both dressed more heavily than they had been in the kingdom.

Technically, for this trip, I was playing the role of a young merchant’s son looking for prospective trade goods. Tomoe was my little sister, and Aisha, Hal, and Kaede were adventurers we had hired. As for the remaining two, Roroa was an employee who worked for my family’s store, and Juna was my wife.

Juna leaned in and asked me a question. “Um, is this okay? Having me play the wife over the primary queens...?”

“It was a choice made with safety in mind,” I answered. “You’re skilled with both pen and sword, Juna, so I want you to keep your fighting abilities hidden in case something happens.”

Even if we were attacked by ruffians, they’d probably have their eyes on Aisha, Hal, and Kaede, who were dressed as adventurers. They’d assume Juna was just a pretty girl. Then Juna would get them from behind because they’d let their guards down.

It’s a bit late to say this now, but my fiancées were a little too combat capable. Now that Naden had joined them, their average power level had massively increased, too.

“And, well, with that in mind, there were a limited number of people we might theoretically take with us on our trip that didn’t have any combat ability,” I said. “You don’t seem like someone we’d employ, Juna, and I’m not sure about forcing you into the maid role like Carla.”

“I wouldn’t mind that,” she said. “Give me any order you wish, Master.”

She brought her hands to her chest, smiled, and tilted her head a little, so my heart skipped a beat.

“When did Lorelei turn into a maid café?!” I exclaimed.

She was going to get me in the mood, so I wished she’d stop.

“Well, Juna, you’re his fiancée, too, so I figure it ain’t a big deal,” Roroa said.

“Is that right?”

“Darn tootin’. And you’re the one playin’ the wife, so why not have him spoil ya rotten?” Roroa wrapped herself around my arm.

“And you’re the employee, aren’t you?” Juna replied. “Is it really okay for you to hug the young master like that?”

“Sure is,” she declared. “I’m an employee, sure, but I’m ‘the employee who’s aimin’ to become the second wife by supportin’ the young master, and maybe knock the first wife out of the picture if things go well.’”

“Don’t go changing our backstory!” I objected. “And come on, that’s a weirdly messy backstory.”

“So Juna’s gonna be callin’ me ‘you vixen.’”

“I-Is that the sort of role I’m playing?”

“Don’t take her so seriously, Juna,” I said. “Besides, in her case, Roroa should be a tanuki instead...”

“Ponpokopon!”

“Yeah, yeah. Real cute.”

When I patted Roroa, who was miming slapping her belly, on the head, she grinned. Did tanuki in this world drum on their bellies...? Well, it wasn’t like the ones in my original world did that in real life.

“Hee hee! When I see Roroa, it seems silly to hold myself back at all.” Juna hooked her arm around my other open arm. “We don’t get the opportunity often enough, so spoil me, too, darling.”

“Erm... Sure. I’ll do my best to escort you.”

While we were talking about that, Kaede, who belonged to a fox beastman race, was watching us from a little ways away with her head tilted to the side. “Vixen? Is that something Ruby will call me, too?”

“In your case, she wouldn’t even be wrong,” Halbert said wearily. “Please, just try to get along.”

“Well, we’ll have to bring a gift back for her, then. But, before you tell me that, try being that considerate yourself, Hal.”

“Yes, ma’am...” Hal’s shoulders slumped.

Ever since he’d taken Ruby as his second wife, he’d completely lost control of the situation. Well, not that I was one to talk.

Next to Hal and Kaede, Tomoe was riding on Aisha’s shoulders. “Look, Aisha! There’s a place selling steamed potatoes over there!”

“Oh, you’re right. They look delicious,” Aisha replied, drooling.

Having been unable to go to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, if you excluded the no doubt difficult time she’d spent as a refugee, this was Tomoe’s first time traveling outside the country. She was eleven now, so she must be as excited as an elementary school student on her first overnight field trip to the forest or sea. She was standing out a little, but it looked like she was enjoying herself, so I let it slide.

“Ah! Hey, darlin’... Er, no, young master. C’mere a minute.” Suddenly, Roroa pulled me over in front of a certain merchant’s stall.

I looked, wondering what it could be about, and it appeared to be a place selling apparel. “Is there something you want? If it’s not that expensive, I could buy it for you...”

“That’s not it. No, if you wanna buy me somethin’, I’m glad, but that’s not it. Take a look at what they’re sellin’ here.” Roroa lifted up one of the items on sale and held it out to me.

When I took it from her, it turned out to be an ornate metal hair pin. It was designed with a tree motif, but... This was incredible. The designs being used were highly intricate. The details of each leaf were carved in, and I could even make out a bird sitting in the branches.

“This fish earring over here has every scale carefully carved in, too,” Juna said.

“This donkey broach, too,” Aisha said, setting down Tomoe. “The reins are done with a chain, but they’re really detailed.”

They continued voicing how impressed they were. It was true; each of the products was finely detailed.

The bunny-eared old lady who was running the shop spoke up. “Why, hello there, young’un. Those’re some fine young ladies ya’ve got with ya there. Why don’tcha buy ’em some of my wares as a present? It’ll show ’em what a man you are, y’know?”

The bunny-eared old lady laughed heartily and spoke in that merchant slang I always heard as Kansai dialect. If she had rabbit ears, did that mean she belonged to the white rabbit race? Hearing about rabbit beastmen, I had imagined bunny girls, but... Yeah, well, there was a whole race of them, so of course there would be people of her age, too.

I picked up one of her products and asked, “I like this one, and want to buy it, but is it a work by a famous craftsman?”

“Nah, they make ’em at workshops everywhere. It’s nothin’ that expensive.”

“Huh? At the workshop over there?”

Could something so intricate be made so easily? I had my doubts.

Roroa puffed up her chest and proudly explained. “The accessories made in the Republic of Turgis are famous for their detailed ornamentation. A whole lotta merchants’ll come here in the summer lookin’ to get their hands on ’em.”

“Turgis ends up gettin’ buried in snow durin’ the winter, after all,” the bunny-eared old lady put in. “We can’t go out very far, so many of us stay in our houses, doin’ work there. We’ve been livin’ that way for a few centuries, so we Turgish people are good at workin’ with our hands.”

I see...so that’s how it is. While I was busy being impressed, Roroa grinned boldly.

“Hey, young master. If Turgish craftsmen can do such detailed work, don’tcha think they’d be able to help with makin’ those things you’ve been thinkin’ about for a while?”

“Those things...? Oh, those!”

It was true, there was a thing I had been thinking of making for a while, but the development project hadn’t made much headway, given the level of the craftsmen in our country. But maybe the craftsmen of this country would be able to make them. If what the old lady said was true, there were highly capable craftsmen everywhere in this country. We might be able to not only develop them, but also push them into mass production.

The Republic of Turgis... I’d thought they had nothing, but they were hiding immense potential. I turned to the old lady who ran the shop.

“Ma’am, I’m going to buy a number of these, so could you introduce me to a craftsperson who lives near here, and is good at their work?”

“Thanks for your business. Well, why don’t ya try goin’ to the Ozumi Workshop? Taru’s young, but capable. The kid’s a little shy, and can be stubborn when it comes to her work, but if I write ya a letter of introduction, you’ll be treated well.”

“Please do. Oh! Roroa, Juna, Aisha, Tomoe, if there’s something here you’d like, you can buy it.”

Roroa reacted immediately. “That’s my dar... Er, no, my young master! Whew, so generous!”

“Thank you, darling,” Juna added. “Tomoe, would you like to choose ours together?”

“Huh...? Oh, sure!”

Juna, who knew it made a man look better if she didn’t hesitate at times like this, bowed once, then invited Tomoe, who tended to hold back at times like this, to look at the lady’s wares with her.

These were women with complicated backgrounds, but when you saw them in front of an accessories shop, giggling this way, it was reassuring how like any other young girl the two of them were.

“This is perfect, Hal,” Kaede said. “You should buy your gift for Ruby here.”

“Sure. Oh! But can you help me pick one out? I’ll buy one for you, too, of course, Kaede.”

“I guess I’ll have to. But I expect you to choose mine yourself, you know?”

“Uh, right.”

It looked like Kaede and Hal were planning to buy something here, too.

“I think gold will go nicely with Ruby’s red hair, you know,” Kaede suggested.

“Yeah, you could be right. I feel like silver’d be a match for your golden hair.”

“Hee hee, I think you have good taste, Hal.”

The two of them had that sort of sweet conversation while looking at the shop’s wares.

Wait, huh...? Where did Aisha go?

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen Aisha for a while now.

I looked around the area and spotted Aisha a little ways away with two messenger kuis perched on her shoulders. It looked like she’d received a letter.

For some reason, I recalled the day when she’d received word of a natural disaster striking the God-Protected Forest. Try as I might to forget the look of anguish on Aisha’s face that time, I couldn’t.

I waited tensely, wondering what sort of news had come, but there was no change in Aisha’s expression. Then, having finished the letter, Aisha came over my way.

“Was there a message for us?” I asked.

“Yes. Two letters from Lady Liscia.”

“From Liscia?”

“Yes. The first was addressed to me, and the second to you, sire.”

With that, Aisha passed a single unsealed letter to me. While accepting it, I tilted my head questioningly. She’d sent separate letters to Aisha and me?

“Did something happen in the capital?” I asked.

“Well...in my letter, she asked me to do something specific.”

“Something specific?”

“I’m sorry. She wrote not to tell you what the letter said, sire.” Aisha bowed her head apologetically.

I had even less of an idea what was going on now. I’d have to look at what my own letter said.

Let’s see...

“Dear Souma,

I think this letter will arrive together with another for Aisha, so have Aisha read hers first. Make sure you read this letter after that.”

That was how the letter started.

I didn’t really get it, but she seemed insistent. Aisha seemed to have read hers already, so I could probably continue. I kept reading, and...

“Huh...?”

When I spotted a certain passage, I suddenly felt like I’d been hit in the head.

Whuh...? Was this for real? Was she serious? No... She had to be. There was no point in telling a lie like this. Which meant... Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!

“Wh-What’s wrong?!”

I must have had quite the look on my face, because Aisha started shaking my shoulder. That snapped me back to my senses, but there was still a cold sweat running down my back and my knees were shaking.

Seriously? I mean, seriously?

I turned my head toward Aisha like a broken tin robot. “I’m going home.”

“Huh?”

“I’m going back to the kingdom right now!” I declared to everyone with bloodshot eyes.

Thinking back later, I don’t think I was quite sane at the time. Every plan I’d had in my head up until that point slipped away. After all, my entire mind was now completely occupied by a certain thing written in Liscia’s letter.

That one sentence sent me into a confused state of shock and delight. It said...

I’m pregnant.

“I called Dr. Hilde to come and look at me, so I’m certain of it. Oh! Dr. Hilde was pregnant, too. I felt bad for calling her in. She says it’s Dr. Brad’s. They didn’t seem to get along that well, so it’s kind of surprising, huh?”

It was true, I was surprised, but I didn’t care about that now!

While reading the letter, I wanted to poke fun at Liscia. The letter continued, “But anyhow...”

It was an awfully roundabout way of writing things. Maybe Liscia had been feeling tense herself while writing it.

“This is our child. Are you happy? You’re happy, right?”

Damn straight I was! No, it wasn’t like my mind had fully processed that fact yet, but I was just as happy as I was surprised. If Liscia were here now, I would have hugged her, without a doubt. The hands I was holding the letter with were shaking.

“By the way, the one most ecstatic about the news was our chamberlain, Marx, who’s been constantly pressuring us to produce an heir. He shed a flood of tears, then stood up and declared, ‘I must prepare a room and clothing for the young prince at once!’ and went straight to work. Even though we don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl yet.”

What’re you doing, Marx? I thought. I was glad he was happy, though.

“I’m very happy,” the letter said. “To be able to bear your child. I can say this now that I’m pregnant, but I was a little worried. You know, because you’re from another world, right? Lady Tiamat was saying that while we were both human, our origins were different, so I wondered if we could have kids, and what I was going to do if we couldn’t. It looks like I was worried in vain, though.”

Liscia...

I couldn’t bear to sit still any longer. I wanted to fly to Liscia’s side right away. I was dominated by that feeling, and tried to one-sidedly declare to everyone that we would be turning back to the Kingdom before taking off running.

However...

“F-Forgive me!” Aisha suddenly jumped on me from behind, forcing me to the ground.

“Gwah!”

With her arms wrapped around my back, I was like a fugitive being restrained by the authorities.

Underneath Aisha, I struggled to break free from her hold.

“L-Let go, Aisha! I have to go to Liscia...”

“I don’t know why, but Lady Liscia asked me to do this!”

Huh? Liscia did?

When I stopped resisting, Aisha thrust her own letter in my face.

“Dear Aisha,” it said, “If Souma says he’s going home after reading my letter to him, restrain him. Then tell him to read his letter carefully, and do as it says. Also, until you’ve restrained him, keep what this letter says a secret.”

It looked like Liscia had predicted my response to reading the letter. I gave up and, standing up, I continued reading.

“You can be overprotective when it comes to family, so I’m sure you’ll want to come home when you read this, but...you can’t, okay? You won’t have many chances to look around another country freely, so make sure you do it this time.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I have Serina and Carla, who both rushed here when they heard, waiting on me hand and foot, and I’m thinking of going to stay with my parents until the baby is born. My father’s old domain is quieter than the capital, and it’s in the rustic countryside. I’ll go ask them all sorts of questions about how to raise a child. So, Souma, you do what you need to be doing now, too.”

It seemed Liscia had carefully planned out things on her own end. It didn’t seem like I had anything to worry about, but... Even with that said, it was in my nature as a man to worry anyway, you know?

Still, with Liscia telling me all that, I guessed I couldn’t abandon what I was doing and turn back now.

When my shoulders slumped, the last line of the letter caught my eye.

“P.S. You can start putting your hands on your other fiancées now.”

Liscia... At the very end, that was what she’d decided to write? Maybe it was her way of masking her embarrassment.

Whatever the case, I decided to show everyone else the letter. The old lady minding the shop looked at us dubiously when we all moved away for a minute to whisper about it, but right now our family issues took priority.

When they saw the letter, everyone was surprised for a moment, but they all congratulated me.

“My word!” Aisha exclaimed. “This is a happy occasion indeed!”

“How wonderful,” Juna smiled. “Congratulations, sire.”

“I’d say the succession’s secure for now, huh?” Roroa smirked. “Geh heh heh! Ya think it’ll be one of our turns next?”

“Congratulations, Big Brother!” Tomoe cried.

“Congratulations,” Kaede agreed. “Now your house is secure. If this weren’t a foreign country, I’d want to cry out, ‘Glory to Friedonia,’ you know.”

“Congrats,” said Halbert. “Souma a father, huh... It’s kind of moving, as a guy from the same generation.”

“Does this get you in the mood to finally make an heir for the House of Magna?” Kaede asked him.

“My old man’s still the current head of the house. But...it makes me think it might be good to, yeah.”

Hal and Kaede seemed to have a good mood going. They were going to use another house’s good news to start flirting, huh? Well, not that I minded.

I stuffed the letter in my pocket and beckoned to Roroa.

“Roroa, come here a minute.”

“Hm? What’s up... Wait, whoa?!”

I stuck my hands under Roroa’s armpits, and lifted her up high like a child.

Roroa was petite, so even with my weak arms, I was easily able to lift her. If I’d chosen the tall Aisha, or the shapely Juna, I doubt I could have done it.

With Roroa held up in the air, I spun around in place.

“What what what what?!” Roroa sounded uncharacteristically flustered.

After spinning around a good bit, I released my hands and caught her in my arms as she fell. Roroa’s eyes were spinning.

“Wh-What are you doin’ to me...out of nowhere?!”

“Sorry,” I said. “I got kind of excited. Really, I wanted to do that to Liscia, but she’s not here. I did it with you because you’ve got the closest figure to hers.”

“Murgh... I’m not so keen on bein’ Big Sister Cia’s substitute, but, well, it was fun for me, so I’ll let ya get away with it. But, y’know, isn’t it kinda rare for you to let loose like that, darlin’?”

“Yeah... Well, it’s just for today, so let it go.”

I mean, I’d made a baby. A new member of the family. With Grandpa and Grandma’s deaths, I’d lost the last people I could call family. That was why, feeling that Liscia and Tomoe were something like family, I wanted to protect them.

Now, with Liscia and me having conceived a child, we’d gone from being something like family to an actual family. There was nothing that could make me happier.

“If we were at the castle now, I’d probably be proposing a system of childcare support!” I declared, gripping my fists and speaking passionately.

“Well, I can’t see that bein’ anythin’ less than excessive,” said Roroa, looking taken aback. “Maybe it’s a good thing we’ve gotten you away from the castle for a while to cool down.”

Yeah, I had to agree.

Hal exasperatedly asked, “So? In the end, what are we doing now?”

“Hrm...” I said. “I want to fly back now, but Liscia said not to yet...”

“You’re the king, so you should prioritize looking around this country, like Lady Liscia was saying,” Juna advised.

“That’s right,” chided Roroa. “Ya need to keep the kingdom developin’. For the people in it now, and for the kid who’s gonna be born, too.”

For the kid who was going to be born, huh... If she put it that way, I couldn’t say anything back.

“Fine,” I said. “There’s no change in plans. We’ll start by going to that workshop we’ve got an introduction to.”

Having settled that, we went back to the woman and her shop.

“What is it, young man?” the shopkeeper asked. “You’re all done talkin’ now?”

“Yeah. Now, where is this Ozumi Workshop you mentioned?”

Ya can see it from this town. Look, it’s up on that there hill,” the woman said, pointing to the hill at the back end of the town.

It was a grassy hill with a gentle slope. There were woods on both sides, and it looked like a skiing hill during the summer. There was still snow left here and there in the woods; even if we watched it all year, it probably wouldn’t fully melt.

There was a red brick building halfway up that hill. I could see it adjacent to the woods. Was that the Ozumi Workshop?

We settled the bill for the things we were buying, had the old lady write us a letter of introduction, and headed for that building at once.

Leaving the town of Noblebeppu, we spent the next thirty minutes traveling aboard a rocky carriage. Then we wound up standing outside a building made of brick: the Ozumi Workshop.

That workshop, which stood in the middle of a field of tall grass with a forest behind it, had a chimney. It looked like, in addition to producing accessories here, they also handled blacksmithing. Convenient.

Having been told Taru was shy, it seemed likely I would surprise her if I dragged a bunch of folks decked out as adventurers in with me, so we left Aisha and the others by the carriage while Juna, Roroa, Tomoe, and I went inside.

From the looks of it, they didn’t have a sales counter. The building was a ways out, so they probably sold their wares wholesale in town. I could hear the sound of something being pounded inside.

I knocked on the door, but no one came to answer. Had no one heard me? There seemed to be someone inside, so I tried knocking again, and after a little while, the door slowly opened.

A girl with a bandana wrapped around her head came out. “Who is it...?”

The girl was petite and had a baby face. I put her at around fifteen to sixteen years old. Even though it was so cold out, she wore a short-sleeved shirt, long pants, and a blacksmith’s apron. In her gloved hands, she held a hammer that seemed incongruous with her petite form. Could this be the craftsperson the old lady had been talking about?

“Erm, excuse me... Would you happen to be Madam Taru?” I asked, standing up straight.

The girl cocked her head to the side and looked at me with sleepy eyes. “Yes, I am. What is it?”

Dealing with you is tiring. If you have no business here, go home. That was what her general demeanor seemed to say.

Some people may have gotten offended at this point, but I was used to dealing with people like Genia, so I didn’t think much of it.

I bowed politely, then introduced myself. “I’ve come here with an introduction from a lady in Noblebeppu. My name is Kazuma Souya.”

Naturally, I used a fake name. Because if my name got out, not to mention all the other members of our group, it was bound to turn into a hassle.

I then introduced the rest of us. “This is my wife, Juna, my younger sister, Tomoe, and my employee, Roroa.”

“I’m Juna. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“I-I-I’m Tomoe.”

“Roroa. Nice to meet ya.”

“Taru Ozumi. Nice to meet you.”

I felt like Taru relaxed her guard a little after the girls introduced themselves. Well, hearing Tomoe’s stuttering introduction would warm anyone’s heart.

When Taru took off her bandanna and introduced herself, I noticed two bear ears on top of her head. She was a bear beastman? I guessed that would make her a member of the snow bear race, one of the Five Races of the Snowy Plains. The atmosphere had lightened a little, so I immediately got to the point of our visit.

“I saw the accessories made by this country’s craftspeople in Noblebeppu, and oh, my, was I ever impressed. Looking at the detailed and fine ornamentation on them, I could tell you must all be very skilled with your hands. It made me think that, if we used this country’s craftspeople, we might be able to make a certain thing that I’ve been planning to have made. I asked if there were any good craftspeople around, and the lady I was speaking to gave me an introduction to this place. Are you willing to listen to the rest of what I have to say?”

“Come in...” Taru gestured for us to come inside the workshop.

I was thinking, Phew... I managed to speak smoothly, like the young son of a businessman, but...

“Also, talk normally. I’m sure you’re older than me. Besides, I doubt you’re used to talking that way.”

It looked like Taru saw through me completely.

Seeing me awkwardly scratch the back of my head, Roroa bit back a laugh.

Hey, no laughing! I’m embarrassed here!

When we were brought into the workshop, the roaring flame of the furnace made the place fairly warm. No wonder Taru could dress so lightly. We took off our coats, too, but when Tomoe removed my handmade white mage hood, Taru’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re a dog... No. A wolf beastman?”

“Oh, yes!” Tomoe beamed. “From the mystic wolf race.”

Taru looked to me as if she wanted to ask something. “Wasn’t she supposed to be your sister?”

Oh... That was what was bothering her, huh. Fair enough, since Tomoe and I weren’t the same race, and our faces didn’t look alike at all. We must not have looked like siblings.

“From another mother,” I said. “It’s a family matter, so I’d appreciate if you didn’t pry too deeply.”

“I see...”

I made it sound like there was a difficult story involved, and Taru didn’t ask any more. When it came to topics like this, even if she was interested, it was best to let them slide, after all.

With that, Taru led the way, and just as we were about to take a seat at a table, I noticed something odd leaning against the wall in the corner of the room.

It was pole-shaped, but both ends bulged slightly. If this were an RPG, I’d probably call it a cudgel. It had a distinctive design with a long, thick centipede wrapped around it that continued down to where the wielder would hold it. I thought it looked cool, but I wasn’t so sure about it as a weapon.

While I was looking at it dubiously, Taru asked, “Do you like it?”

“Oh, I mean, it’s an impressive design, that’s for sure, but...”

I didn’t want to say anything weird about her products, so I avoided answering the question, but Taru just shrugged as if to say, I know what you want to say.

“It’s fine. Your view is perfectly normal. What’s abnormal is the taste of the idiot who ordered it.”

“Idiot? Really? Um, this is your customer you’re talking about, isn’t it?”

“I know him well, and I call him that to his face.”

Someone she’d call an “idiot with no taste” to his face? What was this person like, and what was Taru’s relationship with him?

Well, setting aside the weird cudgel, it was time to get our business taken care of. Taru waited for everyone to be seated then asked, “So, what is it you want me to make?”

“Could you make something like this?” I used a feather pen to draw on a pad of paper I had prepared in advance to explain exactly what sort of thing I wanted.

When she saw my drawing, Taru tilted her head to the side. “The shape itself is simple. But I think it would be incredibly difficult.”

“I thought so,” I sighed.

“The fact that you want it ‘as thin as possible’ but also ‘sturdy’ is especially hard. If it was one or the other, I could manage it, but balancing both is pretty difficult. Around how many will you want?”

“The more the better. I want them in the thousands or tens of thousands. I’m not saying I want to make them all here, of course. I’ll be having this same conversation with other craftspeople, too.”

“Tens of thousands?” Taru said in surprise, staring closely at me with her sleepy-looking eyes.

“Wh-What?” I asked. “So, can you make them?”

“Before I answer, I want you to tell me one thing,” Taru said in a serious tone. “How exactly will they be used?”

I was silent.

How they’d be used, huh. I was making a strange request, so it was only natural she’d be curious.

But was it okay for me to say why here? It would be one thing inside my own country, but this was a foreign land. They were something I needed, but I honestly didn’t want to reveal too much about the revolutionary new information my country had.

“Do I really have to say?” I asked.

“You do. Or I won’t make them, and I won’t refer you elsewhere.”

She was being blunt about it, so I whispered to Roroa, “What do you think?”

“I know you don’t wanna say why, darlin’, but lookin’ at what she’s made, I’m thinkin’ this girl here can make what you’re after.”

“Then, do you think it’s okay to reveal how they’ll be used?”

“I dunno. If we’re gonna procure a whole load of ’em, that’s more than this workshop’s gonna be able to handle alone, so we’ve gotta hope whoever’s in charge of this country ain’t too hard-headed...”

“It all comes down to that, in the end...” I murmured.

While we were whispering back and forth, Taru slowly pulled out the neck portion of her apron, pulling something out from between her apron and shirt. What she held out toward us was an obsidian arrowhead. It looked like she’d been wearing it as a necklace. The arrowhead was polished, and had a dull shine to it.

While holding it, Taru said, “This arrowhead was a lesson from my grandfather, the blacksmith.”

“It’s from your grandpa?” I asked.

“‘A bow and arrow can be used to hunt animals and fill people’s stomachs, but it can also be used as a weapon to kill people. The arrowhead is a part of the bow and arrow. Even if it’s just one part of a product we craftspeople are making, we must know how the things we make will be used.’”

Taru looked straight into my eyes as she spoke.

“For a craftsperson, it is their duty to know how what they make will be used. If something I made were used for evil, that would make me very sad. That’s why I don’t make things when I don’t know how they’ll be used. I can’t.”

“What happened to your grandpa?” I asked.

“He passed away last year.”

“I see...”

This was a girl who took her grandpa’s words to heart as she ran her workshop. I had lost my own grandfather just last year (though that year had switched to this world’s calendar for me partway through), so I felt a strange kinship with her. I always had a weakness for hearing stories like this. The human part inside me said, “Can’t you just tell her?” while the part of me that was a ruler said, “Be cautious in all things.”

While I was seriously agonizing over what to do, I suddenly felt something cold in my hand. When I looked, Juna, who was sitting next to me, had placed her left hand on top of my right. I looked at her in surprise, but Juna didn’t say anything, just smiled quietly.

Please, do what you want.

I felt like she was telling me that. In that instant, my heart felt a lot lighter, to the point that Juna’s cold hand felt good to me.

Well...okay then. Taru seemed to have thought hard on the matter, so it was probably safe to tell her.

Having decided that, I asked Taru a question.

“Can I trust this will remain confidential?”

“Are these dangerous?” she asked.

“No, that’s not it. Well, if they were misused, they could be, but the same could be said of a knife, right? This is one part of a tool that will save lives.”

“A tool that will save lives?” Taru tilted her head to the side questioningly, and I firmly nodded in response.

“What I’m thinking of making is a hypodermic needle.”

In persuading Brad and Hilde to become the two pillars of my medical reforms, I’d made two promises:

The first was to make a national health care system which would allow any citizen of the kingdom to receive medical treatment. The second was to have the top smiths in the country make scalpels, needles for suturing, and other medical equipment.

To secure the funding fulfilling the first of these, I had prioritized raising taxes. There was still a long way to go, but things were making steady progress.

As for the latter, the development of medical equipment, it was going well in some parts, and not so well in others.

The medicine in this world was mainly light elemental magic (recovery magic), and herbs brewed by a medicine man or woman (medicinal baths), and surgery was only practiced in a truly limited number of places. The tools made by one extremely rare example of a surgeon, Brad, were needed to specially order for himself. While he had developed scalpels, stitches, and syringes on his own, there were limits to how functional they were. He had been unable to make his scalpels small, and his syringes were considerably larger than what I had been used to seeing.

His funds for research were probably limited, so it was hard to blame him, but it was still putting a lot of strain on the patients. That being the case, I wanted to set out on a national project to improve our medical equipment. I had been able to produce tools that satisfied Brad and Hilde for now, but I couldn’t bring them into mass production yet.

Even if I had one craftsperson who could make thin hypodermic needles, there were limits to how many that one person could make. They weren’t being produced in a factory, so that was a given, and there weren’t many craftspeople capable of manufacturing a thin needle. In the current situation where we were trying to increase the number of doctors, we were obviously short on equipment. Because the medical equipment couldn’t be immediately reused, and it had to be boiled again for each patient, the number required increased.

So, we were having difficulty producing medical equipment, but it seemed there were many talented craftspeople in this country who could do detailed ornamental work, so I thought it might be possible to set up mass production in this country.

Our country was currently studying many fields, and we were short of hands everywhere, so I thought it might be best, while protecting our existing smiths, to leave what could be left to other countries to those other countries.

While thinking about that, I explained the use of a hypodermic needle to Taru. Because surgery itself was unknown in the Republic of Turgis, I had to start with that, so it took a rather long time.

Once I had given her the rundown, Taru’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “In the kingdom, you can heal people without mages that use light elemental magic? I think that’s incredible.”

“Y-You do?” I asked.

“In this country, the ground is covered with snow from October to March. Those with weak legs can’t even go outside properly. If we had at least one doctor in every village, I think it would be a lot easier to live here.”

“Well, it’s a real considerate policy the king’s puttin’ forward.” Roroa grinned at me as she said that.

It was a compliment, so I didn’t mind that much, but still.

Taru crossed her arms and frowned. “I understand these hypodermic needles are important. I think that, with our country’s craftspeople, you should be able to mass-produce them, too. I want to take on the challenge. It’s a job that’ll set my heart dancing, I think.”

“Oh! Then you’ll...”

...take the job, I was about to say, but Taru held up two fingers.

“Still, even if I make them, there are two major problems with bringing them to the kingdom. First, exporting weapons to another country requires clearance from the state. If it’s just adventurers buying weapons for personal use and carrying them out, they won’t be accused of anything, but if we’re exporting a product in large quantities, we need government clearance. It’s the same in the Kingdom of Friedonia, too, right?”

“Well...yes, it is...”

It was true, our country also managed the import and export of weapons.

Not quite on the level of Edo Era prohibitions on guns coming into the city and women going out, but...excessive amounts of weapons being brought into the country from elsewhere could be a threat to peace. If the weapons were brought out of the country, that lowered our ability to defend ourselves, and if they were brought in, that could foreshadow a rebellion. That was why, in any country, arbitrary importation and exportation of weapons was clamped down on.

“But needles aren’t weapons, are they?” I said.

“If that’s the case, you will need to prove that to the authorities. No country has had needles before this, so it will be difficult to tell at a glance whether they’re weapons or not. If we try dealing them without a guarantee they aren’t weapons, there’s the risk of problems.”

“If it’s just needles, surely no one will think they’re weapons, right?”

“Even if they aren’t weapons themselves, it’ll all be over if they’re suspected of being weapon parts.”

“I see your point...”

Unfortunately, Taru was right.

It was true, if someone unfamiliar with syringes saw a hypodermic needle on its own, they wouldn’t be fully confident it wasn’t a weapon. If we had to explain their usage every time we were stopped at the entrance of a city or at the border, that would be a hassle, and there was no guarantee they’d believe us. It looked like I’d need to seek permission from this country to import and export them, after all.

But this country was a republic, right? They did, technically, have a head of state. But until I saw the balance of power between their head of state and the Council of Chiefs, I couldn’t be sure who to persuade. It was a total drag.

I needed to think about this more carefully.

“So, what’s the other problem?” I asked.

“It’s about shipping. The winters in this country are long. The land is closed off by snow, and the sea is coated with ice. You said you wanted tens of thousands, so that means there’s a continuous need for them, right? That’s one thing in the summer, but how do you mean to transport them in winter, when the land and sea routes are unusable?”

“I wonder...” I could only hold my head. It was true, shipping would be a problem.

Even in the Kingdom of Friedonia, the south was locked in snow and ice in the winter. It seemed like it would be really difficult to secure shipments from the Republic of Turgis, where the winters were longer and harsher. This being a foreign country, I couldn’t roll out a transportation network.

I asked Roroa in a whisper, “Can we only trade with them in the summer for now? Well, even for that, we’d need to get official clearance, I’m sure. What do you think?”

Roroa brought a hand to her mouth and thought about it before quietly responding. “Yeah... But if you’ve decided on doin’ it, darlin’, I think ya should negotiate directly with their top officials. If ya try to keep pushin’ things forward as a merchant, it’ll take time for reports of what’s goin’ on to filter upward.”

“Don’t negotiate under a fake name, but as Souma Kazuya, you’re saying?”

“Ya can’t very well meet the people in charge while wearin’ a mask, now can ya?”

“Fair enough,” I said. “Well, I guess we need to take this matter back home with us then. Just when it looked like we could mass-produce them, too...”

While my shoulders slumped in resignation, Taru looked at us funny. “I thought you were the young master and his employee? You look like you’re acting as equals to me.”

Urkh... That had been unnatural just now, hadn’t it? Roroa always felt like my partner when it came to business like this.

“Mwahaha, ya think so?” Roroa snickered. “Well, I’m not just any ol’ employee, I’m his mistress with his wife Juna’s approval, after all!”

With that, Roroa hugged my arm tight. Wait, a mistress my wife approved of?!

What kind of ridiculous backstory is that?! Now I have to play along with it?!

I wanted to complain, but we were in front of Taru, so I held back.

Roroa was smiling happily as she looked at me. Why that little... She knew I couldn’t correct her here, so she’d laid it on even thicker.

The air seemed to have frozen over. While Juna was smiling, there was a strange intensity to it, and Tomoe panicked when she saw her face.

Sensing the unease in the air, Taru backed away a little.

“Is this...your family situation, too?”

“I’d appreciate if you didn’t pry...” That was all I could manage to say.

Suddenly, Juna stood up. “Darling, we will be excusing ourselves for a moment.”

“Huh, Juna?”

She had the same plastered-on smile as before. Then she stood behind Roroa and planted her hands on her shoulders.

Roroa’s expression instantly stiffened. This was a cool country, but she was obviously sweating buckets.

“U-Um, Ju... Madam, is somethin’ the matter?” Roroa turned just her neck to look at Juna.

She smiled as she said, “Why don’t the two of us go get a breath of fresh air together?”

“No... I wanna stay here...y’know...”

“Don’t be like that. Come with me. Miss Roroa, the mistress I personally approve of.”

There was a weight to those words that would brook no argument.

It was said “the quieter the person, the scarier they were once mad,” and it looked like Juna was that type.

Roroa shot a look in my direction. Her eyes cried, H-Help me!

But I simply shook my head in silence. You joked around too much, Roroa. Deal with it.

I-I just got a li’l carried away!

Make your excuses to Juna...

Noooooo...

“Hee hee! Shall we be on our... Hm?”

Just as Juna was preparing to drag Roroa off, it happened.

Thump... Thump... There was an earthshaking sound off in the distance. At the same time, the room shook. It was a low magnitude quake.

The tools hanging on the walls were rattling. The sound and shaking were getting louder and louder.

“What’s goin’ on? Is this an earthquake?” Roroa asked.

“It seems...a little strange for that to be the case,” Juna said.

“Tomoe, if the shaking gets any stronger, you take shelter under the table,” I ordered.

“R-Right!”

While we were panicking, Taru’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Not only that, it seemed a little cold, and she sighed as she said, “This isn’t an earthquake. It’s just an idiot coming.”

“An idiot?” I asked.

Then the shaking subsided, and Hal rushed into the workshop. “Hey! There’s this huge thing outside!”

Huge thing?

When we all went outside, there was this huge, hairy thing just standing there. It was there right when we opened the door, so I let out a “Whoa,” despite myself, and my head went back in shock. Then, in that moment, I saw the hairy thing’s face.

Its long, fat nose.

Its four big, tough tusks.

The surprisingly beady eyes that peeked out from beneath its bushy hair. If I were to describe the creature looming in front of me...

A four-tusked mammoth?!

Its body hair was long enough to touch the ground, and its legs were pretty short, but that seemed like an apt description of the creature. I knew the people of this country kept long-haired creatures as free-range cattle. However, it was too much for me to instantly recognize this thing in front of me as a mammoth.

One time, when Grandpa had taken me to an event at the science museum, I’d seen a reproduction of a mammoth’s skeleton. Its height from the ground to its shoulder blades had been four, maybe five meters.

The one in front of me looked to be about ten meters.

I was used to seeing massive creatures like the rhinoceroses and dragons, but that felt a little different from seeing an upsized version of a creature from my old world.

Then the four-tusked mammoth bent its front legs and sat down. In that instant, its hair touched the ground and spread out. Even seated, it was still huge. It was probably only two, three meters lower.

While I was thinking that, a voice that sounded like it belonged to a young man came down from above. “Hm? That’s unusual. Don’t usually see so many people at this workshop.”

The mammoth spoke!

Yeah...no. That couldn’t be right.

It sounded like a young man’s voice, so he was probably riding on top of this mammoth.

“Sire, get behind me.” Aisha rushed over to stand in front of me.

Hal and Kaede were tensed and ready for action, too, while Juna was subtly waiting by my side.

Maybe because such a massive animal had shown up all of a sudden, everyone had gone into battle mode.

Roroa, being a non-combatant, had taken Tomoe and evacuated to a spot a little further away. Probably sensing our unease, the voice up top turned threatening.

“Who’re you guys? You’re not planning to attack this workshop are you?”

“Huh?! No, we’re not! We’re...”

“Oookyakya!” Before I could explain, someone jumped down from the mammoth.

The one who flipped in midair before landing was a white monkey beastman. A white monkey... Did he belong to the snow monkey race, one of the Five Races of the Snowy Plains, maybe?

He stood around one hundred and sixty centimeters high, and appeared to be fifteen, maybe sixteen, at a glance. Rather than having a full monkey face, he had large ears and long sideburns, and what you’d call monkey-like features.

Even in this cool climate, he wore a short-sleeved shirt and half-length pants, and the arms and legs sprouting from them had thick hair the same color as the hair on his head. He had a long tail like a lemur’s growing out of his half-length pants, and if I were to quickly describe him, he looked like a live-action version of Sun Wukong (white monkey version) from Journey to the West. That (white) Sun Wukong thrust his hand out as if striking a pose.

“Oookyakya! You’ve got real nerve, trying to force your way into Taru’s workshop! I, the great Kuu Taisei, show no mercy in the face of such insolence! I hope you’re ready to...”

“Master Kuu!” a weak voice called from on top of his mammoth. A girl with rabbit ears poked her head out and shouted, “Please, don’t suddenly pick fights with people!”

This girl of about seventeen was apparently a member of the white rabbit race, like the lady running the shop in town. Now this one felt more like a bunny girl, although she was wearing a thick duffel coat that didn’t show much skin.

The girl hopped down to stand beside Kuu. “If you cause a scene, your father will get mad again, you know?”

“Oookyah? But, Leporina, these guys are armed, so they’re bandits, right? You think I can stand by when Taru’s workshop’s about to be attacked?”

Bandits...? It looked like we’d been badly misunderstood.

The girl called Leporina put a hand on her hip and said, “Come on, that’s clearly not the case. Look over there. You see the little girl, right? What bandit brings a child with them on a raid? They’re just ordinary adventurers who were startled by your numoth, right?”

Having said that, Leporina stroked the...numoth’s (?) trunk with one hand while pointing to Roroa and Tomoe with the other.

Kuu’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Oookyah? You’re right, there is a cute girl.”

Before I could stop him, Kuu headed toward Roroa. Hiding Tomoe behind her, Roroa put her hands on her hips and glared at Kuu.

“Ah! Hey...” I began.

“What? I can’t have ya fallin’ for my pretty face,” Roroa said. “I’ve already got a man I’ve set my heart on.”

“Huh? I don’t have any business with someone like you who doesn’t have any.”

“Doesn’t have any...?” Roroa’s gaze drifted down to her own chest, then her eyes went wide.

While Roroa was letting out a silent exclamation of surprise, Kuu peeked around behind her.

He was after Tomoe?!

“You’re a cutie! What’s your name?”

“T-Tomoe...”

“Tomoe, huh! That’s a good name! Hey, Tomoe...”

“Y-Yes...?”

“Will you be my bride?”

With those words, the atmosphere froze over. The climate was already cold to begin with, but now it felt even more frigid.

Tomoe...his bride? They’d only just met, and this man was already trying to lay his hands on our cute little sister? Before I knew it, I could feel the anger emanating from Aisha beside me, too.

This was...a challenge to us, right?

We had to put him in his place.

“Aisha,” I said heatedly.

“What is it, sire? I feel like cutting up a monkey right now, you know.”

“I’ll allow it.”

The blood had risen to my head because he’d mocked Roroa, a member of my family, and tried to make a move on my little sister, Tomoe. Like, there was a story in my old world, wasn’t there? Slaying a demon monkey was a job for the dog, Shippeitarou. When I was about to sic the fierce dog Aisha on that insolent monkey...

“Both of you, calm down,” Juna ordered.

““Gwuh!””

Juna grabbed both of us by the back of our necks. Unable to breathe, I turned back to look at her, and Juna rebuked me, anger seeping into her smile.

“You two, this is another country, you realize? You both have your positions to consider, so please refrain from doing anything to cause trouble.”

“Uh, right...”

“S-Sorry.”

“Honestly... Now listen, sire, Madam Aisha.” Juna pressed a finger into my chest, then, with a powerful smile, she put her face between Aisha’s and mine and whispered in our ears, “In times like this, you have to dispose of him in a way that won’t be discovered.”

““Wha?!””

Aisha and I ended up staring at Juna despite ourselves.

Then Juna said, “Hee hee, just joking,” and gave us a charming smile.

While I was relieved it was a joke...having just witnessed how scary she was when she was angry, I doubted whether it really was a joke.

Maybe the anger I had seen seeping into her smile before hadn’t been directed at the two of us, and Juna was angry at Kuu’s behavior, too? When I looked at Juna, considering that...

“If I say it’s a joke, it’s a joke,” she insisted with a smile.

Yeah. Best not to think too much about it.

No matter how I thought about it, it would be provoking trouble I didn’t need to. Thanks to her, I had managed to mostly cool my head. For now, I was more worried about Tomoe and Roroa.

Looking over, Roroa was picking a fight with Kuu. “Hey, you! Ya said I ‘don’t have any,’ so what are ya doin’ tryin’ to seduce a little girl like her for, huh?!”

“Huh? Are you misunderstanding me? What I was saying you don’t have is fur, okay?”

“Huh? Fur?”

Seeing Roroa so taken aback, Kuu snickered. “I like girls like her who have furry ears and tails. That, and this girl looks like she’ll be a total knockout in ten years. I figured I’d make her an offer now. So, how about it? Will you be my wife?”

Whup, whup, whup, whup! Tomoe silently but vigorously shook her head back and forth.

From behind me, I felt an intense stare. When I turned back, Inugami, her bodyguard, was staring hard in this direction. He seemed to be hiding his bloodlust so his target wouldn’t notice, but the glint in his eyes said, Please, allow me to take out this trash.

Yeah... When there’s someone madder than you, don’t you find you suddenly calm down?

Having settled down, I approached Kuu. If nothing else, I had to acknowledge he had a keen eye to have recognized Tomoe’s cuteness. However, as her older brother, I wasn’t giving my little sister to a man she’d just met.

“You’re bothering my sister, so could I ask you to stop?” I asked coldly.

Kuu’s eyes went wide. “Huh? You’re this girl’s big brother? You don’t look like it.”

“We have a complicated family situation.”

“Hmm... Well, it looks like she’s shot me down anyway, so I don’t have much choice. Oookyakya.” With that said, Kuu intertwined his fingers behind his head and grinned.

Seeing how he didn’t seem all that disappointed, the proposal just now must have been almost entirely a joke. Well, of course it had been. He’d only just met her, and Tomoe was still just a child. Unless he had that sort of predilection, there was no way he would propose to her seriously. It looked like we’d been the ones who needed to calm down.

Thinking about it, I realized we hadn’t exchanged greetings yet, and, after taking a breath, I extended my hand to him.

“I’m Kazuma Souya, a merchant here from the Kingdom of Friedonia to investigate possible trade goods. These people here are my family and employees.”

“Oh, that’s all. Tell me that in the first place.” Kuu accepted my hand and shook it vigorously. It kind of hurt. “I’m Kuu Taisei. Taru and I are childhood friends. I came because I figured the thing I ordered ought to be about finished, but then I saw there were these tough-looking guys with weapons surrounding the workshop. I figured you were getting ready to attack the place, so that put me on guard.”

“We could say the same,” I said. “When you rode in on this huge creature, it was only natural we’d be on our guard until we figured out what was up.”

“Oookyakya. No kidding. But my numoth is more docile than he looks.”

As if responding to Kuu, the numoth trumpeted loudly.

Hearing its voice, Tomoe came over to me and whispered in my ear, “Um, Mr. Numoth said, ‘I’m sorry for startling you, young lady.’”

“He’s surprisingly gentlemanly?!”

Maybe this numoth was a better person than his master...? Uh, no, he wasn’t a person, he was a pseudo-mammoth thing, but still.

Then Kuu asked a question. “So, why did you people come to this workshop? It’s outside town, isn’t it?”

“We came to visit because we heard there was a talented craftsperson here,” I said. “I thought maybe the person here could create the item I was thinking of as a trade good.”

“Oh! If you discovered Taru’s talent, you’ve got good taste. Taru may have no curves, but she’s got skills like no other black— Ow, that hurt!”

Kuu suddenly grabbed his head and squatted down. Standing behind him was Taru, brandishing the cudgel with the golden centipede design that had been leaning against the wall inside her workshop. It had made a good sound, so she must have hit Kuu upside the head with it.

Taru looked irritated. “Don’t say I have no curves. And don’t hit on girls in front of my business.”

“Oh-ho? You jealous?”

“Do you want me to hit you again?”

“Heh heh, I’ll pass... Wait, is that the thing I ordered?”

Kuu jumped up, snatched the cudgel from Taru’s hands, then spun it around like a windmill. He looked just like Sun Wukong swinging the Ruyi Bang around. After swinging the cudgel vertically and horizontally, and jumping around himself, Kuu suddenly stopped.

Ohhh, it was kind of like Chinese martial arts.

“It feels good. That’s my Taru. You do good work. I love you.”

“I don’t need your love,” Taru said. “I just want to be paid for my work.”

“I’ll pay. Jeez... You always play so hard to get,” Kuu said, pouting a little.

Huh? He had been just fine when Tomoe rejected him before, but he made this sort of face when Taru was cold to him?

Oh, I get it... So that’s how it is.

He was a really easy guy to figure out.

“Ah...” Taru said, seeming to have realized something. “This may be a good opportunity. Can we tell the dumb master about what we were talking about before? It might resolve one of our problems.”

“Erm... What were we talking about again?” I asked.

“The part about needing permission from this country to make a deal. The dumb master has connections to the higher ups in this country. After all...for all his shortcomings, he’s the current head of state’s son.”

Chapter 3: A Great Man Still in the Making

There wasn’t much point in our continuing this discussion outside, so we relocated to inside the workshop.

In addition to those who had been in the workshop before, this time Aisha came inside, too, as a bodyguard.

Having seen him swing that cudgel around, that Kuu kid was pretty experienced. That was why, in preparation for the unlikely event that things went badly, I wanted Aisha at our side.

While drinking the coffee Taru provided, I explained to Kuu my request to this workshop.

“...And, well, that’s the gist of it,” I finished at last.

There were medical reforms underway in the Kingdom of Friedonia, in the future there would be a shortage of medical equipment, and we were going to need to get the craftspeople in this country to mass-produce that equipment for us to import. We would also need to secure permission from the government so the medical equipment wouldn’t be misunderstood as weapons when exported.

Because Kuu was the son of their head of state, and it was unclear if the two countries could form cordial ties, I was hesitant to show too much of my hand. But I had already discussed all of this with Taru, so I decided we couldn’t trick him.

Incidentally, when I tried taking a formal tone in the discussions...

“Let’s do away with all the stuffy formality!” he declared cheerfully. “Yeah, I’m the son of our head of state, but we don’t know if the Council of Chiefs will let me inherit the position. Having people get all polite with me just makes my butt feel all itchy.”

So I opted to talk casually with him. He was awfully open, considering his position, but, well, who was I to talk?

Hearing what I had to say, Kuu thought for a moment, then let out a sigh. “Whew... Medical reforms, huh... That’s awesome. Is that what our neighbor’s doing? We don’t get much news from outside around here. Our access to news is so bad we have to get our information about what happens at the end and beginning of the year from the merchants who come in the summer. Like, we only heard the Elfrieden Kingdom had absorbed the Principality of Amidonia to become the Kingdom of Friedonia after the snow melted.”

Oh, he was right, that might be a bit slow.

The annexation of Amidonia had taken place from late fall to early winter last year. If he was saying the information hadn’t reached here until the spring of this year then yeah, that was pretty bad. It just showed how intense the snow was in this region. Maybe it was like having the evening edition and morning edition of the paper arrive at the same time.

“From what I hear, the king who was installed next door is pretty young, yeah?” Kuu added.

“He’ll be twenty this year,” I said.

Oh, but by the reckoning of this world’s calendar, I was twenty already, right? Well...whatever.

When he heard the (provisional) king was twenty, Kuu let out an abrasively loud laugh. “Twenty, huh! I’ll be sixteen this year, so he’s not much older than me!”

“Isn’t a four-year gap between humans and beastmen pretty big?”

Back when I was entering my first year of high school, this guy still would have been in elementary school, wouldn’t he?

“Nah.” Kuu shook his head with a laugh. “It’s a rounding error, nothing more. If it’s just four years, that’s still well within my strike zone.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Women, of course,” he said. “I’m down with anything from twelve to thirty.”

“I don’t care! You’re not laying a hand on Tomoe, got it?”

“That’s a darn sha— Ow! Hey, Taru, don’t hit me with that thing.”

Taru had whacked Kuu in the head with the tray she had used to bring in the coffee. It made a pretty loud bong sound. This girl didn’t hold back when taking shots at the son of their head of state.

Taru held on to the tray and snorted. “Dumb master, your vulgarity shames our country. You ought to work on fixing that.”

“Y-Yeah, she’s right,” said the bunny-eared girl, Leporina. “I-Isn’t your father always getting upset with you over it? For a start, you keep acting like you’re loose with women, but you’re not actually okay with just anybody, right? Pretending to have feelings for other women just to get the one you’re interested in to pay attention is— Ow, ow ow! Don’t pull my ears!”

“It’s because you keep running your mouth!” Kuu shouted.

Ahhh, I think that exchange told me a little about who Kuu is as a person.

So that was it... If he was going to turn sixteen this year, that meant he was fifteen now. By the reckoning of my old world, he’d be in his third and final year of middle school. When I remembered what I was like at that age, I felt like I could understand how he was acting.

I would be spinning my wheels with eagerness and self-consciousness, and when I came to my senses, I’d often mistake the means for the end, and the means I chose often wouldn’t even match the end I was pursuing.

“What’s up, darlin’? Why the frowny face?” Roroa asked while I was indulging in sentimentality.

“No, it’s just, I was looking at how Kuu was acting, and I saw a bit of myself in him...”

“Hm? Ya did?”

“Hee hee. Grandmother told me men are like that,” Juna said with a smile full of charm, and I could offer no rebuttal.

Then, to mask his awkwardness, Kuu cleared his throat loudly and got back on topic.

“So, what’s the young king like? I hear he annexed Amidonia not long after he got into power, so is he that great a warrior?”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” I said. “He didn’t absorb Amidonia because he wanted to, the flow of events just made it a necessity...or so I hear.”

Hmm... It was hard explaining myself while pretending not to be me.

“But, well, even if the king himself isn’t a military man, he’s assembled a talented group of subordinates,” I added. “Their support lets him keep the country going somehow, you could say.”

“Capable subordinates, huh... That’s something to be envied. The only person I get to order around now is Leporina. I wanna hurry up and get some house vassals for myself.”

“I-I’m not your subordinate, I’m your attendant, you know?! Don’t order me around!” Leporina protested, but Kuu wasn’t even listening to her.

“So?” Kuu asked, looking straight into my eyes and trying to appraise me. “You’re one of those capable subordinates that supports the king, are you?”

“I’m just a merchant, you know...?”

“Oookyakya, lying’s not good. Those medical reforms are sponsored by the king, right? The equipment for them isn’t something a single merchant, let alone the young son of one who hasn’t even inherited the business, can handle the negotiations for. You’re playing at being a merchant, but you really are acting according to the will of that king. Am I wrong?”

“...”

He’d hit the nail on the head, so I couldn’t come up with a good response. It looked like he didn’t think I was the king himself, at least, but acting on the will of the king was equivalent to acting on my own will, so he wasn’t wrong.

Taru had called him the “dumb master,” but he might be surprisingly sharp. If I underestimated him, I was going to get hurt.

“What if I am?” I asked. “Would you call off this deal?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” he said. “For our country’s part, mass-producing that medical equipment or whatever would be a new industry. It’s just...there’s one point that bothers me.”

“What would that be?”

He leaned over with his elbows on the table and his cheeks resting on his hands as he responded. “I think the neighboring king’s medical reforms sound awesome. Those...doctors, was it? They don’t rely on light magic, and even treat diseases that’re hard to heal with magic.”

I nodded.

“Basically, I want those doctors here, too. Exporting the equipment is fine, but if it’s being produced in mass quantities, I can’t accept not being able to use it ourselves. There are a large number of sick and wounded in every country. If there are tools that may be able to treat them, it’d be a waste not to have people on hand who can use them, right? That’s why, if you want medical equipment from us, you’ll give us doctors in return.”

Kuu spoke in a strong tone. I felt an intensity in his eyes that he had every right to be proud of as the son of their head of state. Even though he was only turning sixteen this year, he could pick the fights needed to carry his country and people.

This was...a man who might do great things in the future. Half impressed, half cautious, I accepted Kuu’s stare, and he suddenly grinned and let the tension out of his shoulders.

“And, well, that’s what I figure my old man would have said.”

“Your father...huh.”

Even though those were clearly his words, Kuu had brought up his father now to blur that distinction. He was a shrewd one, all right.

“I’ve thought that over properly,” I said at last. “If you people will export the equipment to us, I will provide doctors...is what our king said.”

“Well, that’s nice. But the winters in this country are harsh, you know? Can an outsider take them?”

“In that case, we can make doctors out of the people in this country.”

“Our people?” Kuu asked, and I nodded.

“To be more specific, what the kingdom will provide is the study of medicine. When it comes to the training of doctors, we are confident we are well ahead of other countries. So, if anyone in this country wishes to become a doctor, they can come to the kingdom to study. If those people return home after acquiring knowledge of medicine, you will have doctors who can stay here.”

Kuu slapped his knee as if he got it now. “I see... That sounds like it’d work. That’s how we’ll trade doctors and medical equipment, huh?”

“Fundamentally, that’s about right,” I said. “What do you think?”

Kuu pounded his chest with one hand. “Sounds good! I’ll talk to my old man. I mean, I insist you meet with him and discuss it now,” he added with a happy smile.

I didn’t have a bad feeling about this. If we could expect the backing of Kuu, the son of their head of state, that was going to be a great help.

Oh, wait.

“In regards to that, there’s a person I want to have handle the negotiations with your head of state.”

“You want to leave it to someone? You’re not doing it yourself?”

“Yeah. I think negotiations should be handled not by me, Kazuma, but by His Majesty, King Souma.”

“Oookyah?! A meeting between heads of state, huh!”

“Yeah. That’d be faster, right?”

“Well, yeah, but...can you get King Souma to come here?”

“I’m thinkin’ it’ll be fine, y’know? That king likes doin’ the legwork.” Roroa looked to me with a grin as she spoke.

Well, I was here, after all...

“Oookyakyakyakya!” Kuu laughed heartily. “Okay! I’ll talk to my old man. It’ll be up to him what happens, but you people talk to your King Souma!”

“Got it.”

“Now things are getting interesting! This’ll be a huge deal!” Kuu seemed deeply entertained. “Hey, Leporina! You run over to the old man now, and let him know what’s up!”

“N-Now?!” she protested. “It’s already evening, so let me set out tomorrow!”

“You dolt!” he yelled. “You’ve gotta make immediate decisions and act fast when it comes to business opportunities!”

“G-Give me a break, please.”

Kuu was hyped up, and Leporina was being run ragged by him. Watching this boisterous master and servant, Taru, who had to this point been listening and not saying anything, let a few words slip out.

“I knew it... The dumb master really is dumb.”

Her tone was cold, but the corners of her lips looked as if they had turned upward just slightly.

This unplanned-for meeting with Kuu resulted in the decision to arrange a sudden meeting with the head of the republic.

To make preparations, I dispatched a messenger kui to Hakuya in the kingdom, and Kuu dispatched one to his father, to arrange a time and place for the meeting. Then, when those arrangements were complete, it was decided we would stay in the country until the day of the meeting.

Taking the speed of messenger kui communication into account, the meeting would be in one week (eight days in this world) at the soonest.

However, I explained to Kuu I would be staying as a liaison.

Because there were issues of security and such when the king stayed in another country, I was choosing to keep my identity a secret for a while longer. Because I had, technically, entered the country on false pretenses, I decided to have Hakuya subtly inform their head of state of that fact before the meeting.

That being the case, I thought I would use the time left before the meeting to continue deepening my understanding of the country, as originally planned. But Kuu said he wanted to accompany me.

“If you want to learn about our country, you’ll need a guide, right? Being Turgish born and Turgish raised, I’d say I fit the bill, wouldn’t you?”

“Oh, uh...I appreciate the offer, but I couldn’t make the son of the country’s head of state be my guide...”

I tried letting him down lightly, but Kuu laughed.

“Hey, don’t sweat it. I may be his son, but I don’t have any power. Besides, Kazuma, now that I know you’re a foreign VIP, I can’t let you out of my sight.” Kuu made a sharp, slightly provocative glance in my direction. “Sightseeing is fine, but I don’t want you going anywhere too unusual. If you try going to military installations, for instance, I think we may have a little trouble.”

That made sense... He’d be doubling as our keeper, it seemed. The air got a little tense, but I shrugged and let the look Kuu was giving me slide.

“I never planned on that, anyway.”

“Oookyah, just playing it safe,” he said. “You people wouldn’t want to be suspected of anything you aren’t doing, right?”

“Fair enough...”

Right now, we weren’t in the country to gather intelligence. We were purely here to expand our understanding of the country; there was no need to seek out their critical facilities. If Kuu was going to accompany us, we wouldn’t have to worry about any undue trouble with the locals, so it was a convenient arrangement.

I offered Kuu my right hand. “If that’s how it is, then please, come along.”

“Sure!” Kuu took my hand and shook it firmly. “By the way, do you guys have lodgings booked for the night?”

“Yeah. We booked lodgings at the White Bird Inn in the town of Noblebeppu.”

“The White Bird Inn! That’s a good place. Now, if you’re wondering what’s so good about it, it’s that there are hot springs.”

Hot springs.

Yes, hot springs.

I’d heard there were many hot springs in the republic. The town of Noblebeppu was one of the few hot springs areas in the country, which was also one of the reasons we had chosen it for our base of operations. We apparently had a decent number of hot springs in the Amidonia Region of our own kingdom, but there were few in the former territories of Elfrieden, and none of those were in the vicinity of the capital Parnam.

I wanted to take the opportunity to use Noblebeppu and its famous hot springs as our base of operations, and to enjoy the springs while deepening my understanding of the country. That was the reason we were here.

The White Bird Inn, where we would be staying for a while, was a travelers’ inn operated by a member of the white eagle race. What was more, for an additional charge, we could reserve the open air baths for an hour a day for exclusive use by our family.

When Roroa’s sharp eyes had picked up that detail during check-in...

“Hey, hey, darlin’. We don’t get the chance often, so how’s about we reserve the bath and go in as a family? By ‘we’ I mean me, you, Big Sis Ai, and Big Sis Juna, of course,” she’d said with a grin.

Being a man, it was a tempting proposal, but I had no idea how to explain our family situation to the innkeeper, and I felt it would be a poor influence on Tomoe, who was traveling with us. And, more than anything...I felt incredibly embarrassed, so I gave Roroa a firm but non-painful karate chop to the head.

While I was recalling that, Kuu suddenly slapped his knee.

“Okay! I’ll stay at the White Bird Inn tonight, too, then!”

Leporina let out a strange cry. “Whoa, what are you saying, young master?! You have a villa here, don’t you?!”

But Kuu tut-tutted and waggled a finger at her. “Kazuma and his folks want to understand our country better, right? In that case, we’ve gotta let them experience our traditional culture.”

“Traditional culture?” I asked.

“Oookyakya!” Kuu cackled with glee. “In this country, when friends come from far away to visit you, it’s customary to slaughter an animal and hold a feast. You and I are already like friends, after all! Let’s ask the inn to hold a feast!”

With that said, Kuu threw his arm around my shoulder.

It should have felt a little too chummy coming from a younger guy, but, for some reason, it didn’t bother me so much. There was no malice behind it, and I could tell this was just how he was, so I couldn’t even bring myself to feel like, “Well, I guess there’s no helping it...” It may well be this was a sort of charisma.

“I appreciate the offer, but wouldn’t it be trouble for the inn, receiving a sudden request like that?” I asked.

“Oh, don’t worry, I know the owner. If I pay money and provide the ingredients myself, it won’t be an issue. Leporina, run over to the innkeeper’s place and get the necessary materials together.”

“Urgh... I understand, but, young master, you’re such a slave driver,” Leporina complained. “You’re already sending me to your father’s place tomorrow...”

Kuu heartily laughed it off. “While you’re out shopping, you can buy that expensive cherry wine you like, too.”

“I’ll get right on it!” With a salute, Leporina took off and dashed out of the workshop.

Kuu was surprisingly good at handling his subordinate.

Kuu turned to the woman near him. “Taru, you come party, too. The more the merrier, after all.”

“Honestly, dumb master, you’re such a handful.” Taru resignedly accepted. However, her white bear ears were twitching a little.

Could it be the snow bear race’s ears functioned similarly to the mystic wolf race’s tails? If so, despite how cold she presented herself to be, she may have been unexpectedly enthusiastic about it.

Well, anyway, the impromptu feast had been arranged.

The sun went down, and a large carpet in the great hall of the White Bird Inn was packed tightly with plates bearing various dishes. The majority of it was meat, meat, meat... A smorgasbord of meat dishes. The white eagle innkeeper was laying down another large plate with a new meat dish.

The white eagle race were, as the name suggested, eagle beastmen with wings on their backs, but their wings turned brown from the middle outward, so they didn’t give off the impression of being angels. For the men, their faces were actual eagle faces, making them resemble the half-man, half-beast depictions of gods from ancient Egyptian murals.

While watching the innkeeper lay out the food, I talked to Kuu, who was beside me. “I’m seeing an awful lot of meat dishes...”

“That’s how our feasts are. We generally butcher our livestock, then eat the meat.”

“This is party food, right? What is your normal diet like?”

“Aside from meat, we eat shellfish, fish, and dairy. We do have potatoes, but fruits and vegetables can only be harvested in parts of the north, so they’re rare and expensive.”

“Hmm...”

If he was saying there was demand for vegetables, we could probably develop a trade route and export them here. Well, how were they getting their vitamin C and such? I’d read in some manga that, long ago, sailors had suffered from scurvy due to vitamin C deficiency, and it was really hard on them.

“You don’t get sick from lack of vegetables?” I asked.

“Huh? Never heard of that happening. Like, we don’t get sick much at all. We don’t really have reason to be afraid of death by sickness. We’re more afraid of death by freezing.”

“Hmm...”

Did they have some special way of taking in those nutrients?

While I was thinking that, the preparations for the feast seemed to be completed. Present for the occasion were Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Tomoe, Hal, Kaede, and me from Friedonia, as well as Kuu, Taru, and Leporina from Turgis, for a total of ten people.

Something resembling wooden goblets were passed around, one to each of us.

When I looked, the goblet had a white liquid inside. Giving it a swirl, I could see it was just a little thick. Rather than milk, it seemed more like unrefined sake.

“A mysterious white liquid...?” I murmured.

“This? It’s our famous fermented milk,” Kuu answered.

“Fermented milk?”

“It’s a drink made by fermenting snow yak” (this was apparently a hairy cow-like animal that lived in this country) “milk, so it’s fermented milk. It’s got a strong taste, but once you get used to it, it’s good, y’know?”

“Fermentation...” I murmured. “If it’s yak milk, then...lactic acid bacteria?”

Come to think of it, didn’t lactic acid bacteria produce vitamin C? If I recalled, it was part of the fermentation process... I only vaguely remembered it, though. Could it be the people of this country were supplementing their otherwise insufficient intake of vitamin C with this drink?

That aside, once everyone had received their goblet, it was decided Kuu and I would offer a toast. With everyone gathered around, he and I stood up on our own.

“Long-winded speeches before a feast are so uncouth. That’s why I’ll keep this brief.” With that said, Kuu turned to me, and raised his goblet. “To our guests from Friedonia!”

In response to those words, I raised my goblet to Kuu, too. “To the people of Turgis!”

Then we clacked our goblets together.

““Cheers!”” we both said.

“““““Cheers!””””” everybody else called.

Then the feast began.

“Now, go on and knock it back,” Kuu urged me.

“R-Right...”

I tried drinking the fermented snow yak milk. It had a strange taste.

It was smoother than its appearance may suggest, but...how could I describe it...? It was like drinkable plain yogurt, maybe. But it had that alcoholic flavor to it, too. It was better than I had expected, even this way, but I felt like it might taste better with honey.

Everyone but Tomoe smacked their lips over this fermented milk.

Incidentally, in this country, just like ours, there was no law dictating a minimum age for drinking. It seemed the custom was that, as of fifteen or sixteen, children could openly drink in public. I’d considered putting a proper law in place, but in some ways it was part of the local culture, so I was leaving it be for now. If I meddled unnecessarily, it could invite a backlash from the public, after all.

Well, if the people became health conscious, voices calling for a minimum drinking age would emerge naturally. I could wait to roll out a law until then.

While drinking my fermented milk, I looked around.

Checking the most boisterous spot in the room, Aisha and Kuu were seated in front of big plates stacked high with food, competing over who could eat the most and the fastest for some reason. It seemed like Kuu, influenced by seeing the way Aisha ate, had challenged her. The competition was apparently to see who could clear a plate stacked high with food first.

““Nom, nom, nom, nom...””

They were both desperately piling food into their mouths.

In a simple contest to eat the most, I wouldn’t have thought it possible for Aisha to lose, but, with the speed element added in, who knew? From the look of it, the food was disappearing from their plates at about the same rate.

“Nom, nom...” (Oookyakya, you’re not bad, for someone so slim.)

“Nom, nom...” (You, too. I’m impressed.)

Their eyes crossed every once in a while, and when they did, they seemed to be having an exchange like that.

They were being watched by an exasperated Roroa and a bewildered Tomoe.

“Honestly... Big Sis Ai, what’re you havin’ a speed eatin’ contest for?” Roroa asked.

“Aisha’s eating as fast as ever,” Tomoe commented.

“Tomoe, don’t ya let her beat ya. Eat up. Ya won’t grow otherwise, y’know?”

“If I eat a lot, can I grow up big like Aisha?”

“It must be nice, havin’ room for growth...”

I was pretty sure Tomoe was talking about height, but Roroa was looking down at her chest with dead fish eyes. She must have gotten depressed when she imagined our little sister growing larger than her in the future. I think she’d just chosen a poor person for comparison, and it wasn’t as if she didn’t have any, but...broaching the topic with her too deeply would be suicidal, so I opted not to do it.

Looking to another spot, Hal and Kaede were drinking with Taru and talking about something. Hal asked a question as he poured Kaede another drink.

“Taru, you’re a blacksmith, right? Do you know what sort of weapon would suit me?”

“What kind of weapon do you want?” Taru asked.

“I specialize in wreathing my weapons in fire then throwing them, but with ordinary spears, they burn up after I throw them. Meanwhile, magically enchanted spears are expensive, so I can’t throw them away, and on the battlefield it’s a lot of trouble going to retrieve them.”

“That, and Hal often rides on Ru...a large creature,” Kaede added. “So he’d be best with a weapon he can use from on top of a creature like that, you know.”

The large creature Hal often rode on was Ruby, but she didn’t mention that. If people learned Hal had a contract with a dragon without being from the Star Dragon Mountain Range, they were going to wonder just who he was, so she kept that part vague.

“In that case, there’s a weapon called a Twin Snake Spear.” Taru seemed to think a little as she spoke.

“Twin Snake Spear?” Hal asked. “What kind of weapon is that?”

“Like a twin-headed snake that has a second head on the end of its tail. It’s a weapon with two spears connected at the base. They’re connected with a thin chain, and if you use one as a throwing spear, you can pull on the other to retrieve it. It was originally made so someone riding a large beast like the dumb master’s numoth could attack soldiers at its feet.”

“Hmm, sounds like an awesome weapon.”

Hal seemed impressed, but Taru shook her head quietly.

“It’s just...it’s incredibly hard to use. The length of the chain can be adjusted with enchantment magic, but the longer it gets, the more technique and strength it takes to use it. It’s not widely used, even in our country.”

“I think that should be fine, you know,” Kaede put in. “If there’s one thing Hal can be confident in, it’s his strength.”

“That’s harsh... Couldn’t you have found a more loving way to say that?”

“It’s love that’s making me look for a weapon to keep you two from dying on the battlefield, you know?”

“Urgh...”

Seeing Hal get verbally bested by Kaede, Taru giggled. “If I recall, we have one in stock in the workshop. I think it would be a good idea to test how it works for you first. If you like it, I’ll accept an order for one.”

“Oh! Thanks, I’ll be counting on you,” Hal said.

“We’ll take you up on that offer, you know,” Kaede added.

The three clacked their goblets together. Had a deal been struck? I hoped he’d find a good weapon.

Now then, as for those of us who remained, Juna, who was playing the role of my wife, sat down, and the white rabbit Leporina poured the drinks. In part because we were seated directly on the floor, not on chairs, it reminded me of a Japanese-style reception in a tatami room.

“I’m sorry,” Leporina said as she poured fermented milk into my goblet. “Normally, entertaining our guests would be Master Kuu’s job...”

“No, no, I’m extremely grateful to have a welcome feast like this at all.”

“It helps so much to hear you say that. Oh, let me take care of your wife, too.”

“Hee hee. Thank you.” Juna was having Leporina pour her drinks, too. She looked to be in somewhat of a good mood.

“You look like you’re enjoying yourself, Juna,” I said.

“Yes. We look so much like a husband and wife now.”

“Y-You think...?”

That was kind of embarrassing. Leporina watched us with a big smile.

Juna scooped something that was in a nearby pot into a wooden bowl and offered it to me. “The dishes here are all so new to me, too. This soup is delicious.”

“Oh, yeah? From the looks of it...it’s like dumpling soup.”

There were root vegetables and thin, white dumplings floating in a broth similar to miso soup made with red miso.

I took a sip, and an unexpected flavor spread through my mouth. This wasn’t miso soup, it was pumpkin stew. The dumplings were dumplings, but they were thin and stretched out. It was like... How should I put this? It was like a cross between houtou and pumpkin stew.

“It’s not the taste I expected, but...it’s good.”

“Yes,” Juna agreed. “It makes your body feel warm, somehow.”

“Hee hee! That pumpkin stew is an old standard in our country, you know?” Leporina eagerly explained as Juna was smacking her lips. “It’s hard to get your hands on leafy vegetables in our country, but you can get a lot of pumpkins. That’s why we have a wide variety of pumpkin dishes. Many of our sweets use pumpkin filling or pumpkin cream, too. They use sugar liberally, though, so they may taste too sweet to those from outside the country.”

“Oh? You have a lot of sugar?” I asked.

“Yes. Like with the pumpkins, we have a lot of beets, too.”

Beets. She was talking about sugar beets.

Like their name suggested, they were one of the plants from which sugar could be made. Most of the sugar circulating in our country was made from sugar beets, too. There was also maple sugar, which could be harvested from maple trees. Because sugarcane could only be grown in some places in the north of the kingdom, there wasn’t much cane sugar in circulation.

They could harvest a lot of beets in this country, huh...

“Food is one of the places where a land really shows its character,” I commented.

“You’re so right,” Leporina agreed. “But it was only just recently that we began putting dumplings in pumpkin stew, you know? We started putting them in after we heard from an Amidonian merchant you can eat the root of the beguiling lily plant.”

“Wait, these were lily root dumplings?!”

“Yes. It seems a deity known as Lord Ishizuka, the God of Food descended on Amidonia, and taught them they were edible. Thanks to that, we were able to eat a soup that was once a side dish as our main course. We have to give our thanks to that god.”

““...”” We were all silent.

To think the food culture we were spreading in Amidonia would reach this country, too.

What was more, Poncho was ascending to divinity as the God of Food; not just in Amidonia, but here, too... Rumors tended to blow things out of proportion, but at the rate things were going, I wondered if someone might actually build a temple to the god Ishizuka eventually.

Oh, Poncho, where are you going? Well, he probably didn’t know it himself.

Kuu came over, patting his belly. “Hey, you two. Having fun?”

“We are, thanks,” I said. “And you? Is the eating contest over?”

“Oookyakya! That girl’s tough. Speed eating is one thing, but I never stood a chance against her when it came to quantity. I’m shocked she can pack that much away and still eat more.”

Aisha had won the contest? Well, in retrospect, that did seem like a foregone conclusion.

Kuu took Leporina’s goblet from her, and plopped himself down next to me. “I’ll handle the rest, so you can go join the others, Leporina.”

“Okay.” Leporina waved and went over to where Aisha and the others were.

Juna said, “I’m going to go check in on Aisha and the rest, too,” and vacated her seat.

It looked like it was going to be just us guys, drinking one-on-one from here. We poured out drinks for each other, then had a toast.

Kuu downed his drink in one gulp, then laughed cheerfully. “Whew! Booze you drink at a feast just tastes extra special.”

“Isn’t that line a little too old-man-ish for a fifteen-year-old?” I commented.

“Oookyakya! Don’t worry about it. Setting aside age and rank is the only way to party.”

“...Oh, yeah?”

I poured Kuu another drink. Kuu sipped at his drink this time, and then slapped his hand down to rest on my shoulder. What? Was he looking to argue with me? I was thinking that, but...

“So, how is it, Kazuma?”

“How is what?”

“This country, I mean. You enjoying it?”

I thought about that for a little bit before answering. “Yeah. I think it’s a good country. There are hot springs, and the local dishes and fermented milk are delicious. You have capable craftspeople, too, so I think it’s an attractive country.”

“Oookyakya! Yeah, you bet it is. I love this country, too.” Kuu let out another cackling laugh, then took on a more serious expression. “I honestly... think it’s a good country, you know? We put our livestock out to pasture in the summer, and make excellent handicrafts indoors in the winter. It’s cold, but the people huddle together to survive in this country. There’re some hardheaded old folks who seem bent on expanding to the north, though.”

I was silent.

I had heard the Republic of Turgis had a national policy of northward expansionism. In fact, during the time our country had been shaken by internal issues and a conflict with the Principality of Amidonia, this country had massed troops on the border showing their intent to invade us. While there was no direct conflict between our nations, I was surprised to find someone in the Republic of Turgis who thought like Kuu.

“Besides, even if we take land to the north, we can’t hold it,” Kuu continued, crossing his arms and nodding. “In the outside world, air power like wyverns is the most effective, right? A cold land like ours isn’t suited to breeding wyverns. That’s a plus when it makes it difficult for others to come to invade us, but it’s impossible to slice off part of a neighboring country’s territory without wyverns. No matter how hard we tried, we’d take maybe a city or two at most. Besides, when winter came, the snow would shut down contact with the mainland, so it would be hard to maintain them.”

His dumb behavior made it hard to see, but he had an incredibly precise grasp of his country’s situation. Talking to him, I felt a charisma that would draw people to him, too. If Kuu had been born into the royal family of a kingdom with a better territorial situation, he might have become a rare hero.

Kuu gulped down his fermented milk in one gulp again. “Listen, Kazuma, I seriously think this country has its own way of becoming prosperous. We don’t have to go north. This country has the underlying power to develop itself. That’s how I feel.”

“I feel like I understand,” I said soberly.

“You do, huh?” he laughed. “I’m glad you get it! Here’s hoping the negotiations between my old man and your king go well!”

“Yeah. I’m sure... the meeting will be meaningful for both parties.”

With that, we clacked our goblets together once more.

Chapter 4: To Know a Person

When negotiations were finished, it was decided that a meeting would be held ten days from now, with the utmost secrecy, at the inn where we were staying in Noblebeppu.

The reasons for the secrecy were the issue of security and the fact that to hold open talks would require the approval of the Council of Chiefs. If we took our time, that permission would likely be given, but we didn’t want to go to the trouble.

Regardless, a date was set, and Hakuya and Kuu’s father would hash out the rest of the details between themselves.

As for us, we had nothing in particular we needed to be doing until then, so we decided to explore the country as planned. Kuu had already volunteered himself as a guide, after all.

That was why, today, we had come to Moran, a fishing port near Noblebeppu.

The seven members of the group included me, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Tomoe, Kuu, and Leporina.

Hal and Kaede said they would be at Taru’s workshop, checking out a weapon for Hal to use, and they went off on their own.

Now that he was a dragon knight, Hal was the ace of the Defense Force. Because there was great meaning in Hal having a weapon that would let him exercise his valor to its fullest, I was happy to give him permission to break off from the group.

“Wow...” Tomoe cried out as she walked through the town of Morlan. “Big Brother! There’s a really big person!”

It was true. As we walked through the town, we would occasionally see extremely large people. They might have been over two meters tall.

In addition to a height that would cause their head to burst through the roofs of the average house, they all had a roly-poly physique, like they were heavyweight sumo wrestlers.

Anyway, even just walking around, they made a strong impression. It made me worry they might crush little Tomoe underfoot.

Seeing how startled we looked, Kuu laughed in amusement. “Oookyakya! It’s a surprise, seeing them for the first time, huh? They’re members of the walrus race.”

The walrus race, huh...

Now that he mentioned it, the large people who happened to be men had two tusks growing out of their mouths. With the women, I only ended up thinking, Their canines sure are long.

“Members of the walrus race make their living in the fishing industry,” said Kuu. “Members of the snow bear race like Taru are good swimmers, too, but they’re no match for the walrus race. These are people who, when the water’s frozen over in winter and they can’t take the boats out, break through the ice to dive in and go fishing, after all.”

Diving in the frozen sea?! That was incredible. Nobody had dry suits in this world, so it was amazing they didn’t freeze to death...

Oh, wait, I get it. That’s why they’re built like that.

The blubber beneath their skin provided increased insulation, making them a race specialized for acting in frozen water. Was that a result of evolving to adapt to their environment, or did only races that were adapted to the environment manage to move forward? The question fascinated me.

When we followed Kuu over to the beach, we could see a group of walrus race people gathered around a fire.

Kuu walked over and called out to them. “Hey, you guys! Having a cookout on the beach?”

“Oh! Young master,” a man said. “Yeah. We brought in a big haul of shellfish, shrimp, and the like today, so we were just saying how were gonna let loose and party all day.”

On further inspection, there was a net laid over top of the walrus men’s campfire, and a variety of shellfish were roasting on it. There were clam-like bivalves that had opened wide, and bubbles escaping from the valves of a spiral-shelled variety that resembled the turban shell. Combined with the scent of the sea, they looked incredibly delicious.

Looking at them, Kuu laughed happily. “Oookyakya! That’s nice! I’m actually showing some guests from abroad around right now. We’ll provide the booze, so let us join you.”

The men cheered when they heard Kuu’s proposal.

“Oh, you mean it?”

“All right! We can drink lots now!”

Kuu turned back, pulled a pouch from his pocket, and tossed it to Leporina. It was apparently his wallet. “Leporina! Get us a barrel of potato vodka with that.”

“Whaaaaaa?!” Leporina blinked at Kuu’s order. “A barrel...? That’s too much! It’ll be too heavy for me to carry back by myself!”

“If it’s too heavy, roll it.”

“No faiiir...”

Leporina was at the mercy of Kuu’s sudden ideas.

I felt bad seeing her run ragged by her boss, so I decided to offer a bit of help. “Aisha. Sorry, but could you go with Leporina and carry the barrel for her?”

I felt bad making someone else do it, but Aisha could probably lift a barrel or two with ease.

She pounded her breastplate proudly. “Leave it to me. Now, let’s go, Madam Leporina.”

“Whuh?!”

Aisha dragged off the still-dumbfounded Leporina.

Watching them go, Kuu chuckled. “Yeah, I’m sure that dark elf girl can heft a barrel of liquor or two without any trouble.”

“You can tell?” I asked.

“Well, yeah. I think even I could put up a good fight against your red-haired buddy, but... that girl feels like she’s in a different dimension.” Kuu spun his arm around in circles. “At the very least, that’s not a level of power an ordinary adventurer has. Is she a military commander in the kingdom, or something?”

“...No comment.”

“I want her as a vassal myself...”

“You can’t have her.”

“Oookyakya! Oh, yeah?”

While we were talking, the shells kept roasting. Then one of the walrus fishermen took something that was a milky white color out of a jar and put it on the seashells.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Butter made from the same yak milk we use to make fermented milk,” the man said. “When we eat seafood around here, we pour alcohol over it as it cooks, then put this stuff on top when it’s done.”

That made sense. Butter, huh. Like with butter-fried scallops or short-necked clams. Shellfish and butter were a good match.

The fisherman went on to chop up some shellfish that were probably scallops with butter on them. He offered them to Kuu and me. “Go ahead, young master.”

“You visitors, too,” another man said. “Don’t hold back. Eat your fill.”

“Sure thing!” Kuu cried.

“Thank you,” I added.

We thanked the fishermen and accepted them. Immediately, the scent of the sea and the aroma of butter tickled my nostrils.

Oh, I don’t know how to describe it... It was a very nostalgic experience. It reminded me of the whelk skewers they sold at little stalls at festivals. I’d never thought I wanted to eat them regularly, but when I passed by those stalls and smelled that aroma, I couldn’t help but stop. That was the feeling I was getting now.

I used the fork I was given to eat them. Yeah, these were butter scallops. The taste of both the butter and the scallops were intact, and these were the best butter scallops I had ever had.

I let out an unintended groan of appreciation. “They’re good...”

“I know, right?” Kuu happily agreed. “Frying them up on the beach and then eating them with butter is a proud part of our food culture.”

“I see.”

Food culture, huh? Well, I wasn’t going to let him outdo me.

I called out to Roroa, who was watching with great interest as one of the fishermen stabbed a metal skewer into a spiral shell, twisting it to extract the meat and organs.

“Hey, Roroa!”

“Hm? What’cha need?” Roroa trotted on over.

“Do you have that on you now? You know, the thing you put in a metal container and brought from back home?”

“Ohh, I think that’s in the luggage I brought with me.” Roroa rummaged through the bag of traveling equipment she had brought with her from the carriage. Producing a metal container about the size of a lunchbox, she inquired, “This it?” and offered it to me.

Kuu looked at it with curiosity. “Oookya? What’s that box?”

“It contains a seasoning we brought with us from our country.”

When I opened the metal container, it was filled with a thick, yellowish-brown colored paste.

“Seasoning?”

“Yeah. It’s called miso.”

The container held the miso I’d had the mystic wolves back home make.

Like how Japanese people want to bring instant ramen or miso soup with them when they go abroad, I had brought miso and konbu for producing broth on this trip. With some water and whatever vegetables were on hand, I could make miso soup anywhere this way. If I had meat, I could add that in, too.

That being the case, I scooped up a spoonful of miso and put a small amount of it on my butter scallops. The butter scallops had now evolved into miso and butter scallops.

I stirred them up a bit, then offered them to Kuu. “Give me the benefit of the doubt and try them, okay?”

“...S-Sure.”

Kuu dubiously picked up one of the scallop chunks, throwing it into his mouth. In the next moment, Kuu’s eyes opened in shock. “What is this?! The flavor’s super complex now! No, it’s delicious! It’s delicious, but I can’t help but want booze with it!”

“Heh heh heh,” I grinned. “How’s that? What do you think of my country’s food culture?”

I said it confidently, and after a moment of being taken aback, Kuu let out an amused laugh.

“Oookyakya! I see! You were feeling competitive because I mentioned food culture earlier! You’ve got me this time!”

“I’d say I only evened the score,” I said. “I think frying them on the beach is a good culture to have.”

“Oookyakya! No doubt about that! Ohh, when’s the booze gonna hurry up and get here?”

While we were talking, Leporina and Aisha came back. Leporina was carrying a small barrel, and Aisha was shouldering two large ones.

After that, Hal, Kaede, and Taru rejoined us, and we had a big party on the beach.

The potato vodka Kuu provided was apparently strong stuff, and by the time the sun set, everyone was too excited. Some started to let a little too loose.

The walrus men started dancing and chanting what was either an off-beat song or a cheer, I couldn’t tell which. The way they contorted and wriggled it was almost like they were belly dancers.

“How’s a walrus man dance under the sea?”

“Oh! He dances wobble-wobble-wobblingly!”

Elsewhere, a no-doubt-drunken Hal was performing some sort of fire dance with two pieces of wood wreathed in flames.

“All right! I’m all fired up!” he cried.

An equally drunk Kaede was cackling and rolling around as she watched him.

“That’s great, you know! Hal!”

Meanwhile, a drunk Kuu had a happy Tomoe riding on his shoulders.

“Oookyakya! C’mere.”

“Ahahaha! I’m so high up!”

From the high spirits she was in, Tomoe might have been drunk, too. Naturally, I hadn’t let her have a sip of alcohol, but maybe she’d gotten drunk off the smell, or the alcohol used on the shellfish hadn’t fully evaporated. Whatever the case, I’d failed in my role as her guardian. If Liscia heard about this, I was in for a lecture.

Next to them, possibly incited by Kuu, a drunk Aisha had Juna riding on her shoulders.

“Ha ha ha! What a jolly time we’re having, Madam Juna!”

“H-Hold on, Aisha! Put me down, please!”

Juna didn’t seem all that inebriated, but her face was flushed red from embarrassment at all the attention she was getting.

I helped myself to another drink and just sort of watched as the chaos gradually unfolded on the beach.

“Mweheheh, darlin’.” Roroa draped herself over me from behind. Resting her chin on my shoulder, she rubbed her cheek against me. It was a cute, cat-like gesture, but she smelled a little of alcohol. “You drinkin’ like you should, darlin’?”

“I’m drinking, yes,” I said. “But you, Roroa... you sure you haven’t had one too many?”

“Mweheheh.” She had a glass in one hand and a shell in the other. They were both already empty, so the fact that she wasn’t about to let either of them go was proof that she was already pretty drunk.

“Hey, Roroa...” I began.

“Zzz...”

“Wait, that was fast! We were in the middle of talking!”

Roroa was snoring softly with her chin resting on my shoulder.

There was a little drool coming out of her mouth, but... I decided to pretend I didn’t see it. With no other choice, I got her down off my shoulder, and let her borrow my crossed legs as a pillow.

“Purr...”

“...”

Honestly... She looked so happy, sleeping. While patting Roroa’s head, I looked over to the stupid ruckus Kuu and the others were still kicking up. They were drinking, eating, and partying together.

Having shared that fun time together, a certain thing began to take root in me.

I reflected on that silently.

Then, in order to wipe it away, I downed the glass I was holding. I did not, at this time, realize there were eyes looking at me with concern.

The party in Moran continued until late in the evening, and we ended up staying there overnight. That was because nearly everyone was totally sloshed, and while it was nearby, it was still far enough that we would have to use carriages to return to Noblebeppu.

In the end, we all ended up sleeping on the floor in the great hall of an inn that Kuu used his reputation to get us into.

Those difficulties aside, the next day came.

Kuu, Juna, and I went for a walk and visited the fishing port near the beach where we’d had the cookout. The rest of the group was hung over and out of commission.

Roroa, Hal, and Kaede were hit especially badly, and Tomoe was working with Aisha and Leporina, whose symptoms were less severe, to nurse them. It seemed Kuu’s potato vodka had caused those unused to drinking it to suffer a nasty hangover.

But why was I fine?

I could understand why Kuu, who was used to the stuff, was fine. And I could see why Juna, who’d started holding back at some point, was okay. But for some reason, I wasn’t hungover, either.

I only drank when participating in the nobles’ banquets, or while eating at Poncho’s place on days that work kept me busy until late at night and I missed dinner. I mentioned that to the two of them in puzzlement.

“Maybe you just take your liquor well naturally?” Kuu suggested.

I take my liquor well, huh? Was it a genetic thing?

But, thinking back, I recalled my grandpa could be a pretty bad drunk. I vaguely remembered several times when he’d gotten drunk after drinking heavily at a party with his buddies, hadn’t made it home because of the police taking him into custody, and then received a thorough tongue-lashing from my grandma the next day.

“Is it really something natural about the way my body works?” I murmured.

“Ah...” Juna quickly looked away.

What was that about?

“Juna?”

“...What is it?” Juna showed me her usual calm smile. However, her cheeks looked like they were twitching just a little.

I peered at her face. “Is something the matter?”

Juna blatantly averted her eyes. For Juna, who rarely let her emotions show, she seemed unusually out of sorts.

Suspicious.

“Do you know something?” I prodded.

“Whatever do you mean?”

I stared down Juna, who was trying to dodge the question.

“It must be because of the uwabami,” she said finally, averting her eyes.

An uwabami... That meant a heavy drinker, right? Maybe it did have to do with my genetic makeup... Wait, huh? She’d said it was because of the uwabami, not that I was an uwabami, right? Uwabami was a word that also meant a large serpent, didn’t it?

Hmm, there was something bugging me about this.

For a while we played a game of tag where I would try to look Juna in the eye and she would look away, but then Kuu pointed to the sea and started talking.

“Hey, Kazuma. Can you see that?”

“That?” I looked out to sea to see what he meant, and there was a white object spread out across the horizon.

Was it ice? This country was on the southern tip of the continent. That being the case, that might be the ice of this world’s south pole. Because the maps were vague, there was no way to be sure if there was a continent beneath the ice, though.

Kuu looked directly below the ice as he spoke.

“Those are the ice islands. They gradually approach this country at the end of summer. When winter comes, that ice and this beach are connected, and once it snows, you can’t tell what’s land and what isn’t. This sea gets covered with ice so thick you could ride a carriage over it and it wouldn’t break.”

Kuu sat right down on the beach and crossed his legs.

Then, propping up his elbows on his lap, he rested his cheeks on his hands and looked resentfully out to sea. “Large sea creatures hate this frigid sea. That’s why medium and small fish gather, and it’s why our country has a wealth of places to fish. But that also means large shipping vessels can’t come in.”

“It’s tough, huh,” I nodded.

The large ships of this world had large sea creatures like sea dragons pulling them in the same way that horses would pull a carriage. If those sea dragons hated this sea, that was good in that they wouldn’t be invaded by foreign navies, but it was also bad in that large transport ships couldn’t come here, either. They could carry out trade by methods that didn’t rely on sea creatures or the air, but that was only an option during summer. This world didn’t have ice-breaking ships that could push through the frozen winter seas.

“There are limits to what shipping overland can do,” Kuu said. “Traveling merchants only come in summer, and with the land locked in ice during the winter, it’s hard to even walk around. If we use creatures like the numoth, we can transport things even in winter, but there aren’t that many of them. The vast majority we do have were raised for military use, too.”

“You can’t transfer them to jobs in shipping instead?” I asked.

“They’re our only means of mobility during the winter. If some monsters pour out of a dungeon, or brigands are attacking a village, or a small village has been isolated by an avalanche... we need their legs to carry us there at times like that, right?”

“I see...”

They were already using them for as much as they could, then. They probably couldn’t reassign them for shipping.

Kuu was scratching his head vigorously. “So, well, it’s not like I can’t see why the old men would want to advance northward. If we could receive large transport ships in winter, too, it would do a lot to make this land more prosperous. But even if we invaded and took a warm water port, what would come of it? So long as the difficulties of shipping don’t change, only the area around that port would benefit from trade. Invading land that’s going to be hard to support like that seems like the equivalent of wooing a beautiful woman in your dreams.”

Wooing a beautiful woman in your dreams. That seemed to be a local saying, equivalent to calling something a picture of rice cakes in Japanese. Basically, no matter how hard you worked to seduce a beautiful woman you met in your dreams, it was meaningless, and would only leave you feeling empty.

Hmm... Winter shipping methods, huh...

I wracked my brain.

That issue was a problem for our country, who wanted to trade with this country, too. If the period of trading was limited, that would put limitations on the potential trade goods. Vegetables seemed like they would be a good thing to export to this country, but many fresh foods didn’t keep for long.

We have the Little Susumu Mark V (Maxwell-type Propulsion Device), so we can send out large ships even during the winter, I reflected. However, it won’t let us break through thick ice. I have people studying it, but who knows how long it will take to produce an ice breaker like the Garinko-go...

Could we manage with what we had now, somehow? How about stationing a mage on the ship and having them carve a path?

...No, it was hard to use magic at sea, wasn’t it? The frozen area was too wide, so no matter how many mages we had aboard, they’d eventually run out of steam. Meanwhile, if we tried to attempt transportation by air, the air currents would be too wild, so flying mounts wouldn’t be usable. Also, because the land was covered with snow, if we didn’t use creatures like the numoth, overland transportation would be difficult.

There are no snowplows, either. If there were something like sleds, we could slide over top of the snow... Wait, wouldn’t we need numoths to pull those sled? ...Hm? Slide over top of the snow?

That was when I remembered the existence of a certain thing.

Earlier, when thinking of uses for the Little Susumu Mark V, there was something I’d developed almost entirely as a joke.

Maybe with that... I pondered. Guess I’ll try contacting Genia.

I didn’t know how it would go yet, so rather than give him false hopes, I decided not to tell Kuu and to contact the royal castle in secret.

When the afternoon rolled around, the hungover members of the group started to feel a lot better, so we decided to return to the town of Noblebeppu. It was already evening by the time the rocky carriage ride came to an end.

Kuu was saying we’d have another party tonight, but since most of us hadn’t fully worked last night’s alcohol out of their systems, we politely declined and decided to let our stomachs and livers rest for the night.

The shaking of the carriage had aggravated Roroa, Hal, and Kaede’s hangovers, so they went to their rooms as soon as we got to the inn, and went to sleep without dinner.

Aisha took Tomoe out to walk around the town at night. They were apparently going to look at souvenirs.

Left behind, Juna and I talked about nothing of real consequence and relaxed.

Eventually, while I was thinking that all there was left to do was take a bath in the hot springs and go to sleep, suddenly Juna said, “Oh, I just remembered something I need to do. Excuse me,” and left the room.

She had business to attend to at this hour?

Had she gone to look for Aisha and Tomoe, maybe?

Having been left behind all by myself, I had nothing to do, so I decided to take a bath. This inn just had one large open air bath fed with free-flowing water that was partitioned into men’s and women’s sides.

I rinsed myself with hot water, then immediately went to soak in the tub.

Normally, I’d want to wash myself first, but the nights were cold here, and this being an open air bath, if I didn’t get in quickly, I’d catch a chill and bad things would happen.

As I sank into the steamy water from the cold outside air, my body felt like it was pleasurably melting.

We were the inn’s only guests now, and Hal was about the only other person who might come into the men’s side, so I was able to relax without having to be considerate of anyone else.

Whew, so warm.

The water seeped into my body, washing away the fatigue I’d built up while moving around.

Leaning on the edge of the bath, I was humming the hot springs song from Noboribetsu when I heard someone walking behind me.

That wasn’t the direction of the women’s bath. In that case, had Hal woken up and come to the bath?

I was thinking that as I turned around, but...

Whuh?!

There was Juna, naked.

In her right hand she had a tray, and in her left she held a towel that just barely covered her. Her slightly flushed skin and round, womanly figure burned themselves into my mind.

I was still dumbfounded by this sudden occurrence when Juna laid down the tray and began pouring hot water over herself.

“Excuse me while I get in beside you,” she said as she got into the bath. Then she sat down so close to me that our shoulders were touching. Her soft, white flesh was right next to me.

Once she had soaked up to her shoulders, she let out a breath. “Whew!”

That sexy sigh finally brought me back to my senses. “U-Um... Juna? This is the men’s bath, you realize?”

“I asked the innkeeper to reserve it for us for an hour or so. So it’s fine.”

Now that she mentioned it, Roroa had been saying there was a system like that.

“No, but it’s still embarrassing...”

“Hee hee! Where’s the harm? We’re a couple, after all.” With that said, Juna leaned against me. “So, please, feel free to call me by a pet name now, darling. We’re all alone, so I don’t want you to be so formal.”

“With you, being polite just feels natural, though,” I objected. Still, I tried to loosen up, like she wanted. Hmm, yeah, this was embarrassing. “I actually have to actively try to speak less formally.”

“I think, in terms of our positions, it’s only natural for you to speak informally,” she told me. “I know you said you feel tense around older women, but you call my grandmother Excel, don’t you?”

“That’s because I have a stronger sense of Excel being my vassal. I need to make it clear who’s the master at all times, or that woman will run me ragged. But with you, I just feel like being extra polite. Naturally, that’s not an attempt to set you aside from my other fiancées or anything like that. You’re like my reliable older wife.”

“Hee hee! Am I?” Juna watched me with a calm smile as I did my best to explain myself.

Juna pulled over the tray she had brought. The tray had two small glasses, and a pale yellow bottle on it.

She passed me one of the glasses and held up the bottle for me to see. “First, a drink.”

“Is it alcoholic?”

“No. Considering last night, I decided on juice instead. This juice is made by almost the exact same process as a cherry wine that Leporina said she likes. It seems the only difference is whether you add water or alcohol to the syrup produced.”

With that explanation, Juna poured me a glass.

While it was juice, it felt like alcohol, so I poured Juna’s drink for her in return, as was common courtesy.

Finally, with me having gotten used to the sight of Juna’s white skin... well, I wasn’t tired of seeing it, of course, I just was able to keep myself under control a little better... we had a toast.

Then, soaking in the bath together, we drank together, with juice taking the place of wine.

During that time, I couldn’t help but glance at those swells which were larger than Liscia’s. Her wet skin had a glossy shine to it.

Juna noticed, of course. “Hee hee! You can go right ahead and look.”

“Please... spare me,” I murmured.

The juice shouldn’t have had any alcohol in it, but I was feeling woozy. I was going to get dizzy from the heat in no time. There was an epic battle between lust and reason being waged inside my head.

“Is there something you’re thinking about?” Juna asked suddenly.

I was on edge, thinking she’d realized how full of lustful thoughts my head was right now, but Juna had a serious look in her eyes.

“Ever since the cookout on the beach, you’ve had something on your mind. Today, too... your mind seemed to be somewhere else.”

“You noticed that, huh?”

It was true, there was something I’d had on my mind since the cookout. No, it might be more appropriate to say I was confused about it.

Juna leaned her head on my shoulder and spoke to me with downturned eyes. “It may not do any good to tell me what it is. Still, if telling someone will lessen your worries any, please, darling, do not bear the burden alone. You have partners, including myself, with whom you can share anything.”

“Juna...”

Among all my fiancées, Juna was the one who was always taking a step back to look at the big picture. It was fair to say that she was the best of all of them when it came to showing careful concern. That’s why she’s easily seen through to the worries I thought I was hiding.

Then Juna took on a tone like a sullen girl. “I thought you would tell me on your own once we were alone, you know? Despite that, you’ve said nothing. This is why I arranged for us to be together like this. In a place where nothing is hidden, I thought you might bare your heart to me, as well.”

“You did it all with that in mind, huh?” I commented. “I really am no match for you...”

“Hee hee.”

She looked cute when she was sulking, so I stroked her face, and she gave me a happy smile. She had seen through everything, but seeing Juna’s smile wiped away any frustration I had over that.

That was why I revealed what was concerning me.

“Juna... what do you think about Kuu?”

“Sir Kuu? He seems a bit boisterous, but I find him to be an affable young man.”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “He’s got a mysterious ability to attract people, too. He’ll be a good ruler someday, I’m sure. If he were an expansionist, he’d be an enemy we couldn’t afford to underestimate, but Kuu is satisfied with internal development. He’s the kind of ruler I’d want to see in a neighbor.”

“None of this sounds bad, though.” Juna tilted her head to the side.

It was true, it wasn’t bad.

“If he’ll become my sworn friend, there’s no one more reliable,” I said. “Having the illegal fishing problem with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union to our east, the Union of Eastern Nations struggling with the Demon Lord’s Domain to our north, and the unpredictable Mercenary State Zem and the theocratic Lunarian Orthodox Papal State to our west, it would make things a lot easier if we could have amicable relations with the Republic of Turgis to our southwest, at least. It’d give us a land connection to our secret ally, the Gran Chaos Empire, too.”

She listened silently.

“However, we haven’t formed an alliance yet. I learned too much about Kuu before that happened.”

I stared into the glass in my hand.

“When we were drinking with Kuu, Taru, Leporina, and the other people in this country and acting like idiots, it was fun. It was fun, but I had another thought then, too. If it came down to it, could I make enemies of these people?”

“Enemies...?” Juna’s expression grew clouded.

Why would that come up? her face seemed to ask.

“I think Kuu is a likable guy,” I said. “But in addition to being myself, I’m the representative of a nation. I have to think about my preferences as a person and my preferences as a country separately.”

“Because we haven’t formed cordial relations with the Republic of Turgis yet?”

“Yeah. If the Republic of Turgis were to become hostile to in future, could I fight the country where Kuu and his people live...? That’s what I thought.”

That was the vague worry I’d been feeling.

“When I resolved to open hostilities with Amidonia, the enemy’s plans were already in motion, and it was a kill-or-be-killed situation. That was why I decided to go to war. But if I had known there were people like Roroa, Colbert, and Margarita there before the war started, would I have been able to make that decision? Even when it might mean losing Roroa and the others?”

She was silent.

“It’s the same this time,” I said. “If the republic opposes me, it’s my vassals and my people who will suffer if I’m too slow to decide. Knowing that, can I still resolve myself to do it? I may have grown too attached to Kuu and his friends. I felt worried, thinking that.”

Now that I had revealed my feelings, Juna placed her hand on my cheek.

“Juna?”

“I am sure you will make the decision, darling.” Her voice was endlessly calm and gentle.

Then Juna wrapped her arm around my neck and held me close. Surprised by the suddenness of it, I dropped my glass into the bath. My left arm was wrapped in a soft sensation.

“Whoa, Juna?!”

“I’m sure you’ll struggle with the decision. You may even regret it afterward,” Juna whispered gently in my ear. “However, even with the hesitation and regret, you are the kind of man who does what he needs to do. I’ve been watching you all this time. I know your strengths and weaknesses. No matter how your heart screams out that you don’t want to fight, you are the kind of person who can fight when necessary.”

I was silent.

“If the choice tears your heart to pieces, then tell us. We will carry your hesitation, regrets, and sins together as a family. Hee hee! You have five future wives, so let’s split it into six equal parts?” Juna said the last part teasingly.

I felt like my heart was a little lighter now.

“Thanks, Juna.”

“Hee hee! Also, thinking about fighting the Republic of Turgis now is like worrying if a boulder might roll down a distant mountain. If you do that, you may trip over the rocks at your feet, you know?”

“Ahahaha, true.”

While looking into the distance, I’d trip on what was at my feet, huh? She was so right.

Rather than consider what to do if they became hostile to me, it was better for now to think about how to prevent that from happening. If I didn’t want to fight them, that was even more true. Yeah... I had a direction now.

“In order to forge a formal alliance, I need to show a ‘gain’ to be had from forming amicable relations with us, and a ‘threat’ to make them hesitate to oppose us,” I said. “I have to impress upon Kuu’s old man that our country could be a valuable ally, but a terrifying foe.”

“Gain and threat, is it?” she said. “But how will you do that? You can’t be planning to bring our military into the meeting, right?”

“Don’t worry. I have a number of ideas.”

Unlike before, my mind was working properly now.

It was good that, instead of fearing their becoming hostile, I could now decide to do everything it took to keep them from becoming that way. It was thanks to Juna.

“Thanks, Juna,” I said. “Thanks to you, I think the path... Huh?”

Suddenly my vision blurred. The world was spinning. Oh, damn, this was bad.

“D-Darling?”

It looked like I’d gotten dizzy from the heat. Now that I thought about it, I’d been in the bath since before Juna’s arrival.

The last thing I saw in the spinning world was Juna’s white skin, and then I lost consciousness.

When I came to, I was on top of the bed in the room where I was staying.

Erm... I passed out in the hot springs, right?

I was... not naked now.

Had Juna carried me back and dressed me?

I felt a gentle breeze on my face. Looking next to me, Juna was sitting on the edge of the bed and fanning me.

“Juna?” I asked.

“Oh, you’ve come to?” Juna said with a look of relief. “You passed out in the hot spring, so I had the inn staff help me carry you back to your room. The outside air was too cold to pull you out of the spring and treat you there, after all.”

“Sorry. That was embarrassing of me.”

“Don’t worry about it. It gave me the chance to look over your body.” Juna brought a hand to her cheek and smiled mischievously.

Urkh... Even if it had been in the hot spring, I was really embarrassed to think she’d seen so much of me while I was unconscious.

As if she saw through to my innermost feelings, Juna giggled. “By the way, are we already back to you being so polite with me?”

“Ahh... Yeah, this just feels more natural.”

“I see,” she said. “Then let’s have you loosen up with me when it’s just the two of us alone.”

“It’s embarrassing to have you put it that way, but... let’s do that.”

Talking differently when we were alone together. I thought that might be okay.

“By the way, are Aisha and the others back yet?” she asked.

“No, not yet. You were only out for about ten minutes.”

“I was...?”

“Yes. So we can do things like this.”

Juna leaned in, brushing back her beautiful, blue hair, and pressed her lips against mine. Then she pulled her face back and giggled.

“Shall we keep the fact we took a bath together our little secret for a while?”

“Huh?”

“If Aisha and Roroa hear, I’m sure they’ll get jealous and want to join you for one, too. I want you to be able to rest, darling.”

I understood her meaning. So, for now at least, let it be our secret.

Chapter 5: Fighting Together

There were still a few days until my meeting with Turgis’s head of state, so we were having Kuu show us around the nearby cities.

Going to unfamiliar places, seeing how the locals lived, and identifying the similarities and differences between them and our own people was fun. Whenever we found something new, we met the discoveries with excitement.

“Oh, what’s this?” I commented. “I’ve never seen this kind of fruit before.”

“Big Brother, they’re selling some weird animals over here!” Tomoe called. “They’re small and cute.”

“Let me see... Wait, Tomoe, doesn’t it say there that they’re for eating?”

“People eat them?!”

Tomoe and I looked around with great enthusiasm, while Juna and Roroa smiled.

Those easygoing days continued, but today was different.

Today, there were two days left before the meeting with the head of the republic.

It was still early in the morning, but Kuu rushed over to the room where we were staying. He was out of breath, and looked like he’d been in a hurry. Behind him was Leporina, looking just as winded.

“Hah... Hah... Ka-Kazuma...” he panted.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. “You’re totally out of breath.”

When I invited them into the room and asked Aisha to fetch some water, Kuu raised a hand to stop me, and tried to get his breathing under control as he said, “It’s fine... I don’t need water. Before that, I have a favor to ask.”

“A favor?”

“For now, can you get all of your people together in this room?”

Seeing a serious expression on Kuu that I’d never seen him make before, I gathered my traveling companions, despite some misgivings.

There were nine of us gathered in the four-person room: me, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Tomoe, Hal, and Kaede, along with Kuu and Leporina. Having nine people made it awfully cramped, but he had said “everyone,” so there was no helping it.

“So, Kuuie. What’d ya have in mind, gatherin’ us all here?” Roroa asked suspiciously.

He was the son of their head of state, so I thought it was a bit much to be calling him Kuuie, but... given the tense situation, I decided to pretend I hadn’t heard it.

Kuu stood up and bowed his head to all of us. While we were all still taken aback by the suddenness of it, Kuu desperately said, “I’ll keep this brief! Please! Lend me your bodyguards!”

“P-Please do.” Leporina hurriedly stood up as well, and bowed her head like Kuu.

“I’m sorry to get foreigners caught up in this! But still!” he cried.

“Calm down, Kuu,” I said. “Just what happened?”

“Ah... R-Right.”

Kuu finally calmed himself. With a big, deep breath, he slapped his own cheeks, maybe as a way of psyching himself up.

“The thing is, a previously undiscovered dungeon has been confirmed to exist near a mountain village that’s around two hours north of here by carriage. It seems it was a rocky mountain, and when there was a landslide, the entrance to the dungeon appeared.”

A dungeon.

I was used to them being a thing in RPGs, but in this world, a dungeon was understood as a labyrinthine place with its own ecology. They were also the only place outside the Demon Lord’s Domain where monsters could be found. But the monsters found in such places all had intelligence on the level of wild beasts, and they were nothing like the sentient demons found in the Demon Lord’s Domain. There were a fair number of these dungeons on this continent.

This was what I knew about dungeons so far:

They came in a wide variety of types, and were inhabited by low-intelligence monsters.

The deepest point contained what was called a dungeon core.

For as long as the core existed, monsters would continue to appear, no matter how many were defeated.

If the core was destroyed, the monsters stopped appearing... and so on.

The connection between monsters and dungeon cores was still unknown.

However, the destroyed dungeon cores could be used as jewels for a Jewel Voice Broadcast.

In addition to the cores, there were also cases where other out-of-place artifacts and overtechnology could be found.

There were even groups that made it their life’s work to study the artifacts. The House of Maxwell, which Genia the “overscientist” belonged to, was one of them.

The existence of such artifacts had caused an insane amount of progress in this world’s technology.

In addition, there were adventurers like Dece and Juno who made their living exploring the dungeons, and nearby towns that profited off such adventurers gathering. With the various demands overlapping, dungeons were considered dangerous, but also potentially profitable.

Kuu told us, with a look on his face like he had bitten into something unpleasant, that one of those dungeons had been discovered just two days from here by carriage.

“Now, I’m sure there are things to be gained from a dungeon,” he said. “However, that’s something we can only discuss once the safety of the people in the villages near the entrance is secured. You never know what’s in a newly discovered dungeon, after all.”

“So, something came out, then?” I asked.

“Yeah. I hear ten ogres, or something like that, came out.”

Ogres or something like that, huh...

Ogres were oni. In Japanese mythology, oni were a symbolic representation of those who didn’t conform to the system, and were depicted as powerful and terrifying, but somehow tragic. However, in Western mythology, they were man-eating humanoid monsters, and were often barbarians or demi-humans. From what I was hearing, these ogres sounded like the latter.

“Around the same time that the guys from the village who found it rushed to the capital to report on their discovery, a little over ten ogre-like creatures crawled out and attacked the village,” said Kuu. “From what the guys who got away said... they saw them eating people indiscriminately.”

“Eating people...” I murmured.

If the ogres were attacking people indiscriminately, and eating them, at that, it was no different from an attack by dangerous beasts. Unlike a war waged for a purpose, there was no room for negotiation, and we could only exterminate them like we would animals.

“Naturally, we’re putting a force together to put them down ourselves, and we’ve put in a request with the guild for adventurers to slay the monsters that came out of the dungeon, but... time is of the essence,” Kuu said. “Once a beast has a taste for human flesh, it’s sure to attack people again. These things are going to be the same. We don’t know when they’ll attack another village. I dunno if they’re ogres, or what they are, but I’m not letting them do what they want any longer.”

Kuu looked more serious and heroic than I had ever seen him before. He was completely different from the Kuu who was always aloof, and laughing. It was his anger at the people of his country being attacked. Kuu had acted like being the son of their head of state meant nothing to him, but in that anger, I felt like I could see the pride of one who stands above others.

“I see,” I said, nodding. “You have to prevent any further casualties.”

“Yeah. That’s it, Kazuma. I want you guys to help!” Kuu said and bowed his head once more. “We can travel to the village quickly from here. Also, I know you’ve got capable bodyguards on hand. Particularly the dark elf girl, and the red-headed guy. If they’d come, it’d be reassuring. Do you think you could ask them to?”

Emotionally, I wanted to help, but... I’d be risking the safety of my family, so I couldn’t say yes so easily. I wanted a little more information.

“Aisha?” I asked. “Just how strong are ogres?”

“Well, they have the strength to crush boulders with their bare hands, but even ordinary soldiers could defeat one if they surrounded it with ten men. I could do it alone,” Aisha added with a confident snort.

“It sounds like there are more than ten of them,” I said. “Can we fight that with the strength we have on hand?”

“If it’s around ten, I don’t see us failing. Madam Juna, Sir Halbert, and Madam Kaede are all superb combatants, and Sir Kuu is quite skilled himself.”

“I see...”

In that case, if we could confirm the situation on the ground, we could help.

“Got it,” I said. “Let us help.”

“You mean it?!” Kuu cried.

“This is a problem that could happen in any country. It’s practically a natural disaster. Now isn’t the time to be worrying about whether it’s Friedonia or Turgis.”

“Thanks! I owe you one!” Kuu seemed relieved to have our help.

I added, “However, I want you to bring me, too.”

“Darling?!” Juna shouted.

“Darlin’?!” Roroa cried.

Before they could say any more, I raised my hand to stop them. “I can’t fight, but my magic is suited to scouting. Let me help.”

“If that’s how you want it... Okay,” Kuu said. “I’m counting on you.”

“Yeah. We’ll get ready to go immediately, so wait outside for us.”

Kuu said, “Be quick about it,” and left the room with Leporina in tow. Once we had heard the sound of their footsteps leaving, Roroa confronted me.

“Hold on, darlin’! Are you outta your mind?! Goin’ to a dangerous place like that?!”

“I’m opposed to it, too,” Juna objected. “If anything were to happen to you, sire, I...”

From the fact she was referring to me as “sire” not “darling,” I could see she was seriously concerned.

Roroa continued. “You’re not strong like Big Sister Ai, now are ya?! Why can’t ya just wait here?!”

“Listen, I’m well aware I’m not strong, but I want you to let me go.” I plopped my hand down on top of Roroa’s head. “I don’t think Kuu was lying, but to prepare for the possibility of a trap or any other unplanned-for event, it’d be convenient for me to be next to our greatest combat asset. If I’m going to be loaning out my family and vassals, I need to make sure they’re returned to me.”

“Well, maybe, but...”

“Besides... I think this is a good opportunity for me to learn about what monsters are like.”

“Learn about monsters?” Roroa asked.

“Yeah. Since coming to this world, I’ve seen vicious creatures through the eyes of a Little Musashibo I was making work as an adventurer, but when it comes to monsters, I only have secondhand knowledge. Thinking about the future, I’d like to actually see them and gauge the threat they pose for myself.”

There might eventually come a time when I would have to face demons from the Demon Lord’s Domain. If that happened, I might get tripped up if I approached it with the naive thought that it would be okay because they were intelligent. In addition to the demons, there were apparently scads of monsters in the Demon Lord’s Domain, too, after all. That’s why I wanted to take this chance to learn about monsters.

“Of course, I’m going to secure my own safety as far as possible... Inugami.”

“I am here.” Inugami suddenly appeared from the shadow of the door Kuu and Leporina had left through.

There were always more than ten members of the Black Cats posted nearby, watching over us unnoticed. It had been that way ever since our departure for the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

I handed something over to him and gave him an order. “You were listening to us, right? I want you to send some of the Black Cats to scout out the site now, and confirm that the situation and number of monsters matches what Kuu told us. I’ll leave the choice of members to you. If there are more of them than we can handle with our number, report back to me with this wooden mouse. If that turns out to be the case, I’ll feel bad for Kuu, but we’ll have to back out.”

“By your will.”

Inugami took the wooden mouse possessed by my Living Poltergeists, then vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. He was getting more and more like a ninja, wasn’t he?

“Hrm... Well, if you’re gonna be stayin’ in a safe place, I guess it’s fine...” Roroa murmured.

“We’ll have to accept it,” Juna agreed.

I smiled. My thorough safety measures had made Roroa and Juna reluctantly accept that I would be going along.

“Have no worries!” Aisha declared. “We’ll wipe out those monsters immediately. We’ll not let them lay one finger on His Majesty. Right, Sir Halbert, Madam Kaede?”

“Sure thing!” Hal agreed. “I was just thinking I wanted to test out my new weapon, too!”

“Geez, Hal...” Kaede muttered. “But if it’s a royal command, we’ll follow it, you know.”

Aisha proudly thumped her chest, and Hal and Kaede nodded. What a reliable fiancée and comrades I had.

Now that our direction was decided, I gave each of them their individual orders. “Roroa and Tomoe will stay in this town. We’ll leave some members of the Black Cats to guard them.”

“Well, even if we did go, we’d only end up bein’ a hindrance,” Roroa said.

“Stay safe, Big Brother,” Tomoe added.

“Sure. I won’t do anything dangerous, so just trust me and wait.” I placed a hand on each of their worrying heads, and patted them gently. “The rest of the group will go with Kuu to put down the monsters. I will keep in contact with the Black Cats, and scout ahead from the rear. I’ll ask Juna to be my bodyguard.”

“Leave it to me,” Juna said.

“Aisha, Hal, and Kaede, you’ll put down the monsters with Kuu. But don’t push yourselves. If you think it’s dangerous, pull back immediately. That goes for if I detect more enemies than anticipated during my scouting and give the order to retreat, too. I won’t stand for us losing a single person here in another land!”

“Yes, sir!” Aisha exclaimed.

“Gotcha!” Hal said.

“You can leave it to us, you know,” Kaede confirmed.

Hearing everyone’s replies, I gave the order.

“Now then, everyone... Let’s go!”

““““Yes, sir!””””

In the carriage on the way there, I explained my magic to Kuu and Leporina.

Obviously, if I told him about the limitations or the area of effect in detail it would take a long time, so I only told him what he needed to know.

“My magic transfers my own consciousness into objects modeled on living creatures, like mannequins, and allows me to control them freely. For instance, if I transfer my consciousness into this wooden mouse, I get an overhead view of... well, just assume I can see what the mouse sees.”

“Wow, that’s one hell of an ability!” Kuu said, impressed at seeing the wooden mouse moving around on my hand almost like it was the real thing. “Oookyakya, if I had an ability like that, I could peep on the women’s bath all I want!”

“You had to go there immediately?!” I exclaimed.

“Young master, you’re embarrassing me as your subordinate, so please show some self-control,” Leporina protested with tears in her eyes.

Unlike the pensive look on his face when rushing into the inn, Kuu was already back to his usual self.

I ignored them and continued. “That’s why, if I send this wooden mouse out to scout, I can get an accurate picture of the situation without the other side knowing. The problem is, if I don’t know what direction the enemy is in, I can only send it to patrol the area around us.”

Maybe Aisha could, but I couldn’t do something like sense the enemy’s presence. If I knew the direction the enemy was in, I could send one out immediately, but until then. I’d have to have them spread out in the area around us to patrol.

That said, once sightings came in from the Black Cats we’d sent on ahead, I’d know the right direction immediately. However, I couldn’t let Kuu and Leporina know about the clandestine unit operating under my orders.

“In that case, we can have Leporina look,” Kuu said as if it was no big deal. “Leporina and her fellow white rabbits have good ears. Even in forests with poor visibility, she can sense what direction things are moving in by the sounds they make.”

“I only know the direction of the sound, and if it’s a single source or many, though,” Leporina added.

Oh, that paired well with my ability. Leporina could narrow down the direction, and then I just had to send out the mouse.

Then I received a message.

“Inugami reporting in. Target sighted.”

The report from Inugami and his men came into my mind through the separated portion of my consciousness.

“We have visual confirmation of five from here. The targets are ogres. However, Your Majesty... their form is somewhat warped.”

Warped? I was able to see the dolls I was controlling from an overhead view, but that also meant I could only see the area around them. Because the Black Cats were monitoring the targets from a distance, I couldn’t see them myself, so I could only imagine based on the report.

“Their faces and size match ogres, but their arms are massive and touch the ground, resulting in them walking on all fours,” said Inugami. “I hear many monsters are bizarre in form compared to those told of in legends. Most likely, this is one such subrace.”

A subrace of ogres... huh. I made the mouse he was carrying shake to indicate I understood.

The arrangement was that Inugami and his people would stake out the dungeon the ogres had appeared from for now. That was to prepare for a situation where more monsters crawled out of there, and because I couldn’t have a unit of spies doing anything that stood out too much.

Even so... it caught my attention that many of the monsters that resided in dungeons had bizarre forms.

The large number of monsters and demons that showed up after the appearance of the Demon Lord’s Domain. They were distinct from the many strangely shaped monsters that inhabited this continent’s dungeons. What was the difference between them? Was there even one to begin with?

In order to get a full picture of this world, I may need to turn my eyes to that, too.

It was a vague feeling, but that was the sense I got.

While I was thinking that, we reached the mountain village said to have been attacked by the monsters.

It was a hamlet with only about ten buildings, but it looked like it had been hit by a typhoon. None of the buildings were burned, but almost all of them were collapsed or had holes in the walls. If there was one difference from a typhoon, it was the splatters of blood that could be seen here and there.

The lines of blood that looked like someone had been dragged were especially disturbing.

“Damn... First, we search to see if anyone’s here!” Kuu said, gritting his teeth.

We all looked around to see if there were any survivors. However, we couldn’t even find the bodies.

Those who could escape had fled, and those who couldn’t must have been devoured or dragged off.

Having confirmed there was no one left in this village, we gathered again and began our search.

“Leporina,” I said. “Can you tell what direction the monsters are in?”

“I’ll try.” Leporina perked her rabbit ears up, and twitched them. A few seconds later, she added, “There are five at two o’clock, seven at three o’clock, and noises indicating the presence of several others.”

“I hear ogres move in groups,” Aisha explained. “The five and seven are likely ogres.”

The several others were probably the members of the Black Cats posted throughout the forest.

I sent the wooden mice in the directions Leporina indicated. Then, when they had gone about eight hundred meters from the village, I confirmed five ogres, and another kilometer away, there were seven of them.

Like in the report I had received from the Black Cats, the ogres did indeed have a bizarre form. Their arms were bizarrely fat and big, making their bodies extremely unbalanced.

From manga and games, I had an image of ogres as fat macho guys with horns wearing straw skirts and swinging clubs around, but while these ogres definitely had ogre heads, they wore no clothing, carried no weapons, and their bodies were covered in long hair. They were like what you’d get if you crossed an oni with a gorilla, and resembled the ijuu I had seen in the youkai encyclopedia I had read as a child.

The wooden mice crept closer and confirmed both groups were sitting in a circle and feasting on something. I had a bad feeling, so I decided not to look, but I caught a glimpse of one of the villag... No, best not to think about it.

The gorilla-like ogres with their bloodshot eyes were devouring their food with reckless abandon. The only thing I got from them was they were intensely hungry.

Good thing we didn’t bring Tomoe...

If I were only considering my objective of learning about monsters, Tomoe’s ability would have been useful. But I could tell just from looking. There was something different about these guys. They were only thinking about eating.

When it came to humans and animals, once their stomachs were full of food, they calmed down. However, these ogres were eating, but they didn’t show any signs of satisfaction whatsoever. They were like starving ghouls out of hell. If Tomoe could understand what they said, she’d probably faint in shock. It was a pretty harsh sight.

While forcing down the nausea, I informed everyone of what I had just seen.

Hearing my report, Kuu slammed his fist into the ground as if to take his frustrations out on it. “Those bastards! I’ll never forgive them!”

Hal crossed his arms and said, “Is there a distance between the two groups? It’d be a pain if they joined up.”

“Defeating a divided force is basic strategy, you know,” Kaede, who was Ludwin’s staff officer in the National Defense Force, agreed. “If possible, I’d like to dispose of the smaller group quickly.”

Kaede placed five and seven stones on the ground, then dug a trench between them with a stick.

“I’d like to lay a trap between these two groups. One that will let us delay the seven if they notice something is wrong with the five and rush to their aid, and that will maybe injure them if we’re lucky.”

“Do we have time to be laying traps?” I asked.

“I can easily use my magic to make pitfalls, if nothing else, you know. That’s why I’d like to sit out the fight with the five, and instead focus keeping them separated. If possible, I’d like to have an archer who could aim to injure and weaken them...”

“Then Leporina can go with you,” said Kuu. “She acts like a moron, but she’s a capable archer.”

“You didn’t have to call me a moron,” Leporina protested, but she still followed the order.

That more or less gave us our battle plan. While Kaede and Leporina were delaying the arrival of the seven, Aisha, Hal, and Kuu would wipe out the five with their full combat potential. I, myself, would only be in the way, so I’d be supporting them at range using the Little Musashibo (Small) with Bowgun Equipped I had brought.

Juna was to be on standby as my bodyguard and strike commando.

When the operation started, Kuu gave an order. “I’m sorry to get you people from another country wrapped up in my country’s problem. But for now, please, lend we your strength! Let’s get this impromptu combined force going!”

““““Yeah!””””

Though we were a small, hastily thrown together team, the first joint battle between the Kingdom of Friedonia and the Republic of Turgis had begun.

In order to defeat them all before the seven arrived from elsewhere, we decided we would first hit them with a surprise attack with the greatest power possible. The goal was to make sure at least one went down in the initial strike.

And among us, the one with the most power was... Aisha.

“Hahhhhhh!”

With a war cry, Aisha swung her greatsword.

Caught unaware by the assault, one of the ogres was bisected without being able to do anything about it. The other four panicked when they saw one of them had gone down.

Then Aisha, Hal, and Kuu sprang on them.

“I’m sure you know this, redhead, but we don’t have much time!” Kuu shouted.

“I know, whitehead!” Hal shot back.

Wait, Hal, he’s the son of their head of state, okay?

Kuu was holding the cudgel decorated with a golden centipede that we had seen in Taru’s workshop. Hal was holding two short spears, but the bottoms of their shafts were bound by a thin chain. Was that the new weapon he said he’d bought at Taru’s place? I believe it was called the Twin Snake Spear.

“You punks are gonna pay for what you did to our people!” Kuu spun his cudgel around like a windmill, then weaved nimbly through his opponent’s onrushing arms to accurately whack the ogre’s forehead, solar plexus, and other vital points. “Too slow! Here, you can eat this, too!”

Most likely, that cudgel was strengthened with an enchantment. Every time the cudgel struck flesh, there was thumping sound. The ogre held the place where it had been struck and winced in pain.

Compared to Kuu’s style of infighting, Hal was working at medium range.

He wreathed his right hand spear in flames, and threw it at the ogre. When the ogre evaded it, the spear stuck in the tree behind it. That moment, the flames burst. There was a loud roar and the tree exploded into pieces.

The ogre closed in on Hal, unintimidated, and raised up its huge arms.

“Oh, crap!” Hal cried.

Before it could swing down, Hal pulled on his remaining spear.

That pulled on the chain connecting the spears at their base, and the other spear smoothly returned to his hand. Hal crossed the two spears and blocked the ogre’s downwards blow.

“Urgh... Yeah, I’m not doing so hot, taking it into battle without any practice,” he groaned.

While he slid his crossed spears and redirected the ogre’s arms to the right, Hal spun his body, and landed a flaming backwards roundhouse kick on the ogre’s flank. The ogre’s body, which was easily over two meters tall, was thrown back about five meters.

Hal cracked his neck, and looked at the ogre. “Sheesh... I’ll have to train to be able to use it quickly.”

Hal grinned, then threw his left spear at the ogre this time.

The ogre tried to dodge it again, but Hal used the remaining spear and chain to change its course. The ogre was unable to avoid it, and it struck its right shoulder.

“Blow up!” Hal shouted.

The flame-wreathed spear blew away the ogre’s right arm.

While Kuu and Hal seemed to be holding the advantage in their battles, Aisha was fighting two ogres alone. Despite that, there was no sign whatsoever that Aisha was in trouble.

Warding off all of the ogres’ heavy blows with her greatsword, she followed that up by slashing them. As time passed, the number of gashes carved into the two ogres’ bodies increased.

“So inexperienced. This isn’t even a warm up,” Aisha said as she cut off one ogre’s fat arm at the shoulder.

All three of them were doing an amazing job fighting.

Incidentally... for my part, I was watching them from a distance.

That was so I could keep a watch on the seven that were being delayed, as well as keep an eye out for any signs of further enemy activity in the surrounding area.

While I would occasionally see an opening and have my Little Musashibo (Small) with Bowgun Equipped take a shot, the ogres’ thick muscles kept getting in the way, so my supporting fire wasn’t doing much more than harassing them.

“Everyone so strong,” I murmured to myself.

“Of course,” Juna said. She was standing beside me as my bodyguard. “Aisha and Sir Halbert are among the best warriors in our country. Sir Kuu is strong, too, I might add. I’m not sure I could beat him.”

“Oh, yeah. Now that you mention it, you were one of them, huh...”

The commander of the marines in the former navy. She was someone who had a strength she could compare against others.

“I know I can rely on you,” I added.

“Hee hee.” She seemed pleased. “But... don’t let your guard down, okay?”

Juna suddenly pulled out a number of knives and threw them forward.

The water-wreathed knives left a trail as they flew forward, then stabbed into a large boulder that had flown our way at some point, and in the next instant, the boulder was pulverized. It seemed one of Aisha’s ogres had gotten cornered and started throwing around anything that came to hand in desperation. One of those things must have ended up coming our way.

“Because the thing to truly be afraid of at a time like this is the stray arrow that comes at you without killing intent,” she finished.

“Oh! Okay...”

As she brushed her hair back and said that, I felt myself falling for Juna all over again.

When there was only one ogre left, we learned there had been movement from the other seven.

“Ah! The seven are coming this way! Kaede and Leporina are coming, too!”

I reported that to everyone, then prepared myself for battle again.

Leporina and Kaede rushed in from over there. They were moving as planned, but for some reason, Leporina looked flustered. She rushed straight over to me.

“Wh-What is it?” I asked.

“Hah, hah... K-Kazuma! In addition to the seven, another group is coming in from eight o’clock! There are five of them!”

A group?! Reinforcements, now?!

But I’d received no report from the Black Cats. Whatever the case might be, I sent a wooden mouse in the direction Leporina indicated. Then, when I confirmed the group... I was shocked.

Huh?! What are they doing here?!

I was so surprised, I was at a loss for words. When I came to my senses, I hid my Little Musashibo doll in the bushes. It’d be bad if those guys saw it.

“Wh-What is it?! Is it something bad?!”

Leporina had a worried look on her face, so I hurriedly shook my head.

“Oh... It’s fine. They’re not our enemy.”

And then they came out from the other side of the bushes.

You could tell at a glance that they were five adventurers. The handsome swordsman, the green-haired, boyish female thief, the muscly martial artist man, the mild-mannered priest with the gentle face, and the quiet beauty who was a mage. I... knew these people well.

“We’ve come to support you in response to a request from the adventurers’ guild!” the handsome swordsman known as Dece shouted. “Is there someone in charge here?”

Whenever I had Little Musashibo go out and play adventurer, this was the party he often teamed up with.

The swordsman’s name was Dece.

The female thief was Juno.

The mild-mannered guy in the priest’s uniform was Febral.

The female mage’s name was Julia.

The muscle man’s name was... Who was he again? He hadn’t been there the first time I’d teamed up with the party... Oh! Augus. It was Augus.

“Hm?”

Then Juno came over to me, and...

“Hey, you. Haven’t we met somewhere?” she asked while staring me in the face.

◇　◇　◇

This is just a reminder, but adventurers were people who made their living clearing the dungeons that existed all over this continent, slaying the dangerous creatures that sometimes spilled out of them, and performing tasks like defending merchants and subjugating bandits.

An group of adventurers’ final goal was to clear a dungeon and earn wealth and glory by destroying and bringing back its dungeon core.

Among themselves, they had job names based on the roles they played.

If they specialized in close combat, they were a “swordsman” or “brawler.” If they specialized in long-range combat, they were an “archer.” And if they focused on magic, they were a “mage.” In addition, there was the scouting and commando role played by the “thief” and the healer role played by the “priest,” but these were only job titles, and that didn’t mean they were actual thieves or priests.

They were like Jacks and Jills of all trades whose bodies were their primary assets, which meant their position in society was not particularly high, but if they managed to recover something useful from a dungeon, they could possibly strike it rich, so it was a reasonably popular and romanticized profession.

Furthermore, due to the nature of their trade, they often worked across borders, so registering with the adventurers’ guild also had the benefit of simplified checks when entering or leaving a country.

You might think that would make them easy to use as spies, but it also meant that it was easy for them to draw attention. If an adventurer carelessly got too close to important secrets, they would surely be put down without question.

Still, it was true that it was a convenient way of getting someone into another country undercover, and that was why the Gran Chaos Empire’s Little Sister General, Jeanne, had used it to make contact with Souma in past.

Now, returning to the story. We turn back to about half a day earlier.

On this day, the swordsman Dece, the thief Juno, the priest Febral, the mage Julia, and the martial artist Augus left their usual area of operations in Friedonia in order to visit the Republic of Turgis.

They were here to buy equipment. They needed to procure new arms and armor to replace the ones they had used up in their adventuring business, and they all agreed that, if they had to buy them anyway, they should get Turgish equipment, which was noted for its high quality.

Being contractors who took jobs from others, not only was function important, but appearance, too.

Because imports were relatively expensive, they had decided to go to the place where they were made as a means of conserving money.

Dece and the others were all smiling after buying their new equipment, but then the adventurers’ guild issued an emergency quest.

Apparently, there had been a dungeon discovered near a mountain village, and ogres had crawled out of it to attack that small settlement. The quest was to “cooperate in subjugating the ogres.”

These sorts of emergency quests were issued in the name of both the guild and the country, and adventurers in the affected area were half-forced to accept them. They could refuse, but in the event they did, they would face harsh measures such as being stripped of their status as an adventurer.

“Well, if it’s an emergency quest, we can’t exactly refuse,” Dece commented. “Let’s go, everyone.”

“Urgh... I just got this new equipment, and I need to get it dirty already?” Juno complained.

Their shoulders slumped, as they realized they were getting dragged into some real trouble.

Even so, they couldn’t ignore an emergency quest.

There nothing else they could do, so Dece and the others hurried into the mountains to join up with the group that was already on location and dealing with the issue.

◇　◇　◇

“...Hey, you,” Juno said. “Haven’t we met somewhere?”

The female thief had distinctive green hair and was seventeen, maybe eighteen years of age. Her defiant eyes seemed a poor fit for her childish face stared hard at me.

Within her party, she specialized in scouting and ambushing, so she dressed lightly, with hot pants and a tank top with a breastplate over it. But because of this country’s cold climate, she was now wearing a cape over top of that.

“Your face...” she went on. “I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before?”

“Erm...” I said.

I wasn’t sure exactly which face she meant. Was it my face on the Jewel Voice Broadcast as the King of Friedonia, or my face from when we’d encountered each other in the former slums, or the face of the person inside the adventurer Little Musashibo...? Oh, wait, I had been controlling that Little Musashibo remotely. Well, no matter which of my alternate identities it was, it would be troublesome to explain.

Judging from the wrinkles on Juno’s brow, it seemed Juno herself couldn’t recall where she had seen me. In that case, my solution was decided.

I offered my right hand to Juno. “Nice to meet you. Would you people happen to be the adventurers coming to support us?”

“Huh? Uh... Yeah, but...”

“Whew, it’s a good thing you’re here.” I took Juno’s right hand and shook it hard.

My plan was to move things along before she figured anything out. While I was still holding Juno’s right hand, I pointed to the last of the five ogres which the others were working on defeating.

“We also came here to slay ogres and answer the request for aid that Sir Kuu issued.”

“Y-You did?” Juno looked at me blankly.

Whew... It looked like I’d managed to play it off well enough.

“...Darling?” Juna, who had been standing beside me, was looking at me with a smile.

Even though she hadn’t said a word, I could tell what she was thinking...

“Oh, my, just how long do you plan to hold her hand for?”

“Just what sort of relationship do you have with her...?”

I felt like I was being interrogated. I was like a frog, paralyzed by being glared at by a snake. No, not just any snake, a giant sea snake. It was times like this when I could really sense that Juna was Excel the sea serpent’s granddaughter.

I let go of Juno’s hand, then turned the conversation over to the party leader Dece, who had a look on his face like he was wondering what we had been talking about.

“We’ve finished slaying these five, but another seven ogres are coming this way,” I said. “I’d like your assistance in subjugating them.”

“S-Sure,” he said. “Got it. Let’s go, everyone!”

“Yeah!” said Augus.

““Yes, sir!”” Febral and Julia shouted.

Juno continued staring at my face, but thanks to Juna subtly inserting herself between us, we were able to break her line of sight.

Juno took on an irritated expression at someone getting between us.

Juna didn’t let her smile break even as the other woman glared at her dubiously.

Sparks flew between them.

...Why was it? I felt a pain in my stomach.

Well, that aside.

Not long afterward, the seven ogres appeared, but with our original group of seven being bolstered by the five adventurers, there were now twelve of us.

Even excluding me, because I was unable to use my Little Musashibo doll in front of Juno and her party, which meant I had been reduced to a scouting role with Juna guarding me, we still had enough people to overwhelm them.

While Dece and Juno were way below Aisha or Hal in terms of ability, Dece and Augus kept the ogres under control on the front line, Febral healed their wounds, Juno disrupted the ogres and cut them with twin poison-coated swords, and Julia finished them with magic.

They used that sort of party-like teamwork to take out two ogres. They were defeating enemies they couldn’t beat alone with the power of teamwork.

It was a style that differed from soldiers on the battlefield, and it suited them as adventurers.

Little Musashibo has been part of that...

The Little Musashibo I was making act as an adventurer had often formed a temporary party with them. His role was the sort of front-line fighting that Dece and Augus were doing. Even if it was temporary, he had joined them a number of times, so I was confident he could work in concert with them.

He had been asked to formally join the party, too, but I couldn’t afford to let one of my consciousnesses be constantly devoted to adventuring, so I’d politely declined.

To think I’d encounter them in this country... I pondered. Was this mean to be...?

“Fate is a fickle mistress, and misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows...” I murmured.

“Hm? Did you say something?” Juna asked.

“Nope, not a thing.” I shook my head.

What had at some point become the last ogre took Hal’s flaming spear in its flank, which created a big hole when it exploded.

Now we’d exterminated all the ones in this area.

There was no report of more enemies from the Black Cats watching the entrance to the dungeon, so this was mission accomplished.

“You all did great,” Kuu said. “Kazuma and company, and you adventures, too. I thank you on behalf of the people of this country.”

Kuu and Leporina both bowed their heads. He was speaking formally, no doubt because he was the quest issuer.

Then Kuu raised his head and smiled at Dece and the others with a laugh. “You really saved us. We’ll tell the guild the quest’s complete. And about your part in it, too, of course. Go to them for your reward.”

“R-Right,” said Dece. “Understood. We’ll be going, then.”

Dece and the others bowed and turned back down the road they came.

When they were almost out of sight, Juno seemed to panic about something and raced back over on her own.

Oh, crap! Had she figured something out?

She stood in front of me, and thrust a finger in my direction. “I remember now! You—you were the guy in Parnam’s refugee camp!”

Oh, that’s the one she remembers, huh...

It seemed she recognized me not as a king, or as the one inside Little Musashibo, but as the guy she’d happened to encounter in the refugee camp. I wondered how I was going to dodge the issue, but I had a feeling that trying to lie while she was staring at me so hard would backfire.

I put my hand on top of my head and bowed slightly. “Ohh... Thank you for that time...”

“I knew it! I’ve wanted to ask you all this time! Back then, I never gave my name, but you called me Juno! How’d you know my name?!”

“That’s...”

What was the best way to answer that? I couldn’t say it was because I was Little Musashibo and I had often worked with her party... right?

But, huh? Was there a need to keep that secret? It would be problematic if they learned I was the king right now, but if they found out I was connected to Little Musashibo... that wouldn’t really be a problem, right?

“Well... The truth is—”

“Hey, Juno! We’re leaving you behind!” Dece was calling her from off in the distance.

Juno ground her back teeth, then thrust her index finger towards me again. “Next time we meet, I’m getting answers out of you!”

Leaving those words behind, Juno ran over to the rest of her group.

“Next time we meet... huh.”

I was fine with telling her, but I’d ended up keeping the secret, after all.

To be fair, I was always in the center of Parnam, and I didn’t go out to the castle town that often, so was I ever actually going to meet Juno in the flesh ever again?

While I was wondering that, Kuu clapped his hands. “Now then... Leporina, Kazuma, there are no more ogres left outside, right?”

“Right,” Leporina said. “I don’t hear any more groups moving around.”

I concurred. “I sent my wooden mice after the individual sound sources, and can confirm that there are no ogres left near here.”

Kuu nodded. “In that case, it should be fine now. The army should be getting here anytime now, so we can leave guarding the dungeon to them. You were watching the entrance, just in case, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Looks like there’s been no movement there.”

Though, if I were to be wholly accurate, the ones watching it were the Black Cats. There had been no more reports, so it was probably fine.

Kuu considered for awhile.

“Then can I get you to watch until the military arrives?” he asked finally. “If any more monsters come out, we’d have to deal with them.”

It spoke well of him, as one who stood above others, that his position was that every caution should be taken until things were fully secured. Naturally, I wholeheartedly agreed to do it.

“Roger that,” I said. “I’ll keep watch until the military arrives.”

“I’m counting on you. Okay, shall we get going back, too, then? Man, I’m sorry. Getting you caught up in our problems like this,” Kuu said with a grin. “I’m really grateful, you know? Let me pay you the same reward we’ll be paying the adventurers.”

But I shook my head. “No, this was within the realm of international cooperation. I don’t need any compensation.”

“Huh? I don’t feel right leaving it like that...”

“You don’t? Hm... If you insist, then could you ask your father to be willing to make all sorts of concessions to my country in the coming talks?” I asked jokingly.

Kuu laughed and threw his arm around my shoulder. “Oookyakya, that’s not happening! When it comes to negotiations with other countries, my people’s livelihoods are involved. I may be grateful, but we can’t make concessions there.”

“Ha ha ha, really? That’s too bad, then.”

“You don’t mean that,” Kuu grinned. “If you do, then try to look a little more disappointed.”

We looked at one another and laughed.

Aisha and Juna watched us with smiles.

“I don’t know how to say it, but they’re just so young when you look at them like this,” Aisha said.

“Hee hee,” Juna giggled. “It’s relaxing, somehow.”

I felt a little bit embarrassed.

Chapter 6: A Trump Card in Negotiations

Turning over the handling of the dungeon to the republic’s military, we hurried back to the town of Noblebeppu, where Roroa and Tomoe were waiting. That was where talks with Kuu’s father, the head of the Republic of Turgis, were waiting for us.

It had be arranged that the talks would be held in a room at the inn where we were staying, with a very limited number of people attending. This was the result of taking the Turgish side’s situation, in which a larger meeting would require taking the time to go through a process with the Council of Chiefs, into consideration.

We were able to make it back to Noblebeppu by noon on the day of the talks. We had stayed in the mountain village near the dungeon for one night after the ogres were exterminated, then set out just before dawn, but it had ultimately taken us this long to arrive.

Though the situation had been explained to the other side, we must have kept them waiting for a fair amount of time.

When I dismounted from the carriage in front of the inn, Roroa and Tomoe came out of the inn to greet us.

“Welcome back, darlin’!” Roroa called. “Ya had me worried.”

“Welcome back,” Tomoe said. “I’m glad you’re okay, Big Brother.”

“I’m back, Roroa, Tomoe.”

When I patted them on their heads, they cooed and smiled. Seeing them like that, I was relieved I had been able to come back safe.

With us having had help from Dece, Juno, and the rest, it might seem like there ultimately hadn’t been much danger, but seeing those ghoulish ogres that looked like they’d crawled up out of hell, feasting on what looked to be human meat, may have made me feel a little weak at heart. That was a traumatic sight, after all.

“Whew, we’re here, we’re here.” Disembarking from the carriage, Kuu spun his arms in circles. “It’s already noon, so have your king and my old man already started the talks?”

We people from the kingdom looked at him blankly, but...

Oh, right, everyone quickly realized. The only ones here who didn’t know were Kuu and Leporina.

I put on a strained smile and told Kuu, “No, not yet. One of the leaders only just arrived, after all.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to...”

When Kuu was about to ask, a group of about five people walked towards us from across the way. The one leading them was a large-bodied, stern-faced snow monkey.

He was a mountain of muscle. His sideburns and beard had merged into something like a white lion’s mane.

If Kuu was Sun Wukong, this man was fit to be called the Monkey King. His white robe and white cape with shoulder pads made him look every bit the person of high station that he was.

With soldiers following behind him, the great man stood before us.

“Hm? Well, hey, if it isn’t my old man,” Kuu said to the snow monkey. “What happened to the talks?”

Yes, just as I’d assumed, this great snow monkey was Kuu’s old man, and also the head of the Republic of Turgis.

The man ignored Kuu and stood in front of me. “It is good to meet you, King of Friedonia. Welcome to the Republic of Turgis. I am the head of state, Gouran Taisei.”

Sir Gouran smiled and extended his right hand. He had a stern face, but it wore a courteous smile.

I took his right hand. “It’s good to meet you, too, Sir Gouran. I am King Souma Kazuya of the United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia.”

We brought our left hands together with our clasped right hands for a two-handed handshake.

While watching us, Kuu’s mouth hung open as if he didn’t understand what was going on. Eventually he must have worked it out in his head, because Kuu’s eyes went wide.

“Whaaa?! Kazuma’s a king?!”

“Now, Kuu, you’re being rude to Sir Souma,” his father scolded.

“No, it’s my fault for not saying anything,” I said. “Sorry for not telling you, Kuu. My real name is Souma Kazuya. I did, at least, contact your head of state about it.”

Once I had apologized for keeping it a secret, Kuu let out a sigh. “To think... the guy I bumped into at Taru’s workshop was the king of a neighboring country...”

“I could say the same,” I said. “Who would have expected the son of this country’s head of state to coming riding in on a numoth while I was talking business with Taru?”

Talk about serendipity. All either of us could do was laugh wryly.

Sir Gouran, who had been watching us, gave a hearty guffaw. “If we’re keeping score, I’m the most confused of all. Who would have expected my own son was working with a foreign king? What’s more, it seems you helped us subjugate the monsters that spilled out of a dungeon. I thank you cordially on behalf of my people.”

Gouran bowed his head. I could feel he was related to Kuu from that forthright posture of his.

“Please, raise your head,” I said. “The monsters in dungeons are a threat to all of mankind. They’re like a natural disaster, so it’s only natural that I would offer help, irrespective of whether it happened in the kingdom or the republic.”

“Well, I’m grateful to hear you say that... Oh?” Sir Gouran noticed Roroa, who was standing beside me, and blinked. “Pardon me. Would you happen to be Princess Roroa of Amidonia?”

“Yes, Lord Gouran. I am Roroa Amidonia.” Roroa lifted the hem of her coat and curtsied.

For a moment, that gesture was so well-refined I had to question if she was really Roroa. Had she suppressed her usual merchant slang and responded politely because he was the representative of a nation?

For us, who knew the usual Roroa, she looked like a little tanuki playing innocent, though...

“You know who I am, Lord Gouran?” she added.

“We aren’t directly acquainted, but you reminded me of your mother,” he said.

“My mother?” Roroa tilted her head to the side.

If I recalled, Roroa’s mother had passed away when she was little, hadn’t she? I remembered that because when we’d held a funeral for Gaius, he’d been interred in the princely family’s tomb, where his wife had already been laid to rest.

With a hearty laugh, Gouran continued. “When I was young, there were only minor skirmishes, but I crossed blades with the Amidonian military on several occasions. In that process, I gathered information on Amidonia. You know, Sir Gaius made for a fearsome adversary. Nothing could have been more troublesome.”

“I... I see...” Roroa struggled to give a proper response.

There had been a rift between her and her father. When someone was laughing and telling her things about him that could be compliments or insults, she must have had no idea how to respond.

Sir Gouran continued despite Roroa’s reaction. “I hear your mother was a person so cheerful, she could laugh Sir Gaius’s stern face away. I’ve also heard talk about how you married yourself, and your country with you, to King Souma. You must have inherited her boldness.”

“Th-Thank you...” Roroa responded, while shooting me a look that screamed, Darlin’, help me!

It seemed she was troubled by him bringing up awkward topics it was hard for her to respond to, and apparently doing it with no ill intent, at that.

Unlike Roroa, though, I was impressed with Sir Gouran. Even though he lived in this closed-off land, he hadn’t been lax in gathering information about the outside world.

Well, that aside, Roroa was tearing up, so I decided to help here.

“Sir Gouran, should we start the talks now?”

“Oh, sorry, I’ve been rude,” Sir Gouran said with and took on an extremely serious expression. “I know the talks were scheduled for today, but between subjugating the ogres and traveling, you must be tired. Please, relax for today, and we will hold the talks tomorrow.”

“...Well, okay,” I said. “I’d be grateful if we could do it that way.”

I didn’t want to rush the negotiations; I wanted us to take our time. And it was true I was tired. So I decided to accept Sir Gouran’s considerate offer.

We would stay in the inn, and Sir Gouran and his entourage would stay at the villa where Kuu had been staying near here.

Then, tomorrow, we would reserve this entire inn to hold the meeting.

Now, this was where it would all be decided.

That night, I used the jewel I had brought in secret to contact Hakuya back in the capital of Parnam. When I explained the situation in Turgis...

“Honestly... what were you thinking?” he asked in exasperation. “It should be unthinkable for the king of a nation to go out slaying ogres.”

That was the first thing out of Hakuya’s mouth.

“Well, I thought I had to...”

“It would seem a scolding from Lady Liscia is inevitable at this point,” he went on.

“Urkh... Is Liscia there, too?” I asked hesitantly, but Hakuya shook his head.

“No. Lady Liscia has already gone to rest in Lord Albert’s domain.”

“Thank goodness... I wouldn’t want to worry her now.”

She was carrying our child in her womb. I couldn’t afford to worry her unduly.

But it really was a shame to be unable to see Liscia’s face, and unable to hear her voice. I wanted to thank her directly for having our child. This made me feel like a father living away from the family due to business.

Hakuya looked exasperated. “If you know that, I want you to be prudent. You will be a father soon, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll take that to heart...”

There was nothing else I could say in response. I had to be honest with myself, and reflect on it. That said, though, if I encountered a similar situation in future, I didn’t really know if I could be prudent or not.

“So, how is the plan going on your end?” I asked.

“I’ve already received assent from the other party. The preparations are complete, but... what are your thoughts on Sir Gouran, sire?”

“How do you mean that, exactly?”

“Do you think the talks will be a success or not?”

I thought about that a little. I recalled what I had seen of Sir Gouran today.

“He seems abrasive, but I could also see a more sensitive side to him. He looks like a warrior, but that’s not all there is to him. If we underestimate him, he’ll take advantage of that. He’s not the head of a nation for nothing.”

“Sire... in order to make negotiations move smoothly, you wanted to demonstrate the power of our nation, correct?”

“In order to form friendly relations, I want to show them the merits of forming an alliance with us, and the demerits of making an enemy of us. But from the look of things, he’s not going to be intimidated by just anything. That’s all the more reason why the trick you’ve set up will be useful.”

I grinned.

“Please, do not go to the talks tomorrow with that look on your face.” Hakuya sighed in exasperation.

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, around this time, Head of the Republic Gouran and his son Kuu were in the living room of their villa in Noblebeppu, talking about Souma and his companions over drinks.

“When you were working with that king, what was your view of him?” Gouran asked while tilting back a goblet of fermented milk.

“He’s a weird one,” Kuu chuckled. “He looks weak, but there’s something about him you just can’t figure out, I guess you could say?”

Gouran tilted his head to the side at his son’s words. “So... which is he, in the end?”

“Like I said, I don’t know. He’s probably a king who rules by the pen, not the sword. Kazuma... no, Souma looks weak, and he really isn’t strong, but he’s got a good collection of subordinates around him. That dark elf especially. She’s in a class of her own. And even if Souma looks like he’s wide open, if you make the mistake of trying to lay a hand on him, his subordinates will leave piles of bodies lying around.”

“Hm...” Gouran pondered. “He’s a king who is loved and protected by his vassals, then?”

“Oook... I feel like it’s more than just that. He’s a smart one, so he won’t be reckless, but it’s not like he’s completely without courage. No matter how much he trusted his subordinates, a weak guy wouldn’t decide to accompany me on a dangerous task like subjugating those ogres so easily, right? If he can place his own life on the scales, that’s proof he’s made it through his own share of trials.”

“They say he defeated a military man like Gaius VIII, after all,” Gouran nodded.

Triggered by Souma’s ascension to the throne, a war had broken out between the Elfrieden Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia. From the stories they had heard, the war had been a crushing victory for the kingdom, but Gaius VIII had shown his pride as a warrior to the end.

Even though the war had been decided, and his troops had broken and scattered, Crown Prince Julius had escaped, while Gaius himself had gone with his personal retainers and charged into a great army, coming within steps of wringing Souma’s neck.

Even in defeat, Gaius had maintained his pride as a warrior.

Those who lost a war were always vilified at first. The victors spread those stories to demonstrate the righteousness of their own actions.

However, in Gaius’s case, because his daughter Roroa was going to marry Souma, and an attempt was being made to unify the two countries, Souma never spoke ill of him, and he did not have an undeserved reputation.

Setting aside people’s views of his performance as a sovereign prince, Gaius’s reputation as a warrior was being defended by a daughter who hadn’t gotten along with him, and her fiancé who had fought him as an enemy. Whether this was a neat contrivance of history or an irony was up to the individual to decide.

Here was what Gouran thought.

Perhaps by confronting Gaius, Souma had gained a courage that did not match his own weak body.

If so... Gaius has left behind an incredible memento.

Whether Gouran wished for it himself or not, the threads of fate continued to wrap themselves around him. While feeling the flow of time, he looked to Kuu, who was drinking fermented milk in front of him.

Will getting involved with Souma bring about some change in my idiot son? That may prove to have great meaning for the republic...

Gouran downed the rest of his fermented milk, and made his decision.

◇　◇　◇

The night broke, and it was the day of the meeting.

We reserved the great hall of the inn where we were staying, and Gouran and I sat across from one another. It was the place we had used for the party before, so there were no tables or chairs. We sat cross-legged on brilliantly colored cushions laid out on the carpet.

On either side of me were Juna and Roroa, who no longer needed to hide their positions, and Kuu was sitting next to Gouran.

Behind us were Aisha and the rest of the members of our group, with the exception of Tomoe, and behind Sir Gouran and Kuu were a group of this country’s soldiers lead by Leporina.

Each of those groups stood at attention and guarded their respective leaders.

I bowed slightly, then looked Sir Gouran straight in the face. “First, allow me to thank you for arranging this meeting.”

“Think nothing of it,” he said. “It is not often one has the chance to speak with the king of a neighboring country. I would very much like to use this rare chance to speak openly about things that will be of benefit of both our countries.”

Sir Gouran returned my slight bow, and looked me straight in the eye.

We were both the leaders of our respective countries, so neither could bow deeply in a way that implied one was higher or lower than the other.

Gouran turned to look to the side. “Still... I’m surprised. To think you would bring such a thing here...”

He was looking at a jewel for the Jewel Voice Broadcast. The massive crystal that I had also used to communicate with Hakuya yesterday was occupying a corner of the room.

Sir Gouran furrowed his brow. “That is a Jewel Voice Broadcast Jewel, correct? Is this being broadcast somewhere?”

“No, this is only for communication purposes,” I said. “I’m not broadcasting it to the people.”

“...I see.”

“Do you have jewels in this country, too?” I asked.

“Just one. I would like to have more, but they’re made from dungeon cores. Unfortunately, we’ve only cleared one dungeon in this country.”

“I see...”

It sure was inconvenient that there was only one dungeon core.

The country had a fairly large amount of land, so I would want the to have one for broadcasting and one for communication, at least.

If we’d had any to spare, I’d have been willing to sell or trade them, but of the five dungeon cores we currently had, one was used for broadcasts from the castle, one for communicating with the Empire, and three for broadcast programs. Unfortunately, I had no way to help.

Well, with those pleasantries set aside, I dove into the matter at hand. “Now then, Sir Gouran, I have a proposal for you...”

“The ‘medical alliance’... I believe.” Before I could say it, Sir Gouran crossed his arms and groaned. “Treatments that don’t rely on light magic... It really is fascinating. Doctors, were they? For this country, where it’s hard to even walk around outside in winter, there would be great meaning in being able to permanently station one person who could perform treatments in every village. Besides that, you say they can treat diseases that light magic can’t. I’d very much like to have that.”

Sir Gouran sounded impressed. It felt like we weren’t off to a bad start.

But then Sir Gouran’s expression grew stern.

“However, there are things I don’t understand here. Why would you bring this to us? Wouldn’t studying the subject alone allow your country to grow more powerful?”

Suspicious eyes. He was trying to feel out if I had any ulterior motives.

When he asked me that, for a moment, I thought about how the empress of the Gran Chaos Empire might answer. She might say, “Medicine knows no borders.”

That person, who was not a self-proclaimed saint, but had been proclaimed a saint by others, was the sort to think about what was best for the whole world, and so those kinds of words suited her.

For me, on the other hand, that sort of idealism was a poor fit. I always thought of my own country’s benefit first. I didn’t think that was a bad thing, but if someone like me said, “Medicine knows no borders,” the words might sound hollow.

So I looked Sir Gouran in the eyes as I responded, “That’s... for practicality.”

“Practicality?”

“Yes. It’s true, it would be best to study it with only my country. However, that would take too much time and funding. Medicine is not a subject one country can fully study on its own. If I were to try to do it all with one country, I wouldn’t have enough time, personnel, or funding.”

What I needed to demonstrate was the realistic benefit of dividing the research. If I could prove it would be of benefit to both the kingdom and the republic, I could get things moving.

“That is why, like I proposed to Kuu, I want the republic to produce medical equipment and to export it to us. We will dispatch the doctors who can use that equipment. If this can be realized, the field of medicine should progress greatly in both our countries.”

“That’s true. It does sound like both countries stand to profit.” Gouran gave a big nod.

Was this... going to work?

“Well, then...”

“However.” It had looked like things were coming together, but then Sir Gouran fixed a stern look on me. “Can this truly be called an equal exchange?”

“...What do you mean?”

“Hearing your proposal of a medical alliance, I did a fair amount of thinking about it for my own part. It may look advanced, but, to make matters quick, I think it’s really just a development in the way medicine men and women treat their patients.”

“...You’re right,” I admitted.

He wasn’t mistaken. We had managed to cut out a lot of the process because of the existence of the three-eyed race that could see microorganisms, but doctors were merely a further development of the medicine man or woman who brewed medicinal infusions.

“In that case, it is something we can understand, too,” Sir Gouran said. “Basically, the kingdom trains ‘incredible medicine men or women,’ and our country is expected to create the ‘incredible tools’ that they use, right? If that was all we were dealing with, I’m sure you could call it fair, but there’s one more element: the medicinal infusions the medicine man or woman uses.”

“Medical infusions... You mean drugs?”

“We each hold one card, the ‘doctor’ and the ‘medical equipment.’ However, the ‘drugs’ card is floating in midair. We can’t take the ‘drugs’ card for ourselves yet. If the kingdom takes that card, the balance of power will largely shift in your favor.”

Drugs, huh.

It was true that, in the kingdom, the three-eyes race had developed three-eyedine (an antibiotic). Three-eyedine was extracted from a subspecies of gelin that could even live in poisonous swamps.

This country was very cold, and the liquid gelins would freeze solid, so they didn’t live here. It wouldn’t be possible for them to develop it on their own.

Naturally, they’d be dependent on imports. If the kingdom had control of those imports, it would be easy for more funding to flow into the kingdom.

...To be honest, I hadn’t thought about this until it was pointed out.

Obviously, I had considered the element of drugs, but I hadn’t expected the republic to be suspicious about it.

Still, now that I thought about it, it was only natural they would be. They were approaching these talks with a lot of determination of their own. They would think desperately about what could be disadvantageous to their country, and try to rub it out.

Because he was thinking so hard about their own country, Sir Gouran had hit upon this element of drugs.

He must be a good ruler... Well, in this case, his fears are unwarranted, though.

I mentally shrugged my shoulders. It wasn’t like I was deliberately avoiding the topic of drugs in order to make a profit down the line. I turned both of my palms towards Sir Gouran.

“There’s no need to worry. That card is no longer in the kingdom’s hands, you see.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Juna. Bring that thing out.”

“Yes, sire.” Juna brought out a board-shaped thing that could fit in her arms, and placed it in front of the jewel so that everyone could see it.

It was a simple Jewel Voice Broadcast receiver. And projected on that simple receiver was a single beautiful woman.

When they saw that woman, Sir Gouran and Kuu’s eyes went wide.

“D-Dad!” Kuu cried.

“Yeah...”

“Hee hee, I’m sorry that I seem to have surprised you.”

The woman on screen smiled, then bowed slightly to Sir Gouran and the others.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, head of the Republic of Turgis, Sir Gouran Taisei. I am Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos Empire.”

Chapter 7: The Tripartite Medical Alliance

Several days before the meeting...

With the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel and simple receiver that had been delivered, I contacted Hakuya in Parnam Castle and informed him that I wanted to demonstrate Friedonia’s strength in order to ensure negotiations went smoothly. Demonstrating that our nation could be both a reliable friend and a troublesome enemy would make the alliance firmer.

When I asked Hakuya for his insight on the subject, the first idea he proposed was, “Will you deploy troops along the border?”

“Wait, we’re suddenly resorting to open intimidation in our diplomacy?” I asked, taken aback.

“I believe it is an easily understandable show of force,” Hakuya said with a cool look on his face.

...Huh? Was it possible he was serious?

“You’re joking, right? That would only make the other side needlessly wary, wouldn’t it?”

“I jest, of course. I was merely presenting the quick and easy method. If you hope for a long-lasting friendship, doing it may not preclude that, but it’s far from the best option.”

“...”

He’d said all that completely deadpan. It must have been Hakuya’s idea of a joke.

Way to make a joke that’s hard to get... I thought as I glared at him.

The next proposal he offered was, “Let’s get the Gran Chaos Empire involved in these talks.”

Empress Maria of the Empire?

“If your negotiations go well on this occasion, you intend to bring up the medical alliance with the Empire, too, right?” he asked. “You can move the schedule up on that.”

“That’s... Well, yes, it’s true I was thinking of it...”

If we were going to develop medical treatments and make them generally available, no single country could handle that alone.

If we forged ahead alone, we might be able to create a gap between ourselves and other countries, but our funding and manpower would have limits. If we tried to force just one country to do all the research, the progress would be slow.

In this world, external injuries could be treated with light magic, even serious ones, but there were still many people suffering from ailments that magic didn’t work on.

If someone close to me fell to disease while I was wasting time... I’d definitely regret it. It couldn’t hurt to be quick about developing medical treatments.

For the sake of that, I wanted the Gran Chaos Empire, the largest nation of mankind, and the one with considerable budget and manpower, to handle one wing of that development. I had a diplomatic channel to the Empire, after all, and their leader, Empress Maria, was a woman I could talk to. She was sure to support the idea.

However, I had been meaning to get things in place with the Republic of Turgis before I brought this subject up with the Empire. Because the kingdom and Empire were distant, we needed a country to act as an intermediary between us, or this would be all pie in the sky.

And yet Hakuya wanted to involve the Empire... to involve Maria... in our current talks.

“There is more than one way to show strength,” he said. “Our connections are another form of power. If we can introduce Madam Maria, who is the empress of the Empire, at the meeting, Sir Gouran will be shocked. It would inform him that the nations to the east and west of the republic have their own independent line of communication.”

“True, I’m sure that would shock him...”

If the Empire and kingdom were coordinating in secret, the republic could be caught in a pincer attack the moment it opposed either. Well, given their geographical situation (in winter they were completely isolated by ice), there would be hardly any benefit in invading them and occupying their territory, but it would still put pressure on them.

“...But still.” I scratched my head hard. “It would be incredible if we could do that, but it’s probably not realistic calling in Madam Maria. There aren’t many days left until the meeting. Isn’t it impossible, considering security, the necessary processes, and everything else?”

“What are you saying, sire?” Hakuya objected, looking exasperated. “Who is each of us talking to right now, and where is that person?”

“...Oh.” I finally realized what he meant.

That was right. If she attended the meeting remotely over the Jewel Voice Broadcast, there was no need to invite Maria to come here from the Empire. I’d been imagining them meeting in person, so I must have been a bit out of it to overlook something this simple.

I felt awkward, and cleared my throat loudly. “Ahem... With that in mind, even if the meeting is held over a Jewel Voice Broadcast, will Madam Maria take time out of her busy schedule to attend?”

“Almost beyond a doubt.”

“You seem awfully sure of that.”

“During my talks with Madam Maria’s younger sister Jeanne, I have already made the request to ‘put negotiation about medical technology on the table,’ and said that we are ‘willing to compensate you appropriately.’”

“You already had your eye on this, huh?” I said. “Well done.”

“We haven’t decided on a policy for medical technology yet, so we’ve just been slowly feeling one another out on the issue.”

Hakuya and Jeanne feeling one another out, huh? They were both sharp, so their conversations were probably like laying down stones in a game of Go. But I doubted they were tense about it. With my and Maria’s permission, Hakuya had even done things like exchange gifts with her while Piltory was making his temporary return to the country.

In regards to their relationship, Maria had once said to me during a broadcast meeting, “Lately, Jeanne feels so full of life. Hee hee, do you think she and your Prime Minister found something in common to talk about?”

She’d seemed so happy about it. The only thing I could imagine them having in common to talk about was complaints about their respective masters, though. I wasn’t so sure it was a good thing if they were having a good time talking about that.

“Regardless,” I said, “in short, if we bring up the negotiations on medical technology, we can call Madam Maria to the meeting with Sir Gouran, right? Then, by showing off our connection to them, we’ll shock Sir Gouran, and we can take the negotiations in a direction that’s beneficial to us?”

“Indeed.”

“It feels like accomplishing two things at the same time, but... aren’t you saying that we should effectively convince two separate countries simultaneously?”

“I believe that will be up to your abilities, sire.”

“You make it sound so easy,” I grumbled.

Honestly...

But, well, that was probably the most effective way to do it.

“Let’s go forward with that,” I said. “Hakuya, negotiate with the Empire and move the preparations along. Make sure there are no mistakes made with the other matter I asked you to address, too.”

“Understood.”

Hakuya bowed respectfully.

◇　◇　◇

And that brings us to the present.

Here now, the heads of the Republic of Turgis, Gran Chaos Empire, and Kingdom of Friedonia were meeting, even if it was over a broadcast.

Sir Gouran was left looking dumbfounded at Maria’s sudden appearance for a little while, but his expression soon returned to normal.

“Why, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I am the head of the Republic, Gouran Taisei.” He nodded to the empress on the simple receiver.

The jewel was on the opposite side of the simple receiver, so Maria could see he was nodding to her.

The Jewel Voice Broadcast of Maria giggled and smiled at Sir Gouran. “Please, forgive me for the rudeness of not informing you beforehand that I would be taking part in this meeting. I heard that a medical alliance was to be discussed here, and the Empire would very much like to participate.”

“I’d like to apologize, too,” I said. “It was decided on so suddenly, I didn’t have time to contact you in advance.”

Maria and I bowed our heads in unison.

Sir Gouran looked at us with a blank expression for a moment, but then he let out a hearty laugh. “Gahaha! It looks like Sir Souma’s pulled one over on me! I never thought you were connected to the empress of the Empire!”

Even though he was laughing, his eyes were fixed on me. He was probably cautiously probing my intent.

I corrected my posture while making sure not to avert my eyes from his gaze. “I apologize for keeping quiet about this. However, I want to form this medical alliance between the Kingdom of Friedonia, the Republic of Turgis, and the Gran Chaos Empire, the three nations that make up the south of the continent.”

I was stating it clearly for Sir Gouran and Maria.

“I believe knowledge in the fields of medicine and treatment should be shared equally with all of mankind. Sickness strikes all, irrespective of race or borders. If an epidemic runs loose in one country, the damage will definitely spread to its neighbors. When that happens, if just one nation had the knowledge, drugs, or equipment, would we be able to protect our people? ...I say nay. Even if there is no discourse between countries, people such as merchants and adventurers are moving back and forth constantly. We can try to protect only our own people, but infectious diseases will keep on spreading.”

“That’s true,” Maria said. “Fortunately, I haven’t experienced one myself, but history records occasional epidemics on this continent, and how seriously they have shaken up the countries who underwent them.”

Yeah, history had recorded the same thing in my previous world, too.

In studying history for my entrance exams, I’d learned that the Black Death had been transmitted from Asia to Europe along the Silk Road, bringing chaos to many countries and then spreading onward to Africa, contributing to the fall of the Mameluke Sultanate.

In fighting epidemics, it was important to prevent the outbreak from spreading in its early stages. In order to do that, we needed to share medical knowledge.

“As long as our three countries share their medical knowledge, if an epidemic begins to spread in one country, we may be able to limit its spread to the minimum,” I said. “Furthermore, if an outbreak occurs in a country other than our three, we can coordinate in order to limit the area of our borders we have to inspect people at.”

“You’re right,” said Gouran. “For the republic’s part, not having to worry about our borders with the Empire and the kingdom would be appreciated.”

“I agree,” nodded Maria. “Our borders are needlessly long, so there’s nothing we would appreciate more than even a slight reduction in the number of checkpoints.”

Sir Gouran and Maria were both nodding. I could probably assume I had their support thus far.

“Having confirmed the need for sharing of medical knowledge between our three countries, I will return to the conversation I was having with Sir Gouran before,” I said. “The discussion about how the kingdom will aim to train doctors and improve on their techniques, the republic will produce and develop medical equipment, and how we will trade our results. I’ve been thinking it is best to divide the labor, and focused research would be effective in leading to the development of the field of medicine. By having the Empire join us in this, I am hoping to have them handle the mass production of drugs, and the improvement of them.”

“Drugs...?” Maria asked, and I nodded.

“In my country, the three-eyed race has developed three-eyedine, an antibiotic. That’s a medicine that works well on infectious diseases, but the subspecies of gelin it’s extracted from will require land and manpower to raise, so we have not yet gotten to the point of mass production. If we can’t secure it in quantity, drugs will continue to be high-priced. For that reason, I want to request that the Empire, with its land, manpower, and funding handle the production of the drug.”

“That’s wonderful,” Maria said with a smile. “If you can tell us how it’s produced, I would like to create a system for mass-producing it at once.”

I could only imagine a dubbed in voice saying, “I want your technology” behind that smile, so I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“I’ll tell you about how it’s made...” I said. “However, I do want something in return.”

“Of course. How much do you want us to pay you?”

I reflected on what I had been thinking about earlier. “I don’t want money. I want something else from you.”

“Something else? What might that be?”

“A Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel. In other words, a dungeon core. Looking at the scale of the Empire, don’t you have a lot more than we do? I’d like you to let me have one.”

“A dungeon core, is it...?” Maria got a pensive look on her face, but she must have felt there was no loss to her in the deal, because she soon nodded. “Very well. I accept those terms.”

“Thank you,” I said. “And Sir Gouran.”

“Hm?”

This time, I looked at Sir Gouran. “It must be inconvenient to only have one jewel to use in domestic broadcasts. I am thinking of giving the jewel I receive from the Empire to you. How does your providing us with medical equipment at no cost for the time being sound as a payment for that?”

“Hm... It’s certainly true that we can’t simply acquire a jewel whenever we want.” Gouran thought for a little while, then slapped his knee. “Very well! However, I will want to discuss the exact amounts to be provided further.”

“Yes. That will be fine.”

“This is some awfully indirect negotiating,” Maria said, sounding a little exasperated.

I smiled wryly and shrugged my shoulders. “I did my best to make things work out for all three parties. If the republic only has one jewel, that’s inconvenient for coordination between the three countries. I thought they’d definitely want one.”

“Gahaha!” Sir Gouran chuckled. “It seems you saw right through me.”

“I see...” Maria had a serious look on her face. “By the way, Sir Souma, I have one question for you.”

“What might that be?”

“In regards to the three countries each taking on a field of research, is it not allowed to research the other fields? In my country, for instance, would I not be able to research doctor training or medical equipment?”

“No, you’re free to research the other fields. In fact, I very much hope you will.”

“It’s fine, then?” Sir Gouran checked to confirm, and I nodded.

“The reason I say I want each of us to specialize is in the name of efficiency,” I said. “However, if that’s all we each do, the moment one of the three countries is lax in their duties, the whole thing falls apart. Besides, in order to improve our drugs and medical equipment, I’m sure the knowledge of doctors and their techniques will be needed. Please, I’d like both the republic and the Empire to send anyone you want to master the study of medicine to our country. They will study with us, teach what they’ve learned in our country when they return home, and give birth to more doctors. In they do that, then the Empire and republic should be able to educate their own doctors, too. On the opposite hand, I’d like the republic to send a number of craftspeople who can produce medical equipment to us, too. I want to get a system in place that allows us to produce our own medical equipment if the situation calls for it, after all.”

“However, if we do that, ultimately, won’t we all end up studying every field?” Sir Gouran asked. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of dividing the research among us?”

“No, Sir Gouran,” I said. “This is insurance, and it’s also a race. If we fully divide things, it will be over the moment one country decides to break off this relationship. By all of us studying each field, we can prepare for that situation, should it arise. Furthermore, the fact that other countries are also studying it means that if you neglect your research, the other countries may get ahead of you.”

“I see,” Maria said thoughtfully. “In order to prevent that, you’ve introduced the element of a race into this.”

You’re thought into this quite deeply, she seemed to be implying.

Well, of course. I had debated this to death with Hakuya. We’d spent almost the whole time in between this conference being called and my going out to slay the ogres discussing it.

Sir Gouran said, “Hm...” with a pensive look on his face.

“Was there some point that was unclear?” I asked.

“No, I think you’ve put a lot of thought into this, but... there remains one problem.”

“A problem?”

“I’m sure you’re aware, but in winter our land is closed off by snow, and our seas by ice. In that period, means of shipping are limited, and we can only carry out trade in the summer.”

In other words, Sir Gouran was concerned about shipping.

In this world, when you tried to ship large volumes, it either meant land shipping using large creatures like rhinoceroses, or sea shipping using boats. Neither was suited to the Republic of Turgis’s winter.

The seas froze in winter, preventing the ships from coming in, and the land was covered by snow, which forbid the entry of creatures that were susceptible to the cold like rhinoceroses. There were cold climate animals like the numoth, but the amount one of those could carry was limited, and they were slow, too. That was exactly why merchants only came to this country in the summer.

I couldn’t blame Sir Gouran for being concerned. However, I had already heard that from Kuu.

“I have some ideas about that,” I said. “Roroa.”

Roroa, who had been silent up until this point, pumped her arm as if to say, I’ve been waitin’ for this.

“It’s finally my turn! Let’s get on with showin’ ’em that thing, then!”

Maria and Sir Gouran were taken aback by her sudden enthusiasm, but it was too soon to be surprised.

We still had a card up our sleeve, after all.

I requested a temporary suspension of the meeting so I could prepare.

Having gained Maria and Sir Gouran’s assent, I explained the situation to Sir Gouran, and received permission to bring a certain thing in from the kingdom.

I’d assumed that if I brought that in without clearance, it would cause a huge fuss. If things went badly, they might even think it was an invasion.

I had Sir Gouran write up a document to show at the border, and had a messenger kui carry that document to the border where that thing was supposed to be waiting.

“I’ve given my permission, but... I find it hard to believe,” he said.

“Same here,” Kuu added. “Not that I think Souma’s lying.”

The Taisei father and son gave their honest reactions as they watched the messenger kui fly away.

I shrugged with a wry smile. “You may find it hard to believe, but there is no lie or exaggeration in anything we’ve said, you know?”

“Yeah, you two just look forward to seein’ it.” Roroa had gone back to her less formal speech style at some point, but she spoke with confidence.

“Hmm, in that case, I find it all the harder to believe,” Sir Gouran said.

“Oookyakya!” Kuu laughed. “If it’s true, it’ll be worth seeing, now won’t it?”

Gouran was dubious, while Kuu laughed with enthusiasm. They were contrasting reactions.

Regardless, until that arrived, we decided to relax and drink tea.

About two hours later, maybe, there was suddenly a lot of hubbub outside, allowing me to confirm that had arrived.

When we all went outside the inn, that was already visible.

It was a large object, the bottom of which was black, the top of which was orange, and which was about the size of an elementary school’s gym, standing at the entrance to town where nothing had been before.

When we approached, it became apparent it had a two-layer structure. The top half, colored orange, was like a large ship, and it was supported by the lower half, which was made of a black, rubber-like substance.

That also made a constant sound like air was being expelled from it.

“How do ya like ’er? This is the amphibious ship, Roroa Maru!” Roroa shouted loud enough she could be heard over the sound it was making.

Gouran and Kuu’s mouths were agape at the majestic appearance of the Roroa Maru.

It was an amphibious ship. Yes, this was a ship. One that could travel by land or sea, at that.

I explained how it worked for Gouran and Kuu, who were still flabbergasted.

“Like Roroa said, this is a ship that can run on a water surface without waves, or on land. By constantly sending air into the black rubbery part, that large body floats, and even if there’s water underneath, it’s able to drive across it. In the world I came from, it would have been called a hovercraft.”

“Hovercraft...” Gouran repeated the unfamiliar word.

This massive object was the hovercraft Roroa Maru, which I had sent for from the kingdom.

This Roroa Maru hovercraft was the one of a kind, built as an experiment while we were looking for uses for the overscientist Genia’s invention, the Little Susumu Mark V.

The Little Susumu Mark V was a ring-shaped machine that created propulsion by pushing water or air that was in front of it out the back side. I’d thought it might be possible to create a hovercraft that floated off the ground if that ring was faced towards the ground, and the air was blown up into an enclosure made of the recently discovered rubber-like substance.

And so, with Genia’s design, and with funding from Rora and Sebastian’s company, The Silver Deer, the Roroa Maru was now complete. Incidentally, when I’d asked Roroa what she wanted it named, since she had put up the money to develop it...

“Hey, hey, darlin’, in the world you came from, what were ships’ names like?”

“Hmm... Most used the names of people or places.”

“Hmm, that ain’t much different from how we do things here.”

“Yeah. Oh, and for fishing ships, a lot of them had Maru on the ends of their names.”

“Maru? Hey, that’s got a cute sound to it... All righty then, I’ve decided! This ship’s gonna be the Roroa Maru!”

“Roroa Maru?! You’re putting your own name on it?!”

...And that was how it had ended up with that name.

It was registered to The Silver Deer, which was the investor. Dealing in everything from apparel to the dishes from Earth that Poncho and I had recreated, The Silver Deer had its fingers in a lot of pies, but did they plan to enter the trade business as well now? They had clothing, food, transportation... almost everything at this point.

“A ship that runs on land...” Maria said, sighing in admiration, on the other side of the simple receiver Aisha was carrying. “The kingdom can even make things like this, huh?”

We were having the jewel carried behind us so that she could see this scene clearly, too.

“Would you sell us this ship?” Maria asked. “I’m prepared to pay a handsome sum, you know?”

“It uses technologies that are a state secret, so I can’t sell it.”

“You can’t? That’s unfortunate.” Maria looked like a child who had been told she couldn’t buy a toy. She was as much of a quiet beauty as Juna, but her actions were a little childish.

“Well, it looks impressive, but it’s hard to use,” I said with a wry smile. “It’s got a bad cost-to-performance ratio, and it takes a fair amount of labor to move it.”

“Is that right?”

“Yes. Its top speed is only a little higher than a rhinoceros going at full speed, and its carrying capacity isn’t that high. Technically, it’s an amphibious vehicle, but using rhinoceroses on land and ships at sea is a much lower cost option.”

It had a Little Susumu installed, and it ran on magical power stored in curse ore. For the Little Susumu Mark V Light, which was loaded on wyverns, we had people charge it themselves, but the charging of the large model Little Susumu used on ships and such was carried out by multiple mages attached to the military.

Because of that, the amount of magic power that could be charged in a day was limited, so I had prioritized deploying the Roroa Maru on battleships or carriers over it being a substitute for the rhinoceros train on land.

These were also reasons why it was hard to apply the Little Susumu for use on civilian transport ships. To provide propulsion on civilian ships, we had to wait for the development of a motor as an alternate technology.

Setting that aside, though, the Roroa Maru did have its benefits.

“It’s not efficient enough as a means of transportation in peacetime, but because it doesn’t make contact with the surface, it has the benefit of it being hard for it to be affected by the terrain,” I said. “To be more specific, in places where it’s normally hard to move around, such as marshes, sand, and even snowy plains, it moves ahead smoothly.”

“Snowy plains... I see. So that’s it.” Sir Gouran seemed to realize what I was leading up to.

“Yes. This Roroa Maru is the only one we have for now, but if only in winter, I am sure it will serve as a viable means of transportation that links my country, the republic, and the Empire.”

“Certainly, if it can tie the three countries together as a means of winter transport that’s faster than a rhinoceros and has the same capacity as a ship, even if there is only one of them for the time being, it will become a valuable trade route.” Sir Gouran crossed his arms and grunted.

Then, as might be expected from a head of state, he began thinking about the trade route created by this Roroa Maru.

“Even in winter, domestically we can use our military numoths and other such livestock to secure transportation. If we gather all our goods at a port town, can we use this amphibious ship to trade with other countries? It looks like we’ll need to expand a port town like Moulin.”

Maria giggled. “Hee hee! I think we’ll need to open a port town near our border with the Republic of Turgis, too... I think I do want one of those ships, after all.”

She glanced sneakily in my direction, but I told her, “No can do,” with a shrug. “Please, don’t do anything like seize her the moment she comes into port, either. It’s hard to build one, and you’ll be forcing us to make it self-destruct just to keep our secrets.”

I said that to casually indicate to the two of them that if they tried to steal it, we would destroy it ourselves. I wasn’t bluffing, either. When we used this Roroa Maru for trade, I intended to have a mechanism in place that would cause it to self-destruct if seized.

I couldn’t let the Little Susumu and other technologies fall into the hands of other countries yet. In order to send the one-of-a-kind Roroa Maru to other countries, I had to be prepared to destroy it, if necessary.

Maria gave a wry smile. “I know. I can’t put the relationship between our nations in danger over one ship. I really do want it, though.”

That was the third time she’d said she wanted it. Was this one of those It’s important, so I said it three times things?

Whatever the case, I wanted to wrap this topic up now.

“With the use of this Roroa Maru, I would like to conclude a medical alliance between our three countries, as I was saying before. How does that sound?”

Sir Gouran laughed heartily. “Gahaha! If you’ve gone this far, I’m not about to say no. I’ll accept your alliance.”

“We of the Gran Chaos Empire will accept, too.”

With Gouran and Maria’s assent, the Tripartite Medical Alliance between the Kingdom of Friedonia, Republic of Turgis, and Gran Chaos Empire was formed.

The formation of this alliance not only promised that the field of medicine would develop by leaps and bounds, it was also significant that, in this era of uncertainty, with the Demon Lord’s Domain sitting to the north, it was laying the groundwork for our three nations to coordinate.

While I was silently breathing a sigh of relief to have successfully concluded the medical alliance, Sir Gouran extended his hand to me.

“Sir Souma. We are now sworn friends. I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes, Sir Gouran.” I extended my own hand, and we exchanged a firm handshake. “I look forward to working with you, too.”

Maria, who was watching us, said, “It’s a shame. If I weren’t on the other side of a receiver, I could have shaken hands with you, too.”

Which made Sir Gouran and I look at one another and laugh.

Once we had finished laughing, Sir Gouran suddenly took on a serious expression. “Now then... Since you’ve become my sworn friend, there is a favor I’d like to ask of you.”

He had a pensive look on his face.

“A favor?” I asked.

“Indeed. The favor concerns my boy, Kuu. Could I ask you to keep Kuu with you in the kingdom for two to three years?”

“Huh...”

“Whaaa?!” Kuu exclaimed.

The look on his face was a mix of shock and bewilderment. He’d heard his name brought up, and now there was immediately talk of him being left in a foreign country, so it was hard to blame him.

Once Kuu returned to his senses, he rounded on Sir Gouran in anger. “What’re you talking about, out of nowhere, Dad?! You want me to be a hostage in the kingdom?!”

“That’s not it,” said Gouran with a serious look on his face. “In want you to go see what the kingdom is like now for me.” He paused. “I’ve been thinking about this since last night. When young Empress Maria of the Empire was invited to take part in our meeting today, that cemented it for me.”

“Cemented it? What?” Kuu demanded.

“That there’s a ‘new wind’ blowing across this continent,” Sir Gouran said, then turned to me. “If you’ll excuse my rudeness, Sir Souma, may I ask how old you are?”

“I’ll be twenty this year.”

Sir Gouran nodded in satisfaction. “From what I can see, Madam Maria must be about the same age.” (If I recalled, she was twenty-one.) “The Empire in the west is ruled by a young queen, and a young king has arisen in the kingdom in the east. When you get old like me, you start to sense something akin to fate in these things.”

Kuu, Maria, and I listened intently to what Sir Gouran, the only member of an older generation who was present, had to say.

Sir Gouran continued in a quiet voice, “In the world of man, there is something like a ‘flow.’ Whether we want it or not, that flow has an effect on all things. Some ride that flow, others struggle against it, and yet others drown in it. That is how one might become famous, and another might fall. How one country might prosper, and another might perish. The fierce warrior, Sir Gaius, fell, and Sir Souma, a man of culture, was victorious. With the help of Princess Roroa, he annexed Amidonia and created a new country.”

It was hard to react to what he was saying. The look on Roroa’s face said she didn’t know what kind of expression she should be making, either.

However, hearing Sir Gouran’s words, Machiavelli’s words about preparing for the changes of fortune came to mind.

Gouran laid a hand on Kuu’s shoulder. “That’s what the times are like. No one can read where this world is headed. However, when the east and west are both led by the younger generation, our country may be left behind by the era if we are the only ones to cling to old ways. In order to avoid that, I want to raise a breath of youth of our own.”

“A breath of youth... You mean me?” Kuu asked.

Gouran nodded firmly. “You are still inexperienced, but you have a flexible mindset. If you see how the kingdom changes under Sir Souma’s reign, that will act as a compass for you when the time comes for you to be leader of this country.”

“No... I haven’t decided if I’ll take over the headship or not yet...”

“You may not be head of state.”

“Huh?”

Sir Gouran answered the question mark hovering over Kuu’s head with a serious look on his face. “Depending on the flow of the times, our country may need to centralize power and abolish the Council of Chiefs in favor of a monarchy. In that event, you must become a king who can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Souma and Maria. That may be the era that comes. That’s all the more reason why I want you to broaden your horizons while you still can. While you’re in the kingdom, I will bring the Council of Chiefs under control, and build the foundation for you to put your shrewdness to work.”

...This was some incredible stuff he was saying. The look on Sir Gouran’s face right now resembled the face of the former king, Albert, when he’d entrusted Liscia to me and left the castle.

It was the face of one entrusting things to the next generation.

Even though I was awed by the atmosphere, I hesitantly raised my hand. “One question. You said you want to leave Kuu with us, but do you mean you want him to study abroad in our country?”

“No, not as a student. I want you to use him as a temporary vassal. I think that will be a better experience for Kuu.”

“An uninvited vassal, then...” Kuu muttered.

In terms of position, he’d be like Aisha was initially. Basically, I could treat him as a vassal who doubled as a friend, like Hal. I could let him stay in a room in the castle.

“I don’t mind, but does Kuu?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter if I mind or not... I don’t have the right to refuse, do I?” Kuu glanced at his father, seeking confirmation.

Sir Gouran simply nodded without saying anything.

Kuu, sensing the man’s unbreakable will, scratched his head. “My stubborn old man’s made up his mind, so throwing a tantrum won’t get me anywhere. Besides, I’m interested in what kind of country Souma’s building, too.”

He couldn’t have fully accepted suddenly being told he would be entrusted to a foreign country, but it was very like Kuu to already be thinking about it positively like that.

“...I see,” I said. “Welcome aboard, Kuu.”

When I offered him my hand, he took it firmly.

“Oookyakya! But since I’m imposing myself as a vassal, that means you outrank me, doesn’t it? Still, I’m from a foreign country, so calling you Your Majesty doesn’t feel right. That’s why I’m going to call you Bro from now on.”

“Uh, Bro?”

“Yeah. Think of me like your little brother. Well, so long.” Kuu put a hand on his hip, grinned like always, and said, “I’m counting on you from here on! Bro!”

Epilogue: An Unsettling Presence

With the tripartite agreement successfully concluded to found a medical alliance between the kingdom, republic, and Empire, a feast was held to celebrate that night at the inn that had served as the site of the meeting.

Since coming to this country, there had been parties held whenever there was an excuse, but this time, there were a large number of people in attendance, so it was the largest yet.

It was unfortunate that one of the three leaders, Maria, who had attended by Jewel Voice Broadcast, was unable to attend.

“Please, come to my country someday,” she had said before terminating the communication. “When you do, let’s drink together.”

“Yes. Someday.”

Considering how far the Empire was, though, I didn’t know if that day would come or not. If the political situation in the world stabilized, we’d eventually be able to travel to each others’ countries for meetings, but... there was no indication that would happen any time soon.

While I was thinking that...

“Bro! Are you having fun?!” Kuu broke in.

Kuu, who was already drunk, suddenly put his arm around my neck. The impact nearly made me drop my drink.

“Whoa! That’s dangerous... I mean, get away from me. I’m not into getting touchy-feely with guys.”

“It’s ’cause you look so gloomy, Bro,” he cackled. “You’ve gotta have fun when drinking.”

Kuu moved away from me with a cackling laugh.

“I’m enjoying myself,” I said, relieved he had backed away. “At least as much as anyone else.”

“Hm? Well, okay then.”

Because so long had passed since the start of the party, everyone was off doing their own thing now. Juna was pouring drinks for Sir Gouran, who was now our sworn friend, while Aisha and Hal were having a drinking contest, and Kaede was watching and egging them on.

Leporina was taking care of Tomoe, who had been knocked out by the smell of alcohol, and Roroa was talking to Taru, who had been invited by Kuu.

It was turning into quite the chaotic scene.

“You seem to be in and awfully good mood yourself, Kuu,” I said.

“Damn straight. I mean... You know.” Kuu raised his thumb, and indicated Taru who Roroa was talking to.

I see. He’s in a good mood because of that...

“That” had occurred a few hours before.

When the meeting finished, Kuu took us to visit Taru’s workshop on a hill near Noblebeppu. It was to tell his childhood friend Taru that he would be staying in the Kingdom of Friedonia for a while.

While we were there, we revealed our identities, too, but she wasn’t especially surprised. For a craftsperson like Taru, maybe the position of her clients didn’t matter so much.

“...So, that being the case, it’s been decided I’ll go to the kingdom to study under Bro, and I’m only taking Leporina with me,” Kuu finished, resting his foot on a bucket that was lying around, and adopting the pose of a sailor with his foot on one of the short posts used for mooring boats.

He might have thought it was a cool way of saying goodbye, or he might just have been trying to act tough, but either way, resting his foot on a bucket wasn’t going to accomplish that.

While we all looked at him coldly, Kuu continued his speech. “Oh, don’t you worry, Miss Taru. Our parting will be a brief one. I’ll stay with Bro, learn from how he rules, and I swear, someday, I’ll come back to you as a real man. I look forward to the day when I return in glory to my old home town.”

Even though Taru wasn’t saying anything, Kuu kept on giving his parting speech.

Meanwhile, Taru was paying no heed to his words, and was pounding on hot metal.

I don’t know... It was the sort of scene that made me feel sorry for Kuu.

The lack of response from Taru made Kuu look upset. “Hey! Hey now, Miss Taru! Here I am, giving you my farewell speech, so give me a little response, would you? You’ll be lonely without me, right?”

“Not particularly... I’m not interested in where you go, dumb master.”

“Not interested...? Isn’t that kind of harsh? Even if you aren’t interested, your childhood friend is here to say goodbye, so be a little... nicer to me.”

“Having you yammer on at me when I’m smithing is nothing but a nuisance.”

There was nothing he could say to that, so Kuu slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

...Yeah, well, if the girl he liked was going to treat him that way, of course he’d get dejected.

I guess I’ll listen to him vent at the party tonight... I thought with a sigh.

But then I heard the sound of Taru putting the metal she’d been striking into the water. She laid out a number of metal products on the table, including the one she had just been working on. That shape with a small blade on the end was nothing if not a scalpel.

“I tried making the thing you ordered with various metals,” she said. “Iron, copper, silver, and a number of alloys. Do you know which was the best suited for it?”

Taru cocked her head to the side.

Ohh, so a sample scalpel was what she’d been working on.

Even if she asked me which was best, I wasn’t a doctor, so I didn’t know. There were metal allergies and such to consider, too, so it couldn’t be decided on strength and cutting edge alone.

“I’ll have to go back to my country and ask someone who’d know...”

“I see... Well, I’ll go to the kingdom, too, then,” Taru said offhandedly.

Everyone’s eyes went wide. The most surprised of all, though, was Kuu, who had been giving his parting speech until a moment ago.

“Huh?! You’re coming, too, Taru?!”

“Not because I want to be with you, dumb master,” Taru said willfully. “I’m only going to the kingdom for my own reasons.” Then she stared at me and said, “I’ve heard that the king requested that, in case it becomes necessary to make medical equipment for himself, he wants the republic to send a craftsperson to offer guidance. I’ll volunteer to be that craftsperson.”

“You’re going to come teach?” Kuu gaped.

“I’m interested in Friedonia’s techniques, too,” she said with unswerving eyes. “I don’t just want to teach; I also want to learn.”

“...Fine. We welcome you, Madam Taru.” I extended my hand to her. “Let me prepare a dedicated workshop for you in the castle town. I’d very much like to have you come to our country as a craftsperson.”

“I’ll be in your care.” Taru firmly took my hand.

It looked like Kuu was dumbfounded by this sudden turn of events, but he quickly pulled himself together and cackled. “Oh, I see! In the end, you’re coming, too! I don’t care why. I’m glad we can be together!” And he slapped her hard on the back.

“...Ouch. Don’t hit my back.” Taru had a bothered look on her face.

Then again, since she was just sitting there and taking it, maybe she wasn’t so unhappy about it? Maybe she was coming in order to be with Kuu?

“How should I say this...? She has a complicated personality,” Juna said with a wry smile.

“Maybe it’s actually for a really simple reason, y’know?” Roroa said with a happy smile, standing on the opposite side of me.

In conclusion, it seemed that a woman’s heart was a thing of mystery, complicated yet simple.

So, with it decided that Taru would join us, Kuu was in high spirits.

He’d been downing his fermented milk pretty quickly since the start of the party.

Kuu went over to where Taru was, and Roroa came over to me.

“Nyahaha,” she grinned. “Ever since we came to this country, it’s been nothin’ but parties.”

“You’re right... Hey, wait!”

Roroa had laid down and was using my lap as a pillow. Good grief.

I placed my hand on Roroa’s head, and rolled her head around in my lap. “It’s unseemly, suddenly lying down like this.”

“I ain’t drunk. You’ve gotta keep things free and easygoing when there’s drink goin’ ’round,” Roroa said with a smug laugh as I rolled her head around. “So, darlin’, what next? More travels?”

”What’s next”... huh?

“We have Kuu to consider now, so I think we’ll go back to the kingdom for a while,” I said. “I’m sure I have work piled up that needs my attention, and I’m concerned about Liscia, too. Besides...”

“Besides?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“???”

There were question marks floating over Roroa’s head as I continued to pat her.

At last, Roroa smiled in satisfaction, and not long after that, she was snoring. When the usually boisterous Roroa was asleep, she looked like a sweet young maiden. While looking at her sleeping face, I thought about what I had nearly said before.

Besides... What Maria was saying bothers me.

It had happened after the meeting, when I was saying my goodbyes to Maria. Her previously relaxed expression had suddenly become serious.

Just I was wondering what was up, she had told me in a quiet voice, “Lately, the monsters in the north have been becoming more active.”

Midword

Thank you for buying How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom volume 7. This is Dojyomaru, who is worried that these midwords are appearing earlier and earlier in each volume.

This time we had the Republic Arc. With Kuu, Leporina, and Taru from the Republic joining the cast, the era is moving into a new stage with young people at the lead... and yet, Liscia is now off on maternity leave.

I don’t think you’ll find many series in which the main heroine is away from the story temporarily because of maternity leave.

The composition of this story is as odd as ever, but I do hope you’ll stick with it.

Now then, in regard to what I wrote in volume 4 about the true value of web novels, there was some response to it, so I think I’ll say just a little more.

When volume 4 came out, I boastfully wrote that the true value of web novels was that you could write as much as you wanted without worrying about the length, but they also have one other strength.

You can choose the timing for when they’re published as books for yourself.

This is it.

Of course, unless you choose to self-publish the physical books, it is necessary to have a publisher approach you about print rights. What I’m talking about is the timing for releasing the physical books after you’ve been contacted by a publisher.

For instance, with a new author’s award, the results are announced on the publisher’s homepage with a bang.

“This novel won a grand prize. It will be published soon.”

It’s announced in a way that also acts as advertisement. New works need to attract the attention of readers, so this is the right way to do it. However, this also places a time limit on publishing the work. If there’s too long a gap, people ask, “When is that work that won the grand prize going to be published?”

On that point, when it comes to web novels, even if the request to publish the novel in print comes, it’s possible to delay your response. If you aren’t confident, or are concerned about readers’ responses to as-yet-unpublished sections of the work, or if you don’t have enough material built up, you can defer your response to the request to publish.

Naturally, there may be some publishers who won’t allow you to put things on hold. However, publishers like Overlap will wait if you ask them to.

Now, as for how I can say that with such certainty, that’s because, with my own Realist Hero, I actually delayed my response for about half a year after I was approached. (By the way, I’ve checked with my editor if I can talk about this, and I received the okay, so have no worries there.)

The request to publish Realist Hero as a novel came just as I was writing the finale of volume 1 of the web novel version. That was around the time when people had started to take notice of this story. However, I asked to defer my response.

My reason was, “I didn’t know if the Subjugation Arc that will be volume two or the Post-war Arc that will make up parts of volumes three and four will be accepted by the readers,” and, “If I can’t write through to the last scene of volume four, I’m not confident I can conclude the story.”

Thanks to that, I was blessed with readers who stayed with me past the Subjugation Arc and Post-war Arc, and I found the confidence to continue writing this story, so I decided to accept the request around the time I wrote the last scene of volume four.

And that brings us to the present.

If I had immediately accepted the publication request back then... I’m sure I’d be in a different situation now. I’m a slow writer, and there were a few times I pulled down something I wrote, thinking, “This isn’t it,” and then reworked it.

If I’d started my career as a professional author with no confidence or stock of material... The thought scares me. Probably I wouldn’t have had as much leeway, and would have had even less freedom to write the story the way I want. In my case, there was the risk that after messing up once, my will might have broken.

Writers are self-employed and responsible for themselves. If there are any aspiring authors out there reading this, I want you to remember that this sort of choice is an option.

It’s okay. Overlap will wait. (This is important, so I said it twice.)

Now then, I’ll wrap things up here for this time.

Now, I give my thanks to Fuyuyuki, with apologies for requesting four new character designs this time, to Satoshi Ueda, whose rough drafts for the manga I’ve been enjoying reading, and to my editor, the designers, the proofreaders, and everyone who now holds this book in their hands.

This has been Dojyomaru.

After this, we have stories that take place after the return from the republic. Please, stay with us to the end.

After Returning to the Country Arc – 1: The Weather Girl

“In regards to the medical alliance that was recently signed with the Republic...”

“Mom, it looks like that program’s about to start,” a child said.

“Yes, it is,” his mother agreed. “It really is a life saver.”

That mother and child had come to the fountain plaza to watch the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Recently, during the evening news program broadcast in the Kingdom of Friedonia, there was one segment that had become especially popular.

The beautiful half-elf news broadcaster, Chris Tachyon, turned towards the viewers. “Now, we bring you tomorrow’s weather. Nadeeen.”

A cheery melody and song started to play.

What will tomorrow’s weather be?

Rain, my whiskers are telling me.

Later, the skies will clear at last.

Here’s the Friedonia Weather Forecast!

A girl in a black one-piece dress which looked like it had scales embedded in it made her entrance, singing as she came in.

This girl with an adorable face had long, black hair and looked to be about fourteen. There was a black lizard tail growing out of her rump, and her head bore antlers more magnificent than those of the sea serpent race.

Her name was Naden Delal.

This dragon had recently come from the Star Dragon Mountain Range to the Kingdom of Friedonia in order to marry Souma.

Even though she was a dragon, she wasn’t the usual Western-style dragon, but an Oriental-style ryuu. Her true form was large and serpentine, and when she had first descended on the castle in that ryuu form, the people of the castle town had panicked as if a monster was suddenly attacking. The panic had died down once the castle announced her identity, though.

Naden bowed her head to the citizens who were watching the broadcast. “Good evening. I’m Naden, here with tomorrow’s weather.”

Then she raised her head, looked in Chris’s direction, and tilted her head a bit.

“Hey, I think this every time, but is there any reason for me to sing as I come on?”

“Because every weather program needs a song... is what His Majesty Souma believes,” Chris responded with a business smile.

“I-I see...” Naden had no choice but to accept that answer.

The people watched with relaxed expressions on their faces as this exchange occurred.

When it was first announced that Souma was bringing back a dragon fiancée from the Star Dragon Mountain Range, the people had been abuzz that he might be the second coming of the original King of Elfrieden.

The first king had been summoned as a hero like Souma, then built the precursor to the Kingdom of Friedonia, the multi-racial Elfrieden Kingdom, and taken a dragon as his wife despite not being from the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. He was seen as a great hero by the people of this country.

However, Souma was very different from that hero, his reign being plain and steady.

The girl who became his fiancée, Naden, gave less of the impression of a god-beast and more of an innocent girl, so the people’s passion had gradually faded.

Even so, it wasn’t that she was unpopular with the people. She actually had a deep-rooted popularity with the elderly population. They looked at her not as a future queen, but as they might look at a daughter or granddaughter.

Naden was enjoying life in Parnam in her own way, too.

Her position made her the second secondary queen, so she wasn’t confined to the castle, and often went down to the castle town to walk around and buy things to eat. Normally, they would have had to worry about her being abducted, but as a ryuu, there were no ropes that could bind her, so she was free to do as she pleased inside Parnam.

It was Souma’s intention that Naden, who was unrestrained and similar to the independent women of Souma’s old world, not be made to feel suffocated within the capital.

However, when she helped a lost child find his friends, played with them while she was at it, and then came back to the castle covered in mud, she did get an earful from Princess Liscia.

For Naden and dragons like her, most of their accomplishments were made on the battlefield. That she could act as freely as she did was proof of just how peaceful the kingdom had become.

That was something to be welcomed, but it was boring to have nothing to do until a crisis came. That, and she wanted Souma to rely on her for something other than riding on her back, too.

“Hey, Souma. Is there something I can do?” Naden had tried asking.

“Oh, good timing. There’s actually something I wanted you to do.”

And the job Souma had prepared for her was this position as a “weather girl.”

A ryuu’s whiskers were sensitive to the air currents, and it was said that just a slight gust of wind was enough for them to know the weather in that area for the next week. He had apparently been planning to put that to use and make a weather forecast.

The Jewel Voice Broadcast could only be seen with video in the large towns and cities where receiver equipment was set up, but even remote villages in the countryside could receive something like radio. Basically, broadcasting a weather forecast on the Jewel Voice Broadcast would communicate the weather to every person in the country.

“So, there you have it,” he had explained. “Can you do it, Naden?”

“Roger that. I’m on it.”

Thus, Naden was now this world’s first weathercaster.

And so, once again today, Naden was reporting tomorrow’s weather to the entire kingdom.

“Umm... For tomorrow’s weather, we expect there will be not a cloud in the sky, and it will be a generally feel-good kind of day. It should be a good day for doing laundry. In the Amidonia Region in the west of the country and around Altomura in the south there may be scattered showers along the mountains in the evening, so be sure to take the wash in early. Also, in the northeast, the skies over Lagoon City will clear tomorrow, but there is the possububbly... of thundershowers, so be careful.

Ah, she flubbed her line!

Naden tried to carry on as if she hadn’t misspoken, but the viewers smiled. They never tired of seeing this adorable queen-to-be.

Though she tripped over her words, Naden’s forecasts had a reputation for accuracy.

Those in the farming and fishing industries were particularly grateful for her storm warnings. If a storm came, the produce they had worked so hard to grow might be blown down by the winds, and the seas might become so wild that going out in a boat would be a disaster that put their lives at risk. However, if the arrival of storms could be predicted in advance, it was possible to prepare for them.

For farmers, they could harvest their produce, or reinforce the plants so they wouldn’t be knocked over.

For fishermen, they could dry-dock the boats, and ensure they weren’t swept away by the waves.

This had led to an increase in the country’s food production.

There were even rumors that some fishing villages had already begun to worship Naden as a goddess that guaranteed good catches. Eventually this might be tied to Urup’s sea god worship, and she would then become Ryuujin, the dragon god of the sea. For now, though, Naden was only a weather girl.

Now, how was Naden’s weather forecast produced?

Let us take a glimpse at the production process.

◇　◇　◇

“Souma! Wake up!”

“Gwuh! Wh-What?!”

Suddenly, there was an impact on top of my stomach. I had been deep asleep until moments ago, so I was panicking, unable to process the situation when I saw Naden sitting on top of my belly. It seemed the impact had been Naden body-slamming me.

I glanced around with my head still fuzzy. This was... Right, the governmental affairs office.

Upon my return from the Republic of Turgis, Hakuya had given me a mountain of work that had piled up, so I’d been working through it until late at night. I’d gone to sleep in the simple bed in the office.

Even while in the Republic of Turgis, I had kept using my magic, Living Poltergeists, to move Factory Arm #1 and do paperwork, but no matter how much I did, more work for the king kept pouring in. Honestly... Here I was, finally back in the country, but I couldn’t even go visit Liscia who was resting in the former king Sir Albert’s domain.

That being the case, I was now very sleepy, and I didn’t want to wake up yet, but Naden wasn’t going to allow that. Turning sideways to form a cross with the bed in which I was sleeping, Naden stretched out and rolled back and forth on top of my stomach.

“Soumaaa, wake uuup.”

“Sorry, Pa*rasche,” I murmured. “I’m exhausted. I’m so very sleepy.”

“Who is Pat**sche supposed to be? Get up already.”

Like an elementary schooler trying to wake her father up on a Sunday, Naden shook her body back and forth. In this state, I couldn’t get back to sleep, so I reluctantly decided to get up.

Once I had sat up, I shot Naden a somewhat resentful look. “I was up late working last night. Let me sleep a little longer.”

“What are you talking about? If you don’t get up, I can’t do my job, you know?” Naden got off the bed and put a hand on her hip.

“Job?”

“I have to predict the weather, right?”

“...Oh, geez. Fine, I get it.”

It was an important job, after all, so I gave in and got out of bed.

Production of a weather forecast program.

When we began producing broadcast programs for this world, I had wondered if there was a way to make one a reality. In my old world, it was a given that there would be a weather forecast during news programs, so I had never felt all that grateful that it was there. However, having come to this world where people lived without a weather forecast brought me to the painful realization that it had been an incredible thing all along.

If they knew the future weather, people could be more active.

When was it time to do laundry? When was it time to sow seeds? When was it time to go out fishing? When was it time to fix the house in preparation for a storm? By knowing the weather that would come in the future, it was possible to prepare in advance for these things. It would make people’s lives more efficient.

Now, the perfect person to make such a weather forecast had come to be with me.

In her ryuu form, Naden’s two long whiskers were very perceptive sensory organs, and just a slight breeze across them would tell her the weather in that place for the next week. That was why I was having Naden fly around the kingdom every few days and investigate what the weather would be like in each area.

In addition to Naden, there were people who had lived in those regions for generations who could predict the larger changes in the weather. It was okay even if it was just something like, “If there’s clouds around that mountain, there will be a passing shower the next day.” We had them send that sort of information to us by messenger kui, and kept statistics in the capital.

By using Naden’s weather forecast as the backbone, and the reports of the people who could tell the weather in all of those different places to flesh things out, we were able to put together a reasonably precise weather forecast.

It was popular with the people, who said she was pretty accurate.

“La, la, la!” Naden sang.

If I were to raise just one complaint, it was that every time she flew around the country, Naden dragged me along with her.

I was riding on Naden’s back as she sang to herself and swam through the sky, my head nodding unconsciously as I was hit by waves of drowsiness.

Those who had a contract with a dragon were protected by her magic, so I wasn’t affected by wind pressure or gravity, and I wouldn’t fall off. That meant it was very comfortable, which only made me more sleepy. It was like how sitting on the train as it swayed made you feel awfully sleepy.

Naden, for her part, felt good having me ride on her back when she flew. By having her contractor on her back, she had explained before, “It feels like it scratches an itch, or like something is where it belongs.”

It was a sense that was hard for a human to understand, but those were the sort of creatures that dragons were.

That was why I was being dragged along for this. That was also why Naden was singing so cheerfully.

In her ryuu form, Naden didn’t speak, she communicated using something like telepathy, so I could hear her singing right in my brain. Naden was surprisingly good at singing, and it was relaxing to listen to, which only made me even sleepier.

“And we’re here,” Naden said. “Hey, Souma. We’re over Lagoon City now.”

“...Huh? ...Oh, yeah.”

“Hold on, were you sleeping when we’re having such a nice skywalk?” Naden asked, sounding miffed.

Even with her ryuu face, I could tell she was puffing up her cheeks.

“It feels so comfortable on your back, I can’t help myself.”

“Grrr, when you say it that way, it doesn’t feel so bad...”

I pulled a stack of paper, an inkwell, and a feather pen out of the bag hanging from my shoulder. “Now, that aside, let’s get to work.”

Naden still had a somewhat dissatisfied look on her face, but she must have shifted into work mode, because she was letting her two whiskers drift in the wind. Then...

“Lagoon City will be sunny today. All day tomorrow, too. It will be clear the day after, as well, but will cloud over in the evening. Three days from now, it looks like we’ll see light showers starting in the morning. Those will last all day.”

Naden was putting together a weather forecast for this area.

I wrote it down word for word, being sure not to miss a thing.

“Four days from now it will be cloudy, and five days from now it will also be cloudy, but will clear up in the afternoon. Six days from now it will be clear all day. Seven days from now, again, it will be clear all day.”

We knew the weather for up to seven days from now, which was to say a total of eight days.

In this world, a week was eight days, so we had our weekly weather forecast for this region done.

Putting away what I had written, I let out a sigh of admiration. “Your whiskers sure are convenient, Naden.”

“Hee hee! You can praise me more, you know?”

“Hey, you’re number one! Now, if we just knew the temperature for the next week, it’d be perfect.”

“That’s expecting too much!”

I tried teasing her, and Naden got mad. Expecting too much, huh... No doubt about that.

It was good fortune that Naden had come to be my fiancée. Not just for me, but for the whole country. If I forgot that, I was going to be punished for it.

I stroked Naden’s back. “I’m grateful. Thank you for coming to be with me, Naden.”

“Ohh... When you’re so straight with me, it makes me feel shy. Eheheh...”

“It’s how I really feel. Now, on to the next place.”

“Roger that! I’ll carry you anywhere, Souma.”

“Oh? Then the Republic of Turgis...”

“I hate the cold!”

While having those sorts of inconsequential conversations, we flew all around the country.

◇　◇　◇

...And, well, that was roughly how the weather forecast was produced. Today, Naden was relaying that weather forecast to the people watching or listening to the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

“This is Naden. I will now report on tomorrow’s weather.”

After Returning to the Country Arc – 2: Kuu’s Stay in the Kingdom

— In the middle of the 7th month, 1547th year, Continental Calendar —

The roofs of the houses in the residential quarter of Parnam were uniformly orange.

If you looked down from Parnam Castle to see the center of the city, the castle walls that surrounded the city, and the small mountain near the city, it would look like a vast sea of orange.

There was a shadowy figure bouncing along on top of those orange roofs.

The figure was running as it bounded from roof to roof, but then stopped on top of one roof to wipe its sweat. It was around the time that the sun was high in the sky.

Summer had begun in earnest at this point, and the kingdom was now seeing hot day after hot day.

“Man, it’s hot,” grumbled the figure. “It’d never get this hot in the republic.”

It was the guest from the republic, Kuu Taisei.

It had already been two months since King Souma of Friedonia had formed a medical alliance with Turgish Head of State Gouran, and Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire.

In order to see how Souma reigned and learn from it, Kuu had come to reside in Friedonia with his attendant Leporina and his childhood friend Taru.

He was staying for free at Souma’s place, but because he wasn’t a formal vassal, he didn’t have any particular work to do, and he was spending most his time traveling around the kingdom to learn.

Kuu would submit a request to visit and learn about a place, and if Souma gave his permission, he had relatively free rein to look around inside the Kingdom. He had gone around to many places that way, and had registered as an adventurer along with Leporina, making a small amount of coin on the side by taking on quests.

Kuu crouched on the edge of the roof, looking out over the town of Parnam.

Still... I know I heard about it from Bro, but this country’s even more amazing than I expected.

There were things he had learned by coming to this country and living here.

The flashy things had caught his eye first. Initially, that was the broadcast programs of the Jewel Voice Broadcast. The idea of using the Jewel Voice Broadcast, which had only been used for official proclamations before, to provide entertainment for the citizens was amazing.

The singing program where many diverse loreleis sang, the news program where Chris Tachyon reported the events and incidents that happened in the country, the weather forecast run by one of Souma’s fiancées, and more... They were all new to Kuu, and drew his interest.

Of them all, the tokusatsu program called Overman Silvan was his favorite.

It was good stuff. Watching a hero fight for good and punish evil got him fired up.

Kuu was so into Silvan that, when he had watched them shooting the program in the castle, he had even gotten the autograph of Ivan Juniro, the actor who played the main character. It was incredible that, in an era like this, the son of a nation’s head of state would be begging an actor from another country for his autograph, though.

Now, as for the next flashy thing that caught his eye, it was religious functions.

Generally, nations that put a lot of fervor into their religious functions tended to be monotheistic, but the religious functions in this multi-racial, multi-religious state were surprisingly popular.

It seemed that ever since Souma had issued a proclamation saying that, “Any religion which registers with the government will be recognized as a state religion,” this country had gained a variety of state religions, and they had come to hold large religious functions to attract believers.

Furthermore, by turning those religious functions into national events, it was even possible for members of other religions and sects to participate.

The result was that, with the exception of the most fervent believers, there was an increase in the number of citizens engaging with multiple faiths, and a cooperative relationship where different religions would lend each other space for events was built.

This was because, if it was possible to hold multiple faiths, there was no need to fight to steal each others’ believers.

This sort of buffet-style approach to religion seemed like something that the comparatively tolerant Mother Dragon worship might allow, but Lunarian Orthodoxy with its focus on unity through the belief in one god would hate.

However, the head of Lunarian Orthodoxy within the kingdom, Bishop Souji Lester, said, “Multiple religions? Eh, sure, why not?”

And with that one utterance, they were gradually worked into the buffet of religions.

Souji was as impious as ever, but his loose management had the support of Orthodoxy’s adherents in the kingdom. For the adherents who had lived in the kingdom a long time, even if it was the center of their religion, they hadn’t been happy about taking orders from the Orthodox Papal State about all sorts of things.

On that point, Souji had said, “If you keep things in moderation, you can do as you like,” and left them to their own devices, so it was easier on the believers.

In the kingdom now there was open religious dialogue between all faiths, and they were in an exquisite state of harmony.

If you went into town, one weekend there would be a Lunarian Orthodox festival, and the next weekend there would be a day of celebration for Mother Dragon worshipers, and then the following weekend the sea god worshipers would have a ceremony opening the seas... There was always some excuse for an event to be held.

And so, people would gather where there were events, and things and money would gather where there were people. Holding religious events was tied directly into increasing economic activity.

Well, it’s easy to look at the flashy things, but what’s really amazing is the stuff you don’t see.

Kuu stood up and began bouncing along on top of the roofs again.

Beneath, he could see the people of this country going about their lives. He crossed a commercial street where the wives were out shopping, and then down a craftsmen’s street where the sound of hammers echoed unceasingly.

As he ran, Kuu had a thought.

The really unbelievable thing about this country is how easy it is to live in.

The kingdom as it was now still had these orange roofs, which gave it a sort of retro appearance, but beneath that, it had become incredibly livable.

The large cities had running water and sewer systems, and garbage collection had been nationalized, leading to an improvement in sanitation. Despite this being a large city, the air wasn’t that bad, and the water used for daily consumption wasn’t contaminated.

There was a transportation network, and many people came and went. The result was that there was a distribution network for products, their prices were stabilized, and public order was good because the military could be quickly dispatched anywhere.

If a person lived here for even a few days, living in any other country would start to feel inconvenient.

The only country that could compete with this one for livability had to be the great power of the west, the Gran Chaos Empire. The Republic of Turgis wasn’t anywhere close.

Dad, we can’t just stay where we are.

They had formed an equal medical alliance between the three countries, but at this rate, an incredible gap would form between them someday. In order to prevent that, Kuu would learn how Souma ruled here, and find a path of development for the republic.

“For that... I need to take a good look at Bro’s country!”

Voicing his resolve, Kuu let out a laugh.

Then a sort of weak voice came from behind him. “Y-Young masteeer. Wait for meee.”

When Kuu stopped and looked back, a girl with bunny ears came over to him, wheezing as she did. It was Kuu’s attendant, Leporina.

“Sheesh, you’re slow, Leporina. What happened to your usual healthy legs?”

“Hahh... Hahh... I-It’s because you’re running on top of these roofs, young masteeeer. Unlike your snow monkey race, the white rabbit race aren’t used to running in high places. Besides, there are proper roads, so let’s walk on those.”

“It’s faster to cut across the roofs than to waste my time dragging my feet on the ground, isn’t it? I’m inviting Taru to lunch. If I don’t hurry, lunchtime will be over.”

Kuu was in a hurry because he was meeting with Taru.

Unlike Kuu, who was a freeloader staying in Parnam Castle, Taru was renting a house near the craftsmen’s street with a workshop attached. It would have been fine for her to live in the castle, but she had felt it would be a hassle commuting from the castle to the town every day. Kuu frequently dropped in at Taru’s house.

Kuu was about to take off running again... then stopped and asked Leporina, “So, where was Taru at again?”

“You were running without knowing that?!” Leporina looked at Kuu with disbelief.

“No, I know where her house is. But she’s gone to train the blacksmiths today, right? I dunno where that training place is... What was it called again?”

“It’s Ginger’s Vocational School,” Leporina answered.

Ginger’s Vocational School was headed by Ginger Camus, the former slave trader. It taught children to read, write, and do arithmetic on one hand, while also being an academic institution where many fields of study and technologies which were in their dawning days were researched.

Of all the fields of study and technologies researched here, those deemed to have promise for the future were recognized, and if a number of researchers on a subject were able to be secured, an independent new specialized school would be created. For that reason, Ginger’s Vocational School was called a “school for schools.”

The field of medicine had just recently become independent, and the former capital of the Carmine Duchy, Randel, was now home to a school for doctors and nurses, the Randel Medical School.

Now that enough personnel had developed to the point that they could teach basic medical knowledge, Brad and Hilde were freed from their teaching duties. They had opened a medical practice in the new city of Venetinova, and so there was no longer any reason for them to be chained down to the capital.

The reason the school had opened in Randel was that there was a practice ground for the National Land Defense Force nearby, which meant an endless supply of soldiers with fresh wounds who would make good guinea... test subjects.

Incidentally, though Brad and Hilde had made their return to the field, like they had wanted, they were still occasionally called to the Randel Medical School to hold lectures. Though they had quit their positions as teachers, they were now living legends in the world of medicine inside the kingdom.

It seemed that Hilde kept refusing because she was currently pregnant, but once she gave birth and she had gotten used to raising her child, she was sure to receive multiple requests for lectures.

Let’s get back on topic.

Ginger’s Vocational School was the place where Taru was teaching blacksmithing techniques.

Leporina sighed and ran ahead of him. “I guess there’s no helping this. Follow me, young master.”

Boing! Boing! Leporina jumped across the orange roofs. It looked like, in the end, they’d be going over the roofs, after all.

“All right! Sorry for the trouble!” Kuu followed after her with a laugh.

With Leporina leading the way, Kuu came to a place with wide grounds surrounded by a brick wall with a number of buildings inside. This was apparently Ginger’s Vocational School.

When the two of them came to the gate, they saw a single maid inside the gate sweeping the ground with a bamboo broom. That maid was a beautiful girl whose triangular ears and fluffy tail were typical of the beastman races.

“Oh! I found me a cutie!” Kuu cried excitedly.

“Oh... Not this again...” Leporina’s shoulders slumped.

Kuu was into women who had fluffy beastman parts. If they had breasts, that was even better.

That was why he’d asked Tomoe, “Would you be my bride?” on their first meeting, and then set about trying to woo her. He’d have to hold out hope for the future in the breast department, though.

On that point, the beastman maid in front of Kuu was checking all his boxes.

“Oookyakya! I wonder what kind of beastman she is. Maybe I’ll go woo her right now.”

“...He says, despite having eyes for no one but Taru,” Leporina said under her breath.

“Huh? Did you say something?”

“No, nothing... Or rather, I’ll tell Taru about this later, you know?”

“Urgh... I-It’s fine to look, isn’t it?”

Kuu pouted. He was so easy to understand.

While the master and servant duo were arguing, the beastman maid who had been cleaning noticed Kuu and Leporina were there. The maid narrowed her eyes as if wary. Readying her broom in front of her chest, she approached them with determination.

“What business do you have at our school?”

““Huh?”” Kuu and Leporina, who had been in the middle of an argument, looked at her with dumbstruck faces as she suddenly interrupted them.

The maid gave the two a slight bow, never taking her eyes off them. “I am Sandria, a maid in service to Lord Ginger, the principal of Ginger’s Vocational School. Pardon me, but... what business, may I ask, do you have at this school?”

There was a dangerous tone in her voice. Like she was wary of them, or she was angry. Kuu paid no mind to the atmosphere Sandria was exuding, and casually gave his name.

“Hm? I’m Kuu. This here’s my servant Leporina.”

“I-It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Unlike Kuu, Leporina sensed the disquieting atmosphere and gave a more hesitant greeting.

Sandria held her bamboo broom with a backhand grip and pointed the end of it at Kuu’s forehead. “What have you come here for... is what I am asking you.”

Sandria’s brow was furrowed. That hostile stance got Kuu angry, too.

“What’s this, out of nowhere? Is this how your school greets guests?”

“I don’t think we call those who attempt to enter our school while armed guests.”

“Armed? ...Oh, I guess we are.” That was when Kuu finally figured it out.

Kuu had a cudgel slung over his back, and his attendant and bodyguard Leporina was carrying a bow and arrows on hers. Sandria must have been wary that they were brigands, here to attack the school.

Educational institutes were the place where the wisdom of a country was gathered, and it was entirely imaginable that they would be targeted by brigands, or agents of other countries after their researchers and results. The two of them had been careless.

When Kuu realized that, he offered the cudgel he had been carrying to the maid. “Sorry to come so suddenly and surprise you like that. We’re just here to see someone.”

“That’s not how it looks, though?” Sandria said and indicated behind Kuu with her eyes.

When Kuu turned, Leporina had nocked an arrow and taken aim at Sandria.

“Wait, Leporina?! Why are you doing something so threatening?!”

“I-I thought my young master was in danger, so...”

Yes, she had immediately gone into crisis mode when thinking her master was in danger. That was the very model of what a servant should do, but... in this case, it was only making this conversation harder.

“Calm down! It’s just a broom!”

“Rest assured. This bamboo broom has something inside.”

With a flash, a blade about the size of a knife jumped out of the bamboo broom from the side she was holding. Sandria pressed the sharp edge to Kuu’s throat.

“It’s a cane-sword?! Why’s a maid carrying something so dangerous?!”

“There are many individuals carrying out unusual research at this school, you see.”

“Please, don’t move!” Seeing the cane-sword, Leporina drew back her bowstring even further. “If you move a muscle... I’ll fire.”

“...Very well,” the maid said. “I will, at the very least, kill your master before that.”

There were two beautiful women on either side of Kuu staring each other down. If it weren’t for the weapons, this would be a situation any man would be jealous of, but even Kuu couldn’t enjoy this one.

“Would both of you calm down already! Ugh, someone do something about this!”

Perhaps Kuu’s shout reached someone, because a young man came over. “Um... San? Just what kind of situation is this?”

There was a skinny, frail looking young man standing behind Sandria, and his cheeks were twitching as he looked at this scene in bewilderment.

“You mustn’t, master!” Sandria shouted, looking panicked for the first time.

His name was Ginger Camus. Despite his youth, he was the principal of Ginger’s Vocational School.

Ginger had just come over to invite Sandria to have lunch with him, but he’d panicked when seeing the situation near the gate.

Sandria had a broom with a knife on the end pointed at a young boy who looked like a monkey beastman, and a girl who looked like a rabbit beastman had her bow drawn and aimed at Sandria. Ginger had been taken aback by the dangerous scene, but...

“S-Stop, please!” he yelled.

The next moment, his body was moving. Ginger interposed himself between Sandria and the archer so as to block the line of fire, and even in his terror, he managed to spread his arms and shout at Kuu and Leporina, “This is a school sanctioned by His Majesty King Souma! Please, stop with this violent affront to it!”

“Like. I. Keep. On. Saying. This is all a misunderstanding...”

“Master?!”

Cutting off Kuu, Sandria threw aside her broom-sword, embraced Ginger, and spun them around to change their positions. She ended up exposing her back to Leporina who was still taking aim with her bow.

“Wait, San?! That’s dangerous!” Ginger shouted.

“I will protect you, even if it costs me my life, master.”

There was Ginger who was worried for Sandria, and Sandria who was risking her life to protect him. It was a scene that showed at a glance what their feelings for each other were like.

Having been shown that scene, Kuu awkwardly scratched his cheek as he said to them, “Uhhh... Sorry to stop you when you’re all fired up, but we aren’t here to attack the place. Hey, Leporina. I’m free now, so how long are you going to keep holding that bow?”

“Huh...? Ah! Yes, sir!”

Leporina had been so focused on her task that only now did she realize Kuu had been released. She hurriedly lowered her bow and returned the arrow to her quiver.

With a laugh, Kuu turned to Ginger and Sandria and said, “Sorry to make a scene. I’m Kuu Taisei. I’m from the Republic of Turgis, but I’m currently freeloading at my bro Souma’s place. Well, think of me as something like his little brother. Bunny ears here is my servant, Leporina.”

“N-Nice to meet you. Oh, and sorry for the trouble.” Leporina bowed her head.

Ginger managed to pry Sandria off of him somehow, and stood in front of Kuu. “You’re an acquaintance of His Majesty’s, then. I am Ginger Camus, the one tasked with managing this school. This is my secretary, Sandria.”

“I am Sandria.” Sandria lifted the hem of her skirt a little and curtsied.

Her discomposure from earlier seemed like a lie, and she wore a look on her face like nothing had happened. However, she must have felt embarrassed inside, because her cheeks were just a little red.

Still, the only one here who would notice that was Ginger, who had been together with her for a long time.

Kuu smiled and shook Ginger’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Ginger. You’ve got a good subordinate there who cares for her master.”

“Yes. She is a reliable partner.”

“Guess I can’t take her for myself, huh. Her looks are just my type, though.”

“Huh?!”

This sudden talk of taking her away and how she was Kuu’s type made Ginger panic.

Compared to that, Sandria didn’t seem flustered in the least. “I regret to inform you that I have already devoted my body, my heart, and every last drop of my blood to my master.”

“Whoa, San, what are you saying?!” Ginger cried.

“It goes without saying that if my master orders me to spend the night with him, I am prepared to bite back my tears and do it.”

“Don’t say things that make me sound bad! I’d never order any such thing!”

Ginger was panicking. That seemed to satisfy Sandria somehow.

Looking at Ginger get toyed with by his maid, Kuu found himself sympathizing despite himself. “I dunno how to say this, but... you’ve got it rough, too, huh?”

Now that Kuu thought about it, he felt like his bro, Souma, who was also the king of this country, had times where he couldn’t stand up to his fiancées, too. Were the women being stronger than the men a part of this country’s national character?

She’s too sadistic, so I can’t bring myself to ask if she wants to be my wife, like I did with little Tomoe... Wait, huh? Is that what she’s aiming for, maybe?

Had she been trying to keep Kuu from being interested in her by deliberately being sadistic to Ginger? So Kuu wouldn’t try to take her away from him? Considering the loyalty she’d demonstrated by using herself as a shield to protect Ginger, it wasn’t out of the question.

Kuu thought that while looking at the two of them, but...

“Master... will you keep me by your side for life?” Sandria asked.

“Of course. You’re an important partner to me. I can’t run this school myself, after all. So... please don’t leave my side.”

“Those are not quite the words I wanted to hear, but... of course I will stay at your side, serving you always. Master.”

A correction, Kuu thought. It seems a good half of it was just Sandria’s personality.

Ginger seemed a little airheaded, so he’d been able to dodge it without recognizing her intentions, but if the maid had said that to Kuu, he’d have picked up on it, and she’d have had him right there.

“That’s one scary maid,” Kuu said to Leporina in a quiet voice.

Leporina giggled in reply. “That just shows how important Ginger is to her. Did you see that show of devotion, young master? If it’s for the man she loves, a woman can become as calculating as she need to be.”

“Is that how it works? ...I’m just a little afraid of girls now.” Kuu sighed. “Thank goodness my servant’s so simple.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure about thaaat,” Leporina said with a mischievous smile. “Do you think any simple girl would be allowed to serve as your bodyguard? You might not think it when you look at me, but Master Gouran regards me quite highly, you know?”

Leporina puffed her chest out with pride. Though her chest was being held down by the breastplate she wore, when she took that pose, it was clear she had more than Taru.

For an instant, Kuu almost stared, but the fact of her chest size fact rubbed him the wrong way, and he forced himself to look away.

“Hmph... Well, I’ll recognize your skill with the bow, at least.”

“It’s not just Master Gouran, you know? I’m childhood friends with Taru, too, and we get along great. When that time comes, I’m confident the two of us can get along.”

“...When what time comes?”

“That time is that time.” Leporina dodged the question with her usual weak smile.

That smile made a shudder run down Kuu’s back.

That was because, while he’d always been under the impression he was running Leporina around, she had become an important person to him at some point. If Leporina got fed up with him, that would hurt his relationship with Taru, who she was also close to. And at this point she had become so reliable a presence for him that he’d never dream of replacing her with another servant.

While Kuu was still confused, Leporina started giggling. “Hee hee, I’m just joking. You always run me ragged, so I wanted to tease you a bit. Sorry.”

“T-Tease me?”

“Yes. You don’t have to worry about what I said now in the slightest.”

O-Oh, so that’s how it is... Is it?

Kuu was almost satisfied, but there was a small part of him that couldn’t accept it.

Leporina said she was just teasing him, but Leporina’s position hadn’t changed. Kuu didn’t know anything about stories from Earth, but this must have been how Sun Wukong felt in the palm of the Buddha’s hand.

And, in fact, Kuu didn’t know what Leporina was really thinking at all.

Hm... the young master seems like he’s misunderstanding what I meant by “when that time comes.” While the confused Kuu glanced furtively at her, Leporina smiled wryly. Hee hee, I’d never do anything you wouldn’t like, Master Kuu. I know very well how you and Taru feel. That’s why, when the time comes, I’m confident I can get along with Taru. I won’t get in the way of the two of you, so don’t treat me badly, either. Okay, Master Kuu?

Leporina gave Kuu a troubled smile.

Noticing that smile, Kuu thought, Eek... Bro, I don’t get girls, after all...

He felt like he could understand Souma’s feelings just a little.

“What’s wrong, dumb master?” Taru asked Kuu, who had a slightly odd look on his face while they were eating.

When Kuu had explained to Ginger and Sandria that he had come to invite Taru to lunch, they’d suggested they all go together, and the five had gone to the cafeteria inside Ginger’s Vocational School.

Kuu laughed awkwardly and said to Taru, “Well, you know... A lot happened,” and glanced at Leporina who was standing next to him.

Kuu, Taru, and Ginger were seated at the table, while Leporina and Sandria were acting as servers. It had ended up with them in positions like it was a meeting, but Kuu and Ginger were able to have a rousing conversation about their respective circumstances.

“I see,” Ginger said. “You’re the son of the head of the Republic of Turgis. Even though she didn’t know any better, San... our Sandria... was awfully rude to you.”

When Ginger bowed his head, Kuu laughed.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s partly my fault for showing up without an appointment.”

“The dumb master was just being dumb. There’s no need for you to bow your head to him, Sir Ginger,” Taru said with a cool look on her face.

Taru was as merciless with Kuu as ever, but her behavior made Ginger’s eyes go wide.

“You’re a craftsperson, weren’t you, Taru? Aren’t you being a little too casual towards the son of your head of state?”

“Hm? The dumb master is just the dumb master. That is all.”

“She’s a childhood friend of mine, you see,” said Kuu. “We don’t stand on ceremony. I mean, she likes me enough she followed me to this country... Gwah!”

Kuu tried to put his arm around Taru’s shoulders, but Taru elbowed him.

She looked away from him, and in a sharp tone she said, “The dumb master has nothing to do with it. I came here at King Souma’s request.”

“Ouch... Honestly, you sure can’t be honest with yourself.”

“You’re just too honest with your desires.”

Seeing the lively exchange between Kuu and Taru, Ginger more or less figured out their relationship and smiled wryly. “Ahaha... I think I get the idea.”

Kuu munched on some bread as he asked Ginger, “So, is Taru getting along fine here?”

“Yes. The people in our blacksmithing techniques department are happy to have a talented craftsperson here.”

“The people here are passionate about their studies. They have a long way to go, but I think they’ll master it eventually,” Taru said with a serious look on her face as she drank her tea.

It was moving for Kuu, who rarely ever saw Taru praise anyone, to see that face.

“You even have a blacksmithing techniques department...?” he said in amazement. “What other research do you do here?”

“All sorts, really,” Ginger said. “Sciences to technologies of all kinds. We study a wide range of topics, from things like agriculture that we know are important, to things that, at first glance, are not important at all. For an example, we even have a newly created Department of Dungeonology.”

“Dungeonology?”

“Yes. The study of dungeons, which exist everywhere on this continent, and are a place where monsters exist outside the Demon Lord’s Domain. We record and categorize the layout of dungeons, and the monsters that reside within. It was established with the sponsorship of His Majesty, who wanted to know more about monsters.”

“My bro Souma?”

If Souma was involved, there had to be some meaningful intent behind it. Monsters, huh... Kuu developed a pensive look on his face, but Ginger continued on without noticing it.

“We cooperate with the adventurers’ guild, and ask active adventurers to tell us about their experiences for our studies. Occasionally, we have novice adventurers use the gym here, and have veteran adventurers come to train them... Though, for some reason, San goes and joins them in training.”

“As one who serves you, Lord Ginger, I want to have at least a bare minimum knowledge of self-defense,” Sandria said unabashedly, causing Ginger to smile wryly.

“So that’s why...” Kuu felt like it finally made sense. Her moves when she had put that broom-sword to his throat were something an adventurer had taught her.

Kuu crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. Dungeonology, huh? Even that’s a subject for academic study in this country...

Scholarship. For Souma, whose policy particularly emphasized the importance of basic research, Ginger’s Vocational School was a clear representation of that. They were building up a pile of plain and possibly useless research. However, even if that research was seen as being useless, it was not meaningless. That pile of research would eventually become a driving force for the development of this country.

In his interactions with Souma, Kuu had gotten to the point where he could think that way. It’s a country that’s even more incredible than it looks. We can’t let them outdo us.

Then something occurred to Kuu. “Hey, Ginger. This school, could me and Leporina attend it, too?”

“Dumb master?” Taru asked.

“Young master? What are you saying all of a sudden?”

Taru and Leporina cocked their heads to the side, but Kuu ignored them and made his request of Ginger.

“Please. I want to learn all sorts of stuff in this country, too.”

Having received such an earnest request, Ginger scratched his cheek.

“Erm... We don’t turn away anyone who wants to learn, but you’re from another country, right? I’m sorry, but I think you’ll need permission from His Majesty.”

Kuu stood up with a look of glee on his face. “Got it! I’m gonna go get permission from my bro right now!”

“Huh?! Right now?!”

“Strike while the iron’s hot, they say! C’mon, Leporina, let’s get going!”

“H-Hold on, wait, young master!”

Kuu took off, and Leporina rushed after him. The two had run off like a storm, and Ginger was left dumbfounded.

“What can I say? He’s a very decisive individual, isn’t he?” Ginger said at last.

“It’s always like this,” Taru said while quietly drinking the tea Sandria had poured for her. “Oh, Master Kuu... You really are dumb.”

However, when she whispered those words, she was smiling just a little.

Some days later...

“All right, Leporina, let’s go study in the Department of Dungeonology today. I hear we can see a dungeon relic provided by the House of Maxwell.”

“I-I get it, so please stop pulling. Geez.”

At Ginger’s Vocational School, there was Kuu, who had been attending with enthusiasm since receiving clearance from Souma, and Leporina, who he was dragging around with him, but who didn’t seem to mind that, and...

“Oh, dumb master, you’re so dumb.”

There was Taru, watching the two of them from a distance, with the corners of her mouth turned ever so slightly upwards.

What would they study in this country, and what would that bring about in the Republic of Turgis?

That, we would not learn for a while yet.

After Returning to the Country Arc – 3: The Flower that Blooms in the Field and the Bird in the Cage

The summer sun had begun to set, and it was getting a little cooler.

I was in the governmental affairs office, fighting with the documents that had piled up while I was away in the republic. Why, when I was working so hard, did the amount of work left not seem to be decreasing?

There was always work I needed to do. I couldn’t fight 24 hours a day... I wanted to go home... This was home, though...

Augh... I can’t concentrate anymore...

I had been working in the office all day today, so my mind was exhausted.

Physical labor brought about lethargy of the body, but mental labor brought about impairment of mental function.

I leaned back in my chair.

The sense of exhaustion felt stronger than usual.

It’s because Liscia’s not around...

Ever since Liscia, who had always helped me in a secretarial role, was found to be pregnant, she had been resting at Sir Albert’s former domain. I still hadn’t found time to go see her.

With days going by in which I couldn’t see her, I now understood that Liscia had been a soothing presence, just by being near me. Even when I was tired, when I looked at her well-balance proportions wrapped in a red military uniform, I felt like I could try a little harder.

If I told her I’d been ogling her during work, would I be in for another lecture...?

I wanted to talk to Liscia... No, for now, it didn’t even have to be Liscia. I just wanted someone to talk to.

Sigh... Time to call it a day, I guess.

If I forced myself to work and entered the wrong information somewhere, it was bound to create more work down the line. I was running out of concentration, so it would be better to leave the rest until tomorrow and get some rest.

There was a sudden voice from the terrace, which should have been vacant.

“Your Majesty, may I have a moment?”

Considering the time, it was probably one of the Black Cats. It used to make me jump every time I suddenly heard my name, but... it had happened often enough, I was used to it now.

As expected, the unit’s second-in-command, Inugami, was the one to open the terrace door and come in.

“Did something happen?” I asked.

“Yes, sire. I have something I would like to report.”

After I heard Inugami’s report, I was left agape.

“Huh? Why is she here?”

“It will do you no good to ask me. I suggest you address the matter with the person in question.”

“I guess you’re right... But I’m impressed they knew.”

“The one who found her was a member who went to the Republic of Turgis,” the man said. “If any of the other members had found her first, it would have been dangerous. For her, of course.”

“I know. How could she do something so dangerous...?”

I pressed my palm to my forehead and sighed. Seriously, what was she thinking?

“So, what will you do?” Inugami asked, looking to see how I would respond.

“...Can you lead her here?” I asked wearily.

“You wish to meet with her?”

“We could run her off, but she’s not the type to give up.”

“Understood. Please, wait a moment.”

Inugami went out to the terrace. He had to be going to get her.

I leaned back in my chair, thought about what was to come, and became a little gloomy.

◇　◇　◇

We now turn back time to around when the sun was low in the sky.

In Parnam, bustling with people who had finished their daily toil, there was a green-haired girl walking down a shopping street.

“Yeesh, everyone just goes off whenever they want...”

The one who walked along, muttering that to herself, was the adventurer Juno. The party Juno was a member of had returned from the Republic of Turgis to their usual base of operations in the royal capital Parnam.

Juno stuck her hand in the pouch at her waist. There was more money in there than usual.

Here I am, with hazard pay, but I don’t really want to drink alone...

The emergency quest they had taken in the republic had resulted in a hefty reward.

Even divided between the five of them, the money had been enough to pay for all of their new equipment, and they had decided they would each spend the day doing whatever they wanted.

The swordsman Dece had invited the mage Julia, who he had a thing for, out to dinner, while the brawler Augus had said he was off to party hard at a place with pretty girls. The priest Febral was childhood friends with the innkeeper’s daughter, so he had said he was going to go see her.

All of that being the case, Juno was now left out.

Sigh... Isn’t there something interesting around here...?

“Hm?”

Suddenly, down the road, Juno spotted something. A roly-poly silhouette that walked with slow, easy steps.

“I think I’ve found it,” she said with a grin. “Something interesting.”

The object walking down the street was the kigurumi adventurer, Little Musashibo.

He had once been treated as an urban legend and viewed as an oddity by the townsfolk, but because he was now a major character on the Prima Lorelei Juna Doma’s broadcast program Together with Big Sister, he was popular with the children.

“Hey, it’s Little Musashibo!” a child cried.

“He’s so round. And so big.”

As proof of that, there were children waving to him now. That was an impressive show of popularity.

Little Musashibo gave the kids a thumbs-up.

Juno tilted her head to the side as she looked at the kigurumi adventurer.

Come to think of it, I saw a program with Little Musashibo in it, didn’t I? Dece and the others were saying he probably just lent them his kigurumi suit, but those moves... He looks like the real deal.

For Juno, who had gotten to be able to sense Little Musashibo’s feelings from the way he moved, she could see that it was the same person (?) inside this Little Musashibo. Not only that, she had previously encountered him running errands for the castle.

Is it like I think... and he’s got some connection to the castle?

Her suspicions were turning to certainty.

Juno tailed Little Musashibo. She kept a constant distance from him, her eyes on his back as she pursued, and as expected, Little Musashibo headed for the main gate of Parnam Castle.

Little Musashibo showed something to the guards there, they saluted, and he was allowed to enter.

Did he show them something like a pass? But, even with a pass, would they really let such a blatantly suspicious person (?) through?

Even if that kigurumi was appearing in a broadcast program produced at the castle, there was no knowing who was inside it, so shouldn’t they be more cautious? Or did he have something that would make the guards let him pass just by showing it to them?

Was he a person (?) with a strong enough connection to the castle that he would have a thing like that?

Juno understood Little Musashibo less than ever.

Even after waiting for some time after that, there was no sign of Little Musashibo leaving the castle. That he had only come to run a little errand... seemed unlikely to be the case.

By the time she noticed, the sun was setting, and the area had gotten dark.

Maybe I’m right. Maybe he really is connected to the castle. Ohhh, I wonder how. But it’s a castle... It’s probably a bad idea to try sneaking in.

If she crossed the walls of Parnam Castle without permission, she would likely be arrested for trespassing. If that happened, it wouldn’t just be her problem; she’d be inconveniencing Dece and the rest of her party, too.

Hmm, what to do?

Juno was trapped, paralyzed at the border of curiosity and reason. She did not realize that, at that moment, she had become a “suspicious person staring at the castle.” Or that there was a group that existed to guard against such people, and expose them if found.

Juno had long since gone from the being the watcher to being the watched.

Ah!

By the time she noticed, it was too late. There were countless presences surrounding Juno.

No, how could a scout like me fail to notice until I was surrounded?!

Juno, who excelled at sensing the presence of enemies in a dungeon, had allowed them to close in on her so easily. There was no doubt her opponents were skilled.

Wh-What do I do...? What now...?

Juno tried to get a feel for the presences. Polishing every nerve in her body, she searched for their locations.

When she did, she realized there was only one direction with no people in it. Despite being otherwise so perfectly encircled, there were no people in the direction of the castle.

I smell a trap, she thought. It’s too blatant, but... it’s not like I have any other choice.

Juno resolved herself, and took off in that direction. The presences around her moved, too.

They aren’t attacking? But I’m still surrounded.

While searching for the presences, she looked for a place where she could escape. She was running in the direction where there were no presences, but she sensed she was being led somewhere.

Wait, I’m super close to the castle?!

Having focused on nothing but running away, at some point she had crossed the castle wall, and gotten close to the castle itself. If she got caught now, she would be dealt with as an intruder.

Juno clambered up a wall, jumped around on the roofs, and ran around desperately.

Eventually, she landed on a terrace. There was an open glass door.

C-Can I go in here, hide, and wait them out?!

Thinking that, she tried to enter the room...

“And stop.”

“Wha?!”

The young man who came out of the room blocked her way.

“There are important documents in here, after all,” the young man said in a relaxed tone that you wouldn’t anticipate from someone unexpectedly encountering a suspicious person on the terrace. “There are rules against anyone entering who doesn’t have to.”

However, as she was on the run, Juno was desperate.

“S-Sorry! I might look suspicious, but I’m not! I was just being chased and they cornered me in here, so... um... hide me for just a little while!”

Juno ran her mouth as fast as she could, but the young man sighed.

“Calm down a little, Juno. I more or less know the situation.”

“...Huh? Why do you know my name?”

“How many times have you asked that question now, I wonder...?”

With that, the young man took another step forward. When she saw his face, which had up until now been covered by a shadow, clearly, Juno’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“I-It’s you! You’re the guy we just met in the republic, aren’t you?!”

“Yes. We met in the refugee camp, too, I believe,” the young man said with a wry smile and a shrug. “I might add, we’ve gone adventuring and drank together, too.”

“Huh? What’re you... Huh?!”

Then the young man pointed towards the room. In there was Little Musashibo, approaching with slow, easy steps. Little Musashibo’s “head” was wide open for the flabbergasted Juno to see. Inside, he was... empty.

The young man spoke. “I move it using my own unique magic. I am the person in the costume, despite being outside the costume, you could say.”

“Then you’re Mr. Little Musashibo’s real identity?!”

“Well, yeah, that’s more or less what I mean.”

The young man extended his hand to Juno.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you... though I suppose it’s not the first time. Still, I haven’t given you my name properly, so let me introduce myself. I am Souma Kazuya. The one who was controlling Little Musashibo.”

“Souma Kazuya... Wait, that’s the name of...”

While they were shaking hands, Juno’s brow furrowed at the familiar name.

The young man said, with a wry smile, “Do I really make that little of an impression in my normal outfit? Yeah. I’m the provisional King of Friedonia.”

At this point, Juno’s mind went completely blank.

◇　◇　◇

It took some time for Juno to recover from her confusion.

“Th-Then what? You’re Little Musashibo, and you’re the king, so that means Little Musashibo is the king? ...Ah! Sorry, I need to mind my manners.”

“No, the way you normally talk is fine,” I told Juno with a wry smile. She was babbling incoherently now. “I told you we were comrades before, didn’t I?”

Juno puffed up her cheeks and looked away. “...I don’t want someone who was keeping something so important a secret a comrade.”

“I couldn’t tell you because it was so important. Besides, even if I had, I doubt you’d have believed me, would you?”

“That’s... Well, maybe not. Fine, I’ll act like normal.”

With that said, Juno sat herself down on the railing at the edge of the terrace.

I stood with my back leaned against the same railing, and we were finally in a position to have a relaxed talk.

Then Juno’s eyes started darting around the area.

“What is it, Juno?” I asked.

“Nah, I was just wondering where the presences that were chasing me up until a moment ago went.”

“Oh. Those are my people. I asked them to guide you here.”

“Those were your underlings?! I was super scared, you know?!”

“It was your fault for spying on the castle. If you were unlucky, you might have been killed out of hand for being a potential troublemaker. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn’t contacted me...”

At that reasonable argument, Juno groaned, unable to come up with a response.

“Um... Sorry,” she said. “I just really wanted to know who you were...”

Juno was acting meek. It wasn’t like her, so I laughed.

“Well, it’s fine. And? How do you feel, knowing my true identity?”

“I’m relieved to have my doubts cleared up,” she admitted. “But why’s the king playing with dolls?”

“It was just an experiment at first.”

From there I gave Juno a simple summary of how Little Musashibo had come to be.

Wanting to test the range of my ability, I’d registered him as an adventurer and had him go all sort of places, he had met Juno and her group because of that, we’d ended up adventuring together, and so on.

I also explained that I was able to see whatever Little Musashibo saw.

“Wha?! Then you saw when my breastplate melted, too...”

“Uh... Yeah. It’s a good thing you didn’t end up not just showing your breasts, but your ribs as—Ow!”

“Don’t talk about my breasts!” Juno planted a hard kick in my flank.

I was just paraphrasing Dece, though!

“Ow... Hey, I’m kind of the king, you know?” I complained.

“You said we’re comrades, and to act like normal, didn’t you?”

My agony must have made her anger settle, because Juno was cackling. “Come to think of it, what happened to that awful salamander?”

“I sent the military in to put it down,” I said. “We couldn’t leave it be forever. We stripped the body down to its bones and sent it to a research institute. There’s a replica on display in front of the museum.”

“Those massive bones were that salamander?!”

“Looks like it was the one that ended up showing off its ribs, huh,” I said jokingly.

“It sure did!” she replied, with a big laugh. “I see. Then the hand I saw when we were eating at the cafeteria was your hand?”

“Yeah. Because of the heat of the kigurumi suit and the alcohol I’d been drinking, I was a bit out of it, though.”

“Ah! That’s why the princess conveniently came along, huh.” Juno clapped her hands, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

Was she talking about the time I’d collapsed at the banquet and Liscia had shown up to collect me? Now that I thought about it, Juno knew Liscia, didn’t she? If you included the time in the refugee camp and our encounter in the republic, too, she’d also had contact with Aisha, Juna, and Tomoe.

When I told her that, Juno was taken aback.

“Without knowing it... we met some really important people.”

“It sure is a small world,” I agreed.

“Normally it’s a little bigger!” Juno said angrily.

Her reactions were fun, so I was enjoying this.

Then, wiping her smile away, she spoke with a little concern. “But still, how is it being a king?”

“What’s this, out of nowhere?’

“Nah, I was just thinking it must be a hassle.”

“Well, yeah,” I agreed. “But so is every job, right? Being an adventurer means you’re always putting your life on the line, doesn’t it?”

I looked idly into the dark sky. Oh, hey, the stars were out.

“King, adventurer, or baker, it’s all the same. If you face your work head-on, you’re putting your life on the line. If you keep trying hard like that, someone will help you. For me, it was my family and retainers, while for you it’s Dece and your party, right?”

“Sure is. ‘The longer you walk, the more hands there will be to support you.’”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“It’s a line from a children’s song. The one we sing to children when they start to walk.”

Ohh, the one Juna had sung for me that one time. When I felt like I might be crushed by my responsibilities as king, and I couldn’t sleep, Juna sang me a lullaby...

It had been a long time since then, and the number of hands supporting me had gone up, but how far had I been able to walk?

“I’d actually like to ask you something,” I said. “What do you think of this country, Juno?”

“What do I think?”

“I mean, do you think it’s a good country? I want your frank opinion.”

“Hm... It’s an easy country to live in.” Juno placed her hand under her chin and thought as she spoke. “There’s a wide variety of foods, and, as an adventurer, being able to get around by rhinoceros train is nice and easy. Having proper roads makes quests to protect traveling merchants easy, too. Oh, also, this country terminated its contract with the guild to conscript all adventurers in the country in times of war, right? Being able to stay here and know we won’t be drafted if a war comes is good.”

“I see, I see...”

Like I thought, it was different from what an ordinary citizen thought of as a “good country.” I didn’t often get the chance to hear opinions from adventurers, so it was interesting.

“Turning that around, it makes it easy for adventurers to gather here, though,” Juno said. “If too many adventurers gather, the competition for dungeons gets higher, so you could say that’s a problem.”

“Well, for the country’s part, we’re happy to have dungeons cleared earlier.”

“For us adventurers, they fill our bellies, and feed our spirit of adventure. You went on an adventure using that doll, so you understand, don’t you? That exhilaration.”

“Well, yeah... I know the stories of your feats of martial prowess are a source of entertainment for the people, too.”

Besides, dungeons played a role in the local economy. That was why the state shouldn’t get involved more than necessary. I wanted dungeon cores for the Jewel Voice Broadcast, but I also wanted to avoid causing any unexpected problems.

“So, well, do your best, adventurer,” I said.

“Don’t talk like it has nothing to do with you! If you can use that doll, you can be an adventurer too, can’t you?”

“But now you know I’m the one controlling it. I was thinking of stopping the adventuring.”

“That’d be a waste, you know,” she said. “I know the doll’s empty, so I can use it to slow down the enemy, sacrifice it, or use it as bait without hesitating.”

“You’re totally planning to get it wrecked. It wasn’t cheap, you know.”

“Hey, let’s adventure together again. I swear I won’t say a word about who you are.”

Juno put her hands together and pleaded, so I shrugged.

“Well, if your tongue slips, I can just have him retire then, I guess.”

“I’m telling you, it won’t!”

From there we argued over some silly things, and by the time I realized it, a fair amount of time had passed. It felt like having a good conversation with a friend I hadn’t met in a long time. Talking with a like-minded companion really was fun.

That was why...

“I hope we can talk like this again sometime.” Those words came out of my mouth naturally. “I want to hear more about the castle town, and about all sort of other inconsequential things.”

“...You want to make me your spy?” Juno asked.

“That’s not it. I have better spies available, after all.”

“Well, of course you do... I learned that firsthand.” Juno clutched her chest and trembled a little. She must have been truly terrified to be chased by the Black Cats.

“If I’m in the castle all the time, I feel like I’ll be disconnected from the people,” I said. “That’s why I want to hear about the little things that went on in town. Like how one lady was saying, ‘These vegetables are too expensive! Make them cheaper!’ or Gonbe’s baby caught a cold.”

“Who’s Gonbe supposed to be?” Juno chuckled and nodded. “Sure. When I’ve got free time, I’ll chat with you. Is this a good time of day?”

“Let’s see. I’ll tell the spies to show you in.”

“I’m getting an escort from those guys...? Well, it’s fine.” With that said, Juno stood up on top of the railing. “We really got talking, didn’t we? Well, I should be off.”

“Yeah. Be careful on your way back. I’m looking forward to the day we can talk again.”

“Sure thing. I’ll try to have an interesting story ready for when that time comes.”

“All right, I’ll have something to eat prepared next time.”

“Sounds good. The food in that cafeteria was delicious, after all.”

Juno turned to go, but then she suddenly looked my way.

“If you get sick of living in the castle, just tell me. I’ll take you on an adventure anytime,” she said with a smile.

“Well, if you get tired of living like a tumbleweed and want to settle down somewhere, tell me,” I replied with a laugh. “I can introduce you to any number of places where you can live where you work.”

“Ha ha, nice comeback. Well, later then.”

“Yeah. See you next time, Juno.”

Juno jumped down from the railing, bounced along the rooftops as she vanished into the darkness of night. As would be expected from the party’s scout, she was nimble.

Watching Juno’s back as she left, I whispered to myself, “If I get sick of living in the castle... huh.”

That day would surely never come. Because there were people precious to me here.

There is a debate over which is happier, the flower that blooms in the field, or the caged bird.

It is meaningless.

The flower and bird each have their own happiness.

After Returning to the Country Arc – 4: The God-protected Forest’s Longest Day

— In the middle of the 8th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —

On this clear day, I was flying through the sky on Naden’s back while she was in ryuu form.

This height had scared me at first, but after a number of times being sent out to do weather reporting, I was now completely used to it. Now, I could even sleep at an altitude of 1,000 meters.

Though Naden gets mad if I sleep...

“Is something the matter, sire?” Aisha asked.

“It’s nothing,” I told her.

It was just that today Aisha was seated behind me, with her hands wrapped tightly around my waist. That was because we were heading to Aisha’s homeland, the God-protected Forest.

“Still, why are we going to the God-protected Forest so suddenly?” Aisha asked.

“Because we got engaged, but I haven’t gone to give my regards to Sir Wodan. We’ve been communicating with letters, but I’ve been meaning to find the time to go see him.”

“It was to see him about the betrothal?!”

“Yeah. I’ve already talked to Liscia’s parents, and Juna’s guardian is Excel, so I’ve spoken with her. For Naden, Tiamat is like her mother, so the formalities are taken care of there, too. For Roroa... I intend to visit their grave soon.”

Near Van, the former capital of the Principality, there was a grave for the Amidonian royal family. Roroa’s parents lay at rest there. I couldn’t imagine Gaius would have blessed our marriage, but I had to believe that Roroa’s mother, a cheerful woman according to Sir Gouran, would have pacified him.

“So, that being the case, we’re visiting Aisha’s family home, huh?” Naden asked.

“Urgh... If that was what this was about, you could have told me. I’m not mentally prepared...” Aisha ground her forehead against my back.

Leaving the confused Aisha alone for a bit, I talked to my other fiancée, who was kindly giving us a ride.

“Sorry, Naden. Making you give Aisha a ride again, too.”

I gave her a pat on the back.

She turned her ryuu head around to look our way and replied, “I don’t really mind if it’s Aisha,” using her telepathy. “She’s ridden me before. Besides, ‘the partner of my partner is like my partner.’”

“Yeah, you were saying something like that before.”

Aisha, who seemed to have recovered from writhing in embarrassment, tilted her head to the side. “Hm... If Naden and I are partners, which of us is the husband?”

What is this stupidity Aisha was suddenly spouting? ...was what I thought, but Naden pondered the question with a surprising amount of seriousness.

“Hmm, wouldn’t it be you, Aisha? You’re strong, after all.”

“In your ryuu form, you’re strong, too.”

“But compared to Juna, you’re more of a husband type, wouldn’t you say?”

“Comparing me to Juna isn’t fair! She’s more of a woman than anyone.”

“In this form, my breasts are bigger than hers... Wait, saying that just makes me sad. But when you think of it that way, isn’t Liscia the most like a husband?”

“Lady Liscia is gutsy,” Aisha agreed. “In a way, she’s better husband material than His Majesty.”

“You’re just saying whatever you want...” Hearing the two of them talk, my shoulders slumped. It was true enough; I was nowhere near as gutsy as Liscia. “Still, in the end, you’d both prefer to be the wife, right?”

““Well, of course.””

“For my part, I need both of you to be my brides.”

“Sire!” Aisha cried.

“Souma!”

The two both smiled bashfully.

I was embarrassed having said it, too.

“It’s awkward having my superior flirting right beside me, you realize?” Hal complained.

He was flying beside us on the back of Ruby, who was in red dragon form. He looked at us with a face like he’d been forced to drink boiled sugar.

His mount was looking at Naden with her golden eyes, too.

“You, too, Naden,” Ruby rebuked and then looked away sulkily. “If you’re a dragon of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, keep yourself together when your knight is riding you. That is the dignity expected of a knight’s partner.”

“Souma’s not a knight, he’s a king, so there.”

“Don’t quibble! That makes him higher than a knight!”

“Oh, geez, shut up!”

The two of them started arguing high up in the sky.

While they weren’t as hostile as they had been when I’d first met the two of them, neither of them had changed their stubborn personalities, so fights like this were a daily occurrence.

That said, they did it as friends.

As my fiancée, Naden’s position was far higher than Ruby’s, but the fact they could fight on equal terms showed that Naden and Ruby didn’t let that come between them. They were each the only person the other knew from their homeland here, after all.

Then Naden said, “Nyahh!” and barred her teeth. “You can stop worrying about me and get along with your own knight, can’t you?! That fox-eared mage isn’t here today, so you can get as lovey-dovey as you want.”

“Wh-What are you saying?! I wouldn’t...”

“Oh, my, what’s this? Your face is all red, Ruby?” Naden teased.

“It’s naturally that color!”

After that, Naden and Ruby kept shouting and having a good time. Where did the dignity expected of a knight’s partner go...? Well, if they were getting along and fighting with each other, I could let that go.

“But there wasn’t any need for me to come, was there?” Hal asked. “If Young Miss Aisha and Young Miss Naden are with you, isn’t that enough to protect you?”

It was true; when I had the greatest warrior in the kingdom, Aisha, and Naden, who in her ryuu form could probably take on over ten wyvern riders at once, with me, there was no point in bringing Hal to protect me.

However, there was a good reason for bringing him along.

“When I sent Sir Wodan a letter saying, ‘I will come to visit soon,’ I was asked to bring you with me, too,” I explained. “It seems Sir Sur has been wanting to see you.”

“By Sir Sur, you mean... Ohh, that dark elf who came to reinforce us before, huh?” Hal said, clapping his hands.

Back when the Forbidden Army and the Army had been staring each other down near Randel, there had been a unit of dark elf archers rushing to their aid as thanks for the relief they’d received after the landslide disaster. The one leading those reinforcements had been Sir Sur. Our troops had been stretched thin at the time, so I was still really grateful remembering that assistance.

“But why does he want to meet me?” Hal asked. “He’s already repaid his debts, hasn’t he?”

“Oh, well, it seems the one who really wants to meet with you is Sur’s daughter. She was apparently one of the people you saved while searching for survivors with me.”

“...Yeah, I don’t remember her. We saved a lot of people that time, after all.”

“Even if you’ve forgotten her, she hasn’t forgotten you. You’re the man who saved her life, after all.”

“Only because that was the mission...” Hal scratched at his head.

He wasn’t good at accepting excessive praise. He might run wild at times, but that straightforward nature of his was very like Hal, and it left a good impression on me.

“Let her thank you, at least,” I said. “Now then... Come on, Naden, Ruby, don’t just keep fighting forever. Let’s hurry on to the God-protected Forest. Sir Wodan is waiting for us.”

“Oh! Yeah. Roger that.”

“R-Roger.”

And with the two dragon girls having come to their senses and picked up the pace, we headed for the God-protected Forest.

The green leaves of the God-protected Forest shone in the summer sun.

When coming to provide aid before, we had stopped the rhinoceros train outside and headed for the village on foot, but this time we were coming from the air, so we could land directly in the dark elf village.

“H-He really came on a dragon!” an elf exclaimed.

“That’s a big’un...”

They weren’t wary because we had notified them in advance, but the dark elves curiously watched the ryuu and the dragon descend from a distance.

When we touched down and Naden and Ruby took human form, the people who had been watching from a distance rushed in like a dam had just burst. Surrounded by dark elves of all ages, from children to adults, we ended up getting manhandled.

“What?! You girls are dragons?!”

“Wowwwie! Hey, transform again!”

“Why, King Souma, how good of you to come visit.”

“You were a great help last time.”

“Hey, Lady Aisha, good of you to come back.”

“Lady Aisha, congratulations on your betrothal to His Majesty.”

“Is this red-headed girl Sir Hal’s partner? She’s a beauty.”

“Who is this black-haired kid? Huh? She’s not a kid?”

That was about how it went, with the questions flying fast and it not being clear who was saying what to whom until somebody clapped their hands.

Looking in the direction of the noise, Aisha’s father Sir Wodan was looking on with a wry smile.

“Everyone, His Majesty and his entourage have only just arrived. It is rude to surround and interrogate them like that.”

When Wodan lightly told them off, the dark elves stepped back seeming a little embarrassed.

Now that we were free from the crowd, we could finally catch our breaths.

“You’re a lifesaver, Sir Wodan,” I said gratefully.

“No, no, the villagers were being rude. However, this is because when they learned that you, who came to the aid of our village, were coming to visit, they all became excited about how they had to welcome you. Please, forgive them.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m grateful for the warm welcome.”

Sir Wodan and I exchanged a firm handshake. In that moment, the dark elves all started clapping...

I dunno, being this welcome was kind of embarrassing.

“Now, it won’t do for us to stand here talking forever,” Sir Wodan said, indicating which direction he wanted us to go. “Please, come to my house.”

“Chief.” A hand went up from inside the crowd of dark elves.

The one with his hand raised was Sir Sur, who had lead the reinforcements that came during our battle against the Army.

“I wanted to invite Sir Halbert to my own house,” he said. “Would that be all right?”

“Hmm, what do you say, King Souma?” Sir Wodan asked.

I smiled and nodded. “I don’t mind. That was why I brought him along in the first place.”

“Thank you,” Sur said. “Now, Sir Halbert, please come to my house.”

“O-Okay?”

Hal was dragged off with Sur pulling him by the arm. Ruby hurried after them.

Having parted with Hal, Aisha, Naden, and I went to Sir Wodan’s house.

Looking at the village along the way, I could see almost no signs of the disaster that had happened here before. Their houses were in a forest to begin with, and many were simple, so it must not have taken long to rebuild them.

“You’ve come a long way towards recovering already,” I commented.

“That is thanks to your generous provision of materials,” Sir Wodan said. “Thank you, sincerely.”

“I ought to thank you. Thank you for sending those reinforcements during the recent war.”

“It was nothing. Those are the times when we most need to help one another.”

As we walked, we entered Wodan’s house.

Having been shown through to the living room, Wodan offered me the head seat at the table, but I firmly declined.

“I’m not here as a king today, but as a single man, here to take Aisha to wife. Please, sit at the head of the table, Sir Wodan.”

“...I see.”

Sir Wodan sat in the head seat, while I sat across from him. I had Aisha sit next to me, and Naden sat a little behind us, waiting.

Then I bowed my head. “Even though my betrothal to Aisha was agreed on, I must apologize for having been so busy that it delayed my coming to give you, her father, my regards. Please, give me your daughter... give me Aisha as my wife.”

“P-Please, Father.” Aisha hurriedly bowed her head.

When I glanced over, Naden was bowing her head along with us.

Sir Wodan sighed a little. “Raise your heads,” he said.

When I raised my face, Sir Wodan had tried to force a smile, but failed. It was an awkward expression.

“I am sure Aisha requested this marriage, didn’t she? There is no need for you to bow your head, Sir Souma. This is complicated for me as a father, but if it is my daughter’s wish... it seems I must give you my blessing.”

“Fatheeer...” Aisha said tearfully, her voice full of emotion. Sir Wodan gave her a smile, then returning his face to normal, he looked me in the eye.

“We dark elves are a long-lived race. Aisha is younger than you, and will live longer, I am sure. Even if you reach the end of your natural life, you will be leaving Aisha behind. Do you understand that?”

“Yes.”

The life of an ordinary human like myself, when looked at by a member of a long-lived race like Naden or Aisha, had to look like a short thing. Even so, Aisha and Naden both wanted to be with me.

In order to ensure they did not regret the time spent with me, I thought from the bottom of my heart that I would endeavor to be a good king, and a good partner. Even if a time when we would be forced to part was to come...

However, it seemed what Sir Wodan wanted to say was a little different than what I was reflecting on. He began to speak, sounding like he had found some sort of enlightenment.

“However, long-lived as our races are, if we cannot live to the end of our natural lives, it is possible for us to live a shorter time than humans. We can die in war or accidents. If we catch epidemic diseases, we die quite easily. My own wife, Aisha’s mother, lost her life to such a disease. If you let your guard down because she is long-lived, Aisha may pass on before you do.”

I was silent.

“So, please, take care of Aisha. Give her a new family and fond memories for the time when, someday, you go on ahead of her.” Sir Wodan quietly bowed his head.

A father’s wish was always for his daughter’s happiness.

I would soon be a father myself. I didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl yet, but there might come a day when, like Sir Wodan, I would entrust my child to someone.

I chose my words carefully and answered him in a calm tone. “Aisha is a far stronger person than I. From here on... I am sure she will defend me on the battlefield.”

He was silent.

“That being the case, I believe I will try to protect Aisha’s smile from everything else. So that, someday, she can see me off with a smile. So that she will not regret our time together.”

“Sire...” Aisha cried and drew closer to me.

I could hear sniffling from behind me, too. Her tears had likely made Naden start crying, too.

Sir Wodan stood up and walked towards me. Then, placing his hands over mine and Aisha’s, he smiled and said, “Sir Souma, I’m counting on you to take care of Aisha.”

“Yes, Father, I will.”

“Aisha. Be happy.”

“I will... Father.”

“Madam Naden, I am sure you will be Sir Souma’s wife, too. Please, treat Aisha well as a member of the same family.”

“Of course I will! Roger that!”

Having heard our responses, Sir Wodan smiled broadly and nodded in satisfaction.

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, around that time...

Having broken off from Souma and the others, Halbert ended up being practically dragged into Sur’s house.

He walked where his hand was being pulled. With Halbert’s strength, which was among the top in the kingdom, it would be easy to shake free of this hand, but he felt nothing but goodwill from Sur, and so he couldn’t treat the man poorly.

Ruby hurried after the two of them.

Halbert turned just his head back in her direction and asked in a whisper, “H-Hey, Ruby, what’s going on here?!”

“D-Don’t ask me,” she whispered back. “Can’t you get away?”

“If he were hostile, that’d be one thing, but I’d feel bad brushing off an invitation made with goodwill...”

“Then all we can do is wait and see how it goes, right?”

While the two of them were having that exchange, Sur turned back with a smile. “Okay, we’re here. Welcome to my home.”

““Huh?””

By the time they realized it, the two had been led to a small house with a thatched roof. It was clearly the abode of a farmer, but the roof was bizarrely steep.

“That’s an awfully pointy house you’ve got... huh...”

Halbert’s opinion was more or less exactly how it looked, so Sur laughed.

“Here in this forest, when winter comes, we get a fair amount of snow accumulation. If we don’t use roofs like this so the snow falls off, they’ll collapse.”

“You get that much accumulation?” Hal asked.

“Yes. Because of it, we cannot hunt in winter, and everyone spends their time indoors, mending things or doing maintenance on their weapons. Though last year’s winter was different.”

“How so?”

Sur indicated the pile of lumber next to the stairs. “Because we had lumber from the trees knocked down by the landslide, as well as from the periodic thinning His Majesty advised us to do. We were making pieces of traditional art before, like statues, but they seem to have become popular in the outside world, and are creating significant wealth for us. There are occasionally merchants who receive permission from both the kingdom and the God-protected Forest to come buy them.”

“Wow...”

“The most popular of them was... Let’s see, I think I had one around here...” Sur said and began digging through the wood pile.

Not long passed before he pulled a long, thin object from the pile.

“Ahh, here it is.” He held it up for Halbert and Ruby to see. “This is it. This is the most popular item.”

“By this, you mean... a wooden sword?”

What Sur was holding up was a sword made of wood. What was more, it wasn’t the sort of orthodox double-bladed sword used in the kingdom, but one modeled on the katana which was the main style in use in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. On top of that, there was some sort of writing or symbols carved into the handle.

“His Majesty called this a souvenir bokuto,” Sur said.

“Oh... Of course Souma would be involved.” Halbert said shaking his head in exasperation.

When Sur had started talking about traditional art, but then said the most popular item was a bokuto, he’d gotten the feeling. If it was the sort of thing where he couldn’t tell at first glance what the point was, it had to be Souma.

“Then what’s engraved on the handle was him, too?”

“Yes. He says they’re the characters that would represent the name of this forest in his world’s language,” Sur showed them the hilt and explained.

Halbert and Ruby couldn’t read them, of course, but there were four kanji, 神護之森, carved into it.

Incidentally, Souma had considered carving in the name of that one lake in Hokkaido, since no one could read what it said anyway, but when he imagined soldiers training diligently with one of those wooden swords in hand... Yeah, no, he’d turned that idea down himself.

Sur offered the bokuto to Halbert. “Sir Hal, would you like one for yourself?”

Halbert stared at the proffered bokuto.

Ruby thought, What are you staring so seriously for? But... eventually, Halbert quietly took it.

“Huh?! You’re taking it?! It’s just a wooden stick, isn’t it?!” Ruby reacted to Halbert’s actions with wide-eyed shock.

“I don’t know why! I don’t get it, but I really wanted it!”

Sur nodded as Halbert tried to explain himself. “I understand. There’s something you find strangely exciting about it, as a man.”

“That’s right! If you see something like this, you can’t not take it! Is there some sort of magic placed on these characters?”

“I don’t really feel any magical power,” Ruby said dubiously. Red dragons were sensitive to magical power.

Most likely, what Halbert and Sur were feeling was the same thing that all those boys who bought a souvenir bokuto on a field trip did. However, Halbert didn’t know that was a thing, so he felt like he had been charmed somehow. This was the terror of the souvenir bokuto.

While they were having that inconsequential discussion, something burst out of Sur’s house.

Halbert, being a warrior by nature, readied himself to fight the instant it happened, but when he realized it was a small child, his tension eased...

However, that was a mistake.

“Lord Hal!” the child cried, landing an energetic tackle to the stomach.

“Guhhh!” Halbert let out a groan.

“Hal?!” Ruby cried.

He used his hands to give the worried Ruby a sign he was okay.

The one now hugging Halbert was a little dark elf girl.

She was maybe twelve. Her hair was cut short, and she had a cute face. With no regard for Halbert’s reaction, the girl rubbed her face against his abdomen.

“Lord Hal! I’ve been wanting to see you!”

“Erm... Are you Sir Sur’s daughter?” Hal said, remembering Sur had mentioned she wanted to see him. This girl who’d performed a flying tackle-hug had to be her.

The girl let go, and politely bowed her head. “Excuse me for that. I am Sur’s daughter Velza.”

Velza raised her face and grinned.

“I do not know if you remember me, Lord Hal, but I am one of those you saved from beneath the sand and dirt. Thank you so much for that.”

And she bowed her head once more.

Halbert was flustered. “No, it’s nothing you need to thank me for. I only followed Souma’s orders...”

“It still made me happy. I will never forget the day you saved me. Nor will I forget you, Lord Hal, or my debt of gratitude.”

“I dunno what to say...” Halbert was overwhelmed by the girl’s persistent thanks.

“Heh heh. She’s a real polite girl, isn’t she?” Ruby, who’d been left completely out of it, said to Sur. “She’s so small, but she really has it together.”

“Tell me about it. When did that tomboy daughter of mine get to be so pol—Gwah!”

“Sir Sur?!”

Mid-word, Sur began writing in pain. Velza had kicked a piece of wood lying by her feet, and it had landed a direct hit on Sur’s shin.

Through all of that, Velza never once dropped her smile.

When Halbert and Ruby saw Velza smiling like that, it reminded them of an angry Kaede, and a chill ran down their spines.

Because Halbert and Ruby were both straightforward in their personalities, they often had fights without it getting ugly, but if they ever stepped over the line, they knew they were in for a lecture from a smiling Kaede. This girl’s smile was just like Kaede’s was at those times.

Velza ran over in front of Ruby. “Um... Would you happen to be Lord Hal’s wife, perhaps?”

Ruby was dumbfounded for a moment, but then she nodded.

“Yes. I am Ruby the dragon. I’ve formed a dragon knight’s contract with Hal. Because the contract between a dragon and a knight makes them life partners, you could say we’re engaged.”

When Velza heard Ruby’s response, she clapped her hands. “Oh, my! You’re that dragon, Miss Ruby? To think he has become a dragon knight! That’s Lord Hal for you.”

Having said that with an innocent look in her eyes, Velza took Ruby’s hands.

“I want to join the National Defense Force like Lord Hal in future. If possible, I want to be assigned to Lord Hal’s unit. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”

“R-Right...”

It seemed Ruby was not entirely displeased to be referred to that way.

Seeing Velza worm her way into Ruby’s good graces in no time, Halbert sensed the situation moving forward somewhere where he had no control.

Wh-What is this...? This feeling like the moat around my walls was filled in without me noticing...?

While Halbert was thinking that, Sur, who had recovered from his pain, plopped a hand down on Velza’s shoulder with a sigh.

“It’s rude making our guests stand outside forever. How about we take this indoors?”

“Oh, my! You’re right! How careless of me. I was so delighted that Lord Hal was here, I got worked up despite myself. Now, let’s go, Lord Hal, Lady Ruby.”

Velza took Halbert and Ruby’s hands and showed them inside the house.

If anyone else saw it, it would look like a little sister having her big brother and sister indulge her. Halbert and Ruby didn’t feel bad about having a little girl adore them, either.

However, behind the two who were being led by the nose by Velza, Sur wore a wry smile.

Goodness me, he thought. She must take after her passionate mother... If you don’t take her by the reins, you’re going to be in for a rough ride, Sir Hal.

While thinking that, Sur followed the three of them inside the house.

◇　◇　◇

That evening, with pleasantries with Sir Wodan out of the way, Aisha, Naden, and I went to visit Aisha’s mother’s grave.

In the God-protected Forest, people were buried at the bases of trees. Their custom was to return their bodies, which were raised on the forest’s blessings, to the forest.

We heard the rustling of branches and the buzzing of insects.

I knelt in front of the tree where Aisha’s mother lay at rest, my hands together, praying in the Japanese style. Like I had sworn to Sir Wodan, I would protect Aisha from sadness to the best of my ability.

So, please, give me your daughter, I prayed.

After staying like that for a short while, I stood up and looked at Aisha and Naden.

“I have something to say to the two of you.”

“What might that be, sire?” Aisha asked.

“What? Why so formal?”

They both gave me blank looks. I chose my words carefully.

“It’s about... after we’re gone.”

They both opened their eyes wide in silent shock.

This was something the two of them were going to have to face eventually, after all.

“If you let your guard down, even a member of a long-lived race can live a short life,” I said. “What Sir Wodan was saying makes perfect sense. However, the more likely outcome is that Liscia, Juna, Roroa, and I will end up leaving you two behind. I make this request having thought about what that means myself.”

I looked into their dumbfounded eyes and continued.

“Please... Don’t be lonely. I’m happy to have met you two. I don’t want to make this moment one that you reminisce on sadly while thinking, Things were better back then.”

The two of them said nothing, just keeping on listening to me speak.

“I want you two to be happy when you remember. Ideally, you’ll be able to smile and think, I’m happy now, but I was happy back then, too. Once we’re gone, stay connected to our children, and to the long-lived people you know like Carla and Excel... and if you find a good partner, I don’t mind if you get remarried.”

The two of them looked down and said nothing.

“Make sure you’re always connected with someone, and don’t be lonely,” I said. “Not ever...”

Aisha and Naden hugged me without a word.

They neither accepted or rejected what I was saying. Because we each understood all too well how the others felt.

If they were in my position, they might have thought the same thing I was. If I were in their position, I’m sure I’d have felt the same as they were. So there was no need for a response.

If the two of them remembered me saying this later, it might give them the push they needed if they ended up feeling lost when the inevitable happened. This was the best I could do for them. Their lack of response must have been their own way of being considerate.

I patted them both on the back and, with a laugh, I said, “I’m never letting go of you for as long as I live, though. I’m gonna be with you until you’re sick of me.”

“Okay,” Aisha said. “Let’s be together as long as we can.”

“We aren’t going to let go of you easily, either,” Naden agreed.

They both had tears in the corners of their eyes, but they were smiling.

“Let’s be sure we make children, too,” Aisha added. “I’ll do my best.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Definitely.”

“One won’t be enough, either,” Aisha went on. “You’ll have to work hard, sire.”

“S-Sure... I’ll do my best.”

Seeing Aisha get so enthusiastic, I felt a bit overwhelmed.

Naden joined in, too. “If we have a ryuu, we’ll have to leave it in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so I’d prefer a dragonewt, if possible. I’d like to give birth to at least one ryuu to show my gratitude to Lady Tiamat, so... Oh! But if it’s a dragonewt, that would be a member of the sea serpent race, right? What do we do if it grows up to be like Duchess Walter?”

A child like Excel, huh...

“Let’s all work together to educate our child so that doesn’t happen,” I said fervently.

“Indeed,” Aisha agreed.

“Roger that.”

With that, we laughed while continuing to hug each other.

After Returning to the Country Arc – 5: Memorial Festival

— At the end of the 8th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —

It happened in Royal Capital Parnam, on a day when the summer heat was still far from fading, in the large room in Parnam Castle where the bureaucrats who handled finance worked (AKA the Finance Room).

In one corner of that room was a set of sofas in a reception area, and these were currently occupied by Roroa Amidonia, the former Princess of Amidonia, who was now a candidate to become Souma’s third primary queen, and the Minister of Finance Gatsby Colbert, both of them with dour looks on their faces.

There were a number of documents sitting on the table between them. These documents were the source of their current headaches.

“What will we do, princess?” Colbert asked.

“Ain’t nothin’ we can do,” Roroa said, leaning back in the sofa and looking up at the ceiling. Unusually for the ever-cheery Roroa, she looked depressed. “Sure, I said, ‘If any of you out there’ve got some an interestin’ festival to share, just you let us know.’ I told the bureaucrats to come up with event ideas that could get the money movin’, too. But still... ain’t this one kinda bad?”

Roroa looked at the words on the document she had picked up with a face that looked like she had bitten into something unpleasant.

Colbert felt exactly the same way. “You’re right. If done wrong, it could cause a major problem that would shake the foundations of this country.”

“I know, right? Honestly! Festivals are supposed to be for gettin’ the economy goin’, so I want ideas that’re more fun.”

As Roroa slumped her shoulders and sighed, Colbert sympathized. He had been her associate since they were in the Principality of Amidonia, and was likewise an expert on economic matters, so he knew exactly how she felt.

“Then... do we ignore this one?” he asked.

Colbert’s considerate words made Roroa hesitate for a moment, but eventually she resigned herself and shook her head quietly.

“No can do, I’m afraid. It’s gathered a good number of signatures, hasn’t it? I’d be scared to ignore it.”

“...That’s true.”

“Besides, if we let you or me be the final word of whether we end up doin’ an event or not, that may end up leadin’ to unneeded trouble. Our positions bein’ what they are,” Roroa added in a self-mocking manner.

Unable to watch her any longer, Colbert worked up his spirits and said, “I think it’s best to consult with His Majesty here.”

“We’re gonna get Darlin’ caught up in this problem? ...I don’t wanna.”

“Well, if we are going to carry out this project, we will need to receive permission from His Majesty, regardless. It’s only a difference of whether it happens sooner rather than later.”

“Well, yeah, you’re right, but... havin’ it be me goin’ to ask him about it, and makin’ Darlin’ feel that way... Won’t he end up thinkin’ I’m a troublesome woman?”

Roroa’s worries had, at some point, transitioned to those of a teenage girl.

Even with her unique financial sense, and even if she could make decisions that decided the fate of the principality, Roroa was still a seventeen-year-old girl. It was only natural she’d be concerned how the man she liked saw her.

For Colbert, who saw Roroa like a little sister, her attitude brought a smile to his face. “From what I know of His Majesty, he won’t treat you badly over something as small as this, princess.”

“Ya mean it?”

“If you’d like, I could bring it up with him myself.”

“...Nngh, I’m thinkin’ I gotta do this myself.”

Roroa made her decision, stood up, resolved herself, and went to see Souma.

As he watched her go, Colbert cheered her on in his heart.

◇　◇　◇

“The ‘Gaius Memorial Festival’?” I repeated.

Roroa was silent.

I had been doing my paperwork in the governmental affairs office again today, as per usual, when Roroa had come in and presented me with a document that was a few pages long.

While thinking the usually energetic Roroa seemed awfully reserved today, my gaze had fallen to the papers, and... there was the title “‘Gaius Memorial Festival’s Draft Proposal.”

Gaius... huh.

By Gaius... it means Gaius VIII, right?

Gaius VIII. The man who was Roroa’s father, as well as the Prince of Amidonia.

The Principality of Amidonia had lost more than half its territory in a war with the king before the last one. In order to avenge that humiliation, Gaius had started instigating trouble inside the kingdom and aiming for an opportunity to take revenge.

Then, when I was having a disagreement with the former General of the Army, Georg Carmine, Gaius had seen his chance and lead the forces of the principality to invade the kingdom.

The forces of the principality had passed through the Ursula Mountains, our southwest border with them, and laid siege to the central city of the southern grain producing region, Altomura. Gaius had intended to take Altomura while Georg and I were fighting, and annex the surrounding grain producing region to his country. I was sure of that.

However, this was a trap Hakuya had set up using a fake insurrection by Georg to lure Gaius out. In order to root out troublemakers from inside the kingdom, we had first needed to reduce the influence of their supporters in the princely family of Amidonia.

After ending Georg’s fake insurrection and bringing the three dukes into line, we had immediately declared war on the principality.

Then, making it look like I would launch a blitz invasion of Van, the capital of the principality, I had waited for the forces of the principality that retreated to defend their capital at a plain near Van.

Then, finally, the forces of the kingdom and principality had clashed outside Van.

Looking at the result, the more numerous forces of the kingdom had defeated the forces of the principality who were exhausted from their retreat, but with Gaius’s forces showing serious grit in the battle.

Even with the forces of the principality in a state of total collapse, Gaius and his closest retainers had launched a suicide attack to allow Crown Prince Julius to escape, and closed in on the kingdom’s main camp, with me in it.

Because of my extreme situation, I had forced myself into the role of “king” so thoroughly at that time that I hadn’t felt anything, but... looking back now, it made me shiver.

In the end, due to the assistance of Carla and a number of other factors, the blade of Gaius’s revenge had never reached me.

Gaius had fallen on the battlefield, and I had survived without further incident, but one misstep, and I would have been the one to die there.

Gaius had become enough like a fierce god of the battlefield at that point to make me believe he really was one.

Hold a Memorial Festival for that Gaius... huh.

While I was still looking pensive, Roroa opened her mouth, seemingly having found her resolve. “It’s gathered a fair number of signatures in the Amidonia Region. It’ll have been a year since the battle near Van in another month or so, won’t it? They’re sayin’ they’d like to have a memorial for all the soldiers of the principality who died there.”

“If it’s been a year since that battle... then it’s the first anniversary of their deaths,” I said slowly.

Roroa was silent.

That meant it was going to be the first anniversary of Roroa’s father’s death.

I had been forced to kill Roroa’s father for the sake of the kingdom. It had happened on the battlefield, and she had never liked him to begin with, so Roroa often said to not let it bother me, but... even so, it left an unpleasant feeling inside me.

I already thought of Roroa as family. No matter what happened, I had to protect my family.

I felt I had come this far with that as my core belief.

However... I had killed a member of my family’s family. That was a fact that would never go away.

Maybe she got worried by my silence, because Roroa started talking with forced cheerfulness.

“This one’s really got me beat. Even I dunno what to do. Runnin’ an event like this has got the risk of inflamin’ their patriotic spirits. But now that we’ve asked for event proposals, we’ve gotta carry through with it. Then there’s my position as the former Princess of Amidonia to think of. If I ignore it, it could cause even more backlash.”

Roroa was talking fast, one thing coming out after another. Her loquacity must have been a representation of her unease.

She was likely afraid that by suggesting this as the former Princess of Amidonia, she would cause discord in her relationship with Liscia and me. Her eyes quivered with unease.

I couldn’t blame her. She was trapped between her family who were on the side of the Kingdom of Elfrieden, and the people of the Principality of Amidonia who still looked to her as their princess.

I can’t let Roroa keep looking like this forever...

I wanted Roroa to get back to laughing like her annoyingly cheery self.

“Sure, I don’t see why not. Let’s do this Gaius Memorial Festival.” I set the paperwork down, acted like it was no big deal, and smiled for Roroa.

Roroa’s face, which had been a bit downcast, popped right up and her eyes went wide. “Huh?! Ya really mean it?!”

“The name is probably fine as it is,” I said. “But hold it not just as a memorial for the people of the principality, but for all the people who died in the war. There were more than a few casualties on the Elfrieden side when the forces of the principality invaded, after all. Rework it into an event that honors all of the war dead, please.”

“That’s fine, but... Really? It’s really okay?” Roroa still looked worried. “My old man... Gaius VIII was an enemy of the kingdom, wasn’t he?”

I rose from my chair and stood in front of Roroa. I placed a hand on her head as she looked up at me with uncertainty, and mussed her hair a little roughly.

“Whoa, Darlin’, not so rough,” she protested.

“When you’re acting reserved, it throws me off balance. I’ll bet you’ve been thinking, ‘I don’t want him to hate me because of the bothersome situation in the principality,’ or something like that, right?”

“Ah!”

It looked like I’d hit the bullseye. Roroa blinked repeatedly.

I sighed. “There’s no need to worry like that. Liscia and the others will get mad, you know?”

“Well, I’m your fiancée, darlin’! It’s only natural I’d be worryin’!”

“But if your positions were reversed, you’d get mad, too, wouldn’t you?” I asked.

Roroa got very quiet, so I patted her head again, more gently this time.

“You don’t have to worry. It wasn’t that uncommon in my country to worship those we vanquished in war as gods once they were dead.”

“It wasn’t?” she asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Because the defeated bear grudges and regrets when they die. In order to avoid being cursed by such things, we soothed their wrathful spirits, enshrining them as the protector deities of that land.”

Kunitsukami who was defeated by Amatsukami, Sugawara no Michizane who was driven from the capital, Taira no Masakado who had dreams for the Kanto region and was subjugated... It may have been my country’s love for a good underdog story, but those who tried their hardest and failed were worshiped as gods and protector deities.

Of course, it was calculating move, too. They did it to comfort their tragic souls and avoid being cursed by their grudges.

When I explained that, Roroa blinked in surprise. “I was thinkin’ this when we had trouble with Lunarian Orthodoxy, but darlin’, your country had a real loosey-goosey view on religion. It’s awfully secular, you could say...”

“Aren’t belief and festivals that way by nature?” I asked. “I think memorial festivals are more for the people who are living than the dead, in order to compensate for the sadness of losing someone precious to us, or to let us come to terms with it and move on.”

“...Yeah. Ya might be right about that.”

Roroa finally showed me a smile. Then, maybe having managed to get into a new frame of mind, she took on a face that combined her usual charm with a merchant’s cunning.

“In that case, darlin’, since you’re fine with givin’ approval for the Memorial Festival, if we’re gonna do it, let’s make it a big showy event. That’s what we were collectin’ proposals for to begin with. I’d like a whole lotta people to be gatherin’ for it and droppin’ money.”

Roroa grinned as if she were a child badgering me for something.

It was very much like Roroa to start a business negotiation the moment she got into a new frame of mind. I felt a little irritated by it, but... it was better than her looking down.

“A memorial festival that’s got a showy event, huh...” Hearing that, I remembered one from the other world. “How about we do ‘Tourou Nagashi’?”

“Toronagashi?” Roroa tilted her head to the side.

I’ll keep it a secret that I kind of thought it was cute when she did that.

“It’s a way of sending off the dead with fire. In my world, the waterside of seas and rivers had an association with death. Like the Sanzu River that separated this world from the next... for one example.”

“Ohh. We’ve got that sorta idea in this world, too. There’s a great river between this world and the next, and you need a ferryman to take you across it.”

Ohh, it was that way in this world, too, huh? If I recalled, the “water = death” and “waterside = the border between life and death” associations existed in both the East and West in the other world. It looked like it was the same here.

Surprisingly, that might be a fundamental understanding all living beings had.

“The Tourou Nagashi involves letting boats with offerings drift down the river, which is associated with death, to comfort the spirits,” I said. “It absolutely feels like something out of a fantasy, seeing all those lights slowly drift down the river.”

“Wow, It sounds pretty, even just from listenin’ to you talk about it!”

Then Roroa grasped the hand I had resting on her head with both of her hands.

“I’m takin’ that idea! Let’s do that Toh-roh Nagashi thing at the Memorial Festival! Now that that’s decided, I can’t waste time here! I’m gonna go have Mr. Colbert run the numbers!”

With that said, Roroa took off to leave the room... and stopped at the door.

Then, turning her whole body around, she gave me a soft smile.

“...Thanks, darlin’,” she said in a singsong voice, then took off out of the room with vigor.

Unlike her arrival, I could hear her loud footsteps echoing off into the distance.

“That’s how I like my Roroa...” I murmured.

Her echoing footsteps felt like a representation of her energy, and I loved them.

◇　◇　◇

Having made up her mind, Roroa acted fast.

She immediately put together a budget with Colbert, and started moving on the Memorial Festival.

I was busy with my political duties in the meantime, so the only thing I did for the Memorial Festival was persuade Hakuya it was all right to honor Gaius, our former enemy.

Because of that, I left most of the preparations to Roroa and her people.

...Now that I think about it, that may have been a mistake.

— In the middle of the 9th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —

I blinked and stared. “What is this...?”

We were on the shore of a major river near Van, the capital of the former Principality of Amidonia.

Looking at the fleet on that great river, I whispered that despite myself.

It was no exaggeration to call it a fleet. There were tens of small, fast boats decorated in gorgeous colors, and they shone brilliantly on the evening river.

“What? It’s the Toh-roh Nagashi, ain’t it?” Roroa asked me with a blank look on her face. “The boats with lanterns on ’em are floatin’ in the river, just like you were sayin’, darlin’.”

“No, no, these are way too big... Oops. I never said anything about the size, did I?”

I’d only told her to send boats with lanterns down the river. I’d meant boats of a size you could carry in your hands, but from the way I’d explained it, I couldn’t blame her for thinking I meant small boats.

However, when they got to this size, it was no longer Tourou Nagashi, and it was closer to another event called Shourou Nagashi, or the Spirit Boat Procession. The one from that famous song by Masashi Sada that my grandpa liked. The spirit boat in Nagasaki is paraded around on land, but I hear there are places where it’s actually sent down a river.

Yeah... I’d heard funny stories of people who heard the song Shourou Nagashi and thought it was about Tourou Nagashi, but I never thought I’d see the opposite.

“On top of that, you’ve put a lot of work into the designs of all the boats, too,” I added.

The small, fast boats on the river were all painted in super gaudy colors. Most had some sort of motif. Some were like Viking longboats, while others were designed like Naden in her ryuu form or a pegasus, and there were even others shaped like melons, daikon radishes, or other fruits and vegetables. There were even boats with music bands on board, and they were all playing cheery tunes.

The procession of lights and cheery music reminded me of the electrical parade in a certain kingdom-themed amusement park.

“It looks really fun, but this doesn’t feel like a Memorial Festival.”

“What’re you sayin’?” Roroa asked with a look of exasperation. “It’s partly your fault it turned out like this, now isn’t it, darlin’?”

“My fault?”

“That’s right. When you were occupyin’ Van, you taught the people here how much fun freedom of expression could be, didn’t ya? Ever since, Van’s been a city of the arts.”

“So I hear. I thought it was better than them resisting, so I never thought much of it, though...”

“Because of that, a whole lotta young artists have been gatherin’ here from around the kingdom. That bizarre fleet is a product of those artists’ overflowin’ passion.”

“...Seriously?”

To think my policy would result in this.

No matter what we did, there was always a result, good or bad, but that result wasn’t the end of it. The influence of what we had done carried on after the result. That would continue for as long as there were people to do things. When I thought that, the bizarre scene before me felt moving.

“If Gaius could see this, he’d go mad from rage,” I commented.

“My old man, yeah, I’ll bet he would...”

Remembering Gaius’s stern face, Roroa and I smiled wryly.

He’d made me fear for my life during our fighting, but now he only remained in my memories. The mood had gotten a bit sullen, so I decided to change the topic.

“So that’s why you prepared this thing, too?”

“The others are all super gaudy,” Roroa said. “You want the boat we’re ridin’ to leave an impact, too, don’tcha?”

“Still... did you have to pull out the Roroa Maru?”

Indeed. We were currently on the deck of the amphibious transport ship Roroa Maru.

If we kept using the Little Susumu Mark V to float over the water the whole time, the waves that caused would wreak havoc on the small boats around us, so we currently had it set to the minimum needed to make the rubbery part that held the air stretch taut, and were up on the shore.

There were a number of tables with delicious-looking food laid out on the deck, as well as a Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel set up to broadcast my opening remarks.

“Nyahaha, it’s just about right,” Roroa said with a jolly laugh. “If we’ve gotta have the soldiers runnin’ security haul a jewel aboard anyway, it’s better to have a big ship. It’ll be a good demonstration for the amphibious transport ship, too.”

Roroa was laughing, but Colbert, who was in charge of the finances, must have been holding his head. The more gaudy she made the event, the more preparations needed to made to guard it, after all.

Shrugging, I looked around the area.

Juna and Tomoe were by the side of the ship, having fun pointing at the fleet and laughing.

“This scene is like something out of a fantasy,” Juna murmured.

“It’s really pretty, huh, Juna?” Tomoe agreed.

The two of them, standing there on a night when the lingering heat of summer had faded, with the dark river and gorgeous ships in the background. This pair of beautiful woman and pretty little girl made for quite a nice picture. Meanwhile, at the tables on deck...

“Munch, munch, munch.”

“Nom, nom, nom.”

Aisha and Naden were devouring the food on the tables.

This was business as usual for Aisha, but Naden was the type that couldn’t resist good food, too. They were technically supposed to be my bodyguards, but... Oh, well, they’d manage just fine.

With a wry smile at the two of them, Roroa said, “It’d’ve been nice if Big Sister Cia could’ve made it, too, though.”

“I considered calling her, but we can’t make her push herself,” I said.

The baby in Liscia’s belly was apparently growing steadily. However, this was a crucial period, so I didn’t want to make her travel a long way and cause her unnecessary stress.

“Besides, Liscia was insistent that, ‘Roroa’s the star for today, so make sure you be a proper escort for her,’ in her letter. So I’ll make sure I stay with you the whole time today.”

“Nyahaha, that’s just like Big Sister Cia, all right.” Roroa wore a wry smile with some happiness mixed into it. “Now then... My king, how’s about we get this show on the road?”

“You’ve got it, my Princess Roroa,” I said.

And I took the hand she offered me.

◇　◇　◇

“Soon it will have been one year since that battle.”

Souma’s voice echoed across the river chosen for the event. On the stage set up aboard the Roroa Maru, Souma was giving the opening address of the Gaius Memorial Festival in his role as king.

Roroa was standing next to him, staying close by his side.

By having the two of them stand there in harmony, they represented the solidarity between the Elfrieden Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia, which had united to become a single state.

This scene was being broadcast throughout Friedonia over the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Souma continued with his remarks.

“Much blood was shed by both countries in that conflict, and lives were lost. The peace we have now rests upon those sacrifices. To ensure we do not forget that, we have decided to hold this Gaius Memorial Festival to reflect on the dignity of the late Sir Gaius.”

Souma paused there for a moment, steadying his breath before he continued.

“Even now, I remember it. In the final stage of that battle, as he charged boldly towards me with his closest retainers, Sir Gaius cut a heroic figure. Unaffected and sincere. These are words that were made to describe a personage such as he. Though he was defeated, he was a true manifestation of the Amidonian people’s spirit. Let me say this definitively. I feared Gaius VIII!”

The noisy river became quiet. Everyone listened to hear what Souma would say.

“The way he struggled onward, pursuing his revenge against the Elfrieden Kingdom, almost made him seem like a fierce deity. For someone from the Elfrieden Kingdom, he was an unusually difficult person to deal with. However, I cannot reject that tenacity of his outright. That is because there is no doubting that tenacity was for the sake of his people. It was to make the Principality of Amidonia rise. For a warrior like Sir Gaius, I am sure that was the only way available to him.”

“Ohh, Prince Gaius,” a person in the crowd moaned.

“Your gallant figure is burned into my eyes!” cried another.

“You maintained your pride as a warrior! Can there be any greater happiness?”

The lamentations of former officers of the principality could be heard from the boats.

Gaius’s policies had prioritized strengthening the military, and they had placed no shortage of burdens on the people of the principality, but there were certainly still those who respected his dignity.

Every person had their good and bad sides. He was no longer among us, so why not let them turn a blind eye to his faults, and fondly discuss their good memories? There was no need to continuing whipping him when he was already dead.

Knowing this was the most challenging part, Souma raised his voice.

“So, let me declare it here! Let the grudge long held by the princely family sink deep, together with Sir Gaius! I will inherit his ‘love for his people’! I will protect Princess Roroa here for all my life, and protect the lives and property of this country’s people, irrespective of whether they come from the Elfrieden Region or Amidonia Region! If I should stray from this path, and do anything to make Princess Roroa or her people cry, Sir Gaius would no doubt rise from Hades, stand at my pillow, and curse me to death! In order to avoid that, I intend to fulfill my duties as king to the best of my ability!”

When Souma declared that, loud applause rose up from the boats.

It looked like he had satisfied the hearts of the Amidonian people.

The king of the victors was giving a speech to the defeated people.

If he was high-handed, they would push back against it, and if he was too weak, they would look down on him.

Souma had to be careful with these opening remarks, but he’d managed to do it by focusing on Gaius’s dignity.

While internally feeling relieved, he wrapped up his statement.

“Okay, that does it for these stiff opening remarks! There is no kingdom or principality now! Let the grudges and sadness sink to Hades with the dead! Tonight, let us mourn the departed, and celebrate the joys of living together! Now, drink, eat, and sing! While remembering Gaius and all those who have left us! I hereby announce the opening of the Gaius Memorial Festival!”

With Souma’s words, the greatest cheer yet today went up.

◇　◇　◇

“Don’t ya think you’re praisin’ my old man just a li’l bit too highly?” Roroa asked me with a smirk when my opening remarks were finished.

The people were already having a raucous good time out on the river.

On the shining boats there were people drinking, telling stories, listening to musicians play, and Juna and her loreleis were singing. There was no Elfrieden or Amidonia now, and the initial goal of remembering the dead was forgotten. But that was fine. Because we should be celebrating. The living needed to be celebrating the joy of life with everything they had now.

“Om, nom, nom, nom!”

“Whoa, whoa, Aisha,” Naden burst out. “Isn’t that a bit much at one time?”

“Urgh...” Aisha pounded on her chest like she was choking on something.

“See, I told you so. Tomoe, fetch some water,” Naden said as she tended to Aisha.

“O-Okay, Naden!”

Oh... That might me celebrating a little too much.

I shrugged my shoulders in exasperation, resting my hand on Roroa’s head. “There may have been some exaggeration, but there was no lie in what I said. Sir Gaius acted in the way he thought was best for this country.”

Our paths may not have converged, but I was sure that he had lived his life to the best of his ability. And as a fellow ruler, there were places where I could sympathize with him.

So, at the very least, I would protect Roroa and this country, the proof that he existed. I would tie the things I had inherited from him to the next era.

As I was renewing my will to do so, Roroa grinned at me. “When you said you’ll protect me for life, too...?”

“Of course I meant it.”

“Mweheheh. I really do love ya, darlin’.”

Roroa wrapped her arms around my neck and jumped up, planting a kiss on my lips.

Ow! She had too much momentum, and our teeth hit. I wrapped my arms around Roroa’s waist, and Roroa was suspended in the air. It was an odd position to be kissing in.

When Roroa moved her face away from mine after a while, she gave me the best smile she had yet today.

“Ya declared you’d do it, so I ain’t gonna let it go if you don’t take good care of me for life, darlin’.”

Prologue: The Hawks and Wolves of the Northern Plains

The Demon Lord’s Domain spread out across the north of the continent of Landia.

This was the land mankind had lost when one day, suddenly, a massive number of monsters appeared. Now the monsters ran wild across it, and it was rumored that demons and the Demon Lord lurked deep inside. However, such rumors were no more than guesses, and it would be fair to say that the actual situation inside at this time was a complete unknown.

Though it was called the Demon Lord’s Domain, there was no clearly defined border.

After the miserable defeat of the combined forces of mankind led by the Gran Chaos Empire, the entire area where people had abandoned their homes because they were unable to fend off the attacking monsters had come to be called the Demon Lord’s Domain.

At present, due to the initial, rapid expansion of the Demon Lord’s Domain, the concentration of monsters was now spread thinly enough that the various countries could handle them, and thus the expansion had stopped.

For the countries bordering the Demon Lord’s Domain, fighting monsters was a daily affair.

Though the expansion of the Demon Lord’s Domain was now suppressed, battles between mankind and monsters from the north unfolded nearly every day.

There were times when the monsters attacked alone, and there were times when packs of around ten would attack at the same time.

On exceptionally rare occasions, swarms of over a hundred monsters would attack, and in those cases, a single, small nation from the Union of Eastern Nations couldn’t handle them alone and would have to coordinate with neighboring countries to deal with the situation.

In one such country bordering the Demon Lord’s Domain, the small Kingdom of Lastania, which belonged to the Union of Eastern Nations, there was a battle currently going on near the border with the Demon Lord’s Domain.

This hadn’t happened often in recent years, but around twenty monsters had just appeared near the Kingdom of Lastania. They weren’t all the same type, having all come from different races. They varied from zombified, rotting ogres and goblins to bizarre beasts that defied explanation, like a winged snake and a two-headed black panther.

What the monsters did have in common was the glint in their hungry eyes with which they glared at their prey.

The Kingdom of Lastania, with its population of 20,000, only had about 500 pure soldiers, and only a hundred of those could be immediately mobilized, so it wasn’t an easy number to handle by any means. If it came to it, the people themselves would have to take up arms. For now, though, that wasn’t necessary.

“Defend! Defend!” a soldier shouted.

“Form up! If we leave any gaps between us, they’ll get in!”

On the battlefield, soldiers were stopping a fierce assault by zombie goblins.

The zombie goblins eschewed any sort of tactics in favor of just charging in, so by keeping them back with shields and thrusting out spears from the gaps in between them, the soldiers were taking them out one by one.

In among those shield-bearing soldiers was one who wore armor and carried an even larger shield, shouting at the rest.

“Archers, aim for anything that flies first! If we let even one through, our families will be eaten alive!”

The words were brave, but the pitch was high. The bearer of the large shield was a woman.

She was twenty-three years old. She was tall at 180 centimeters and was quite muscular, but her facial features still retained a touch of femininity.

This was Lauren, who, despite her young age, was the captain of the Kingdom of Lastania’s troops.

Though her rank was captain, with the low number of troops the Kingdom of Lastania had to begin with, she commanded all of them.

At Lauren’s order, a unit equipped with crossbows made bolts rain down on the flying snake that was trying to pass overhead, taking it down.

Then there was a scream from the shield-bearers.

“Captain! It’s an ogre!”

When she looked, a single ogre of over three meters in height, its flesh festering like a zombie’s, was dashing toward the shield-bearers like the zombie goblins. Rotten or not...it was still an ogre. It put tremendous pressure on the line, sending four of the soldiers flying at once.

“Urgh!” Lauren cried. “Cluster together and stop its charge! Don’t let that thing get into town!”

When Lauren gave the order, she raised her large shield and stood in front of the zombie ogre herself.

“Captain! Hey, we’re going to help!” a soldier called.

“Reservists, gather around the captain!”

With eight shield-bearing soldiers, Lauren included, blocking the ogre, they were finally able to halt its advance. Though its advance had pushed them back, the ogre was stopped just in time.

“Lancers, archers, finish it while we’re holding it here!” Lauren ordered.

“Yes, ma’am! Archers, fire!”

“Go down, you oversized monster!”

Arrows and lances bit into the zombie ogre’s putrefied flesh.

However, though countless arrows and many lances had pierced its body, the zombie ogre just wouldn’t die. With each swing of its log-like arms, one soldier, then another, were sent flying. Another soldier immediately came to fill the gap in their defenses and hold it back, but their formation had been thrown into chaos.

““Raaaaaaaaaaaar!”” the two-headed panther roared.

“Whoa! Gagh!”

Weaving through the gaps, the two-headed black panther broke past the shield-bearers and bit one archer’s head from both sides. His head being bitten and torn from two directions, the archer fell, covered in his own fresh blood.

Its prey felled, the two-headed black panther set its sights on the exposed backs of Lauren and the shield-bearers who were holding back the zombie ogre.

“Damn! It’s behind us...”

““Grrr!”” The two-headed black panther tried attacking Lauren from behind.

“I won’t let you!” Someone stepped in-between Lauren and the two-headed black panther.

It was a muscular man who wore clothing like a Native American’s and carried a kukri in each hand. He was protecting Lauren. The man blocked the monster’s fangs with the kukri in his right hand. Then, holding his left kukri with a backhanded grip, he stabbed it into the top of one of the creature’s two heads.

To finish it off, he stabbed its other head in the throat.

The two-headed black panther fell to the ground with a thud.

Once he’d confirmed that the enemy was completely neutralized, the man tore his kukris free and rushed over to Lauren.

“Are you all right, Madam Lauren?!”

“Sir Jirukoma! You came!” Lauren’s face burst with joy at the sight of reliable backup... but her seriousness quickly returned. She kept her guard up against the zombie ogre she was holding back as she asked, “If you’re here, is the volunteer army here too?”

“Yes. However, I’ve come ahead by myself. We need to hold out for a while longer...”

While Jirukoma was still talking, the monsters on the other side suddenly began roaring.

A group of around fifty armed people had joined the fray, catching the monsters from behind.

Within that group was a young man, taking command as he rode around on horseback. This man, who had an air of nobility about him, looked at the battlefield with keen eyes and gave orders to the group of men.

“These witless monsters see only what’s in front of them. Attack from the rear and flanks to make quick work of them!”

The young man’s name was Julius Amidonia. He’d once been the crown prince of Amidonia.

The force he now led was a volunteer army composed of refugees seeking to return to their homelands, which were now part of the Demon Lord’s Domain.

Normally, the volunteer army should have been commanded by their leader, Jirukoma, but Jirukoma preferred to fight as a single warrior. In most situations, Jirukoma left command to Julius, who was a visiting general in the Kingdom of Lastania.

“Indeed. Sir Julius’s commands are as apt as ever. I can feel at ease watching him,” Lauren said, feeling impressed.

“You’re right,” Jirukoma agreed. “When it comes to commanding troops, he’s far more capable than I am. He does complain, ‘Why is it that I must always clean up after your messes?’ all the time though.”

“Sir Julius is dependable after all. I can see why you’d end up relying on him.”

While the two of them were talking, Julius and the volunteer army’s charge threw the monsters’ ranks into disarray. Not missing their opportunity now that the pressure had lessened, the shield-bearers moved up, knocking down the zombie ogre and other monsters.

The lancers swarmed around the fallen zombie ogre, stabbing it again and again. The archers loosed their arrows from a distance, and when its body was finally turned into a pincushion of spears and arrows, the zombie ogre stopped moving at last.

Having confirmed their enemy was dead, the soldiers raised their voices.

“I-It’s dead! We killed it!”

“We brought down the big one!”

“““Yeahhhhhh!”””

Having killed a powerful enemy boosted the soldiers’ morale.

Now they moved on to mopping up the remaining monsters, and Jirukoma and Lauren both breathed a sigh of relief.

While they were wiping their brows, Julius rode over to them on his horse.

“Jirukoma! You pushed the troops off on me and charged in again! You’re supposed to be the leader of this volunteer army! And you, Madam Lauren! It should be unthinkable for the captain to be out on the front lines! If anything were to happen to you, who would keep this country’s soldiers together?!”

The moment he arrived, Julius started giving them both a piece of his mind.

Jirukoma and Lauren both listened with wry smiles.

Getting chewed out by Julius had become a regular part of what happened after a battle with monsters. The two of them kept charging in no matter how much they were lectured about it, and Julius continued lecturing them, even knowing it was hopeless.

None of the three had learned their lesson.

“Besides, the problem with you people is...” Julius insisted.

Cutting him off, Lauren said, “Now then, the monsters are wiped out. Let’s head back. All right, people, we’re pulling out!” She clapped her hands.

“Hey, I wasn’t done...”

“Now, now, Julius,” said Jirukoma. “We can listen to you tell us off on the way back, so let’s get going for now. There are people eagerly awaiting our return, you know?”

“...Hmph.”

Having been mollified by Jirukoma, Julius looked away, unamused.

He didn’t say any more, though, so he must have accepted it.

Seeing the way Julius was acting, Jirukoma and Lauren looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

“Jirukoma,” Julius said. “What do you make of the recent monster attacks?”

On the way back to the castle with the soldiers, Jirukoma was walking beside Julius as he rode on horseback. Jirukoma could ride a horse too, but he preferred to walk because his style was more suited to fighting on foot, and it served as training.

Hearing the question, Jirukoma cocked his head to the side.

“Has there been something about them that’s caught your attention?”

“There has been an increase in both the number of monsters and frequency of attacks of late. If the numbers increase any further, the soldiers will not be able to handle them alone.”

“If you’re right...” Lauren said seriously, “the people will have to take up arms.”

Though it was called a kingdom, Lastania was no bigger than a mid-range noble’s domain in Elfrieden or Amidonia. The population was around 20,000, and that naturally included non-combatants like women, children, and the elderly. Even if they enforced conscription, only 5,000 of them could fight, at best.

Julius held his chin with a pensive look on his face.

“Even if we could get the numbers, a haphazardly assembled force won’t be much use in battle. Even with the volunteer soldiers added to their numbers, this country has fewer than 600 soldiers. If the monsters come in greater numbers than that, it’s inevitable that we’ll struggle. If their number exceeds 1,000...it will be the end of this country.”

Julius had a serious look on his face. He probably wasn’t exaggerating.

To wipe away the oppressively serious atmosphere, Jirukoma deliberately chose to be optimistic.

“The Union of Eastern Nations was formed to prevent that, right? So that they can coordinate their response when a situation a small or medium-sized country can’t handle alone arises. Besides, if it comes to it, won’t the United Forces come to help?”

The United Forces that Jirukoma was speaking of was shorthand for the United Forces of the Eastern Nations, a battalion created with troops levied from each of the members of the Union of Eastern Nations. (In the case of small countries, this was ten percent of their army, and in the case of medium-sized countries, it was thirty percent.)

If a member of the union was threatened by the Demon Lord’s Domain or another country, the United Forces would be dispatched.

However, Julius shook his head.

“It’s true, if this country were the only one being invaded, we could count on the United Forces to come to our aid. However, based on the information I’ve gathered from the traveling merchants, this country is not the only one seeing a rise in monster attacks.”

“You’re a visiting general, aren’t you?” Jirukoma asked. “Do they even have you handling intelligence?”

“There’s no one else to do it, so what choice do I have? I’ve experienced firsthand the terror of what can happen when you are negligent about gathering intelligence,” Julius said, frowning.

His knowledge of the importance of intelligence gathering had come from his experience of misreading the political situation inside the Elfrieden Kingdom, dispatching troops too easily, then suffering a major defeat.

Julius shook his head and tried moving on. “From what the merchants tell me, monster attacks have risen in every country bordering the Demon Lord’s Domain. If there’s a major monster offensive across a wide area of the border, even the United Forces will be unable to handle it. Besides, the United Forces will head out to help the countries that contribute the greatest numbers of troops first, I’m sure.”

Because it was a force composed of troops contributed by each country, it was, in some ways, inevitable that the countries most of those troops belonged to would be a higher priority. If the countries with the greatest numbers of troops were in trouble, the United Forces may wholly collapse, and assisting other countries wouldn’t boost morale.

That was why a small country like the Kingdom of Lastania may be at the bottom of the list.

“Urgh...” Jirukoma groaned. “Then what about asking the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom to provide reinforcements? Lastania has an alliance with them, right?”

The Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, which had many powerful dragon knights in its service, was said to be theoretically capable of fighting the Gran Chaos Empire on even footing in a defensive war. The kingdom had been allied with the Kingdom of Lastania for a long time, since before the founding of the Union of Eastern Nations.

The alliance had remained in place even after the Kingdom of Lastania’s accession to the Union of Eastern Nations, and now their kingdom served as the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom’s point of contact with the union.

It was no exaggeration to say that this country, which seemed so small and insignificant that it might blow away in the wind, still existed at all thanks to that alliance.

But Julius shook his head.

“I told you the increase in monster attacks has affected every country that borders the Demon Lord’s Domain, didn’t I? The Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom is a bordering country too. They must be seeing an increase in attacks themselves.”

“You mean they may be too busy looking after themselves to be able to spare anything for us?” Jirukoma asked, appalled.

If worse came to worst, they would have to fight with only this country’s forces. That reality put Jirukoma in a dark mood.

Julius sighed slightly. “In times like this, I can’t help but wish I had the 10,000 troops I once commanded.”

In the time between the death of his father, Gaius VIII, and his sister, Roroa, driving him from the country, Julius had been the sovereign prince of Amidonia. He’d only served as prince for a short while, but during that time, Julius had held 10,000 troops at his command.

“If I still had those troops, I wouldn’t have to worry like this...” he murmured.

“But during the time when you were leading those troops, you wouldn’t have given a second thought to a small country like this, would you?”

“You may be right.” Julius took on a sad face for a moment, then laughed bitterly. “Honestly... There are so many things you only understand the value of once you’ve lost them.”

“But there are also many times you think you’ve lost something, when you haven’t lost it at all,” Jirukoma said, as Julius laughed mockingly at himself. “We were driven from our homelands as refugees, but they are not lost to us. Though they are now part of the Demon Lord’s Domain, the mountains and rivers that raised us are still in those lands. So it is for our families too. Though I have parted ways with her, my sister Komain is still alive and well in the kingdom.”

Granted, Komain’s last letter had said, “I have found the one I am meant to serve!” in somewhat excited writing, so Jirukoma was more than a little worried about her.

“My homeland and family...huh,” Julius murmured.

For Julius, the Principality of Amidonia was his homeland, and his only family was his younger sister Roroa. His last memories of each were bitter ones, but they hadn’t faded away and disappeared entirely.

He’d heard the Principality of Amidonia was now incorporated into the Elfrieden Kingdom and Roroa was King Souma of Elfrieden’s fiancée, but...they did certainly both still exist.

“You’re right... If it comes to it, I suppose I’ll bow my head to my sister,” he said. “It will be humiliating, but if it gets us reinforcements, my self-respect is a small price to pay.”

To encourage Julius, who was smiling faintly, Jirukoma slapped him on the lower back.

“Ow! What was that for?!”

“I only know you as you’ve been in this country. No matter what type of person you may have been in the past.”

Julius was silent.

“But the way you are now, you’re not that disagreeable,” Jirukoma went on. “When we first met, you had the eyes of a lost man, searching for answers, but now you seem full of life to me.”

Hearing Jirukoma assess him that way, Julius let out a “Hmph,” and looked away from the man. “The House of Amidonia is a house of warriors. I must have regained my true self while fighting these monsters.”

“Hmm... Is that really all it is?”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Couldn’t it have been someone else’s influence? Look, it seems you have someone waiting for your return.”

Jirukoma directed the upset Julius’s attention to the castle gate.

In front was a charming young girl wearing a light-colored dress that resembled a knee-length Tyrolean dirndl, and she was waving at Julius. Her attire was common, but, on closer inspection, a pretty tiara was sitting atop her head.

The lovely girl had short, airy hair and a face that retained traces of youth.

“Lord Julius! I’ve been waiting for you to come back safely!” The girl waved her hands as if expressing her joy with her entire body as she called out to him.

In that moment, the soldiers smirked, and their jealous gazes all focused on Julius. This girl was Lastania’s princess, Tia Lastania.

When she called out to him in front of all the soldiers, Julius held his head in his hands.

“Princess Tia... Why is she at the castle gate? It’s dangerous.”

“That must simply be due to how much she’s missed you. Be on your way now, quickly.”

Jirukoma gave the horse Julius was riding a hard slap on the rear. The way the horse suddenly began running nearly made Julius fall, and he shot Jirukoma a vengeful look for a moment, but he quickly continued the race to Princess Tia.

“Those two make a cute couple, don’t they?”

When Jirukoma turned back to the voice behind him, Captain Lauren was standing there with a smile.

“Sir Julius is royalty too, so there can be no complaint about his pedigree,” she went on. “More than that, Princess Tia is very fond of him, so the king fully intends to take him in as her groom.”

“Julius says he’s ‘not ready for a family yet’ though.”

“Oh, the princess doesn’t stand a chance then?” Lauren asked.

“No, I think it’s a matter of determination. Julius seems to have been saved by the princess’s cheer, so if he just finds the resolve to live here until his dying days, the rest may go quickly.”

The two of them watched as Julius reached Princess Tia and immediately began scolding her about something. Princess Tia covered her ears as if to say, “I’m not listeniiing,” and looked away peevishly. They were like a close pair of siblings.

Frustrated, Julius picked up Princess Tia by the arms and sat her in front of him. From there, the two of them rode into the castle together.

Princess Tia was tucked snugly in front of Julius and leaned back against him with a soft smile.

Jirukoma and Lauren watched the two of them, grinning.

“They sure do get along well, don’t they?” Lauren asked.

“Haha! You may be right.”

“...U-Um... Sir Jirukoma,” Lauren ventured. “We’re both single, so would you join me for drinks tonight in celebration of our victory?”

“I couldn’t ask for more. Let’s drink together.”

“Okay!”

With that said, the two of them passed through the gate. And, having the well-liked Lauren to himself for the night, Jirukoma was subjected to jealous stares from all the single soldiers.

Chapter 1: The Road to the North

—Late in the 9th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—

“It’s been a while, Sir Souma.”

On this day, I was in the Jewel Voice Room in the castle, speaking to a beautiful woman on the other side of a simple receiver whose distinctive wavy hair left me entranced despite myself.

It was Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos Empire.

Behind me I had my prime minister, Hakuya, and behind Maria was her little sister and general, Jeanne, standing by.

That the heads of each country and their seconds-in-command were all present at this meeting signified how important it was.

Looking, perhaps, to start off with some friendly chat, Maria smiled. “I hear you will be having a child. Congratulations.”

I smiled back and returned the greeting. “Thank you. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet though...”

“Hehe! If it’s Liscia’s child, I’m sure it will be cute. I hear you’re a year younger than me, Sir Souma, but it seems you’ve beaten me to it, haven’t you?” Maria said teasingly.

If I recalled correctly, Juna, who was the same age as me according to this world’s calendar, was actually a year older by Earth’s calendar, so that would mean Maria, who was a year older than me, was actually two years older.

Well, I was too afraid to bring up the matter of age with a woman, so I decided to let it go.

“But, well, now Liscia and I will both be set free from Marx constantly begging us to ‘hurry and produce an heir!’ so that’s a relief.”

“I envy you,” Maria said. “I’m still being told to ‘hurry up and take a husband!’”

“You don’t have anyone in mind?”

“When you are an empress, it’s difficult. It needs to be someone who can carry the weight of an empire on their shoulders after all.”

“You’re...a little too far out of everyone’s league then, I guess.”

Very different from how my engagement to Liscia had been arranged by the former king, Sir Albert. It seemed it was quite hard for an empress of the Empire to get married.

Then Madam Maria gave me a teasing smile. “Hehe, maybe I should have you take me as your wife, Sir Souma? It would be a big help if you could handle all of the Empire’s troubles for me like you did for Princess Roroa, you know?”

“Wh-What are you saying, Sister?!” Jeanne raised her voice before I could get a word out. “You carry the weight of the Empire! You mustn’t say such things so carelessly...”

“Don’t be so angry, Jeanne,” Maria said. “It was just a little joke.”

“There are things you can joke about and things you can’t!”

Oh, Maria... You’re just playing around and teasing Jeanne, I thought.

Jeanne had a straightforward personality, like Liscia, so it must be amusing to have her react every time.

“I would be honored to have a wonderful woman like you as my bride, Madam Maria... But I must say, I don’t have the confidence to rule a vast territory like the Empire on top of my kingdom. Managing Elfrieden and Amidonia is the best I can manage, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t think that’s true, but...if you wouldn’t mind, I’d be happy to take that Black-robed Prime Minister of yours instead. I’ll relinquish the throne to Jeanne, so would you consider marrying Jeanne and becoming emperor?”

“Sister?!” Jeanne cried.

It looked like Maria had turned on Hakuya now.

Hakuya himself looked unperturbed, touching his chin thoughtfully before he responded. “I do think Madam Jeanne is an attractive woman. However, I will have to pass on being emperor. If you would send her to this country to be my bride, I will gladly have her though.”

“S-Sir Hakuya, you too?!”

“Boo,” Maria pouted. “If you’re not gonna let me retire, you can’t have her.”

“Sister, would you please shut up?!”

With the two of them jerking her around, Jeanne’s face was bright red.

Maria aside, Hakuya wasn’t the type to toy with people like this, so, surprisingly enough, he may have meant it seriously.

Well, whatever the case may be, we didn’t have time to waste talking about silly things.

“Now then, Madam Maria,” I said, “isn’t it about time we got to the topic at hand?”

“I suppose it is.” Her gentle smile vanishing, Maria put on a serious expression and said, “King Souma Kazuya of the Kingdom of Friedonia, in accordance with the pact forged between our two countries, I would like you to provide reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations.”

“Does this involve the Demon Lord’s Domain?” I asked.

Maria silently nodded.

The secret pact between the kingdom and the Empire stated: “In exchange for not joining the Mankind Declaration led by the Empire, in the event that the eastern side of the continent (the side with the Union of Eastern Nations) is menaced by the threat of the Demon Lord’s Domain, the kingdom will handle it in place of the Empire.”

“As I told you while you were in the republic, there has been an increase in attacks against the northern countries by monsters from the Demon Lord’s Domain,” Maria said. “Their numbers and frequency rise by the day.”

“Just monsters? What about demons?”

In the Demon Lord’s Domain, there were monsters that weren’t thought to be intelligent, as well as demons that were. That was Maria’s and my common understanding.

The ones indiscriminately attacking mankind were the monsters, and if we tried to deal with them and the demons in the same way, pest extermination would turn to war, and it might lead to a repeat of mankind’s terrible defeat over a decade ago.

Our hope was to maintain the status quo, and, if possible, make contact with the demons.

However, Maria shook her head in disappointment. “Only monsters are attacking. There have been several cases like this where a massive number of monsters have appeared and pushed south. We call these ‘manami’ or ‘demon waves.’”

“Manami...” I repeated.

That sounds like a woman’s name, I thought. I knew it wasn’t going to be anything so easy to deal with though.

“Looking at the records of past demon waves, it seems this surge of monsters and increase in attacks is a temporary phenomenon. If we can exterminate the attacking monsters, things should return to a state of relative calm for some time.”

“I see...” I mused. “It really is like a wave then.”

“Still, there are a great many of them, putting the threat at a level that a small to medium-sized country can’t handle alone.”

Maria had Jeanne unfurl a map they’d prepared and show it to me. Then Maria pointed to each country on the map as she spoke.

“We will protect the west of the continent and those countries that are subservient to the Empire. With the powerful dragon knights they possess, the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom can handle themselves, I’m sure.”

True enough, the Empire, which was the strongest of mankind’s nations, and those countries aligned with it, along with the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, which had powerful dragons like Naden or Ruby, could easily defend themselves.

Then, with a strained look on her face, she pointed to the countries in the east.

“The issue is the Union of Eastern Nations, which is a large alliance, but made up of medium to small countries. While they have the United Forces, consisting of manpower provided by each country, by its very nature they are unevenly distributed. If the small-scale countries don’t receive enough support, there will be places that fail to hold the line.”

“I see your point,” I nodded. “You’d like us to send reinforcements to those smaller countries, right?”

Maria nodded. “Please do. I leave the location and methods to you, but please work with all due haste to save people’s lives. There have been many refugees since the coming of the Demon Lord’s Domain. I don’t want to see the pain of people being driven from their homelands spread any further.”

“That’s what our pact is for. Though, since we’ll be supporting you by dispatching troops, please don’t go asking for war subsidies for the time being, okay?”

“Of course not.”

War subsidies were paid by countries that were distant from the Demon Lord’s Domain to the countries that were bordering it. It was a considerable burden, but from a humanitarian perspective, and from the practical perspective that, if the north fell, we would be directly affected, it would be hard to refuse resuming payment if it were requested.

It was much easier if we could get by without payment being requested.

With that settled, Maria began using a pointing stick to point at a new map of the Union of Eastern Nations that Jeanne had prepared, explaining where reinforcements should be sent.

“There are two places in the Union of Eastern Nations that will be especially in need of reinforcements. The first is on the western edge of the Union of Eastern Nations’ border with the Demon Lord’s Domain, the Kingdom of Lastania, which also borders the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. It is a small country, but has an alliance with the Dragon Knight Kingdom, and they can call for help in times of need. But the Dragon Knight Kingdom is also being attacked by monsters from the current demon wave, so it is expected that any assistance from them may be delayed.”

“The Kingdom of Lastania...” I murmured.

That’s the country where Jirukoma and the former refugees who decided to return north are staying, I thought. There are reports that that man is in that country too... No, that doesn’t matter now, I guess.

Next, Maria pointed to a spot near the center of the border with the Demon Lord’s Domain. “The other is the Duchy of Chima. It is a small country founded by Duke Chima, who was a noble in a medium-sized country until he gained independence. It’s a country that, in a region full of small- to medium-sized countries, has skillfully joined different camps depending on the situation and managed to maintain its independence.”

“They’re good at bargaining and strategy, I suppose.”

Just like the Sanada Clan under Masayuki, who had skillfully negotiated their way through a situation of being surrounded by the major powers of the Tokugawa, Houjou, and Uesugi and still maintained their independence. The Duchy of Chima was a small country, but its leader was no doubt highly capable.

Then Maria giggled. Had something amusing happened?

“Is something the matter?” I asked.

“Oh, no... It’s just that this Duchy of Chima apparently happens to be doing something interesting with this situation.”

“Something interesting?”

“It seems the current Duke of Chima has seven children, and they’re all beautiful, boys and girls alike. I’ve heard they’re each skilled in a variety of areas too. People from all over the Union of Eastern Nations have been requesting those seven as marriage partners or vassals.”

They were a distinguished family indeed. Since our country was looking far and wide for people of talent, I was interested in what exactly those seven’s gifts were, but...what was so interesting about the situation?

“When Duke Chima sent out a request for aid in response to the current demon wave, this is what he said: ‘For countries which send us reinforcements, in response to your performance, I will give each of you one of my six children, other than my eldest son, who is my heir, to serve as your retainer...’”

“He’s using his children as collateral to get reinforcements?!”

That was a rather bold thing to think of. What was more, since he was lending them out as retainers, not hostages, he was just that confident in the children’s abilities.

Also, since it was per country, corresponding to their performance...that meant he was sending his kids to serve only in influential and large countries.

Even in a crisis, he was craftily trying to increase his influence inside the Union of Eastern Nations. Duke Chima... He was apparently a shrewd one, and not to be taken lightly.

While I was thinking about it, Maria smiled in a way that implied something.

“Of the six, the eldest daughter, Mutsumi Chima, is a beautiful woman and an accomplished warrior. I hear many countries have sent reinforcements out of a desire for her. Though, in her case, it seems they want her as a bride, not a retainer.”

“I see... I suppose even the masters of nations can have a weakness for pretty women.”

“What’s this?” Maria teased. “You’re not interested, Sir Souma?”

I shrugged and joked, “If she’s just beautiful and strong, I already have plenty of brides-to-be who have that covered.”

Maria giggled. “Hehe. I see what you mean.”

Rather than Madam Mutsumi, I was more interested in what gifts the remaining five may possess. But if reinforcements were pouring in, there was no need to send troops to Duke Chima’s domain immediately. In which case, my policy had to be...

I thought for a little while, then told Maria, “I understand. Our country will send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Lastania. I have acquaintances there, so it’s not as though we have no ties to the country. If we still have strength to spare when the problem there is resolved, and if things still aren’t taken care of in the Duchy of Chima at that point, I will have my forces head there as well.”

Maria smiled softly and bowed her head on the other side of the screen. “Thank you. We will be counting on you.”

Thus, it was decided that my Kingdom of Friedonia would dispatch troops to the Kingdom of Lastania in the Union of Eastern Nations.

Once I was sure that the communication with Maria had been terminated, I took a breath and spoke to the person behind me.

“You can come out now, Roroa.”

Roroa poked her face out from the shadow of a piece of furniture. “What, darlin’, ya noticed?”

“I spotted someone sneaking in out of the corner of my eye.”

I hadn’t seen who exactly, but assuming it was someone that Aisha, who was guarding outside, would let through without a fuss, and someone who would sneak into a place like this, there really wasn’t anyone other than her.

“Nyahaha! Ya got me.” With an awkward smile on her face, Roroa came over to me.

Once Hakuya finished cleaning up after the broadcast conference, bowed, and left the room, Roroa and I were the only ones left.

Once we were alone, Roroa dropped the smile. “Are ya sendin’ troops to the Kingdom of Lastania?”

“Yeah. I just decided to now.”

“Is it my fault ya ended up havin’ to go north? It was me showin’ you this that made you want to go up there, wasn’t it, darlin’?”

Roroa pulled a single sealed letter from her pocket.

The wax seal I caught a glimpse of bore the crest of the princely family of Amidonia. I had already read the contents of that sealed letter.

Knowing what it said, I shook my head. “This was decided between the Empire and me beforehand. That I would support the Union of Eastern Nations if it looked like they might collapse, I mean. Even if that letter hadn’t come, I’m sure I’d have sent in the military. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

I’d said it to cheer her up, but Roroa didn’t respond as she opened the envelope, removed the letter, and whispered while holding it so tight it crumpled.

“Big Brother...”

I was silent.

The sender was Julius Amidonia. He was the son of Gaius VIII, who had been the sovereign prince of Amidonia, as well as Roroa’s elder brother. He was also a person who, together with his father Gaius, had been stirring up revanchist sentiment against the Elfrieden Kingdom, and had worked behind the scenes to foment rebellion inside the kingdom.

In the period of confusion following my assuming the throne, Gaius had invaded the kingdom to take advantage of discord between me and the General of the Army at that time, Georg Carmine. However, this had been a trap set by Hakuya and me making use of Georg’s fake mutiny, and the principality had fallen right into it.

Later, Gaius would die in a battle near the principality’s capital Van, and Van would end up under control of the kingdom.

With Gaius fallen in battle, Julius had taken the reins and assumed his title as Prince of Amidonia, then brought in the lead signatory of the Mankind Declaration, the Gran Chaos Empire, to negotiate for the return of Van and its surrounding area. While that had resulted in the return of Van, Julius had also been forced to pay reparations and put a heavy burden on the people of the principality, thereby inviting resistance from the people and giving the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State an opening to take advantage of. Which they had, inciting the adherents of Lunarian Orthodoxy in the principality to revolt. In putting them down, Julius had lost even more of the support of his people.

Ultimately driven out by Roroa, the one bringing the country together through a network of merchants, he had gone into exile in the Empire. That was all we had known of Julius up until this point.

However, it seemed after that, he had left the Empire and wandered to various countries and was currently finding shelter in the Kingdom of Lastania.

The Kingdom of Lastania, which was now facing a heavy impact from the demon wave.

“Why’d ya go and do that?” Roroa gripped the letter she was holding tighter.

In the letter were words of concern for Roroa’s well-being, along with a description of his actions so far. Then, together with an apology for his misdeeds up to this point, he politely asked Roroa, who was slated to become my third primary queen, to encourage me, as the King of Friedonia, to send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Lastania. At the very end, it even said, “If King Souma wishes my head in exchange for this, I do not mind. So, please, can you find it in yourself to save the House of Lastania, who have done so much for me?”

To save the royal family of a petty kingdom, he was casting aside his shame and reputation to ask me, his father Gaius’s killer, and Roroa, the one who had exiled him, for aid. I couldn’t connect this behavior to the Julius he had been while acting as the Prince of Amidonia.

That was how I could tell Julius was serious. While wandering various countries, something must have changed inside him.

“Why...? Ain’t it a bit late for this...?” Tears fell from Roroa’s downcast eyes.

Roroa and Julius’s relationship was complicated. Though they were brother and sister by blood, there had been an unfillable rift between them. This was caused by Julius’s desire to inherit the quest for revenge against the Elfrieden Kingdom, and Roroa’s desire to stop expanding the military and instead rebuild the economy and make the country prosperous.

After the death of Gaius, Julius had inherited the Principality of Amidonia and tried to remove Roroa as a potential political rival. This had ended in failure when Roroa disappeared, and Julius had begun to oppress the people until Roroa brought the country together and drove him out instead.

Though they were brother and sister, they had seen one another as enemies.

Now she had suddenly received an apology and request for reinforcements from said brother, so Roroa must have still not sorted out her feelings on the matter.

“What do you think of the letter, Roroa?” I asked. “Is there something else behind it?”

“That’s not it...I don’t think,” Roroa said, looking up after wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

“Before...my proud brother’d never’ve thought to send a letter like this. He wasn’t the type to go showin’ his weaknesses to people. Somethin’ major musta happened to bring this on. I don’t think there’re any lies in what he wrote.”

“It’s in line with the information we gained from Madam Maria too.”

Whether or not his apology to Roroa was genuine, the fact of the matter was that the Kingdom of Lastania was expected to face a crisis from the demon wave. If Julius was there, it made sense he would seek reinforcements.

Roroa let out a cry of “unyaaaagh” and scratched at her head hard. “Augh, it’s all makin’ sense, and that’s what makes no sense about it! Why’s my cold, rational brother sendin’ me a letter that sounds so darn human?! He’s so different from before! I’ve gotta suspect he’s a fake!”

“In my old world, there was a saying: ‘Don’t meet a boy for three days, and watch what happens.’ While he was wandering from country to country, something must have changed Julius, don’t you think?”

“Ya sure? I don’t see that brother of mine changin’ all that easily though...”

When Roroa said that and tilted her head to the side, I hugged her close. Her body was so slender that she tucked neatly into my arms. With a body as delicate as this, Roroa had made a decision that decided the fate of the principality, and her own fate as well. I was reminded once again what an amazing girl she was.

“People change,” I said. “Meeting new people can change us dramatically. I was only a student, but I met Liscia, I met Aisha and Juna, I met you, and the next thing I knew I was a king ruling over two countries. I made a contract with Naden just the other day, and now I’m no dragon knight but a dragon king. The me of two years ago could never have imagined the me of today.”

“You’re a bit of a special case, don’tcha think, darlin’?”

Roroa sounded a bit exasperated when she said that, so I laughed.

“Fair enough. My situation may have been extreme, but we all influence one another to some degree, big or small. There are things that have changed about you since meeting us too, aren’t there, Roroa?”

“There sure are.” In my arms, Roroa finally smiled a little. “Ever since I met you, darlin’, I’ve been able to think about all the fun things we can do with money. Before that, all I had time for was how to use it efficiently, or how I could make the people of the principality’s lives easier with it. I feel like it’s been givin’ my love of festivals an extra boost.”

“Is that a good change?” I asked.

“I like me bein’ like this.”

“Well, good then.”

Then Roroa squeezed, tightening her arms around my waist. “Do ya think my brother met someone like this, and that’s what’s changed him?”

“Could be. Judging from what he wrote, it’d be someone from the Royal House of Lastania though.”

“What, did he go and find himself a woman in Lastania or somethin’?”

“That’s a bit rude.” I butted Roroa in the head lightly. “You didn’t have to put it that way...”

She let out a giggle.

Yeah, a smile definitely looked better on Roroa than tears. If possible, I wanted to keep her smiling cheerfully forever.

For that...I needed to make it so she could.

“Hey, Roroa,” I said. “If it concerns you, why don’t you come along? If you do, you can see for yourself how Julius is now.”

My sudden suggestion made Roroa’s eyes go wide.

“I can come along too? I’m not gonna be any good to ya out on the battlefield, you know?”

“If that’s the standard we’re going by, I’m basically useless too, but...we’ll likely be sending tens of thousands of troops this time. There are negotiations to be done with the Union of Eastern Nations too, so I plan to take along several bureaucrats. Also...I’m thinking I’ll bring Tomoe.”

“Whuh?! You’re takin’ Tomoe with you too?!” Roroa reacted with surprise.

I was taking Tomoe, who was only eleven years old, to a country bordering the Demon Lord’s Domain, so I could hardly blame her. Still, it was absolutely necessary.

“We’re dispatching troops to the countries bordering the Demon Lord’s Domain,” I explained. “We never know when we might encounter the demons, and, if we do, I don’t want to miss the chance to establish communication. To do that, Tomoe’s ability is essential. It may be a harsh journey for a little one like her, but I intend to have her along.”

I plopped my hand down on Roroa’s head.

“So bringing you along too is no big deal. I’m never putting you on the front line, of course, so I’m sure you’ll be sitting in the rear and staying put until we can ensure things are safe. Taking you will put more strain on Minister of Finance Colbert, but, the situation being as it is, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. I hear he and Julius were friends after all.”

“You’re sure...I can come?” Roroa asked me with upturned eyes.

I gave her a big nod. “If that’s what you want, Roroa.”

“Nyahaha! Sure, if my brother’s really gone and changed, I wanna see him.” Roroa took my hand from on top of her head and pressed it against her cheek. “Thanks, darlin’. I love ya lots.”

“I love you too, Roroa. Now then, it looks like we’re going to be busy.” I pulled my hand away from Roroa’s cheek and let out a big yawn. “It’s our first big movement of troops in a while after all. We can’t take much time, but we need to prepare appropriately for it. Deciding who to take, where to position the ones we leave behind, and preparing the provisions and logistics too. I’m sure I’ll have to call in all the main members of the National Defense Force.”

“Well, sounds like things’ll be gettin’ lively around here then, huh,” Roroa said with a pleased smile.

It looked like she was back to being the usual Roroa.

I felt relieved, but there was one thing that still worried me.

“We’ll...have to tell Liscia about this, won’t we?”

“Oh... That’s right...”

Maybe because she sensed my reluctance, Roroa had an awkward look on her face too.

Chapter 2: For the Future

—Beginning of the 10th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—

There was a little domain in the mountains of the kingdom. It was the former domain of Liscia’s father, the former king, Sir Albert. He had been the petty noble who ruled this domain, but, one day, he’d met Liscia’s mother, Lady Elisha.

At the time, the royals had been engaged in a succession crisis over who would take the throne after the death of the previous king. Even now, his personality was, in favorable terms, gentle and without a hunger for power; in less favorable terms, banal and unambitious. He avoided creating enemies where he didn’t need them. Thus, by supporting the then-young Lady Elisha with his good-natured personality, Sir Albert had unintentionally created a situation where it was hard for the other royals to turn their hatred toward Lady Elisha.

Thus, the succession crisis had ended with the elimination of all the royals but Lady Elisha, the throne going to her as the sole survivor. In recognition for his continuous support, Sir Albert had been allowed to marry Lady Elisha, thereby becoming king.

Now Sir Albert’s former lands had become part of the crown demesne, but since he had chosen to retire to them, he was essentially the lord there again.

I was now over Sir Albert’s domain, looking down from the back of Naden in her ryuu form.

The scenery was the embodiment of the countryside, in a way that made it feel like old folk songs would suit it well. There were mountains, streams, fields, and pastures, along with farmhouses dotted around.

For someone used to dealing with a murderous workload every day in the capital, it felt like time moved slower here. There was no place better for someone who wanted to live the quiet life.

“If I quit being king, living in a place like this wouldn’t be so bad,” I pondered.

“You’re way too young to be longing for the countryside.” Naden’s exasperated voice spoke straight into my mind. “I mean, you haven’t even had your coronation yet. Or our wedding. It’s a waste of time to think about what you’ll do when you quit. For one thing, with times being what they are, isn’t it going to be difficult to have an easy retirement? If there were a sudden change in the situation up north, you might not get to live to old age in the first place, you know?”

Reluctantly, I said, “I guess you have a point there.”

Naden was right. If the situation in the north—in other words, the Demon Lord’s Domain—were to change, there was no telling when this kingdom may get caught up in it. The kingdom was stable now, but if the Demon Lord’s Domain expanded any further, there would be more refugees, and the chaos from when I’d first taken the throne may well return.

The west side of the continent had Maria’s Gran Chaos Empire defending it, so I was sure they would be fine, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the Union of Eastern Nations on the east side of the continent was just a loose gathering of small- to medium-sized nations. If they collapsed, it would affect our country too. That was why I had to dispatch reinforcements.

I sighed. “It’s not easy retiring, huh.”

“That’s how it goes. Besides...you have to create a good country for the children, don’t you? ‘Dad.’”

“Ahaha...”

Dad...huh. It hasn’t really hit home yet, but that’s what I’m going to be, aren’t I ?

“Oh, I want to hurry and see Liscia,” I said longingly.

“You’re going to say that while on my back?”

“If we have a child together, Naden, I’m confident I’ll feel the same way toward you.”

“Well, that’s fine then. I’ll carry you there, so just be patient.”

“Roger that.”

“That’s my line!”

Naden twisted her body and swam through the sky even faster. She swam through the wind toward Sir Albert’s mansion where Liscia was staying.

Today was the day I could finally see Liscia. Even after returning from the Republic of Turgis, my free time had been eaten up by all the accumulated work, preventing me from going.

That was why being able to see Liscia for the first time in a while made me so happy, but...at the same time, it weighed on me a little.

I have to tell her we’re going to the Union of Eastern Nations after all...

Just when I’d thought all my work was taken care of, the Empire had issued a request to send reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations. I wouldn’t be able to see her again for a while, and it was painful knowing I would worry her.

I’d really rather not worry Liscia while she’s pregnant.

Deliberately choosing not to tell her wasn’t an option. I was going to be organizing an army, and there was no way to hide that. That was why I wanted to give Liscia a proper explanation in advance, to minimize her anxiety. But it still weighed on me.

I wonder if this is how a husband who can’t tell his wife he’s being transferred to a position where he’ll have to live alone somewhere else feels...

That was what I thought as I stared vaguely up into the clear autumn sky.

The mansion with the blue roof up on the hill was the former king Sir Albert’s mansion.

When Naden and I touched down in front of the entrance, the first one to greet us was Carla in her maid dress. While we were away in Turgis, Carla had been serving as Liscia’s personal attendant and bodyguard. There were also people from the Black Cats and National Defense Force dispatched here, protecting Liscia and her family from the shadows as well as out in the sunlight.

Carla stood in front of us and bowed. “It’s been a while, master.”

“Long time no see,” I said easily. “Has anything changed with Liscia or her family?”

“Yes. Madam Hilde says both Liscia and the baby are healthy, but... Well, it would be better for you to hear it from her yourself.”

“That makes sense... Sorry. I’ve sort of ended up leaving Liscia entirely to you.”

“No, no. Liscia is my master’s partner, but she is also my irreplaceable friend. If I can help, nothing will make me happier. Besides...”

“Besides?”

When I pushed her to say more, Carla gave me a wonderful smile and said, “Unlike the head maid, Lady Elisha doesn’t make me wear embarrassing outfits!”

“Oh...”

While she was in the castle, the sadistic head maid, Serina, had been taking “good care” of Carla. Working under Lady Elisha, who always wore a gentle smile, surely was easier on her.

“You know, there’s a request from the production team on Overman Silvan saying they’d like you to make an appearance as Miss Dran again sometime soon...” I mused.

“Urgh... I-If you order it, I must obey,” Carla said with a truly displeased look on her face.

She seemed to have adapted to the short skirt on her maid dress (Serina’s idea), but apparently, she still couldn’t get used to Miss Dran’s sexy costume (also Serina’s idea).

“They’re apparently getting a lot of letters saying, ‘Bring back Miss Dran.’ The senders...are mostly full-grown men, I hear.”

“This entire country should fall to ruin...” she moaned.

“Don’t say that in front of the king!”

Her eyes looked quite pretty serious, but it would probably be best for Carla if I just laughed it off as a joke. It wasn’t a direct insult to me, so her slave collar hadn’t responded to it, but if anyone overheard, I would have to try her for lèse-majesté, so I hoped she’d cut it out.

The subject seemed dangerous, so I decided to drop it there.

“Let’s get straight to the point, Carla. Show me to where Liscia is.”

“Ah! That’s right. But first, why not go pay your respects to the former king? He’s been waiting in the parlor for you to arrive.”

“Yeah, that’d be the polite thing to do, huh. Okay then, take me to see Sir Albert first.”

“Understood. This way please.”

Carla led the way into the mansion, and Naden and I tailed after her. Then, once we were shown through to the parlor, we were greeted by Sir Albert and Lady Elisha.

“Why, son-in-law,” greeted Sir Albert. “How good it is of you to come see us.”

“You must be Naden,” Lady Elisha said, smiling. “You’re just as cute as Liscia’s been telling me.”

Sir Albert took my hand, and Lady Elisha took Naden’s.

“It’s been a while,” I said. “Father, Mother. I’m glad to see you seem to be as well as ever.”

“I-I’m Naden. Nice to meechu.” Naden was tense and slurred her words.

Seeing Naden like that, Lady Elisha giggled and hugged Naden’s head tight in her ample bosom.

“Whuhwhuh?!”

Suddenly finding herself in an embrace, Naden panicked and flailed her arms. She had to be feeling shy too.

Elisha gently patted Naden on the head. “My daughter will be marrying Sir Souma too. So, Naden, if anything should happen, please rely on me as a mother. I’m happy to have gotten another cute daughter like Tomoe.”

“Your scent reminds me of Lady Tiamat.” Naden wrapped her arms around Lady Elisha’s waist. She’d been tamed in an instant.

A scent like the holy mother dragon...? Was it the smell of motherhood, or something like that? As a ryuu, Naden had no relatives. Ruby was the only friend she had left from her homeland now too. If Lady Elisha could be her mother in this country, nothing would make me happier. It’s a happy thing to have someone who will indulge you like a child after all.

While I watched the two of them with a smile, Sir Albert began speaking.

“Son-in-law, we will take care of Madam Naden here, so please go be with Liscia. She is on the terrace in the courtyard, eagerly awaiting your arrival.”

“Thank you. I’ll do just that.”

I gave my regards to the them both, then left Naden behind and exited the parlor. Then, with guidance from Carla, I headed to the terrace facing out on the courtyard.

On the sunlit white terrace, there was a table with tea already prepared, and a lone woman was seated at it. The woman had her back to me, and she was watching the trees sway in the autumn wind.

When I gave Carla the sign indicating she’d taken me far enough, she bowed then turned on her heel and returned to the mansion.

I silently approached the table, taking a seat where I could get a glimpse of her face. The woman turned to me and smiled softly.

“It feels like it’s been such a long time, Souma.”

“Yeah, I feel like we haven’t met in forever. I wanted to see you, Liscia.”

“Hehe! Me too.” Liscia’s smile was like a flower blooming.

This was my fiancée, who I hadn’t seen in over a month since going to the Republic of Turgis. Seeing her for the first time in a long while, Liscia looked far more like an adult than she had before.

While my heart was racing at the sight of her, I opened my mouth, feeling like I had to say something. “Your hair... Has it grown?”

“Yeah. I haven’t cut it recently after all.”

Liscia’s hair, which she had cut short when issuing the ultimatum to Georg, was now about halfway back to the length it had been when I’d first met her.

“Will you grow it out to the length it was before?” I asked.

“I’m still deciding. I’m fond of the shorter hairstyle now. Which do you think looks better on me, Souma?”

“I like both.”

“Geez, you’re so indecisive.”

“So long as you don’t become a skinhead, or do anything else too extreme with your hair, I’m sure I’ll love it.”

“I won’t do that with my hair.”

Liscia and I looked at one another and smiled. We had a good laugh, then I scratched my head hard.

“Why’d I start off talking about your hair? There’re a ton of things I want to ask and tell you, but...I can’t find the right words.”

“Go through them in order,” she directed. “You have time to relax today, right?”

“Yeah. That’s right... Well, first...” I turned back to face her, bowing my head to Liscia with her swollen belly. “Thank you for making a new member of my family, Liscia.”

“Hehe! You mean our family, don’t you?” Liscia said, correcting me with a gentle smile. “With this, I’m a bona fide member of your family now.”

“I’ve thought of you as family all this time, but...I feel it even more strongly now.”

Blood ties. Soul ties. It seemed like putting it into words cheapened it, but I felt certain there was a firm bond between Liscia and I now.

Liscia giggled. “So now Aisha, Juna, and Roroa need to become part of the family too.”

“They’re all waiting for this child to be born,” I said, placing my hand on Liscia’s belly. “Before, we held a family meeting, and decided that when a child was born, no matter who it was to, we would have them call all the queens, primary or secondary, their mother. So, we’ll raise all the children together. I’m sure Aisha and Naden, being from long-lived races, will have theirs later than everyone else after all.”

Liscia laughed happily. “So our children will suddenly have five mothers!”

The children would grow up surrounded by mothers, including Liscia, who had a lot of personality. Who would influence them, and how would they grow...? I was a little worried, but also looking forward to it.

From there we updated each other on recent happenings and had a generally aimless conversation. Liscia spoke gleefully of her days of rest here.

“Lately, you know, I’ve been learning to cook from Mother.”

“You, Liscia? Why?”

“I want the baby to be able to eat my homemade cooking of course. Besides, you can cook, right? It wouldn’t do for me to be less able to cook than their father.”

To think Liscia, who spent every spare moment joining the guards for training, would take learning how to be a proper bride seriously... It was moving, somehow.

“So? How are the results so far?” I asked.

“I baked those snacks over there.” She gestured to a large plate on the table filled with scones and cookies.

Homemade by Liscia, huh? They didn’t look bad, so they probably tasted good.

I took a cookie and chucked it in my mouth. “Let’s see... Nom.”

There was a hard sensation as a sweet taste spread through my mouth. She’d put in too much sugar. That, and she’d probably kneaded the batter as hard as she could. Also, the butter had fully melted, making them hard when baked.

I looked at Liscia, sweating hard. “Errrrm... I’d love to say it was good, but...considering you want to feed them to our child...I can’t lie to you.”

“I know that. I can tell when I’ve messed up at least.” Liscia smiled wryly, but her fist was clenched tight. “This is what I can do now. But someday, I’m sure I’ll be able to make them more delicious.”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Yeah... But the thing is, Carla started learning at the same time, and she’s improving so much faster. I thought we were the same, so I’m having a hard time accepting it.”

“Well, I mean, Carla does have Excel’s blood in her.”

Carla’s mother, Accela, was Excel’s daughter. She was also related to Juna, who was like a walking mass of big sister power, so maybe she had a strong latent ability for domestic tasks.

Liscia sighed. “By that same token, Mother is good at cooking too...”

“Maybe you were influenced too much by Georg, your teacher in the Army?”

“Urkh... I can’t deny that.”

We kept having an aimless conversation like that. Talking about nothing... It was incredibly fun.

Then, suddenly, Liscia put on a serious expression. “Souma. You didn’t come here today just to see me, now did you?”

My heart skipped a beat as she hit the nail on the head.

“...You could tell?”

“Yes, I could tell. This is you. While we were talking, it felt like you were hiding something that was hard to say.”

“...”

“Did you find a new candidate to be queen?” Liscia stared at me, and I shook my head hard.

“No, no! It’s just, well... It looks like we’ll be sending troops north.”

“By ‘north,’ you mean to the Union of Eastern Nations?”

“Yeah. It seems like attacks from the Demon Lord’s Domain are on the rise. If the Union of Eastern Nations falls, this country will be affected too. In line with our pact with the Empire, we have to dispatch reinforcements.”

When I perfectly relayed the content of my earlier talk with the Empire, Liscia put on a worried face. “Will you be going with the troops?”

“Yeah,” I admitted. “So...it’ll be a while before we can see each other again.”

“Why? This is different from when you were fighting the forces of Amidonia.” Her tone didn’t blame me, but I could tell she didn’t want me to go. “Back then, you had just been given the throne, and the troops wouldn’t have trusted you if you hadn’t led them yourself. But now everyone sees you as king. Can’t you leave this to a commander like Sir Ludwin?”

“To prepare for unanticipated events, I want to bring powerful fighters like Aisha and Naden,” I said. “It’s better if I’m there to lead them. There’s also the fact that I want to see the situation in the north for myself too.”

The detail about Julius would only cause her to worry, so I could probably omit it.

I stood up, walked behind Liscia, and gently embraced her. “It pains me not being able to be by your side when you’re about to give birth, but today, when I saw you with the baby so large in your belly, it made me even more sure I had to go north. I want to leave my children the best country I can after all.”

“Souma...” Liscia closed her eyes as I kept hugging her tight.

There was a quiet moment between us, then eventually Liscia lightly laid her hand on my arm and smiled.

“I understand. But make sure you come back.”

“Yeah. If things get dangerous, I’ll come running back. I can’t die without seeing my child’s face after all.”

She chuckled. “Make sure you do. I’ll be waiting for you with these kids.”

“Yeah!” I nodded firmly, but then got caught on the wording of what Liscia had just said. “...Huh? These kids?”

When I parroted those words back, Liscia had a blank look on her face and said, “What? Didn’t Hilde tell you? I’m pregnant with twins.”

“Huh...? Whahhhhhhhhh?!”

What a shocking fact! I was suddenly going to be a father to twins!

Now that she mentioned it, Liscia was looking awfully big for where she was in the pregnancy. But still, twins, huh...

The feeling that I had to come back home safely grew even stronger.

Chapter 3: Assignment of Personnel

—10th day, 10th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—Parnam Castle—

On this day, the audience chamber in Parnam Castle was packed full of people.

Even without including the guards, there were more than thirty people gathered, and the supposedly large audience chamber felt cramped.

There was a lot of variety in the faces assembled too.

Most were members of the National Defense Force like Excel or Ludwin, but there were bureaucrats like Poncho and Colbert too. There were also those from abroad like the bishop from the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, Souji, and Kuu, the son of the Republic of Turgis’s head of state. Even the former General of the Air Force, Castor, who was supposed to be in Excel’s custody, was in attendance, causing those present to buzz with excitement.

Here was a scene in which nearly all of Souma’s main vassals, irrespective of position, were present.

There were some people here who hadn’t seen each other in a while, and here and there people could be heard getting reacquainted.

“Master, it’s good to see you again.” The current head of the air division of the National Defense Force and former steward of House Vargas, Tolman, was bowing to his former master, Castor.

Castor hurriedly made him stop bowing. “Don’t call me ‘master.’ I’m no longer head of the House of Vargas. I left the headship to Carl and am in the custody of the House of Walter now. If you bow your head to me, it looks bad.”

“Ah... I see. Then what am I to call you from now on?”

“You can just call me Castor for all I care, but...if you must call me something else, make it ‘captain.’”

“Captain...you say?”

“That’s right!” Castor nodded, then put the captain’s hat that was in his hands back on his head with the brim low over his eyes. “I have a ship and her crew at my command now. It’s nowhere near as many men as I once had, but I like this job more than you might think.”

“Now that you mention it...you’ve developed a tan. Like a man of the sea.”

As Tolman had pointed out, Castor was a lot more tanned than before. He was thin, buff, and looked young, so he looked like a surfer on the beach in summer.

As Castor rolled up his sleeves to show it off, he gave a jolly laugh. “Compared to the high altitude of Red Dragon City, Lagoon City is hot and humid. I dress lightly all the time, and this is what happened.”

“You look so strong and dependable. Why, if the lady of the house could see you, I do believe she would fall in love all over again, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Is Accela...doing well?” Castor asked hesitantly.

“Yes. Both she and Carla are doing fine. However, unlike Carla who appears in Jewel Voice Broadcasts, I don’t hear much of you, mas...captain, so I’ve been somewhat worried. I have a message I was asked to convey if I had the opportunity to meet with you.”

“A message?” Castor asked.

“Lady Accela told me this: ‘I am a dragonewt myself, so I will live a long life. Therefore, I can wait for as long as I must.’”

Lady Accela was the child of Excel and a dragonewt man.

“I see... Accela will wait for me, will she...?” Hearing the message from his separated wife, Castor smiled a little sadly.

It was a somber atmosphere, but...Tolman’s message didn’t end there. “Um... There was one more thing. ‘However, if it takes too long, I will seek permission from His Majesty to come see you. If I find you living a slovenly life when I get there, Mother and I will lecture you together, so be prepared for that...’ That was the other message.”

“Urgh...”

The somber mood was wrecked in an instant, and Castor began sweating profusely. He must have had something to feel guilty about, because his eyes were darting about furtively.

“A-Accela shouldn’t be receiving any information about me, right?”

“She shouldn’t, but...does something come to mind?” Tolman asked.

“No, that wasn’t my fault! Yes, I went to a place of wine and women with my fellow sailors, but only as a means of socializing!”

“Captain...” Tolman pressed on his forehead and shook his head in exasperation.

It was a conversation between master and servant, no different from the ones they had once had in Red Dragon City.

While the former master and servant were having that exchange, the current master and servant team, Kuu and Leporina, were meeting again for the first time since in the Republic of Turgis.

“Ookyaya! It’s been a little while, Hal!” Kuu cried.

“Hey, Kuu! It has been a little while!”

Kuu and Halbert, who had fought together in the republic, exchanged a firm handshake. Beside them, Kaede and Leporina were shaking hands.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you too, Leporina.”

“Good to see you again, Kaede.”

“???” Ruby, who was standing beside Halbert with Kaede, was left with a blank look on her face, looking completely out of the loop. She tugged on Halbert’s sleeve for an explanation. “Who are these people, Hal?”

“Oh, right. This is your first time meeting them. This is the son of the current head of the Republic of Turgis, Kuu Taisei, and his follower Leporina. Kuu, this is Ruby, the dragon I formed a contract with in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. That makes her my second fiancée.”

Following that, they introduced themselves to each other. Kuu and Leporina were smiling, but Ruby was confused about what to do after hearing Kuu was the son of the head of the Republic of Turgis.

“The son of their head of state?!” she exclaimed. “He’s the son of the leader of a neighboring country! Is it okay to be so casual with him?!”

“Ookyaya! I don’t care, Young Miss Ruby. Hal helped me out in Turgis, and I’m just a guest of Big Bro Souma’s here. I’m happier having him treat me as a friend.” Kuu let out a cheerful laugh.

Kaede shrugged in exasperation. “Hal gets away with treating His Majesty Souma like a friend. I would be too afraid to do that, but...perhaps we just have to give up and accept that this is the kind of star Hal was born under?”

“I don’t think being liked by our lord is a bad thing,” Ruby opined.

“His Majesty has expectations for Hal, I’m sure,” Kaede said, nodding. “When those above him have high hopes for him, Hal does his best to meet them. I worry he’ll get carried away and make a huge mistake though, you know.”

“I...can see why you’d feel that way.”

“That’s why we need to keep a firm grip on his reins so that doesn’t happen.”

“A dragon who holds her knight’s reins, huh? Not bad.”

Halbert ignored the conversation going on between his future first and second wives, pretending he couldn’t hear it. Even if he didn’t like the content of it, it was clear that if he opened his mouth now, they were sure to turn on him in an instant. Fortunately, Halbert had begun acquiring the same techniques for getting along with the world (or at least with his wives) as Souma.

Without knowing how Halbert felt inside, Kuu nudged him in the ribs with his elbow. “Still, Hal, we can’t leave you alone for a second! You had a beautiful fiancée in Kaede, then you went and got yourself another dragon fiancée who’s just as beautiful.”

“I guess I did,” Hal admitted with a smile. “It gives me less room to move, but I feel like it’s more fun this way.”

Halbert felt like he could understand now why, even though Souma was at the mercy of his fiancées, he still seemed to enjoy himself. Having a family to protect, and a firm sense of having a home to return to, increased the number of responsibilities a man had, but it made his days more satisfying.

“You’ve got cuties like Taru and Leporina yourself, don’t you?” Hal asked.

“You id— Taru is one thing...but Leporina and I aren’t like that.”

Kuu, who had just the other day learned how complicated women were, hesitated.

Hal wondered why Kuu had suddenly gotten so awkward, but then there was a sudden loud voice from behind them.

“Hey, you two!”

Halbert and Kuu jumped into the air. ““Whuh?!””

They turned around, blinking rapidly, and Halbert’s father, Glaive, was standing there with a stern look on his face.

“O-Old man?! What was that for, out of nowhere?!” Halbert exclaimed.

While Halbert protested, clenching his chest over his pounding heart, Glaive crossed his burly arms and gave him what for.

“How long are you going to stay slack-jawed here, in this meeting where the most important people in this country are gathered! You especially, Halbert! You’re going to be a married man soon. You’ll be expected to do even more for His Majesty. If you’re like this, it’s a disgrace to Young Miss Kaede and Ruby, who are doing you the favor of marrying you! I can’t give you the headship of the House of Magna just yet, I see.”

“You say that, but we both know you don’t plan to retire anytime soon,” Halbert said, resentfully puffing up his cheeks.

Seeing that father-son exchange, Kuu started talking to Leporina in a whisper. “Looks like dads are the same wherever you go...”

“I know. It’s like I’m looking at you and His Excellency. I’m sure Sir Glaive is trying to act as a wall for Sir Halbert to overcome. It’s a reflection of his high expectations for his son. Like how His Excellency sent you out into the world to broaden your horizons.”

“...Hmph,” Kuu muttered. “Well, it’s good to see they’re full of energy.”

As Kuu and Leporina were having that conversation, Halbert and Glaive continued their father-son quarrel, and Kaede and Ruby intervened to calm Glaive down.

With both his future daughters-in-law mediating, Glaive had no choice but to simmer down.

While the master and servant from the Republic of Turgis looked on with wry smiles, unable to not feel invested in the father-son squabble they were watching, several others were having a conversation with the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Poncho.

Talking with Poncho were Colbert, the Minister of Finance, who was a former vassal of the Principality of Amidonia; Herman, who was Roroa’s grandfather as well as the lord of the city of Nelva in the south of the Amidonia Region; and Margarita Wonder, the former female commander from the principality who now worked as a singer.

Behind Poncho were Komain and the head maid, Serina. Komain had just recently become his personal attendant.

Poncho said nervously, “Y-You were also called in, Sir Colbert?”

Colbert nodded. “Yes. I hear that Julius...no, Sir Julius, Lady Roroa’s elder brother...is involved in this matter. Also, because a large force will be sent out of the country on this occasion, we will likely be called in to manage the Amidonia Region in His Majesty’s absence.”

“Y-You will? Then in that case, yes, Madam Margarita was called in as a commander, not a singer?”

Margarita was clad in armor, and she thumped a fist on her breastplate. Being a tall woman to begin with, just that action alone was enough to make her feel intimidating.

“I am glad to be able to act as a commander for the first time in a long while! I did not let my training as a warrior degrade in my time as a singer.”

“Hm, your fighting spirit is impressive,” Herman grinned. “This old soldier’s blood is starting to boil.”

Perhaps having been set off by Margarita, Herman was now in high spirits. The warrior aura emitted by these two militarists made the two bureaucratic types who kept far away from the battlefield feel a little weirded out.

Meanwhile, as for Serina and Komain who were watching over this exchange...

“Madam Margarita shows impressive vigor for a woman,” Komain said. “I can feel my blood as a member of a hunting tribe beginning to stir too.”

“You’re getting too heated,” Serina informed her. “Those who serve must keep a cool mind at all times.”

“You say that, Madam Serina, but you’re quite the fighter yourself, aren’t you? Does this not stimulate your combat instincts?”

“The more heated you get, the more it creates openings for your enemies. Calm your heart, feign calmness, and bury your foes without your master ever noticing. That is the way of a royal maid.”

“...Are the royal maids assassins or something?”

They were having a conversation more violent than would be expected from maids.

In contrast to the assassin-like maid, the commander of the Black Cats, who were more ninjas than assassins, was in the corner of the room leaning against a pillar. Because Kagetora wore a cloak made for scouting, enchanted with magic that made him harder to notice even if he were wearing a black tiger mask and totally intimidating black armor, nobody around him paid him any notice.

Except for one person. A single young girl approached Kagetora, who was supposed to be difficult to perceive.

“Long time no see. Have you been well?” The one casually addressing him was Excel, commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force.

It seemed that as a member of the sea serpent race, who were sensitive to magical power, she could sense Kagetora’s perception-diverting magic.

When Kagetora was addressed by this sea serpent beauty, who looked to be twenty-five years old, he moved his back from the pillar, stood up straight, and bowed with his arms crossed in front of him. “Why, Duchess Walter, it is a pleasure. I am most honored that you would speak to a man of the shadows such as myself. However, though you say, ‘long time no see,’ where have we ever seen one another? I was under the impression this was our first time meeting.”

“Oh... Come to think of it, that was the story, wasn’t it?” Excel pressed her fingers against her forehead and shook her head as if in exasperation. Though Excel found it bothersome to go along with this sort of story, she couldn’t have a conversation otherwise, so she decided to play along for now. “Well then...nice to meet you, Sir Kagetora. Did His Majesty call you here?”

When she was dealing with the commander of the Black Cats, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force was in a much higher position, so Excel didn’t bother with formalities and just spoke frankly.

“Yes,” he said. “I expect to be tasked with intelligence operations in the Union of Eastern Nations.”

“If he’s gathering this many of his vassals...it will be a dispatch of troops of a size we haven’t seen since Amidonia,” Excel said. “It was important enough to call you here after all.”

“To move a large force, we cannot neglect our preparations against the neighboring countries. I expect there will be a large movement in the positions of our troops, even among those who stay behind.”

“I have to feel bad for His Majesty, this coming up at an important time when his child is about to be born.” Excel suddenly looked at Kagetora’s face and giggled. “Oh, by the way...I hear Princess Liscia is having twins. Did you go to see her in Sir Albert’s domain?”

“It would be inappropriate for a mere spy such as myself to meet with the princess.”

“Oh? I would have thought you would be unable to help but worry?”

“...”

Excel had a teasing smile, while Kagetora’s mouth was drawn tight in a straight line. However, he eventually gave in to the grinning Excel and opened his mouth.

“I have not met her,” he said at last. “However, I made a request of my master, and was allowed to guard Sir Albert’s domain for a short period of time. That is how I know she is well.”

“Hehe!” Excel smiled with a face that said, I got you.

Though Kagetora’s face couldn’t be seen under the black tiger mask, he awkwardly turned to look away.

At that moment, the room suddenly went quiet.

Souma had appeared in the audience chamber with Aisha, Roroa, and Hakuya.

The people there hurried to their positions, which were determined by title. When Souma stood before the throne, they all sat at once.

Souma looked down at his vassals and made a declaration.

“I thank you for responding to my sudden summons. It has been decided that we will send reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations at the request of the Gran Chaos Empire. I will now announce who will be sent as part of that force, and who will remain in the kingdom.”

◇　◇　◇

Looking at the faces of the assembled officers and bureaucrats, I announced the names that Hakuya and I had agreed would be joining the expedition to the Union of Eastern Nations.

“First, we will be dispatching roughly 60,000 troops from the Army of the National Defense Force,” I said.

“““Ooooh...””” There was an exclamation of amazement from the people in the hall.

The National Defense Force of the Kingdom of Friedonia, organized from the former Forbidden Army, Army, Navy, and Air Force of Elfrieden, as well as the forces of the Principality of Amidonia, had a total land force of roughly 130,000.

This dispatch of troops would make use of close to half of that, so it was hard to blame the people assembled here for being impressed. In fact, this would be our first military operation since the war with the principality.

“I will be heading out with the troops myself,” I said. “Because of that, I will be the commander-in-chief of the reinforcements, but in practical terms command will be left to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Ludwin of the National Defense Force. In addition, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, Excel, will remain in this country, and while I am away, she will be responsible for shoring up the country’s defenses. I assume that is fine. Correct, both of you?”

“Yes, sir! As you command!” Ludwin said.

“In your absence, I will defend this country with my life,” Excel added.

Ludwin and Excel were kneeling in the front row, both bowing their heads in unison.

I nodded, then called out to the General of the Air Force who was waiting beside them. “Tolman!”

“Yes, sir.”

“This dispatchment of reinforcements will be different from a military operation inside the country. Inside the country we can quickly move troops and provisions around with the road network and rhinosauruses, but that will not be possible inside the Union of Eastern Nations. Because of that, we will have half of the Air Force carry supplies. Poncho!”

“Y-Yes! I am here, yes!” Poncho hurried forward and prostrated himself when called.

“On this occasion, I task you with the management of supplies, the foremost of which will be provisions for our troops. Work with Tolman of the Air Force and ensure that supplies reach the reinforcements without interruption.”

“I-It will be done, yes!” Poncho said firmly, accepting his orders.

I had received a report saying that just having Poncho, who was revered as Ishizuka the God of Food by the common people, as the one in charge of managing the troops’ provisions would be enough to raise morale, so I had been having Poncho study supply line management while he was in Venetinova.

He was still new at it, but the actual commands would come from the bureaucrats assigned to work under him, so it would be fine. He just needed to nominally be the one in charge.

I nodded, then addressed the people assembled in the hall.

“I am sure I will consult Hakuya, Excel, Ludwin, and Tolman to make decisions about the army and air force units to be dispatched as reinforcements later. In a separate matter from that, I will announce the placement of commanders as a precautionary measure against the neighboring countries while I am on campaign now!”

I paused to take a breath, then called their names.

“Herman! Owen!”

““Yes, sir!””

In response to me calling their names, both raised their strong voices.

Roroa’s grandfather, Herman, was a military commander. And Owen, my martial arts teacher, also doubled as a sounding board for me.

“I will have you two defend against the Mercenary State Zem in the west,” I said. “They claim neutrality, so I don’t expect them to invade us as a nation. However, ever since the last war, I’m sure that country has had a poor opinion of us, so they may do something to harass us. Remain duly vigilant and defend the people of the Amidonia Region.”

“Yes, sir! Leave it to us!”

“We can’t let the young’uns outdo us just yet!”

Herman and Owen pounded their chests in unison.

These old men were more muscular than would be expected at their age, so they looked reliable.

“Next, in regard to preparations against the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State in the northwest... Glaive!”

“Yes, sir!” Hal’s old man Glaive responded.

“I want you to enter Van and prepare for the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State there.”

“Yes, sir. Leave it to me.”

“Indeed I will. But be careful. The Orthodox Papal State doesn’t just use military operations; we anticipate they could also incite their believers into an uprising or use any number of other underhanded tricks. As a countermeasure, I will send Margarita and Bishop Souji with you. Both of you, step forward.”

Both Margarita and Souji came forward and knelt. Unlike Margarita, who bowed her head deeply, Souji belonged to another country, so he only gave me a slight nod.

“Margarita has the respect of the people of the Amidonia Region for her former work as a military commander, and now as a singer,” I announced. “If she has a firm grip on the hearts of the people in the northwest, it will be harder for the higher-ups in the Orthodox Papal State to stir them up. Furthermore, I want to use Bishop Souji as the representative of Lunarian Orthodoxy in this country, to sever the bond between the believers in this country and the Orthodox Papal State. Bishop Souji, can I count on you to do that?”

Even though he was a bishop of Lunarian Orthodoxy, Souji had little loyalty to the Orthodox Papal State. But he was still technically one of their people, so, in his case, I issued it as a request, not an order.

If I gave him orders, it would be deemed I was treating Souji like a retainer, and the Orthodox Papal State might excommunicate him as a heretic who had left their control and try to send a different bishop. To prevent a headache like that, I needed Souji to publicly remain on the side of the Orthodox Papal State for now.

“Oh, dear. It looks like I have no choice...” Souji shrugged his shoulders with a wry smile. “Having been sent to this country as a bishop, I find it hard to accept a situation where our believers and the people of this country would turn against one another. Allow me to cooperate with you.”

“Thanks. Glaive, work with them to defend our border with the Orthodox Papal State.”

“Yes, sir. It will be done.”

When I had finished giving them their orders (and request), the three of them stood down, and I looked to Excel.

“I will be having you stay in Parnam, I’m sure. During that time, is there anyone who can run the National Naval Defense Force, and prepare against the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union?”

“In that case...I believe you could have Castor do it,” Excel said with a bow.

Castor’s name sent a murmur through the crowd. She was recommending a man who, even though it had been the result of the intertwining of various complicated intentions, had once raised the flag of rebellion against me, so it was inevitable there would be resistance to the idea. However, Excel seemed unconcerned about the mood of the room, and continued as if nothing had happened.

“In the time since he was left in my custody, I have thoroughly educated Castor in the ways of a naval force. Castor has also tried to mingle with the marines, deepening his relationship with them, and winning their trust. That said, there have been times when he has gotten a little too ‘rowdy.’”

As Excel said that, she cast a sideways glance at Castor.

In that moment, his shoulders shuddered, and he looked away.

It was like the reaction of a child who’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Did she have some dirt on him?

That concerned me a little, but it didn’t seem particularly important from the way Excel was talking, so I was probably fine to ignore it.

I asked Castor a question. “Castor. You heard what Excel said. Can I leave the navy under your command?”

“Y-Yes, sir! If that is your order, I will do my utmost to follow it.” Castor bowed his head.

I nodded, then gave the order. “Castor. Take control of the navy in place of Excel and prepare against the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. However, limit operations to the seizure of vessels engaged in illegal fishing and do everything within your power to avoid a situation that may result in armed conflict. We can’t enter a serious state of war with another country when we have so many troops sent up north after all.”

“Yes, sir! As you command!”

“Also...” I walked down the stairs to whisper in Castor’s ear, “Don’t you dare use the Hiryuu. I don’t want other countries learning it exists yet.”

Construction on the island-type pseudo-carrier Hiryuu which could be loaded with wyvern cavalry was more or less complete. It had been decided that a second ship, Souryuu, and a third ship, Unryuu (both named by yours truly of course), were going to be built, but we wanted the first one done before that. Even though it could be put into operation, we couldn’t use our trump card on a fishing dispute and have other countries find out about it. Using wyverns to patrol the sea would make it a lot easier though.

Maybe Castor understood all of that, because he nodded.

“Understood,” he whispered back. “I will only use traditional ships to clamp down on them.”

“I’m counting on you,” I whispered. “Oh, and...”

From there we discussed some other things, then I went back to my position from before.

“Now then, Castor, I will be counting on you.”

When I declared that, Castor said, “Yes, sir,” and prostrated himself.

Now preparations were made for the west, north(west), and east of the country. That only left the south.

“Lastly, regarding our preparations against the Republic of Turgis...”

“Hold on, Bro!” Kuu stood up and cut me off.

“Y-Young Master! You mustn’t interrupt Sir Souma when he’s speaking!” Leporina, who was beside him, hurriedly pulled on his sleeve.

However, Kuu paid no heed to her, and looked me in the eye as he kept talking. “My old man...the head of the republic, Gouran Taisei...swore an oath of friendship with you, didn’t he? Do you think he’s going to betray you and invade?”

Another murmur ran through the crowd. That young man had suddenly shown disrespect to the king, and, at the same time, had revealed himself to be the son of the republic’s head of state. Many of those gathered here hadn’t known Kuu’s identity.

To quiet them, I answered in a way that showed no concern for Kuu’s disrespect. “I trust Sir Gouran. However, it’s the job of a king to prepare for unexpected outcomes. Besides, it’s not just Sir Gouran; there’s also a council of elders made up of chiefs from each race, right? I don’t think you can say that none of those races will attempt to invade us without Sir Gouran’s knowledge.”

I tried using logic with him, but Kuu wasn’t satisfied.

“My old man will take care of anyone like that on his side. Gouran Taisei isn’t a man who easily betrays his friends!”

“But still...”

“Ookyakya, are you that worried? How about taking me with the reinforcements as a visiting general?” Kuu pointed at himself with a jab of his thumb.

...Come again?

“How did this become about taking you with me?” I asked.

“As a hostage, you know, a hostage. Keep me somewhere I can be executed immediately, and I’m sure my old man’ll keep the hawks in line out of fear for losing his darling heir.” Kuu said that with a laugh, as if it was no big deal.

I wonder why... I was starting to get a bit of a headache.

“Do...you have any idea what you’re saying?” I asked carefully.

“You bet I do, Bro. I mean, I’m thinking it’s a good chance for me, you know? I came to this country to broaden my horizons. There aren’t many chances for a guy from the southernmost country on this continent to visit the border of the Demon Lord’s Domain up north after all!”

“It’s not that I don’t understand why you’d want to, but...”

It was because there were so few opportunities that I’d refused Liscia’s suggestion of, “Can’t you leave it to your retainers?” as a way to lead the reinforcements myself. However, was it all right for me to bring the boy I was entrusted with by another country to a place I knew would be dangerous?

I was hesitant and looked to Hakuya.

Hakuya shrugged his shoulders in exasperation and answered me briefly. “...Yes, I think that should be fine.”

He must have decided that what Kuu was saying made sense at least. Was there no helping it?

From the look in his eyes, Kuu was probably going to come with me even if I refused.

I sighed. “...Fine. I will allow you to accompany me as a visiting general. I will not make any special deployments against the Republic of Turgis at present. However, if there is any movement, I will leave it to Excel’s judgment.”

“Ookya! Thanks, Bro.”

“But make sure you report this to Sir Gouran, would you? Also, I’ll allow you to act as a visiting general, but by no means are you to act recklessly. I know how brave you are, but cordial relations between the kingdom and republic rest on your shoulders. You absolutely must respect my orders. Understood?”

“Yeah, I get it! I swear I won’t do anything reckless!” Kuu responded with spunk.

Was he serious though? I was probably going to have to ask Leporina to keep a tight rein on him later... Good grief.

Well, there was that dispute at the end there, but with this, most of the deployments were decided.

I ended by addressing the assembly. “Now then, I’ll be counting on all of you.”

“““Yes, sir!”””

In response to my words, the assembly all prostrated themselves in unison.

I went to leave the audience chamber with Aisha, Roroa, and Hakuya, the same as the way I had come. As I passed by Kagetora, who was hiding behind a pillar, I whispered an order to him.

“Probe the situation in the Union of Eastern Nations. Also, send Inugami to me later.”

“By your will.”

After that short exchange, Kagetora vanished from the audience chamber before we could leave ourselves.

I dunno... I think his ninja act has gotten even more polished than before.

Now then, all that was left was to decide who would be coming with me other than the military personnel.

We moved to the governmental affairs office, then had the people we needed to discuss things with gather once again.

Inside the office with me were Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden, my fiancées, as well as Hakuya, Tomoe, Hal, Kaede, Ruby, Poncho, Serina, Komain, and Colbert, for a total of fourteen people.

I had the assembled people sit at a long table where the bureaucrats usually worked, and once I had confirmed everything was ready, I began speaking.

“Now then, shall we start by reviewing the current situation?”

I then explained all the details about the dispatchment of reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations from the beginning. There were members here who hadn’t been in the audience chamber before after all.

That and, though I had deliberately not touched on it earlier, I explained this time that while this dispatchment was in response to a request from the Empire, it was also because of a request for reinforcements from Roroa’s brother, Julius.

I had decided that this was less of an international issue and more of a family one, so only those people who were closest to us needed to know.

When he heard Julius had sent a request for reinforcements, Hal got a funny look on his face. “Julius?! That’s the guy we fought a war with, right?! Is it okay to trust something a guy like that—ow! What was that for, Kaede?!”

Hal looked at Kaede, who was sitting beside him, in surprise. It sounded like Kaede had either pinched him under the table or stepped on his foot.

Kaede pinched her temples, shaking her head in exasperation. “That’s Sir Julius, Hal. No matter what position he may have been in before, he is the elder brother of the third primary queen candidate Roroa, and that blood connection makes him His Majesty’s future brother-in-law. You have to show him the proper respect, you know.”

“Urkh... Sorry.” Faced with a reasonable argument, Hal bowed his head and apologized.

Roroa waved her hand. “Ohh, don’t you worry about it. It’s a matter of fact that my big brother was an enemy. If he’s tryin’ to say, ‘Save me!’ now, it feels like it’s a little late for that.”

“Princess...” Colbert sent a worried glance her way. He was the only one in this gathering who had known the Amidonia siblings from a young age, so he was aware of Roroa’s complicated feelings.

Then Roroa stood up and bowed her head to everyone else. “This time, I don’t think I can get away from accusations of givin’ preferable treatment to a family member. It’s just that, from what the stuff in my brother’s letter was sayin’, he seems to have changed from the brother I knew. I dunno what went and caused that change of heart, but...I’m thinkin’ we can engage with him more constructively than before. So, I was hopin’... I was hoping you could, please, lend him your strength.”

Roroa closed out not with her usual merchant slang, but with a politely worded request in ordinary language. That must have been her speaking as the princess of the former Principality of Amidonia.

I plopped a hand down on Roroa’s shoulder. “I understand. It’s because I agree with you that I decided to send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Lastania.”

“Darlin’...”

I had Roroa raise her head, then looked to Komain. “Besides, it seems Jirukoma is in the Kingdom of Lastania too.”

“Big Brother...” Komain whispered. Her brother was in an area facing intense fighting because of the manami, the demon wave, so she must have been worried.

“Komain,” I said. “You’re working for Poncho now, right?”

“Y-Yes! He has kindly allowed me to serve under him.”

“Poncho will oversee the transportation of provisions for the reinforcements that we’ll be sending. I want you to support him with Serina. You’ll likely be going to the Kingdom of Lastania too.”

“Ah! You would allow me to come with you?!”

I smiled at Komain’s wide-eyed reaction. “Roroa, who had an antagonistic relationship with her brother, is worried about him. You got along with your brother, so it must be even worse for you. Besides, with a martial background like yours, you won’t be a hindrance. So, there you have it, Poncho. We’ll be taking your retainers with us. Is that all right?”

Poncho nodded vigorously. “If that is what you want, then of course, yes.”

There was a hint of joy on Komain’s face as she bowed her head. “Th-Thank you so much! Your Majesty, Poncho.”

Poncho said, “I’m glad for you, yes,” putting a hand on her shoulder.

I looked to Serina, who was beside them with an impassive look on her face. “Serina, that’s how it is. Can I count on you too?”

“It would seem I have no other choice. Besides, the princess is away, and with Carla attending to her, I would be left with nothing to do. I will ask that you allow me to take care of Sir Poncho for the time being.”

“I-I’m sorry to trouble you, yes,” Poncho said apologetically.

The corners of Serina’s mouth turned up just a little. “Why, yes. I do think you should show your gratitude with action.”

Poncho nodded with sweat beading on his forehead. “I-I will make a dish you like, yes.”

“Hehe. That’s a promise.”

Serina wore a slight, satisfied smile. Poncho seemed relieved to have improved her mood. Komain was using a cloth to wipe the sweat that had beaded on Poncho’s brow.

It was hard to tell the balance of power between these three, but despite some bumps here and there, they seemed to be in tune with each another, so it was fine.

I returned to the task at hand and addressed everyone. “Well, on that note, we’ll also be having Roroa along. Colbert. I know I’m going to be causing you trouble by taking Roroa, but hold down the fort for us while we’re gone.”

“Yes, sir. This is for my princess after all. Please, leave the finances to me.”

“I’m counting on you.” I nodded. “Next, in light of the possibility that we’ll encounter demons, Tomoe will be coming with us. And considering their combat potential, Aisha and Naden will be coming along too. We’ll be acting together for the most part anyway, but I’ll be tasking Aisha and Naden to serve as bodyguards for Roroa and me. I intend to have Inugami be Tomoe’s bodyguard.”

“Big Sis Ai, Nadie, we’ll be countin’ on ya.” Roroa bobbed her head up and down.

Aisha thumped one hand on her chest. “Leave it to us! I will protect Madam Roroa! So, Madam Naden, you look after His Majesty!”

“Roger that. I’ll stake my pride as a dragon on it.” Naden imitated her and thumped a hand on her chest lightly too.

Seeing them both puff up their chests in front of one another, I couldn’t help but feel all warm inside.

I next spoke to Juna, who was watching the two of them with a gentle smile. “If I’m being honest, I want you to come, Juna, but I’d prefer to avoid a situation where the king and all his fiancées are away from the castle, so please stay behind.”

“It can’t be helped,” she said. “Lady Liscia is away too, so someone should watch over the castle.”

Though Juna seemed a tad disappointed, she placed her hands together at her chest and bowed a little.

“By your will, Your Majesty. Please, allow me to hold down the fort for you. But if there is anything I can be of help with, just say the word. I will fly to your side in no time.”

“Right. If it comes up, I’ll be counting on you.”

We looked into one another’s eyes for a short while. I felt like those eyes were telling me, Be sure you come home safely.

When I gave her a big nod, hoping to reassure her as much as possible, Juna smiled a little.

Then Hakuya said, “Sire... A word, if I may?”

He was asking permission to speak, so I granted it.

“It’s about this dispatchment of troops,” he said. “We should consider the possibility that this may become a long-term engagement. What will we do about the coronation and wedding ceremony scheduled for the end of this year?”

“Oh! I totally forgot about that.”

We had a coronation ceremony to formally make me the king of this country and a wedding with Liscia and the others planned for the end of the year, right? There was no way of knowing when the demon wave would subside, and even if I could return by the end of the year, things were going to be hectic. It was probably going to overlap with Liscia giving birth too.

Well, when I’d asked Liscia about it, she’d said, “I can still attend with my belly sticking out, you know?” It hadn’t seemed to bother her, but it’d worry me to no end if she did that, so I hoped she’d stop saying things like that.

“Let’s put it off until next spring for now,” I said. “Liscia has the birth to deal with, so it’d be better to do it once the children are born and things settle down. Arrange it that way.”

“Understood,” Hakuya said with a bow.

That was everything taken care of.

When I got up, everyone else practically jumped out of their seats. I brought my right arm down toward them and gave the order.

“Now then, people! So that Liscia’s childbirth, the coronation, the wedding, and all that other good stuff can happen in peace, let’s all work together to get through this crisis!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Now, let’s go to the north, which is crawling with monsters.

Chapter 4: Defending the Walls of Lasta Castle

The manami, or demon wave. It was a phenomenon of monsters appearing en masse from the Demon Lord’s Domain and moving south.

The second year after Souma assumed the throne, the 1,547th year of the Continental Calendar, was the year that the third demon wave after the Demon Lord’s Domain’s appearance broke out.

In cases where monsters overflowed from a dungeon, even if those monsters formed groups, there were, at most, several dozens of them. But in the case of a demon wave, over 10,000 monsters would suddenly invade the nations of mankind.

Naturally, unlike when they emerged from a narrow dungeon, the monsters would be scattered across the border as they invaded, so there would be fewer monsters on any given battlefield, and the pressure put on defenses would vary from place to place, depending on the monsters’ weakness or strength.

However, if thousands of powerful monsters invaded at once, a small country would be mercilessly trampled underfoot, and a medium-sized country would likely face an existential crisis.

One of the locations seeing heavy fighting in this year’s demon wave was the Kingdom of Lastania on the northwest edge of the collection of small- to medium-sized countries known as the Union of Eastern Nations.

This country had a population of under 20,000 and a force of merely 500 career soldiers, but a swarm of over 5,000 monsters was now bearing down on it.

Most of them were lizardmen, which had lizard heads and scaly upper bodies that were humanoid, but their legs more in line with a small beast. (If one were to compare them to a dinosaur from Souma’s world, the closest would be a deinonychus.)

Their name may be lizardmen, but their actions were purely bestial in nature, and there was no sign of the high intelligence said to be possessed by the demons.

There were also countless chimeras lurking around near the lizardmen.

The number of these monsters was more than the Kingdom of Lastania could handle alone, but both the Union of Eastern Nations they belonged to and the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom they were allied with were being affected by the demon wave and were too busy attending to their own problems to be able to send help.

So, in response to this situation, the Kingdom of Lastania gathered the people who had been unable to escape southward in time to the country’s sole walled city, Lasta, and settled in for a siege.

Unfortunately, the Kingdom of Lastania only had a regular army of around 500 men, and even with another fifty volunteer soldiers, they still had fewer than 600 men in total. These weren’t numbers that could repel over 5,000 monsters.

To make up for that, they conscripted 3,000 combat-capable men from the 10,000 citizens they had taken in and assigned them to guard the castle walls. This brought the number of defenders up to 3,500, but most of them were ordinary people. A common person couldn’t take on even a weak monster alone, so it was fair to call their situation desperate.

But the Kingdom of Lastania was still doing a good job of holding out.

—Noon of the 15th day, 10th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—On the walls of Lasta—

“Archers, take aim! There’s no need to target distant enemies on the ground! Focus fire on those climbing the walls and be sure to hit them!”

Julius was giving commands at the southern gate of the walls as they were attacked by lizardmen.

Julius was a visiting general in this country, but no one in this land was a more experienced commander than him, so he had temporarily been given total control over the forces of Lastania.

Before Julius’s eyes, he could see soldiers focused on the enemies that had approached the gate. They had arrows nocked and turned toward the gate that must not fall.

Julius hurriedly shouted at them. “You fools! Focus on the enemy in front of you!”

“No, but if the gate were to fall...” one of the soldiers began objecting. “Uwah?!”

His legs gave out as a lizardman poked its head through the arrow slit in front of him. It had climbed up the wall.

The lizardman stood before the soldier, who was too shocked to regain his footing. It flicked its lizard tongue and opened its mouth wide to feed on the soldier.

“Eek!” The soldier raised his arms to cover his face in abject terror.

In the next instant, the dull sound of something piercing flesh reached the soldier’s ears. However, the man didn’t feel any pain, so he hesitantly dropped his arms.

There was a single saber piercing the lizardman through the mouth.

“...I warned you,” Julius said.

It was his saber piercing the lizardman.

Julius pushed the lizardman against the edge of the wall along with his saber. Then, kicking it in the torso, he sent it over while tearing his saber free. The dead lizardman’s body fell straight down the outside of the wall.

Eventually, realizing he had been saved, the soldier looked up to Julius. “Th-Thank you so much!”

“...Hmph.” Julius swung his saber, flinging the lizardman’s blood from it, then raised his voice once more. “Listen! The enemy is not fighting a siege! The ones surrounding this castle don’t have the intellect to enter a house through the front door to begin with! They try to climb both the walls and the gate! That’s why you should all focus on the enemy in front of you!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Impressed by their commander’s show of bravery, the soldiers’ morale went up just a little.

The soldiers fired on the lizardmen as they tried climbing the walls and knocked them down with thrusts of their spears. The sight gave Julius a moment of relief, but he continued shouting.

“That’s the way! Don’t let up on guarding the anti-air repeating bolt throwers on the corners of the walls! If they’re destroyed, fliers will be able to cross the walls and attack those behind us!”

He was referring to those warped chimera monsters that wandered around within the pack of lizardmen. These monsters were a mishmash of different animal features, and it was not possible to describe them uniformly. Some crawled on the ground, while others flew, making it more difficult to respond to them.

It wasn’t that the lizardmen and chimera monsters were working together. The chimeras were scavengers. When the lizardmen attacked the soldiers, the chimeras stalked the area, looking to claim the dead soldiers and lizardmen’s meat for themselves.

They were nothing but scavengers so long as those around them were dangerous to them, such as the soldiers and lizardmen. But if the chimeras encountered weaker prey, they would attack fiercely.

If the anti-air repeating bolt throwers were destroyed, the winged monsters would attack the non-combatants hiding behind the walls. That had to be prevented at all costs.

One of the experienced soldiers rushed over to Julius. “Sir Julius, do you think the other walls are safe?”

“Madam Lauren is defending the east gate, and Jirukoma is protecting the west gate. We have positioned many of the regular forces on the north side, where there is no gate. If I am being honest, the defenses are weakest here. So long as there is no breach here, I doubt they will get through anywhere else.”

“I see...” The experienced soldier nodded in satisfaction, then returned to his post.

Julius continued directing the troops as he watched him go. “Listen! Those behind us cannot fight! To defend them, we must not let the enemy get past us here! If we fight hard and buy time, I am sure reinforcements from another country will eventually arrive! We must be patient until then! Everyone, be brave, and fight!”

“““Yeahhhhhh!””” the soldiers cried out in response.

Maybe the soldiers on the east and west walls heard, because a cheer went up from both of their groups as well.

Even surrounded by the heated atmosphere of a battle to the death, Julius was maintaining his natural coolness, and he had a firm grasp of the current situation.

I know I said that to the soldiers, but...I have no idea when support will arrive, he reflected grimly. I cannot be sure that it will. We’re managing to hold them off for now, but if they continue to wear us down, then eventually...

Julius shook his head. If their commander was overcome by negative thinking, the men would panic. He had to stay cool and composed.

Julius glanced north toward the royal manor. Behind him there was someone he wanted to, had to, protect, no matter what happened.

I won’t let these things eat Tia!

Clinging to the innocent smile of the girl who had saved his heart, Julius continued giving orders.

Eventually the sun went down, and night fell on Lasta.

Maybe the lizardmen had poor night vision, because they didn’t attack at night. In their place, the chimera monsters grew more active, and while none tried crossing the walls, they feasted on the corpses of soldiers and lizardmen that were scattered outside the walls.

They couldn’t lower their guards, but for the soldiers who had fought through the day, night was an important time of rest.

Julius, who had been commanding from atop the wall for the entire time, went on break too, and he sat around a campfire with Jirukoma and Lauren. They had both fought hard at their own positions, and the signs of exhaustion were visible on each of their faces.

Julius asked Lauren a question. “This makes five days now, doesn’t it? How many have we lost?”

Lauren bit her lip. “Another hundred today... If we were to tally up all the dead and heavily wounded, it would be around 600.”

That meant almost a sixth of the roughly 3,500 defending soldiers had been rendered unfit for combat.

Jirukoma sighed as he maintained his kukri blades. “We’re at less than 3,000 defenders... Meanwhile, the enemy doesn’t seem to have dropped from 5,000. Even though I’m sure we killed a fair number of them today.”

Julius crossed his arms and spat out his next words. “It seems like more and more keep piling in from the north. Honestly, it troubles me.”

The terror of the demon wave was that monsters would be replenished, with one group following another like waves. It was exhausting to think that, no matter how many they defeated, the number of enemies would never go down.

Admittedly, these were unintelligent monsters, so if too many were in an area, not all of them could participate in battle. That meant they would go past this city and move further south. In other words, while their numbers wouldn’t decrease, they would never build up too much either.

“Do you think the lands to the south are all right?” Lauren pondered.

“We’re in no position to be worrying about others.” Julius completely rejected her concern. “For as long as we hold out here, the number of monsters going south will be kept lower. From the point of view of the countries in the south, even if our country is ultimately destroyed, I’m sure they want us to hold out as long as possible and slay as many monsters as we can.”

“While they have their own countries and families to think of, that does feel a little heartless,” Lauren admitted.

“That’s just how things are. If you haven’t first taken care of yourself, you can’t extend a helping hand to others.”

“I suppose you’re right... I’m sorry, Sir Julius, Sir Jirukoma.” Lauren bowed deeply to the two of them. “I’m sorry for getting foreigners like yourselves caught up in a battle like this. I even have Sir Julius taking full command of our forces... I feel pathetic.”

Though Lauren clenched her fists and bowed her head with a pained look on her face, Jirukoma laughed heartily and put his arm around Julius’s shoulder.

“Raise your head, please, Madam Lauren. We are fonder of this kingdom than you may think. Right, Sir Julius?”

“Get away from me. This is suffocating.” Julius brushed the other man’s arm away, then loudly cleared his throat. “Well...I had no time to escape south after all. As for commanding the troops, there was no one more capable than me, so this was the inevitable result. I’d rather not die under the command of some incompetent fool after all.”

“Hahaha! You say that, but you didn’t have the slightest intent of fleeing without Princess Tia.”

“...You talk too much.”

The awkward frown on Julius’s face made Jirukoma and Lauren burst out laughing.

Light footsteps approached near the three of them. When the three looked up, a petite figure was bringing something large toward them. When that person approached the campfire, Julius’s eyes went wide as he realized who it was.

“Princess, why have you left the royal manor?!”

It was the princess of this country, Tia Lastania. She was wearing her usual Tyrolean-style dirndl with an apron over the top, and she held an earthenware pot in her mittened hands.

When Tia saw Julius, her face burst into a smile.

“I was helping the ladies in town hand out food,” she explained as she offered the pot to the three of them. “Lord Julius, Lauren, Sir Jirukoma. It’s bread porridge with pumpkin and milk. I’m sorry this is all we have for you after you’ve fought so hard...”

“D-Don’t be ridiculous, princess! We gratefully accept it!” Lauren sputtered.

She saluted as she accepted the pot, and Jirukoma patted his belly with a laugh.

“We’re hungry from fighting after all. I’m sure anything will feel satisfying at this point.”

“That’s a rude way to put it...” Julius shook his head in exasperation, but his expression had softened slightly from before.

Then the three of them sat around Tia’s pot of bread porridge to eat.

Tia shrewdly sat herself down in a position where her shoulders would be touching Julius’s. That put a wry smile on Lauren’s face, but she suddenly returned to a more serious expression and asked Julius a question.

“Ultimately, is holing up here our only option?”

“Now that we’re surrounded, escape is impossible,” Julius answered in a calm tone between sips of porridge. “If the enemy were sentient, we could negotiate, but they have nothing in their minds beyond eating the prey in front of them. They just repeatedly attempt to rush the walls. That’s why we’re barely able to fend them off. But...if this is a battle of attrition, it’s going to be difficult.”

“Lord Julius...” Tia grasped his sleeve, her eyes wavering with uncertainty.

Julius put his own hand atop hers as he said, “Whatever the case, we must hold out for now, whatever it takes. We will hold the city while waiting for reinforcements to come from somewhere. That is all we can do now.”

“Will reinforcements...really come?” Tia asked hesitantly. “Father was saying he’s asked the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom and Union of Eastern Nations to send help.”

Julius shook his head. “They may come, but as the other countries of the union and the Dragon Knight Kingdom are also affected by the demon wave, their arrival will be delayed. They all have to prioritize their own countries after all.”

“Oh...” Tia’s shoulders slumped.

Feeling bad for her, Jirukoma asked Julius, “You sent out a request for reinforcements using your own connections, didn’t you? Do we have any hope of them showing up?”

“You did?!” Tia’s face shot up and she looked at Julius.

Unable to meet her pleading eyes, Julius turned away as he answered. “I give us fifty-fifty odds. In the end, it’s a matter of if that man will send troops or not.”

Julius’s connections. That meant relying on his little sister Roroa, who was now the candidate to become third primary queen to the provisional king, Souma Kazuya of the Kingdom of Friedonia. It meant having Roroa put in a word with Souma to have him dispatch troops.

For Julius, they were both people he had been antagonistic toward, but he could in no way afford to be fixated on that now. To protect the darling girl who was beside him, Julius was prepared to bow his head to those he was at odds with.

However, on hearing him say the odds were fifty-fifty, Jirukoma tilted his head to the side questioningly. “Is it really fifty-fifty? I understand there are two options for Souma, to send troops or not, but isn’t there the question of whether your sister passes the request along or not too?”

“No, Roroa will definitely pass it along.”

“You sound certain.”

“My sister is calculating, but once emotions get involved, she’s indecisive. If the brother she exiled comes to her for help, she won’t be able to decide what to do on her own. She will leave the decision up to Souma.”

“So that’s why it’s King Souma’s decision, huh...” Jirukoma shrugged, showing a hint of exasperation. If Julius had asked his sister for help knowing that personality of hers, he was one devious fellow.

Julius laughed derisively at himself before looking at Tia. “Princess. This is the kind of man I am. I’ll even take advantage of my own family if necessary. The blood of the venomous snake of the Princely House of Amidonia still runs in my veins. So...”

“But you’re doing it for us, right?” Tia interrupted Julius’s self-rejecting words. She enveloped his left hand with her own and gave him a warm smile. “It’s okay if you’re a venomous snake. When I see you doing whatever it takes to defend us, Lord Julius...you’re so reliable, and lovable. If the reinforcements come, and you feel bad for what you’ve put your sister through, I will bow my head down alongside you. Because I want your sister to understand that you did it for us.”

“Princess...”

When he was touched by Tia’s smile, Julius could feel the old obsessions inside him melting away.

Julius naturally put his right hand atop Tia’s hands, which were wrapped around his left hand.

They sat together in silence.

Sensing the atmosphere between the two of them, Jirukoma and Lauren quietly slipped away.

The next day, the lizardmen began attacking the walls of Lasta at daybreak.

Their numbers still didn’t appear to have dropped from 5,000 so it was clear another pack of lizardmen had joined up with them.

After days of continuous battle, the defenders’ exhaustion was building.

If this had been an ordinary siege, the attackers would have avoided pressing the attack in a way that only increased losses, seeking instead to find an opening in the defense. They would have desisted immediately when it became clear the defenders wouldn’t break, trying instead to limit the damage to their own forces.

The lizardmen, however, tried scaling the walls no matter how many of their fellows fell, charging in to eat the people inside. The death of their comrades and the exhaustion of their forces meant nothing to them.

Because of that, the defenders had almost no time to relax, and they had been pushed to the edge both mentally and physically.

Even so, the soldiers of Lastania up on the walls fought their hardest to prevent a break in their defenses.

When Jirukoma was giving commands near the west gate, one of the volunteer soldiers, who were made up of refugees, came to ask him a question.

“What do you think those things are thinking about when they attack?”

“What do you mean...‘what are they thinking about’?”

“It feels like, rather than trying to take the city, they’re only trying to eat us,” the soldier said. “If they’re that hungry, surely they could just eat the monsters that are lurking around. I mean, they don’t seem to be buddies, as far as I can tell.”

Jirukoma was silent, nodding. That was certainly something he had sensed too.

The first thing the lizardmen did after scaling the walls was try to bite the soldiers. He’d seen that action as a sign of intense hunger.

Looking at the way they continued to rush the walls in search of food, no matter how many of their kind fell, they seemed to have hardly any intelligence. However, if that were true, then why didn’t they try to sate their hunger on the chimera monsters that were nearby? The chimera monsters were feeding on their corpses after all.

Is there some deep reason for it...? Jirukoma wondered, then pushed the thought away. He couldn’t sense any intellect from the lizardmen out there. There was likely no deep reason, and the reason why was probably incredibly simple.

For instance...

“Perhaps we look tasty to them? Maybe that’s why they rush to us?” he suggested.

“Like they think we’re a delicacy?” the soldier asked.

“Who knows. Please, ask the lizardmen.”

While they were talking about that, there was a shout from a soldier near the west gate.

“Sir Jirukoma! They’re close to pushing through on the north side of the western wall!”

The moment he heard that voice, Jirukoma readied the twin kukris that were his favored weapons.

The man who had been asking Jirukoma questions steeled himself, placing a hand on the hilt of the sword slung over his back.

“Strike team, let’s go,” Jirukoma said simply to the volunteer soldiers around him, then took off running toward the northern side.

About five volunteer soldiers followed behind him.

When they eventually reached the point where the lizardmen were close to pushing through, Jirukoma simultaneously severed the heads of two that had just climbed up the wall. Those who had followed him each took down the lizardmen near them, securing the wall.

When Jirukoma saw that they were done, he gave an order to those who had followed him. “We’re lightening the load here. Follow me!”

No sooner had he said that than Jirukoma leapt down outside the wall where lizardmen were swarming.

Using wind magic to land safely, he spun himself around, cutting apart the lizardmen around him. Then he cut his way through the middle of the pack, taking down one target after another.

The members of what was called the strike team did likewise, cutting down any lizardmen they could get their hands on.

Being a fighter by nature, Jirukoma couldn’t command the whole force as well as Julius might. However, as a single warrior, he was better than anyone in this kingdom. Because of that, when there was a point in the western defense that looked like it may fail, he and his men would jump in and use their rare combat ability to push the enemy back.

In addition to the martial prowess of Jirukoma and his men, it raised morale whenever Jirukoma displayed his power, so the western wall’s defense was sturdier than any other.

“That’s enough,” he ordered. “We’re going back.”

Whenever the number of lizardmen near the wall dropped off to a degree, Jirukoma immediately ordered a retreat. Though the six of them could launch sneak attacks, they would eventually be surrounded and pulverized.

It was also true that, because they had to keep moving around to avoid being surrounded, they couldn’t keep it up for long. Regardless of the reasons why, it was unwise to stay long.

Jirukoma and his men found indentations in the wall that had to be over ten meters high, quickly bounding up it to return.

“Still...there’s just no end to them, is there?” one of the volunteer soldiers complained as Jirukoma wiped his own sweat from his brow.

Jirukoma slapped that volunteer soldier in the back to encourage him. “We’ve come to this land to return to our homelands. If you let something like this make you whimper, going home will never be anything more than a dream.”

“I-I know, but...”

That was when it happened.

There was the sound of a bugle from the middle of Lasta.

This was the sign to check for smoke signals, and the soldier on lookout shouted, “Sir Jirukoma! There are smoke signs from the east gate!”

“From Madam Lauren, huh?” he called. “What do they say?”

“It’s a sign for the commanders to gather!”

The smoke signal was calling for the commanders, which was to say Jirukoma and Julius, to gather. That must mean that Lauren had something to discuss with them.

“Understood.” Jirukoma nodded sharply. “I will be leaving this place briefly! Everyone, hold your positions! You must hold out until I return! Understood?!”

“““Yeahhhh!””” the soldiers roared.

Jirukoma nodded, then jumped onto a horse prepared and waiting on the inside of the wall.

When Jirukoma reached the center of the city, Julius and Lauren were already there.

“Madam Lauren, has something happened?” Jirukoma asked as he dismounted his horse.

Lauren took off her helmet and stuck it under her arm, then suddenly cried, “I’m sorry!” and bowed her head. “I just received the report, but from what the person managing the castle’s armory says, our supply of arrows is about to run out.”

“No arrows...” Julius murmured.

This was a serious issue. It was only because they had ranged weapons like bows and arrows that the conscripts were able to fight. Without enough arrows, their ability to defend the walls would take a big hit.

Julius squeezed his temples. “It’s only been six days since we settled in for the siege. Did we not have reserves?”

“It’s because the number of regular soldiers we had was low to begin with. We should have had enough to last for two weeks with our current numbers, but the enemy offensive has been intense. Not to mention that many of the men aren’t used to using a bow and arrow, so I think that made us burn through them faster. We currently have the blacksmiths in town making more, but at the rate we’re going through them, they can’t keep up.”

“It’s hopeless then...”

“I’m sorry.” Lauren bowed her head in despair.

Jirukoma put a hand on her shoulder. “Raise your head, Madam Lauren. Surely this isn’t your fault. I believe the people of this country are doing well to hold out while at a disadvantage. If it comes to it, we’ll drop bricks from the rampart, scatter oil, and fend them off with spears.”

“Sir Jirukoma...”

Lauren’s eyes were moist, and Jirukoma patted her on the shoulders to calm her down.

Once he could see Lauren had regained her composure, Jirukoma spoke to Julius. “Still, if it’s come to this, we really are going to be relying on reinforcements. I don’t suppose any of them might happen to be nearby already?”

However, Julius shook his head.

“With us surrounded like this, there’s no information coming in. There’s little hope of reinforcements from inside the Union of Eastern Nations, so...I guess it’s up to the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom.”

“What about reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia? You said you sent a request there, didn’t you?”

“Even if Souma is sending reinforcements, this country is a long way from there. If we consider the pace their troops would move, I can’t see them arriving today or tomorrow.”

“I see...”

The two men frowned, then it happened.

One of the soldiers rushed over in a hurry, taking a knee as if he’d stumbled and fallen over. Looking closer, he had gashes on his arm like he’d been clawed.

“I-I have a report, Captain!”

“Where did you get those wounds?!” Lauren cried.

The soldier kept his head bowed and rapidly gave his report. “The lizardmen rushed the north wall, and they have broken through in places! More than ten of them have headed for the castle and are now fighting the guards!”

Before the soldier could finish his report, Julius had started moving.

“Julius!” cried Jirukoma.

He ignored his fellow soldier, mounted his horse, and raced headlong toward the castle. He couldn’t sit still once he heard the castle was under attack.

Princess Tia...

The royal couple and Princess Tia were in the castle. The princess, the girl who had set Julius’s hardened heart free.

Rushing down the cobblestone road, Julius reached the castle to see lizardmen crawling around the castle like geckos.

“Dammit! Haaaaaa!” he shouted.

Deciding to ignore the lizardmen outside the castle, he rushed into the building still on horseback. Not far inside, he found three lizardmen feasting on the bodies of what must have been the guards. He raced past them, making an angry swing and severing one of their heads from its body as he did.

With an effort, he calmed himself down and thought, If they’ve made it inside the castle, Princess Tia and her family will have fled deeper and deeper inside. There were refugees inside the castle too. In that case, they will have headed for...the great hall!

If one needed a place deep inside that could hold many people, the great hall was about the only one that would be apt.

Having come to that conclusion, Julius raced down the corridors with their high ceilings. He encountered one lizardman along the way, but he calmly dispatched it with his sword. Then he spotted three lizardmen clustered around the door to the great hall. They were clawing at the door, trying to get in.

“Move it!” Julius dismounted from his horse and put his hands on the ground.

In the next moment, spikes of earth erupted through the corridor floor, impaling the three lizardmen at once. It was the same earth-type magic his father Gaius had once used.

The lizardmen let out a muffled cry, then moved no more.

Julius didn’t so much as look at them as he rushed to the door of the great hall. He tried prying the door open, but...he couldn’t.

Julius pressed his body to the door, knocking on it and calling out to the other side. “Princess Tia, are you all right?! It’s me! Julius!”

“Lord Julius?!”

He heard a young girl’s voice from inside. The moment he realized it was Tia’s, Julius was so relieved that his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

There were, however, still quite many lizardmen left, so Julius turned his back to the door and stayed alert.

Most likely, a barricade had been set up inside. He heard movement inside for a while, then eventually the door opened, and Tia burst out to hug him.

“Lord Julius!” she cried.

“Princess Tia... Thank goodness you’re safe.” Julius hugged her back gently.

Beyond the door, he could see Tia’s parents and the refugees. Some were relieved to see Julius, while others were scared witless and unable to comprehend the situation. Their responses varied greatly.

Julius separated himself from Tia and addressed the rest through the door.

“Please, wait in this great hall for now. There are lizardmen wandering around the manor. Our allies will be here soon, I am sure.”

While Julius was calming the people in the great hall, Jirukoma caught up with him. “Julius, it was too reckless for you to come alone!”

“Hmph, you were simply too slow.”

Julius made a snide remark, but Jirukoma pulled on Julius’s arm as if he had no time to care about that.

“Just come. There’s something strange going on outside.”

“Strange?” Julius asked, alert.

He told Tia and the others to close the door tight once more, then cut his way through the lizardmen along with Jirukoma to get back outside.

When they looked up to the sky, they saw a formation of well over a hundred wyverns passing over Lasta. They must have been flying high, because they looked awfully small.

They were likely flying at a height where the anti-air repeating bolt throwers wouldn’t target them.

These clearly weren’t monsters. It was an air force on the side of mankind.

Jirukoma squinted. “Are those...Nothungian soldiers?”

“No, Nothung wouldn’t use wyverns... Besides, they’re coming from the south.”

When Julius said that, he saw something fall from a wyvern. As they squinted up into the skies, some uncountable number of the things suddenly popped open like flowers blooming.

White, round objects were scattered through the sky. They were almost like a swarm of jellyfish.

As they fluttered toward the castle walls, it became clear that there were armed soldiers hanging beneath those white, round things. Then, at that moment, threading between the floating white objects, a big, black shadow descended to the ground.

Swimming through the air like a fish in water, a creature like a massive black sea serpent landed in front of Julius.

It had long whiskers, and horns on its head. It held something resembling a gondola in its hands.

Seeing it was unlike a wyvern or dragon, Julius and Jirukoma both feared it was a new monster attacking and readied their weapons. When they did, the monster shrank before their eyes.

At last, before it shrank away completely, a figure jumped down from its back.

That person in a military uniform with a black cape turned to them and said, “It’s been a while, Jirukoma. You too...Sir Julius.”

Julius was more taken aback. “Sir...Souma, huh.”

This was the first reunion between the current King of Friedonia, Souma Kazuya, and the former Crown Prince of Amidonia, Julius Amidonia, after a whole year.

Chapter 5: Reunion with an Old Foe

—Minutes before Souma and Julius Were Reunited—

“Do not allow yourselves to falter!” Lauren, the captain of the Kingdom of Lastania’s soldiers, was shouting from on top of the northern side of the castle walls. “We mustn’t allow even one more monster past us!”

Using her shield to bash a lizardman as it came over the walls, she was calling out encouragement to her comrades who were close to breaking.

Having heard that several lizardmen had gotten through and were attacking the castle, Lauren wanted to go to their aid, but because Julius and Jirukoma were already on their way, she joined up with the defenders on the north wall and took command there.

She was worried for Princess Tia’s well-being, but to defend the princess, as well as all the other non-combatants behind the walls, she couldn’t allow any more invaders through.

“That’s good!” she shouted. “Everyone, push them baaack!”

Lauren’s display of military prowess raised morale on the north wall. She had somehow managed to force a stalemate with the pack of lizardmen that were climbing up.

Good. We managed to recover somehow. Now...

Lauren was beginning to feel relieved, but then it happened.

“Captain! Look at the sky!” One of the soldiers was pointing to the southern sky and shouting.

When Lauren looked up, there were countless things flying in from the south. For a moment, she worried they were new monsters, but if they were, they must have come from the north.

Eventually, as they approached, she realized they were wyverns with people riding on them. It was a unit of wyvern cavalry.

A military force?! From what country...?!

Then she saw the unit of wyvern cavalry drop something. The thing fell straight toward Lasta, and on the way down, something white opened. The moment the white thing popped open, its speed of descent rapidly declined.

Finally, as it fluttered ever closer to Lasta, Lauren realized there was a person hanging down beneath the white thing.

“Wait, people?!” she cried.

Why would wyvern cavalry drop a person? This was something she had never imagined. Lauren was confused, but then the anti-air repeating bolt thrower opened fire on the person who was coming down.

“Huh?! Oh, damn!”

The anti-air repeating bolt thrower targeted incoming objects. By the time Lauren realized it, there were already a large volume of bolts flying toward the descending person. She thought the person would be shot down, but...

“Tch?! Let’s do this!” The falling person shouted out in surprise, then knocked away the incoming lance-sized bolts one after another with twin spears.

Lauren’s jaw dropped. He knocked down all the anti-air repeating bolt thrower’s bolts?! Is he a monster or something?!

When that person got close enough, she could tell he was a young man with red hair. “Stop the anti-air repeating bolt throwers, please! We’re here as reinforcements!” he shouted.

Reinforcements... Reinforcements?! Lauren repeated the word in her head, and when it finally dawned on her, she hurriedly gave the order to her soldiers.

“Send the signal for the anti-air repeating bolt throwers on each of the walls to hold fire! Those are our reinforcements!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The soldiers given the order rushed to send the smoke signal. Not long after that, the anti-air repeating bolt throwers on each of the four corners of the castle walls went silent.

As if they had been waiting for that, the wyverns in the air unloaded person after person, and, just as before, the white things snapped open in midair.

Most likely, those white things were devices meant to help with landing. But seeing over a hundred of those round, white landing devices open in the sky, they were like dandelion seeds dancing in the wind.

While Lauren was thinking they seemed out of place in this violent war zone, she spotted the red-haired young man who had begun descending first now touching down.

The red-haired young man cut himself free from the now-flat landing device, then rushed over to Lauren.

“Wheeewww. I know I trained for this, but I thought I was going to die there,” the red-haired young man said, spinning his shoulders in a circle.

Despite having shown off the incredible feat of knocking away the giant bolts that had flown at him, the young man seemed like he could still handle more.

“Just...who in the world are you?!” Lauren asked in astonishment, and the red-haired young man stood up straight, saluting her in response.

“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Strike Force Captain Halbert Magna of the Kingdom of Friedonia military’s special landing force, the Dratroopers. Are you the commanding officer here?”

“Huh...? Uh, yes! I am Lauren Fran, the Kingdom of Lastania’s soldier captain. Um, Sir Halbert, did you just say you belong to the Kingdom of Friedonia’s military...?”

She trailed off, starting to feel hopeful.

Halbert gave her a firm nod. “Yes. Souma... King Souma Kazuya of Friedonia received a request from Sir Julius, the former crown prince of Amidonia, and I have come here under his orders to provide support.”

“The reinforcements Sir Julius mentioned... Ah! Then is your main force getting closer too?”

The Kingdom of Friedonia was the major power in the east now. It was unlikely they would have sent a force of fewer than 10,000 troops. That force had to be getting close now.

Or at least, that was Lauren’s hope as she looked expectantly to Halbert, but Halbert awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“Uhh, nope. We’re an advance party. It’ll still be some time until the main force arrives, so we were sent ahead due to our high mobility. We’re here to probe the strength of the monsters, and to support the local defenders so that the city doesn’t fall before the main force can arrive.”

“I... I see...” So the main force was still a way off. Lauren’s shoulders slumped.

Halbert put a hand on her slumped shoulders and gave her a grin. “Oh, don’t you worry. The Dratroopers are the cream of the crop in the Kingdom of Friedonia’s National Defense Force. Now that we’re here... Whoa!”

Halbert jumped up onto the edge of the wall, impaling one of the climbing lizardmen with his right-hand spear. Then, at the same time, he burned the impaled lizardman with flame magic before kicking it down into a group assembled in front of the wall. When it hit the ground...

Boom!

...the burning lizardman exploded. The nearby lizardmen were sent flying by the blast wave. Not only that, the flames kept spreading to the rest of the nearby lizardmen, and they all turned into writhing fireballs.

“““Gugyagyagyagyaggya...””” the lizardmen screamed.

“That’s that,” said Halbert. “I’m not letting them over this wall.”

With flames and smoke rising behind him, Halbert pulled the spear he’d thrown back to him with the thin chain that was connected to the base of both his spears’ shafts. He puffed his chest up in a way that made him look reliable.

Lauren had been struck dumb by the speed with which he acted, but a complaint came down from the sky.

“Don’t you say, ‘I’ve got this!’ Stupid Hal! What kind of knight jumps down alone and abandons his dragon, you dummy?!”

“Whuh?!” Lauren let out yet another cry of surprise.

Looking up in the direction the voice came from, there was a red dragon diving straight down from the sky at them. The dragon opened its mouth wide and spewed fire, cutting a straight line across the pack of lizardmen trying to scale the castle wall.

Bwoooooooooooosh!

A wall of flames rose up, scorching the lizardmen before their eyes. In the middle of that incredible scene, Halbert was bowing his head to the red dragon.

“Hey, Ruby, sorry! It looked bad down here, so I couldn’t help myself...”

“No, do help yourself! Don’t scare me like that, you dummy!”

The red dragon turned its head away, pouting like a young girl.

Lauren could no longer recognize the scene before her as reality. Her mouth hung open. “I-Is the Friedonian military this...ridiculous?”

“I wouldn’t want you thinking of our family as typical, you know,” a beastman girl with fox ears and a tail said as she jumped down from the deep red dragon’s back. The fox-eared girl walked over to Lauren and extended her right hand. “You must be the commander. It’s a pleasure to meet you, you know. I am Hal’s superior, as well as the operational commander of the Dratroopers, Kaede Foxia.”

“...Oh! I’m Captain Lauren!” Lauren hurriedly took Kaede’s hand. But even as they exchanged a firm handshake, Lauren eyed Kaede dubiously. “Um... Since you descended from a dragon, does that make you a dragon knight, Madam Kaede?”

“No. Ruby... That red dragon’s knight is Halbert, you see. Halbert and I are engaged, so she lets me ride her under the reasoning that the spouse of my spouse is kind of like my spouse too.”

“Huh...? You are Sir Halbert’s spouse and superior, and that red dragon is his spouse too?” Lauren was getting confused.

Kaede smiled wryly. “I can explain the details later, you know. There are more important things for now.” Kaede looked toward the castle as she spoke. “I’ve been ordered to have our 200 Dratroopers cooperate with the defenders from each of the walls to keep the monsters out, you see. The first order of business is to secure the walls.”

“I’m grateful for that, but...if you have 200 troops, then that’s fifty per wall, right?” Lauren asked. “No matter how elite all of you are, is that going to be enough to break through the current situation?”

Lauren was worried, but Kaede grinned at her. “It’s true, the number of troops we landed in the castle is 200 strong, but...you’re forgetting something important, you know.”

“Forgetting something important?”

Kaede raised her index finger and pointed straight up.

Lauren followed where she was pointing, and...finally, it dawned on her what Kaede was trying to say.

“That’s right... We still have a force that’s super strong against land-based troops up there, you know,” Kaede said with a grin.

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, around that time, there was an energetic voice on the southern wall.

“Ookyakya! The cavalry’s here! Time to let loose!”

“Young Master, why are you so eager?!”

It was Kuu and Leporina, the master and servant duo from the Republic of Turgis.

The two of them had descended along with the Dratroopers.

When Kuu, participating as a visiting general, had learned of the existence of the Dratroopers, he’d asked Souma to let him parachute in too.

Naturally, Souma had been hesitant at first. “I told you not to do anything dangerous, didn’t I?”

“Come on, Bro! If it makes a difference, I can make my own parachute!”

Kuu’s words had put Souma in a bind. The parachute was a matter of life and death during a drop, and even if an amateur could make one themselves, it wasn’t a thing they should try. However, if he refused, Kuu may make one himself and drop in anyway, so Souma had relented in the face of Kuu’s enthusiasm and begrudgingly given the okay...on the condition that, along with Leporina, experienced Dratroopers would also accompany them.

Like a skydiving instructor with a novice skydiver, the Dratroopers had fastened themselves to Kuu and Leporina as they dropped, and now they were joining up with the defenders on the southern wall.

In contrast to Kuu, hyped to experience his first drop, Leporina still seemed frightened, because her face was pale, and her bunny ears were down flat. “I think...this may be the most I’ve ever regretted being in your service.”

“Ookyaya! Then you’ve never been all that dissatisfied before, huh?”

“Yes, I have! I’m saying this is the worst!”

“Well too bad for you, huh? Now then.” Kuu jumped onto the edge of the wall, looking at the pack of lizardmen swarming toward it beneath him. The massive force pressing against the walls was an unusual sight for Kuu. “There sure are a lot of ’em. You’d never see this in Turgis.”

“H-Hey? Who’re you people?” one of the defenders hesitantly asked as Kuu was peering over the edge of the wall.

Kuu tapped his shoulder with his favorite cudgel, then smiled at the defender. “Didn’t I already say? Reinforcements. That’s what we are.”

“Reinforcements?! It was reinforcements that fell from the sky?! Wh-Where are you from?!”

Kuu grinned. “Where, you ask? The Republic of Turgis.”

“The Republic of Turgis? That country way to the south sent us reinforcements?”

“Yeah. Only two of us, though.”

“T-Two?!” The defender was blinking, no longer able to make heads or tails of the situation.

It was already hard to believe that the Republic of Turgis on the southern edge of the continent would send reinforcements to this little country in a corner of the Union of Eastern Nations, so when he was told they were just two people, the soldier must have felt like he was being tricked.

Satisfied by the soldier’s befuddled reaction, Kuu jumped down from the wall to slap him vigorously on the shoulder. “I’m kidding, man. We’re really here on behalf of the Kingdom of Friedonia. We just happen to be visiting generals from the Republic of Turgis.”

“S-Sure...”

“Well, now that we’re here, you’ve got nothing to worry about!” Kuu jumped onto the edge of the wall again, clubbing two lizardmen who had climbed up, knocking them back into the swarm below. “Hah... Hoh... Alley-oop!”

Bouncing along the bumps of the edge, whenever Kuu found a lizardman attacking someone, he whacked it with the cudgel Taru had specially made for him and sent the monster flying.

“Hey, guys! You ever hear this before?” Kuu shouted to the defenders from the edge of the wall. “They say a Turgish soldier’s worth a hundred men! That means me and Leporina are worth 200 reinforcements! Ookyakya!”

Seeing Kuu laugh heartily, all the soldiers felt a little more relaxed. This boy might be exaggerating, but from the rampage he’d just gone on, it might not be a total lie. When they looked at his baseless smile, it made them think, We can’t let him beat us. We can keep going.

The soldiers, who had been hanging their heads before, now raised their faces, their morale restored.

Then an especially big lizardman appeared behind Kuu. Unlike the others, the surface of its body was red too. The red lizardman swung the claws from both its hands at Kuu.

“Whoa!” Kuu caught the claw strike by holding his cudgel up horizontally. However...

“Kishaaa!” the lizardman hissed.

“Urgh...”

In the back of the lizardman’s open maw, Kuu could now see red flames.

Oh, crap. Some of them can breathe fire too?!

Kuu already doing his best to fend off its claws. If it breathed fire at him now, he wouldn’t be able to dodge. Kuu broke into a cold sweat. Then...it happened.

Whoosh!

“Gugyaah?!”

The arrow flew in and struck true, stabbing into the lizardman’s right eye.

The lizardman’s face aimed up and away, and the ball of fire it spit flew off in a completely different direction.

Kuu turned his neck to look, and Leporina was on the opposite edge of the wall with bow at the ready. She immediately nocked another arrow.

“I won’t let you kill Master Kuu!”

Leporina’s second arrow flew, this time piercing the left eye.

The red lizardman held its eyes and flailed around.

“Here’s a little something extra. Eat this too!”

While his enemy was faltering, Kuu spun his cudgel around and bashed its jaw from below. There was a snapping sound, and the red lizardman fell limply over the side of the wall.

“Whew...” Having escaped from a close shave, Kuu wiped the sweat from his brow. “Ook... You saved me there, Leporina.”

“Really, now. Worth a hundred reinforcements? I’ve never heard anything like that, you know?”

“Well, duh? I’m going to make sure everyone knows it from now on!” Kuu made a big show of spinning his cudgel around before tucking it at his side. “It may be an exaggerated boast, but we can make it real. If I crush a hundred of these things, it’ll start sounding believable!”

“Don’t say that like it’s easy!”

“We’re doing this, Leporina! Let’s show the northern lands just how strong Turgish warriors can be!”

No sooner had he said that than Kuu raced off in search of his next target. His promise to Souma that he wouldn’t do anything dangerous was long since forgotten.

“Ookyakya! Hey, soldiers of Lastania! It’s time to hold your ground! If you think you can’t win a fight, call for me! I’ve got this!” Kuu boasted as he beat down the lizardmen close to him.

It was as unclear as ever what basis he had to say any of this, but his energetic voice felt invigorating somehow.

“Yeah! Let’s do this thing!” the soldiers called.

“Heh! We can’t let our Turgish guest hog all the glory!”

“This is our country! We’ve gotta defend it ourselves!”

The soldiers’ morale rose even higher, and everyone on the walls got fired up.

Leporina, who could sense the heated atmosphere as she followed Kuu, smiled. This is it. This is the young master’s charisma.

He was a bit of an idiot and had a way of flying off the handle occasionally, but Kuu always led the way, taking risks himself, and roused those following behind him.

There were kings like Souma who were skilled at using people. There were empresses like Maria who drew the respect of their people. Even so, the one Leporina wanted to serve was Kuu, and Kuu alone.

Though...if he could refrain from being quite so reckless, he’d be even better...

While Leporina was thinking that, Kuu pushed her to hurry up. “Come on, Leporina! We’ve still got another ninety or so to take down!”

“When you said you’d defeat a hundred, you were serious about that?!” Leporina cried out incredulously, and then it happened.

From far in the sky above Kuu and Leporina, there was the sound of trumpets. Bwoon! Bwoon! They blared several times, as if warning them to be careful.

Hearing that sound, Kuu and Leporina’s faces grew tense.

“Oh, crap! It’s starting! Hey, you people! Get away from the walls for a bit!”

“Everyone!” Leporina called. “The wyvern knights will soon commence bombing! Things are expected to go flying, so move away from the outside of the walls, and get down!”

Indeed. The trumpets were a signal from the wyvern cavalry that they were going to start bombing.

“B-Bombing?!” a soldier yelled.

“Hey, hurry and get away from the walls!”

The defenders hurried away from the outside of the wall, getting down on the cobblestones.

Then the 200-wyvern cavalry that had been standing by in the air since dropping the Dratroopers suddenly swooped down and dropped their barrels on the packs of lizardmen around the castle walls. The barrels were packed full of explosives. The explosive barrels, which had their explosion time adjusted with fuses, exploded just before falling into the packs of lizardmen.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-Boom!

The explosions went off continuously, occurring in all directions horizontally. The blast waves and vibrations even hit the soldiers who were ducking and covering on the wall.

When they finally raised their faces to look around, pillars of flame were rising outside the walls to the north, south, east, and west. The spreading fireballs cooked the lizardmen packs, and a strangely savory smell wafted through the air.

The wyvern cavalry who had dropped the explosive barrels dove again, scorching the remaining lizardman packs with their fire breath. Those flames set off the explosives that had been scattered around by barrels reaching the ground without going off, and they turned the outside of the walls into a sea of fire.

The lizardmen simply burned away, unable to do anything.

“Ook. Wyverns are sure amazing, huh...” Kuu said in admiration, peering out through a crack in the wall.

The currents in the air were violent, and the Republic of Turgis was too cold to begin with, so his country had no air force of its own, and no country had ever used one against them.

The first air raid he had witnessed was beyond anything he’d ever imagined.

There must have been 5,000 lizardmen, and in an instant, seventy to eighty percent of them had been incinerated.

The lizardmen who were fortunate enough to escape the flames were crawling, and he could see them scurry away into the nearby forest.

If similar scenes were unfolding at each of the other walls, there were maybe only 1,000 lizardmen left. They wouldn’t attack until their numbers were replenished, at the very least.

Kuu stood up and dusted himself off. “Ookyakya! At the end of the day, I only managed to get about ten of them, huh?”

“Then why don’t you give chase? Alone.” Leporina asked, exhausted.

Kuu just shrugged. “I’d love to, but I can’t see a thing through all the smoke. I’ll let ’em off for today.”

“...You will, will you?”

“Well, I’ve got more important stuff to do, anyway.” Kuu slammed his cudgel down on the cobblestones, then shouted to all the Lastanian soldiers who were dumbstruck from the aerial bombardment. “Okay, the attacks been knocked back! Let’s hear you shout! Victoryyyyy!”

“Victory.” Hearing that word, the soldiers of Lastania finally got the sense that they had won.

Thrusting their shaking hands toward the heavens, they shouted from the bottom of their lungs.

“““Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”””

The soldiers’ cheers echoed through the evening skies of Lastania.

◇　◇　◇

They heard explosions from the north, south, east, and west walls, and then black smoke rose in all four directions.

That was most likely the result of aerial bombardment by the same wyvern cavalry that had dropped the Dratroopers.

The lizardmen had no means of launching an anti-air attack and defending against aerial bombardment, so they were being unilaterally bombed to death. Even if it wasn’t enough to exterminate them completely, it could be expected to lower the pressure from Lizardmen pressing in on each wall.

Meanwhile, around the same time, the battle near the castle was reaching its conclusion.

Hearing the situation from Julius, I ordered Aisha and the few royal guards in the gondola Naden was carrying to work with Julius and Jirukoma to exterminate the lizardmen attacking the castle.

While it went without saying that Aisha was strong, the royal guards were confident in their skills too, and together they could make short work of the ten or so Lizardmen in the area around the building.

“Naden, there’s another one over there!” I called.

“Roger that! Unaaaa!”

Crackle!

Naden, still in her young girl form, let loose an electric shock, piercing a lizardman on the roof of the castle.

The lizardman who she struck went rigid, unable to utter a sound, and then collapsed to the ground, twitching. It was apparently still breathing.

“Why, you!” Aisha raised her greatsword to deal the finishing blow.

“Hold on, Aisha!” I held out my hand and stopped her. “Take that one alive.”

“Huh? We’re taking prisoners?”

“It may teach us something about the ecology of the monsters. I want to catch one, at least.”

“Understood. Phew... Take this!”

Aisha thrust her greatsword into the ground, then landed a hand chop on the back of the twitching lizardman’s neck. The lizardman’s back arched for a moment, and then it went limp and stopped moving. Its eyes were rolled back, and it was foaming at the mouth.

...I dunno, even if it was a monster, I felt bad seeing that happen to it.

I hesitantly asked Aisha a question as she dragged it over by the tail. “There was a nasty noise there. Are you sure you didn’t kill it?”

“I held back a little, so it should be fine...probably.”

“O-Okay then...”

Looking closer, the monster was out cold and didn’t seem to be dead, so I had a royal guard bind its mouth and body, then lock it inside a tower near the castle.

That was it for enemies outside the royal mansion.

Jirukoma came rushing over. “The royal family and refugees have been left behind inside the royal mansion. I want to rescue them, but there may still be lizardmen inside the building. I would like to request help from the royal guard.”

“Okay.” I nodded and gave the order. “Work with Jirukoma, search every nook and cranny to eliminate any lizardmen, and save the royal family and refugees! They may be hiding in the shadows, so exercise due caution!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

The royal guards saluted me, then went inside the castle with Jirukoma.

Only Aisha, Naden, Julius, and I were left behind. Time drifted by as everyone remained awkwardly silent. Julius was looking toward the castle, and Aisha was cautiously watching him. I guessed it was time for me to say something.

“I hear there were people left behind, but are they okay?”

“I decided that rather than try to move them out, it was safer to have them stay in one place until things settled down,” Julius said. “They were in a place deep inside, and the entrance was tightly sealed, so they should be all right.”

“I see.”

“Yeah...”

...Yeah, this was awkward.

Julius and I had met leading opposing armies on the field of war.

Julius had invaded the Elfrieden Kingdom together with his father Gaius VIII, who had lost his life during that war. He should be trying to take revenge against me, as his father’s killer, but I was also engaged to his younger sister Roroa, so things were complicated.

On top of that, he was the one asking for reinforcements, and I was the one providing them.

While we were both unable to find the words to say, Aisha eyed him warily. Her hands had not left the hilt of her greatsword, as if she were saying, “If you make even one wrong move, I’ll kill you.”

We were enveloped by an air of tension.

As the only one unacquainted with Julius, Naden sensed the uneasiness in the air, and her eyes darted busily back and forth between our faces. “Wh-What? Why’s everyone so tense?”

“Bro... Big Brother...” Roroa said hesitantly.

Turning toward her hesitant voice, I saw that Roroa and Tomoe, who had been told to stay in the gondola where it was safe until things were settled, were getting out. Behind Tomoe was her bodyguard Inugami.

Seeing his sister, Julius’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, it’s Roroa...”

She walked slowly over and stood beside me. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but she couldn’t quite find the words, and her mouth just bobbed open and shut. I couldn’t blame her.

My relationship with Julius was complicated, but hers was too.

They were brother and sister by blood, but they had also been political enemies. She had driven him out for the sake of the people of Amidonia, and then protected them by marrying me and bringing her country with her.

No doubt she felt guilty over driving her brother out.

Meanwhile, Julius had used his connection to Roroa to save the Kingdom of Lastania. In a life-or-death crisis, Julius had relied on the little sister who had been his enemy.

“Roroa,” he said at last.

“Ah!”

Julius walked forward to stand in front of Roroa. That naturally meant the petite Roroa would have to look up at him. Before the uncertain Roroa could look up, Julius quietly lowered his head.

“You did well to bring King Souma here. Thank you.”

Roroa’s eyes went wide. “Brother...I...”

“I no longer have my position as the crown prince of Amidonia. Now I’m just a guest seeking refuge in this country. You needn’t be polite with me. You speak in merchant slang with Colbert and the others, don’t you?”

Julius raised his head.

“...Oh, fine! I get it.” Roroa scratched her head, then crossed her arms as if she’d come to terms with it. Then, she faced Julius straight on. “So, uh...it’s been a while, huh? How’ve ya been?”

“Well, I’m healthy enough, as you can see. The people of this country have been treating me well, and thanks to your reinforcements, we were able to deflect today’s offensive. Let me thank you again for passing my request for aid on to King Souma.”

“H-Hmmph. You’d better be grateful.” Roroa looked away and pursed her lips. “I wasn’t expectin’ it to be like this when we met again.”

“Heh, I could say the same.”

“I’m not gonna apologize for havin’ ya run out of the country,” Roroa added aggressively. “That time... it was all I could do to protect the people of the principality.”

“I failed as a ruler, so I’m not in any place to complain,” Julius said. “If you acted in the interest of the people, be prouder of it. You needn’t feel guilty about it.”

“I-I’m not really feelin’ guilty about it!” Roroa said, flashing her teeth at Julius. “Nyahh!”

I dunno... Watching from the side, they looked like any brother and sister talking.

According to Roroa, they had only spoken the bare minimum that was necessary in Amidonia. She’d been playing innocent out of concern for how her father and brother would see her. Now that that was over and she was being open about her feelings, I was surprised just how much they looked like a normal brother and sister.

Julius shook his head in exasperation. “You’re childish as ever, I see. It’s been a year since you went to be with King Souma, hasn’t it? Shouldn’t you have conceived a child by now?”

“Wha?!” Roroa panicked. “What’re you sayin’?! Me and Darlin’, we haven’t...uh...”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t even laid a hand on her yet?” Julius said in exasperation, having apparently picked up on what Roroa meant.

Roroa turned so red that I thought her face might start shooting flames. It seemed she wasn’t good at having the matter addressed directly. It wasn’t a reaction I saw from her often, so I thought it was a little cute.

While she was in that state, Julius kept talking. “Roroa. You are the head of the Princely House of Amidonia now. If you birth a child, the bloodline of the Princely House of Amidonia will be protected. You have a duty to produce heirs who will tell the stories of the Royal House of Amidonia’s military accomplishments. I implore you to make King Souma fall in love with you as soon as possible.”

“Oh, geez! Lay off! Now I know how Big Sis Cia felt!” Roroa quickly hid behind me. Then she stuck out her face to hiss and give Julius a menacing look.

Since when did she come from a cat beastman race...?

Now that Roroa had hidden, I faced Julius again. “I’ve come in response to your request for aid. It will still be some time before the main force arrives, but I’ve brought 200 Dratroopers as an advance party.”

“I am deeply grateful for your assistance.” Julius knelt and bowed his head.

The man I’d once competed with during the negotiations with Madam Jeanne was now bowing down to me... It was a strange feeling.

“This feels weird. Please, just stand up and talk normally. Or else...”

“Or else?”

“I’ll call you ‘Big Brother.’”

“...I’ll ask you to spare me that, if nothing else.” Julius stood up and looked me straight in the face.

There wasn’t the grimness that had once been there, and he looked relaxed, as if something that had been possessing him had moved on.

Then Julius moved the discussion along. “I know it’s odd for me to say this as the one making the request, but why did you respond to my call for aid? We fought each other before. You could have ignored me, couldn’t you?”

“I didn’t want to put Roroa through any more pain than she’s already been through.”

“How soft...is what the old me would have said, but now...I think I can understand. Is Roroa that big of a deal to you?”

“Roroa’s family now,” I said. “I’ll protect my family, come whatever may.”

“Family...huh.”

Julius and I eyed one another. Like we were each probing the other’s intentions.

I could hear Aisha and Naden talking behind me.

“Madam Naden, you and I are His Majesty’s family too, right?”

“You bet we are. And when we include everyone’s little sister Tomoe, we’re a family of seven.”

“Then, do you suppose that makes Sir Julius my brother-in-law?”

“No, I don’t think it works that way.”

I wanted to say, Um... Could you two take the relaxed conversation elsewhere...? But, no, it was reassuring to have the two powerful ones close by. That way, I didn’t have to be afraid of Julius.

Julius pulled his sheathed saber from his belt and offered it to me.

I narrowed my eyes and asked him, “What’s this supposed to mean?”

“When I sent the request, I said I was willing to offer you my head. If you want it, let me do as I promised.”

“...You were serious?”

“Of course. If you strike me down, that will be one less worry regarding your rule over Amidonia. In exchange, I’d like you to look after this kingdom to the end.”

There was no indecision in Julius’s eyes. He’d already made up his mind, it seemed.

I slowly took the saber, and Julius bent down and extended his neck so it would be easier to cut.

“Darli—”

Roroa was about to say something, but then forced herself to stay silent. Thinking she shouldn’t say anything, she swallowed the words.

Now, what to do...

“Lord Julius!”

A young girl coming out of the castle with Jirukoma raced over, putting herself between Julius and me. She hugged Julius, who was still hanging his head.

The young girl looked up at me, her eyes filled with a strength of emotion that belied her charming appearance.

“I see you are King Souma Kazuya of the Kingdom of Friedonia. I am the princess of this country, Tia Lastania.”

“Oh, right... I’m Souma Kazuya.” I was thrown by the girl’s intensity and responded in the way I normally would. So, this was this country’s princess, huh?

Princess Tia made a desperate appeal to me. “We are very happy, and grateful, to receive reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia. However, though I hesitate to say this as the one receiving assistance... I must ask you, please, be magnanimous and forgive Lord Julius!”

“Princess Tia! This is dangerous! Please stand down!” Julius barked.

“I will not let go! I don’t want to see you killed!”

Though Julius tried to tear her off him, Princess Tia held on tight and wouldn’t let go. She was putting her life on the line to save Julius.

“I’ve heard the situation from Lord Julius! I know that Lord Julius risked his head to make this request for aid! But he did that for us, the Kingdom of Lastania! I do not know what kind of man Lord Julius was during his time in the Principality of Amidonia. However, in his time here, Julius has led a force of volunteer soldiers, striking down the monsters that attack, and serving this country. He is irreplaceable to this country! And also to me!”

Seeing Tia speak quickly and try to persuade us...

Oh, that makes sense...

Roroa and I got it. The reason Julius seemed to have grown as a person was likely thanks to this princess here. I could read between the lines and see her love for Julius. Her feelings for him, and his for her, had made Julius who he was now.

Though, hold on, I never meant to cut Julius down in the first place.

It wasn’t like taking his head at this point would change anything, and, more than anything, I didn’t want to make Roroa sad. Besides, it felt like Julius had offered me the sword knowing I’d think that way. It was probably a symbolic formality, like we were cutting off our past relationship.

But Princess Tia, who didn’t know that, was desperately trying to protect Julius.

Now, how am I going to get this situation under control? I wondered. Then, suddenly, it came to me.

“...Very well. If you will accept a certain condition, I will refrain from bringing retribution on Julius.”

“If it is something I can do, then anything!”

“Princess Tia!” Julius hastily tried to make her take it back, but Princess Tia stubbornly refused to listen.

“Now then, what might your condition be?” she asked.

“I wish for you to take the name of Amidonia from Julius by your own hands.”

“Take his name away? Um, do you suppose that is something which I can do?”

“Yes, and if it’s you, it can be done quite easily, I think.”

“It can?” Tia was nonplussed.

Meanwhile, Julius, who understood what I was saying, immediately took on an angry look and glared at me. Oh! There was still some semblance of his old face there.

Then, having apparently figured it out, Tia clapped her hands. “Oh, I see. I just need to have Sir Julius marry into my family. If he does that, he’ll be Julius Lastania, not Julius Amidonia.”

“Princess Tia, this is the sort of thing you need to think through carefully...” Julius said hurriedly.

But Tia agreed with a smile and a nod. “I will accept your condition. I know my mother and father will accept Sir Julius.”

“...Urkh.”

“Wahahah!” Jirukoma laughed. “Looks like it’s time for you to pay the piper, huh, Julius. Congratulations. Well, from the looks of you two, it was just a matter of time anyway.”

Chapter 6: The Reality Here and Now

“It’s like a vision of hell...” I muttered, looking out over the scene beneath us.

It was the witching hour, and Julius and I were standing together atop the walls of Lasta.

In case anything happened, Aisha was standing a little behind us. That wasn’t a precaution against Julius, but against the creatures below.

The chimera-like creatures were swarming beneath us now, feasting on the roasted remains of the lizardmen killed by our aerial bombardment. These abominations would happily feed on man and lizard alike.

There were scattered cries as the monsters fought over food.

Watching, or even just listening to all of this couldn’t be good for my mental well-being.

“With all these lizardmen surrounding them, I’m impressed this tiny country has held out so long,” I said uneasily. “It wouldn’t have been unexpected for them to swallow you up in no time.”

“Perhaps so, but we couldn’t give up on living,” Julius said. “We’re here because everyone’s fought hard to survive.”

It was surprising to hear Julius say that. It seemed he really had changed. The Julius I’d known before wouldn’t have cared this much for the soldiers doing the fighting. His days of wandering and his time with Princess Tia really had left him a changed man.

“By the way...” Julius began, “what happened to the wyvern cavalry?”

“I sent them back to the main force,” I said. “Since they’d used up the explosive barrels they brought. Besides, you don’t have the reserves to garrison them here indefinitely.”

“...Indeed.”

Wyverns would eat the equivalent of one cow per meal. However, once they fed, they didn’t need to feed again for close to a week, so their overall cost wasn’t too bad. Even so, it would be a heavy burden on a country which was under siege, so I couldn’t garrison them here.

Incidentally, if Naden or Ruby used their fire breath or electric shocks in dragon form, that used a considerable amount of energy, and they would eat ravenously for a while after to replenish it. Because of that, I hadn’t been able to let them go wild in dragon forms yet, either.

“I have, at least, asked the wyvern cavalry to bring in supplies you’re running short of here, but...it’s about half a day’s trip, so the earliest they will arrive is tomorrow night,” I said. “We’ll have to fight with just this country’s soldiers and the Dratroopers for a little while longer.”

“In that case...it will be important to decide how command of the two countries’ troops is handled.” Julius looked at me. “Are you sure about this? Letting me command Friedonia’s forces?”

“Well, in this situation, there isn’t much alternative.”

After speaking to my staff officer, Kaede, we’d decided that, for the limited time it took the main force to meet up with us, Julius would be entrusted with command of the Dratroopers.

This was a measure we were taking to avert any conflicts in the command structures of the Friedonian and Lastanian armed forces.

“You’re the most experienced commander here after all,” I said. “I may be high-ranked, but I’m more of a bureaucratic type, and the Dratroopers are fierce fighters, but they’re all a bunch of muscle heads. Kaede is the best commander we have on hand, but though she’s talented at planning operations, she’s not suited to taking command in the middle of a battlefield. In short, you’re the only real general here, Julius.”

“I understand that, but...I’m asking if you or your men can trust me. If they ignore my orders because they can’t, that’s a problem. I could use the Dratroopers like they’re expendable. Aren’t you concerned about that?”

I smiled wryly at his almost paranoid question, and said, “You have nothing to gain from doing that in the current situation. Besides, if you pull anything funny, you’ll make enemies of the nearly 60,000 soldiers coming this way.”

“I suppose you have a point.”

I leaned on the edge of the wall and looked up to the evening autumn sky. “I never thought a day would come when we’d be fighting together.”

“I could say the same. I never expected to see the day I was saved by my bitter enemy.” Julius crossed his arms and leaned against the wall too.

We had once been enemies, but now were allies. The world was an unpredictable place. There was a quiet moment as I mulled over that thought.

After some time, Julius hesitantly opened his mouth. “I want you to tell me. My father, Gaius VIII...what was his end like?”

I paused. “What do you mean, what was it like?”

“From what the soldiers told me, after we parted ways, he said he would ‘show the spirit of Amidonia.’ Was Father able to achieve his goal?”

I was silent.

His tone wasn’t accusatory. Julius purely wanted to know what the end of Gaius VIII, sovereign prince of Amidonia, had been like.

“It was frightening,” I admitted. “When Gaius came for my head, he was truly terrifying. To be honest, the man’s blade was only a step or two from reaching me.”

Even now, I sometimes saw that day’s events in my dreams. In my dreams, the result was different, and the sword he threw with the last of his strength pierced straight through my chest.

That showed just how traumatizing that day had been for me. I would never forget Gaius’s face, twisted like a demon’s and full of murderous intent, not for the rest of my life.

Julius chuckled. “True, that father of mine’s glare was enough to make anyone fear for their life.”

“I can’t laugh about it. I seriously accepted my death and was considering what words I’d leave to my fiancée.”

“I see... It seems Father was able to show his spirit then.” Julius smiled a little sadly, and then slapped his cheeks as if to help himself shift gears. “My father was able to live out the rest of his life as a warrior. It’s not my place to say anything about that now. Like my father, I will endeavor to live in the way I truly desire to.”

“What way of life would that be?” I asked.

“I will live protecting the ones I love with every fiber of my being. So, Souma, to protect Princess Tia and this country, let me lend you my strength.” With that, Julius bowed his head to me.

He’d...really changed, huh.

I slapped Julius on the shoulder, then started walking. “Let’s go, Julius. I’ll be needing you to run the war council.”

“Okay. You’ve got it.”

And so, we headed to the castle where everyone was waiting.

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, around that same time...

In front of one of the lookout towers near the castle there were two figures, one big and one small. They were Souma’s little sister Tomoe and her bodyguard Inugami.

In the darkening scene, only the watch fire that was lit near the entrance to the tower burned brightly.

In that unusual atmosphere, Inugami looked at Tomoe with concern.

“Will you really go?” Inugami asked.

Tomoe nodded. “Big Brother said, ‘I want you to test if it’s possible to converse with the monster inside here.’ He wanted me to learn as much as I can too.”

Tomoe was going to use her ability on the monster inside...which was to say she would be interrogating the lizardman caught in the earlier battle. If they could learn the lizardmen’s ecology, it would be possible to use that in planning future operations. However, this was a creature that had tried to feast on people’s flesh. Being able to understand what it said might lead to psychological trauma for Tomoe.

Souma was extremely worried about that too, but giving in to Tomoe’s enthusiasm to help, he’d reluctantly asked her to gather information.

A concerned Inugami urged Tomoe to be as cautious as the situation warranted. “His Majesty also ordered, ‘Make sure you don’t do more than you can handle.’ If I judge this is having a bad effect on your feelings, Little Sister, I will drag you away from here by force if necessary.”

“Okay. Please do, Mr. Inugami.”

Tomoe held Inugami’s hand tight. Because she was a mystic wolf and Inugami was a gray wolf, they looked like nothing if not father and daughter when they held hands.

They opened the door to the tower, hands still held, and went inside. Then, descending the spiral staircase, they stood in front of a cell.

There, inside, a single lizardman was bound hand and foot.

“Kshaaa!” It opened its toothy maw wide and rattled its chains.

“Eep...” Tomoe gulped.

“Little Sister?! Curse you!” Inugami moved up to put himself between Tomoe, who had tripped and fallen on her side, and the lizardman.

Tomoe shook her head as if to chase the bad feelings away. “I-I’m fine.”

Tomoe wiped her cold sweat away, clinging to Inugami’s arm as she stood up, and then holding it tightly as she faced the lizardman once more.

“This lizardman has nothing but hunger,” she said at last. “It only sees us as food. ‘I want to eat.’ That’s all it says. We can’t talk with them.”

“So, the basis of their actions is exactly as it appears?”

“Yes. But... Hmm?”

Tomoe tilted her head to the side. Was there something bothering her, maybe?

“Is something the matter?” Inugami asked.

“I wonder why...” Tomoe said finally. “Mr. Lizardman here, he seems weird.”

“Weird?” Inugami asked.

Tomoe nodded. “I don’t know what to think, but...I feel like it’s missing something any living creature should have. Something very important...”

“???”

What Tomoe was saying didn’t make any sense to Inugami.

Tomoe couldn’t put it into words very well herself, so that was only natural. Though it frustrated Tomoe, she eventually gave up, shaking her head.

“It’s no good. I don’t know how to say it. Anyway, I’ll tell Big Brother and everyone what I found out here.”

Tomoe and Inugami left the tower, leaving the lizardman behind.

The feeling of wrongness that Tomoe had gotten from the lizardman...it would still be some time before they learned the true nature of what that was.

It was now late in the evening. In a candlelit room in Lasta’s castle, the important figures of the Kingdom of Friedonia and the Kingdom of Lastania had gathered.

In attendance on the Friedonian side were Aisha, Roroa, Naden, Halbert, Kaede, Ruby, and me. On the Lastanian side were Julius, who had been entrusted with full command of their forces by the king of Lastania, the soldier captain Lauren, and Jirukoma, who was the leader of the volunteer soldier force. Princess Tia was also present, wanting to watch over the proceedings as a member of the royal family.

Aisha, who wasn’t that great at using her head to begin with, was there solely as my bodyguard, and Roroa and Princess Tia, who were not specialists in military matters, were just sitting there at the very end of the table.

Also, since he’d been noisy, saying, “We wanna be at the war council too!” Kuu and Leporina, the master-servant pair from the Republic of Turgis, were being allowed to take part as long as they promised to stay at the end of the table and behave.

“Now then, I would like to begin the war council,” Julius said.

Having been entrusted with the command of both armies, he was also being trusted with running the war council.

Julius looked around at the officers present. “First, to begin with...on this occasion, I have been entrusted with command of the Lastanian military by the King of Lastania. Command of the Dratroopers, who have come to reinforce us, has also been given to me by Sir Souma. Is there anyone who objects to this? I want to direct this question especially to those of you from the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“I guess now’s the time. I don’t like lying, so I’ll be blunt.” Hal scratched his head and spoke up. “I feel uneasy with it. I don’t know I can fight under the command of a former enemy.”

“Hal,” Ruby objected, “you don’t have to say it like that...”

Hal held up a hand to stop her. Kaede put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder too, silently shaking her head.

When Ruby was quiet, Hal continued.

“There may still only be 200 of us, but I’m the captain of the Dratroopers. I don’t have what it takes to lead thousands of troops yet. I know you’re the most capable leader of troops here, and I’m sure that’s why Souma left command of the Dratroopers to you.”

Julius was silent.

“But even if it’s only 200 men, their lives are my responsibility,” Hal went on. “I can’t leave their lives in the hands of some guy who isn’t fully committed.”

Julius listened to his words in silence.

“We were enemies to you too,” Hal went on. “Can you command us properly?”

Julius closed his eyes for a moment, then began to speak slowly.

“I think it’s inevitable that we both have our misgivings. I can’t claim there is no resentment in my heart. However, this country is everything to me now. If it is to protect this country, I would work with any kind of partner, and bow my head to anyone. If it will allow me to gain your trust, Sir Halbert, that includes you as well.”

Hal was silent.

“Ookyakya, you’re more passionate about this than you loo—Ow, that hurt!” Kuu’s teasing was interrupted by an elbow from Leporina, leaving him in pain.

He’s being noisy, I thought. Maybe I should throw him out after all.

While I was thinking that, the grim look on Hal’s face softened.

“Is that right? If you’re that committed, I have nothing more to say. Our boss decided to leave it to you, so we’ll just follow his decision. Right?”

Hal looked to me, so I nodded.

“I’ve assigned Kaede to Julius as a staff officer,” I said. “If they’ve put together a plan, it may be crazy, but it won’t be reckless. I think we can trust in that.”

“Thank you,” Julius said. “Now, let’s commence the war council.”

He unfurled the map of the Kingdom of Lastania and surrounding areas that was on the table. Then he began by pointing to Lasta, where we were.

“First, let us review the situation. To address the forces of Lastania first, there were deaths and injuries in the fighting again today. I would say that, including conscripts from the general populace, we have about 2,800 people who can fight. With the 200 Dratroopers from Friedonia bringing the total to roughly 3,000, that is our total troop count.”

3,000, huh... Considering they were largely conscripts, it wasn’t a very reassuring number.

Next, Julius indicated the forests near Lasta. The lizardmen that had escaped from our bombing were lurking there now.

“Next, the lizardmen. They must have taken a major blow from today’s bombing. Their numbers must have fallen to eight, maybe 900. However, considering the situation up until this point, those numbers will be replenished each day. It happens at a pace of roughly several hundred per day.”

“Hm? Are the enemy are deploying their forces in small groups?” I asked.

I thought it was a poor strategy, but... oh, right, Lizardmen weren’t intelligent enough to think strategically. There was a “man” in their name, yes, but only because they had some human-like parts.

“Does that mean there’s a reason they only come a little at a time?” I asked.

Julius nodded, pointing to a large river north of Lasta.

“The border between the Union of Eastern Nations and the Demon Lord’s Domain is this large river known as the Dabicon. This river, which is wide enough that the far shore is blurry, and at its deepest point it is deep enough for a rhinosaurus to float, has protected us from monsters coming out of the Demon Lord’s Domain. However, being a natural river, the depth varies, and it can be crossed easily at some points. North of Lasta there is a narrow section that is shallow, and the lizardmen must be crossing there.”

“I see,” I mused. “The shallow section is narrow, so they can only cross a little at a time, huh... Wait, hold on! Then if the Dabicon is dammed upstream, that means there’s a ridiculous number of lizardmen on the other side?”

When I asked that, Julius nodded gravely. “Most likely...in the tens of thousands.”

“Tens of thousands, huh...”

The Empire had told me this was one of the places where the demon wave was especially intense, so that might have been a given. If not for the Dabicon River, this country would have been trampled in no time. Well, I supposed that would be why the Dabicon was the border.

“That’ll have to wait until Ludwin gets here with the main force, I guess,” I said.

“Yeah.” Julius nodded. “I think we have no choice but to ask the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia to handle it. However, before the main body of the reinforcements arrives, there is something I would like to do using the troops here.”

With that said, Julius brought his fist down on a certain spot on the map. It was the forest where the lizardmen who’d escaped from the bombing were hiding.

“I discussed this with young Miss Kaede as well, but I am thinking I want to exterminate the lizardmen lurking in the forest using the 3,000 troops we have here. Now, while their numbers are decreased, is our best opportunity to do so.”

“Whoa, wait, what?” Hal exclaimed. “We have limited manpower, and you want to head out? Their numbers are down, and that’s taken the pressure off, so can’t we just hole up in the city walls until reinforcements arrive?”

“Hal, that will give the enemy time to recover their numbers, you know,” Kaede said. “Like Sir Julius said, the number of lizardmen grows by the day. Their numbers are massively lower now, so the lizardmen are waiting to see what happens, but if their numbers recover, they’ll attack again. In a conflict, what is important is how you increase the number of troops you can deploy into a single battle, while in turn decreasing the number of enemy troops. For example, if you compare fighting 3,000 enemy troops with 5,000 soldiers to fighting 1,000 enemy troops with 5,000 soldiers three times, the latter will cause less damage to your own forces.”

Oh! I’d heard that before. That was why it was better not to deploy your forces in small groups, but to deploy them in as large a group as possible. Or so the established knowledge went.

“Compared to a siege battle fought against a reassembled group of lizardmen, exterminating them in a field battle while their numbers are lower will lower the number of casualties on our side,” Kaede said.

“In addition, if we can eliminate the lizardman presence here, we can restore the supply lines to Lasta,” Julius continued for her, pointing at a spot close to the Dabicon. “There is a fortress near here. There was no way to defend it with the regular forces alone, so it was abandoned early in this demon wave, but if we can exterminate the lizardmen here, advance north while crushing their reinforcements, and get soldiers into this fortress, we should be able to hold off the lizardmen that cross the river here. If we can do that, Lasta will be freed from being besieged by monsters. That will restore supply lines, so more reinforcements...likely won’t be coming, but material aid should flow in.”

If this country fell, the next country to the south would be in danger after all. Perhaps they would think to send material aid, in order to help us hold out a bit longer?

There might be merchants who would think now was a good time to make money too. Medicine to treat the wounded soldiers might arrive.

That all sounded good, but... there was just one thing about it that concerned me.

“If you only intend to deal with lizardmen, that’s fine, but there are countless warped monsters camped outside the city walls now, aren’t there?”

While looking out from the city walls with Julius, we had seen the chimera-like monsters with bodies assembled from various parts. There were still thousands of those things that were greedily feasting on the corpses of soldiers and lizardmen that fell outside the wall.

“If you head outside the walls, won’t they attack you?” I asked.

“That is a concern.” Julius pressed a hand against his forehead in displeasure. “Those monsters are nothing special, taken alone. They can be slain easily at a distance with bows or magic. However, when they form such a large swarm, they become a problem. If we fight the lizardmen and the monsters attack when we’re injured, we can’t handle that.”

“I see. So we’ll have to fight those monsters at the end,” Aisha said, crossing her arms.

“If you’d let me go wild in my ryuu form, I could scatter those things easily,” Naden fumed.

I knew that, but in a situation where we had a limited number of calories available, I couldn’t let Naden and Ruby fight at full power.

Julius let out a small sigh. “It’s a minor blessing that the lizardmen and monsters don’t work together. For the monsters, they see both us and the lizardmen as no more than potential food if we die.”

“They’re scavengers, like jackals or vultures then...” I muttered. “It’d be a lot easier if they’d just attack and eat the lizardmen for us too.”

“The monsters are weaker than the lizardmen. That must be why they only scavenge corpses,” Julius explained in exasperation.

No, I was just saying that, so you didn’t need to respond so seriously... Wait. Huh? I paused. The monsters don’t attack the lizardmen because they’re weaker than them, but then... Huh? Why don’t the lizardmen attack the monsters?

Before this war council, I’d received a report on the captured lizardman from Tomoe. According to Tomoe, she had felt nothing but hunger from the lizardman. It had only seen Tomoe as prey.

So if they were starving that badly, why didn’t the lizardmen try to eat the monsters?

I discussed that question with everyone.

“The reason that the lizardmen don’t eat monsters?” Julius pondered. “I’ve never considered it.”

“It certainly is strange, yes,” Kaede agreed. “Those lizardmen have decided we’re edible. However, it feels strange that they’ve excluded the monsters that they aren’t cooperating with from the list of potential food sources.”

Julius and Kaede both seemed to think deeply about it.

“Maybe they can’t eat ’em? Like they’re poisonous or something?” Hal suggested, but I said shook my head.

“Nah. I’ve heard this from Madam Jeanne, but some monsters are apparently edible. If I recall, she ate a winged snake...or something like that?”

“For her pretty face, she does some awfully wild things...” Julius said in exasperation. He was also acquainted with Jeanne.

Yeah, I kind of agreed.

“Still...in that case, it makes even less sense,” Julius said. “Why, when the lizardmen are starving so badly, do they not attack and eat the monsters that are weaker than them?”

While everyone was wracking their brains over this, hesitantly, one person raised their hand.

“Um, a word if I may?”

It was Aisha.

Aisha was the greatest warrior in our country, but she wasn’t especially good at using her head. Though she was participating in this war council, it was mainly as my bodyguard, so she had been keeping quiet and refraining from commenting as we deliberated. Now, it looked like there was something she wanted to say.

“What is it, Aisha?” I asked.

Aisha hesitantly said, “Um... I thought this while listening to you talk, but could the reason the lizardmen don’t eat monsters be...um...that they just don’t taste very good? I mean, a lot of meats smell too strongly to eat them raw.”

W-Was she joining this topic because it was about food? This was more about the monsters than the food aspect, though...

“No, but Madam Jeanne has actually eaten them... Wait, huh?” I got that far, then I caught on to something Aisha had said.

“I mean, a lot of meats smell too strongly to eat them raw.”

...Raw meat? That was it. Even if Jeanne had eaten monster meat, she couldn’t have been eating it raw. The more unknown the meat, the more thoroughly she’d want to cook it.

Mankind cooked, while lizardmen likely ate their food raw.

The key was...the presence of a way to prepare food using heat.

I came to a conclusion.

“The lizardmen don’t know how to eat monsters,” I said so that everyone could hear.

Julius furrowed his brow. “How to eat monsters?”

“There are parasites and bacteria in meat...but if I say it that way, you won’t get what I’m talking about, I guess. Those are like little bugs inside your body, and if you eat meat with them on it, you’ll get sick, and might even die. But thoroughly cooking meat will kill them, and it really brings down the likelihood of food poisoning. It’s a way of preparing food by sterilizing it with heat.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Julius said, looking dubious.

Everyone else nodded too.

Though I had been pushing a medical revolution with doctors like Hilde and Brad at the forefront, knowledge of medicine and biology wasn’t widespread, so this was to be expected. Even if it wasn’t possible yet, if the academic learning became more widespread, and I could plant the knowledge with broadcast programs... Wait, now wasn’t the time to think about the future! I needed to get the people with me now to understand first.

“Even if you don’t understand the words I’m using, you should all know this from experience,” I said. “If meat is getting old, you cook it thoroughly, right? Why is that?”

“Ookyakya!” Kuu interjected. “That’s ’cause if you eat meat raw, you’ll get sick sometimes.”

I nodded. “Right. Even without explaining the details of how it happens, mankind knows through experience that eating meat raw can get us sick, and if we cook it thoroughly, we can greatly reduce the risk of that. Even if we haven’t experienced it ourselves, the experience is passed from parent to child, and it’s just like we’d experienced it ourselves.”

“That experience is passed down, and it becomes knowledge, or common sense... Is that it?” Julius nodded, seeming satisfied.

He really was fast on the uptake. Every bit as clever as he appeared, Julius really was a sharp one.

I nodded and continued to talk. “I doubt the lizardmen have that knowledge. I mean, from everything I’ve heard, the lizardmen are eating raw meat, aren’t they? If they ate those weird monsters raw, it wouldn’t be weird for them to get sick, now would it?”

“I certainly wouldn’t want to eat them raw,” Aisha said, making a disgusted face.

It looked like even Aisha, the dark god of gluttony, felt that way.

“When Madam Jeanne and her people ate monster meat, I’m sure they must have cooked it carefully,” I said. “In other words, perhaps a lizardman ate the meat of a monster and got sick, and that’s why the lizardmen no longer eat monster meat?”

“I see. So that’s the difference between Madam Jeanne and a lizardman,” said Kaede, listening with a pensive look on her face. “In that case, if we teach the lizardmen to prepare food using heat, the hungry lizardmen may hunt the monsters, you know.”

“I get what you want to say, sure, but how, precisely, do you want to teach them?” Hal asked. “It’s not just that we can’t talk to them; we can’t communicate at all, can we?”

He rested his face on the palms of his hands.

That was the problem, yeah...

“It’s going depend on how much intelligence they have...” I muttered.

From what Tomoe had told me, they thought only of devouring others, and communication was impossible. But then again, when Tomoe used her ability with low intelligence animals like rhinosauruses...

Tomoe: “Cargo, carry, okay?”

Rhinosaurus: “Tasty grass, cute female, okay.”

That was the sort of simple communication it ended up as.

If these creatures refused even that level of communication, it was going to be impossible to teach them anything. For them to be taught, they needed the capacity to learn.

I was starting to think this plan to have the lizardmen hunt the monsters for us had run aground.

“No, I don’t think they’re unthinking,” Julius said at last. “That’s the feeling I’ve gotten from fighting them. It’s true that they ignore gates and can’t use proper siege tactics, but they have enough intelligence that they do choose places our defenses are weak, and if they sense they’re at a disadvantage, they retreat.”

“That’s right...” Jirukoma pondered. “They avoid contact with strong enemies and prioritize attacking the weak.”

“There’s a certain cunning to the way they act,” Lauren agreed. “That’s the feeling I’ve gotten.”

Jirukoma and Lauren had both fought alongside Julius, so they knew what they were talking about.

“How intelligent are they?” I asked. “Do you think they could manage to steal things in the night?”

“I wouldn’t compare them to the races of mankind, but at the same time, they’re better able to assess risk then a common beast,” Julius said. “The closest would be the shoujou, perhaps, but they could be smarter.”

“The shoujou... Monkeys, huh.”

They were smarter than monkeys. In that case, we might be able to teach them something simple.

But considering I had a report from Tomoe saying dialogue was impossible, we wouldn’t be able to teach them directly.

Hold on! What if we taught them indirectly?

Even if we didn’t teach them properly, if we relied on some “monkey see, monkey do,” maybe we could get them to act in the same way, as if we’d taught them.

Come to think of it, I’d heard of a precedent in the world I came from. If I was recalling correctly...

“Monkeys washing potatoes...”

“What’s that?” Julius asked.

“It’s a story about monkeys from my old world. When one monkey started washing sweet-potatoes in sea water, the rest of the young males in its troop started to do the same.”

Witnessing this phenomenon had led to a discussion of whether culture existed in the animal kingdom.

Well, there had also been talk of how, “When the hundredth monkey on the island learned to wash sweet-potatoes, monkeys on a distant mountain began to show the same behavior (indicating the possibility of telepathy),” but that was occult mumbo-jumbo. The thing I wanted to focus on here wasn’t the occult, it was the learning ability of monkeys. If lizardmen also had the ability to learn...

“If we have one lizardman learn the taste of cooked monster, show it the cooking process, return it to the pack, and then it starts cooking and eating monsters...” I said slowly.

“You mean to say that the lizardmen in the pack that see it may begin imitating that behavior?” Julius said slowly. “I seem to recall you’ve caught just what you would need for that, haven’t you?”

“Yeah. We took one alive and locked it in the tower.”

Julius looked me in the eye and asked, “Do you think it can be done?”

“I don’t know, but it’s probably worth a try. Even in the worst-case scenario, we’ll only increase the number of enemy lizardmen by one. If we work at it, it shouldn’t take more than half a day.”

“Hm... Even if it fails, we’ll still only be facing the lizardmen and monsters with our current forces. If they force an attack, that will cause more casualties, and I would prefer to avoid that, so...in order to prevent that, I’d very much like for you to make this idea a success.”

“I know,” I said. “Let’s decide how we’ll do it. First we have to procure the monster we’ll be feeding to the lizardman...”

From there, Julius, Kaede and I put together a plan.

While going back and forth on what to do, gradually the plan that had started as a random thought began to be fleshed out and sound more realistic.

I didn’t think I had felt this way since working out plans against the Principality of Amidonia with Hakuya. Funny that the guy I was working with now was one of the enemies I’d been plotting against back then.

That’s part of what makes him so reliable.

Looking at Julius’s serious face, that was what I thought.

◇　◇　◇

“It’s kind of a strange feelin’,” Roroa said quietly to herself, watching Souma and Julius work on the plan.

“What is?” Princess Tia asked, tilting her head to the side. She was also sitting there watching the war council unfold.

Perhaps because she was embarrassed to be asked about something she’d been saying to herself, Roroa awkwardly scratched her cheek and smiled wryly. “Mmm, the sight of Darlin’ and my big brother together, workin’ on a plan, I suppose. It just feels so unreal that I’m kinda confused. They’re bitter enemies, and’ve fought to kill each other before, but now they’re workin’ together toward a common goal, ya know?”

Tia was silent.

“It’s like I’m dreamin’... Hey, that hurts!”

Tia was lightly pinching Roroa’s cheek.

“Wh-What’re you doin’?!” Roroa exclaimed, rubbing her cheek and protesting.

Tia smiled at her softly. “It’s no dream,” she said, taking Roroa’s hand and wrapping her own around it. “This scene is, without a doubt, reality, Lady Roroa.”

“Reality...” Roroa murmured.

Turning that thought over in her mind, she finally started to accept the scene in front of her was real. The man she loved and her brother by blood were working toward the same goal. She didn’t need to see her brother as an enemy anymore. Even in front of her brother, she could love Souma.

“You’re right. No doubt about it, this, here and now, is reality.” Now able to accept that, Roroa smiled too. “Thanks, Big Sis.”

“Oh, it’s too early to be calling me Big Sis,” Tia said, fidgeting in embarrassment. “Besides, I’m younger than you anyway.”

“Aw, geez. You’re just the cutest, Big Sis!”

“Eek?!”

Tia was acting so cute that Roroa hugged her.

Looking at the two of them out of the corner of their eyes, Souma and Julius both cocked their heads to the side questioningly.

What have those two been doing over there?

Chapter 7: Cooked and Ready to Serve

Late at night, as the date was about to change...

The moon was hidden by the clouds, making it feel very dark.

Amid that darkness, there were eight people, Aisha, Roroa, Naden, Halbert, Kaede, Ruby, Julius, and I, standing near a watch fire lit on one of the city walls.

Illuminated by the swaying red flames, I handed a letter I had written to Aisha. “Send this to Hakuya in Parnam Castle.”

“Understood.”

Aisha accepted the letter, tied it to the messenger kui she had brought with her, and sent it off. The messenger kui flew south through the dark sky,

“A letter?” Julius asked, to which I nodded.

“A letter to the prime minister we left back at the castle, informing him of our situation and the lay of the land here. If there are tens of thousands of lizardmen beyond the Dabicon, we’re still going to want to take some measures against them even once the reinforcements arrive. I’m sure Hakuya will come up with a plan that’s appropriate to our situation and pass it to Ludwin, the commander-in-chief of the reinforcements.”

“I see...” Julius nodded his head. “We’ll be leaving all the planning to the Black-robed Prime Minister then.”

“Do I detect spite? Because I’m leaving everything up to someone else?”

“You’re overthinking it. I’m still impressed.” Julius smiled wryly, and then let out a little sigh. “In the former principality, the opinion of the ruling prince was absolute. The prince led without hesitation, and his retainers followed without comment, whether his decisions were right or not. That may...be what created the gap between us and you. I feel, as late as this may be, that I understand why my father lost now.”

“Big Brother...” Roroa gave him a look of concern.

Julius broke out laughing. “Roroa, you and your fiancée were troublesome opponents for me. However, I now have those troublesome opponents on my side. Nothing could be more reassuring. Am I wrong?”

“For me...I never found myself thinkin’ the old you was all that troublesome an opponent.”

“Bold words...”

“But I wouldn’t wanna end up fightin’ the new you. Ya seem way tougher than before.” And Roroa grinned. It felt like the ice was melting between them.

Considering their past strife, it was hard to tell whether they could fully accept one another, but it seemed they wouldn’t hate each other without cause from now on.

Looking at the two of them, I could feel my guilt for taking Roroa’s family away from her lighten just a little.

That’s why...no matter what happens, I must defend this country.

I put a hand on Naden’s shoulder. “Well, shall we get going, Naden?”

“Okay.” Naden nodded and then, with a single breath, turned into her massive ryuu form.

As I mounted Naden, Aisha rushed over with a worried look on her face. “I’m worried about letting you two go out alone after all, sire! I should go with you...”

“Like I explained before, mobility and enemy detection are the important factors for what we’re about to do. It’s more efficient to have just me and Naden. If we take a bodyguard, we’ll stand out too much. We’ll get in and out quickly, so don’t worry.”

“You say that, but...I can’t help it.”

Aisha still had a worried look on her face, so I gave her a grin. “We all have to do what we can to get through this situation. I’m pushing my retainers hard, so I must do what I can myself too. It’s okay. If something goes wrong, I’m sure Hal and the rest will come for us.”

Hal thumped his chest proudly. “Yeah. If you get in a jam, we’ll go pull you out of it. Right, Ruby?”

“Right. Naden, you make sure you protect your husband properly too.”

“I’ll do it without you telling me to.” Naden nodded in her ryuu form.

I patted her on the back and said, “Okay, let’s go, Naden!”

“Roger that!”

Naden and I lifted off from the castle wall and danced into the night sky.

Naden rose to a height no winged monster could reach and hovered there. The way the wingless Naden swam through the sky was very quiet, and her black color worked together with that fact to let her blend into the darkness of night.

I didn’t feel cold because I was protected by Naden’s magical power, but the sound of the wind rushing by my ears was loud, making it readily apparent to me I was in a very high place.

Naden turned her long neck to look at me. “Souma.”

“I know. I’m searching now.”

I covered my ears so as not to be distracted by the sound of the wind, and then focused.

I was using my ability, Living Poltergeists, to control six wooden mice, and had them searching the ground. Down at ground level, the chimera-like monsters were eating the corpses of the lizardmen that had been fried to a crisp after being bombed by the wyvern cavalry.

In a scene that made them look like hungry ghosts, I could hear the groaning of monsters and the biting sounds of them feasting greedily on corpses. The sickening images flowed into my head, triggering an instinctive gag reflex, but I somehow managed to force it down and continue the search.

I searched the ground carefully from a height where we couldn’t be caught by surprise monster attacks.

Of everyone who had come on this expedition, Naden and I were the only pair that could pull this off. I was always delegating the tasks I couldn’t handle to the people who could. So, whenever there was something I could do, I had to be proactive about doing it, or I wouldn’t be setting a proper example for my retainers.

This isn’t the time to be creeped out. I must hurry and find it.

While I struggled with my task, Naden looked at me with concern. “You okay? You shouldn’t push yourself too hard...”

“I’m fine... Found it!” I immediately gave the order to Naden. “Go about 200 meters in the direction of three o’clock.”

“You got it.” Naden swam through the air as directed until she reached that point. Then, after careful confirmation, I gave Naden the signal to go.

“Okay, do it just like we discussed before.”

“Roger that! Hold on tight!”

With that, Naden dove headlong toward the surface.

“Urgh...”

It felt like plunging down the highest drop on a roller coaster. Naden’s magic was supposed to be cutting the force of the wind considerably, but I still felt like it was going to throw me backward. I should have been used to flying through the sky on Naden’s back by now, but this sudden dive was really scary.

The ground was rushing up toward us. I could clearly see the eyes of the mass of monsters on the ground twinkling as they caught the light of the moon shining through gaps in the clouds.

Before those eyes could turn toward me, I gave the order. “Now, do it! Naden!”

“Unahhhhh!”

The white mane Naden had in her ryuu form stood on end and purple static crackled from her two whip-like whiskers. Then...

Roarrrrrrrrr!

Naden bellowed and unleashed a massive bolt of lightning toward the ground.

The sudden flash of light was blinding, and the massive boom that followed echoed in my stomach. Naden’s unrestrained strike fried the monsters in the spot she hit to a crisp, which paralyzed or made the monsters twitch uncontrollably over a wider radius.

Naden set down near the area she’d hit. “Okay, Souma. Be quick.”

“I know.”

I readied the crossbow I had brought, firing toward my target. The bolt fired flew straight, stabbing into the little monster that was my target.

“Well done,” Naden said, sounding impressed. “That’s not bad, hitting it on the first try.”

“My personal martial arts trainer has whipped the basics into me, and the crossbow was what he said I excelled most at,” I admitted. “Though he was angry that I’m no better than a rank and file soldier at basically everything else.”

“If it’s just a matter of shooting, even a child can do it after all,” she said.

Yeah... Pathetic as it felt to admit it, she was right. I wasn’t much better than an amateur with a sword, and even though it was shooting all the same, I couldn’t hit a target with a regular bow and arrow.

If there was anything else I got compliments on...it’d have to be swimming. I was even better at swimming than Owen was, but winning against a man who was over sixty wasn’t much to brag about. Even if Owen was super frustrated by it.

With things starting to feel kind of awkward, I grabbed the string tied around my waist. This string was silk, which was being used as a stand-in for rubber. It was strong, flexible, and not prone to tearing, and on the other side of the string was tied to the bolt I had just fired.

As I pulled on the string, the little monster it had stabbed into was dragged along the ground. I couldn’t feel the monster moving, or the bolt pulling free... Good.

With that confirmed, I placed my hands down on Naden’s back and said, “Okay. Let’s go home, Naden. No need to overstay our welcome.”

“Roger that!”

Before the monsters could gather around, Naden danced up into the sky.

With the dead body of a monster dangling beneath us, we headed straight back to where our companions were waiting.

When Naden returned to human form and set down on the wall with me, Roroa and Aisha rushed over.

“Welcome back, Darlin’. How’d it go?”

“Thank goodness you’re both all right,” Aisha said with relief. “You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“We’re fine. Neither of us are hurt anywhere, and things went well.” I patted them both lightly on the head.

Naden, watching jealously, extended her own head in my direction, so I gave her hair a good mussing too.

“Nice work out there, Naden. That was quite the thunderclap.”

“Heheh, of course it was.” Naden puffed up her chest with pride.

While we were bonding, Julius and Hal and all the rest looked on in exasperation.

Julius tapped Roroa on the shoulder to ask her to back away, then stood in front of me to say, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’d like to confirm what you caught.”

“...Right.” I threw the monster hanging from the string tied around my waist underneath the watch fire.

It was only a little larger than a dog, with a wide, scale-covered body that looked like the drawings of a tsuchinoko I had seen back in my old world. There were pigeon-like wings on its back, and its head was flat, but there was no questioning it was a snake. If I were to describe it, I’d have called it a winged tsuchinoko.

I looked around to everyone, then spoke.

“This is likely the monster Madam Jeanne said she ate.”

Before dawn, inside the tower near the castle...

This place was dimly lit by the sun in the middle of the day, and was almost entirely dark by night, but now there was a roaring bonfire lit on the stone floor, lighting the cell where the lizardman was held in sunset colors.

There were five people around the fire: Aisha, Roroa, Julius, Tomoe, and me. That was because if there were too many, the lizardman might get agitated.

“Okay... Let’s do this,” I said.

I pulled out the plump, winged snake monster (henceforth called a flying tsuchinoko for the sake of brevity). There was a metal spit running from the already dead flying tsuchinoko’s mouth to a hole near the point where its tail was attached (was that hole for defecating, maybe?), and the metal spit had a handle on the end of it. This was a tool for spinning the meat over the top of the fire as it cooked.

The spitted flying tsuchinoko was rested on two Y-shaped metal racks on either side of the fire. When I started turning the handle, the flying tsuchinoko spun over the fire that was cooking it.

Nothing special had been done to the flying tsuchinoko. It wasn’t plucked or descaled, and no spices were added; it was just put over the flame and cooked. This wasn’t for us to eat, it was purely to teach the lizardman to cook monster meat and eat it, so this was good enough.

The continued exposure to flame made the feathers burn off, and fat dripped off its plump torso. The dripping fat made the fire burn stronger, so we cautiously added water to control it.

The savory smell of cooking meat gradually filled the room.

“You’re good at that...” Julius remarked as he watched me cook the monster. “Maybe you would make a better cook than a king.”

“Hahaha... I can’t deny that.”

“No, no, Darlin’. Aren’t ya supposed to be denyin’ that?” Roroa said in exasperation.

No matter what job he suggested, I’d probably be better suited to it than being a king, but...well, I’d just have to focus on cooking this monster for now.

I called Tomoe over and whispered to her. “Well? Is the lizardman watching us?”

“Y-Yes, Big Brother. Mr. Lizardman can’t look away,” Tomoe responded, also in a whisper.

It was top secret that Tomoe could converse with monsters and demons, so I didn’t want Julius finding out.

Then, somewhat timidly, Tomoe looked at the lizardman. “Until just a little while ago, it only saw us as food. But ever since the smell of fried meat filled the air, it’s been only looking at the cooked monster. I’m hearing, ‘I want to eat that meat.’”

Clang!

As if to support Tomoe’s earlier opinion, the lizardmen grabbed onto the bars, thrusting its pointed mouth through the gap between them.

“Eeek!” Startled by the sound of the lizardman throwing itself against the metal bars, Tomoe ran and hid behind Aisha.

Looks like we’ve got it nice and interested...

The meat was gradually cooking. The fat dripping into the fire made a hissing noise, and despite the appearance of the creature (one fat snake), it was starting to look pretty tasty.

“Big Sis Ai, you’re droolin’,” Roroa said.

“Oops... Excuse me.” Aisha wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

This had to be torture for the ever-hungry dark elf to watch. If we had more food, I’d fix her a midnight snack...

“Well...I’d say that about does it,” I said.

I looked at the monster meat from below to judge if it was cooked enough. This was my first time cooking flying tsuchinoko after all, so I didn’t know how it tasted best, but I figured it was well done enough. I removed the flying tsuchinoko from the fire and held it up.

“Cooked and ready to serve!”

“Why are you so weirdly energetic?” Julius asked with exasperation.

“Nah, it just felt like a good formulaic thing to say...”

“Huh?” Julius looked at me as if he didn’t get it. It was a natural reaction.

I got back on track, put the still-sizzling flying tsuchinoko on a big plate, and removed the spit. That was the fried flying tsuchinoko, ready to eat.

“Now, let’s do a taste test!” I laid the plate with the meat on it on the floor, then used a piece of wood with another horizontal piece of wood on the end to push it in.

When it realized the meat was coming closer, the lizardman stuck its arms out through the bars and waved them wildly. Eventually, when the big plate got close enough, the lizardman snatched up the roasted flying tsuchinoko and crunched right into it.

...Yes, not just bit, crunched. It didn’t care one bit about the bones as it ripped the meat and tore it apart.

“It’s so wild that it’s creepy...”

It did not look like a pleasant way to eat. I could feel my appetite, which had been stirred up by the smell of cooking meat, rapidly decline. Looking around, everyone else was wincing too. Only Aisha looked jealous.

I called Tomoe over and asked her in a whisper again, “Tomoe, how is the lizardman?”

“It’s overjoyed. Its hunger has been at least slightly sated...”

“I see... I guess this lizardman has learned the taste of monster meat now.”

Even in my old world, once an animal learned the taste of human flesh, it would begin to attack us. This lizardman now knew the taste of monster meat, so it ought to try attacking monsters.

I told Julius, “This is the first stage of the plan complete. Let’s move on to the second stage.”

“Next is the main event, I suppose?” Julius asked.

I nodded.

Chapter 8: The Liberation of Lasta

Dawn broke.

The sun rose in the east, and the area quickly brightened. Even in this land which was in the northern half of the continent, and therefore warmer than the kingdom, it felt cold at this time of year.

In the morning air, there were seven people standing near the western gate: Halbert, Kaede, Ruby, Jirukoma, Lauren, Kuu, and Leporina. Behind them were the soldiers of the Kingdom of Lastania, waiting for the time of battle to come.

“Well then, shall we get started, Ruby?” Halbert asked.

“Yes. Let’s get started, Hal.”

Ruby turned into a red dragon, and Halbert jumped on her back.

“Sir Halbert. Madam Ruby. We’ll be counting on you,” Lauren, the captain of the soldiers, said to them, bowing her head.

“We know,” Hal nodded. “You take care of yourself too.”

“You’ll be working outside the walls, so you’ll be in danger just like us,” Ruby added.

Jirukoma pounded his burly chest. “Leave this place to us. We will put our lives on the line to defend the work crews.”

“Ookyakya! We’ll be helping here too, so don’t worry,” Kuu laughed. “Don’t get carried away and screw this up, Hal.”

“You’re the one who’s going to say that, Young Master...?” Leporina muttered.

Yep, Kuu had the same baseless confidence as ever, and Leporina was holding her head in exasperation.

Kaede walked over to where Halbert was, placing her hand on Ruby’s foreleg.

“Ruby, take care of Hal for me.”

“To borrow a line from Naden, ‘Roger that.’ You can leave him to me.”

“Hal, you too,” said Kaede. “Don’t go too wild, you know? Ruby is with you, so make sure you don’t act recklessly.”

“I know, okay?”

Kaede took a step back from the two of them, then turned to the soldiers and spoke. “His Majesty and Sir Julius are preparing our next move, so I will take command here. Everyone, let’s do our best.”

““Yeah!””

The moment after everyone responded to Kaede’s order, Halbert and Ruby took off into the sky. As they left the ground, Ruby grabbed the blocky object that had been prepared for her with her hind legs. That object which had iron walls on five sides and a metal bar door on the sixth side was a cage for the lizardman that had been fed the monster meat.

Carrying that cage with her as she flew, Ruby asked Halbert, “First, we let this lizardman loose near the forest to the west of here, right?”

“Yeah. We’ll have to touch down, so be careful.”

“I know.”

When they were flying alone, the chimera-like monsters that could fly started to gather around. They probably considered Halbert and Ruby as easy pickings because it was just the two of them. The monsters had no understanding of how powerful those two were.

“Halbert Magna, coming through!” Halbert swung his two favorite spears around, slicing apart the monsters that attacked from above. Then he wreathed one spear in flames and threw it. The moment it planted itself in a monster...

Boom!

There was a burst of fire, and even the other monsters close to it were caught in the blast.

“Here, have another!”

Halbert pulled on the chain attached to his other spear, retrieving the first spear from flames, then wreathed the other spear in fire and threw it. Repeating that cycle, he made bursts of flame blossom like flowers all around them.

Halbert smiled as he swung his spears around. “It’s convenient not having to throw them away after one use. I’ve gotta remember to thank Taru for making these.”

“Kaede warned you not to get carried away, remember...? I’m setting down now.”

“Sure.”

Halbert crouched low on Ruby’s back, and then Ruby came down to earth at a forty-five-degree angle. As she touched down, she opened the door to the cage, then immediately took off again.

Halbert spotted the lizardman crawling out of the cage down below. It immediately ran off into the western forest where its kind were hiding.

“Nice! The lizardman is successfully freed. Next, we fly over the forest.”

“Yeah.”

Ruby spread her wings and flew slowly, heading over the forest with flying monsters in tow. They needed to pull in as many flying monsters as possible, so they couldn’t go too fast, which meant the faster monsters caught up to them.

Bzzz! There was a huge, one-eyed, bee-like monster coming at them with its wings buzzing.

“Do something!” Ruby shouted. “I don’t want to be swarmed by bugs!”

“On it!”

Halbert quadrisected the bee monster with his two spears. The bee monster’s fluids splattered everywhere as it fell to the ground, with just its translucent wings dancing around and refusing to come down.

“Hang in there, Ruby! This is where it gets serious!”

“I know!” she shouted back. Roarrrrrrrrr!

Blowing fire and shooting thorns, the monsters attacked from a distance. A number of those attacks grazed Ruby, but she kept flying at the same steady pace.

Halbert and Ruby finally succeeded in bringing the monsters they were pulling with them over the top of the western forest where the lizardmen were lying low.

Ruby roared, “We’ll settle this in one try! Hold on tight!”

“Got it!”

As Halbert clung to Ruby’s back, Ruby rapidly accelerated, lifting her body, climbing higher into the sky, then somersaulting into a rapid dive to behind the monsters.

In an instant, the hunters became the hunted.

“I’ll pay you back a hundred times over!”

Bwoooooooooosh!

Ruby opened her mouth wide, unleashing a great gout of flame toward the flying monsters.

Dragon breath was the attack most emblematic of dragons, said to be able to lay waste to an entire kingdom. The monsters hit by Ruby’s dragon breath were fried to a crisp and dropped to the forest one after another.

Seeing that, Halbert scratched at his cheek. “Wasn’t that a bit much? The monsters were charred black, you know?”

“M-Meat tastes better well done.”

“I prefer it rare, myself.”

The two of them continued to squabble over things that didn’t matter. They could banter like this because the job was done, so they were now set free from the tension they’d been feeling before.

Halbert looked down to the forest the burned monsters had fallen into. Even from here, he could tell the lizardmen were making a fuss.

If the lizardman they’d freed started eating the fried monsters, the other starving lizardmen would no doubt follow suit. Then, with them having learned the taste of monster...the project would move on to its third stage.

“Let’s head back, Ruby. Kaede and the rest will get worried.”

“You’re right.”

They turned and flew back the way they came.

While Halbert and Ruby were luring in the monsters, there had been movement on the ground too.

The gates of the city walls opened, and armed soldiers piled out. They numbered roughly 600.

Once the soldiers came outside the walls, they attacked the monsters on the ground that were eating the burned lizardmen corpses. The monsters were so absorbed in eating that the soldiers were able to catch them by surprise, cutting them down with swords, shooting them with bows, and striking them with magic until they died.

These 600 soldiers were all battle-hardened. That was to be expected.

These soldiers were a mixed unit made up of the Kingdom of Lastania’s regular forces, the refugee volunteer soldiers, and the Kingdom of Friedonia’s Dratroopers. For this group of combat specialists, slaying monsters that didn’t fly and weren’t particularly more powerful than lizardmen was no different from going hunting.

Inside that group, Captain Lauren shouted to encourage her troops as she knocked away a small monster with the large shield she was holding.

“While Sir Halbert is keeping the flying monsters at bay, we will carve a path! There is no need to chase monsters that flee! Protecting the rear unit is our top priority!”

Lauren’s heavy equipment was ill-suited to moving quickly, but well-suited to settling in and holding a single position. Lauren bashed the monsters that came at her with her shield, cut them down with her sword, and was defending the place where she now stood.

Once the weak monsters realized she was not an enemy who would be easily defeated, they immediately started to move away.

As Jirukoma raced over, kukris in hand, he let out a gasp of admiration despite himself.

“Splendidly done, Madam Lauren. I raced over because you seemed surrounded, but it seems my concern was unwarranted.”

“I am a professional soldier after all. This is nothing to me.” Lauren smiled proudly...and then wryly. “Well, even though I feel that way as the captain of the soldiers, I’m a little embarrassed as a woman that I’m able to fight monsters so easily. I wish I could be a gentle, graceful woman like the princess too, but it’s beyond me...” She laughed weakly.

Jirukoma was a little confused. “What could be wrong with being a strong woman? In my tribe, strength and toughness are seen as virtues in a woman. They can give birth to stronger children that way after all.”

“Ch-Children?!” Lauren’s cheeks went red. “Um... Do you like strong women, Sir Jirukoma?”

“Hm? I suppose I do. My sister was a tomboy after all. I think I do like them.”

“Y-You do?!” Lauren wore a brilliant smile for just a moment, then gripped her shield tightly as if getting her mind back on task. Then she used the sword in her right hand to point forward. “Now then, Sir Jirukoma. I want to ensure safety over the widest area possible, so I would like to ask you remove the monsters from this area. Leave defending this place to me.”

“No, but...”

“I’ll be fine! I am a strong woman!” Lauren pounded her puffed up-chest.

With an expression that looked dumbfounded by her sudden declaration, Jirukoma nodded. “R-Right... I understand. But make sure you don’t do anything reckless.”

“Right. You be careful too, Sir Jirukoma!”

Lauren him go as Jirukoma took off at a run.

While he raced around cutting down emaciated, goblin-like monsters with his two kukris, he ran into Kuu, who had an awkward look on his face.

Kuu swung around his cudgel, crushing lizard-like monsters that raced around, then stood back-to-back with Jirukoma and asked him, “Buddy...you wouldn’t happen to be dense, would you?”

“Dense? What are you talking about?”

Catching the blank look on Jirukoma’s face, Kuu shook his head in exasperation. “I’m talking about you taking responsibility.”

“Responsibility? Um, what do you mean?”

“I wonder. Try thinking for yourself!”

As Kuu said that, he was confronted with a monster coming in at high speed. It was larger than the other monsters, shaped like an ostrich with a goat’s head, and it had its head down and was charging him in as if it was trying to gore him with its two horns.

Kuu put his cudgel behind him, then rushed toward the monster.

“Sir Kuu?!” Jirukoma cried out despite himself, but Kuu performed a slide right in front of the monster, then used his momentum to kick out the monster’s left leg, which was bearing its weight.

“Down you go.”

There was a snapping sound. With the combination of the creature’s own momentum going forward, Kuu’s power coming at it, and the creature’s weight acting together, the monster’s left leg snapped. With only one leg left that it could still use, it rammed into the ground with all its inertia.

Kuu let out a laugh as he watched it. “Ookyakya! Like I thought, your leg was wide open!”

Whoosh... Thock!

An arrow flew in, planting itself into the goat-headed monster’s throat as it writhed on the ground. That finished it off, and it ceased to move.

The person with a bow rushed over to Kuu. “Young Masteeer, don’t scare me like that!” Leporina begged with a tired look on her face. “Our mission is to remove monsters from the mission area. There’s no need to charge in, so show some restraint!”

“Ookyakya! I’m fine, so there’s no problem!” Kuu tapped his cudgel on his shoulder, smiling unabashedly.

While Leporina frowned over Kuu’s lack of repentance, she saw the second group begin heading out from the city gate out of the corner of her eye. The second group, unlike the first, numbered over 2,000, and in place of weapons they were carrying large logs, pieces of firewood, basically any lumber they could lay hands on.

Leporina tugged on the Kuu’s outfit. “Look, Young Master. The second group has come out, so we need to go and guard them.”

“Whoops, you’re right. If I play around too much, Bro will get mad.”

“I would like to give you a proper scolding myself, but...perhaps it would be better if I arranged some lecture time together with Taru.”

“Y-You don’t have to bring Taru into this, okay?!” There was panic in Kuu’s voice.

He thought nothing of being scolded by Souma or his father Gouran, but an extended lecture from the girl he liked was something he wanted to avoid.

Kuu clapped his hands as if trying to dodge the subject, then urged Leporina to go on. “Look, we’re supposed to be defending them, right? Let’s get a move on.”

“Honestly...”

Leporina shrugged and took off after Kuu as he ran.

The one leading the second unit, which Kuu and Leporina were headed to, was Kaede.

“Hurry,” she ordered. “We have to finish before the monsters come back, you know.”

This second unit was the soldiers conscripted by the Kingdom of Lastania. They had minimal equipment, using carts and their own arms to carry logs, firewood, and straw bales. In short, they were a supply unit. Kuu, Jirukoma, and the others had swept the monsters out of this area to secure their safety.

As the supply unit reached the point Lauren was defending, at the midpoint between the walls of Lasta and the forest where the lizardmen lurked, they unloaded the lumber they were carrying. Then the soldiers made a pyramid with the logs they brought, filled the inside with firewood, and stuffed in straw.

What they were building was a giant bonfire, with a height of maybe five meters. This same construction process was repeated in several places simultaneously.

Kaede was using her earth elemental magic (gravity manipulation) to make the logs ignore gravity, allowing the assembly to proceed more efficiently.

In the middle of all that, Lauren ran over to her. “Madam Kaede. We were able to drive off most of the monsters, so let us help too.”

Kaede shook her head. “No, Madam Lauren, please remain on watch in the nearby area. We can’t be sure the monsters that followed Hal and Ruby won’t come back. Please stay extra cautious so we can keep the workers safe from monster attacks.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am! Understood!” Lauren gave her a salute and then returned to her position.

The second unit under command of Kaede continued their work under the protection of the first unit led by Lauren, and in a little over an hour, there were about ten bonfires set up.

Right around that time, a massive shadow appeared in the western sky. That shadow with its big wings spread out was Halbert and Ruby, returning after their duties were complete.

Even though seeing they were well made her feel a sense of relief, Kaede’s face remained stern as she gave orders. “We can’t overstay our welcome. If you’ve finished building, set the fires, and return inside the walls!”

“Yes, ma’am! Setting the fires!”

The newly built bonfires were all set alight at once.

The straw burned quickly, and the smoke turned orange as the light of the fire began to rise.

With the bonfires burning behind them, the second unit hurried inside the walls, followed by the soldiers of the first unit slowly withdrawing while fending off monster attacks.

“I hope the plan goes well...” Lauren, who was in the rear guard, said, sounding concerned.

Kaede chuckled. “We’ve done all we can. Now, we just have to pray it works out.”

◇　◇　◇

Gwah! Grrr!

Having lost many of their kind in the battle yesterday, the lizardmen were now lurking in the dark forest. They were all looking up at the sky.

A red line raced across their vision.

For a while now, several red lights had been flying through the sky.

What are those things? they wondered as they watched.

Things fell to the ground in pieces. When they approached, it was charred monsters.

The lizardmen turned their snouts toward the sizzling remains of the monsters.

The cooked meat gave off a savory smell.

The starving lizardmen wanted that smell. However, they stopped short. Before, when they had eaten similar monsters, many of their kind had experienced stomach cramps, and more than ten of them had died.

Whether that was due to the monsters’ meat being poisonous, because of diseases they carried, or the result of parasites...they didn’t know. The lizardmen had no way to know, and they lacked the intelligence to attempt to find out.

The information that “eating the mixed-up monsters can result in death” was all that had been entered into the lizardmen’s not particularly large brains. That was why, even though they were starving, they made no attempt to eat the mixed-up monsters.

But then...

Kshaaaa! ...Chomp!

One of the lizardmen started eating the charred monsters.

It acted as though they tasted good, eating several of them.

The pack of lizardmen watched that individual cautiously.

It was eating the mixed-up monsters, but not only was it not dying, it didn’t even seem to be getting stomach pain.

Why?

Looking at it, the individual was eating well-cooked meat, and avoiding undercooked portions.

Seeing that, the data in the lizardmen’s brains that said, “Eating the mixed-up monsters can result in death” was overwritten to say, “Eating the mixed-up monsters raw can result in death, but if they are well-cooked, they can be eaten.”

In the next instant, the lizardmen swarmed around the roasted monster meat. Due in part to their hunger, they tore into the meat with reckless abandon.

Even the lizardmen who hadn’t witnessed the original individual witnessed those who had seen it, learned the same information, and a battle over the cooked meat began.

Eventually, that information spread through the whole pack.

However, there was far too little meat for 800 lizardmen. The well-cooked meat vanished in no time flat, leaving only the undercooked meat.

While they were wondering what to do, a light appeared near the outside of the forest.

Looking at it, there was a place with fire burning brightly.

If I use those flames, I can cook this undercooked meat! The lizardmen who thought that took the undercooked meat and approached the fire, then threw it in. They ate it when it was cooked.

In the pack, there were some who could breathe fire themselves, and those individuals cooked and ate by themselves.

However, there was a limit to the undercooked meat too.

I want more.

Looking around, they noticed that...there was plenty of “raw meat” feeding on their kind’s corpses.

The lizardmen began to hunt.

◇　◇　◇

“It’s incredible to see, isn’t it?” I asked.

“Yeah...” Julius murmured.

It was around ten in the morning, with the sun was fully risen, and shining brilliantly.

I was with Julius, standing on the wall, watching the scene unfold beneath us in awe.

We watched the lizardmen surround the bonfires, cooking the meat of monsters they had hunted. It was like a banquet for primitives.

The lizardmen were a threat to us, but this was like watching a scene from ancient times, and it put me into a strange, indescribable frame of mind.

Aisha, who could see well at a long distance, pointed and explained. “Over in that corner, a group centered around a fire-breathing lizardman is starting to form, sire.”

Because we had taught them to cook before eating, there was now a major shift in the balance of power happening within the lizardman pack.

Naden and Ruby were dropping in kindling and straw from the air to make sure the fires didn’t go out, but not that many could gather around the bonfires, and the inevitable result was that the strongest individuals monopolized them. With that happening, those that could breathe fire for themselves were at an advantage.

The lizardmen who couldn’t get near the bonfires were apparently hunting an extra share of monster meat for the ones that could breathe fire in order to have those cook meat for them. It was a very simple contract based on a mutually beneficial relationship. There was a clear hierarchy forming between the lizardmen.

“It’s like watching a microcosm of society, you know,” I said, and Julius nodded.

“I couldn’t agree more. I never would have dreamed the day would come when I’d see society reflected in the actions of monsters.”

“If we gave them another thousand years, don’t you think they could achieve something resembling civilization?” I asked.

“Possibly, but...we can’t afford to wait a thousand years.”

“True enough.”

The relationship between mankind and monsters was one of kill-or-be-killed.

Because it was impossible to converse with them, if we didn’t defeat them, they would bring harm to those we cared about. It might be cruel, but there were people and things we needed to protect.

Julius stood on the edge of the city walls, then gave the order to the eagerly waiting soldiers.

“The number of monsters is down! Now, wipe out the lizardmen!”

At Julius’s command, the north and south gates swung open.

◇　◇　◇

“North and south forces, begin the attack!” he ordered.

To deal with the lizardman gathered in the west, Julius sent 1,000 troops out of the north and south gates, which then circled around to northwest and southwest of the pack.

“We will go on foot to circle around behind the enemy!” Jirukoma called.

“We will attack from the south side! Men, don’t be late!” Lauren shouted.

The one leading the northern force was Jirukoma, and the commander of the southern force was Lauren.

Partially because the lizardmen were distracted by eating, they let these two forces approach them easily.

Kaede, who was watching from the walls, raised her right hand. “Now, light the signal!”

At Kaede’s command, a smoke signal went up from the west gate.

When Jirukoma and Lauren saw it, their forces attacked the lizardman pack from the northwest and southwest. With a force of 2,000 attacking them in a V formation, the surprised lizardmen were pushed toward Lasta in the east.

When she saw that, Kaede poked her head out over the inside edge of the city wall, and said to the person down below, “The time is ripe! We’re counting on you, Sir Julius!”

“Understood!”

Moving away from the wall, Julius, who was riding on a white horse, drew his sword and held it aloft.

The 1,000 soldiers around him were mostly elites, including Lastanian regulars and the Dratroopers. The troops were waiting for the order to set out to come at any moment, and Julius announced to them, “The fate of this country hangs on this battle! Eliminate the lizardmen, for the sake of the families huddling in fear behind these walls!”

“““Yeahhhhhhh!”””

While listening to his men shout, Julius gave the order to the gates.

“Open the gates!”

The west gate opened, and 1,000 troops led by Julius leapt out.

The soldiers kept going with that momentum to plow straight into the confused pack of lizardmen.

“My life for Lastania!”

“Die already, you damn lizard!”

As if venting their grudges over the battle on the walls, they made a bloody mess of every lizardman they came across. Julius rode around swinging his sword too, lopping the heads off one lizardman after another. There was a trail of lizardman blood left behind where he had passed.

At the end of that line, Julius pointed his sword to the west and gave the order, “Keep going, and push until we’ve finished them!”

◇　◇　◇

“He’s doing a brilliant job commanding them, huh?” I commented.

The west gate opened, and the 1,000 troops coming out of it were attacking the lizardmen who had been pushed east. Under attack from three sides, the lizardmen were in a state of terror.

Hal and I were watching the scene unfold from up in the air on Ruby and Naden’s backs.

The forces led by Julius had just surrounded the lizardmen in a triangle formation. He didn’t close the encirclement, however, leaving a slight escape route to the west, between Jirukoma’s and Lauren’s units. If he closed all avenues of escape, the enemy would focus on his forces, but if there was even a narrow way out, the lizardmen would be distracted by it.

As the lizardmen turned their attention to the west, Julius’s forces moved to crush the pack from the east.

Somehow, it reminded me of a pastry bag.

“In my world’s military tactics, this would be an example of, ‘In order to capture, one must let loose,’ but you wouldn’t get that reference. Let’s call it the Pastry Bag Strategy instead.”

“No, no, a name that makes you want to use it is no good,” Naden said, poking fun at me with her telepathy.

Hmm...

“Then, since it looks like a ryuu’s mouth, how do you like ‘Naden’s Mouth’ instead?”

“Don’t go putting my name on it without permission!”

“Here’s how it’d sound on the battle field: ‘Let’s use Naden’s Mouth here!’ ‘This is the essence of Naden’s Mouth.’ ‘Is there no one here who can break out of Naden’s Mouth?!’”

“Stoooop iiiit!”

“You two...I know I’m not one to talk, but this is a battle, so be a little tenser, would you?” Hal, who was had brought Ruby’s body closer, said in exasperation.

Ruby nodded. “You too, Naden. Take your job more seriously.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong this time, did I?! Souma’s the one acting silly!”

“...You have a point,” Ruby admitted.

“Don’t worry, I’m looking around like I’m supposed to!” I called back.

My job in this battle was to monitor the area and ensure no unexpected crises arose. We couldn’t be sure there would be no sudden influx of reinforcements. That was why I was using Living Poltergeists to scatter my wooden mice and monitor a wide area around the battlefield.

As we were talking, I had a response.

“Hal, there’s a group of lizardmen coming in from the north. New ones that’ve crossed the river. There’s fifty.”

“Got it! We’ll wipe them out real quick. Let’s go, Ruby!”

“Okay!”

Ruby flapped her big wings and flew off to the north.

Hal and Ruby were a commando unit. They used their power and mobility to support areas that looked ready to collapse, or to respond to unexpected situations like just now.

“Now then...” I said, looking down.

There was a one-sided fight unfolding. The lizardmen were being pushed back by the force Julius was leading and gathering at the narrow escape route to the west. With all the pushing and shoving to get there, some were even being trampled to death by their own kind.

It looked like some lizardmen were getting out of the encirclement through the escape route. They were trying to flee into the woods, but...it wasn’t going to be that easy. This was a war of extermination. In order to avoid later troubles, we couldn’t let them get away here.

“So, I’m counting on you for the finishing touches, Aisha.”

My strongest fiancée was waiting for the ones fleeing into the woods.

◇　◇　◇

The lizardmen fleeing into the forest must have thought they’d escaped. However, there was no time for them to feel relief, as another crisis came down on them from above.

“Hi-yahhh!” Aisha shouted.

Thud! There was a loud sound as her greatsword swung into the ground, and a large lizardman was split in two.

The bisected lizardman’s dead body crumpled.

Aisha, the strongest fighter in the kingdom, lifted her greatsword with one hand, a weapon heavy enough to split the ground after cutting through the lizardman, then effortlessly swung it to clean off the blood.

“This feeling... It’s been a while.” Aisha held her greatsword level with her eyes. “Today I am not here as His Majesty’s fiancée, or as his bodyguard, but as a single warrior here to demonstrate her skills. Aisha of the God-Protected Forest is coming for you!”

She held her greatsword sideways as she ran forward. As she passed by some lizardmen bewildered by the sudden surprise attack, a single flash of her sword divided three of them in two simultaneously.

“Gishaa!” the lizardmen shouted.

Coming back to their senses, the lizardmen pounced at Aisha, but she used nearby tree trunks as footholds to bounce from tree to tree.

“I was born and raised in the God-Protected Forest. I have a slight advantage fighting in the forest,” Aisha grinned with confidence.

It wasn’t like the lizardmen could understand a word of what she was saying. But Aisha turned toward the ones who were bunching together to try to attack her and swung with her greatsword’s flat side down. Like swatting flies, the lizardmen were smashed.

Aisha shook off the blood like before, then looked at the lizardmen as if searching for her next prey. That glint in her eye intimidated the creatures, and they stayed still.

“You aren’t coming? Then I will go to you!” she yelled.

Aisha cut down the lizardmen one after another in order of proximity. For the lizardmen further away, she sent a cutting blast of air pressure, Sonic Wind, to cut them up. Her Sonic Wind slashed up not just the lizardmen, but the surrounding trees as well, making it like a violent wind.

This is crazy. There’s no way we can take her. The lizardmen instinctively sensed that and scattered.

However...

“Whoa, there. Young Miss Aisha’s not the only one used to fighting in the forests!” a voice called.

Having circled around in front of a fleeing lizardmen, Kuu took a hard swing with his cudgel into the underside of the lizardman’s jaw.

An arrow that flew in from between the trees in yet another direction planted itself in the lizardman’s forehead.

Up on a branch in a large tree nearby, Leporina held her bow at the ready.

Kuu jumped up into the branches, hanging down by his tail with a cheerful laugh. “Members of the snow monkey tribe are good at climbing trees, and Leporina’s from a family of hunters. It’ll be another thousand years before you’re any match for us in the forest.”

“If you get too cocky, you’ll get hurt,” Leporina warned him as she jumped from branch to branch.

“Oh, come on, like that would ever—Whuh?!”

When Leporina landed on a branch in the tree Kuu was hanging from, the branches shook, and his tail slipped, making Kuu fall headfirst to the ground.

Leporina quickly looked down below. “Wait, Young Master?! Are you all right?!”

“Ow... I didn’t quite land properly.” Though he was rubbing his head in pain, he didn’t seem particularly badly hurt.

Though Leporina was relieved, she puffed up her cheeks. “Geez, don’t worry me like that.”

“Sorry, sorry... Now, let’s clean up the rest of them.”

Kuu shouldered his cudgel and took off running. Leporina hurried after him.

Those like Kuu, Leporina, and Aisha, who excelled at fighting in the forest, had been lying in wait to exterminate the lizardmen when they fled in there. The lizardmen who had been hunting chimeras were now being hunted themselves.

Just as the battle in the forest was ending, the battle in the field wrapped up too.

As might be expected from the side that had held the advantage from beginning to end, compared to the piles of lizardman bodies littering the battlefield, the combined forces of Lastania and Elfrieden had taken only minor losses.

The battle near Lasta was about to end in victory. However, it wasn’t as though it was all over, so they couldn’t afford to stop.

In with the soldiers, Julius was shouting, “The liberation of Lasta is a success! However, if nothing changes, we will be surrounded again! We will continue north from here, seize the fortress at the river crossing, and push the line of defense up! Only once that is possible can the families inside the walls get a good night’s sleep!”

Then Julius thrust his sword skyward.

“It’s just one last push! Let’s go!”

“““Yeahhhhh!”””

With that, 3,000 soldiers marched on the fortress to the north.

They advanced up to the Dabicon River, taking out a group of a little over ten lizardmen that were heading south along the way, and approached the fortress near the crossing point.

It seemed there was no shortage of lizardmen nesting in the fortress, but they didn’t have the intelligence to fight a siege and were quickly eliminated to retake the fortress.

“Well done, everyone!” Julius called. “Give me a cry of victory!”

“““Hip, hip, hooray!”””

The soldiers’ victorious shout echoed as dusk fell on the fortress.

Souma and Julius went on to use this fortress as their base, eliminating the lizardmen that crossed in small numbers, as they waited for the main body of reinforcements to arrive from Friedonia.

Material aid from the Union of Eastern Nations was now able to enter the liberated Lasta, and supplies were carried to the front-line fortress by the wyvern cavalry who had returned.

Then, a week later, roughly 60,000 reinforcements at last arrived from the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Chapter 9: Help Arrives

Ludwin, who was leading the reinforcements, rushed over the moment he saw me. “Your Majesty! I’m glad to see you’re safe.”

There was no way the 60,000 reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia could enter a small-scale fortress with 3,000 soldiers already holed up inside, so the main body of the reinforcements camped in the nearby field, while their leaders were now at the fortress.

We who were in the fortress were meeting them with our key members all together.

Ludwin knelt in front of me, clasping his hands in front of him as he gave his report. “Ludwin Arcs has just now arrived with the reinforcements.”

“Well done,” I said. “You can take it easy now.”

Having exchanged some formal greetings, Ludwin stood up and immediately voiced his complaints.

“Still, sire, this is too much! What were you thinking, accompanying the advance party yourself?! Taking non-combatants like Lady Roroa and your little sister with you too!”

“Our former enemy Julius was in Lasta. There was no telling if the Dratroopers could coordinate well enough with him on their own, right? Roroa and I had to act as intermediaries. Besides, if I wanted to gather more information, having Tomoe’s ability was a necessity. I brought Aisha and Naden too, so we could flee if it got dangerous, meaning there was no problem.”

Incidentally, I had brought both Roroa and Tomoe from Lasta to the fortress too. I figured that Tomoe always had Inugami guarding her, and if things got dicey, I could have Naden carry them away, so it was probably fine.

Ludwin pressed his fingers against his temples with a sigh. “Still, there’s always the remote chance something could happen. If the princess heard of this...”

“Urkh... I think maybe I’ll have you keep quiet about this to Liscia...”

I was justified in my actions, but Liscia would worry. The more we worried her, the longer I would get scolded later. I appreciated her concern, but I still wanted to anger her as little as possible.

Ludwin shook his head in exasperation. “The soldiers are already telling stories about your bravery in leading an advance party into a city hopelessly surrounded by monsters. When the soldiers return home, it won’t be long before the princess hears of it.”

“I guess I’ll have to turn myself in, huh...”

I was likely to get a lighter scolding if she heard about it from me rather than someone else. But still... I was usually told I wasn’t much like a hero, so wasn’t it unfair that Liscia told me off anytime I did something that required bravery, for once?

“Aw, well, it shows how much Big Sis Cia cares for ya, now doesn’t it, Darlin’?” Roroa asked.

“That’s right,” Aisha nodded. “You have to accept it.”

“I mean, I just carried you around like you told me to,” Naden said.

Those three were all in agreement.

“No, I think you’ll all be getting an earful too, you know? Naden for being my accomplice, Roroa for acting just as reckless despite being a non-combatant, and Aisha about her responsibility in watching over us.”

“...Big Sis Ai, Nadie, how about we avoid goin’ to see Big Sis Cia for a while?” Roroa asked.

“Y-Yes, let’s do that,” Aisha said.

Naden nodded. “Roger that.”

“Isn’t that kind of unfair?!” I cried.

While we were talking, Julius, Jirukoma, and Lauren came over.

When Ludwin noticed Julius, he put on a grim face.

In the battle of the forces of the Elfrieden Kingdom and Principality of Amidonia facing off near Van, Ludwin had been commander-in-chief of the kingdom’s forces, and Julius had participated as a top commander alongside Gaius VIII. These two, it could be said, had directly fought one another.

“Sir Julius Amidonia,” Ludwin said in almost a whisper, and Julius extended his hand.

“The Amidonia name now belongs to Roroa alone. It’s just Julius now, Sir Ludwin Arcs of the kingdom’s Royal Guard.”

“You know of me?” Ludwin asked.

“I took command on the front line in place of my father during that battle. I remember the name of the one I fought. Your command was solid, and I could find no place to break it apart. I thought you were quite a difficult opponent.”

“I see now,” Ludwin said slowly. “The reason we couldn’t break the principality’s forces, even with their low morale, was because you were there.”

Ludwin and Julius exchanged a firm handshake. There was none of the awkwardness I had felt meeting Julius again. That was likely because they held something as common as warriors who oversaw commanding troops.

Besides, Ludwin was an affable young man, so it was hard to dislike him.

“I’ve heard about your exploits from His Majesty,” Ludwin said. “He said something about the Lastanian royal family entrusting you with the command of their armies, and you breaking through the encirclement with only 3,000 troops. I couldn’t be more reassured to have you on our side.”

“No, that was only possible with the Dratroopers’ assistance,” Julius said. “Besides, Lastania’s soldiers alone will not be enough to exterminate the tens of thousands of lizardmen that are no doubt on the other side of that river. I am keenly grateful for your assistance.”

“Indeed,” Ludwin said, nodding. “Let us overcome this crisis together.”

Suddenly, an energetic voice broke in. “Brother!”

For a moment, I thought it was Roroa, but she didn’t tend to address her brother quite that way. Looking in the direction the voice came from, Jirukoma’s little sister Komain was rushing over.

Behind her was Poncho, who was in charge of managing logistics, and the head maid who was assigned to be his assistant, Serina.

Komain ran straight to Jirukoma. “Brother! Thank goodness you’re all right!”

The appearance of the sister he had left behind in the Kingdom of Friedonia made Jirukoma’s eyes bulge wide. “Komain?! What are you doing here?!”

“King Souma arranged it. I’ve come together with the man I now serve.”

“The man you now serve?”

“Sir Poncho.”

With that said, Komain went to stand beside Poncho, who was slowly walking over.

Poncho placed his right hand on top of his head, bowing repeatedly to Jirukoma. “I-It’s been too long, Sir Jirukoma. Komain has been helping me a lot as my assistant, yes.”

“Oh, you were the one she wanted to serve with, Sir Poncho? We are in your debt for the food you gave us refugees in our time of need. If my little sister can be of help to you, please, work her hard.”

“No, I couldn’t do that...” Poncho said nervously.

“Don’t worry. Sir Poncho is too considerate to do that to another person,” said the woman in the maid uniform who was standing opposite Komain.

Jirukoma looked at that woman who was wearing a maid uniform despite being in a war zone. He cocked his head to the side. “Who might you be? Are you Sir Poncho’s maid?”

“I am Serina, the head of the castle’s maids. It’s an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Serina lifted the hem of her maid uniform’s long skirt and curtsied.

“My mistress is Princess Liscia, but for various reasons I now act as an assistant to Sir Poncho. Ah, yes... You may think of me as a colleague of Madam Komain’s.”

“You’re...colleagues?” Jirukoma asked, taken aback.

Well, strictly speaking, it was less that they were colleagues, and more that they’d both been entranced by the food Poncho made, but a capable woman like Serina was never going to give off any hint of that.

Komain noticed the woman in armor standing awkwardly behind her older brother. “Brother? Who is that woman?”

“Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is Madam Lauren, the captain of the soldiers in the Kingdom of Lastania, where I now reside. Madam Lauren, this is my little sister. Her name is Komain. And this is Sir Poncho of the Kingdom of Friedonia, who has been taking care of her, and Madam Serina.”

Then Jirukoma pushed Lauren forward and introduced her to everyone.

Lauren’s face was a little tense as she saluted the three of them. She seemed flustered by the sight of Komain. “I-I’m Captain Lauren. You’re Sir Jirukoma’s sister? S-Sir Jirukoma is always helping me...”

Poncho and Jirukoma probably assumed she was just feeling shy to be meeting someone new, but Komain and Serina knew exactly what was going on.

Komain asked Serina in a hushed voice, “Um... Serina. What do you think about this?”

“I don’t know what else there is to think. It’s exactly what you’re imagining, isn’t it?”

I knew it, Komain thought as her shoulders slumped. It seemed this Lauren woman had a thing for Jirukoma. In which case, one thing concerned her. “Do you think my brother has noticed her feelings?”

“I would suspect not,” Serina whispered. “Look, he has the same expression as Poncho, like he’s looking out for a girl who’s younger than him.”

“Ahh... There’s no way he’s noticed then.” Komain scratched at her cheek.

She had no intention of inserting herself into her brother’s love life, but it was going to be awkward having to deal with his partner as his younger sister. That said, Lauren didn’t seem like a bad person, so Komain gave the tense female soldier an awkward smile.

“Um... I’m sorry. It seems you’re doing a lot for my brother.”

“Oh, not at all! If anything, he’s the one who’s always helping me. Sir Jirukoma has saved me on countless occasions,” Lauren said, blushing.

Ohh...she’s got it bad, Komain understood. And seeing how big a crush the woman had on her brother, his utter lack of self-awareness about it started to irritate her as a fellow woman.

Komain deliberately put on a charming smile. “I see you and my brother are close. Are you two in love, maybe?”

“I-In love?! No, we’re not, um...” Lauren was clearly unsettled and started fidgeting. She may have looked like the dashing warrior type, but the way her actions were oddly maidenly was cute.

However, as for Mr. Clueless...

“What’s this, out of nowhere?” Jirukoma exclaimed. “Isn’t that rude to Madam Lauren? We have no such relationship.”

He didn’t get it at all. Komain could see why Lauren was a little depressed.

“You’re the rude one here, Brother,” she informed him.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Komain wanted to explain it until he got a clue, but she just barely managed to bite her tongue and hold back. If she pointed it out herself, she would be causing trouble for Lauren.

Serina whispered in Komain’s ear, “I see the situation is quite inte... No, I mean troubling.”

“Did you just start to say interesting?!”

“With these sorts of gentlemen, you must be direct, or it will never get through to them. So why don’t we have Madam Lauren come right out and say it?”

“You might be right, but...do you think she’ll plainly reveal her feelings?”

“Oh, that’s simple.” The corners of Serina’s lips turned up. It was only a slight smile, but it was like a glimpse of her inner sadist.

While Lauren was still looking happy about being asked if she and Jirukoma were in love, Serina said casually, “Madam Lauren, how many children are you hoping to have with Sir Jirukoma?”

“Three!”

It was an instant response. She must have thought about their future together in great detail.

The area instantly went quiet, and Jirukoma’s eyes were wide with surprise.

“M-Madam Lauren...”

“...Ah!”

Brought her back to her senses, Lauren instantly turned a bright shade of red as she realized she’d slipped up.

“Uwah...ah...”

With her face red all the way down to her neck, Lauren’s eyes filled with tears as she uttered ill-formed words. Then, in the next moment, she bolted like a startled hare and ran away.

As Jirukoma stared dazedly at her back, Komain asked him, “Brother, do you understand which of us was the rude one now?”

“Ahh... Ah! No, but...”

Now it was Jirukoma’s turn to panic. No matter how clueless he might be, he had surely realized how she felt now. Well, not so much realized as had been told the answer.

In exasperation, Komain asked, “So, how do you feel, Brother? How likely is it that I am going to have to call that person Sister?”

“I find Madam Lauren...desirable,” he admitted slowly. “However, I remain in this land for the dream of retaking our homeland. I couldn’t form a family...”

“I see... So that’s the reason...”

It seemed Jirukoma’s unawareness of her feelings had been not simply because he was clueless about such things, but also because in his role commanding the refugee volunteer soldiers who dreamed of returning home, he had put his own needs second, or even third. Then...

“Hmph. What’s the harm?” Julius slapped Jirukoma on the back. “There are other refugee volunteers who’ve made families in this country. If you have a fondness for Captain Lauren, why not respond to her feelings?”

Then Julius smirked.

Jirukoma was shocked. “I can’t believe this, Julius. Do you have a grudge against me for teasing you about Princess Tia?!”

“Oh, no, I’m simply returning the words you gave to me. ‘It seems it’s time to pay the piper, Jirukoma. Congratulations. Well, it was simply a matter of time, anyway.’”

“Grrr...”

Jirukoma could say nothing in response. At last, after everyone urged him to give up on ignoring her, he did so, and chased after Captain Lauren.

I watched the whole exchange in silence, thinking, Talking about settling down with a family when you’re on the battlefield is a death flag, so stop!

I seriously started wondering if I should have Jirukoma keep a pocket watch over her chest, but in this world, it was mostly sword wounds and the like, so maybe chain mail was better.

Well, leaving Jirukoma and Lauren to sort themselves out, what I had to deal with right now was the lizardmen across the river.

“Ludwin, do we know what the situation across the river is?” I asked.

“Yes. According to reports from our wyvern cavalry scouts, there are about 50,000 lizardmen amassed across the river. We’ve also confirmed various other species of monster. It seems many of the monsters can fly,” Ludwin reported.

50,000 lizardmen and countless other monsters... That was a lot. We had 60,000 regulars, and the wyvern cavalry was with us for air power. If we threw the whole army at them, they would never lose to the lizardmen, who had no concept of strategy or formation. However, there was the issue of geography.

“Them being a large force across a river is a problem,” I said. “Just like how they can only cross the shallows in small numbers, we can’t have our whole army cross at once either, right?”

“You’re right... If we send small groups one after another to establish a beachhead, the vanguard will be surrounded. That would increase casualties on our side. We could have the wyvern cavalry provide bombing support, but...”

“No, we shouldn’t do that,” Julius interjected. He must have been listening to us. “If we attack from just one direction, the enemies that have gathered here for us will scatter. If they are divided, the area damaged will expand that much more, and the time to put them down will be extended. Can we find some way to exterminate that pack in one stroke?”

“You say that, but...” I scratched my head.

I understood what Julius was saying, but to wipe them out quickly, we would need to get a large number of soldiers across the river fast. Inside our own country, there were many transportations on the table like the Rhinosaurus Train or the Roroa Maru, but this was a foreign land. We had limited options.

“The Dabicon is a major river, right? If we scrape some boats together, can’t we get them across at once?”

“No, we can’t use large ships in a shallow river like this,” Julius said. “It’s not realistic to have 60,000 men cross in smaller ships, either.”

“In that case, how about tying together small boats to create a bridge...” I began. “Wait, we’d need to get a rope to the other side of the river first.”

Julius and I both wracked our brains, but nothing good came out of it.

It seemed there was only one man we could count on. I turned to Ludwin, who had returned.

“Did Hakuya have any directions for you?” I asked.

Our last resort was the country’s bag of wisdom, Hakuya Kwonmin the Black-robed Prime Minister. I had been giving detailed reports on our situation here to the main body of reinforcements and Parnam Castle via messenger kui. That was because I figured that if he was aware of our situation, clever Hakuya would come up with some countermeasure.

Ludwin nodded. “Yes. The prime minister came up with an effective plan based on the information you sent him, sire. The people we will need for this plan have already been sent too.”

That was Hakuya for you, always quick. But what was this about people we’d need?

“Who are we talking about here?”

Ludwin began, “That would be...”

“Hehe! It’s me, sire.”

I turned toward the seductive voice that had suddenly addressed me, and there was a blue-haired beauty.

For a moment, I thought it might be Juna, but unlike Juna, this woman had antlers sprouting from her temples, she wore a kimono-like outfit which was open to reveal her ample cleavage, and a reptilian tail that was similar to Naden’s slithered out from her rear end.

“Excel?!” I exclaimed, letting out a cry of surprise at her unexpected arrival.

It was Excel Walter, Juna’s grandmother and the Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force.

She giggled happily covering her mouth with a fan. “Oh, my, sire. You’ll be marrying Juna soon, won’t you? You can call me Mother instead of Excel, you know?”

“No, but wouldn’t I be calling you grandmother...?”

“Did you say something, Your Ma-je-sty?”

“Nope, not a word, Mom.”

I immediately raised the white flag at her intimidating smile. Nothing good would come from pissing this lady off after all. It could get pretty nasty.

I cleared my throat, then started afresh. “So, why are you here, Excel? I ordered you to defend the kingdom while I was away, didn’t I?

“The Prime Minister asked me to. My powers are needed, so he asked me to join up with you. Don’t you worry, once the battle here is over and done with, I’ll nip right on back to the kingdom.”

Saying that, Excel wearily turned her shoulders in circles. “Honestly now, both you and the Prime Minister are so rough on your elders.”

“I’m sure you’d get mad if I treated you like an elder...”

“Well, I don’t mind poking fun at myself, but I won’t let anyone else say it.”

“Oh, I see...”

Well, the fact that a wise and experienced general like Excel had come bearing a plan from Hakuya was something to be happy about in this situation. I’d just been drawing a blank myself after all.

Excel put her arms around me from the front, pressing her body up against mine. “Hehe! Now that I’m here, you have nothing to worry about.”

“Too close too close too close!”

This was way closer than family were allowed to get, you know?!

While everyone was watching, it was super awkward to have the young-looking and buxom Excel making a move on me like this. Ludwin and Julius’s stares hurt.

While I was thinking that, Excel suddenly moved away. Just as I was feeling relieved...

The next instant, bzzap, a blue flash shot past my head.

When I turned back, Naden had an angry face and all her hairs were standing on end. There were so many sparks flying around her, it was clear at a glance that she was pretty mad.

Then the next thing I knew, someone grabbed me by both hands, and I was pulled back.

I stumbled back two, three steps, and there were Aisha and Roroa, each holding one of my arms.

“Duchess Walter! That’s enough fooling around!” Aisha shouted.

“Darn straight it is. Just ’cause Big Sis Cia and Big Sis Juna aren’t around doesn’t mean you can go makin’ eyes at Darlin’.”

“The next one will hit,” Naden snarled as she hugged me over the shoulder from behind. Maybe because of the electricity, my hairs were all standing on end. It was pretty scary to hear it crackle next to my ears.

Seeing my fiancées’ reactions, Excel laughed even more happily. “Hehe! Your desperation is so cute.”

“Please, don’t mess with my fiancées,” I begged.

“Oh, my, isn’t it nice I stir things up and help you reconfirm your love for each other on such a regular basis?”

“We haven’t gotten tired of each other, so all you’re doing is making me uneasy.”

“I see you have troublesome relatives too,” Julius said.

Even Julius was looking at me with sympathy... Now I was just getting sad.

Maybe she was satisfied with the response we’d given her, because Excel opened her fan and cheerily said, “Now, sire, I’m the best help you could ask for. How about we start the meeting on how we’ll eliminate those lizards across the river right away?”

...Honestly, this lady sure was having a riot in life.

Chapter 10: Everyone’s Night Before the Final Battle

It was a night in autumn when the moon was bright.

By the time Souma and his companions finished with their meeting to discuss the plan Excel had brought from Hakuya, it was already late at night.

There were soldiers from both the Kingdom of Lastania and Kingdom of Friedonia resting in the fortress courtyard.

That said, it was a tiny fortress. There was no way for it to hold the entire 50,000-strong army that the Kingdom of Friedonia had sent. Most of the soldiers and officers were camped outside the fortress.

With the strategy meeting finished, Julius went to look around the camp. At which point...

“You! You’re Lord Julius?!” a soldier cried.

“Ohh, there’s no doubt about it, it’s Lord Julius!”

He was surrounded by several men wearing Friedonian army uniforms. There were many in the Friedonian forces who had fought against him in the past, so Julius tensed, but the men put their hands together in front of them and bowed to him.

“We belonged to the forces of the principality.”

“We fought under you at Van.”

“We’re so, so glad to see you’re all right.”

As the two began to shed manly tears of joy at their reunion, Julius relaxed.

“I see... You’re Amidonian then.”

“Yes,” one of the soldiers said tearfully. “We weren’t strong enough to protect you then, Lord Julius...”

These were likely men who had sworn loyalty to Gaius and Julius. Even in the homeland he thought he had cast away, there were people who thought about him. That alone gave Julius some solace.

Because of that, he put an arm around the shoulder of the man crying manly tears and said, “You’ve saved me by coming here. I thank you.”

“Lord Julius...”

“How are things? Are Souma and Roroa ruling Amidonia well?”

The men nodded.

“Y-Yes. I think they’ve brought stability.”

“They’ve unified and reorganized the forces of the principality and kingdom, and we’re making progress with reconciliation.”

“He held a festival in memory of Lord Gaius the other day too.”

“A festival to mourn my father... I see. That does sound like something he’d do.”

Julius properly understood Souma’s intent. It was likely a mixture of emotion and practicality.

The common people had feared Gaius, but he had been an object of love and respect for the soldiers. In holding a memorial festival, Souma would be able to reduce resistance from those people. That would be of practical benefit to Souma, who wanted to advance reconciliation between the kingdom and principality.

The emotional part was his feelings for Roroa. Even though Roroa’s relationship with her father had been frosty, Souma perhaps felt a sense of guilt over being the one to kill him.

It’s naive of him, but...I can’t see any reason to reject it.

Julius now had a person he would give his own life to protect: Princess Tia, who had remained in Lasta. If it would keep her from crying, and it would make her smile, he would do anything, no matter how inefficient. Even as he complained about doing it.

The image of Tia’s perfect smile flashing through his mind made Julius’s face soften a little.

“Lord Julius?” one of the soldiers asked.

“...No, it’s nothing.” Julius put a serious look back on and said, “Though my father, Gaius, was defeated, I am told he was able to display the pride of Amidonia in his final moments. If I, as his son, were to complain about that result, it would be a stain on my father’s legacy. Therefore, I have no intention of holding a grudge against Souma or Roroa. I’d like all of you to keep supporting them.”

“Ohh, what resolve!”

“Lord Julius! We swear to support Lady Roroa!”

Seeing the crying soldiers act so moved, Julius could only smile wryly.

There was no lie in what he had said, but Julius didn’t want to hear, “Please, come back to the principality” at this point, so he had meant to convey, “I’m getting along just fine here, so you people take care of yourselves there.” He had no lingering attachment to the House of Amidonia.

I couldn’t leave Tia to return home, and I’ve no desire to bring her back with me, he reflected. I wouldn’t want to pull her away from this country where the people love her, and where all the people she loves are.

Julius forced a smile as he put a hand on the soldiers’ shoulders. “I know I was unable to rule my own country, but I want to do what I can to protect this country which took me in. Please, if only for now, lend me your strength.”

“That’s always been our intent!”

“We are proud to be able to fight alongside you again!”

The soldiers wiped the tears from their eyes.

Julius gave them a firm nod. “Then rest now. I’ll need you to work your hardest tomorrow.”

“““Y-Yes, sir! Excuse us!”””

The soldiers saluted and then returned to their posts.

Once he had seen those soldiers go, Julius let out a sigh in the sudden silence that had fallen around him.

“Maybe I should rest too...”

Julius went inside the building and stood in front of the room he was now using as his own. He was kind of exhausted today. He opened the door, thinking it was about time he rested in preparation for tomorrow.

“Welcome back, Lord Julius!” a voice said.

“Yeah... Huh?!” He gave a natural response, but then realizing there should be no one there to say that to him, Julius’s head snapped up.

There stood Tia, who was supposed to have been left behind in Lasta.

“Princess Tia?! Why are you here?!” he exclaimed.

“Eheheh. I came.”

“But how...?”

“Lady Roroa and some others were heading to the fortress in a gondola, so I stowed away with their luggage.”

“A stowaway?! How could you...? There must be an uproar in Lasta by now.”

“Oh, that’s not a problem. I left a note saying I’d be coming here.”

“That’s not the problem!”

Julius grasped the temples of his now-throbbing head. This was a level of decisiveness comparable to Roroa’s.

Seeing the troubled look on his face, Tia hesitantly spoke up. “Um, I’m sorry. But I just couldn’t help but worry...”

Julius let out a sigh of resignation. “...Did anyone see you on your way to this room?”

“No, I snuck here with a cloth over my head, so no one should have seen me. It seemed everyone was busy moving around and doing other things.”

“Well, I guess there would be even more of an uproar if you had been found.”

Julius directed Tia to sit down on his bed, and then sat next to her.

“Princess. Please don’t leave this room until everything is settled. It would distract the soldiers of Lastania if they were to discover you are in this fortress.”

“O-Okay. I’ll keep quiet here so that I don’t cause trouble for you.” Tia nodded, but soon looked at him with upturned eyes and asked, “Um... Does my being here distract you too, Lord Julius?”

The hesitant question made Julius shrug his shoulders as if exasperated. “No, if anything, it’s made me more focused. I absolutely can’t allow myself to lose now.”

“You will win, Lord Julius. Absolutely.”

“Heh. When you say that, Princess, I mysteriously can’t help but believe it...” Maybe it was the exhaustion from days of continuous fighting, or the preparations for tomorrow’s battle, but Julius let out a yawn. “Fwah... Excuse me.”

Tia stared blankly for a moment, but then something seemed to come to her, and she patted her lap. “Lord Julius, if you’re tired, please use my lap as your pillow.”

“Ah! No, that would be a bit much...”

“Are my thighs not meaty enough to be a good pillow?” she asked, pouting.

Seeing Tia so blatantly disappointed, Julius gave in and lay down, resting his head on her lap. “...Okay.”

Tia seemed satisfied as she stroked Julius’s head. “I will pray for your good fortune in battle, Lord Julius.”

“Princess Tia...” he murmured. “Then, as they do in the stories of knights, let me dedicate this victory to you.”

They spent a time together that was so peaceful, it would be hard to believe it was the night before the final battle.

In the fortress kitchen, Poncho and Serina were doing prep work for cooking.

They would need to prepare a large amount of food tomorrow. In addition to providing nutrition before the decisive battle, there would need to be a banquet for the victory afterward.

It might seem presumptuous to say that when they hadn’t won yet, but if they didn’t prepare for a feast, it would give the impression they expected to lose. That was why, in anticipation of victory, Poncho and his team were making the necessary preparations.

“Um... I’ll help,” Komain offered, watching Poncho stir a large pot. “When you and Serina are both working, I can’t be the only one to relax.”

“I-It’s okay. We have enough help here, yes,” Poncho said with a troubled smile.

It was true, there were several other chefs in the kitchen helping with the preparations. However, they all looked very busy.

“But...”

“You’ll be going into battle tomorrow, won’t you? Rest for today and get what little sleep you can.”

Komain tried to belabor the point, but Serina shut her down completely. Komain had volunteered to fight in tomorrow’s battle, in order to fight alongside her brother Jirukoma. Given that, she needed to be fresh for tomorrow.

Poncho wiped his hands on his apron, then plopped one of them down on top of Komain’s head. “I can’t fight on the battlefield like Sir Jirukoma. It’s embarrassing, but in terms of strength, I’m not even a match for Madam Serina, yes.”

“A maid is expected to be able to manage a bare minimum level of self-defense after all,” Serina said coolly, with a look on her face that said it was nothing special.

Those martial arts of Serina’s, which make it feel like you’re being glared at by a great wolf, are the bare minimum, are they? Komain felt like she was losing her grasp on what the job of a maid really was, but she knew Serina would just dodge the question if she brought it up, so she held her tongue.

Poncho gave Komain an awkward smile and said, “B-Because of how I am, I can’t help you on the battlefield. In exchange, I’ll be waiting with delicious food, so make sure you come back safe, yes. Let’s eat together, all three of us.”

“Poncho...”

Poncho’s kind words slipped into Komain’s heart.

“That line sounds like it’s coming from a wife sending her husband off to war,” Serina said with exasperation.

“I-I guess it does. I need to get my act together, yes.” Poncho smiled shyly.

Having been touched by the warm atmosphere between them, Komain smiled happily too. “Yes, I’ll definitely come back safe. Because the Ishizuka family table is where I belong.”

Tomoe and Inugami were bringing supplies to the large room where injured soldiers were carried.

Looking around, most of the bandaged soldiers were sitting. The only ones lying down were those with serious injuries, and they had light magic casters next to them providing treatment.

Amid what could have easily been a dark scene, Tomoe deliberately chose to act cheerful. “I brought more bandages and three-eyedine!”

The medic handling the wounded saluted her. “Good work, Lady Tomoe!”

“You medics all look so tired,” Tomoe said. “Are there a lot of people wounded?”

“No, the people here all have comparatively light wounds. Those with major external wounds are given priority for treatment with light magic, and those with the most serious cases are carried back to Lasta. These are all people who’ll get better with some bandages and medicine.”

“Oh, they are?” Tomoe said happily. “Well, please keep doing your best for them.”

Tomoe and Inugami turned over the supplies they brought to the medics.

Once the handover was complete, Inugami whispered to Tomoe, “Would it not be best for you to get some rest now, Little Sister?”

He was saying that out of concern, but Tomoe shook her head.

“I want to do whatever I can. I want to be helpful.”

“What are you saying? During the battle at Lasta, we were able to learn about the lives of lizardmen and find a solution.”

“Still...I want to help more.”

“Ookyakya, how admirable!” a voice laughed.

When Tomoe looked up in the direction of that cheerful voice, Kuu and Leporina had just come in.

Inugami stepped forward, putting himself between the two of them and Tomoe.

Seeing the look on Inugami’s face, Kuu was confused. “Hold on, hold on, what kind of look is that? Did I do something to upset you?”

“Maybe he’s Tomoe’s guardian?” Leporina said. “Remember, Young Master, you did hit on her once.”

Kuu clapped his hands. “Oh, yeah, they are kind of similar. Ookyakya, it’s fine! I’m not gonna hit on Bro’s little sister when Taru’s not around.”

“Normally you ought to restrain yourself more when she is around, though...” Leporina murmured, looking exasperated.

Inugami remained silent.

I wonder what kind of face he’s making... Tomoe couldn’t see Inugami’s face from her position.

“Why are you two here, by the way?” Tomoe asked. “Did you get hurt somewhere?”

Leporina let out a troubled laugh. “Oh, no. We were looking for any spare cloth that might be around.”

“Spare cloth?”

“My cudgel got all dirty during the battle today.” Kuu extended his cudgel, which was splattered with what was presumably lizardman blood. It had already dried and turned dark, but there were signs he had rubbed at it too. “The cloth I was using to clean it tore. I’ve gotten a lot of the blood off, but there’s a lot of intricate design work, so I couldn’t get it all. Making sure my weapon’s properly maintained can be a matter of life and death after all.”

“You were the one who insisted on cool engraving, even after Taru told you it would just make maintaining it more of a pain, Young Master.”

“Ookya? Did I do that?”

As Kuu laughed and tried to dodge the issue, Leporina put a hand on her hip and sighed.

Watching the two of them, Tomoe mumbled, “If I just had the strength to fight, I could do more...”

“Ookya?” Having caught that, Kuu cocked his head to the side. “What is it, little girl? You want to fight?”

“Um... I was thinking if I did, I could help Big Brother more.”

“Ohh, that’s not gonna happen.” Kuu shot her right down. “This is one of those things where it’s a question of potential. You’re too nice to stand on the battlefield. Even if it’s for Bro, if you’re up against a fierce beast, you’re not going to be able to kill, are you? Besides, no matter how hard you train, you’ll never be more than a single soldier. You can’t help much like that.”

In the face of Kuu’s reasonable argument, Tomoe could say nothing. She just tugged at the hem of her outfit.

Inugami tried to say something to stand up for her, but there was nothing wrong about what Kuu was saying, so he couldn’t find the words to.

Not caring one bit about the heavy atmosphere, Kuu continued. “Besides, you have a more special power anyway, don’t you? The ability to talk to animals, was it? I hear you used that power of yours to get more rhinosaurus trains going.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah...”

“If you ask me, that’s a whole lot more useful than being able to fight. In my country, we use numoths to get around in winter, but we have a hard time getting more of them, you know. If we had your ability, I feel like we could set things up for them to breed more easily...” Kuu trailed off, getting a thoughtful look on his face. “Hm? Maybe we ought to borrow your power...have you talk to the numoths for us...”

“Um, pardon me, but Little Sister is the adopted daughter of the former king and queen, and is therefore royalty,” Inugami said stiffly. “Even with a bodyguard, sending Lady Tomoe to the republic alone is simply not an option...”

Kuu just waved his hand. “That’ll be fine. No need for her to leave the country. We’ll arrange the numoth, and if she can come to a town or city near the border, they can talk there.”

“Even for that, you’d need His Majesty’s permission.”

“Bro wanted some numoths. I turned down his request because we need them for defense, but if sharing information between the kingdom and republic will make it easier to breed them, I don’t mind letting him have a few. The south of the kingdom is cold too, so he should be able to raise them. Well...I’ll need my old man’s permission too, so it’ll take a while, I’m sure, but I’ll have to try talking to Bro about it later.”

Kuu grinned at Tomoe.

“When the time comes, little girl, I’ll be counting on you. Ookyakya!”

“...Okay! I’ll do my best!” Tome said, clenching her hands into fists.

She must have been happy to know there was something she could do.

Inugami and Leporina looked on with smiles.

Meanwhile, around that same time, Ludwin, the commander-in-chief of the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia, and Kaede, his staff officer, were performing their final checks. In tomorrow’s operation, Ludwin would be in the main camp, while Kaede would take command from close to the front line.

“I prefer commanding on the front line, though,” Ludwin sighed.

“We can’t have the commander-in-chief saying that,” Kaede told him. “Please, stay put this time.”

“Ahaha... All right.”

Once their final checks were finished, the two left the war room.

“I’ll be counting on you tomorrow, then,” Ludwin said.

“Yes. May fortune favor you in battle, Sir Ludwin.”

Parting with Ludwin, Kaede walked a short distance, and ran into Halbert and Ruby standing at a corner.

Seeing them, Kaede cocked her head to the side and stared blankly. “Did you stay up to wait for me?”

“Couldn’t get to sleep, that’s all,” Halbert said.

“He says that, but he just wanted to see your face,” Ruby grinned.

At Ruby’s spilling of the beans, Halbert turned a bright shade of red. “Wha?! Ruby! Now listen, you!”

“Hehe! I’m happy to see the two of you too, you know,” Kaede said with a giggle. “You’ll be fighting in the air while I’m fighting on land. Hal, it’s going to be more dangerous for you, so you must be careful, you know. And you can’t push Ruby too hard.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. “Don’t screw up and get hurt or anything. If you end up in trouble, we’ll definitely come save you. Right, Ruby?”

“Hehe!” Kaede giggled. “That’s right. I’ll protect you and Ruby too.”

With both sides having acted like they were better than the other, the three of them cracked up laughing.

While they were laughing...

“Oh, my, you all seem to get along well.”

The three turned to see who had addressed them, and Excel was standing there with a smile.

The sudden appearance of the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force made them all reflexively salute as members of the military.

“Wh-Why, it’s Duchess Walter! I’m sorry we didn’t notice you sooner,” Hal said hastily.

“Ohh, it’s already late at night, so let’s have none of that.” Excel waved her hand at his apology on behalf of the group.

In place of a speechless Halbert, Kaede asked, “Um, what are you doing here, Duchess Walter? I thought you would be asleep by now.”

“Hmm... I was concerned about His Majesty, and went to his room, but Aisha turned me away at the door. They just love him so much.” Excel put a finger to her lips, as if troubled.

Seriously, what is this person up to?! Halbert and the others thought as they looked at her with cold eyes, but Excel was legitimately concerned for Souma.

She was thinking, During the meeting, it felt like His Majesty was pushing himself a little hard, but, well, it seemed Roroa and Naden were in the room with him... I suppose he’ll be fine.

In order to switch into a new frame of mind, Excel clapped her hands. “By the way, you three were on Castor’s carrier, weren’t you? From your perspective, is that idiot son-in-law of mine doing a proper job as captain?”

“Huh? You mean Captain Castor?” Halbert looked to Kaede and Ruby. “Uhh...yeah. I think he’s a reliable captain.”

“He swabs the deck even now that he’s captain, so the crew all respect him,” Kaede said.

“He said, ‘Hey, as a red dragon and a dragonewt, we’re kind of similar, huh,’ and struck up a casual conversation with me,” Ruby added.

Hearing their opinions, Excel grinned. “I see. So he’s doing all right then.”

“Oh, yeah. Of course he is.”

“Well, I do hear he went to a place he shouldn’t have with those crewmen who respect him so much, though. Hehe...”

It felt to Halbert and the others like the temperature had just dropped ten degrees.

Then Excel looked to Kaede and Ruby. “You two are engaged to Sir Halbert, right?”

“Y-Yes,” said Kaede.

“That’s right.”

Excel nodded at their response, then took on a lecturing tone. “Men have been known to get carried away easily. That is why, as women, we must hold their reins. Complimenting, encouraging, and lifting them up at times, while reprimanding and slapping them in the butt at others. We can’t lean too much to one side. The secret to familial happiness is keeping your partner in control without upsetting him. Do I make myself clear?”

““Y-Yes!”” Kaede and Ruby saluted in unison.

Halbert was alone in clutching his head. What kind of face am I supposed to make while listening to that sort of talk...?

With a satisfied smile at the three of them, Excel drew a fan from her chest and opened it. Then, covering her mouth with the fan, she let out a jolly laugh. “Well, my daughter Accela, who is Castor’s wife, is not a woman who will just wait around. That is something Castor will learn for himself shortly, I’m sure.”

As Excel let out a laugh that seemed to imply something, Halbert felt a cold chill run down his spine.

If I get married, are Kaede and Ruby going to act like that...?

As soon as the thought occurred to Halbert, he swore to himself he would never defy them.

◇　◇　◇

While everyone was spending their time in their own way, I was in my room looking over some documents.

Though the Living Poltergeists I had left in the castle were still doing paperwork, I had brought some non-urgent work for my main body to do whenever my hands were free.

I faced my desk in silence, signing off on the documents I had looked through.

“Hey, hey, Darlin’,” Roroa broke in. “Do you have to do that right now?”

“Seriously,” Naden added. “You come all this way, and then you still bury yourself in work?”

When I turned around, Roroa and Naden were sitting on the single bed and looking at me.

They were both in one-piece pajama outfits, and Naden had the mitten-like covers on her antlers that she wore while sleeping.

Naden mentioned that her antlers poked holes in her pillow while sleeping in human form, so I had sewed those for her. They had no proper name, but I was calling them horn covers.

...Wait, those two looked like they were totally planning to sleep here.

Aisha, by the way, was standing guard outside the door. It sounded like she’d just chased off Excel who was trying to come in and tease us. Good job!

I looked over a document as I told them, “There’s always work to do. If I don’t get as much done as I can, it piles up.”

“The consciousness ya left at the castle’s workin’, ain’t it?” Roroa said.

“Shouldn’t you rest up before the battle tomorrow?” Naden asked.

“Well...I know that, but...”

Then the two of them started whispering to each other.

“I’m thinkin’ this is a case of that, Nadie.”

“Yeah. I’ll bet that’s what it is.”

What exactly was this that that they were talking about?

The two of them stood up, and then each firmly grabbed one of my arms.

“Big Sis Cia was tellin’ us, ‘When Souma works more than he needs to at night...’”

“‘...it’s because the stress is keeping him awake, so be careful.’”

“Urgh...”

They’d nailed it. Liscia, Aisha, and Juna all knew what I was like when pushed to the edge psychologically. But Roroa and Naden weren’t supposed to know, so the fact that they did meant there was a sharing of information between my fiancées.

“Nadie, you hold that end,” Roroa said.

“Roger that. One, two...”

They yanked me away from the desk, then sat me down on the bed. Then, as if keeping me from escaping, they held my arms tight.

“So, what’s got ya so worked up?” Roroa asked. “Don’t ya have a plan for winnin’ all worked out?”

I gave in and confessed my feelings. “It’s still a heavy burden, the fact that people are going to die on my orders. We’re facing merciless monsters this time. They only have the instinct to survive, and in this situation, the damage will only spread if we don’t kill them, so we should exterminate the monsters. I don’t feel any hesitation about that. That’s why, compared to declaring war on the principality, this is easier on me emotionally.”

“Souma...” Naden patted my head with concern in her voice.

“Even so, when I see the corpses of people eaten by the monsters, I can’t help but think that if I hadn’t brought them here, if I hadn’t ordered them into battle, those were lives that wouldn’t have been lost. I obviously know that there are those I’ve saved by fighting, and even more lives would have been lost if I had chosen not to. Still, I hate myself for playing a numbers game with people’s lives.”

“But that’s what a king does, ain’t it?” Roroa said with a serious look on her face. “The man at the top does as much as he can for those supporting him from below. He keeps as many alive as he can, protects as many as he can, and keeps losses as low as he can. Naturally, because he’s doin’ ‘as much as he can,’ there’s gonna be things he can’t do. That’s a given, but it’s the belief that the guy up top is doin’ everythin’ he can that makes the people below feel can fight. You know that, don’t ya, Darlin’? If you’re still worryin’, then I’m sure it’s because...”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

This was something I’d accepted. I’d done it like this all along after all. But I couldn’t help but stop and think. Because if I didn’t...

“I’m scared of getting used to it,” I explained. “If I imagine myself not worrying like this and being able to just make the decision...then someday, somehow, I feel like I’m going to become something terrible. Then, as a result, I’ll lose the things most important to me.”

The experience I’d had of starting to become nothing more than a system called a king had set off alarm bells for me.

“The king,” “the hero,” “the man from another world,” “the one who formed a contract with the black ryuu”...those sorts of unique titles would draw people to me. And if I allowed myself to be lifted by those people, a thing that wasn’t me would begin to take on a life of its own.

I worried constantly about that.

“I don’t want to stop agonizing over my decisions,” I said. “But the more I agonize, the more wearying it is. So I focus on work to avoid thinking. Is that a contradiction?”

“I think it’s fine. Just be yourself.” Naden hugged my arm tight. “I love that un-kingly side of you, Souma.”

“That’s right. If you started actin’ too much like a king, Big Sis Cia’d get worried, don’tcha think?” Roroa hugged me tight too, as if not wanting to lose.

Naden giggled. “But if you’re going to run away to your work, I wish you would run away to us instead. We’ll listen to your uncertainties, your complaints, anything.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Roroa agreed. “Oh, we’re good for drinkin’ too, y’know? We’ll stay with ya until mornin’.”

I felt my heart lighten a little. “If we drink the night away, Liscia’ll probably scold us later.”

“We can all get yelled at together.”

“If you want, we can let Big Sis Cia in on the action too.”

“Ahaha, that’d be great...” I let out a yawn despite myself. The moment my spirits had lightened, I was suddenly stricken with sleepiness. The days of moving around and fighting battles had caught up with me. “This is no good... I’m tired...”

As I lay down on the bed, Naden and Roroa, who were clinging to my arms, came down with me.

““Uwah!””

Oh... The sudden sleepiness had robbed me of the ability to think.

Roroa was like a child, apparently. When I nuzzled up to her, she had a high body temperature.

Naden had a comparatively low temperature, she was even a little cool. Both of them felt comforting, and I was pulled closer and closer to sleep.

In my hazy state, I heard their voices.

“Hey, Nadie. Are we gonna end up sleepin’ with him like this?”

“L-Looks like it. That’s an unexpected perk.”

“Ah! I remember Big Sis Cia and Big Sis Ai’ve slept with Darlin’ before. It sounds like he was pushed into a corner mentally those times too.”

“He was? Then this may be effective on Souma!”

“I’m thinkin’ so. But I dunno about this position. I mean, we’re all lyin’ sideways on the bed.”

“Our legs are sticking out, yeah. It’s not that relaxing.”

“Once Darlin’s totally out, let’s change positions. Help out, will ya?”

“Roger that. But first...”

And that was where my consciousness cut out.

◇　◇　◇

“Good night, Darlin.’”

“Good night, Souma.”

And the two of them kissed Souma on the cheek in unison.

Chapter 11: The Dabicon Is Burning

Dawn broke.

The morning sun shone brilliantly on the surface of the Dabicon River.

The combined forces of Elfrieden and Lastania began moving on their operation to exterminate the lizardmen.

Quickly, quietly they got into position. Each of them in their respective places, each performing their duties, eagerly anticipating the beginning of the final battle.

For my part, I was on Naden’s back, over the Dabicon river north of the fortress.

“Grr...” Swimming through the sky, Naden let out a (telepathic) groan of dissatisfaction.

If she had been in human form, she’d have puffed her cheeks up, I was sure. I knew why too.

“I’m really sorry about this, Naden.”

“You’d better be. Why do I have to carry her?”

“Hehe, that’s because I’m the cornerstone of this operation,” Excel giggled.

That was the reason Naden was upset. Excel was riding on her back with me.

“There’s a custom that says a dragon should never let anyone but her partner ride on her back!” Naden complained.

“Oh, but that’s why I’m not riding on your back, you know?” Excel teased.

Excel was sitting on my lap while I straddled Naden’s back. In addition, to keep from falling, she had her slender arms wrapped around my neck.

We were posed like a knight letting a princess ride with him on his white horse, you could say.

This was because I needed Naden to carry Excel, but she would only let her partner ride on her back, and though she was the grandmother of one of my partners, the logic of “the partner of my partner is kind of like my partner” didn’t work for Naden like it did for Aisha and the others.

“She could have just used a gondola, you know!” Naden said with a growl, but Excel was unperturbed.

“I wouldn’t like that. It’s boring. I came all this way from the kingdom, so you can allow me this much, at least. Right, sire?”

“Souma, say something!” Naden snarled.

...What did she want me to do? Naden was my important fiancée, and Excel was a key person in the coming operation, so I couldn’t turn her down. That was why I kept my warning her at a minimum.

“Excel, don’t tease Naden too much. She’ll throw you off for real, you know?”

“Hehe, I’m sorry. Her reactions are just too cute. I couldn’t help myself,” Excel said and stroked Naden’s back. “Besides, I feel a strange kinship with Naden. I mean, look, we’re so similar. We have antlers on our heads, and though the colors are different, we have similarly shaped tails too, don’t we?”

“Well, yeah, I guess we do...” Naden admitted.

“The sea serpent race is said to have been descended from sea serpents that are also called kouryuu or jiaolong, so maybe they were ryuus just like you.”

Yeah, that thought had occurred to me too.

The idea that Juna’s family, the House of Doma, were descended from something vaguely similar to humans like loreleis was one thing, but it had never sat right with me that the descendants of massive sea serpents were shaped like humans. Maybe those kouryuu sea serpents had been ryuus like Naden, and that was why they had human forms.

Excel chuckled and smiled. “Maybe members of the sea serpent race aren’t half-dragons like the dragonewts, but half-ryuus instead.”

“But I’m not meaty and voluptuous like you,” Naden muttered.

“Chalk that up to individual variance.”

“It’s not fair!”

And the two of them started arguing.

One was talking in my head, and the other was sitting on my lap, so it was pretty noisy.

Hal had Ruby in her dragon form come up next to us. “Sorry to interrupt your fun, but it’s almost time for the operation to start.”

“Gotcha,” I said. “Let’s get started then.”

Looking around the area, there were several hundred wyvern cavalry hovering in the air and waiting for my command.

The time was ripe.

I gave the order to the woman sitting on my lap. “Okay, Excel, make it flashy.”

“Understood, sire.”

Erasing the smile from her face and putting on the look of a serious retainer, Excel removed her arms from around my neck, crossed them in front of her, and lowered her head. The speed with which she could change modes was like flipping a switch. It was little wonder she was renowned for how capable she was.

“Now, let we show you my full power, the reason why I was once the talk of Elfrieden, and the reason why I am called the mage who is invincible anywhere there’s lots of fresh water.”

Excel clasped her hands in front of her and focused. As she did, her body tilted, so I hurriedly put my hand around her waist to support her.

As I held her surprisingly delicate hips, Excel giggled. “Thank you, sire. Hold me just like that, if you would.”

“Murgh...” Naden telepathically voiced her displeasure, but this was part of the operation, so she was going to have to deal with it.

Excel closed her eyes, holding her hands tight as if focusing. Then...

Splooooooooooosh!

Suddenly there was a swelling in the surface of the Dabicon directly below us, and five massive pillars that could have been mistaken for high-rise buildings rose up. They were so massive, the sight of them was overwhelming.

The droplets that splashed off the forcibly raised water hung in the air like smoke, and in an instant, we were in the middle of a light shower.

The scene in front of me shocked me silly.

This is Excel...when she gets serious...

It seemed what Excel had said about being invincible anywhere there was a lot of fresh water was no exaggeration. I was guessing the only reason she was limiting it to fresh water was that, at sea, all magic was difficult to use.

Fighting her in a desert would be one thing, but if I had to take on Excel over a river where there was abundant fresh water, I’d have to be prepared to commit all the wyvern cavalry here.

“Souma!” Naden shouted. “Look straight down!”

“Whoa...” Doing as Naden said, I looked down and let out a gasp of admiration.

No river had a fixed width, and a river’s depth varied from place to place. That meant a place where any given river was thin and shallow made for an ideal crossing point.

Basically, that was the area right below us.

That said, the Dabicon was known for being a massive river, so even at a crossing point, the river was about 200 meters across, and the water was up to shoulder-level, even on a large man. It was just barely crossable on horseback.

However, Excel was pulling the water up now. That lowered the water level, making it so we could even see the rocks at the bottom. Excel released her clenched hand, then lifted it up.

“Water God Calling,” she whispered.

With those words, the five massive towers of water took on a shape like snakes with their heads raised. Then, when she brought her hand down, there was a loud hiss, and the five massive snakes of water dove into the surface of the river downstream.

The water from upstream was pulled up, and then flowed to the opposite side of the shallows downstream. This produced five great arches of water.

That caused a great drop in the water level beneath the arch, and the narrow area where it was shallow expanded greatly.

This was the plan Hakuya had come up with.

If the shallows we were going to cross were narrow, and it was difficult to bring a large army to the opposite shore, we could expand the shallows, and have the lizardmen on the opposite side come to us.

Hakuya had concluded that based on the information I’d given him and sent me the number one water mage in the country, Excel Walter, along with many other water mages.

Incidentally, the other water mages were in little boats floating on the river’s surface, slowing the current of the water that would flow from upstream to downstream, and adjusting the current of the water Excel sent downstream so it didn’t flow backward.

Thus, a shallow path across the Dabicon with five great arches of water over it was formed.

I felt like I was watching that one miracle from the story of Moses.

“Hakuya sure came up with an amazing plan...” I sighed in admiration.

“Sire, this magic is extremely taxing, so I would appreciate it if you moved on with the operation,” Excel told me with a pained look on her face.

Whoops. It was such an incredible sight, I had stopped thinking.

I quickly gave the order to an equally astonished Hal. “Hal! Like we planned, have the lizardmen cross at once!”

“Huh?! R-Right! Let’s go, people!” Hal, who had come to his senses, ordered.

“““Yeahhhhhh!””” the wyvern riders around him roared.

Then, with Hal and Ruby the red dragon leading the charge, half of the wyvern cavalry flew to the opposite shore where the lizardmen were.

◇　◇　◇

Halbert and Ruby were at the front of the wyvern cavalry as they reached the opposite bank where tens of thousands of lizardmen were camped.

They were flying high enough that no lizardmen attacks came at them, but the countless flying chimera-type monsters attacked Halbert and his team.

Halbert pierced the monsters with his two spears, and Ruby cooked them with her fire.

Hal told the wyvern cavalry, “Listen! Our job here is to act as herders! Now let’s drive those scaly, long-tailed lambs to the opposite bank, like shadow hounds chasing cotton sheep!”

“““Yes, sir!””” the wyvern riders replied quickly and spread out.

Taking out any monsters that crossed their path as they went, the wyverns reached the edge of the lizardman pack and breathed fire toward the ground.

Bompf! Bompf! The flames hit the ground one after another.

“Gugyagyagya!”

The lizardmen pushed and shoved one another to get out of the way of the flames, and the pack was gradually driven toward the Dabicon.

Halbert had Ruby blow flames that were incomparably greater than anything the wyverns could produce and drove the lizardmen into the shallows.

“Haha! My fiancée is vicious! Go on! Run! Run!” Halbert yelled, getting excited.

“Murrgh, that’s not a nice way of saying it,” Ruby grumbled. “You can expect Kaede and me to give you an earful later!”

Roarrrrrrrrrrrr!

Ruby’s roar echoed, and the frightened lizardmen fled blindly across the shallows.

Once a pack began moving in one direction, it wouldn’t change course easily.

Having deemed further pursuit unnecessary, Halbert told the assembled wyvern cavalry, “That should get the pack to go to the other side. We’ll leave enemies on the ground to Ludwin’s main force, while we return to Souma... His Majesty... and exterminate the flying monsters! We’ll support the main force from up in the air!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Then Halbert and Ruby turned south, along with the wyvern cavalry.

◇　◇　◇

The lizardmen on the far shore had started to move.

Looks like Hal and the others pulled it off, I noted.

The lizardmen were crossing the path through the shallows beneath the water arches.

Watching the lizardmen splashing through the shallow water, it reminded me of a nature program I had seen long ago introducing gnus crossing a river.

If this were a nature documentary, this’d be where the crocodiles attack...

Although it was the guys crossing the river in a pack that looked like the crocodiles, in this case.

“Is there any need to let them reach the opposite shore?” Naden, who was watching the same scene, asked. “Around half of the pack is in the river, so wouldn’t it be easy to have Duchess Walter cancel her magic and wash them away?”

“Well, if they were armored soldiers, that’d be the right answer, but they’re buck naked. Washing them away might not kill them, right? If we wash them downstream, it’ll make killing them a pain, so we’ve got to let them cross and then encircle and wipe them out.”

“For my part...I’d like them to hurry up and finish crossing, though,” Excel said with effort, sweat beading on her forehead.

I guess if it came to controlling this much water, even the usually aloof Excel couldn’t keep a cool face. Her teeth were gritted, and her hands were shaking.

“Sorry,” I said. “I need you to hang in there just a little longer.”

“I know.” Excel wore a forced smile as she diligently continued wielding her magic.

Eventually Hal and his group, who had finished their job of driving the lizardmen here, rejoined us, and the entire lizardman pack finished crossing the Dabicon.

“Augh, that was exhausting!” Excel raised both her hands up into the air as if stretching.

Splassssssh!

In the next instant, the water arched over the shallows collapsed, and fell as a solid mass of water.

The great amount of water that fell to earth created a huge splash, and when that splash came down, it rained for a short time over the river.

The riverbed, which we had been able to see for that short time, vanished, waves formed, and the boats of the other water mages that were supporting Excel swayed.

We watched it all while getting soaked by the rain.

“...Should’ve brought a rain gear, I guess,” I said.

“My clothing is my scales, so my clothes are waterproof,” Naden said.

Whatever the case, with the shallows returned to their prior state, the lizardmen’s retreat was cut off.

While I was feeling relieved it all went well, Excel slumped to one side.

“Excel?!” I cried.

When I put my arms around her waist and held her, Excel laughed weakly.

“Ha...ha... I’m fine. I just used too much power.”

She was too exhausted to even form a proper smile, and her shoulders were heaving with every breath. The rain had made it so her clothing clung to her body, which was making her look awfully sensual.

“You did well,” I said. “Leave the rest to us.”

“I’ll do that. Heheh, it’s certainly a perk, having His Majesty hold me like this. Juna would have a fit if she could see us now.”

“That’s a real nice personality you’ve got there.” My shoulders slumped at how much fun Excel seemed to be having.

“Murgh... Maybe I oughta zap her in Juna’s place,” Naden said, sounding peeved.

If she fired off any electric shocks now, while we were both wet, she’d get me too, so I was hoping she wouldn’t.

Well, our role in this was over. The ground unit would handle it from here.

Or so I thought, until...

“Huh?” Suddenly, Naden’s whiskers twitched like a pair of whips.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Mmm... Yeah. There’s something to the west... Hm?”

Naden must not have known what it was herself, because her words were vague.

However, Naden’s sharp senses were apparently picking up something, and I was worried that something outside my predictions was about to happen.

◇　◇　◇

When the tens of thousands of lizardmen finished crossing the shallows that Excel had expanded with her magic, they came across the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia in formation.

Hungry from being unable to feed themselves on the other side of the river, all they saw was a herd of food.

There didn’t seem to be any of those ones that flew in the sky and breathed fire, either.

So, in order to sate their appetites, the lizardmen raced toward the camps of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Ludwin, the commander-in-chief of the kingdom’s forces, and Julius were watching them as they did.

On top of the small hill where the main camp of the allied forces was, they sat side by side, on top of their horses.

“There must be 50,000, just counting lizardmen,” Julius said. “More if we include the surrounding monsters. What a nuisance.”

Ludwin nodded at this analysis. “I agree. If this were the military of a foreign country, we might struggle, but we won’t come up short against a pack of beasts with no concept of tactics or strategy.”

“Yeah. Let me handle the right wing.”

“You intend to fight after all?” Ludwin asked, concerned. “The people of Lastania have fought enough. It’s all right to let us handle the rest, you know.”

Julius shook his head. “For the people of Lastania, this is a fight to defend their country. If we leave it to the kingdom at the very end, the people of this country won’t be able to consider it their own victory. In order to speed along reconstruction after the war, we must let the people of this country grasp victory with their own hands.”

“Reconstruction after the war...is it?”

Realizing that Julius was setting his eyes on what would come after the fighting, Ludwin was impressed. What he showed was not the perspective of a general who only paid attention to commanding the armies and attaining victory, but a king who thought about the whole country.

Julius hit the hilt of his saber. “I’ve left the conscripts in the fortress, but I’ll have the regular forces and the refugee soldiers fight until the end.”

“I understand,” said Ludwin. “Were my position different, I would want to stand on the front lines too.”

“Wouldn’t that fox-eared second-in-command of yours get angry if you did?”

“Yeah, and that’s why I’ll be staying put in the main camp: to keep young Miss Kaede from getting upset with me,” Ludwin replied jokingly.

That drew a laugh from Julius. “Well then...I suppose we’ll have to settle this before our commander-in-chief gets too impatient.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you left me a piece of the action, you know.”

“Not a chance. I won’t be borrowing your help, I’ll put an end to the lizardman menace personally. Until we meet again.”

Watching Julius depart on horseback, Ludwin let out a sigh.

“Honestly... Fate can be a funny thing,” he said to himself, and then raised his hand up high. “Send the signal to the front line! Intercept the incoming lizardmen!”

Having given the order, the horns sounded.

Hearing the signal from the horns, Kaede stood on top of the watchtower they had built and raised her staff high. She was commanding from near the defensive fence that had been erected in the battlefield camp.

“That’s the signal,” she called. “Everyone, the lizardmen are coming! First, stop the enemy! Everyone, form a wall!”

There were earth mages gathered around Kaede.

When she gave the signal, the earth mages used their magic in unison, the ground swelled up before the front-line unit, and in less than a minute a long earthen wall was built.

For the lizardmen, who had been about to fall on the camp like an avalanche, they found themselves impeded by a dirt wall that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Gueh! Guh...”

Because it was made of dirt, even if they hit it or clawed at it, they could leave a mark, but they couldn’t break through it. They looked around restlessly, but there were no gaps to be found in this wall.

Even so, in order to secure the “food” on the other side of the wall, they began scaling it. They had incredible tenacity, but they were lacking the momentum they’d had before.

“Archers, loose your arrows!” Kaede ordered.

The archers all began firing their arrows over the earthen wall in unison.

The arrows were fired upward in an arc with no particular target, but the high number of arrows and closely clustered state of the lizardmen worked together to cause hit after hit. Some of those arrows were imbued with magic, exploding or cutting up the area around them to create even more dead lizardmen.

Watching that scene from up in the tower, Kaede let out a sigh.

This is completely one-sided. It’s only because the lizardmen don’t have the sense to do anything but charge in on their own that we’re getting off so lightly. I was concerned what might happen if there were a demon here and it took command, but it seems my worries were in vain.

Under Kaede’s command, the front-line unit was able to stop the lizardmen’s advance. However, given the sheer number of lizardmen, they were not able to shoot all of them. Some managed to make it through the hail of arrows to climb the earthen wall. The earth mages were focused on keeping the current wall from breaking, so they didn’t have the leeway to create another wall.

A good number of lizardmen were crossing the wall. It could be anticipated that they would attack the now vulnerable mages and archers.

However, on the other side of the fortification, the lizardmen encountered Aisha, whose power in combat was so overwhelming as to seem unfair.

One silent swing of Aisha’s greatsword was enough to slash several lizardmen who had scaled the wall and were about to land on the other side.

“Gugih?!” The lizardmen let out a death cry as they were cleft in twain.

Having been impeded by an earthen wall, and subjected to the ranged attacks of archers, the lizardmen could only cross the wall in small numbers. To ensure the few who did met with guaranteed death, and to ensure the safety of the long-range attack unit, Kaede had an elite unit on the other side of the wall. The country’s strongest fighter, Aisha, was included in this, of course, but...

“Muh!”

As the top and bottom halves of bisected lizardmen fell to the ground, Aisha effortlessly swung her greatsword to clean the blood from it. Despite having won handily, there seemed to be a dissatisfaction and frustration in her expression.

The cause of that was Jirukoma and Lauren, who were in the same squad as her.

Aisha could see the two of them helping each other as they fought the lizardmen coming over the wall.

“Sir Jirukoma!” shouted Lauren.

Lauren stood in the way of two lizardmen that had tried to attack Jirukoma from behind as he fought, knocking one away with her shield and impaling the other with her sword. When Jirukoma realized he’d been saved, he cut down the lizardman in front of him using his kukri, then stood back-to-back with Lauren.

“Sorry, you saved me there, Madam Lauren.”

“It was nothing. I will protect your back, Sir Jirukoma.”

“Then let me protect yours as well, Madam Lauren. I won’t let you come to harm. I want to have three children with you after all.”

“Fwhuh?”

For a moment, what he’d said didn’t register with Lauren. The moment she realized it was his response to her borderline self-destructive proposal, her face went a bright shade of red. However, she quickly recalled this was a battlefield, and the silly grin on her face was pulled tight.

“Let’s be sure we win this, Sir Jirukoma!” she cried.

“Of course we will!”

Then a lizardman charged at the two of them, possibly in rage.

They readied themselves for it, but before they could do anything, a knife materialized from somewhere and buried itself in the lizardman’s forehead.

The lizardman fell heavily to land face first on the ground.

When they turned back, Komain was looking at them in exasperation, throwing knives between each of her fingers.

“Brother, is that anything to say on the battlefield? Could you have possibly chosen a more inopportune time?”

Jirukoma looked away shyly. “I’m clumsy about these things. If it weren’t a place like this, I don’t think I could ever say it.”

“Honestly... Madam Lauren!” Komain exclaimed. “I know my brother is hopeless, but please take care of him.”

“R-Right! Please, take care of me too!”

“What are you doing here, anyway?” Jirukoma demanded, making sure no lizardmen got close to Komain. “You could have just waited in the fortress with Sir Poncho.”

“I can fight too,” she retorted. “I can’t abandon you when you’re out fighting.”

“But what if you get scarred before you’re able to be wed? Sir Poncho won’t have you like that, you know?”

“Sir Poncho isn’t that narrow-minded... Wait, no, we’re n-not like that!”

Seeing her stammer, Jirukoma and Lauren figured out the situation.

“It would seem there are more things we’ll have to talk about once this battle is over now,” Jirukoma announced.

“Yes,” Lauren agreed. “We absolutely must get through this.”

When the two who were now both her guardians said that, Komain’s face turned a bright shade of red.

Meanwhile, because she was watching the three of them from a distance, Aisha was frustrated. Not because she thought their behavior was inappropriate on the battlefield.

No, this is what Aisha thought:

I’m so jealous of Madam Lauren!

That was all.

I’m working hard because I want His Majesty to praise me too, but His Majesty is up in the air with Madam Naden. I want to fight back-to-back with His Majesty like that!

Souma would have only been a burden fighting beside Aisha, but that didn’t matter. Having actions that were symbolic of two trusting partners shoved in her face, it was only natural she would think, I want that for myself...

Aisha swung her greatsword with frustration in her heart.

I couldn’t sleep with His Majesty because I was the one on guard duty last night too. I’ll slam this frustration into the enemy in front of me!

It had been the same when Souma was forcibly taken to the Star Dragon Mountain Range. When Aisha got agitated because of her feelings for Souma, some sort of limiter inside her broke, and her destructive power went up considerably.

When Souma had left her behind and gone to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, her sadness had turned her into a force that could overwhelm Halbert, Kaede, and Carla all together.

Now, her jealousy toward Jirukoma and the others powered her sword.

I want His Majesty to compliment me too! I want him to adore me! For that, I must end this fight quickly, and go to where His Majesty is!

Following her emotions, Aisha scattered the lizardmen.

The lizardmen were just being made into collateral damage.

◇　◇　◇

“Eep?!” I exclaimed.

F-For some reason, a cold shudder was running down my spine, but... I must be imagining it.

“Unahhhhhh!” Naden shouted.

Bzzap!

The electric shocks that Naden threw every which way burned the monsters to a crisp and knocked them from the sky. Naden the black ryuu and I, along with Halbert and Ruby the red dragon, worked with the wyvern cavalry to secure air control and prevent flying monsters from attacking the forces on the ground.

“If you want to die, line up!” Halbert shouted.

Even on Ruby’s back, Halbert was swinging around his two spears, while the rest of the wyvern cavalry was using magic-imbued arrows to attack.

“Everyone’s so flashy...” I murmured.

For my part, I was using a crossbow, firing, reloading, pulling the lever to draw the bowstring, and firing again. Fire, reload, pull the lever. Fire, reload, pull the lever. Fire, reload, pull the lever... It was a repetition of those same tasks. It seemed plain compared to what the others were doing, but I still managed to down three small flying monsters like that.

I peered over the side, looking at the battle unfolding beneath us.

Because of the hard fight that Kaede, Aisha, and the others in the central front-line unit were putting up, the lizardmen that had rushed to the center had lost their momentum.

The left and right wings, seeing their opportunity, were moving to encircle the lizardmen.

This was an extermination battle. If we left any alive, they would only cause trouble later.

Everyone, hang in there...

I prayed for the victory of the soldiers fighting below.

◇　◇　◇

The one leading the right wing was Julius.

“Shield bearers, don’t allow any gaps! Spearmen, stay behind the shield bearers and only stab those that charge in! While ensuring you don’t get too far ahead of the group, move up little by little!”

In a normal war, speed was of the essence, and you would deliberately scatter the enemy to disrupt their formation, but this time, exterminating the enemy was the goal. In order to ensure none escaped, they would squeeze the enemy little by little, like strangling them with silk.

A red lizardman leaped, landing on top of a shield bearer. It was the type that breathed fire.

As the red lizardman opened its mouth wide, it took a deep breath, preparing to spew flames at the defenseless soldiers behind the shield bearer.

“I won’t let you!” Julius shouted.

He hit the lizardman in the mouth with the side of his sword, preventing it from inhaling, then kicked it in the belly to get it away from the shield bearer. Next, he placed his hands on the ground, causing countless thorns to grow out of the ground with the magic Gaius had specialized in, cutting the red lizardman to pieces.

“Guh...ruhruh...”

The fire of life vanished from the pincushioned red lizardman’s eyes.

Having confirmed his enemy was dead, Julius raised his voice. “Don’t let them through! Now is the time to put an end to this accursed battle! Crush the enemy completely, and end this battle in a victory for us!”

““Yeahhhhhhh!””

The soldiers of the right wing were fired up.

Meanwhile, around that same time, the master and servant pair from the Republic of Turgis were with the left wing.

“Damn, it’s boring not being able to go out past the guys with shields,” Kuu muttered while clubbing any lizardmen that looked like they might get past the shield bearers with his cudgel.

While drawing her bow and nocking an arrow, Leporina scolded him, “It must be this way, Young Master. We can’t leave any gaps for them to escape.”

Even as she said that, Leporina loosed an arrow and terminated a lizardman. This sort of sniping from a place of safety was Leporina’s specialty.

“If you want to kill enemies, why not take up the bow yourself, Master Kuu?” she went on. “No matter how many I shoot, there never seems to be any less of them, and it’s a real problem.”

“I don’t have your aim, Leporina. Besides...”

A rock one of the lizardmen had picked up and thrown in desperation came flying straight at Leporina. Leporina, who had let her guard down, covered her face with her hands, but before the rock could reach her, Kuu’s cudgel pulverized it.

“You’re a good shot, but you’re so focused that you lose sight of other things,” Kuu continued. “I’ll protect you, since I don’t have much other choice.”

He tapped himself on the shoulder with his cudgel, in front of a wide-eyed Leporina.

Hearing him say he’d protect her, Leporina just barely managed to suppress a smile as she readied her bow. “Normally it’s my duty to protect you, Master Kuu.”

“Ookyakya! Well, hey, it’s fine to change things up once in a while, right?”

“I guess so. It feels kind of nice.”

With that lifting her spirits, a great many lizardman died to Leporina’s arrows.

It would not be until later that Leporina would feel the agonizing shame of knowing that her invincibility here had earned her the nickname of Death Bunnygirl.

◇　◇　◇

While the left and right wings ensured the lizardmen didn’t spread out, they gradually narrowed the space between them as they crushed the enemy. Because the center was putting up a hard defense, the lizardmen were unable to escape by moving forward while they were subjected to a pincer attack from the left and right.

If they were to try to retreat, the Dabicon was to their backs, and the shallows had already narrowed.

Water mages in boats were also standing by, using water magic to pierce any lizardmen that tried to cross and preventing their escape.

Huh? I realized while watching, even though they were in a desperate situation, that none of the lizardmen were trying to jump into the river. They were only trying to cross at the shallows.

Can the lizardmen not swim?

The lizardmen had reptilian faces, the rest of their upper bodies were scaly and humanoid, while their lower bodies were like those of carnivorous dinosaurs. Maybe because they were such warped creatures, they couldn’t swim well. Was that why there had been such a traffic jam on the other side of the river?

While watching the lizardmen, a thought occurred to me. Warped creatures... Just what are monsters?

Some creatures were born with unique traits that arose through sudden mutation.

Their entire bodies might be white, or they might have two heads.

But those traits only applied to the individual. Was it possible for such a large number of these warped creatures to occur naturally and form a pack?

I guess thinking about it now doesn’t do much good...

I decided to leave questions with no clear answer for later. For now, I had to focus on what was in front of me.

“Looks like they’ll be done on the ground pretty soon,” I commented.

There was no response.

I looked to Naden for agreement, but she still said nothing.

“Naden?”

“I really do feel something weird to the west,” she said.

Even while fighting, it seemed Naden had her mind on the west.

I looked westward myself, but I saw nothing. Still, ryuus and dragons were sensitive to magic. If Naden said she sensed something, there probably was in fact something out there.

“That weird feeling, is it a bad one?” I asked.

“Hmm... Not bad, more like familiar. But something’s weird about it...”

I heard another voice in my head. “Naden!”

Hal and Ruby pulled up alongside us.

Ruby said, “Hey, Naden, this feeling...”

“You feel it too, Ruby? Isn’t it a bit weird?”

“Yeah. It feels familiar, but different.”

It was somewhat surreal, seeing a black ryuu and a red dragon both cock their heads to the side in confusion.

Hal and I who were both left sitting on their backs, out of the loop, looked at each other with no idea what to make of it.

Then the situation changed, with the ground being affected first.

Caught in a pincer motion by the left and right wings and hit by the concentrated fire of water mages if they tried to flee across the narrow shallows, the lizardmen had their backs to the river and could only wait until they were crushed.

However, they seemed to feel ready to grasp at any straw.

With death before their eyes, their wild instinct for survival awakened. Some began throwing themselves into the river.

Sploosh, sploosh, sploosh!

Once one jumped in, another imitated it.

Their capacity for learning that we had used to teach them to hunt monsters was showing itself in an unpleasant way now.

Once the trend started, there was no stopping it.

The individuals close to the river jumped in one after another.

Like I had suspected, the lizardmen’s physiology made them poor swimmers, and they struggled against the powerful current. If this were a normal war, we could have called this a victory.

However, though this battle was large in scale, it was not a war, it was only the extermination of hazardous beasts.

“That’s...kind of bad, huh?” I said.

It looked like the lizardmen were being washed away, but if they washed up on the shores downstream alive, it would expand the damage and cause problems.

“Hal, can we attack the lizardmen in the river with our forces in the air?!” I called.

“No way! Everyone’s got their hands full with the flying monsters! If we have any of the wyvern cavalry break off from here, you’ll have flying monsters escaping instead!”

“Urgh...”

He was right; the wyvern cavalry was currently engaged in dogfights with the flying monsters. Most of the reinforcement army’s air force was being used for logistics. On top of that, in order to keep it secret, I hadn’t brought any of our best equipment like the Little Susumu Mark V.

It seemed that our limited air power had created a gap.

“Your Majesty, I’ll use my magic again,” Excel suggested from between my arms, but she must have overused her magic. Her face was pale, and it was blatantly obvious she was pushing herself.

“No,” I said. “You’ve already used up everything you’ve got, right?”

“But at this rate...”

“If you die on me, it’ll be a loss for the kingdom. Let’s find another way...”

While I was trying to figure out if there was anything we could do, it happened.

“Souma!” Naden suddenly shouted inside my head. “Look at the sky in the west!”

“Huh...? Wha?!”

When I looked at the western sky as Naden had told me to, I saw over a hundred of these short line-like things floating there. As those lines approached, I realized they were extended wings.

There was a group of large winged creatures flying here in formation.

Wyverns...? No, they were larger than wyverns, and they had front legs. That meant...dragons?!

Then one of the dragons in the formation picked up speed, stopping in front of us in no time. It was a pretty white dragon.

Seeing that dragon, Naden and I both cried out in surprise.

“Pai, is that you?!” I cried.

“So what I was feeling really was you, was it?” Naden called.

That white dragon was Pai Long, Naden’s friend who I had met in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

Pai the white dragon saw us and gave a little bow. “It’s been a while, King Souma. You too, Naden.”

It really had been a long time.

Naden and Ruby headed over to Pai’s side to ask questions.

“Pai...that’s you, right?” Naden burst out.

“Hehe! Do I look like anyone else?”

“Hmm? I felt you coming, but something seemed different. I dunno, it was different from the Pai I know. Right, Ruby?”

“Yeah,” Ruby agreed. “It’s like it’s you, but not you. That’s how the magic felt.”

“Ahaha!” Pai laughed. “You’re sharp.”

As the three of them were talking, I heard a voice from Pai’s back. “Pai, could you let me greet them too?”

Pai hurriedly went, “Oh, that’s right!” and tilted her head to the side. I could see there was a knight in platinum armor with a full-face helmet riding on her back.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the knight said. “Since you ride on a black dragon with an unusual form, I take it you must be King Souma of the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“Yes, and you are?”

When the knight removed her helmet, a beautiful woman with very short hair appeared from inside. The woman put her helmet under her arm and saluted me.

“I am a princess of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom and Pai’s knight, Sill Munto. Hearing of our ally the Kingdom of Lastania’s peril, I led 200 of the knights here.”

I feel like there were multiple things to be surprised about just in this introduction.

First, that dragon knights from the Dragon Knight Kingdom had come to support us. It seemed they had already dealt with the demon wave on their end. I guess that was to be expected from the country with dragon knights, the most powerful type of soldier.

Next, that the one who was coming to our aid was a princess. We had our own princesses who wanted to go out and fight themselves, though, so I wasn’t that surprised.

Finally, what surprised me, Naden, and Ruby the most was that Pai’s knight was a woman. I had heard that the contract between dragon and dragon knight was formed for the purpose of creating children. So, in the event that their knight turned out to be a woman, because of the vague nature of biological sex in their species, a dragon would change into a male form to procreate.

In other words...

“Pai, you’re a man now?!” Naden exclaimed in surprise.

“I sure am,” Pai easily confirmed it.

Oh, right. Maybe what Naden and Ruby had said about a familiar presence that felt different somehow had something to do with this.

That made sense... Wait, I had bigger things to worry about now!

“Madam Sill! I know this is sudden, but lend me a hand!” I called.

“Hm, whatever with?”

“We have the lizardman pack cornered, but a number of them have jumped into the river and are trying to escape! I’d like your knights to exterminate them!”

While I explained that as fast as I could, Sill gave me a firm nod.

“Understood. Let’s go, Pai.”

“Okay!”

Sill put her helmet back on, then spurred Pai onward as she returned to her dragon knights.

She raised her sword. “We will exterminate the lizardmen that escaped into the river. Follow me!”

She dove swiftly downward, with the dragon knights following. As the dragon knights flew over the surface of the river, the dragons all breathed fire in unison.

Bwooooooooosh!

The flames spat by the formation of dragons licked the surface of the river as they spread out. Those flames cooked the drifting lizardmen without mercy.

What intense fires those dragons produced. Well, if they had a group of 200 of them that were strong like Ruby, that was to be expected, I guess.

Looking down from the sky, it looked like the Dabicon was burning.

Watching that scene unfold, Naden murmured to herself, “I dunno, it’s all such a shock, my head’s starting to hurt.”

I stroked Naden’s back in silence.

Not long afterward, the ground unit finished exterminating the lizardmen. We could hear the victory cries of the soldiers below us.

We had won.

Though there was that one surprise at the end, this was how the series of battles ended in victory for the allied forces of Friedonia, Lastania, and Nothung.

Chapter 12: The Victory Banquet

It was the night after the day of the combined forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia, the Kingdom of Lastania, and the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom exterminating tens of thousands of lizardmen that had attacked as part of the demon wave.

In the fortress near the Dabicon river, there was a banquet being held in honor of today’s victory.

There were large pots prepared in the fortress courtyard and camps, and the soldiers sat in a circle around them, sharing liquor provided by Friedonia and Lastania, and having a jolly good time.

Their excess rations had been set aside for the occasion, but some brave men had heard it was possible to eat monster meat, and they were cooking and eating the remains of some of the more edible-looking ones that had been lying dead outside.

While the soldiers were having a raucous good time outside, we were in a specially prepared dining hall inside the fortress.

Present were me, my fiancées, our close companions, and important figures from all three countries.

The king and queen of Lastania, who had been left behind in Lasta’s castle, were now here, having arrived in a wyvern’s gondola.

Incidentally, for some reason, Princess Tia had already been at the fortress, and she’d surprised me by greeting us with Roroa after our return from battle.

Given the look on Julius’s face like he’d bitten into something unpleasant, I suspected he’d already known about her sneaking in. It seemed she was driving him crazy.

That aside, there were people from Friedonia, Lastania, and Nothung everywhere having pleasant conversations.

Given my position, I figured I ought to go talk to a bunch of them, but...for now, I was stuck with Aisha and couldn’t move around.

At the start of the banquet, Aisha had grabbed my arm tight and made no attempt to let go.

It didn’t bother me that various soft parts of her were pressed up against me, but she was squeezing a little too hard, and I couldn’t move.

“Um, Aisha? Could you loosen your grip a little?” I pleaded.

“I don’t want to.”

...Well, there you have it.

From what I heard, she had been stuck watching Jirukoma and Captain Lauren’s lovey-dovey atmosphere on the battlefield. Just what had those two been doing out there, anyway?

Incidentally, out of consideration for Aisha (or maybe just because dealing with her would be a pain right now) Roroa was with Julius and Princess Tia, and Naden was with Pai, whom she hadn’t seen in a while.

Aisha looked at me with eyes like an abandoned puppy dog. “Um...is this not okay? I did my very best in today’s battle.”

Her eyes clung to me. Seeing those eyes, I finally understood her feelings.

Oh, I see. Aisha wants me to praise her.

She wanted my approval. The sort of approval given from one in a higher position to one in a lower position. (Like from a parent to a child.) The desire for that sort of approval comes from a feeling of wanting that person to indulge you. Aisha wanted me to indulge her.

It might have something to do with the fact that, as I had slept in the same bed as Roroa and Naden last night, she’d been alone outside guarding us.

With my free hand, I patted Aisha on the head. “You really did well, Aisha.”

“Hehe.” Aisha finally showed me a satisfied smile.

Princess Tia’s parents, the king and queen of Lastania, came over and looked at us with smiles.

“You two certainly get along well,” the king said.

“They really do,” the queen agreed. “They’re so innocent.”

Th-They saw, huh? I felt a little embarrassed, but the King of Lastania offered me a bottle of wine.

“Here, Sir Souma, Madam Aisha.”

“Oh, thank you very much,” I said.

“W-We’re much obliged,” Aisha agreed.

We accepted the King of Lastania’s invitation to drink together.

Once four glasses of wine had been poured, we toasted together.

The King of Lastania drank all his wine in one gulp and thanked us with good cheer. “You know, I really am grateful for your reinforcements. If not for the Kingdom of Friedonia’s support, our country might have fallen. In place of my people, I thank you. If I had the martial prowess of one like Sir Julius, I could have fought myself, but I was completely useless...”

“No, you’re being too humble,” I said. “The reason our reinforcements made it in time was because of the hard fight put up by Sir Julius and the people of this country. We only helped a little, at the request of the Empire. In any case, I’ve gotten the sense that the Lastanian royal family are very much loved by the people of this country. I’m sure you were able to provide emotional support to your people.”

I poured more wine into the King of Lastania’s empty glass.

“Dealing with the Demon Lord’s Domain is an issue that concerns our country too,” I went on. “If there are any movements inside the Demon Lord’s Domain, or within the Union of Eastern Nations, please contact us. We’ll do whatever we can to help.”

“Thank you.” The King of Lastania bowed his head with a smile.

My words weren’t just lip service. The Kingdom of Lastania wasn’t just a member of the Union of Eastern Nations; they were allies of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom in the west. They were the perfect go-between in negotiations between our two countries, and I definitely wanted to continue relations with them.

“Still, this certainly is an incredible sight,” the King of Lastania said as he looked around the banquet hall. “Here we have you, Sir Souma, representing the Kingdom of Friedonia, and Madam Sill, a princess of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. From what I hear, Sir Kuu is also the son of the head of the Republic of Turgis, is he not? That all these young people who will carry the future of this continent are gathered here, in this one small country in a corner of the Union of Eastern Nations... well, it’s a surprise.”

Yeah, he was right, there were almost too many of us here. But...

“The next generation of Lastania is looking like it has a bright future too, isn’t it?” I asked. “You have Sir Julius, Jirukoma, and Captain Lauren after all... Oh! I know this is a bit late, but congratulations on Madam Tia’s marriage.”

“Thank you,” he said. “I am truly glad to have a reliable young man like Sir Julius marry into our family. We knew how Tia felt about him, so there would have been no objection from us, but I would have felt a little hesitant asking someone who was once the crown prince of the Principality of Amidonia to be the king of a much smaller country like this. However, it seems my worries were in vain.”

Smiling as he spoke, the King of Lastania’s eyes were focused on Julius, who was talking with Princess Tia and Roroa, with the same stern look on his face as ever. Still, though Julius’s face was stern, there was no sign of the conversation letting up, so they were getting on well enough in their own way.

While I was thinking about that, the King of Lastania looked at me. “Sir Souma. I have heard there was bad blood between you and Sir Julius. Do those feelings still create a wall between the two of you?”

He was coming right out and asking me that. It seemed this guy was honest by nature.

He was asking purely out of concern for the well-being of Julius, who would become Princess Tia’s husband. Looking at it as the King of Friedonia who had to rule over the Amidonia region, Julius’s existence was a dangerous element. He was worried I might move to eliminate Julius.

I shook my head in silence. “It’s true, there is bad blood between Sir Julius and me. For Julius, I’m the man who killed his father, so the discord between us won’t ever truly go away.”

The king was silent.

“However, if anything were to happen to Sir Julius, Princess Tia would be sad. If Princess Tia were sad, Roroa who likes her would be sad too. I don’t want that. I’m sure Sir Julius doesn’t want to confront me so badly that he would make Princess Tia and Roroa sad by doing it, either.”

The important thing was our desire not to make others sad. That feeling was something Julius and I had in common.

“Even if, at some point in the future, there comes a time when Sir Julius and I have conflicting interests, I am sure both of us will act to avoid war, which would be the worst outcome,” I said.

In other words, we might not be able to be friends, but if possible, we didn’t want to fight. At some point, we had ended up in that awkward sort of relationship.

My words may have reassured him, because the King of Lastania took my hand and smiled with tears in his eyes. “I sincerely hope that our two countries can prosper together.”

Parting company with the Lastanian royal couple, Aisha and I went over to where Naden was. She was talking with Pai and Sill, and Hal, Kaede, and Ruby were next to them.

When we approached, Sill was the first to notice. “Why, Sir Souma! I have heard of your accomplishments in this affair from Madam Naden.”

Saying that, Sill extended her right hand.

Madam Sill was not as dark as a dark elf, but the light brown skin and very short blonde hair of this boyish woman made her quite distinctive. She was probably around twenty. Her exposed arms were slender, but muscular, and she had a body like a track and field athlete.

I took Sill’s hand and shook it firmly. “No, no, I didn’t do anything all that special myself. This victory belongs to the people of this country for the hard fight they put up, and the hard work of each person involved.”

“You are being humble,” Sill said. “You are the one who decided to send reinforcements to this country. I am grateful. Normally, sending reinforcements to this country would have been our duty as their allies, but it took time to resolve the effects of the demon wave in our own lands, and our arrival was delayed.”

The demon wave had affected a wide area after all. Maria was dealing with it in the west too.

“What was the demon wave that hit the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom like?” I asked.

“We were attacked by a wide variety of monsters at the same time. None of them were especially strong, and they were easily reduced to cinders, but they were numerous. It was quite a difficult situation. There were so many of them that, from the air, you couldn’t see the ground through all the monsters.”

“That’s...exhausting to even hear about.”

If that many had come all at once, this country wouldn’t have stood a chance. The invading force had only been stopped by the river because it was almost entirely comprised of lizardmen.

“By the way,” I said, “Madam Sill, you and Pai are...”

“Ahh, Sir Souma. I hear you and Pai are acquainted, and you can talk normally together. I have become Pai’s partner. You needn’t use overly formal language with me.”

“Okay,” I said. “You can talk however suits you best too.”

“Oh, great. I hate talking formally. Makes my shoulders stiff.”

Having said that, Sill made a show of turning her right shoulder in circles. It seemed a more masculine tone that suited her boyish looks was the default for her.

A kid in a white jumpsuit-like outfit who was beautiful but androgynous, with beady little eyes, started talking to me. “Long time no see, Souma.”

This was presumably Pai in human form, but he gave off a pretty different impression now than before.

I had heard that until they formed a contract, dragons maintained a more gender-neutral style, and that forming a contract with a male knight would make them more feminine, while forming a contract with a female knight would make them more masculine, but right now Pai was totally an otokonoko.

While my eyes were wide with surprise, Naden cocked her head to the side in confusion. “What’s wrong, Souma?”

“Oh! No... I was just thinking, ‘Wow, Pai really is a guy now.’ The dragon knight contract can change a person this much. I was surprised.”

“Hehe, that’s how we dragons are,” Pai said with a wry smile. “I’ll bet Naden and Ruby have gotten more womanly since their contracts too, right?”

“Hmm? Naden doesn’t look all that different... Hey, Hal, has Ruby changed?” He was nearby, so I figured I’d try asking.

Hal went, “Hmm,” and cocked his head to the side. “Now that you mention it, compared to when we formed the contract, she’s started sticking out more in all the right pla—Ow!”

Ruby stomped on Hal’s foot, and Kaede bopped him on the head with her staff.

Yeah, I know it was my fault for asking, but that lacked delicacy.

Then I realized Naden was touching her own chest. She walked over to Ruby, pressed her hand against her breast, and squeezed.

“Ah!” Ruby yelped, letting out a sexy moan. “Hey, wait?!”

Naden remained silent and fell to her knees on the spot. “Where did this difference come from...?”

The cause of all this, Pai, had an apologetic look on his face. “Ah! Um... I’m sorry...”

Aisha told the dejected Naden, “Don’t worry, you’re just getting started,” but hearing that from the fiancée who stuck out the most in those areas, it was probably only salt in the wound. It was time for a forced change of subject.

“Erm... I get that Pai is a man now, but in this case, the one who gives birth is...” I began.

“Yep, that’ll be me, I guess,” Sill said, puffing up her chest and responding in a matter-of-fact way. “The cost of the dragon knight contract is prosperity for their descendants. I’m human, so the kids’ll be either human or dragonewts, since I can’t give birth to a dragon.”

I had heard from Naden that dragons were born as a large egg, but even the parents didn’t know when it would hatch. It wasn’t possible for a dragon egg to form inside a human body, so it was probably a given that she couldn’t give birth to a dragon.

Sill laughed loudly. “Well, when a dragon births a dragon, the egg has to be deposited in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so they can’t raise it themselves. Pai might be dissatisfied, but I’m glad that I can definitely raise all of my children with Pai by myself.”

“I’m not dissatisfied. I’m happy I’ll be able to raise our children too,” Pai said bashfully.

He was talking more like a boy now too.

They made an odd couple, a manly woman and a girly otokonoko, but it seemed they got along, so good for them.

Looking at the two of them, I said without thinking, “There sure are some odd dragon knights out there.”

Naden, Hal, and Kaede all jumped in to say, “““Like you’re one to talk?!”””

...They kind of had a point.

Having parted ways with Naden and company, Aisha and I watched Tomoe, Inugami, Kuu, and Leporina having fun talking and laughing as we headed over to see Poncho, Serina, Komain, Jirukoma and Lauren next.

“Sir Poncho,” Lauren said, “what was your first meeting with Madam Komain like?”

“Is my sister doing a good job working for you?” Jirukoma asked.

“Huh? Oh, yes,” said Poncho. “She’s very reliable, yes.”

It seemed Poncho was being interrogated by Lauren and Jirukoma. The result was being watched by Komain with trepidation, and Serina with exasperation.

“What exactly is the situation here?” I asked.

“Why, Your Majesty, I believe it is exactly as it appears,” Serina said matter-of-factly.

I wasn’t sure what she meant...

“So then, Sir Poncho? You’re really not seeing anyone?” Jirukoma asked.

“You’ve become a noble now, so haven’t there been a lot of people who expressed an interest in marrying you?” Lauren demanded.

“Y-Yes, Sir Jirukoma, Madam Lauren. It’s true, there has been a lot of talk like that, but I just don’t seem to have any luck, so I’m not seeing anyone, yes.”

It looked like Jirukoma were trying to drag out the details of Poncho’s love life.

Wait, so Poncho still couldn’t find himself a fiancée? Poncho was a retainer I had hired personally, so he was seen as having a promising future. Because of that, a wide variety of people, from the nobility and knightly class to influential merchants, had seen him about a potential marriage, but...had he really not been able to get an engagement from any of them?

Lauren brought up that question for me. “But from what Lord Jirukoma tells me, you are very popular in the kingdom.”

I figured I could let the fact she was referring to him as Lord Jirukoma instead of Sir Jirukoma now pass without comment. From how Aisha reacted to being around them, I could basically figure out what was up between them for myself.

“Many people respect you for your role in ending the food crisis in Elfrieden and Amidonia, and you’re seen as having a promising future,” Lauren continued. “I have a hard time imagining women would leave you alone, you know?”

Exactly. Poncho was incredibly popular in the Kingdom of Friedonia. In the Amidonia region, he was even being deified as the God of Food. Though that sort of movement could antagonize the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, so I wish they’d cut it out.

Poncho shook his head vigorously. “Y-You’re giving me too much credit, yes. Maybe it’s the way I look? When they come to discuss a marriage, people turn around and leave as soon as they see me, yes.”

“Huh? They do?” Lauren asked in confusion.

Huh? People were leaving right after seeing Poncho? Sure, he was tubby, but he had a likable face, and he wasn’t the type you’d find unpleasant at first sight. Women had to have seen how tubby he was on broadcast programs anyway, so if it that was enough to make him unbearable for them, they could have just not arranged to meet in the first place.

Besides, Poncho had a promising future. If these were women sent by nobles, who strategic marriages were second nature to, they would turn a blind eye to a certain level of faults and try their best to make Poncho like them.

I didn’t want an opportunist like that becoming Poncho’s wife, of course, so that was why I had Serina with him as his assistant, keeping a watchful eye out.

I looked over at her. “So, tell me the truth, how are Poncho’s marriage meetings going?”

Serina pressed her index finger to her chin and cocked her head to the side. “More or less, as Poncho said. Even the people who come with thoughts of seducing Sir Poncho take off the moment they see his face. It’s quite rude of them, really.”

Serina hadn’t dropped her usual cool expression, but she seemed indignant for some reason. If it was like she said, then it was even more incomprehensible that he couldn’t get an engagement.

While I was thinking that, there was a sudden tug on my sleeve. I turned to see it was Komain.

Komain led me a little way away, then whispered to me. “Listen...I have something to tell you about that...”

Her eyes were wandering, and she spoke timidly.

“Um...it’s about why Sir Poncho can’t find an engagement.”

Then Komain told me about the meetings to discuss an arranged marriage that she had witnessed while in Venetinova. It was true that many offers were coming to Poncho, and many women seemed to mistakenly believe they could seduce him with their pretty faces. However, whenever it came time for the meeting, Serina was standing beside Poncho.

Serina had some shortcomings in terms of personality, but to the eyes, she was a graceful beauty. In front of her beautiful face, those conceited women were beating a hasty retreat.

Even if they could withstand that, whether she was aware of it or not, Serina gave off an incredibly intimidating aura toward those that pursued Poncho, and that scared off even those who were drawn to him with pure intentions.

Komain, who had experienced that intimidation, said it was comparable to that of a wild wolf.

“Serinaaaa...” I muttered.

I held my head. I had told Serina to keep any strange women from getting close to him, but I never expected her to shield him from all marriage opportunities.

“Also...I’m sorry,” Komain confessed in a whisper. “I may have joined Madam Serina in giving off that intimidating aura recently.”

“Huh?! Why would you...”

“That’s because...um...I’m sorry.” Komain’s face was bright red, and her voice vanishingly small.

Seeing her so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a hole... I was able to guess the situation.

I scratched my head. “Well, I guess I’m fine if it’s you. Make sure you take responsibility, okay?”

“Do you...think I’ll be able to?”

Komain looked unsure, so I put a hand on her shoulder. “For now, tell him how you feel and talk it over. Poncho is timid and lacks self-confidence, so I doubt he’d ever think someone could have feelings for him. Still, he’s a nice guy, so I’m sure he’ll respond to your affection with sincerity.”

“Y-Yes. I’ll do that.” Komain clenched her fist as she nodded.

From the look of her, she’d be okay. Even if all his other opportunities fell through, I could feel relieved if a reliable girl like Komain would marry him.

If there’s one problem...it’s that Komain’s of common birth.

Though the marriage itself wasn’t an issue, the influential nobles who wanted girls of their blood to be his head wife might get in the way. Komain didn’t have the power to shut them out the way she was now.

I could solve it temporarily by having Komain adopted into an influential noble family, but...that would put Komain herself in the crosshairs, and it would put a burden on her. That meant there was only one measure I could take right now.

“What about Serina? If she’s giving off that intimidating aura, do you think he has a chance with her?” I asked.

Serina came from a good family which had provided maids and servants to the royal house for generations. In terms of lineage, hers was equivalent to the influential nobles. If I made Serina his head wife, I could shut out the influence of other houses.

But...

“Hmm...” Komain cocked her head to the side. “I think there’s something there, but it feels like she’s not aware of it herself. I won’t deny there may have been something like this in my case too, but the reason Madam Serina took an interest in Sir Poncho was because of the delicious food he makes. That’s why I don’t think Madam Serina herself knows if her feelings are romantic, or if it’s merely a result of her hunger.”

“That’s an inconvenient development...” I whispered back.

But thinking about it, the cool Serina had only shown interest in cute girls she could turn her sadistic tendencies on, like Liscia and Carla, before this. The first man she’d shown an interest in was Poncho.

Serina always carried off her work without a hitch, but it might be fair to say she lacked experience in this area.

“How would you feel about Serina being the head wife, Komain?” I asked.

“I... I came after she did, so I’d have no complaints. We’ve gotten closer in the time we’ve been together, and I don’t know the ways of your noble houses, so it would be reassuring to have Madam Serina handle all that.”

There were no problems with it on Komain’s end then. In that case, it was just a matter of Serina’s feelings.

“Sorry, but could you handle Serina for me?” I whispered. “If there’s something between them, I want you to make her more conscious of it.”

“O-Okay. I’ll see what I can do!”

Komain made a strong commitment to helping. I could probably leave this to her.

Still, the relationships between men and women were a strange and complicated thing. I felt like this sort of thing took more thought than simple political negotiations.

Having left the matter of Poncho to Komain for now, I could see Roroa, Julius, and Princess Tia talking, so Aisha and I headed over there.

Roroa and Princess Tia had made fast friends, and they were chatting as happily as two sisters. (They were going to be sisters-in-law soon too.)

Julius was watching the two of them with a peaceful look on his face.

“Oh, darlin’!” Roroa waved her hand vigorously at us, then came over and quickly wrapped herself around the arm opposite the one Aisha was holding. “Ohhh, darlin’. Our Big Sis is just the cutest.”

“Big Sis?” I repeated.

“I told you not to call me Big Sis!” Princess Tia protested. “You’re the older one, Roroa! It’s too much!”

Ohh, she’s the big brother’s fiancée, so that makes her the big sister, huh.

Seeing Tia get upset, Roroa cackled. “Ohh, I was just thinkin’ how refreshin’ it is to have a big sister who’s younger than me.”

“Come to think of it, you call Liscia Big Sis Cia, don’t you?” I asked.

“Sure do. Big Sis Cia, Big Sis Ai, and Big Sis Juna all feel like my big sisters. Nadie feels more like a friend, though.”

“Then you can call me Tii, or something like that,” Princess Tia suggested.

But Roroa said, “Nothin’ doin’,” and shook her head. “I like seein’ my big sis get all embarrassed, so I’m gonna keep callin’ you Big Sis.”

“Augh!”

Unable to watch any longer, Julius intervened by flicking Roroa in the forehead. “Roroa. Don’t tease Tia too much.”

“Ouch!” Roroa bent backward in exaggerated pain.

“L-Lord Julius!” Princess Tia hid behind Julius’s sleeve to hide her face, which was red with embarrassment.

Roroa held her aching forehead as she stuck her tongue out at Julius. “What, Big Brother? We’re just havin’ some good sisterly fun, okay?”

“It’s your fault for being so quick to get carried away. I do think your endless cheer is a virtue, but if you don’t take the time, place, and person you are with into consideration, you’ll only annoy people.”

“Oww... darlin’, Big Sis Ai, my big brother’s bullyin’ me!” Roroa rubbed up against me with a fawning voice.

“No, Julius is totally in the right here, isn’t he?” I said.

“I agree with His Majesty,” Aisha put in.

“You’re stabbin’ me in the back?!”

Roroa made a backward falling motion so exaggerated that if this were a manga, it would be accompanied by a sound effect.

Watching Roroa overreact, Princess Tia giggled, and seeing her smile made Julius’s expression soften a bit too.

Roroa really was amazing. I had agreed with Julius: Roroa’s cheer wasn’t annoying, but rather made everyone around her smile.

The five of us talked together for a while, and then Julius said, “Souma. Could I have a word with you?”

Princess Tia looked worried for a moment, but Roroa clapped her hands down with a smile, she nodded, and they left us alone.

Aisha, Julius, and I left the room where the banquet was being held and moved to a small room.

“Here is fine,” I said.

As we entered the room, my bodyguard Aisha showed some consideration, and waited with her back to the door.

It was probably a position meant to let her listen for eavesdroppers, while still being able to handle Julius immediately if he tried anything funny.

Julius poured wine from the one bottle we had brought with us from the banquet hall into my glass.

Once he was done pouring, I took my turn pouring for Julius.

We raised our glasses together, and said in unison, ““To victory,”” clinking our glasses together.

Once we had drank all the wine in our glasses, Julius smirked. “I’d never have expected a day would come when we would drink together.”

“I could say the same,” I said while pouring fresh drinks. “And it’s a drink celebrating our shared victory too.”

Drinking with Julius...huh.

“Come to think of it, Serina drank you under the table in no time in Van, didn’t she?” I added.

“That’s...a bitter memory. That maid was at the banquet today too, wasn’t she? The moment I saw her, those unpleasant memories came back to me.”

“Hahaha! That head maid of ours is feared by the princess of a nation and the daughter of a former General of the Air Force.”

“...You’re sure she’s just a maid?”

“I’m not sure about that myself sometimes,” I admitted.

We were shooting the breeze about inconsequential things when, suddenly, Julius got a serious look on his face. “I’m really grateful for the reinforcements you brought.”

“I keep getting told that,” I said. “I’ve been thanked enough.”

“Still. If you and Roroa hadn’t come to our aid, I might not have been able to protect Tia. And so, I thank you.” Julius gave a deep bow.

Looking at how different Julius’s attitude was from before, I slapped him on the shoulder with a wry smile. “You say that like everything’s been resolved, but the real difficulties for this country start now, don’t they? You lost more than a few men in the battle up until now, right? Can you recover?”

“We will. We protected the women and children. The population will grow, and we can build a future. Besides, after the war, our population and territory will grow.”

“Your territory too?” I asked.

“In the Union of Eastern Nations, the gain or loss of territory is decided in parliament. There are many lands that lost their lords in the demon wave, so land will be redistributed. When that time comes, those countries that behaved poorly by failing to send several reinforcements proportionate to their nation’s power will be stripped of territory, and countries that distinguished themselves will gain it.”

Hmm... So that was the system in the Union of Eastern Nations, huh. It was like a union of multiple nations, but also like a single feudal state.

Julius smirked. “We have the accomplishment of having held off tens of thousands of lizardmen until reinforcements could arrive. We can expect to be showered with honors after the war.”

“Hey, you’re starting to look like your old self,” I said. “If Princess Tia could see you, wouldn’t that worry her?”

“That wouldn’t be good.” Julius slapped his own cheeks. “Well, fortunately, monster parts sell for a high price. There are lizardman and monster corpses lying around everywhere. The merchants will come to deal in them, so we should have no trouble with finances.”

“Hahaha! Now you’re sounding like Roroa.”

“I am her brother after all.”

“That you are... Oh! That’s right. About the lizardman corpses, do you mind if we take some of them back ourselves? I’d like to do research on them.”

“They’re going to be used to finance the reconstruction, so it would be a problem if you took too many.”

“They’re strictly for research, so two from each general category will be enough.”

“I don’t see a problem with that,” he nodded. “Take what you like.”

The time went by slowly.

Julius looked at the wine in his glass as he spoke. “Now that the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom is here, this country will be fine. Souma, what will you do? Pull back to the Kingdom of Friedonia?”

“I’d love to, but...”

Julius put down his glass, glaring in the direction of the door. “Ah! Who goes there?!”

Had he sensed someone? But Aisha, who was by the door, seemed unconcerned.

A folded white piece of paper was slipped under the door.

Having figured out the situation, I put a hand on Julius’s sleeve. “Calm down, Julius. If Aisha isn’t getting ready to fight, it means whoever it was was one of ours. Right?”

Aisha said, “Yes,” with a nod. Then she collected the paper from under the door and passed it to me. “Sire, it’s a report from Kagetora and his people.”

It was a letter from Kagetora, the head of the Black Cats, the secret intelligence unit that reported directly to the king.

I had the Black Cats investigating every nation in the union.

I took the letter and looked through its content then...looked up to the ceiling and let out a sigh.

“Looks like I won’t be going back to the kingdom any time soon...”

I was starting to get the feeling I wouldn’t be able to be there when Liscia gave birth, and it was depressing.

Epilogue: The Friedonian Military, Eastward

The report from Kagetora was regarding the other area seeing heavy fighting as a result of the demon wave, the Duchy of Chima.

The Duchy of Chima was a small country in a region populated with many small and medium-sized states, and it was an old one that had survived through skillful diplomacy.

In this most recent demon wave, the current Duke of Chima had, in a way, used his children as bait to round up reinforcements from around the Union of Eastern Nations.

“For countries which send us reinforcements, in response to your performance, I will give each of you one of my six children, other than my eldest son, who is my heir, to serve as your retainer.”

The Duke of Chima had seven children who each had one special talent, and they were all said to be beautiful.

The eldest daughter, Mutsumi Chima, was a beautiful woman known for her ingenuity and martial ability, so she was particularly sought after.

Hearing that six of the brothers and sisters who were always sought after as retainers or marriage partners were being offered up, many countries sent their armies to assist.

Incidentally, I knew of this through Maria already, but the Kingdom of Lastania, where Julius and Jirukoma were, was in greater peril. The Duchy of Chima had plenty of countries already coming to their aid, so I figured it wouldn’t fall any time soon.

Though I wanted as many capable people as I could recruit, I already had three beautiful warriors just counting my fiancées, so I didn’t bite at the offer of one more. Those, among other reasons, were why we didn’t end up sending reinforcements.

Meanwhile, in case something happened, I sent Kagetora and many of his Black Cats out to gather intelligence.

Now, as for the actual situation in the Duchy of Chima, it didn’t look good, according to what was in Kagetora’s report.

Unlike in the Kingdom of Lastania, there wasn’t a concentration of one type of monster (like the lizardmen); instead a variety of monsters had pressed toward them en masse.

The shallow crossing at the Dabicon River, which was their northern border like in the Kingdom of Lastania, was wider than the one in Lastania, and it didn’t serve to impede the monsters.

It looked like an overwhelming number of monsters had pushed against them in force. If that had happened to the Kingdom of Lastania, they wouldn’t have lasted long. However, like I mentioned earlier, the Duchy of Chima’s unusual methods of diplomacy had gathered reinforcements from all over the Union of Eastern Nations. There were many monsters, but also many soldiers defending, so they were managing to hold the line somehow.

The war had turned into a stalemate where they hadn’t been broken, but couldn’t turn back the invaders, either. That said, if the situation worsened and the line was broken, there would be countries and villages laid waste by the monsters’ southern advance. That would create more refugees like Tomoe’s family, or like the siblings Jirukoma and Komain. That would inevitably influence our country too.

In order to prevent that, Kagetora had written his view that, “We must send reinforcements to the Duchy of Chima, and work with local forces to swiftly exterminate the monsters.”

I adopted that proposal, and I decided that the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia would advance east to the Duchy of Chima.

The day after the banquet, while the forces of the kingdom made hurried preparations to set out, I was saying my goodbyes to Sill, the princess knight of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom.

“Well then, Sill. We’ll have to excuse ourselves. I leave the rest to you.”

“Yeah. It was only a short time, but I am glad we could fight together, and that we could become acquainted like this. If any remnant lizardmen try to attack this country again, this time, we will handle it as their allies.”

“I’ll be counting on you,” I said. “Come to our kingdom to play sometime too. You’re welcome there.”

“If the opportunity arises, I would be glad to. Sir Souma and Sir Hal, come visit us riding Madam Naden and Madam Ruby sometime too. We welcome those who have dragon partners like us.”

“Sure. Someday, we will.”

We exchanged a firm handshake.

Though the Kingdom of Friedonia and Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom shared no border, it was easy to form a friendly relationship. Naden, who would be my wife, and Madam Sill’s husband-to-be, Pai, were friends too.

Beside us, Naden, Ruby, and Pai were saying their goodbyes too.

“Later, Naden, Ruby,” Pai said. “Take care, okay?”

“You too, Pai. Take care of your husband...er, I mean wife.”

“Give my regards to Saphie and Emerada too,” Ruby said.

“Sure. Will do. Bye now.”

With Pai waving goodbye, I took Naden and Ruby back to the camp where our companions were waiting for us.

In addition to our major companions, Julius and Princess Tia were there too.

I exchanged some pleasantries with those two, who had come to see us off, then spoke to my companions.

“We will be heading to the Duchy of Chima now, but I’ll be having a number of you return to the kingdom. Roroa, Poncho, Serina, Komain, you need not accompany us any farther.”

I was saying that to these four because there were people related to them in the Kingdom of Lastania. I had only brought Roroa because of Julius, and Komain because of Jirukoma. Poncho, who oversaw logistics, and Serina, his assistant, were supposed to support us from the rear normally, so there had been no need for them to come to the front line. The reason I had forced them to come was to make it easier for Komain, who served under Poncho, to meet her brother Jirukoma.

With the family members having been able to meet, and Julius and Jirukoma’s safety secured, there was less need to bring these four along.

“Roroa, please head back with Excel,” I said.

“Uh, yeah, I’m not sure bringin’ me along’d be much help anyhow.” Roroa seemed a little disappointed, but she accepted she would be returning to the kingdom.

“Poncho and Serina, I want you to continue managing the supply train from the rear. Komain, you can stay in this country for now, but...”

“No, I serve Sir Poncho. I go wherever he goes,” Komain said without the slightest hesitation.

“You’re sure? You haven’t seen your brother in a while, and you could spend some time together...”

She laughed. “It’s fine. The one who needs quality time with my brother right now is Madam Lauren. I’d just be in the way.”

“I guess you have a point.”

Well, if she was fine with it, then it was fine.

“Next, Excel.”

“I’m right here.” Excel came forward quietly and bowed to me.

“You really saved us in the battle at the Dabicon River,” I said. “If you hadn’t come, we’d have had a much harder time putting them down. Thank you.”

“Hehe! I only did what any retainer should. Besides, there were perks, like having you hold me. I think it gives me a nice story to tell the princess and Juna when I get back.” The way Excel said that with a smile gave me a headache.

“It’s fine to tell them what happened, but don’t embellish too much, okay?” I said wearily.

“Hehehe...”

“That aside, you did well. Return to the kingdom and resume your duties protecting the country in my absence.”

“I’d prefer to accompany you, though, sire.” Excel made a sidelong glance in my direction.

Aisha took my right arm, and Roroa took my left, and Naden jumped on my back to try and intimidate Excel.

I sighed. “I’d rather not upset my fiancées any more than they already are, so please, no.”

“Oh, my, I don’t see the harm. You call me the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, but all I’m doing is staying in the center of the country and holding down the fort. I could accompany you...”

“That’s enough, Grandmother.”

Turning in the direction of the sudden voice, there stood Juna, who was supposed to be back in the kingdom.

Huh?! Why was Juna here?!

Excel’s eyes were wide too. “Juna? Why are you here?”

“We thought you might drag your feet about coming back to the country, Grandmother, so Sir Hakuya sent me to bring you back. It looks like we were right.”

“Oh, my, you think you can stop me?” Excel shot her a defiant look.

Juna didn’t back off one little bit. “Yes. I’ve brought the ultimate weapon for getting you to come home.”

“An ultimate weapon to use against me, you say?” Excel’s brow twitched.

Juna pulled something from her pocket. It seemed to be a letter in an envelope. It was stamped with the Walter family crest.

“Th-That’s!” Excel was clearly flustered. I had never seen the usually aloof Excel this disturbed before.

Juna smiled and declared to Excel, “If you won’t be a good girl and do as you’re told, I’ll reveal the contents of this letter, you know?”

“Urgh... You win. I’ll comply.” Excel kneeled in front of me and bowed her head. “Well then, sire, I will be returning to the kingdom ahead of you.”

“Uh, yeah...”

I gave an empty response, unable to follow what just happened, and Excel departed as if her stubbornness from before was all a lie.

While everyone was still dumbfounded, I asked Juna, who was the only one smiling, in a small voice, “Um, Juna? What exactly is that letter...?”

“Hehe! It’s a love letter that Grandmother wrote to my grandfather.”

“L-Love letter?!”

“Yes. It’s veeeery syrupy and sweet. I suspect the House of Vargas has something like this in store too, as a measure against Grandmother.”

Ahh, she wouldn’t want that getting out. I could understand it now.

Whew... I’m exhausted...

Excel really was a tempest of a woman. She made all the waves she could, then left.

Well, that was all the people returning to the kingdom decided.

To be honest, I wanted to send Tomoe back too, but depending on the situation in the Duchy of Chima, I might need her ability, so I decided to bring her and her bodyguard Inugami along with us.

When I was finished giving orders, Roroa and I stood in front of Julius and Princess Tia. Julius extended his hand, so I took it firmly.

“Souma,” he said. “You really helped us this time. I’m sorry that this country has nothing to give you as it is now, and we can only offer our words in thanks.”

“No need to worry about it,” I said. “This dispatch of reinforcements was requested by the Empire, anyway. Besides, I was able to forge relations with this country, which is inside the Union of Eastern Nations and has ties to the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. That’s not nothing to show for my efforts.”

“It’s the same for us. We were able to forge friendly relations with the Kingdom of Friedonia after all.” Julius smiled a little. He had the expression of a man who had been set free from his demons.

In the expression of Julius who had broken the bonds of his past and was now looking to the future, I felt like I was seeing the proof that he had grown as a person.

“I don’t want to fight you as you are now, Julius,” I said. “I’ll bet you’d make a far more fearsome enemy than before.”

“I could say the same of you. If I tried to tussle with your country now, I’d have to take on both you and Roroa. That could only be a hassle.”

“If we find ourselves at odds again, I’d like to settle it peacefully next time. How about a drinking contest?”

“I’m sick of alcohol. In a test of arms...there would be too much of a gap. How about a race?”

“Can I use Naden?”

“That’s not fair, and you know it.”

While we were verbally sparing, I noticed Roroa, who was next to me, seemed a bit fidgety. It seemed like she had been able to fit in with Julius and Princess Tia during yesterday’s banquet, but she was still a bit stiff around them when everyone was sober.

Taking her feelings into consideration, I put my hand on her lower back and pushed Roroa forward.

“Eek?!”

“Go on, you say your goodbyes too, Roroa.”

“Y-Yeah...”

Having stepped forward a little awkwardly, Roroa turned to Julius and Tia then saluted.

No, why did she salute there? Was she that tense?

“Well, I’ll be headin’ back now,” Roroa said. “You take care, Big Brother, Big Sis.”

“O-Okay! You take care too, Roroa!”

Whether she was dragged along by Roroa doing it, or it just came naturally, Princess Tia saluted too.

It was a strange scene with two adorable princesses saluting each other.

Julius and I watched over the two of them, wry smiles on both of our faces.

◇　◇　◇

It was the same day, at the same time, in the central city of the Duchy of Chima, Wedan.

In this region with many small to medium-sized nations, this city was home to the castle that housed the Duke of Chima, a nation who had used diplomacy to join influential factions and protect their house. It was as solidly built as you would expect. It bordered on mountains to the south, and a river that was connected to the Dabicon to the north.

The historical dukes of Chima would dig in here when attacked by hostile forces, and while repelling enemies in a siege battle, they awaited allied support to overcome the difficult situation.

Because this city backed onto the mountains, the castle of Duke Chima, Wedan Castle, was halfway up a mountain, in a position where it could look down on the city and what lay outside the city walls.

In Friedonian terms, the castle of former General of the Army, Castor, Red Dragon Castle, was the closest comparison in terms of layout.

There was a single child up on the walls of Castle Wedan.

That child, who looked to be about ten years old, sat on the edge of the wall, a piece of charcoal racing across a piece paper on a wooden board. Where the kid was looking now, on the other side of the wall, the armies of the Union of Eastern Nations were fighting with the monsters.

There were so many monsters they seemed to blot out the earth. However, Duke Chima’s unusual diplomacy had gathered many reinforcements, and they had somehow lasted through the enemy’s offensive.

There were many sounds coming from the battlefield. There was the sound of metal striking metal, the sound of magic exploding, the sound of monsters roaring, the soldier’s battle cries. Those sounds were all reaching this castle.

In the middle of those sounds, the kid silently kept dragging charcoal across the paper.

“You’re drawing again, Ichiha?” Turning to the sudden voice, there was a beautiful girl of about twenty years of age with black hair going down to her waist standing there.

The woman wore an outfit that was like a hakama, and she gave off an impression like a traditional Japanese beauty, but she wore leather armor over that outfit and carried a longsword over her back.

When the kid saw her, he narrowed his eyes. “Mutsumi?”

The beautiful, strong woman was Mutsumi Chima, the eldest daughter of the current Duke of Chima, and the kid was the youngest of her five brothers, Ichiha Chima.

Ichiha cocked his head to the side. “You didn’t go to the battlefield today?”

“Yeah,” she said. “Father insisted I not let the lords see what a tomboy I am. I’m staying home today, since I have no other choice.”

Seeing how dissatisfied Mutsumi looked, Ichiha giggled. “I can’t blame him. The lords out there are fighting because they want you to come be their wife.”

The Duke of Chima had sent a notice saying, “For countries which send us reinforcements, in response to your performance, I will give each of you one of my six children, other than my eldest son, who is my heir, to serve as your retainer,” to every country in the Union of Eastern Nations.

This was a strategy the old and wise Duke Chima was using to save his own country, also positioning his sons and daughters into powerful factions that could be effective on the battlefield.

He said he’d offer them as retainers, but the boys and girls of House Chima were well-known to be beautiful. If they would accept, a marriage could be arranged for them to go to any country as a bride or groom. If that happened, Duke Chima would become a relative of many influential powers, so it would be all he could ask for.

Of all the Chima brothers and sisters, Mutsumi was the most popular.

With her excellent ingenuity and martial ability, the lords were fighting to distinguish themselves on the battlefield in order to make her their wife, or their son’s.

While watching the battlefield, Ichiha asked Mutsumi, “I’m sure that whoever is fighting the best out there is going to say they want you to be their bride. How do you feel about that?”

Mutsumi’s answer was very simple. “It doesn’t matter to me. I like people with power after all. I’m fine if it’s someone who is personally strong. Or someone who can upend the battlefield with their ingenuity. Someone who can command a lot of soldiers would be fine too. Whoever they are, I want to watch someone whose name can make the world tremble from the closest spot to them. If I could marry someone like that, that would be the best.” Her words became tinged with glee.

Sensing the words came from her heart, Ichiha smiled wryly. “Is that how it works...?”

Mutsumi mussed her little brother’s hair. “You’ve become a good man too. Instead of just staying here drawing pictures, why don’t you work out?”

“Don’t ask for the impossible. My body is weak.”

Ichiha had been born with a body that was not naturally strong.

He often grew sick at the change of seasons, when temperatures changed most, and would be confined to his bed. Because of that, he didn’t practice martial arts like his elder brothers, instead staying cooped up in his room reading, drawing pictures as a hobby, and becoming more and more introverted.

He said, “Besides, the world has forgotten I exist.”

She was silent.

It was said that the House of Chima had seven highly capable brothers and sisters.

Hashim (Age 25) — Eldest Son: An excellent politician.

Nata (Age 22) — Second Son: Muscular man who wielded a giant ax.

Mutsumi (Age 20) — Eldest Daughter: Really beautiful, with excellent martial abilities and ingenuity.

Gauche (Age 18) — Third Son: The best archer in the world.

Yomi (Age 17) — Second Daughter: Elder twin sister, excellent mage.

Sami (Age 17) — Third Daughter: Younger twin sister, also an excellent mage.

Nike (Age 16) — Fourth Son: Beautiful boy. His spear moved faster than the eye can follow.

This was how the seven of them were known, but Ichiha Chima, the fifth son who had just turned ten this year, was not included among the capable brothers and sisters.

He had the same regular features as his older brothers, but he was still a kid, the scrawny, sickly introvert who was always drawing pictures, so he was not known throughout the world.

Naturally, he was not included as one of the rewards offered by Duke Chima.

Mutsumi was at a momentary loss for what to say, but she forced a cheerful smile, and slapped Ichiha on the back.

That sudden hit made Ichiha’s head arch backward. “Wh-What would you do if I fell?!”

“I didn’t hit you that hard. You were feeling down, so I did that to put some spirit in you.”

“Urgh...”

Then Mutsumi hugged Ichiha from behind, whispering in his ear, “You don’t need to worry. I’m sure you’ll be a great person one day.”

“...On what basis?”

“A woman’s intuition. I feel like, out of all us brothers and sisters, you’re the only one who’s seeing something else. That goes for what you’re drawing now, too. I think you probably have something the rest of us would never think of.”

“Something...? I don’t think I have anything.”

Ichiha was sulking, but Mutsumi smiled at him. “Well, of course you don’t. The hardest thing to see is yourself. So... Ichiha, get more involved with other people. I’m sure it will be one of them who realizes your true value.”

Ichiha still looked sulky, but he took Mutsumi’s words about involving himself with others to heart.

Prologue: Tora and Tiger

Beneath the high sky on a warm, clear day, the winter was drawing near.

The Dabicon River shone in the sunlight as a procession of troops belonging to the Kingdom of Friedonia moved east along it. They marched at a confident pace, but not hurrying.

The demon wave was a phenomenon in which a great number of monsters were flowing out of the Demon Lord’s Domain in the north.

Our forces from the Kingdom of Friedonia were coming to aid the Union of Eastern Nations, which was being struck by the demon wave.

Just the other day, we had gone to one of the areas of intense fighting, the Kingdom of Lastania. Working with local forces, we had succeeded in eliminating a swarm of monsters. We were now heading toward the other area that had seen intense fighting, the Duchy of Chima.

Having received a report in the Kingdom of Lastania that they were facing a crisis situation, I had sent the Wyvern Cavalry and Dratroopers ahead and placed a heavy focus on speed as we hurried to have the troops march. But then word came that the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations had gathered in the Duchy of Chima, and it was unlikely to fall immediately, so we were now proceeding at a normal marching pace so as not to break ranks.

As the one who was, for official purposes, leading this force (though the one taking actual command was Ludwin), I had joined the procession on horseback.

There were sturdy carriages for the higher-up, but being in a carriage the whole time would have made my shoulders stiff, so I was riding a horse so that I could move around.

Naden was sitting in front of me as I held the reins. “Wow, who knew you could ride a horse?”

I had mostly been riding Naden in her ryuu form lately, but I couldn’t match pace with the army that way, so we were riding a horse together this time.

I felt embarrassed when she complimented me on my skill with a horse, so I scratched at my cheek. “My teacher, Owen, taught me well.”

“Hmm, this is kind of new. Normally, I’m the one giving you a ride, but now you’re giving me one. This is nice, too, in its own way.” Naden leaned back against me.

When Naden’s head got closer to mine, her glossy, black hair gave off a pleasant scent. I rested my chin between Naden’s two antlers. When I moved my chin around a little in that position, Naden let out a sigh in weird voice. “Ahhhhh...”

While I was playing with Naden, a horse approached from behind.

“You look like you’re having fun,” said the horse’s rider.

This was a blue-haired beauty who was the sole person wearing a marine uniform in this military procession: our Prima Lorelei, Juna.

“I’m a little jealous that you get to have a leisurely ride with His Majesty,” she went on.

“I’ll trade places with you later,” Naden said.

“Hee hee! Please do. If I ride, maybe I should be the one in back.”

While listening to Juna talk cheerfully, I smiled wryly. “I was sure you’d be going back with Excel.”

Excel had done a great service for us in the Kingdom of Lastania, and then been stubbornly resistant to return home afterward. Having foreseen that, my prime minister, Hakuya, had sent Excel’s granddaughter, Juna, to come collect her.

I had expected her to go back to Parnam with Excel, but now she was accompanying us instead.

Juna gave me a charming smile. “If Roroa has returned to the castle, there’s no reason I should have to, too. I will be staying with you from here on, sire.”

I smiled. “That’s reassuring for me, but... Excel’s going to get miffed about it.”

In fact, Excel was probably complaining, And here I am, going home quietly! right this moment.

Juna gave me with a very nice smile. “It will do Grandmother some good. She’s always playing around too much, despite her old age.”

“There’s a line I’d be too scared to say myself,” I confessed. “Especially the part about her age.”

“Ahaha! You do get it!” Naden, whose age was as much of an unknown as Excel’s, laughed.

While we were talking about that, Aisha came up on a horse. “Your Majesty, a message for you from Sir Ludwin. There is a request from a nearby town saying, ‘We are surrounded by monsters and would like to ask for help.’”

“Again?” I sighed.

The effects of the demon wave were spread along the Dabicon River, which served as the border with the Demon Lord’s Domain. In short, there was fighting all over.

Even if most places weren’t facing a crisis on the same scale as the Kingdom of Lastania or the Duchy of Chima, there were obviously going to be places that couldn’t slay all of the monsters on their own.

There was an endless stream of requests from such places, and as we were here in response to a request from the Empire to provide aid, we had to respond to each one.

“How many?” I asked.

“Around a hundred,” Aisha reported. “If we send out the wyvern cavalry, they can scatter them instantly.”

“We’ll have to send Hal and his men again, I guess... Okay. Tell him he has my permission.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.”

Aisha’s horse raced to the front of the procession. When there was a request for aid, we deployed a unit with high mobility, like the wyvern cavalry or regular cavalry, and had them rejoin this main force when the enemy were defeated. This was another reason we couldn’t pick up our marching speed too much.

“I knew it would be, but monster slaying is tiresome work,” I commented.

“Unlike war, it doesn’t end when you break the enemy’s main force,” Juna agreed.

“That’s right.” I nodded. “It’s a pain, but we can’t leave them be. We have to nip trouble in the bud as much as possible.”

“Yes. I think you’re right.”

“If Ruby gets tired, let’s go, too,” Naden put in. “I’ll drop some lightning on them and scatter them.”

“Yeah,” I said, looking up to watch a unit of wyvern cavalry flying off into the eastern sky. “I’m counting on you.”

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, as Souma and his party were heading to the Duchy of Chima...

In the area around Wedan, the capital of the Duchy of Chima, an intense battle was being fought again today.

The strategy being used in the Duchy of Chima during this demon wave was essentially the same as the one used by Julius in the Kingdom of Lastania. The armed forces abandoned all the places that would be difficult to hold, concentrating their forces in Wedan and preparing for a siege.

However, the Duchy of Chima had two things the Kingdom of Lastania did not: the solid Wedan Castle, and reinforcements from the Union of Eastern Nations that they had gained through skillful diplomacy.

In order to use these two things effectively, Duke Chima had deliberately allowed the monsters to approach Wedan Castle, and worked with the reinforcements from the union to meet them there. The back-and-forth battle between the monsters and the united forces of the Union of Eastern Nations was ongoing.

There were eyes watching the battle which continued on today, from a distance.

From atop a tall tree in among the trees on a hill that overlooked the field of battle, there stood a great man clad in black armor and wearing a black tiger mask.

This was the leader of the Kingdom of Friedonia’s clandestine operatives, the Black Cats.

Hm... The union’s forces are doing a good job defending against the monsters. With eyes shining beneath the mask, Kagetora observed the battlefield.

Faced with an untold thousands of monsters, the ragtag forces of the union seemed to be putting up a good fight. However, Kagetora had his arms crossed in dissatisfaction.

They are putting up a good fight, he reflected. However, with each force fighting as it pleases, they lack efficiency. If the king of some country were to lead an alliance, and organize this force, they could surely reduce the number of casualties...

Then he shook his head.

But considering how the union’s combined force was formed, it would be impossible.

If someone could be credited with the creation of this force from the Union of Eastern Nations, it would likely be Duke Chima with his request for reinforcements. However, the Duchy of Chima was a small country, and no matter how capable they were at diplomacy, they did not have the power to take the head of a coalition and unify the forces of each country under their command.

Meanwhile, if the country with the most forces were to try and take command, the other countries that were trying to distinguish themselves and win the reward of one of the Chima siblings would push back against it.

Because of that, each country was paying with not-insignificant losses as each fought as they pleased in order to win acclaim.

It was a style of fighting that brought massive damage to the enemy, but also to one’s allies as well. If they continued like this, there would inevitably be places where their forces collapsed... or so he had thought.

But it has yet to happen...

In contrast to Kagetora’s expectations, the forces of the union had not collapsed anywhere. That was because anywhere that it seemed there might be a collapse, those people would jump in.

If you squinted at the battlefield, there was something there, jumping around like fleas. Not just one or two of them. There were more than a thousand of them traversing the battleground freely, literally jumping around from place to place. When those people reached a point that looked ready to collapse, the tides of battle were instantly reversed, and the forces that were close to breaking recovered. He had seen it happen several times on the battlefield in front of him.

Kagetora felt a sudden presence behind him.

“Master Kagetora.” One of the members of the Black Cats, wearing the black mask and outfit of a ninja, landed on a branch behind him. “We have determined their identity.”

“Let’s hear it.” Kagetora had ordered the Black Cats to investigate the ones jumping around that battlefield.

The Black Cat reported his findings. “The ones who are jumping around the battlefield are leaping cavalry from the nomadic state of Malmkhitan, from the steppes to the east of here.”

“Malmkhitan... That’s not a name I’ve heard.”

“Their country was only just formed before the creation of the Union of Eastern Nations, so there has been little chance for talk of them to spread.”

Then the operative began to explain the events leading to the formation of the steppe state of Malmkhitan.

On the formation of the steppe nation of Malmkhitan in the Union of Eastern Nations...

The area where Malmkhitan would eventually form was originally populated by many small nomadic tribes. Before the formation of the Union of Eastern Nations, these tribes warred with each other at times, formed blood ties through marriage, and went through a series of destructions and unifications.

Whenever an enemy tribe was destroyed, it was not completely annihilated, but instead absorbed into the conquering tribe in its weakened state, allowing the population of the steppes to be maintained without too much of a decline.

The many small tribes often warred, but they had a strong sense of being a common steppe people, and so whenever outsiders invaded, the tribes would unite to eliminate the external threat.

Meanwhile, those tribes on the edge of the steppe traded with outside countries, invited in skilled people, and traded in slaves. This brought in foreign blood, but they worked to ensure it did not become too prominent. It was a region that had a closed-off mentality that placed value on steppe traditions, while also embracing and absorbing events from the outside world.

The people of this region were of diverse races. The human, dwarven, and beastmen races were all represented, but because many tribes had died out or were integrated, the majority of people were a mixture of human and beastman blood.

The most common people looked human, aside from beast ears or tails, or they had small wings growing from their backs. The latter might make one think of angels, but the feathers were more often black or brown, so they looked more like crow tengu.

When these steppe tribes saw the nations of the north fall after the appearance of the Demon Lord’s Domain and the southward advance of the monsters, they felt a sense of crisis.

The existence of a foreign threat greater than any before gave birth to an unprecedented sense that the steppe tribes must unite as one. And as they experienced events similar to the demon wave that would come four years later, that sense was suddenly heightened, so all the tribes of the steppes were united.

The largest and most powerful of the steppe tribes, the Haan, was at the center. And the head of the Haan was Raiga Haan. So, with all of the tribes that supported him, Raiga eliminated any tribes opposed to unification and founded the steppe state of Malmkhitan.

However, Malmkhitan could not prepare to face the threat of the demon wave alone. So it acceded to the Union of Eastern Nations, which formed to prepare for the threat of the Demon Lord’s Domain, becoming a medium-sized state inside the union.

And then Raiga, the overlord of the steppes, finally ran out of luck. He suddenly passed away that winter.

He was forty at the time of his death. It was said to be death by illness or poison, but the rumor that he was poisoned spread especially widely.

Perhaps the rumor was perpetrated by a remnant of one of the lesser tribes he’d destroyed in unifying the steppe, or perhaps the assassination had happened because of another chief’s jealousy of Raiga having become their overlord. The truth was unclear. Raiga had been beloved by many of the steppe people, but he had also made many enemies.

And thus, Raiga was succeeded by his twenty-two-year-old son.

Kagetora listened quietly as the Black Cat operative relayed the story of Malmkhitan’s founding. When he had heard it all, he asked a question.

“I understand what this Malmkhitan country is. But what are those leaping cavalry you mentioned?”

“The leaping cavalry are a powerful type of cavalry used by Malmkhitan,” said the operative. “They’re not horses, but a type of goat-like, cow-like creature... a massive horned riding beast known as a ‘temsbock.’ These temsbocks are raised in Malmkhitan, and they have the strength to leap up a castle wall in three bounds.”

“Hm... Then those temsbocks are the things jumping around the battlefield?” Kagetora let out a groan of admiration. “They are cavalry, but like wyvern cavalry, they fly through the skies of the battlefield. Their ability to suddenly appear and disappear must be incredibly confusing for the enemy. I can see they would be a difficult type of soldier to deal with.”

“Yes, sir,” said the operative. “The fact is, countries that have invaded the steppe in the past, despite an overwhelming numerical advantage, have been beaten badly by the leaping cavalry.”

It’s not hard to see why... thought Kagetora. When he saw how the leaping cavalry was traveling across the battlefield freely, butchering monsters, it was very convincing. I must report to the master that this is not a country to be taken lightly.

Having determined that, Kagetora turned to ask the Black Cat operative another question. “And what is the name of this son that succeeded—Ah!”

Kagetora suddenly drew the tachi Souma had given him. While the operative was still shocked at him suddenly drawing his weapon, Kagetora swung the blade. When he did...

Whoosh! Clang!

...his Tachi cut down an arrow that came at them suddenly.

“Wha?! Where did that come from?!” The operative panicked, apparently anticipating a surprise attack when he saw the severed arrow fall to the ground, but there were no enemies to be seen, and he couldn’t sense anyone in hiding, either.

Unlike the worried operative, Kagetora exhaled, returning his sword to its sheath. Looking to the battlefield, he let out a sigh of admiration. “To think they could reach this far from there...”

“From there?! You can’t be serious!”

The operative looked where Kagetora was looking, and his eyes went wide.

Kagetora’s eyes were on the distant battlefield. Did he mean to say someone on the battlefield had sensed their presence several kilometers away and then managed to get an arrow, even one with its range extended by magic, to reach them?

If someone like that existed, that person was the greater monster here.

“Now, what was the son’s name?” Kagetora asked.

The operative came to his senses and hurriedly replied. “H-His son’s name is Fuuga Haan. I have heard he is a hero with a rare physique and strength unrivaled on the steppe, who fights with a long-handled weapon with a curved blade. I also heard that Fuuga’s mount is not a temsbock, but a flying tiger, or something like that.”

“A flying tiger... I see...”

Kagetora turned a stern eye on the battlefield.

If so, that must be it...

It was on the battlefield near Wedan, where man and monster endlessly fought to the death.

In the middle of the unceasing shouts and sounds of fighting, a young man in his early twenties held a great bow that no ordinary person could even draw.

He stood at least a hundred and ninety centimeters tall, and his tanned limbs were thick with muscle. He had short, bluish-black hair, and a majestic face. The young man who wore silver armor over his red leather clothes, and a bowl-shaped silver helm on his head had small white wings on his back.

He drew attention himself, but his mount did, too.

It was a white tiger so great that people looked up at it.

While its master drew his bow, that tiger batted away incoming monsters with its paws. It was like a cat playing with a ball, but the fact that these monsters were larger than a grown man made the sight frightening.

A young commander on a temsbock approached this man and beast who were so clearly a cut above the rest. “What’s the matter, Lord Fuuga? Why suddenly fire in such an odd direction?”

“Hm?” said Fuuga. “Oh, Shuukin.”

The great man riding on the tiger was Fuuga Haan, the young king of the steppe nation of Malmkhitan, and the leader of the magnificent temsbock cavalry. The other man was his confidant and same-age friend, the brave commander Shuukin.

Looking down at Shuukin from atop his massive tiger, Fuuga wore a bold smile. “Oh, it’s simple. I felt something watching me from that hill, so I tried taking a shot at it.”

“You tried taking a shot at it? What if it was a civilian, or one of our allies?!”

Shuukin was aghast, but Fuuga laughed it off jovially. “Ha ha ha! No civilian would be near this battlefield. We didn’t have a unit or scouts up on that hill, either.”

“Well, yes, but...”

Shuukin seemed unconvinced by his reasoning, but Fuuga smiled wryly as he went on.

“Well, if they’re over there, they’re not one of ours, at least. More importantly, though, Shuukin, it looks like the forces are under pressure on the northeast side. Let’s pop over there and deal with it nice and quick. We’re going, Durga!”

His favored mount, the flying tiger Durga, took off.

“Ah! Lord Fuuga!” Flustered, Shuukin gave a command to his subordinates. “Don’t let the king go alone! We’re following after him!”

Thus did the Malmkhitan temsbock cavalry jump across the battlefield, dragged around by Fuuga and Durga.

Chapter 1: Meeting in the Sky

“Look, Souma!” Naden called. “There’s only smoke coming from over there!”

“Hey, you’re right.”

When I looked ahead to see what Naden in her ryuu form was talking about, there was indeed smoke on the wasteland spreading out near the foot of a mountain.

It was likely dust kicked up by a battle. When countless people and monsters ran around, tearing up the ground, the sand danced into the air. Did that mean Wedan Castle was on that mountain?

According to the report from Kagetora, countless monsters... basically, a whole lot of them... were descending on Wedan. To explain, there were various monsters of large and small species attacking, so a precise count was impossible in the current situation.

In terms of the area they covered, as seen from the air, it was apparently around the same as an army of 60,000 soldiers. The 30,000 or so troops from the Union of Eastern Nations that Duke Chima had lured in using his six highly capable children as bait were holding them off for now.

Though the monsters had an overwhelming numerical advantage, the forces of the union were fighting in formation, focusing on defending, so while they couldn’t go on the offensive, they were still doing a good job of defending. The monsters only attacked with brute force, so that made defending easy.

As for the reinforcements we were bringing from the Kingdom of Friedonia, they numbered 50,000. If we could perform a pincer attack together with the forces of the union, Kagetora anticipated we could quickly exterminate the horde of monsters.

The important thing was the timing of that pincer attack. In order to obtain a quick victory, we needed to coordinate with forces on the union’s side.

That was why, in order to have a meeting about it, I was riding on Naden’s back, with a group of wyvern cavalry led by Hal and Ruby defending us as we headed to Wedan, the capital of the Duchy of Chima.

The word was that we had no fear of Wedan falling for the time being, so we didn’t need to perform an attack from the sky with the Dratroopers like we had in Lasta, so we could land at Wedan Castle as-is.

The arrangements to allow that (which included temporarily disabling the anti-air repeating bolt throwers) had been handled by the Black Cats, arriving ahead of us.

“CQ, CQ,” I said, speaking into the communication tube coming out of the gondola that Naden was carrying. “You there, Kaede?”

“Yes, yes, I’m here. What does ‘seek you’ mean?” Kaede answered immediately.

Naden was carrying a gondola under her belly, and inside were Aisha, Juna, Tomoe, her guardian Inugami, Kaede, and the pair from Turgis who had forced their way into coming with us, Kuu and Leporina.

“Oh... don’t worry about that,” I said. “So, anyway, Kaede, there’s a dust cloud ahead. Is it okay to assume that’s the battlefield in the Duchy of Chima?”

“Let’s see... It is, you know. I’ve just confirmed on the map. It looks like the Duchy of Chima’s castle is located halfway up the mountain you see ahead of us.”

“I see... Got it. Thanks.”

As I closed the communication tube, I was able to see a city spread out halfway up the small mountain to the west. The castle resembled Castor’s in Red Dragon City. It made effective use of the terrain, and even if a large force surrounded them, it was a stronghold that would not fall easily.

“Souma!” Naden suddenly shouted inside my head. “Watch out! Something’s coming at us fast!”

“Something, at this high altitude?”

In order to avoid being attacked, we were flying at a higher altitude than monsters could reach.

Hal brought the large red dragon Ruby up beside us. “Souma. It sounds like Ruby senses something.”

“I feel something intensely powerful down below,” Ruby explained telepathically.

“Yeah, Naden was saying that, too,” I nodded. “We should watch out, Hal.”

“Gotcha. Everyone, halllllt!”

Hearing Hal’s bellowed order, Naden and I, Hal and Ruby, and the wyvern knights stopped advancing and held position.

Unlike Naden, who floated with some power we didn’t understand, Ruby and the wyverns gained lift from their wings, so in order to hold position, they had to flap them loudly. It was exhausting, so they couldn’t hover in one place for long.

“It’s coming,” Ruby notified us.

Looking down, there was something coming our way, leaping up toward us.

In no time, the giant white tiger closed in.

“Wait, isn’t it kind of huge?!” I shouted.

It should have still been a long way off, but I could make out the shape of it clearly, so I initially doubted my eyes and sense of distance. However, as it approached, I realized it was far larger than what I would ever imagine a tiger to be. It might’ve been as massive as a numoth. (A mammoth-like creatures from Turgis.)

Looking closely, the fluffy paws of its front and hind legs were also sparking with electricity. It was jumping off the air with those legs, so I just had to accept that this was the kind of creature it was.

“How can a tiger fly without wings?!” Naden cried.

“You’re the one who’s going to say that, Naden?!” Ruby shot back with exasperation.

Well, since Naden could fly without wings, it wasn’t so weird that a tiger could bound through the sky... I guess?

Then I realized someone was riding the white tiger.

That person was a well-built man who wore red leather clothing with shining silver armor over the top, along with a crystal-embedded bowl-shaped helm on his head.

He likely was not human. He had a small pair wings, white with black tips like a crane’s, sprouting out of his back. He had a weapon like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms in his hands, and a gold-engraved greatbow hanging from his hip.

What’s this oppressive feeling...?

His burly physique, his command of his mount, and the weapon he used, they all spoke volumes about how unusual this man was.

Hal readied his weapon, saying, “Watch yourself, Souma. Something feels abnormal here.”

I nodded. “Got it.”

According to Owen, my instructor in the martial arts, I was “little better than a fresh recruit.” Yet even I felt something from that man that put me on edge, so Hal had to be even more tense.

“Huh?” Naden began.

“What is it, Nad—Whuh?!”

In the same moment as Naden let out a cry of surprise, something red suddenly blocked my field of vision.

I reeled with shock, but on closer inspection it was Aisha’s red loincloth. It seemed she had come out of the gondola below and climbed up here.

“Hey, that’s dangerous!” I hurriedly got up on my knees, hugging Aisha around the waist. “It’s beyond reckless, coming up here without a lifeline.”

“We can’t afford to be saying that, sire,” she shot back. “That man is dangerous.”

Aisha didn’t take her eyes off him.

Was he so good that even Aisha, by far the best warrior in our country, had to be wary of him?

Back when Aisha had met Jeanne, someone even Juna had admitted she was no match for, Aisha hadn’t been this wary.

Whatever the case, I fastened my belt to Aisha’s, using a robe with metal fittings. That would keep her safe if she slipped, at least.

With no time to feel relieved, the man on the white tiger charged forward, his weapon pointed our way, and shouted loudly. “I ask you! For what purpose do you come to this land?!”

It was a forceful voice, and more youthful than I’d expected. From the look of him, I had expected a battle hardened warrior, but it was the face of a young man in his mid-twenties that peered out from beneath the helm.

“My name is Fuuga Haan! King of Malmkhitan!” he declared.

Even in front of a ryuu, a dragon, and about a hundred wyvern cavalry, the man who gave his name as Fuuga asked me that without a hint of fear. I could tell he was truly bold, and had incredible grit. Little wonder Aisha was wary.

“We of Malmkhitan have come to Wedan to answer Duke Chima’s call for aid,” Fuuga bellowed. “Seeing as you have brought wyverns, a dragon, and another mount I am not familiar with, you cannot possibly be part of the Union of Eastern Nations. Again, I ask you! On what business have you come to this battlefield?!”

I turned to the communication tube and asked, “Kaede. Tell me about Malmkhitan.”

“It’s a medium-sized country in the Union of Eastern Nations. A nomadic state from the steppe, I hear.”

“Then that man is the king of a nation, right?”

“He calls himself a king, so I guess he must be...”

In that case, he and I were of equal status.

I raised my voice so Fuuga could hear me. “Sir Fuuga! We are from the Kingdom of Friedonia to the south! At the request of the Gran Chaos Empire, we have come to aid the Duchy of Chima, which we hear is suffering the effects of the demon wave!”

“Reinforcements? ...Aw, they’re friendlies.” For some reason, Fuuga slumped his shoulder in disappointment.

Reshouldering his crescent blade, he approached at a leisurely pace. When he came close enough we could make out each other’s faces, I saw that he was handsome, with sharp eyes.

“‘Aw, they’re friendlies?’” I repeated. “Why do you sound disappointed by that?”

Fuuga gave a wry laugh. “Lately, I’ve had nothing but small fry to fight, and it’s boring. Here I got my hopes up, thinking I’d finally found an enemy worth fighting... but you’re an ally, so we can’t go at it, right?”

Even as he said that, Fuuga was eyeing Aisha and Hal. They glared back at Fuuga, wariness dripping from their faces.

Meanwhile, Naden the black ryuu and Ruby the red dragon were staring down the sky-jumping white tiger that Fuuga rode. They all roared lowly, baring their fangs to intimidate.

It was like a showdown between old enemies. There was always that image of dragons and tigers not getting along, too.

I said nothing.

The air was heavy. The man had named himself, but the tension hadn’t faded.

Then Fuuga, the only one who seemed unaffected by that atmosphere, looked to me. “So, am I right in assuming you there on the black thing are in charge of this here force?”

“I’m sorry for the late introduction,” I said. “I am the provisional king of the Kingdom of Friedonia, Souma Kazuya.”

Fuuga blinked. “You’re a king? Do I need to address you all formally, then?”

“If you’re a king, that makes us equals,” I said. “Why not do as you please?”

“Ha ha! That’s a relief. I’m not so good with formal stuff. You can speak normally, too. No need to address me with a title.”

“...Okay, Fuuga.”

The way he didn’t care about our positions, and we could talk frankly, was similar to Kuu. However, in Kuu’s case, that rudeness was made up for with his personal charm, while with this man, even if he had no charm, he had the power to make it seem natural that he should behave like this. He had what I might call a natural charisma that let him convince not just himself of that, but those he spoke with as well.

I realized Fuuga was staring intently at my face.

“...Is there something on my face?” I asked uncomfortably.

“Hm? Oh, no. I was just thinking, you look mild-mannered, but there’s more to you than that. I don’t know, but it’s like I don’t have a full grasp of you as a person.”

A full picture of me? I didn’t really get it, but I didn’t think I was all that impressive. At the very least, I wouldn’t have wanted to stand in front of the big man here on my own.

Fuuga stroked his chin and crossed his arms in thought. “I’ve never in my life thought someone was scary, but for some reason, my intuition is telling me I shouldn’t mess with you. I feel like you’ll drag me down into the mud if I do it carelessly.”

“You’re overrating me,” I said. “It may be weird to say it myself, but I’m weak.”

“You’re still the king of a great country to the south, aren’t you?”

“I’m just getting by because my companions help support me.”

“Those companions of yours, they gathered around the guy who’s calling himself weak, right? I feel like you come out of a different framework than me.”

Fuuga and I kept talking like that.

It should have been a conversation of no significance, but I felt a cold chill in my spine the whole time. It felt like we were each gauging the other’s striking distance.

Fuuga was trying to figure out if I was worth being wary of. Meanwhile, I was doing my best not to put him on guard. Had I ever felt this much pressure in diplomacy with another country before?

“Sou... Sire,” Hal called out, killing that mood. “Ruby and Naden are still fine, but the wyverns are close to their limit.”

It seemed the wyverns were getting exhausted. They had been flapping their wings to hold position all this time, after all. We’d been talking too long.

“Fuuga,” I said. “50,000 troops from the Kingdom of Friedonia are coming to support you. I want to discuss matters with Duke Chima, so could I ask you to escort us to him?”

He gave a jolly laugh. “Sure! If we’re getting that much support, we can eliminate the monsters in no time. Durga and I will lead the way, so follow me.”

Was Durga the white tiger’s name, perhaps?

Fuuga and Durga turned around, then took off through the sky, leading the way for us. We followed after them.

Maybe out of caution for Fuuga, Aisha did not return to the gondola, remaining on Naden’s back with me holding her around the waist.

I whispered to Aisha, “Just how strong is that guy?”

“Stronger than I am, most likely. To think there was a man like him in the Union of Eastern Nations...”

I almost doubted my ears. This was Aisha, who had amazed Hal, Kaede, and Carla when I was taken to the Star Dragon Mountain Range. This was Aisha, saying someone was stronger than her. It was a surprise to me that anyone like that existed.

While I was speechless, Aisha let out a sudden sigh. “If I’d had to fight that man now, we would have been in trouble. If it were just him, Sir Halbert and I might have managed to hold our own together, but the way he worked in concert with that tiger would have made things difficult. Sir Halbert has Madam Ruby, but without a contract between us, Naden and I couldn’t coordinate that well...”

“That tiger, too. I have a really bad feeling about it...” Naden added telepathically.

Hearing them both openly voice caution, I slapped my cheeks and refocused myself.

Then I engraved his name in my memory.

Fuuga Haan.

It seemed he was a man who warranted caution.

Chapter 2: The Fuuga That Halbert Saw

With Fuuga and his flying white tiger leading the way, we headed for Wedan.

Once we lowered our altitude, we knew we would be sporadically attacked by flying monsters. However, we had Naden, Ruby, and the wyvern cavalry on our side. The moment the monsters appeared, they’d be struck by lightning, scorched with flames, or torn to ribbons.

Aisha stayed with me instead of returning to the gondola, so with her reassuring presence nearby, I managed to maintain my calm.

With my arms around Aisha’s waist, I watched Fuuga.

There were monsters coming toward Fuuga, too, but he acted as if they didn’t matter, not even readying his weapon. Every monster that came was batted to death with one swing of Durga’s forepaws, so he had no need to fight any of them himself.

This had to be at least in part because he trusted Durga implicitly, but it was still fair to say he had incredible guts to be able to relax on this battlefield.

“Um, sire,” Aisha put in. “Aren’t you holding me a bit tight?”

It seemed I’d tightened my arms around Aisha’s waist. “Oh, sorry.” I relaxed them a bit.

Hal and Ruby came up alongside us to talk.

“Souma, your face is looking kind of scary, you know?” Hal said.

Hearing that, I realized for the first time how tense I probably looked.

In order to get myself into a new frame of mind, I slapped my cheeks. “...Sorry. When I watch Fuuga, I can’t help but feel uneasy.”

“Is there something that bothers you?” Hal asked.

“I’m not sure about that myself...”

Was it unease? Fear? Tension? When I looked at that man’s back, a feeling I couldn’t describe welled up inside me. It was different from the pure fear I’d felt when attacked by Gaius VIII; it felt more like something I didn’t know was slowly creeping up on me. It was a strange sensation.

Catching a look at my face, Hal spun around the arm he held his short spear with. “You probably don’t have to be that worried. Sure, he’s the king of Malmkhitan, but that’s just one country in the Union of Eastern Nations. Sure, he’s strong, so I can understand why you’re on guard. Still, if he picks a fight with the kingdom, he’s not going to be winning it single-handedly.”

“Hal...”

“You have me, Ruby, Kaede, Young Miss Aisha, Young Miss Naden, and fifty thousand soldiers with you. So you can just sit there and act confident.” Hal thumped his chest as if to say, Leave it to me.

Maybe he was trying to reassure me.

It was true: no matter how powerful a warrior he might be, I didn’t think there was any way Fuuga could take us on as an individual. The man might be able to wreak havoc alone, but the kingdom had more than a hundred times his thousand soldiers. If he was just strong, there were any number of ways to handle him.

But... I had a feeling there was more to him than just that. If I looked down upon him as the king of a petty state, I felt like that was going to come back and bite me hard.

Aisha and Naden chimed in.

“I will risk my life to protect you, sire,” Aisha declared.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’m tougher than that tiger, anyway,” Naden added.

...Fair enough. I was uneasy, but when everyone said to leave it to them, that lightened my spirits just a little.

“Thanks, Aisha, Naden. You, too, Hal. Sorry to worry you.”

“I’m telling you, just leave it to us,” Hal said proudly. “Though, I’ll admit, this is kinda unexpected.”

“Unexpected?”

“Yeah. You’re fond of guys with crazy talents like his, right? Usually, I’d expect you to want to recruit him.” He looked a bit mystified.

I shook my head with a wry smile. “What I’m looking for is capable people who are willing to move forward, matching their pace with mine. There are limits to what I can do alone, after all. I want to support a large number of highly capable people. But... that’s not a man who would work under someone else, or match his pace with anyone else, is he?”

I didn’t have the strongest intuition. I couldn’t look at someone and tell how strong they were the way that Aisha and some of the others could. Still, the moment I’d seen Fuuga’s face, I’d sensed it.

That guy’s BAD NEWS.

It wasn’t an emotion or my experience; it was something like an instinct that was setting off warning bells.

“We can’t afford to make assumptions with that man,” I went on. “If I started to think he was following me, I might find myself subservient to him before I knew it. If I try to use him, I’ll be used myself, and if I try to walk beside him, I’ll find myself being dragged along. That’s the sense I get. I can’t word it well, but we’re probably not very compatible.”

“Not compatible, huh...”

It seemed like Fuuga had sensed something similar, too. When he’d looked at me, he’d said I might drag him down into the mud, and that he felt like I came out of a different framework than him.

Unlike me, he’d shown no signs of this bothering him, which said a lot about Fuuga’s natural strength.

Even if we were feeling the same thing, I was weak, so I felt a strong sense of alarm, while Fuuga was strong, so it wasn’t leaving a lasting impression on him.

At that very moment, Fuuga, who was leading the way, turned back, making a U-turn to come back to us. We stopped where we were for a moment, and Fuuga pointed downward.

“Souma,” he said. “I’ve been watching the state of the battle, and it looks like the defenders are about to break on the west side. I’m going to support them a bit, so do you mind if I only lead you this far?”

“Got it. Wedan Castle’s just a stone’s throw from here. If you’d like, should we send some of our people, too?”

Fuuga shouldered his crescent blade and let out a hearty laugh. “That’d help. We should be able to wrap this up quick.”

“Halbert,” I ordered. “Take half the wyvern cavalry and support Sir Fuuga.”

“Roger!”

“I’ll be going on ahead,” Fuuga announced.

No sooner had he said that than he slapped Durga on the back, beginning his rapid descent to the battlefield below.

“Us, too, then...” Halbert began.

“Wait, Hal,” I interrupted.

Seeing him about to follow Fuuga, I felt uncertainty all over.

I beckoned Hal to come closer, having Naden use her tail to pull their bodies close together.

With the distance closed, I told a dubious-looking Hal, “Hal, if you feel yourself being dragged along by Fuuga, remember Kaede and Ruby’s faces.”

“Huh? Was that really worth calling me over to say?”

Hal had a doubtful look on his face, but I nodded.

“It’s important. I feel like you and Fuuga are similar. When people are close to those who are similar to them, they notice it, and they’re either attracted or repelled. They can get dragged along, in other words.”

“Huh? Not sure I get it, but... you’re serious here, right?”

I put on a serious face to make sure he knew I meant it.

“...Okay,” Hal said. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Right. Ruby, you look after Hal, too.”

“Roger that.”

“Hey, that’s my line!” Naden cried indignantly.

With a laugh at Naden’s indignation, Hal and Ruby led about fifty wyvern cavalry to follow Fuuga.

◇　◇　◇

“Looks like... they’re fighting hard down there,” Halbert commented.

As Halbert and his men began their descent to the ground to follow Fuuga, the united forces of the Union of Eastern Nations were managing to hold back the diverse group of monsters somehow.

The soldiers of the Union of Eastern Nations were staying put in an encampment meant for field battles that was surrounded by fences and abatises (a line of sharp wooden stakes and the boughs of trees pointing outward), while archers and mages attacked with bows and magic.

This was probably a valid tactic against monsters which used no strategy or tactics, diving in without regard for their own losses. However, these monsters were intensely driven, and the fences had been broken down in some places.

The shield bearers kept clustering at the breaches, quickly plugging them, and then the ranged attack units would keep the monsters in check while the fence was rebuilt.

They would resume long ranged attacks from behind the fence, and while the enemy was confused, cavalry or other high mobility troops would come out, defeat whatever had slipped through, and pull out. That was the process that had been carried out repeatedly.

The union’s forces were made up from the armed forces of a variety of countries, but because they were all using the same tactics, they were managing to coordinate fairly well.

Halbert was impressed despite himself. “The union forces are doing pretty... Hm?”

A sudden commotion was coming from the battlefield.

When he looked in the direction of the voices, he could see something approaching the defenders on the west side.

“That’s... a rhinosaurus?” Halbert wondered.

“Were rhinosauruses that hideous?” Ruby frowned.

There was a massive creature below, one that resembled the rhinosauruses used to carry freight in the kingdom. However, Ruby was right: this rhinosaurus looked very different from the ones in the kingdom. The horn on its upper jaw was disfigured, its body sagged as if rotten, and its flesh was exposed in places, so perhaps it ought to have been called a zombie rhinosaurus.

There were several of those zombie rhinosauruses heading for the encampment on the west side.

The commotion was the screams of soldiers terrified by it.

“That’s not good,” Halbert said worriedly. “I dunno if it’s living or dead from the way it looks, but if it hits the encampment with a big body like that, it’ll break through easily. It’s even a threat to fortress walls.”

“You’re right,” Ruby said. “We have to stop it.”

Just as Halbert was about to tell his wyvern cavalry, “We’re going to intercept,” he saw Fuuga, who had gone on ahead, ready his crescent blade.

Fuuga kicked his stirrups into Durga the white tiger’s belly, making his partner charge at the zombie rhinosaurus.

“Ah! Hey! Damn it!” Hal shouted. “We’re going in, too!”

Halbert and his men hurried to follow. As for Fuuga, meanwhile...

“Ha ha ha! Here’s a target worth taking down!”

Yeah, he kept Durga running onward with glee.

Just as the zombie rhinosaurus was about to hit the west side encampment and blow their fences and abatises away, Fuuga came down from right above it.

“Those guys from the kingdom in the south are watching. Let’s give ’em a real show!”

And Fuuga’s crescent blade began sparking with electricity.

Fuuga drove Durga on, and when they landed on the back of one of the zombie rhinosauruses that was threatening the encampment, he swung the blade down at its back.

Kerbang!

There was a sound like the air being torn apart, and a thick bolt of lightning pierced the zombie rhinosaurus.

It opened a big, smoking hole maybe six meters across in the enormous rhinosaurus’s back.

It was hard to tell if the zombie rhinosaurus was living or dead to begin with, but putting a big hole in its body seemed to have killed it, and its sudden loss of life caused it to trip and slide along the ground with its inertia.

Even Fuuga’s allies were shocked and surprised by the strike.

The defenders who saw the flash of lightning the closest lost their voices at first, and when they came to their senses at last, they were mad with glee that a powerful enemy had been downed, cheering uproariously.

Halbert and his people were just as surprised.

“To think a human could fire off an electric shock on Naden’s level...” Ruby remarked.

“That’s not just lightning,” Hal said. “It’s that powerful because it has Fuuga’s martial ability behind it, too. But still, it’s an inhuman feat.”

Halbert realized his hands gripping the Twin Snake Spear were covered in sweat. He must have been awfully tense. It seemed it was his instinct more than his head that had reacted to the way Fuuga fought. He had goosebumps.

This wasn’t the first time he’d been awed by someone’s martial ability. When he’d battled Aisha who was venting after Souma left her behind, Halbert had learned how frightening she was when she let loose.

However, Aisha was Souma’s second primary queen-to-be, and an ally. She might have gone wild, but they hadn’t been seriously trying to kill each other.

Meanwhile, as the king of a foreign nation, Fuuga wasn’t guaranteed to always be on their side. Depending on the situation, Hal might someday have to fight the man.

If it came to that, they’d be the ones Fuuga’s power was turned against. When that happened, would he be able to stop the man?

While Halbert and his men looked on with tense expressions, Fuuga raised his voice.

“I am Fuuga Haan, King of Malmkhitan! I’ll handle the big ones! Officers of the union, unleash your might!”

As Fuuga’s loud voice echoed across the battlefield, the emboldened soldiers raised their own voices in a hearty war cry. Their fear of the zombie rhinosauruses was completely wiped away by their confidence in Fuuga’s martial prowess.

Fuuga dived into the thick of the enemy in search of his next target.

“Prioritize taking out those rotten rhinosauruses!” Halbert ordered the wyvern cavalry and headed into battle himself.

The size of a zombie rhinosaurus made it difficult to intercept them with ground forces, but a concentrated attack with wyverns’ flames could easily take them down. Halbert took out two of them with Ruby’s flames, too.

Once all the zombie rhinosauruses were defeated, and the encampment’s safety was secured, Halbert went looking for Fuuga.

“Ha ha ha!” a boisterous laugh howled.

Following the noise, Halbert found Fuuga and Durga in the thick of the horde of monsters, with Fuuga swinging his crescent blade while laughing as they ran forward as if across an empty wasteland.

On a battlefield filled with bloodlust, Fuuga was not only not tense, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. There wasn’t a monster that could stop that man and beast’s advance.

Then things started hopping over and gathering around Fuuga.

Boing! Boing!

They were mounted soldiers who rode goat-like creatures. They carried single-edged swords shaped like the crescent moon, and bows with a unique shape. These were the pride of Fuuga’s kingdom Malmkhitan, the leaping cavalry.

When the leaping cavalry had gathered around Fuuga, they began following him into battle. With that large number gathered around him, Fuuga’s ability to break through the enemy skyrocketed.

With Fuuga at the vanguard, that group raced back and forth across the battlefield, trampling the enemy as if a twister had come through.

Fuuga was enjoying himself as much as ever, but the cavalry from Malmkhitan were fighting desperately for their lives. Even so, not one of them left the line of battle.

Halbert was watching Fuuga’s forces from a distance. It must be hard to keep up with Fuuga. But... no one stops following.

Halbert thought he could understand the way those cavalrymen felt.

I’m sure... they must be proud.

Proud to be following Fuuga as he charged through the battlefield.

Proud to be able to fight alongside Fuuga, who showed them his overwhelming martial prowess.

The way he fought, it was like something out of a heroic legend. He jumped out in front of powerful enemies as if he were meant to do so, and then struck them down.

By fighting alongside him, his allies were probably able to savor the feeling of being a character in such a story.

Fuuga had that sort of splendor. Under such a glorious commander, they could fight to their fullest. Could there be any greater pride as a warrior?

If they can fight like that, I’m sure... they’ll have no regrets, no matter when they die, Halbert reflected. If they can fight for such a commander... they will have no regrets, even if they lose their lives. They will be able to accept their death has meaning, and smile as they go.

That was why the soldiers following Fuuga were struggling so desperately to stay with him. They sought to burn their lives in his blazing, blazing, deep red flames.

How... How brilliant his radiance.

If only I could be like that, too...

“Stupid Hal!” Ruby shouted.

“Urgh?!”

Hal grimaced as Ruby’s voice echoed loudly in his head.

He was so surprised, Halbert shuddered and nearly dropped the spears he was carrying. Before he could recover from his confusion, Ruby’s voice sounded in his head again.

“Don’t let him drag you along! Remember what Souma said!”

What Souma said? Come to think of it... he did say something before we left, didn’t he...?

Halbert tried to remember the words. If he recalled, they were...

“If you feel yourself being dragged along by Fuuga, remember Kaede and Ruby’s faces.”

Kaede and Ruby’s faces?

Halbert closed his eyes, half-doubting what he was doing, and he imagined their faces in his head.

First, Kaede’s face. She had been at his side since they were kids. She had always been timid, but lately his lovely fox-eared childhood friend had learned to speak her mind more clearly.

Next, Ruby’s face. She had come from the Star Dragon Mountain Range to be his bride. Normally she was prickly, but she was actually a very lonely and very feminine dragon girl.

Halbert imagined how the two of them would see the way he was now. In his imagination, their expressions were a little worried.

Halbert’s eyes went wide in silent shock. What had he just been thinking?

Had he wanted to fight to his limit, like Fuuga and his men?

Burning a brilliant, bright red, as his life flared out?

Had he thought that, if his life could burn like that, he’d have no regrets, even if he died?

...Even if it meant leaving Kaede and Ruby behind?

“Like hell I could!” Halbert roared to the heavens.

“Eeek?!” Ruby flinched.

Halbert used the handle of the spear in his right hand to whack himself in the forehead as hard as he could. The incredible thunk that resulted spoke to the fact he hadn’t held back. His forehead bled a little.

Seeing Halbert suddenly bleeding, Ruby panicked. “What are you doing?! Are you all right?!”

“...Yeah, I’m fine,” Halbert said, looking up at the heavens. Something warm rolled down his cheeks.

“Huh...? Hal, you’re crying...”

“I’m fine. I’m... fine now, Ruby.”

She stared at him mutely.

Halbert wiped away the blood and tears before looking forward.

Seriously... What had he been thinking? He’d been entranced by Fuuga’s prowess, starting to convince himself his life was his own to do with as he pleased. He’d even tried to chase those he ought to protect, those who were trying to protect him, from his head.

It was true, he envied the life Fuuga and his followers led. But that’s a life I could only live if it were me alone.

Halbert already had two fiancées, Kaede and Ruby. They had been kind enough to love him, and eventually become his family. He had no desire to force a lifestyle that would burn their lives away on Kaede and Ruby, too.

As a warrior, he admired lives that burned hot and intense, like fireworks, but he wanted those he cared for to live happy lives, even if they were plain ones, full of smiles.

That wasn’t something they could do if they were following Fuuga.

If Hal was the same man he had been before he met Souma, obsessed with his own glory, he might have been dragged in. But he was different now.

I have something more important than making a name for myself now!

Halbert recommitted himself, swearing that he would never make the same mistake again. Then, turning his short spear toward the battle, he said, “We’re going in, Ruby! Let’s wrap this up, and get back to Kaede together!”

“Huh?! ...Right!”

It seemed Halbert’s determination had gotten through to Ruby, as she spread her wings wide.

Then the red dragon knight descended on the battlefield.

◇　◇　◇

After parting ways with Fuuga and Hal’s group, we headed up to a higher plateau than Wedan City, which had been built against a small mountain. We were on our way to Wedan Castle, the home of Duke Chima.

There was an intense back-and-forth battle unfolding on the battlefield below us.

I was a little worried that Hal, who had gone after Fuuga, might be drawn in by the other man’s aura, but, well, Ruby was with him, so he’d probably be fine.

“Sire, look.” Aisha pointed.

“Hm?”

When I looked in the direction she was pointing, there was a soldier waving a flag up on the castle walls.

“Let’s see... He’s signaling for us to land in the courtyard,” Aisha told me, catching the detail with her excellent distance vision.

Following the orders from Wedan Castle, we landed in the courtyard with the half of the wyvern cavalry we had kept as guards.

Setting down the gondola that Tomoe and the rest were riding in, Naden turned back into human form and jumped down to the ground with Aisha. At that point, a middle-aged man quickly appeared from inside the castle, walking toward us with a relaxing smile.

“Well, well, it’s Sir Souma Kazuya, the King of Friedonia!”

With his arms spread wide, a man with a Kaiser-style mustache welcomed us with an exaggerated reaction.

He was average weight and height, and his graying black hair made him look to be about fifty years old.

Though he wore the smile of a kindly old man, which reminded me of Liscia’s father, Sir Albert, I felt something suspicious from him, too. I was pretty sure, out of all the men in our kingdom, he most resembled Sebastian of the Silver Deer, or Lord Weist of Altomura.

Also, behind the man, there was a pretty woman with a longsword slung over her back. She looked to be about twenty, and her beautiful, long hair that was tied together at waist-level left an impression.

On top of a hakama, she wore armor that looked like the sort used in ancient Japan. Because she looked like the sort of person with more than a passing familiarity with the martial arts, I was reminded of Komatsuhime of Shinshu Ueda, or Kiso no Yoshinaka’s mistress Tomoe Gozen, two similar people from the other world.

The man with the Kaiser mustache took my hand with both hands and knelt with one knee on the ground before me. The woman followed his lead in kneeling, and lowered her head. I was taken aback by the suddenness of it.

Then the man held my hand reverently over his head and said, “I have already been briefed by your subordinates. I could not be more grateful that you have come all this way to assist us.”

“I am indeed Souma,” I said. “And you are?”

“Pardon my late introduction. I am Mathew Chima, the ruler of the Duchy of Chima.”

Oh! This guy with the Kaiser mustache was Duke Chima? He was acting so obsequious, I’d wondered, but... yeah, now that he said it, it was somewhat convincing.

The reason his kindly-old-man smile had felt suspicious must have been because his face as the head of a family that had survived through crafty politicking was showing through.

“Please stand up, Sir Mathew,” I said. “As rulers of our respective nations, we are equals.”

“No, no, my country is a small one, even with the Union of Eastern Nations. You, the king of the great nation of the south, are far above me.”

“R-Right...”

Th-This is tough...

It was really hard to deal with someone who was being thoroughly humble, and making a point of trying to lift me up. Hearing compliments from someone when I had no idea how they really felt didn’t feel comfortable at all.

That said, since he was being friendly, I couldn’t mistreat him. Was this how Gaius VIII had felt with Weist kneeling before him?

“It can’t be easy to talk from that position,” I said. “Stand up, please. You, too.”

“Ohh, I neglected to introduce her. This is my daughter Mutsumi.” As Mathew stood up, he put his hand on her back as he spoke.

Mutsumi Chima. Then this woman was the Mutsumi, the one that Madam Maria had said was the most popular of Duke Chima’s children?

She was a clever-looking beauty, that was true, so I felt like I could see why so many lords wanted her for themselves.

Mutsumi stood up and bowed to me. “I am Mutsumi Chima. Thank you so very much for sending troops to aid us. You seem to have many good subordinates, Sir Souma. That’s very reassuring.”

As she said that, Mutsumi glanced to my left and right.

The ones standing beside me were Aisha and Juna. If she was looking at them and calling them “good subordinates,” then she was likely a good enough warrior to tell how strong her opponents were just by looking. It seemed her reputation as a woman blessed with wisdom and bravery was not an exaggeration.

“Madam Mutsumi,” I said. “It’s true that they act as my bodyguards, but these two are also my fiancées. The one on the right is Aisha, the one on the left is Juna.”

“Yes, sir. I am Aisha Udgard.”

“Juna Doma. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Oh! Pardon me. I’m Mutsumi Chima.”

Mutsumi quickly apologized for treating them like common retainers before shaking their hands. Then...

“Souma.”

I turned, feeling a tug on my sleeve, and Naden was looking at me with her cheeks puffed up. Her upset eyes said, “I’m your fiancée, too, so introduce me properly!”

“Ahem... And this is Naden,” I said quickly. “She’s also my fiancée.”

“Nice to meet you,” Mutsumi said. While shaking Naden’s hand, she stared hard at Naden’s antlers. “Antlers and a scaly tail... Are you of the sea serpent race, by any chance?”

Naden puffed up her slight chest and snorted. “I am not. I’m a dragon from the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”

“A dragon?! You’ve formed a dragon knight contract with a dragon, Sir Souma?!”

“Yeah, well... we’re a bit of an unorthodox dragon and knight, though,” I told the surprised Mutsumi, smiling wryly.

The moment he learned I had formed a contract with a dragon, I felt like Sir Mathew’s smile got a little deeper. “My word! To have formed a contract with a dragon, even though you’re not from the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom! That’s a truly heroic accomplishment. I am in awe.”

“Uh, no, listen, my contract with Naden’s a very unusual one, and...”

“Don’t be modest. Why, I envy those who will be lucky enough to marry you. I’ve been hoping my own daughters could marry a man such as you, you know.”

“Urgh...”

Whoa, buddy! Not so close.

He was being weirdly pushy now. And oddly eager to foist his daughter off onto me.

Juna subtly wrapped herself around my arm.

While I was wondering what was up, Juna whispered so just I could hear, “Be careful. I’m sure Sir Mathew wants a connection to you, sire.”

A connection... Oh, a direct line, huh?

When Mathew Chima had sent a request for aid with the current demon wave, he had made public his intention to send his six capable children out to become vassals or marriage partners in response to how hard each party worked.

While it was meant as bait to lure in reinforcements, it was also a way to get his children into the service of powerful factions, or to marry into them, in order to increase his own influence.

From Sir Mathew’s perspective, I, as the provisional king of the largest power on the east side of the continent, was the best catch he could hope for. No matter what it took, he wanted to take this opportunity to set up a direct channel of communication.

If possible, he clearly wanted me to marry his daughter and become a relative.

That was why he was trying to promote Mutsumi, who was the most popular catch with the other lords, to me.

“I don’t really like his methods, though,” I whispered back so that only Juna could hear.

Using his daughter’s betrothal as a tool. It shouldn’t have been any different from what the former king, Sir Albert, had done, but this time it felt way more unpleasant.

Sir Albert had done what he had for both my future and Liscia’s, and he’d wished for our happiness from the bottom of his heart. He hadn’t been just using her as a political tool.

Juna whispered to me again, “I understand how you feel, but without the ability to carry out negotiations like this, I’m sure it would be difficult for him to maintain independence in an area with so many countries through just diplomacy.”

“...I guess you’re right,” I murmured.

There might be some countries and lands where it was only possible to survive through underhandedness and duplicity. It was true I didn’t like his methods, but if that was this country’s secret to success, I didn’t want to be judgmental.

“Still, it’s a pain when he goes at it so hard,” I muttered. “Juna, could you stick close to me for a while? It has to be harder for him to bring up marriage talks when my fiancée is present.”

“Hee hee, there’s a role with perks,” she giggled. “I’m glad I stuck around.”

As she said that with a mischievous laugh, Juna was so cute I couldn’t help but stare adoringly.

While we were talking, there was a sudden beating of wings. Looking up, I saw a white tiger, red dragon, and countless wyverns descending to the courtyard.

Fuuga, Hal, and the rest had returned.

“Ha ha ha! Honestly, there wasn’t a worthy foe in the lot of them!” Fuuga announced.

Unlike Fuuga, who was lifting up his crescent blade in joyous celebration of his triumphant return, Hal was holding Ruby’s reins with an exhausted expression on his face.

Looking closer, there was a fresh wound on Hal’s forehead. What had happened out on the battlefield? Did I need to ask him about it later?

Fuuga jumped off Durga the white tiger, walking toward us with broad steps. “Duke Chima, I went and took out the big ones wherever it looked like there was going to be a collapse.”

“Ohh, excellent, Sir Fuuga! You work with the intensity of a fierce god!”

“This is nothing. As long as we’re here, this country can’t lose.” With that, Fuuga winked at Mutsumi.

Mutsumi smiled, folded her hands in front of her, and bowed. “I am pleased to see you return uninjured after scattering our enemies. I am awed by your prowess. Do you know no fear, Sir Fuuga?”

“Naw, it’s all so I can take you as my bride,” Fuuga smirked. “I’ll bet I need to work even harder.”

He was suddenly declaring he’d make her his wife?! How bold.

Mutsumi’s eyes went wide for a moment when he said it, but she eventually giggled and smiled. “You’re an honest man.”

“If I want something, I say so. If I say it, I make my wish come true. That’s my creed,” Fuuga said, brimming with confidence.

If he wanted something... huh. So he was the type that lived true to his desires, and drew power from that. That made him easy to read, but I’d be scared if our interests ever clashed. Once that man resolved to do something, I doubted he’d ever back down.

Just then, I heard voices from behind us. ““Eek?!””

Turning back, I saw that Hal was hugging Kaede and Ruby, who was back in her human form. He actually picked them both up.

Kaede was flailing her arms in surprise. “W-Whoa, Hal?! What do you think you’re doing all of a sudden?”

Kaede kept protesting, but Hal didn’t let the two of them go.

“...Sorry,” he said.

“Huh?” she asked, looking confused.

“That I came close to forgetting you two, for even a moment... I’m truly sorry,” Hal said gravely.

Seeming to have picked up on something from that, Kaede gently patted Hal on the back.

Ruby was silently letting him do what he wanted, too.

I was silent. Something really must have happened out on the battlefield. But, well, as long as those two were with him, he’d be fine.

Even when you seem ready to collapse, if there’s someone at your side who cares for you, you can get going again. I’d been through that a number of times myself up to this point. By feeling that warmth, you can reconfirm what it is you ought to be protecting.

I clapped my hands, trying to get myself back on track. “Sir Mathew. The reinforcements will arrive tomorrow. I’d like to discuss arrangements.”

Sir Mathew nodded eagerly. “Ohh, of course! We don’t have time to just flap our gums out here forever. Let us go inside the castle. Come, come, Sir Fuuga, everyone, this way!”

With that, Sir Mathew began to lead the way.

Before we reached the inside of the castle, I gave instructions to each of my companions who were present. “Aisha, Juna, Naden, Hal, Kaede, Ruby. The six of you will come with me. The wyvern cavalry are to stand by here until further orders. Kuu and Leporina, you can do as you like, but...”

I looked over at the master and servant pair from Turgis.

Kuu crossed his arms behind his head and laughed. “While Bro’s holding war talks, maybe we’ll take a little look around the area. Right, Leporina?”

“I’ll come with you, but don’t cause too much trouble for the people here, okay?” Leporina scolded.

“Ookyakya! I know that!”

It seemed they were planning to wander around Wedan. They’d just tagged along of their own accord, so that was probably fine.

“That leaves Tomoe and Inugami,” I said. “Inugami, I want you to contact Kagetora. It can wait until you’ve been shown to your rooms, but can I leave that to you?”

“Understood. What should be done about guarding Lady Tomoe in the meantime?”

“Oh, right... What should we do...?”

“I-I’ll be fine,” Tomoe said quickly. “Please, do your duty, Mr. Inugami.”

Inugami looked concerned, but Tomoe smiled as she said that.

Holding down the fort alone, huh? I was a bit worried, but she would probably be safe inside this castle.

“Well, can you wait in your room, then?” I asked.

“Got it,” Tomoe said, snapping her hand to her forehead in a salute. How adorable.

I cleared my throat to keep myself from fawning on her, and then turned to the rest. “Now then, you can all begin carrying out your orders.”

On my command, each of them went into action to fulfill their duties.

We started walking to follow Sir Mathew, but... at this point, we were overlooking something.

“...Hee hee!”

We were overlooking the fact that Tomoe’s tail was swishing around as she eyed the area with fascination.

Our beloved little sister was at an inquisitive age.

Chapter 3: A Little Adventure and a Meeting

My name is Tomoe. I’m the adopted daughter of the former royal couple of Elfrieden, Lord Albert and Lady Elisha, which makes me Big Brother Souma and Big Sister Liscia’s adopted little sister.

Right now, I was in a room in the castle of Sir Mathew, who ruled over the Duchy of Chima. Before leaving this room, Big Brother Souma and Mr. Inugami had given me instructions.

“All right, we’ll be leaving you alone for a little while, but stay put and wait for us, okay?”

“I will return as soon as my work is complete.”

Left alone in the room, I sat on the bed dangling my legs for a while, but I quickly got tired of that, so I jumped down from the bed. Then, quiiiietly approaching the door, I peeked out through the slight crack of an opening.

No one was in the hallway. It was wartime, so maybe they didn’t have enough people.

I slipped out of the room, closing the door behind me.

Big Brother and everyone else told me to stay in the room and wait, but I really wanted to explore the castle.

I mean, while we were studying together, my teacher, Mr. Hakuya, had said, “The experiences you’ll have as a child are a treasure.”

I’d answered, “I want to grow up to be a woman who can help my big brother and everyone else.”

His gentle response: “There’s no need to rush. While you’re a child, with a child’s heart, you should look and listen, and experience many things. The older you get, the more you lose your freedom of emotion. The things you feel with your eyes and ears now are sure to help you when you grow up and become a woman.”

After saying that, he’d patted me on the head.

That was why I wanted to see all sorts of things for myself. Not while being protected by Big Brother or Inugami, either; I wanted to explore this sort of unfamiliar place on my own.

It hurt breaking my promise with Big Brother like this, but I was sure if I apologized afterward, he’d forgive me.

Having come out into the corridor, I looked around the castle. Unlike the castle in Parnam, Duke Chima’s castle felt unrefined. There weren’t many windows, so it was a little dark, even though it was the middle of the day.

Maybe because everyone was fighting down below the castle, it felt like most of the people I passed by were maids, or other people who didn’t fight.

Huh—but our head maid, Serina, and one of the other maids, Carla, could fight, couldn’t they? Maybe one or two of these maids could fight, too.

My teacher always said, “You shouldn’t judge people solely by their appearance,” after all.

Thinking over that as I kept going, I spotted a maid by the window who seemed to be on break, so I tried asking her why this castle was so unrefined.

“Little girl, I think the reason you feel this place is unrefined is that this castle exists purely for defensive purposes,” the maid kindly explained. “Duke Chima usually does his official work at a building in the town at the foot of the mountain. So, when the war came, he took shelter in this castle while we waited for reinforcements. If we first meet the enemy at the town walls, and then fall back here as soon as they break through, we can keep fighting, right?”

“I see...”

It seemed to me that a castle reflected its country. Parnam Castle was built on the plains, and it was also the face of the country, so it was built to be showy. But Duke Chima’s castle was made for defense, so it was unrefined.

It was interesting how you could see the faces of the people who ruled a country like this.

Oh, but recently, Parnam Castle has been...

Big Brother had turned most of his own room into a sewing room, he’d made a restaurant to serve the dishes created by him and Poncho, and he’d even installed something called an “elevator” that used weights to take you up and down floors without using the stairs. It was pretty ridiculous.

Big Sister Liscia had told him off for that, with a frowny face.

Roroa had been cackling with laughter while watching the two of them, though...

If the shape of a country showed up in its castle, did that make the current Kingdom of Friedonia a ridiculous country?

Hmm... maybe it did.

There was the rhinosaurus preserve, the Van Shoujou Army, and even a black ryuu flying around so she could tell everyone the weather.

I was involved when it came to the silly things that involved animals, though.

I walked for a little bit while worrying about it, then came to a stop.

“...Huh?”

Erm... Where was this place again... exactly?

The unrefined way the castle looked meant there weren’t a lot of decorations, so all the hallways seemed the same. The same color of carpet, the same sort of doors, the same sort of candelabras... It all looked so samey, and I’d been lost in thought while I was walking, so I’d lost track of where I came from.

“Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What do I do now?!”

My eyes darted around.

I remembered going up one flight of stairs... Ah, but where were those stairs now? Because the doors were evenly spaced, I couldn’t find the right one again, even if I looked around the area.

I took off walking at a brisk pace. I was hoping I could ask someone for directions, but wouldn’t you know it: there was no one around when I needed them.

Th-Th-This wasn’t good.

Ohh... I’m going to make Big Brother and everyone else worry...

I couldn’t imagine anything but their worried faces, and it made my ears droop. I just wanted to broaden my horizons so I could help them, but this was doing the opposite.

Ohh... Where am I, really...? Huh?

Reaching the end of the hallway, I realized it had gotten a little brighter.

It seemed to be a door leading outside, and the light of the setting sun was streaming in. If I went out there, someone might find me. Thinking that, I went outside.

Fwah?!

I squinted in the blowing wind.

Looking up, the sky was high above, and looking down, there were cobblestones. It seemed these were the castle’s walls.

Oh, I get it... I did go up a set of stairs, didn’t I?

This might be outside, but it couldn’t be ground level. It seemed that, because it wasn’t very big, Duke Chima’s castle was attached to the castle walls surrounding it.

When I walked along the edge of the walls, I saw something incredible.

Looking north from this castle, which was built backing onto a mountain, I could see the town of Wedan below, and outside the walls surrounding it, I could clearly see the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations fighting monsters. I remembered something Mr. Hakuya had said in history class.

“There are exceptions to this, but taking the high ground will usually give an advantage to your allies. That’s because being able to carefully watch what the enemy is doing means you can prepare countermeasures. Looking at history, there are many examples where the side that took the high ground won.”

I thought that was what he’d said, anyway.

By shutting himself up in this castle, observing the enemy as he fought back, and waiting for reinforcements, the Duchy of Chima had never fallen. This was a new discovery.

Then I noticed someone sitting on the edge of the wall.

“Huh?” I said, surprised.

From the look of it, it was a boy about my age.

The thin boy with chestnut brown hair kept looking up and down. When I approached to see what he was doing, it turned out he was drawing something.

There was a piece of paper spread across the board hanging from his neck, and he kept drawing something on it with charcoal, raising his head, looking through the telescope lying by his side, and then drawing something again, repeating the process over and over again. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn’t even notice me approaching.

“Um, what are you doing...?”

“Uwah?!” The boy was so startled that he jumped up.

He shoved on the glasses he’d left beside the telescope, and stared hard at me.

“Who are you?”

“Oh! Sorry to surprise you. My name is Tomoe.”

“I’m... Ichiha.”

Ichiha? He looked about my height, maybe a little shorter. He had a gentle face and thin arms and legs, so I thought he looked a bit like a girl. Maybe it was the glasses, but he looked like he was good at studying.

“Are you from this country, Ichiha?” I asked.

“Uh, yes... Um, how old are you, Tomoe?”

“Me? I’m eleven this year.”

“I’m ten. So you don’t need to be so polite to me...”

Huh. He was a year younger than me. It would feel awkward having an older girl be super formal with him.

“Okay, I’ll talk normally, then,” I said. “You can talk to me however you want, too, Ichiha.”

“Okay... Tomoe.”

“So, what were you doing here, Ichiha? It looked like you were drawing something...”

“Ah!”

When I tried to peak at his drawing board, Ichiha rushed to hide it.

“Ah!” Maybe I was being a bit too rude. “I’m sorry. You’re embarrassed to have people look at your work, right?”

“Ah...! Um... I don’t want to show you it, or maybe I should say it’s better if you don’t see it...”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

If he was going to make a big deal of it like that, I just wanted to see it more.

I stared Ichiha in the eye, making him aware of that fact. “I want to see it.” I wagged my tail, showing off how interested I was.

While I kept staring at him that way, Ichiha folded, and reluctantly held his drawing board out to me. “Let me just say... It’s nothing fun to look at, okay?”

“Eheheh.” I took the drawing board and looked at the paper on it. “Huh? This is...”

Seeing what was drawn there, I cocked my head to the side.

It was drawn far better than I’d have expected from a ten-year-old, but what really caught me was the model. There was a mysterious creature drawn there.

With quick strokes of charcoal, he’d drawn a realistic image of a two-headed dog with bat-like wings.

Come to think of it, Ichiha had been looking through a telescope as he drew this. What that telescope had been pointed toward was... the battlefield.

“Is this a drawing of a monster?” I asked.

“...Yeah.”

There were several layers of drawings on the board, and flipping through them, I found there were drawings of a bunch of different monsters. Each of them was well done, and captured what made the creature unique, but... what was it?

I hadn’t felt anything in particular just looking at one of them, but with several of his drawings in front of me, it felt like there was a sort of special focus here. It wasn’t like he’d just drawn them as a hobby.

“Wait, Ichiha... Do you only draw monsters?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Ichiha’s voice sounded very dry. His eyes quivered with—how shall I put this?—a sort of lonely sadness in them.

While I was still unable to find a way to talk to him, Ichiha let out a self-mocking laugh.

“It’s creepy, isn’t it? That I’m here just drawing pictures of monsters.”

“Um, that’s not really...”

“No need to force yourself. I know well enough what an oddball I am. Father and my brothers and sisters don’t have to tell me, either.”

I swallowed.

When he said that, his loneliness apparent, I was reminded of myself in the past.

Before being discovered by Big Brother Souma, I’d thought I was worthless. As refugees, we had lost our home, and I’d spent every day thinking, I must be such a heavy burden on Mother.

That’s why I...

Slap!

I grabbed Ichiha by both cheeks, and stared right into his surprised eyes.

“Bweh! What are you doing?!” he shouted.

“I think they’re good drawings. I don’t really know much about drawing, but I think you’ve captured the monsters so well that even I can understand what makes them special.”

“Y-You don’t need to lie to make me feel better...” Ichiha’s words were slurred by me pressing on his cheeks.

“I’m not just complimenting you! You have a reason why you draw nothing but monsters, don’t you? I’m sure my big brother would be interested in you!”

Ichiha’s eyes... They felt similar to Big Brother Souma’s, or Mr. Hakuya’s. They were the eyes of someone with their vision focused on something different from everyone else.

It made me want to introduce him to my big brother and teacher even more. Because I felt like they could find the value in this boy that I couldn’t.

I removed my hands from Ichiha’s cheeks, and pulled him by the arm.

“W-Wait, why are you pulling?!” he shouted.

“Ichiha, I want you to meet my big brother. I want you to show him those drawings. If you do... I feel like something is going to change.”

“What do you mean, ‘something’?”

“Something!”

I walked off while pulling Ichiha by the hand... and then quickly came to a halt.

“Wh-What’s wrong?” Ichiha dubiously asked me when I suddenly stopped.

“...Now that I think of it, I was lost,” I admitted. “I was told to stay in our room while Big Brother was talking to Duke Chima, but...”

“Hahhh...” Ichiha sighed and scratched his head.

Oh! That gesture! That felt a little like Big Brother, too.

Ichiha stepped out in front of me, and this time he led me by the hand. “If you’re one of Father’s guests, it should be the reception room, I guess. I’ll show you the way.”

“Really?! Thanks, Ichiha!”

When I hugged him to show my thanks, Ichiha turned a bright shade of red.

“Wait, huh?” I added. “Did you just say ‘Father’...?”

“I’m Ichiha Chima.”

While I stared at him blankly, Ichiha explained with clear self-contempt, “I’m the oddball... who’s the youngest of the eight Chima siblings.”

Ichiha was taking me back to where Big Brother and the others were, through one hallway after another, when suddenly he came to a stop.

“Ah!”

“Ichiha?”

I looked ahead of us, wondering what was up, and I saw three large men coming our way. They were all so muscular that you could see it through their clothes, so it was clear they had to be soldiers.

What concerned me was that they all looked injured.

One had a head wound, with bandages wrapped around his forehead, while another seemed to have a broken arm, as it was wrapped up and hanging from his neck. The last of them may have had a broken leg, as he was walking on crutches.

The soldiers noticed us, too.

“Huh? What’re some brats doing in a place like this?” the one with the forehead injury said, sounding like he was in a bad mood.

Then, looking down at us from above, he started staring.

“U-Um...” I said nervously.

There was a scary man looking down at us, and he seemed to be in a bad mood, so my legs started to tremble.

These days, I only had nice people like Big Brother Souma, Mr. Hakuya, and all the others around me. Even before that, at the refugee camp, the refugees had all worked together to survive.

That was why this was the first time I’d ever had someone glare at me with such open hatred before. It was really scary. I wanted to run away, but my legs wouldn’t move.

While I was unable to say anything out of fear, the man on crutches started eyeing me. “Is she a beastman from the north? She’s dressed nice, but... I’ll bet she’s one of them refugees.”

“Tch! What an eyesore. Some refugee brat shouldn’t be wandering around the castle.” The man with his arm in a sling spat those words at me with a cold glare. “We were out there fighting, and we got hurt this bad, while some refugee gets to sit comfy back in the castle? It ain’t right!”

“Hey, hey, no need to get worked up at some kid...” said the other soldier.

“Shut up! We oughta throw her off the castle gate and use her as bait for the monsters.” With that, the man with his arm in a sling reached for me with his good arm.

“N-No...!” I squealed.

“Hold on!” In order to defend me as I covered my ears in terror, Ichiha stepped forward. “This girl is a guest of Father’s! Stop disrespecting our guest! Besides, it’s not her fault that you got hurt, is it?!”

“What was that, you brat?!”

With the men intimidating him, Ichiha’s arms and legs seemed to be trembling, but he still desperately hung in there and stared them down. “I’ll bet you got hurt trying to show off to my sister, right? And now, since you can’t distinguish yourselves anymore because of your injuries, you’re taking out your frustrations over losing the competition for her on this kid!”

“You little...! Watch your mouth!” The soldier with his arm in a sling grabbed Ichiha by the collar with his good hand.

Because he was only ten, and small on top of that, that was enough to lift Ichiha into the air. Ichiha groaned in pain.

I came back to my senses and shouted, “S-Stop it!”

“Hey, that’s got to be overdoing it,” one of the other soldiers objected.

“Think what’ll happen if we cause a commotion here,” the third one agreed. “It’ll hurt our position in the United Forces.”

“...Tch.”

With the other two telling him off, the man with his arm in a sling grudgingly let go of Ichiha.

Set free, and with his hands on the ground, Ichiha coughed loudly.

I immediately ran to his side. “Are you okay?! I’m sorry you went through that for me...”

Coughing, Ichiha said, “I-It’s not your fault, Tomoe. I stuck my neck out on my own.” Ichiha smiled at me, though it was a bit weakly. “Besides, if I abandoned you here, my sister would get mad. She just barely told me to get involved with other people, after all.”

“Ichiha...”

“Wait, this kid, he’s the youngest brother of the House of Chima, isn’t he?” the man on crutches said in alarm, looking at Ichiha.

When he heard that, the man with his arm in a sling let out a snorting laugh. “What, the inferior youngest brother? They say all his brothers and sisters are talented, but this runt’s got no gift whatsoever, right?”

“Yeah, I hear that’s why he’s not part of the reward this time,” the man with bandages around his forehead said, nodding.

As the three men laughed mockingly at him, Ichiha hung his head and clenched his fists as he stood there and took it. He must have been frustrated at the humiliation, but he was doing everything he could to suppress his anger.

He probably thought I’d be in danger if things got any more out of hand.

Maybe he was thinking that if it was just him being mocked, that was fine. So long as they didn’t turn their scorn on me.

“Ha ha ha! It must be hard on Duke Chima, having a worthless son,” one of the soldiers mocked.

“He’s got a girlish face, too. It’s too bad... I bet there’d have at least been someone willing to take him if he were a real woman.”

“Guh...” Gritting his teeth, Ichiha endured the verbal abuse.

That’s enough! You don’t have to put yourself through this for me! I thought, and I was about to step forward, when... it happened.

“...Do you have some business with my little sister?”

It was a quiet voice, but clearly filled with anger, and when I looked up, Big Brother Souma, Aisha, and Mutsumi Chima, the woman we had met in the courtyard, were on the other side of the three soldiers.

Aisha and Mutsumi both had angry faces, and while Big Brother Souma was pretending to be calm, his eyes were not smiling.

The three men turned toward the newcomers, and tried to complain.

“Whaaat? Are you this refugee’s—bwuh—!”

Before the man with his arm in a sling could get the rest of his words out, Aisha closed in and seized his face in her right hand. I thought I heard an unpleasant squishing sound.

“...Sire,” Aisha said coolly. “May I?”

“You have my permission.”

It was a short, but disquieting exchange.

Then Aisha, incredibly, proceeded to lift the man up with one hand.

The strength to lift up a grown man was incredible on its own, but that she had the grip to not let go of his face while doing so was astounding.

The man with that grip applied to his face had to be in an unimaginable amount of pain.

He flailed his arms, struggling.

Aisha looked at the man and asked, “How does it feel to be lifted up? You don’t like it? Did your parents never teach you not to do things to others you wouldn’t want done to yourself?”

Ah! But... when the man had lifted Ichiha up, he’d done it by the front of his shirt, not by putting an iron claw on his face...

The remaining two men got angry.

“What?! Who is this dark elf?!”

“Why, you...! Let him go!”

They reached for the hilts of the swords at their waist, trying to draw their weapons.

When they did, Aisha charged them, using the man she had lifted up as a human shield. Seeing the first man groan seemed to make the other two falter, unable to draw their swords.

“Both of you, stop this!” Mutsumi commanded.

With that, the men came to their senses and removed their hands from their hilts.

Oh! That was right. Come to think of it, Ichiha had been saying these men had dropped out of the competition over Mutsumi. In other words, it would be bad for them if Mutsumi came to hate them. They must have been riled up and not noticed Mutsumi’s presence before now.

“Aisha, you too... I think you’ve done enough,” Big Brother Souma said, looking at the two men who were now settled down.

“Yes, sir!” Aisha said promptly.

“Whoa... Ow!”

Suddenly having been released by Aisha, the man with his arm in a sling landed flat on his behind.

While the other two shrank away in front of Mutsumi, the man with his arm in a sling must have still been mad about getting humiliated, because he glared at Big Brother Souma with his anger not going down. “Why, you...! Who do you think you are, butting in like this?!”

“Who do I think I am...? A king, maybe?” Big Brother Souma said as if it were nothing.

He’d only said the truth, but the man apparently thought it was a joke, because his face warped with even more anger.

“You think you can mess with me. I’m gonna kill—”

“Stop it! Do you have any idea who it is you’re picking a fight with?!” Mutsumi said, standing in front of Big Brother. “Who do you think this man is?! This is Sir Souma Kazuya, the king of the great nation of the south, the United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia, you know?!”

The three men were suddenly in a panic.

“Wha?! Then this man... no, this gentleman... is the King of Friedonia?!” one of them shouted.

Judging by their attitude, these men might have had significant status inside the Union of Eastern Nations. They could have been rulers of their own countries, or entrusted with command of entire armies. But there was an overwhelming difference in power between a country in the Union of Eastern Nations and the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Big Brother was someone these people could not afford to get angry, and now that they realized they had been picking a fight with him, they didn’t know what to do.

As for Big Brother...

“I don’t think I’ve gotten to do this sort of Mito Koumon stuff in a while...”

...he whispered to himself with a wry smile.

What’s a Mito Koumon? I wondered.

Whatever it was, the men were thoroughly deflated as Mutsumi yelled at them.

“Madam Tomoe who you see there is Sir Souma’s little sister! If you have been rude to Madam Tomoe, do you mean to confront the Kingdom of Friedonia?! If you intend to cause a diplomatic incident with the great nation of the south, the other countries of the union won’t keep quiet about it!”

“““N-No, ma’am! We’re truly sorry!””” The men got down on the ground.

Then they bowed their heads repeatedly, not just to Big Brother Souma, but to Ichiha, too.

They clearly thought a diplomatic incident might put their positions at risk. They were desperately begging for forgiveness.

If no one did anything, the way they were going at it, they looked like they might start rubbing their faces on his boots soon enough.

That was apparently a bit much even for Big Brother.

He sighed. “That’s enough. Be off with you.”

The three men left, bobbing their heads desperately as they went.

“Honestly, what a bunch of troublemakers,” Mutsumi said indignantly. “Ichiha, are you okay?”

“Y-Yes, Sister!”

Walking over to Ichiha, Mutsumi put a hand on his head. “It was good that you protected a girl. But it’s not good to be too reckless, okay?”

“...Yes. I’m sorry.”

“I’m not angry. I’m happy you showed your manliness.” With a soft smile, Mutsumi patted Ichiha on the head. “Now then, Sir Souma, it seems we have found your little sister, so I will be on my way now. In regards to those three, I will have my father issue a formal complaint to the countries they belong to.”

“Oh! Sure. Thank you.”

Mutsumi bowed to us before leaving.

While I was feeling relieved to have been saved, suddenly a shadow fell over me.

Hesitantly, I looked with upturned eyes, and there was Big Brother with a serious look on his face that I could read no emotion from. Next to him was Aisha, who looked like she wanted to help me, but was holding it back.

Big Brother crouched down, looking me straight in the eye. “...Tomoe.”

“Y-Yes?”

“You know what I want to say, right?”

“Yes... I’m sorry for running off alone and making you worry about me.”

When I quietly bowed my head, Souma let out a little sigh.

“We’re the ones who forced you into the position of being our little sister. So I won’t tell you to ‘comport yourself in a way that befits your position,’ or anything stuffy like that.”

He wasn’t shouting at me, just speaking calmly. In some ways, that stung worse.

“But as your big brother figure, I’m beside myself with worry whenever I think something bad might happen to you. Aisha’s the same. The reason she got so mad was because it looked like they were frightening you. Well, I guess the reason I didn’t stop her was because I was pissed, too...”

“Everyone was worried, you know? I’m sure Sir Inugami is still running around looking for you.” Aisha’s voice was full of concern, which only made me feel worse.

I wanted to become someone who could help Big Brother and everyone else, but I had ended up causing them trouble instead. This was no good at all.

And yet, even after what I’d done, Big Brother told me, “If anything were to happen to you, it’s not just us: Big Sister Liscia, your mother Tomoko, your little brother Rou, and your adoptive parents Sir Albert and Lady Elisha would all be sad.”

“Yeah...”

“From now on, when you want to do something, bring someone along to protect you, in order to secure your own safety. You can use Inugami for whatever you want, so, please—you’re a child. Rely on others to help you.” Big Brother looked straight at me.

I bowed my head again, swallowing. “Okay... I’m sorry.”

“Watch yourself from now on...” he went on. “Phew. Well, from the look of those drooping ears and tail, I’d say you’re actually reflecting on what you did, so that’s enough lecturing.”

Big Brother stood up, placing a hand on my head.

“Well, when we first met, you were so shy and hesitant about everything. So, as your big brother, seeing you so active does make me happy.”

“Big Brother...” I murmured.

“Is it Big Sister Liscia’s influence? If so, well, I can understand why you’d want to be a little mischievous, but... everything in moderation. Those times when you just have to do it, rely on someone. Okay?”

“Okay!” I said energetically.

Big Brother patted me on the head.

Then he walked over to Ichiha, who had been silently watching how things were unfolding, and knelt down so they were at the same eye-level.

“I’m sorry,” Souma said. “It seems my little sister troubled you. Thank you for protecting her.”

“Oh, no... I was too weak to do anything...”

“But you stood up for her, right? I know how scary it is to stand in front of men with scary faces when you’re weak and unable to do anything. I’m impressed you could do it at your age.”

Having said that, Big Brother stood up and extended a hand to Ichiha.

“I’m Tomoe’s big brother, Souma Kazuya. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah...! I’m Ichiha Chima.”

Ichiha timidly took his hand, and they shook hands.

Big Brother, who was so good at finding people that he was called a recruitment maniac, was shaking hands with Ichiha, who seemed to have something unique about him that nobody praised him for.

Seeing the two of them shake hands, I felt like something was about to begin to move, and I felt my heart race just a little.

◇　◇　◇

The boy was thin, wore glasses, and looked a little on the weak side, but he had the same attractive features as Madam Mutsumi, so he was going to be the kind of beautiful and literate young man that girls would go gaga for.

He was wearing the sort of sleeveless outfit that was typical of this country, but I felt like the lined kimono and hakama of a Meiji Era writer would have suited him. We were from a different country, so I couldn’t make those for him, though.

Maybe because the basic concept of the clothes they wore was the same, when he stood next to Tomoe, they looked like a pair of dolls.

Aisha smiled and said, “They both look so cute.”

“Um, is something the matter?” the boy in question hesitantly asked.

It seemed I’d been staring.

“Ohh, sorry,” I said. “I was lost in thought. Er, Sir Ichiha... Wait, it sounds weird calling someone Tomoe’s age that. Can I just call you Ichiha, like she does?”

“Uh, okay. Whatever you like.”

“Okay, Ichiha. Outside of official venues, you don’t need to call me Sir or Lord, either. You can refer to me the same way you would refer to Aisha.”

“O-Okay... Souma,” he said hesitantly.

I shook Ichiha’s hand again.

Ichiha seemed gobsmacked by everything that had just happened. He looked over at Tomoe, blinking. “You were a princess from Friedonia. Um... I’m sorry. I may have been being rude to you.”

“Princess?! No, no, not at all. I’m no one special, so it would be nice if you could just act the same way as you have been. That’s what I want, actually.”

“S-Sure. Okay...”

The two children were fumbling awkwardly. Aisha and I watched the two of them with fond smiles.

“The way they interact is kind of cute,” I said.

“It is, indeed,” she agreed. “It puts me in a bittersweet sort of mood.”

I placed a hand on Tomoe’s head. “So, Princess Tomoe?”

“Ah! Not you, too, Big Brother!”

“Did your rambunctious little adventure bear any fruit? Did you find anything interesting?”

“Ah! That’s right, Big Brother!” Tomoe shouted as if she’d remembered something. Then, circling around behind Ichiha, she pushed him toward me.

“W-Wait, Tomoe?!” he yelped.

Ichiha dug in his heels to fight being pushed forward, but maybe because Tomoe was a little older, or perhaps because girls were slightly stronger at their age, he was unable to resist as he inched closer and closer to me.

What in the world were these kids doing? Was this some unorthodox form of wrestling?

As I looked at them with my head cocked to the side, Tomoe took on an incredibly serious expression.

“Big Brother, would you look at Ichiha’s pictures?”

“T-Tomoe!” the boy cried.

“Pictures?” I asked.

Now that she mentioned it, Ichiha had a drawing board hanging from his neck, and there were a number of pieces of paper attached to it.

I used paper all the time back at the castle, but in this world, the stuff was pretty expensive. The technology for making it was established, and it wasn’t out of reach for the common people, but it was expensive enough they wouldn’t waste it blowing their noses. If he was being given paper to draw with freely, that really showed he was the son of the head of a country, even if it was a small one.

In order to avoid intimidating Ichiha, I crouched down and matched my eye level to his. “So, uh... Those pictures, can I see them?”

Ichiha may have been embarrassed, because he bobbed his head up and down, his face turned downward. He handed me the drawing board, and Aisha and I took a look at once.

“Is this... a picture of a monster?” I queried.

“Ohh, it’s quite well drawn, isn’t it?”

The drawing was a charcoal sketch of a monster. It was a bat-winged cerberus... no, there were only two heads, so an orthrus. It was drawn in a highly realistic manner. It seemed to capture the different parts of the creature’s body well. It was hard to believe this was the work of a child around the age of ten.

Still, it was only good “for the work of a child.”

I didn’t have much... or any... education in art, but I could tell that while this drawing wasn’t a piece of art, it still was well done.

Despite being drawn in a realistic style, there was no sense of movement, like I was looking at a picture from an encyclopedia. If this was all he was capable of, there were plenty of people in our own country with this level of talent... Wait, what kind of eye was I looking at a child’s drawing with?

It was probably because of my perpetual search for human resources, but I’d developed a tendency to look for any unique gifts people had when first meeting them. That habit was rude to the other party, though, so I really needed to fix it.

Thinking that as I flipped through the pages...

“Huh?”

That was when I noticed something.

There was another picture of a monster under that first picture of a monster; several of them, in fact. But the pictures underneath had a number of square frames drawn into them.

Taking a closer look, it seemed the parts of the monsters’ bodies were surrounded with frames.

Going back to the bat-winged orthrus, there was another picture beneath that was likely a drawing of another individual.

In that picture, there was one frame around the wings, one around the body, and one around each of the two dog heads.

In the picture beneath it, of an ogre with a festering body (a zombie ogre), one frame was around its whole body, with diagonal lines running through it.

The two-headed ogre beneath that had a frame around its whole body, and then one around one of its heads.

Could it be...?

The speed with which I flipped through the pages increased. I went back and forth, comparing drawings. Looking at the drawing of the orthrus with frames from before, on closer inspection, the body was not that of a dog. It had hooves on its feet, so it might have been closer to a serow. The body of the orthrus above was canine, like you’d expect, so that made it clear it was a different individual.

These frames... No doubt about it. There are rules behind them.

I was staring so intently at the drawings, Aisha got worried. “Um, sire? Is something the matter?”

“Ohh, sorry. I was focusing on the pictures.”

“Did something about them catch your attention?”

“Yeah. Hey, Ichiha. Do you have any more drawings of monsters like these?”

Ichiha blinked in surprise and tilted his head to the side. “I have lots in my room. Do you want to come see?”

And so, in the room Ichiha led us to, my eyes went wide with surprise again.

“Whoa...”

The walls were mostly plastered with drawings of monsters.

Intimidated by the sight, Tomoe hugged my leg tight. Fair enough; depending on how you looked at this, it could be an unsettling sight. But for me, right now, I was intrigued by the drawings.

In each of the drawings on the walls, square frames had been drawn in, just like on the ones I had looked at before. In addition, the ones on the walls had been sorted by body part type.

One section focused on monsters with bat-like wings, while another focused just on monsters that were festering like zombies.

Looking at this scene, I became confident. “Ichiha, you weren’t just drawing monsters, you were categorizing them by their body parts and status, weren’t you?”

Ichiha nodded. “Right. This country is close to the Demon Lord’s Domain, so a lot of monsters show up. Watching them from up on the walls, I noticed some had similar body parts. That made me think I could sort them by parts, so I drew them.”

I knew it. Those square frames were separating the monsters into parts.

If there was a bat-winged orthrus, it could be separated into four parts. The frames with diagonal lines indicated an individual with festering flesh. The frame inside a frame on the two-headed ogre indicated an unnecessary part stuck onto another individual.

Ichiha had divided the monsters by their unique traits, creating a categorization system from that.

“Tomoe, it was wrong of you to sneak off without saying anything, but... finding Ichiha may have been a major accomplishment,” I said.

“Big Brother?”

I placed a hand on Tomoe’s head. “This picture here is a treasure of mankind.”

“N-No way, you’re exaggerating.” Ichiha was flustered and shook his head, but I fully believed that these categorized pictures had that much value.

By the standards of this world and its people, monsters were aberrant beings. No matter how a monster looked, it was “befitting a monster,” so no one thought deeply about their aberrance. Even I hadn’t. This was a world of magic, so I had complacently accepted that it wasn’t all that weird for there to be monsters.

However, seeing the drawings of monsters hung up in this room had changed my thinking. Even the monsters that looked like random aberrations were, in fact, following a system of rules.

If I studied the pictures in this room, I might be able to learn what monster parts came with which abilities. If we knew the abilities each part had, we might be able to identify which monsters could and couldn’t fly, as well as roughly how agile they were, just by seeing the shape of them.

It wouldn’t just be useful in combat, either.

What we had learned in the Kingdom of Lastania, that monster meat was edible, could be defined more specifically. For instance, if we knew which parts were edible, and which parts were dangerous or toxic, we could make decisions about which monsters could or couldn’t be eaten. That would expand the range of edible monsters beyond the flying tsuchinoko.

Monster parts had uses beyond just eating them, too. Genia the overscientist’s inventions often used monster parts.

Monster parts came in complicated and weird shapes, so up until now, we had only had whatever happened to come into our possession, which tended to make those items valuable because of their rarity. However, if we knew the applications of each part, the rate at which those parts would be collected after defeating a monster would go up.

If adventurers like Juno and her party raised the rate at which they collected parts they would previously have left in the dead bodies of monsters killed in a dungeon, the supply to the market would rise, and the price would fall.

It would be good to spread this knowledge to the adventurers’ guild and the merchants’ guild. Up until now, they had only collected parts whose value was obvious, but if there were prices on everything, that would help fill the adventurers’ wallets, too. That would in turn enable them make the decision to avoid hitting rare parts with their attacks.

Basically, these pictures Ichiha had drawn secretly harbored the potential to influence many things in this world, including public order, food culture, science and technology, and the economy.

Seriously, this is an incredible find...

It was frightening just to imagine how valuable these categorized drawings might be.

There was more to it than that, too. The one who had drawn these pictures, and who had found a sort of order in the chaotic mess of monsters, was merely a ten-year-old boy.

That was terrifying.

If I left him in Hakuya’s care, what kind of monster would he grow into?

He was the unicorn of the Union of Eastern Nations. I could only sigh in admiration.

I want this kid for our country. I’d welcome him with favorable conditions if he’d just volunteer.

My instinct for quality human resources was screaming at me to buy in early and recruit him before he fully ripened.

“They say every one of Duke Chima’s children is excellent... and it’s true,” I said. “Ichiha, you’re probably the top, by far.”

“N-Not at all! I don’t get counted as one of the talented children!” Ichiha seemed flustered and waved his arms about wildly.

“You don’t? Then you’re not included in the reward?”

“Yeah. Because I’m weak, and they say I’m an oddball...”

“Seriously?” I said incredulously. “How can they be so blind?”

If I could’ve had Ichiha based on my contributions to the war, I would’ve shoved that Fuuga guy aside and gone for the glory of first place.

If that hadn’t been recognized, I might have resorted to wielding my privilege as a great power.

No, wait. If he wasn’t part of the reward, didn’t that leave all the room in the world for negotiations? Oh! I wasn’t so sure about suddenly pulling such a young kid away from his family, but... still...

“Sire,” Aisha put in. “You’re frowning incredibly hard. Is something the matter?”

My grunting and agonizing over the question had ended up making Aisha worry again.

“Ohh, no,” I said quickly. “I’m fine. Just fine.”

Well, worrying about it here wasn’t going to do any good.

First, I had to sound them out and see if there was room for negotiation.

“Ichiha, I’d like to ask you some more about the details,” I said. “Would that be all right?”

“Huh...? Uh, sure... If you think it’s worth talking to me...”

“Oh, I know! Let’s talk about it at length over the fried sweets that Poncho gave us as we were leaving!” I gleefully led Ichiha out of the room.

Aisha and Tomoe looked at one another, not sure what to make of me acting so strangely because I was excited by this unexpected discovery.

“His Majesty always seems most animated when he meets an interesting person, doesn’t he?” Aisha said. “This reminds of the time he first discovered Sir Poncho.”

“Hee hee. It looks like I was right when I thought something might happen if I brought Big Brother and Ichiha together.”

“You aren’t His Majesty’s little sister and Sir Hakuya’s number one apprentice for nothing, huh?” Aisha gave her a pat on the head.

“Tee hee hee!” Tomoe giggled bashfully.

“Now then, shall we get going?” Aisha asked. “They’re leaving us behind.”

“Right!”

With wry smiles, the two of them chased after us.

It happened as I was leading Ichiha back to the room that had been prepared for us.

I saw a small figure walking in our direction from down the hall. As we approached, I realized it was a girl of about Tomoe’s age, maybe a little older.

When the girl noticed us she went, “Ah!” and rushed over. “A black-haired young man with a female dark elf warrior as his bodyguard. Just like the information said.”

She was about the same height as Tomoe, so did that make her twelve, maybe thirteen?

Wearing light blue clothing in the nomadic style, her deep blue hair tied in twintails, she gave off the impression of a strong girl with eyes full of vital energy. If I were to compare her to someone I knew, she was maybe the same type as Liscia or Naden. She would grow up to be a different sort of beauty than Tomoe in the future.

The other distinctive thing about her was the wings I could see over her shoulders.

“Would you happen to be the Sir Souma Kazuya that my brother was talking about?” the twintailed girl asked me, eyes full of fire. They were like the eyes of a hunter that had found her prey.

The staring made me feel awkward, and I scratched my cheek as I responded. “Well, yes, but... Wait, brother?”

That was when it hit me. Those wings, that hair color, could it be...?

“Are you Fuuga’s little sister, maybe?” I asked.

“My name is Yuriga Haan. I see... You must be the Great King of Friedonia.”

Great King, huh? It’d been a while since I’d been called that. The colossal squid and giant isopod both had Great King in their Japanese names, so it reminded me of gross-looking creatures, and I didn’t much like it.

Yuriga started staring at me again.

“You look weak for a ‘great king.’ My brother is much stronger,” she said bluntly.

It was a fact, so I shrugged it off. “Sure, if you’re going to compare me to Fuuga...”

“Hold on—Yuriga, was it? Don’t you think you’re being rude to His Majesty?” Aisha said, standing in front of her with a forced smile.

Oh, she was smiling, but, yeah, she was pretty pissed. She probably realized it would be immature to get seriously upset at a child, but her smile was getting stiffer.

Under pressure from our country’s strongest warrior’s smile (of rage), Yuriga faltered. “Ah...! Um... Er...”

Where had her spunk gone? Yuriga now looked completely terrified. She tensed up like a deer in the headlights and was unable to say another word.

This was kind of bad, wasn’t it? If we made her cry, it was likely to cause problems.

“Aisha, she’s just a kid... okay?” I said, trying to mollify Aisha.

I wasn’t fussed about what she’d said, and I didn’t want to start a fight with one of Fuuga’s relatives out of concern for how I looked as king...

Fuuga suddenly appeared and brought a fist down on Yuriga’s head. “You brat!”

Bop!

“Owwwww!”

The man was a warrior whom Aisha had described as stronger than her, so he must have been holding back, but it had still apparently hurt, because Yuriga was crouching and holding her head with tears in her eyes.

“You were told to stay put in our room!” Fuuga scolded. “You’re always running off.”

“Oww... But staying in the room is boring!”

“You’re the one who decided to tag along! What were you thinking, just deciding to contact the king of another country on your own?! We aren’t on the steppe here!”

Then Fuuga moved to stand in front of me, bowing his head and making his sister bow her head, too.

“Sorry for my sister. She’s a troublesome little tomboy. If she did anything to offend you, I apologize. Go on, you too, Yuriga.”

“Ah... I’m sorry...”

“Uh, no, you can raise your heads,” I said uncomfortably. “She wasn’t that rude, and she’s just a kid. My own little sister was just up to the same sort of mischief anyway.”

“It helps to hear you say that,” Fuuga said, raising his head with a smile. Noticing Tomoe behind me, he added, “Is that the little sister you meant?”

“I-I’m Tomoe.” Tomoe bobbed her head.

Seeing that adorable gesture, Fuuga grinned. “I see she knows her manners, unlike our cheeky little girl. Ah! I know! Hey, Souma. Since I’m already imposing on you, I’ve got a favor to ask...”

“A favor? Of me?”

“Yeah. If only for a little while, could you watch Yuriga for me?” He thrust his younger sister toward us.

Indignant at being treated like a cat or something, Yuriga loudly protested. “Wait, Big Brother?!”

However, Fuuga laughed, not seeming to care in the slightest. “Duke Chima’s asked me to go around to all the camps on the battlefield, letting them know that reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia will be arriving. It’ll raise morale.”

“I see...” I murmured.

“So, that being the case, I’d like you to look after Yuriga while I do that. It looks like you’ve got someone around her age with you, so it’ll be less boring for Yuriga than staying in the room by herself.”

“I don’t mind, but... don’t you want to leave a bodyguard with your sister?” I asked.

Fuuga patted Yuriga on the head. “She’s the type who’ll shake her bodyguards so she can do as she pleases. Seeing as she’s my sister and all, everyone spoils her, so I figure she’ll be better behaved if she’s with outsiders. Besides, Souma, you don’t look like the type to mistreat a child someone’s entrusted to you.”

“It doesn’t feel bad to be so trusted, but... You’re a king yourself, aren’t you, Fuuga? That makes Young Miss Yuriga a member of the royal family. I don’t know about suddenly taking responsibility for some other country’s royalty...”

“Don’t be so stiff about it,” Fuuga said. “I’m just asking you to baby-sit. Or, what, are you the type that lusts after children?”

“Hell no!”

“Ha ha ha! Well, that’s a relief. It’s just for a little while. Okay, I’m counting on you.”

Giving us no time to respond, Fuuga took off running down the hall.

He shows up out of nowhere, pushes his little sister off on us, then leaves... He really is like a passing rain shower.

No, given how heated he could get, was he a sudden torrential downpour?

I glanced over at Yuriga. “He’s always in a hurry, huh?”

“You can’t blame him. That’s just how my brother is.” She was probably used to this kind of treatment, because Yuriga just shrugged.

Well, now that the guy who left her with us had run off, there wasn’t much point standing around in the corridor forever.

“Should we head back to the room?” I asked.

In the guest room allotted to us, which seemed to be a little more nicely furnished than the rest, Aisha, Juna, Naden, and I were munching on the ginger snaps Poncho had given us as we listened to Ichiha’s story.

“Oh, that happened...?” (Munch, munch.)

“Yes. That’s right.” (Munch, munch.)

The House of Chima was a nine-person family consisting of one father and eight children, their mother having passed away when they were young. The other brothers and sisters were gifted in martial arts, strategy, and magic, but compared to their fame, Ichiha with his weak body had felt out of place.

He wasn’t on particularly bad terms with his siblings, but he had a complex from being compared to them. He was also considered strange for drawing pictures of monsters.

It seemed Mutsumi alone had tried to encourage Ichiha, but even she had apparently been unable to understand his gift.

“I dunno, it just seems like such a waste,” I said disappointedly.

“This area is thick with schemers, so only those with martial ability or strategic thinking are respected,” Ichiha explained. “Warriors who can achieve results on the battlefield, or strategists who can obtain an advantage in negotiations. I didn’t have anything like that.”

“Well... values change depending on where you live,” I admitted.

That was why no one had noticed this boy’s talent, huh? Not even his own family.

I felt bad for Ichiha, but when I thought that Tomoe had been the first to recognize his gift, I felt proud of her. It made me want to brag to everyone about how great my little sister was.

Of course, from the perspective of information secrecy, I was going to have to keep my mouth shut about it.

“Stop smirking,” Naden said. “It’s dead obvious what you’re thinking, okay?”

I slapped my cheeks. Had it been that easy to tell?

Looking over at Aisha and Juna... they blatantly averted their eyes.

...Apparently it had been. Well, that was no good.

Then I heard a bold voice. “And, honestly, that’s why my brother is just amazing, isn’t he?”

“O-Oh, yeah... I see...”

Next to us, Yuriga was regaling Tomoe with tales of her brother.

“So, after my brother took to the field and slew the enemy tribe’s brave warrior in an instant, the enemy’s warriors were terrified,” Yuriga went on. “They immediately broke ranks and fled. The temsbock cavalry ran them down, of course, so the enemy commanders all lost their heads.”

“U-Uhh... Wow...” Tomoe seemed a little put off, and she was listening with a polite-but-forced smile.

If someone was going to brag on and on about their family to her, yeah, that was probably the face she’d end up making.

Still, Yuriga didn’t seem to notice, so she went on telling the tale with glee.

“The flying tiger my brother rides is called Durga. I hear my brother met him when he went into the Demon Lord’s Domain alone. When he saw him fighting pack of monsters alone, my brother went to help. They became fast friends, and they’ve been together ever since.”

Fuuga had been into the Demon Lord’s Domain alone, with no bodyguards?!

No matter how far off the charts his strength was, that had to be reckless. That went beyond having guts and passed right into stupidity.

Also, that white tiger he rode was called a flying tiger?

“Hold on, it was a creature from the Demon Lord’s Domain?” I murmured, looking at Ichiha. “Could it be a monster?”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I’ve never seen a creature like that before, either. Even if it was a monster, it would be a very unusual type. It’s the first time I’ve seen a creature that can fly without wings.”

“Really?” I glanced over at Naden. “There’s one closer to you than you might think, you know?”

She turned away peevishly, as if to say, Don’t look at me when you say that.

At first, I thought she was sulking because I’d treated her like an unusual creature, but then she added, looking mad, “Don’t lump me together with some tiger that can’t even assume human form!”

Was she feeling a sense of hostility toward Durga?

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Yuriga pinching Tomoe’s cheek. “Geez, you’ve just been smiling and nodding this whole time, Tomoe. Are you even listening?”

“Ahm lishning, ahm lishning!”

From the look on Tomoe’s face, it didn’t hurt. I was glad they weren’t fighting.

When Yuriga let go of Tomoe, she crossed her arms in front of her and puffed out her chest. “Well, I suppose you’re still too young to understand my brother’s greatness.”

“Murgh... How old are you, Yuriga?”

“Thirteen.”

“You’re only two years older than me.”

“It’s a huge difference. In another year I’ll be (just barely) able to marry.”

“Mugh...”

It seemed marriageable age was low in this world.

Though, even by the standards of this world, fourteen would be considered early. Yuriga was mostly talking out of vanity, I’d assume. Besides, if they were competing over age, that made both of them children.

I looked over to the women in the room. “Is being old enough to marry something girls compete over?”

“...You’re asking us that?” Naden asked incredulously.

“Thirteen is still an infant,” Aisha replied. “We dark elves can’t marry until we’re thirty.”

Well, they were from long-lived races, after all.

And both of them were stubborn about not telling me, so I didn’t know either of their real ages.

“Marriage is a major event in a woman’s life, after all,” Juna said with a smile.

In conclusion, in this world with its wide range of lifespans, there was little point in comparing age, but maybe girls were still concerned about it.

Whatever the case, in just one day, Tomoe had made two friends (?) she could talk casually with. As her big brother figure, I had to be happy for her.

“He rides a tiger!” Yuriga exclaimed. “A tiger! My brother really is special, you know!”

“B-Big Brother rides a ryuu!”

“What, are you trying compete with me?!”

“Yes, I am!”

Perhaps they were getting mad, because I could swear there were fireworks going off where their eyes met.

...Maybe I needed to have a talk with Tomoe about choosing her friends more carefully.

It was a hard call.

Chapter 4: Finale

Evening. The monster attacks relented, and when we heard Fuuga had returned from the battlefield, we brought Yuriga to the courtyard, where he was bound to have landed.

When we arrived there...

“Ha ha ha! Good! Give me more!” Fuuga called.

“Don’t underestimate meeee!” Hal yelled back.

Hal and Fuuga were engaged in an intense exchange of blows.

Kaede and Ruby were there, too, so...

“Hey, why are they fighting?” I asked, but they must have been absorbed in watching the fight, because no response was forthcoming.

Hal’s Twin Snake Spears and Fuuga’s crescent blade screamed as they collided, the sound of the impact echoing several times.

Judging from the general attitude of the entranced soldiers who were watching, I assumed it was a mock battle, but because they were each using their favored weapons, the intensity was on another level.

Hal used two spears in a series of jabs at Fuuga, but Fuuga switched between the blade-end and the pommel of his crescent blade as he batted them away. Then, seeing an opening, Fuuga took a swing with his crescent blade, but Hal crossed his Twin Snake Spears to block it.

After an incredible back-and-forth battle, I couldn’t tell which had the superior martial prowess. However, Fuuga was the one who looked most composed.

“You’ve got good spirit! Even in my country, there aren’t many warriors as brave as you!” Fuuga called.

“Enough yammering! Don’t act like this is easy for you!”

Hal, on the other hand, seemed to be getting fired up... The guy was kind of the king of another country, so I wished he’d watch his words, but well, Fuuga wasn’t one to care.

Then Hal jumped back as Fuuga took a big swing, and while parrying the strike with one spear, he threw its twin toward Fuuga.

He’d made the throw from an unbalanced position, but after just finishing an attack, Fuuga was unable to react so suddenly.

“Whoa, that’s dangerous!” Fuuga bent his upper body backward and out of the way. It was possible to dodge like that?

In order to make a follow-up attack, Hal thrust out with his other spear once more.

“This settles it!” he yelled. “...?!”

“Halbert, was it? You really do have a good sense for this.” Fuuga let go of his crescent blade and took hold of the Twin Snake Spear that had fallen to the ground. “Another five years of training, and maybe you’ll catch up to me.”

“Wha...! Whoa?!”

When Fuuga gripped the chain he’d taken hold of, he turned his body to swing Hal around. Like he was doing the hammer throw, Fuuga made Hal run in circles around him. Then, after one and a half times around, Fuuga let go of the chain, and the excess momentum made Hal fall to the ground.

Fuuga clapped his hands and said, “But by that point, I’ll be even further ahead.”

He was strong. He’d been literally swinging Hal around.

He possessed such overwhelming martial prowess that I could understand why Aisha would be wary of him.

“Hal!” Kaede cried.

“Hold on, are you okay?!”

Kaede and Ruby ran over to his side at the same time.

Hal’s eyes must have been spinning, because he clutched his forehead, muttering, “He’s strong...” to himself.

“Hm? Oh, if it isn’t Souma.” Having noticed us, Fuuga came over. “You have my thanks for looking after Yuriga. It was a big help.”

“That’s fine, but... Why exactly were you fighting our Halbert?”

“It was a mock battle, just a mock battle. If I fight nothing but weak monsters, my skills will rot. There was a guy who looked like he had some idea what he was doing, so I had him face me.”

Weak monsters...? Fuuga was probably the only one who saw them that way.

In the Kingdom of Lastania, we hadn’t known what traits the monsters had, so we’d observed their forms and behaviors, prepared ourselves, and found an effective way to counter them.

Hakuya, Kaede, Julius, and I had all wracked our brains to come up with a strategy, with the understanding that monsters were frightening.

However, to Fuuga, that was all just petty tricks.

If he had the martial prowess to break through any troubles, and the guts to believe in that power, he could face any enemy without fear. He wasn’t just a muscle head.

People gathered because they were drawn to Fuuga’s valor, and they believed with him they could overcome anything.

Fuuga looked at Aisha beside me as he said, “I’d like to ask permission to face the young lady there, too.”

“You mean Aisha?”

“I can tell from her face. She’s quite skilled. I think it’d be a good fight.”

“No, but that’s...” I glanced over at Aisha.

Her eyes were burning with the desire to fight. “Sire, I also wish to fight with Sir Fuuga. It’s not often I have the chance to face a man of his caliber. It will be a good chance to reflect on my own technique.”

She was raring to go. Neither looked likely to back down.

“...Very well. But I don’t want you getting hurt, or hurting him.”

“Yes, sire. He is the king of another country, after all. I understand.”

“Fuuga. Aisha is a woman who will be my queen. It would be a problem if she were to be injured.”

“I get it. I’ll hold back.”

Ah... when she heard the words “hold back,” Aisha must have taken that as a provocation, because she got upset.

...I was getting worried whether they both really understood me.

Then Aisha fell into a stance with her greatsword, and Fuuga readied his crescent blade.

“Then, I shall begin!”

“Let’s do this!”

The two kicked off the ground simultaneously, and blade clashed with blade. In that instant, a noise or shockwave resounded, and all of the nearby soldiers had their heads knocked back.

From there, the two traded blow after blow. It wasn’t a contest of skill like Fuuga’s battle with Hal; it was a struggle to crush the enemy with brute strength.

The terrifying part was, while Fuuga had been able to overwhelm Hal with technique, he wasn’t coming up short against Aisha’s idiot strength, either. He had both power and finesse. He was what I could only call a natural warrior.

While trading blows with Aisha, he let out an amused laugh. “Is the kingdom a dungeon? You’ve got all sorts springing out of that place!”

While Fuuga seemed to be enjoying himself, Aisha was upset.

“If you’re laughing during a fight, this must be easy for you.”

“Not so much. Each and every blow is incredibly heavy. But...!”

When Aisha’s greatsword tried to mow him down with a horizontal swing, Fuuga got into a position with one leg bent, the other leg stretched out (like during warm-up exercises) to slip under it and out of the way. Then, with a full horizontal swing of his crescent blade, he tried to strike Aisha’s exposed torso.

“Urkh!”

Maybe having decided she wouldn’t make it in time if she used the blade of her greatsword to block it, Aisha reacted by using the long hilt to do so instead. There was a loud clang. However, in her compromised stance, she couldn’t hope to absorb the blow completely, and she was sent flying about five meters.

“Wait, Aisha got thrown?!” I cried.

“No, in order to avoid the impact, she jumped back on her own.” Juna explained from beside me.

Looking at her, Aisha had landed nimbly, so being sent flying must have been part of her plan all along.

“Well, is it an even fight, then?”

“...No,” Juna said. “When Sir Fuuga went to mow through Aisha’s torso, he didn’t do it with his blade, but with the hilt. He must have kept his promise not to injure her.”

“Oh! That’s why she was able to block with the hilt?”

“Yes, that’s right. If he had hit with the blade... though her greatsword’s hilt does have a steel core to it, she might not have been able to stop it with that.”

She’d been saved by how surprisingly honest Fuuga was? That was probably why Aisha had such a frustrated look on her face after fending off the attack.

Fuuga spun his crescent blade overhead like a windmill before readying it again.

“You rely too much on your inborn strength, Young Miss Aisha. That’s gotten you by so far, I’m sure, but when you face an opponent with the same strength, superiority is determined by technique.”

“I’m inexperienced... is what you’re saying. The world truly is vast.”

“Do you want to keep going?”

“Of course! Because as His Majesty’s blade, as his shield, I cannot lose!”

“Ha ha ha! That’s the spirit! You’re well-loved, Souma!”

“Here I come!” Aisha went to face Fuuga again.

Though they were trading blows once more, it looked like Fuuga did hold the advantage.

There was no doubt he was among the top warriors on the continent. That man was a king, and there was a country he ruled. It was a terrifying thought.

However, Aisha wasn’t the top warrior in our kingdom for nothing, so she was managing to hold her own against Fuuga somehow.

While I was absorbed in watching the fight, Mutsumi who was watching beside us, spoke up. “They both have such wonderful technique. Just watching them has got my blood boiling.”

Mutsumi looked over at Juna.

“From what I can tell, you practice the martial arts yourself. Would you care for a match with me?”

Having said that, Mutsumi offered Juna a wooden sword.

“I specialize in surprise attacks, not frontal ones.” Although she said that, Juna took the wooden sword. “But I was interested in you, too, Madam Mutsumi.”

“You were?”

“Yes. In your beautiful face and fighting skills that make the commanders of the union obsess over you.” Juna readied her sword with a wink at me. “Because making His Majesty obsess over me is my job.”

I couldn’t help but be entranced by Juna’s mischievous smile.

“I didn’t expect you to start flirting.” Mutsumi smiled wryly as she, too, readied her wooden sword. It looked as though Mutsumi’s had a longer blade. Now that I thought about it, she’d had a long sword on her back, so she must have prepared one similar to what she was used to using. “However, if it means I can fight you, then that’s convenient. Let’s fight fair and square.”

“All right... Here I come.”

Their wooden swords collided, and a loud clacking sound echoed.

Mutsumi seemed to hold the advantage due to her reach giving each of her attacks that much more weight, but Juna was doing a good job of chasing off her attacks using quick movements and a large number of moves.

If one went on the offensive, the other was forced on the defensive, and when attacker and defender changed roles, the person doing better changed, too. It was a back-and-forth battle.

While fighting, they both smiled as if enjoying it.

“Impressive,” Juna said. “I can see why all the soldiers would be charmed by your marvelous fighting techniques.”

Mutsumi returned the compliment in kind. “I could say the same of you. It’s not fair that you have these sharp skills to go with that beautiful face.”

When they pulled away from each other to catch their breath, Mutsumi let out a sigh.

“It seems Father wants me to seduce Sir Souma, but... if he has a person like you at his side, I don’t see myself winning him over with the martial ability of seduction.”

“Your techniques are very direct,” Juna said. “I very much doubt you had any intention of going through with that.”

Mutsumi let out a troubled laugh. “Not for myself, no. But when you come from a house of schemers, there are times when you have no choice. Hee hee, thankfully, I’ll have an easier time refusing now. I really do want to choose the man I marry for myself.”

“As a fellow woman, I want to support you there.”

There were still limits on the advancement of women in society in this world. But the women in this world had the strength not to lose to them. Seeing the two of them, I realized that all over again.

Having taken a breather, the two began trading blows again.

Aisha and Fuuga, and Juna and Mutsumi. It didn’t seem like any of the four of them would stop fighting easily, so I headed over to where Hal was being tended by Kaede and Ruby.

Hal frowned when he noticed me coming. “...Souma. Looks like you’ve caught me looking uncool.”

“If you ask me, anyone who can fight is pretty cool, you know?”

Like Aisha, or Juna. If Liscia were there, too, she’d have been happily getting in on the action, too, I’m sure.

I wanted to have a little talk with just us guys, so I asked the women to excuse themselves.

Once Juna and Naden had taken Kaede and Ruby away, I sat down next to Hal. “So, how does he look to you? That Fuuga guy, I mean.”

Hal let out a sigh.

“...Scary. Not just the strength he has, but the air around him, too.”

“The air around him is scary?”

“Yeah. When I split off from you guys and chased after him, before I knew it, I felt myself being pulled in by the atmosphere around him. I was thinking how great it’d be if I could fight like him, or how, if I could die like that, I’d have no regrets. It was only for a moment, but I did. Even though there’s no way that’s true.”

Halbert laughed mockingly at himself. I quietly listened as he spoke.

“If I died and left Kaede and Ruby behind, more than anyone, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for that. But for that moment, I was accepting it. If you hadn’t told me to remember their faces, and if Ruby hadn’t stopped me, I might have gotten in even deeper with him. Did you give me that advice because you knew it would happen?”

“Hardly,” I said. “I was just putting down some insurance because I was worried. Because, of all the people I know, you’re the closest to Fuuga.”

When I said that with a wry smile, Hal cocked his head to the side. “We’re close? You mean we’re similar?”

“In terms of personality, yeah. You both are exceptionally courageous, and are always aiming to move upward, right?”

“It’s hard to answer that myself...”

While Hal scratched his nose in embarrassment, I smiled wryly and told him, “That’s how it looks to someone else. And people like that draw in those who will fight with them. Like you. You’re seen as someone special in the National Defense Force, right?”

“Huh? I am?”

“You’ve been fighting on my side since the battle near Randel, right? I think you did a lot to distinguish yourself in battle against the forces of the Principality of Amidonia, too, and you even became a dragon knight in the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”

“Th-That just sort of happened on its own, you know?!”

“I told you, didn’t I? This is about how you look from the outside. Then, in the Kingdom of Lastania, many soldiers witnessed the red dragon flying through the skies. Of course you were going to end up with a nickname.”

“Whaa?! Hold on, what do you mean a nickname?!”

Huh? Hal didn’t know?

“The Red Oni... That’s what the soldiers of the National Defense Force call you, you know?”

Hal was silent. He really hadn’t known.

Oh, right.

I stood up and headed over to the gondola Naden had carried here. Then, pulling something from the luggage, I returned to Hal and presented it to him.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“It’s a hachigane. With oni horns on it.”

It was a hachigane (a kind of protector worn on the forehead) with oni horns decorating the metal part of it.

“It looks like you’ve become famous as the Red Oni, so I had Taru the blacksmith make this for you. We’ve been so busy lately, I forgot to hand it over. If you wrap this around your head, they’ll know you’re the Red Oni right away. I figure that’ll raise allies’ morale, and demoralize the enemy. It’ll be perfect for hiding that red wound on your forehead, so why not try it on right now?”

Hal accepted the oni hachigane, still looking dumbfounded. It seemed his mind hadn’t caught up with what was happening yet.

This was the moment Hal the Red Oni was born, but Hal looked totally out of it at the time.

Well, if Hal continued to distinguish himself from here on, I was sure the playwrights of a later era would find some way to dramatize this scene and make it cool.

So, give it your all, Hal.

That night...

“You’re looking pretty cool, Hal,” Kaede said.

“I like how the horns on your head kind of match mine,” Ruby agreed.

“R-Really?”

Hal had put the oni hachigane on right away, but he seemed not at all unhappy with the praise Kaede and Ruby were giving him for it. He liked anything that served him. Well, not that I could blame him for feeling that way.

In the room with me were Aisha, Juna, Naden, Halbert, Kaede, Ruby, Kuu, and Leporina. We were about to go through a final confirmation of what we would do from here.

They had said they wanted to watch, too, so little Tomoe and Ichiha were sitting on chairs over by the wall.

I spread the map of the area around Wedan that I had borrowed from Duke Chima across the table.

“Now then, I’d like to get started...”

Having said that, I glanced over beside Tomoe. For some reason, Yuriga was sitting there like she had every right to.

“Didn’t you go back to Fuuga?” I asked.

“Well, I don’t have anything better to do. My brother falls asleep quickly on days where he goes wild on the battlefield.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to come to us.”

“This is the only place with kids my age. Please, I won’t get in the way!” Yuriga put her hands together and pleaded.

If I treated her badly, I felt like it’d hurt my relationship with Fuuga later... Guess there was nothing else for it.

“Just watch quietly, okay?” I sighed.

“I know that.”

“Hahh... Okay, Kaede, go ahead with the explanation, please.”

“Got it. Please look at the map, you know.” My staff officer Kaede stood up, pointing to the map as she spoke. “This is the current deployment of the Union of Eastern Nations. We will be joining up with the reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia, so we will not be joining this deployment. The overall flow is simple. While the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations are holding back the invading monsters, we in the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia strike them from behind, encircling and eliminating the monsters quickly. That is all.”

“...Huh? That’s all?” Hal sounded disappointed. He must have expected a more detailed explanation.

Seeing Hal like that, Kaede shut him down. “Hal, our forces outnumber the monsters, and our equipment is superior. It’s a simple plan, but in the current situation, it is the most certain and effective tactic we can use.”

“S-Sure... I get it.” Having been given a reasonable explanation, Hal stayed quiet.

Well, Kaede was giving it her stamp of approval, so she was probably right.

I told everyone, “We will join up with the main force led by Ludwin tonight. Hal, Kaede, Ruby, you will be fighting under Ludwin’s command. As for Tomoe... I’d be worried about leaving her in this castle, so I’ll keep her at my side, I think.”

“Okay, Big Brother.”

“Aisha, Juna, Naden, please join the main force, too.”

““Understood.””

“Roger that.”

“Are there any other questions?” I asked.

“Over here, Bro.” The first hand to shoot up was Kuu’s. “Is it okay for us to fight this time?”

“No, that’s not happening. I was so short-handed that I wanted your help in the Kingdom of Lastania, but now we have the forces to overwhelm the enemy. This time, I’d like you to sit tight.”

Kuu clasped his hands behind his head and pursed his lips. “Tch. Well, can we stay here in Wedan Castle, then? I want to watch how the Union of Eastern Nations’ forces fight from this side.”

“I don’t really mind, but... don’t go joining the front line just because we’re not around to see it. If anything were to happen to you, I could never face Sir Gouran.”

“Ookyakya! I know that.” Kuu nodded, but I couldn’t help but worry.

I looked over at Leporina. “Leporina. I feel bad giving you what sounds like an order when you’re not my retainer, but keep a close eye on Kuu for me. If he looks like he’s going to join the front line, can I count on you to do whatever it takes to stop him?”

“Urgh... I don’t know that I can stop him, but I’ll do my best,” she said.

“Please do. If you want, you’re welcome to shoot out his legs with that bow of yours.”

“Ookya?! Bro, isn’t that a little harsh?!” Kuu protested, but I decided to ignore him. If Kuu got hurt badly, it was liable to turn into a diplomatic incident, so I wanted him to show some restraint.

I figured that, for now, I was done with giving orders.

But...

“Um, Souma.” Ichiha, who had been sitting in on the meeting, hesitantly raised his hand.

“What is it?”

“Um... would it be all right if I went, too? I think if I was in the Kingdom of Friedonia’s camp, I could safely get a look at living monsters from up close.”

“Huh? ...I wonder.”

Knowing Ichiha’s rare gift when it came to monsters, I wanted to give him the opportunity to observe them. But, well... It was true, the main camp would be safe, but was it okay for me, as an adult, to be bringing a small child who was from another country with me?

I hesitated, but it seemed Ichiha was serious about this.

“I’ll go ask Father for permission myself. How about it?”

“If Duke Chima gives permission, I guess it’s okay,” I said slowly.

I personally wanted to have Ichiha learn more about monsters, so if he could get permission, it was probably fine.

While I was thinking that, suddenly Yuriga stood up. “Then I’m going, too! I want to see how the Great King of the South fights!”

She puffed up her underdeveloped chest as she made that declaration, but if she wanted to see me fight, uhh...

“I’m just going to be sitting put in the main camp, you know?” I said. “It’d be an inconvenience for everyone else, too.”

“You are? Then I want to see how you command...”

“I leave commanding to Ludwin. I’m seriously just going to be there.”

“...Is there even any reason for you to be on the battlefield?” With an exasperated look on her face, she came right out and hit me where it hurt.

“Hold on, Yuriga, don’t you think that’s being a little rude to Big Brother Souma?” Tomoe complained, looking upset.

However, Yuriga snorted derisively, showing no sign that bothered her. “When my brother stands on the battlefield and performs courageous feats, everyone follows him and is ready to fight to the death. Isn’t that what leading people is all about?”

“People will fight for Big Brother without seeing him fight,” Tomoe said. “Aisha, Hal, and everyone else, they’re all fighting on their own initiative.”

“Leaving everything to other people? Isn’t that a bit lame, for a king?” Yuriga complained.

“It is not!”

When Yuriga shrugged as if trying to provoke her, Tomoe bared her canine teeth in open anger. This might have been the first time I’d seen her make that face.

I patted the growling Tomoe on the head with an “It’s okay,” before I said to Yuriga, “Well, if we’re talking about who’s cooler, Fuuga wins that one, sure. I’d love to be able to fight like he does, and I admire his strength.”

“Well, obviously,” Yuriga said with a smug look.

It was cute seeing a kid so proud of her family like this. Though it did mean she was selling me short.

“But I’m not Fuuga, and I can’t become like him. That goes for everyone else, too. No matter how much they admire and follow him, no one can be Fuuga but Fuuga. If they insist on trying to become like Fuuga, they’re going to die an early death.”

Something about that may have rung true with Yuriga. “That’s...” She came up with no response.

That was because Fuuga acted as if he was living too fast.

He went into the Demon Lord’s Domain alone; he charged into the middle of swarms of enemies by himself... Fuuga was still alive because of who he was, and anyone who tried to imitate him would die.

“Try as I might, I can only ever be me,” I told her. “That’s why I’ll defend the country and my family my own way. That means borrowing other people’s help in the areas I’m weak in. That’s somehow been able to let me keep the country going through everything that’s happened so far. I don’t care if it’s lame; if I can defend what’s important to me, I think that’s good enough.”

Yuriga stared at me blankly. “You’re... a weird king, huh.”

“I’m well aware.”

“Hmm... Well, now I want you to bring me along in the main camp even more.”

“Why?! I told you I don’t fight, right?!”

“I mean, you’re a completely different type of person from my brother, so now you’ve got me curious why people would follow you. Come on, it’s fine, right? I’ll get permission from my brother.”

When she looked at me with pleading eyes, I shrugged my shoulders. Guess I had no choice. Having just given Ichiha permission, I couldn’t tell Yuriga she was the only one not allowed.

If I refused, it was possible she’d suspect I was giving Ichiha favorable treatment.

“If you actually get permission from Fuuga...”

“All right! Well, I’ll go get permission, then!” No sooner had she said that than she dashed out of the room.

Her initiative to act on things the moment she said them might have had something in common with Roroa.

They were both little sisters, too.

Later, because both Duke Chima and Fuuga gave permission, we ended up bringing three little kids back to the main camp with us.

Fortunately, Tomoe (a mystic wolf), Ichiha (a human), and Yuriga (some sort of crow tengu-style beastman) reminded me of a dog, monkey, and pheasant.

Were we going oni-slaying? Who was Momotarou?

We did have a Red Oni on our side, though.

◇　◇　◇

Thick clouds covered the sky, and the strong wind felt cold on the skin that day.

In the camps of the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations near the walls surrounding Wedan’s city, the commanders from each country that had led an army here were raising their voices to inspire their troops.

“Listen! Reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia will soon arrive!”

“These reinforcements are a grand army of 50,000, and the battle for Wedan will no doubt end today! In short, today will be our last chance to earn battlefield glories!”

“Once the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia arrive, there will be no place left for us to distinguish ourselves! We can’t let Malmkhitan’s cavalry hog all the glory!”

“The reward is Duke Chima’s six children. That means only six countries can be rewarded. We all must strive to be one of those six!”

“““Ohhhhhhh!”””

Battle shouts rose up from camps here and there.

Learning of the impending arrival of the Kingdom of Friedonia’s forces, the generals of the Union of Eastern Nations were attempting to raise their fervor for one last show of glory.

The soldiers moved into action in response to their generals’ incitement.

Up on the walls surrounding Wedan, watching those forces of the Union of Eastern Nations, was Kuu.

“Ookyakya! They’ve all gone mad! They must want to take the beautiful Madam Mutsumi for themselves pretty badly!”

“You say that, but the truth is you want to join in, too, don’t you, Young Master?” Leporina said, sounding exasperated with the playful Kuu. “Lady Mutsumi was pretty, after all.”

“Hmm? I’d love to go wild down there, but I’m not really interested in Young Miss Mutsumi. I’m more into the type of cute girls who’ll make me want to protect them despite myself.”

“Is that the type of girl Taru is?”

“She used to be a crybaby, remember? She’s gotten stubborn now, though.”

“Now that you mention it... That’s right.”

Kuu, Taru, and Leporina were childhood friends. Leporina could remember those days long ago.

When they were children, Taru had been shy and a crybaby, always hiding behind Kuu or Leporina. Kuu would try to get her to laugh, doing naughty things, spinning his wheels, and just making Taru cry even more. Then Kuu would be hit by his father Gouran, and Leporina would be lectured, too, for her failure to control him.

It must have been around puberty that their relationship had taken a turn.

Kuu could only communicate his affection to Taru in a joking way, Taru couldn’t be true to her feelings even when she felt affection for Kuu, and because Leporina knew their feelings for each other, she maintained a position that wasn’t cruel to Taru, but which let her stay at Kuu’s side.

Before she knew it, a strange three-way relationship had formed between them.

Will this relationship change someday, too? If possible, I hope it can take a form that all three of us want. For that, do I need to make a move myself?

It happened while Leporina was pondering that question.

“Oh! Is that him over there?!” Kuu stood up, saying that as he looked at a specific point on the battlefield.

When Leporina followed his line of sight, there was a white tiger racing across the battlefield. It was Fuuga’s mount, Durga. Did that mean the speck on its back was Fuuga?

Fuuga and Durga looked like a ship sailing smoothly across a sea of monsters.

While watching that scene, Kuu let out a sigh. “Fuuga Han, was it? I can see why he had Bro worried. Man, it sure is a wide world out here. To think there was an incredible guy like that hiding in it.”

“Is he incredible? He’s certainly strong, I agree...”

In response to Leporina’s skepticism, the corners of Kuu’s mouth turned up in a slight smile.

“He’s not just strong. The guy’s pure. You could call him the greediest man in the world. He’ll reach out for what he wants over and over, trying to grasp it. Even if it’s in the fire, and it’s something that will burn him badly if he tries to take it. Seriously, he’s scary.”

Despite saying that the man was scary, Kuu seemed amused.

“Even when it comes to things Bro or Empress Maria would hesitate to touch, he’ll reach for them without hesitation. On the day that he has more power than he does now, his pure greed may cover this whole continent. Ohh, this is scary, scary stuff.”

It was a bit too abstract for Leporina to understand what Kuu was trying to say. However, one thing she could say for certain was that Kuu was convinced about something.

“Is this your intuition, Young Master?”

“Well, something like that, but I’m confident. He embodies the life I idealize. He’s chasing a huge dream, and he’s got the power to make it real. If I could live like that, it’d feel great... but if he becomes an enemy, he’ll be trouble.”

When he said that, Kuu’s smile vanished, and he glared straight in Fuuga’s direction.

“The Republic of Turgis is cold, and the currents in the air make it so wyverns can’t fly. That’s been a problem for us, but at the same time, it’s had the benefit of preventing outside countries from attacking. Even if they could conquer us, we’d be hard to rule, so there’s little for them to gain. That’s why Bro and Madam Maria wouldn’t think to attack us.”

“...And Fuuga would be different?” Leporina hesitantly asked.

Kuu sat down and crossed his legs. “His dream becomes the dream of those who follow him. If he were dreaming of unifying the continent, then if it meant a little... no, even a lot of losses for no return, I’m sure he’d invade. Just to make his dream come true.”

“No...”

“If you were to ask Bro, he might have a different perspective, but that’s how it feels to me. We can’t take it easy. There’s no guarantee Bro or Madam Maria will stop him for us. We’ve gotta build a country for ourselves that won’t lose, even if he comes to invade us.”

Leporina was silent.

There were already hints of a ruler-like dignity in Kuu’s eyes, making Leporina lose herself in them despite herself. She didn’t know if he was aware of it himself, but by going outside the Republic of Turgis, Kuu had been steadily maturing.

Leporina pressed on her chest as her heart pounded.

In order to stay with Master Kuu for all my life, I must... be prepared.

At some point, the flames of determination had begun to burn in Leporina’s eyes, too.

At that time, the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations began to stir. That was because they had spotted the 50,000 strong forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia on the other side of the swarm of monsters.

Thus, the demon wave moved toward its final stage.

◇　◇　◇

Did it happen a little after noon?

“How’s that? Can you see it now?”

Around the time that the kingdom’s National Defense Force finished deploying and began to encircle and exterminate the monsters, Aisha was standing in the main camp with Tomoe and Ichiha sitting on her shoulders.

The reason they were riding on her shoulders was because the little ones had said, “We can’t see the battle very well from here.”

We were deployed on the high ground, so we could see the entire army’s movements, but because we had shields set up in front of us to stop arrows, among other things, the children’s short stature made it impossible for them to see.

“Okay, we can see much better now,” Tomoe said. “Thank you very much.”

In contrast to the delighted Tomoe, Ichiha seemed more hesitant. “Y-Yes, it’s true we can see better, but... I’m not so sure about making the candidate to become the Kingdom of Friedonia’s second primary queen do this...”

However, Aisha said, “This is nothing,” and laughed it off. “You two weigh next to nothing, so don’t worry yourselves about it.”

“No, um... It’s not about the weight, it’s about how inappropriate this is...”

He was having a woman who was going to be a queen let him ride on her shoulders, so I could understand how Ichiha felt. But our country was pretty easygoing on that sort of stuff, you know. Me included.

I would act appropriately for my position when I was performing official duties, but I really didn’t like the idea of acting self-important around the clock. If I didn’t take a load off when I could, my shoulders felt stiff.

“Aisha’s saying it’s fine, so it’s probably fine, don’t you think?” I told Ichiha with a wry smile.

“S-Souma!” he protested.

“Come on now, you came to sketch monsters, didn’t you?” I said. “You’ve got to actually do it.”

“Urkh... Okay.”

Ichiha put the drawing board around his neck, and his charcoal began racing across the paper.

“She doesn’t have to let them sit on her shoulders,” Naden, who had been watching the three of them from beside me, suggested, crossing her arms. “Couldn’t I just transform and fly? The kids should be safe in the gondola.”

I wouldn’t be going out onto the field of battle myself this time, so it seemed she was stuck in the main camp with nothing to do. I gave a dissatisfied Naden a gentle pat on the head.

“If you did that, I’d have to assign wyvern cavalry to escort you, wouldn’t I? Every member of the wyvern cavalry we brought is participating in battle, so we can’t cause any more trouble for them.”

“I’m pretty sure with both me and Aisha there, we’d be fine no matter what flying monsters came.”

“If you were taking the two kids, it’d be in a gondola. It’s dangerous fighting while you carry a gondola, right? I mean, if anything were to happen to Ichiha while we’re taking care of him for Duke Chima, it’d be a big problem.”

“...You have a point.” It looked like Naden was convinced.

But, as we were talking...

“Aren’t you people a little too relaxed here?” Yuriga, who was also beside me, looked at us with cold eyes. “This is the final battle with those monsters, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you be more tense, more...? That’s it, serious! Don’t you need to act serious?”

“You say that, but it’s just a matter of surrounding and crushing them now...” I said.

This time, while the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations were holding the enemy back, the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia were going to attack in the crane wing formation. The units on the left and right wings would gradually fan out, encircling and eliminating the enemy. It was a simple plan.

To sum it up briefly, it was, “Surround them with everything we’ve got.”

If I wanted to avoid letting monsters escape, I should have worked with the other countries to divide the labor, but the forces of the union were in the middle of one last struggle to distinguish themselves.

It might not have been impossible, but they weren’t in a position to coordinate closely with us at the moment.

What we could do was do our best to encircle the enemy, and finish off as many monsters here as we possibly could.

The important thing was that the monsters didn’t escape as a pack. If few of them escaped, and they were split up, sending a request to the defense forces of each country and the adventurers’ guild would be enough to handle them.

“We just have to play our role,” I said. “Which, for me, is staying put in the main camp, and that’s about it. If I try to go out to the front, I’ll just be causing undue trouble.”

“It really is a mystery,” Yuriga said. “Without showing strength or ferocity, it’s a wonder the soldiers are willing to follow you, you know that?”

“Now listen, you. Don’t you think the way you’ve been talking is a little rude?” Naden glared at Yuriga. She was letting off a little of her ryuu intimidation, so an ordinary child might have burst into tears just looking her in the eye.

However, Yuriga stared Naden right in the eye and said, “Come on! People will submit to someone stronger than them, but if you show even a moment’s weakness, they’ll leave you. When my father died, I watched as a number of clans left the House of Haan or plotted to betray us. Those clans were all obliterated by my brother when he took over, of course.”

Being hit with such a heavy topic as if it was nothing, Naden was at a loss for words. “Yuriga, you...”

It seemed it wasn’t just Fuuga; Yuriga had lived a different life from the one most people lead, too.

“People must be brought together and led with strength,” Yuriga insisted. “That’s what my brother is always saying.”

The steppes of Malmkhitan were like the Union of Eastern Nations in miniature. There were a variety of small and medium-sized factions vying for power, unifying and then splitting up once more. In a world like that, he likely did have no choice but to unite them through power. No one could say that it was a mistake to do so.

“I’m sure ruling through might was the right way to do things in Malmkhitan.” I crouched down in front of Yuriga, meeting her at eye level as I spoke. “But the world is more than just the steppes or the Union of Eastern Nations. Values are formed by the nature of the region and shared history, so it’s more complicated than that. There’s a nation ruled with religious authority, and a nation united by the monetary bonds of mercenary contracts. There’s a country like the Gran Chaos Empire which raises the flag of ideals to confront the Demon Lord’s Domain, too.”

“...I don’t really get it.”

“Oh, um... Well, maybe this wasn’t the best conversation to have with a thirteen-year-old.”

“Don’t treat me like a child!”

“That’s such a line a kid would say.”

“Grr...” Yuriga ground her teeth.

I wasn’t being very adult in the way I was treating a kid, huh?

But still... Hearing her story, I felt a little bad for her. Feeling unable to leave her alone, I wanted to offer some advice, but if it wasn’t going to get through to her, there wasn’t much point.

Now then, how could I say this...?

“I know... If you get the opportunity, you should come to my country. That way you’ll meet all sort of people, and come in contact with the differing lives they lead. If you do that, I’m sure you’ll encounter value systems that are different from your own.”

“Hmm... Is that how it is?” Yuriga asked.

“That is how it is.”

Yuriga didn’t seem entirely convinced, but she eventually nodded. “I’ll at least keep it in mind.”

Then, at that moment, a cheer rose up from the battlefield. The encirclement of the monsters had just been completed.

The huge monsters like the zombie rhinosauruses were being defeated by a focused attack from the temsbock cavalry led by Fuuga and Durga, as well as the wyvern cavalry led by Hal and Ruby.

Massive lightning arced all over, and intense flames blew about wildly.

The monsters attempted to flee when they saw the huge ones going down, but the encirclement was already complete. The vast majority either threw themselves at the soldiers in the formation and were killed, or were crushed by the encirclement with nowhere to go.

It was a one-sided trampling.

What had once been so many writhing monsters turned into lifeless corpses, and eventually the sound of screams and death cries vanished from the battlefield.

The thick clouds that had covered the sky scattered, and when it was dyed red by the setting sun, the soldiers cheered. “Hip, hip, hurray!”

That was the cry that heralded the end of the monster wave.

◇　◇　◇

It was evening on the monster corpse-littered battlefield, with the skies dyed red.

With the extermination of the monsters complete, I had the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia set up camp while I rode Naden and returned to Wedan Castle with a select group of my companions. That was because I had to return Ichiha and Yuriga to their respective guardians.

We set down in the courtyard like when we had come yesterday, and Duke Chima, also like yesterday, greeted us with a broad smile.

“Ohh, Sir Souma! Thanks to the Kingdom of Friedonia, the monsters are eliminated, and my country freed from the crisis. I don’t know how to thank you.”

I could only smile wryly as Duke Chima took my hand and made an exaggerated show of gratitude. There was likely a heaping helping of lip service in what he was saying, so I was just listening to hear what he would say.

“We just relied on our numbers to let us make the last push,” I said hesitantly. I didn’t want him to inflate what I’d done too much. “It’s nothing compared to the efforts exerted by those who’ve been fighting all this time.”

Yuriga, who was beside me, crossed her arms and nodded in agreement. “It’s true, Sir Souma just sat in the main camp and watched the battlefield.”

“Mrrgh, there you go, saying that again, Yuriga...” Tomoe protested, but Yuriga just looked away peevishly.

“Hmph, well, it’s true, isn’t it? On that point, my brother Fuuga really distinguished himself on today’s battlefield. You saw, didn’t you, Tomoe? The way that huge zombie rhinosaurus got fried. That was absolutely my brother’s shot.”

“I saw, but... that’s what my teacher would call rash courage, you know?”

“No matter what kind it is, courage is courage! He’s brave and strong! Truly a king among kings!”

“Mrrrgh... Weak kings can be great, too. Lord Albert and Big Brother can both make decisions for everyone.”

There may have been sparks flying where Tomoe and Yuriga’s eyes met... but they were just kids, so it only looked like they were having a staring contest.

“Now, now, Tomoe, Yuriga, both of you calm down.” Ichiha got between them and tried to mollify them both.

With his sharp eyes, Duke Chima spotted the boy doing that, and, “Ohh!” he exclaimed with the smile of an affable middle-aged man. “It seems our once shy Ichiha has become fast friends with your little sister! They’re so close in age, I might have expected they would grow close quickly!”

“Ahaha... Is that how it works?” I laughed wryly.

Could Duke Chima not see Tomoe and Yuriga glaring at one another with teeth bared despite their closeness of age?

Even if they were just kids, the friendship between Ichiha and Tomoe might get the duke a connection to our kingdom... was what I was sure he was thinking.

I should have expected as much from a man whose diplomatic acumen had allowed his country to maintain its independence in a region rife with wars between small and medium-sized powers. He wasn’t to be underestimated.

“I’m grateful to your little sister for getting along with Ichiha,” Duke Chima added.

“Ahaha...”

I knew I probably shouldn’t get too deeply involved with a crafty fellow like him, but now that I knew how skilled Ichiha was, I couldn’t treat the man too poorly. Although, if he knew I was so interested in Ichiha, he might try to use that.

For now, I had no choice but to mask my inner feelings with polite laughter.

Then Duke Chima took my hand again and said, “Tonight, we will be having a little banquet to celebrate this victory. I will be carrying out the conferment of awards there, so I would very much like for you to attend, Sir Souma.”

“Oh, right. I will be participating,” I nodded.

Duke Chima nodded with satisfaction at my response and took Ichiha back inside the castle with him. When we were about to return to our room, too...

“Oh! Big Brother,” Yuriga said looking up into the sky.

When I looked up, a big white tiger was in the process of descending.

It was Fuuga and Durga.

Durga must have gotten covered in monster blood, because his white fur was stained dark red in some places. When I was looking up at the massive Durga, Fuuga poked his head out over the side.

“Hey, I see you people are back, too.”

“Yeah,” I said. “It sounds like you really did a great job out there.”

“Well, yeah. When the forces of Friedonia showed up, I suddenly found all my prey had gone missing, though. I wanted to go wild a bit longer, but, what can you do...? Oh, right.” Fuuga jumped down from Durga, bringing his face close to mine. “Hey, Souma. You’ve got a flying mount, too, don’t you? That black one.”

“...Uh, yeah. Though she’s not so much my mount as my fiancée.”

“Fiancée...? Well, whatever. Why don’t we have a little talk up in the sky? Let’s have a heart-to-heart, as fellow rulers.”

Before I could even respond, Aisha cut in. “As His Majesty’s bodyguard, I cannot allow that!”

Fuuga tossed his bow and quiver of arrows to Yuriga, thrusting his crescent blade into the ground. “It’s just small talk. We’ll leave all the weapons here. My rock-rending blade, Zanganto, too.”

Was that weapon that was like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade called Zanganto? From the sense of weight it had when it was thrust into the ground, it certainly did seem like it could split rock.

“Besides, even if it is just the two of us, that strong dragon will be there, too, right?” Fuuga asked. “If I try something, she can fly off, or attack me, or whatever.”

“But...” Aisha still had a look of uncertainty on her face.

I could understand her unease.

This was Fuuga. Even unarmed, he could easily kill me. Aisha was thinking that, if he should try, Naden might not be able to defend me alone. That was just how much caution Fuuga warranted.

But that was exactly why it wasn’t a good idea to let him realize we were cautious of him now.

“It’s fine, Aisha,” I said. “I’m sure he just wants to talk.”

“Sire...”

“Aisha.” Juna softly laid a hand on her shoulder. Then she whispered something in her ear. I couldn’t hear what it was from here, but knowing Juna it was likely, “Let’s leave this to His Majesty.” She was persuading her for me.

Though reluctant, Aisha backed down. “...I understand. Madam Naden, I ask you do everything you can to take care of His Majesty.”

“We’re leaving His Majesty in your care, Naden,” Juna agreed.

“Roger that, Aisha, Juna.”

Then Naden took on her ryuu form, revealing that massive body in front of Fuuga.

In her ryuu form, Naden was about thirty meters long, so even with her feet on the ground, she was bigger than Durga.

Looking up, Fuuga let out a whistle of admiration. “Whew... She’s big! I thought it seeing her at a distance, but she really makes an impact up close like this! Is she strong, like I thought?”

“I am,” Naden said in an intense tone. “So if you’re intending to harm Souma, I won’t hold back.”

Fuuga laughed the threat off. “She speaks directly inside your head? I thought she looked weird, but I guess she’s like the dragons I’ve heard of that way. I get it, dragon girl! If I act strangely, you can crush me with those big jaws of yours!”

I could only be amazed by the guts it took Fuuga to say that without any fear when faced with a ryuu. Did this man know no fear?

Naden looked at him with her golden ryuu eyes. “I’ll do just that,” she said in a grave tone.

Durga may have become cautious about the sudden appearance of a ryuu, because he was emitting a low roar. Somehow we had ended up with the looming potential of a dragon vs. tiger showdown.

In order to change the general atmosphere, I clapped my hands. “So, we were going to talk, right? Let’s get going.”

I hopped on Naden’s back, and we danced up into the sky. Fuuga and Durga raced after us.

Naden swam through the air, and Durga leapt through the sky, the dragon and tiger moving through the skies of Wedan side by side. We climbed high up, so we could see the Dabicon River, the border between the Union of Eastern Nations and the Demon Lord’s Domain.

That was when it happened.

“Hey, Souma. How does this country, the Union of Eastern Nations, look in your eyes?” Fuuga suddenly asked.

“...What do you mean?”

“I mean, don’t you think it’s hopeless? In an area with all these small and medium-sized countries, they’ve had a history of repeated unification and rifts, alliances and betrayals. Just like my country on the steppes. On top of that, because of all these messy marital alliances, they’re all hopelessly intertwined. When you’ve got relatives all over the place, no one is going to get serious about unifying the country.”

Fuuga practically spat those words out. Then he sat cross-legged on Durga’s back, resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands.

Those eyes which looked down on the land below were thoroughly cold. It was as if he were regarding the country itself with scorn.

“They finally managed to bring it together in the Union of Eastern Nations, but it hasn’t fundamentally changed at all. Look at this demon wave. If we’d united to fight as one, it would have ended more easily, but when each country’s self-preservation and self-interest get involved, we can’t work together. If the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia hadn’t come to relieve us, it would have taken longer to wipe them all out, and maybe even some of the medium-sized countries would have fallen. That’s why I’m grateful to you.”

“You’re being awfully forthright about that,” I said, surprised. I had never expected words of thanks from Fuuga.

However, thinking back, Fuuga’s actions had shown a tendency to be true to his feelings. Because he was forthright, he didn’t show fear in the face of other kings, and he could be straight about his affection for Madam Mutsumi. The forthrightness must have come from a strength that let him not be concerned about how others saw him.

While I was reflecting on that, Fuuga grinned. “If you people hadn’t turned up, who knows how long this battle for Wedan would have dragged on? Everyone was just fighting on their own, greedy for the potential rewards to go to themselves.”

“Don’t act like you weren’t involved,” I said. “That included you, too, didn’t it?”

“It’s fine when I do it. Even if I do whatever I want, I still contribute the most.”

“It’s all in how you put it, I guess...”

But the fact was, he was right. Even if he did whatever he wanted, Fuuga got results.

Still, if others acted the way he did, there was no guarantee things would go the same for them. Fuuga’s results were largely a product of his inborn aptitude.

Come to think of it... the men who’d picked a fight with Tomoe had been hurt, too. These were people who, judging by the size of their attitudes, were reasonably high-ranking figures in their country getting injured. Normally, they wouldn’t need to go out on the front lines that often. Could this have been Fuuga’s influence, too?

Perhaps the commanders from other countries had been pulled in by Fuuga, acting recklessly to get results like he did. Then, because they couldn’t do it like him, they’d gotten badly hurt, or even died.

Could it be that many commanders from the petty states had died or been injured in this series of battles?

When that thought occurred to me, a chill ran down my spine. For the umpteenth time, I felt the wariness of something I couldn’t identify welling up again.

With no way to know what I was thinking, Fuuga carried on talking. “So, on that note, I had a thought during this demon wave. The Union of Eastern Nations has to be united in the true sense of the word. Like when my old man conquered the steppes.”

Fuuga clenched the hand he had stretched out in front of him into a tight fist.

“In a time when we have the Demon Lord’s Domain to our north, the Union of Eastern Nations can’t do anything as it is. Even as the empress they call a saint waves the flag to bring the nations of mankind together in the west, and a young king rebuilds a decrepit old country into a new powerhouse, the union can do nothing. We can’t even stand upon the stage of this era. That’s galling to the people who live in this land.”

I listened silently.

The stage of this era... Did Fuuga want to rise up on to it?

What role did he intend to play there? Who was he trying to become?

“That’s exactly why someone has to truly unite it.” Fuuga stood on Durga’s back and spread his arms wide. “To unite the Union of Eastern Nations. It will take the resolve to smash everything first so it can happen. Like I said, this country is hopelessly intertwined by alliances and blood relations. To unify it, all of that must be destroyed, cut off, and returned to a blank slate. It will take the resolve to do it no matter what the means, and no matter how much blood must be shed.”

“Are you saying you’ll do that, Fuuga?” I asked with a tense expression.

Fuuga thumped his chest with one hand. “Yeah! In this day and age, who else but me can?! The fact is, I’ve already done it on the steppe. My father brought the steppes together as one, but I made those people who still conspired to kill him submit to me as a warrior. Now, everyone on the steppe has high hopes for me.”

Conspiring to kill his father. The report from the Black Cats hadn’t been able to determine whether Fuuga’s father, Raiga Haan, had been killed by illness or poison, but... it seemed Fuuga interpreted it as an assassination.

“Look at the times we’re in. ‘Strength’ can be just as powerful a banner as the ‘ideals’ the saint carries.”

Then Fuuga pointed down at the ground.

“The Union of Eastern Nations is now full of refugees who escaped the north. Each country handles them in their own way, but I’m sure, under the current situation, the refugees have their reasons to be discontent in each of them. If even a small portion of the Demon Lord’s Domain could be liberated, they would see in me the hope that their homelands might be liberated, and they’d rush to my side. It’s not only the refugees who want to see the Demon Lord’s Domain liberated, either. The soldiers and farmers who want land, the merchants and craftspeople who want products, and the petty rulers who want to expand their holdings will all ride that wave.”

Fuuga went on to describe his imagined blueprint. There were parts of it that seemed unrealistic, but I had a strange premonition that Fuuga might just be able to pull it off. If people felt the way Fuuga said they would... it might well become “hope” for them.

“But will it be that simple?” I asked. “Even at its height, the Empire failed in its invasion of the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

“I know that. But there’s something I’m convinced of.”

“Something you’re convinced of?” I parroted back questioningly.

Fuuga gave me a firm nod. “They say the allied force led by the Empire wasn’t defeated by monsters, but by demons. And the demons only exist deep inside the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

I was shocked. The demons only existed deep inside the Demon Lord’s Domain?

“...On what basis do you say that?”

“I went into the Demon Lord’s Domain out of curiosity, but despite frequently being attacked by monsters, I never encountered a single demon. I went in pretty deep, too. That means the demons aren’t spread out over the whole of the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

“...” I was speechless. I felt as though Fuuga’s conjecture was on the mark.

Fuuga likely didn’t know, but I had already shared my theory that “Monsters are to demons as animals are to humans” with the Empire. If these demons couldn’t communicate with the monsters, they might see them as dangerous beasts, the same way as we did.

If the demons were wary of monsters, rather than dividing up their forces, wouldn’t they make large colonies to protect their children and such from attacks?

If it was true, it made sense why the allied forces led by the Empire had made good progress at first. Basically, the alliance had gone too deep into the Demon Lord’s Domain, and perhaps they encountered a demon colony. Then they had attacked the monsters and demons without discriminating between them...

In other words, the extermination of harmful beasts had escalated into an all-out war.

“Urgh...” I grasped my head as I was struck by a headache.

Naden telepathically expressed her worry in a small voice. “Hold on, Souma, are you okay?”

I told her it was all right, but inside, I didn’t think it was all right at all. There was too much to think about. I wanted to talk with Maria as soon as possible.

With no sign that he noticed, Fuuga went on talking. “That’s why I think it’s possible to retake a part of the Demon Lord’s Domain. I’ll use that accomplishment to get public opinion inside the union on my side, and create the opportunity for unification. I’ll crush all who oppose me, force the uncooperative to submit with power, smash all the worthless bonds holding us back, and make this country one.”

“You intend to do all of that yourself?”

“I said it, didn’t I? If not me, who?!” Fuuga seemed full of confidence.

That incredible imagination and determination... This man was clearly in a different dimension than anyone else.

What had made this man, without question, was the tension in this country, and the wishes of the people to break free of it. He was the embodiment of people’s hopes.

“Do you have any idea how much blood will flow?” I asked. “This is a path of carnage you plan to walk.”

“I don’t care! Life is brief. Even the long-lived races die when their time comes. Therefore, it’s a man’s greatest wish to accomplish something great that future generations will remember!”

...Yeah, there was no questioning it now.

This man was trying to become what Maria had rejected becoming.

He was a being that grew feeding on people’s hopes, becoming something greater than human in the process.

He wanted to become the “great man” of this era.

Whenever an era came to a stalemate, great people would appear as if responding to the people’s wishes.

Ying Zheng of Qin (Qin Shi Huang), Oda Nobunaga, Napoleon... The great men who appeared to break out of an interminable situation were always violent in their destruction of the values held up until that time, and they tried to build a new world atop the ruins of the old. Many who were praised for their great deeds in later generations were seen as nothing more than slaughterers by the people of the time.

I saw the potential to become that sort of great man in Fuuga.

In this confused era with the Demon Lord’s Domain in the north, the people were seeking a vessel into which they could pour their hopes. I was wasting the label of “hero,” and Maria had the capacity to be a “saint.” However, we had rejected becoming something larger than human, so that vessel had not yet appeared.

But what about Fuuga? If the people looked for Fuuga to become a “great man,” wouldn’t Fuuga become one without hesitation?

Then, with the people’s hopes behind him, wouldn’t he try to become the hegemon of this era?

When I get home... I need to tell Maria.

I need to tell her to beware Fuuga Haan of the Union of Eastern Nations.

If this man truly rose, even the strongest of mankind’s nations was at risk.

And so, I myself made careful note of Fuuga Haan’s name as the person I most needed to be concerned about from now on.

Chapter 5: Idioms Change in Meaning

That night.

There was a celebration being held in Wedan to celebrate the victory against the demon wave.

However, unlike in the Kingdom of Lastania, it wasn’t a wild affair with singing and drinking.

Because the people gathered were the central figures of the Union of Eastern Nations, it was probably to be expected that no one felt much like letting loose.

On the surface, they all appeared to be praising each other and making small talk, but they were actually gathering information on the other countries.

They had come as reinforcements, so many wore armor, but it felt like I had been called to one of the nobles’ nighttime gatherings. In fact, the big shots who wanted to form cordial relations with our country had been coming over to give their regards one after another, so we were already a little sick of it.

“I thought a victory party would be more fun,” Naden griped from beside me, looking exhausted.

“Now, now, this is an important duty of ours, too,” Aisha said, trying to console her. She was standing on the opposite side of me.

I looked over at Juna, who was also by my side. “You aren’t tired, Juna?”

“I’m used to it, so I’m fine. Please, leave the deterrence duties to me.”

I was standing arm-in-arm with Juna, who wore a blue dress she said she had received from Excel. And with Naden in her black dress and Aisha in a cocktail dress also next to me, I was here at this party with an iron wall. By showing off that I already had them as my partners, they were acting to deter the heads of other countries from bringing up talk of marriage with me.

We were sort of the largest of all the countries gathered here, so few would go so far as to risk offending our future queens by bringing up that subject. Especially in the presence of Juna, a woman who was beautiful and brimming with feminine charm.

Over and over, I’d seen lords who might bring up the subject take one look at her, decide it was hopeless, and dodge the issue with idle banter before beating a hasty retreat.

“They keep saying, ‘What a lovely bunch of ladies’ about us,” Juna said with a smile.

“They must have had trouble coming up with any other subject on the spur of the moment,” I said. “Well, given they were able to see how lovely you look in that dress, Juna, I’m sure that was enough.”

“Hee hee, I love it when you compliment me, sire.”

“Hold on, Souma! Could you actually look at us, too?!” Naden protested.

“I feel as though it’s been some time since I’ve dressed this way, too,” Aisha agreed.

“Naden, Aisha, you both look very lovely, too,” I told them.

They both smiled in satisfaction.

By the way, Naden’s dress was the black one made of her own scales that she’d worn when we’d danced in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and Aisha’s cocktail dress was the one she’d worn as a presenter on the Jewel Voice Broadcast. I’d had her pack it just in case.

Then Naden pulled at the hem of her dress, letting out a sigh as she did. “It’s exhausting dressing like this, though, you know? Every time someone comes, I have to be on edge.”

“You can rest, you know, Madam Naden,” Aisha said, looking concerned. “I am more than capable of protecting His Majesty by myself.”

“I don’t want to.” Naden rejected the offer. “If I do, the people here will only recognize you and Juna as Souma’s partners. I’m his partner, too, okay?”

Then Naden hugged my arm tight.

Maybe that was what instigated Juna to tighten her grip and squish herself against my arm...

Don’t think too much about the difference in wording there.

Feeling a little peeved, Aisha said, “It’s not fair that only you two get to nuzzle up to him! If it’s a nuisance, please leave the task to me! Lady Liscia has asked me to take care of His Majesty.”

“I’ve been asked to do the same!” Naden shot back. “Besides, a dragon and her knight are of one body, one mind!”

“Madam Naden, you do realize you are not a dragon, and His Majesty is not a knight, yes?”

Fireworks flew between the two of them. I had to worry about how this looked to those around us, so maybe it was time to stop them.

“Um, you two, you don’t need to compete over this...”

““Please be quiet, Souma/sire!””

“Uh, sure...”

While I was being intimidated by the two of them, Yuriga looked exasperated. “Are you really a king?”

That reminded me that Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga, the three kids, were here, too.

She’d caught us in the middle of an embarrassing scene, so I tried to change the subject by asking, “Don’t you need to be with your brother, Fuuga?”

“Even if I were with my brother, it’s all adult men there. It’s boring. I’d prefer to stay here with Tomoe and Ichiha.”

“Mrrgh,” Tomoe muttered. “Don’t you have any friends, Yuriga?”

Yuriga’s face froze.

Oh... She’d hit the nail on the head.

With a clearly pasted on smile, Yuriga reached out for Tomoe’s face and pinched her cheeks. “Wh-What exactly do you think you’re saying?! You squirt.”

“Hyau?! Hyohhyoh, hyahehehyoh.”

“P-Please, stop that, Yuriga.” Ichiha hastily got in between them and peeled them apart.

Yuriga crossed her arms and looked away peevishly with her cheeks puffed up in anger. It only made her look like she was trying to act tough.

“It’s fine! No one sees me as anything other than my brother’s little sister! The adults are always watching to see how my brother will react and kissing up to him, too!”

...Oh, now it made sense.

For this girl, Fuuga was a source of pride, but she also had a complex about him.

In a group of siblings, if one was especially talented, it was only natural such feelings would arise. It sounded like Ichiha had been looked down upon compared to his capable brothers and sisters, too.

For Yuriga in particular, she was at a sensitive age, so maybe her usual prickly attitude was the other side of those feelings.

In other words...

“You’re being spoiled by Tomoe because she pays attention to you, huh,” I commented.

“Who’d you say’s being spoiled by this little squirt?!”

“Y-You wanted me to spoil you?” Tomoe asked gingerly. “Should I pat you on the head?”

“Wahhhh, you don’t have to do that!”

The children went on making a ruckus.

Yuriga would never admit it, but I felt like Tomoe and Ichiha were bringing out the closest thing to her true personality. These three might make better friends than I would have thought.

As I was reflecting on that, the time came.

“Ahem! Ladies and gentlemen. I know we are in the middle of our banquet, but could I ask you to listen to me for a moment?”

Duke Chima was standing on a platform prepared for the occasion.

Behind him, six young men and women stood in a line. Mutsumi was one of them.

“Now then, as I have promised before, I will announce the countries to which my children will be sent as a show of gratitude for dispatching reinforcements,” Duke Chima announced loudly from the platform.

That presumably meant the six up on the stage were the six Chima brothers and sisters who were included in the reward. The six excluded the eldest of the siblings, who was the heir, and Ichiha, the youngest brother.

If I recalled, they were:

Nata (Age 22) — Second Son: Muscular man who wielded a giant ax.

Mutsumi (Age 20) — Eldest Daughter: Beautiful, with excellent martial abilities and ingenuity.

Gauche (Age 18) — Third Son: The best archer in the world.

Yomi (Age 17) — Second Daughter: Elder twin sister, avid reader with a wealth of knowledge.

Sami (Age 17) — Third Daughter: Younger twin sister, with a gift for accounting and a talent for mental arithmetic.

Nike (Age 16) — Fourth Son: Beautiful boy, whose spear moved faster than the eye could follow.

Being from the same family as Madam Mutsumi and Ichiha, they were all beautiful.

On top of that, each had a superior talent, so I could understand why all these countries wanted them as brides, or grooms, or retainers. I could understand, but... even so, there was no person among them that I desperately wanted for myself. No, not among them.

Well, having been the last to get here, it had little to do with us.

Or so I thought, but... I felt like I’d suddenly made eye contact with Duke Chima up on the platform. I had a bad feeling about this, and it quickly proved to be true.

Duke Chima looked at me as he said, “In regards to the selection process, I would like the countries to choose in the order of largest contribution. Thus, the one whose country had the largest force, and slew the most monsters, must be this gentleman here. The King of Friedonia, Sir Souma Kazuya!”

The moment he said that, all eyes focused on us.

Their glances were a mix of resignation, interest, and envy. I had effectively come last only to take the best part, so that may have been to be expected.

Aw, damn it... He just had to do this...

I was sure Duke Chima wanted a link to a prominent country, no matter what it took.

Naturally, as the most powerful country here, he was going to want a line of contact with us. That was probably why he’d given us first place.

For my part, I wanted to avoid standing out here, and to quietly achieve my objective afterward, but now he’d made it a hassle.

Then I felt an especially sharp pair of eyes on me.

Wha?!

Juna and Naden let go of the arms they were wrapped around, and Aisha positioned herself so as to protect me from that stare.

When I looked past Aisha in the direction I had felt it from, there was Fuuga.

He was looking straight at me with no expression. Those eyes said, If you’re planning to choose Young Miss Mutsumi, be prepared.

If I were to tease him by saying I wanted Madam Mutsumi now, Fuuga would probably decide I was an enemy.

In The Prince, Machiavelli said people will soon forget injuries against themselves, but they will never forget injury to their property or women.

If I did something like steal Madam Mutsumi, Fuuga would no doubt come to steal her back, even if it meant war with the Kingdom of Friedonia. Like King Agamemnon, invading and destroying Troy to take back his younger brother’s beautiful wife, Helen.

I have no intent of creating a source of strife with Fuuga, but...

Was that man this true to his desires?

If he wanted something, he’d do anything to attain it. That position was terrifying.

I turned to Duke Chima and bowed a little before silently shaking my head.

“It’s a kind offer, but I’ll have to decline.”

“S-Say what?!”

“We of the Kingdom of Friedonia were late to arrive, and our contributions are not equal to those who have fought long and hard here. I ask you to please give the reward to somebody else.”

When I said that, a clear feeling of relief flowed through the room.

That was because the number of slots for rewards hadn’t decreased, I’m sure. From here and there, I heard things like...

“A wonderful show of consideration.”

“It seems the new King of Friedonia is sensible.”

“What an upstanding man he is.”

...and other compliments.

Just how serious were they, I wonder?

After I stepped aside, first place became Fuuga of Malmkhitan, so it seemed Fuuga would be able to attain Madam Mutsumi, whom he desired.

Fuuga rose to the platform and suddenly swept Madam Mutsumi up in his arms, carrying her like a princess. “I won’t make you do anything bothersome like say I want you as a retainer. Mutsumi, I’ve been in love since I first laid eyes on you. Be my wife.”

Up on stage, and with central figures from many other countries watching him, he gave her a straightforward proposal.

It made Madam Mutsumi’s eyes go wide, but she quickly wrapped her lithe arms around Fuuga’s neck.

“Hee hee, you’re wonderful. I’ll do it. I do like strong people.”

“Yeah! I swear, if it’s for you, I’ll never lose to anyone!”

“I believe you, Lord Fuuga.”

Together with applause for the two of them, there were looks that were half congratulatory and half jealous.

No, more of them are jealous, I think.

That was just how many people had been after Madam Mutsumi.

Fuuga clearly didn’t care in the slightest about any of the looks. I guess that was Fuuga for you. Anyway, I was glad not to have created undue strife with him.

While I was feeling relieved, I noticed Yuriga staring at me.

“...Is something wrong?”

“Why did you turn down first place? You could have been the one to take Mutsumi!”

That wasn’t just curiosity in her eyes; it looked like she seriously wanted to know.

“Could it be because my brother was after Mutsumi?” she demanded.

“It’s like I said before, but... that might be part of it, too. I don’t want to fight Fuuga.”

“I see. You’re afraid of my brother.”

When she said that, the look in Yuriga’s eyes was a little sharp. What had brought that on?

Then, in a quiet voice, Yuriga began to talk.

“We know how incredible my brother is. But that’s not always true of others. In the Union of Eastern Nations, there are those who underestimate him as a minor king from the steppes.”

Well, Malmkhitan was still a small country in terms of territory, after all. If I said that, I, the ruler of the Kingdom of Friedonia, was afraid of the king of a small country like Fuuga, they’d laugh that I was being too timid.

Yuriga, however, never laughed. “But... you aren’t like that, I see. Even though you rule a kingdom that is incomparably larger than the steppes of Malmkhitan, you’re as cautious of my brother as you should be.”

“No, that’s...”

“I see why my brother took notice of you now. I understand why you’re protected by so many people, too.” Yuriga smiled faintly.

When a girl of thirteen smiled as if she saw right through me, it gave me a bit of a shock. Though it was in a different way from her brother, this girl might not be normal, either.

While we were talking, the distribution of rewards ended.

“With this, the places my children will be going have been decided,” Duke Chima said. “Everyone, I truly...”

“Ah! A moment, if I may?”

With Duke Chima about to give his closing remarks, I decided now was the time to strike and cut him off.

“Um, are you dissatisfied regarding the matter of the reward, perhaps?” Duke Chima asked, his eyes wide.

I hurriedly shook my head. “Oh, no, no. This isn’t about the reward. You have another child named Sir Ichiha Chima, yes, Sir Mathew? The youngest one.”

“Wh-Why, yes. He’s right there, in fact...”

As Duke Chima said, Ichiha was at my side.

I put my hand down on Ichiha’s head, and said to Duke Chima, “From the looks of it, he’s become fast friends with my little sister. I also hear that all the boys and girls of the Chima family are excellent, so I believe this boy has potential, too. That being the case, how about it? I’d like you to leave Sir Ichiha in the care of our country so that he can be educated.”

“M-My word...” The suddenness of the proposal left Duke Chima flummoxed.

In his head he was probably working out my intent, and weighing the merits and demerits of accepting my proposal. By the way, I had gotten Ichiha’s permission first before proposing this. He already seemed enthusiastic about coming to our country.

He’d felt awkward as the oddball who did nothing but draw pictures of monsters, and the person who understood him best, Madam Mutsumi, would be leaving, too, so he had nothing tying him down here.

His mother had long since passed away, so it was just a matter of whether or not Duke Chima gave permission.

Duke Chima hesitantly said, “Listen... The boy is a little eccentric, and he’s physically quite weak. I don’t know that he can live up to your expectations...”

“If he’s physically frail, that’s all the more reason he should come to our place,” I said firmly. “Our country is in the middle of a medical revolution, and we have talented doctors. It would be good to have them look at him. Also... I’m more than fine with him being eccentric. I have a weakness for people like that.” I doubled down. “I’m sure we’ll have him study under Prime Minister Hakuya for a while. Then, next spring, I’m planning to have Ichiha and Tomoe go to school together.”

“M-Me, go to school?!” Tomoe looked surprised.

I grinned and nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been talking with Hakuya about it. There’s a lot you can learn from living as part of a group. Hakuya wants you to go to school and learn the things you can’t learn with just a private tutor. I’m still debating whether to choose the Academy (for academic subjects) or the Officer’s Academy (for military subjects), though.”

“I-I’ll... be going to school with Ichiha...” Tomoe was shaken up by the news, but she seemed happy. Her expression was one of confusion, but her wolf tail was wagging away, so it was easy to tell.

Then, having put his thoughts in order, Duke Chima put on his affable middle-aged man smile. “Ohh, if that’s how it is, then please!”

It seemed he’d decided it would be a good thing to have a line of contact with our country.

“You’re fine with this, as well, right, Ichiha?” he asked.

“Y-Yes, Father!” Ichiha nodded his head.

Relieved, I extended my right hand. “Good. Well then, Ichiha. It’ll be a pleasure to have you.”

“Yes. I’ll be in your care.”

Ichiha and I exchanged a firm handshake.

The other people gathered here looked at us as if they weren’t sure just what they had witnessed.

They were likely befuddled by the fact that the King of Friedonia, who they thought had turned down the prize, had obtained the youngest brother, who hadn’t been included in it.

However, the youngest brother of the Chimas was famous for being an oddball, so no one raised an objection to it. In fact...

“He led in all those troops, and all he got for it was the youngest brother. It’s hardly worth the bother.”

There were even those who blatantly mocked Ichiha like that. It was probably in attempt to praise me, but I found it distasteful they felt they had to belittle Ichiha to do it.

Well, there was no need to explain what made Ichiha so valuable to people like that, so I just gave them a polite smile and left it at that.

As Ichiha looked down in response to the harsh words, I put a hand on his head and said in a voice only he could hear, “Let them say what they please. You were all I wanted from the very beginning.”

“Souma...”

I grinned. “If you had been included in the reward to begin with, I’m sure I’d have chosen you without giving up my position as the greatest contributor. Even if that meant coming into conflict with Fuuga.”

Ichiha finally smiled a little for me.

Elfrieden Historical Idiom Lessons: Number 6

“To Gain the Youngest Brother of House Chima”

Type: Proverb

Meaning:

1. To gain little in exchange for a lot of hard work.

2. For the thing everyone left behind to actually be an incredible treasure.

Origin: This idiom has meant different things at different times. At first, it was said with meaning (1). It comes from Souma, who led reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations and then brought back Ichiha Chima, who was then thought to be without talent, as his prize. However, as the hidden potential of Ichiha Chima blossomed, it took on meaning (2), which was the opposite.

Equivalent Expressions:

1. “Great pains all in vain.”

2. “There is fortune to be found in that which others leave behind.”

Chapter 6: A Troublesome Present

About two days had passed since the celebration.

We had managed to sweep the monsters from this land, but we were going to remain until we learned the current state of the demon wave.

And so, two days later, the situation in each country became clear.

According to reports from the Black Cats, with the destruction of the monsters gathered in the Duchy of Chima, the number of monsters attacking all countries had fallen noticeably. They felt that the United Forces of the Union of Eastern Nations could handle the rest, meaning we were no longer needed here.

While we were packing up the Friedonian National Defense Force’s camps to withdraw, I heard a voice.

“Hey! Souma. Heading home already?” Fuuga suddenly rode up to us on Durga the flying tiger.

“Fuuga?” I asked, surprised.

His sudden appearance made Aisha wary, but the man had Mutsumi behind him and Yuriga in front of his saddle, so he probably wasn’t here to stir up trouble.

“You look like you’re in a hurry,” Fuuga commented, looking at the soldiers busily running around. With an easy jump down from Durga’s back, he helped Mutsumi and Yuriga down as well, and asked, “Couldn’t you have taken things a little slower?”

“Not an option, I’m afraid. We can’t be away from the country for too long. Just keeping a force this large here incurs massive expenses, and with the demon wave handled, I want to hurry back home.”

The Union of Eastern Nations didn’t have as many paved roads as the kingdom, so we couldn’t use methods like the rhinosaurus train for shipping. We would have to take the long, slow way home, so I wanted to set off quickly.

Hakuya had told me to hurry back as soon as our business was done, for one thing. Besides, Liscia was due soon, so I had personal reasons to hurry back, as well.

Madam Mutsumi walked forward and bowed her head to me. “Sir Souma, thank you very much for the reinforcements you brought us.”

“I already said this last night, but all we did was show up at the end to wipe out the remaining enemies. There’s no need for excessive thanks.”

“Even so, it’s a fact that you saved this country.” Mutsumi raised her face and smiled. “I’d also like to ask you to take good care of Ichiha. He’s mature for his age, but he’s weak and timid, so I’m a little worried about him.”

“Ha ha, I’m sure he’ll be fine. I know how mature he is from talking to him, and he seems to be on good terms with my little sister, too, so I think he’ll be fine.”

With that, I looked in the direction of the three kids, Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga, who were saying their goodbyes.

“Bye now, Yuriga,” said Tomoe.

“Take care, Yuriga,” Ichiha added.

“Oh... Yeah...”

Huh? Tomoe and Ichiha were acting normal, but Yuriga seemed a little quiet. She didn’t have her usual strong personality.

Even so, she crossed her arms and arched her back so her chest stuck out, as if she were trying to put on a show of being the older one despite that.

“Well... It wasn’t so bad being with you two. It felt like I’d gained a little brother and sister. You keep doing your best when you get back to the kingdom.”

“A little brother...?” Ichiha murmured.

“Could it be you’re feeling lonely, Yuriga?” Tomoe asked straight-out.

Yuriga’s face turned a bright red. “Wh-Who’s lonely?! You’re acting too cheeky, kid!” (Pinch.)

“I shaid, don’t pinsh my cheeksh like that!”

“Yuriga, the way you’re acting is like a lonely kid throwing a tantrum, you know?” Ichiha pointed out.

“Shove off! I’ll pinch yours, too!”

“Ow... Let’s run, Ichiha!”

“R-Right!”

Breaking free from Yuriga’s hands, Tomoe took Ichiha’s hand and ran off.

Yuriga chased after them, shouting, “Wait!”

The three shouted and made a ruckus as they ran around inside the main camp. If they’d been fighting, I would have stopped it, but Tomoe seemed to be laughing and having fun, so it was probably fine.

...Hold on, was Tomoe having fun by teasing Yuriga about being so direct with her emotions?

Maybe when Tomoe grew up she was going to be the same sort of devilish beauty that Juna was. I felt like I could see hints of it already.

While I was feeling newfound worry for our beloved younger sister’s future (though I questioned whether it was fair to look at it like that), Fuuga suddenly clapped his hands as if he’d just remembered something.

“Ohh, Yuriga just reminded me. Hey, Souma.”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to ask, can I leave Yuriga with you in the kingdom?”

““Huh?!”” Yuriga and I cried out in simultaneous surprise.

What was this guy saying, out of nowhere?

“Wh-What are you saying so suddenly, Big Brother?!” Yuriga exclaimed. “Sending me to the kingdom...!”

It seemed Yuriga shared my opinion...

Wait, even Yuriga, the one most affected, was only hearing this now?

Seriously, what was he thinking?

“What are your intentions?” I asked slowly.

“You were talking about sticking your pipsqueak and the pipsqueak who’s going to be my brother-in-law in school, right? When I heard that, it made me want to put Yuriga in a large school, too. We don’t have those sorts of facilities in Malmkhitan, you see.”

“Big Brother! I can read, write, and do arithmetic! If you say you want me to study more at this point, I would rather it be at your side learning to become a commander who can help you!”

Fuuga put a hand down on her head. “Your potential as a commander isn’t bad. But that’s all it is, and you’ll reach your limits quickly if you only learn to be a warrior. Fortunately, your head isn’t half bad, either. If you amass knowledge and become a wise general, or an internal administrator, I think you can be a great success.”

“B-But...”

“Besides, I’m going to be getting busy. I’ll be welcoming Mutsumi as my bride, after all. Even if you stayed in Malmkhitan, I wouldn’t have the same time for you as before. So, why not go to the Kingdom of Friedonia with your fighting buddies? Come back to me someday as someone who can help realize my dream.”

Yuriga glanced toward Tomoe and Ichiha.

She must have been wondering whether to stay with Fuuga, who she would have less time with, or go to the kingdom and attend school with Tomoe and Ichiha.

Yuriga thought about it in silence for a while, but ultimately she nodded. “I understand. I will learn in the kingdom, and make sure I become a person who can help you!”

Then she clenched her fists in determination.

Wait, hold on! Why were they moving this discussion along without any input from us?!

“I haven’t said we’ll take her yet, you realize?” I pointed out.

“Well, do me a favor,” Fuuga said, throwing his arm around my shoulder.

This position... it was scary because, with Fuuga’s strength, he could easily strangle me to death.

Even Fuuga was unlikely to do anything to me with the strongest warriors in the kingdom all here, mind you, but...

I mean, he wouldn’t, right?

It was a bit scary, so I wanted him to let go.

When I looked, Aisha had her hand on the hilt of her greatsword, and Juna already had a throwing knife in hand ready to go, while Naden’s hair was standing on end.

They were expressing that if he did anything funny, they would slash, or throw at, or shock him.

Fuuga whispered in my ear, “Well, obviously... this isn’t just about Yuriga studying.”

I whispered back, “She’s your precious sister, right? What are you thinking, leaving her with us?”

“I’m doing it because she’s my precious sister.” Fuuga gave a crooked smile that showed off his fang-like teeth. “There’s about to be a lot of movement in my country. Internally, I plan to exterminate the hostile races remaining in Malmkhitan, while externally I intend to head into the Demon Lord’s Domain with support from the countries of the Union of Eastern Nations. In that process, I expect things to get wild, if only temporarily.”

“...You’re serious about that.”

“Of course. I don’t say things I’m not prepared to make a reality.”

With the understanding that the demons were only deep inside the Demon Lord’s Domain, he would march in there with only the people from his own country. Was he truly trying to carry out what he had spoken of that day?

Then Fuuga suddenly smiled. “There’s a risk of my relatives being targeted at that point. Mutsumi has the wits and power to defend herself, but Yuriga is still little. There could be people who’d try to abduct her to use as a hostage. When I consider the worst outcomes, I think it would be best to leave her far away, in the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“I see... Does Madam Mutsumi know about this?”

“Sure. Mutsumi agreed with me.”

When I looked in Madam Mutsumi’s direction, she gave me a slight nod.

Take care of my sister-in-law, Yuriga. Was that what it was supposed to mean?

If she approved of what Fuuga was doing here, that meant she knew he was about to embark on a huge gamble. Even knowing she faced danger herself, she was choosing to follow Fuuga down his path of conquest. I saw something that overlapped with Liscia in her eyes.

“You’ve found a good wife,” I said. “Don’t do too much to make her sad, okay?”

“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll do my best. I’ll definitely protect Mutsumi. I have to show her my world, like I promised to.”

They’d talked about that, huh...

I see. Like Liscia had bet on me, Madam Mutsumi had done the same with Fuuga.

They had bet their own futures.

I let out a sigh of admiration for them as I said to Fuuga, “I understand the situation, but are you sure this is all right? You haven’t considered that I might take Yuriga hostage?”

“You’d never lay a hand on Yuriga.” With the eyes of a large predator, Fuuga smirked. “I don’t really understand you. You’re not strong, yet you have many followers. You have tens of thousands of men at your command, yet you are not trying to do anything.”

I was silent.

“Even if you outnumbered me five-to-one, I don’t think I could lose. But if it came to a fight, I feel like it would become a quagmire. Like it would turn into an annoying battle. That’s my prediction. I think, if possible, I’d rather not fight you. You feel something similar about me, don’t you?”

“...Well, yeah,” I nodded. “In my case, it’s not ‘if possible,’ though. I absolutely don’t want to fight you.”

If he was going to be so open about it, I couldn’t dodge the issue.

Fuuga slapped his belly as if to say, I knew it! “It’s an honor to have the king of a great country so wary of me. So, given that you don’t want to oppose me, you would never lay a hand on Yuriga and incur my wrath. If anything, you’d go out of your way to defend her properly, wouldn’t you?”

He was right, so I couldn’t deny it.

If we took Yuriga into our care in the kingdom, I was sure I’d monitor her to keep her from learning anything confidential, but I would give her maximum protection.

“So? What do we gain holding onto Yuriga for you?” I asked.

“I’ll owe you one.”

“If the need arises, you won’t hesitate to back out on any obligation or duty, will you?”

I said it nastily, but Fuuga responded with a jolly laugh.

“I won’t deny it. But Yuriga is my only remaining relative with the exception of Mutsumi, who’s becoming my wife. I wouldn’t go out of my way to start trouble with the country where she’s staying.”

“I don’t know if I should believe that...”

This being Fuuga, I couldn’t be overconfident. Still, it was probably true that I could expect her to be a somewhat effective deterrent. It was a card it was better to have than not, that was all, but it was not bad to have something prepared to deal with Fuuga, no matter how insignificant.

“...Okay,” I said. “We’ll take Yuriga in.”

“Ha ha ha, it’s a big help.” Fuuga released the arm around my shoulder.

When Fuuga moved away, Aisha, Juna, and Naden stood down, too. I was glad we’d ended that without a clash.

Putting a hand on top of Yuriga’s head, Fuuga said, “Everything’s sorted out. Go to the kingdom and study hard.”

“I will! I’ll do my best, Big Brother!” Yuriga said with spirit.

With another smirk, Fuuga approached me again and said in a quiet voice, “I know I said you’d never lay a hand on Yuriga, but if you want to lay a hand on her sexually, I don’t mind, you know?”

“Huh?! What are you saying?!”

Yuriga was what, thirteen? There was no way I was touching that.

However, Fuuga laughed in amusement. “No, no, I’m not saying you’d do it right now. I expect to leave Yuriga with you until she graduates school. I’m sure several years from now she’ll be beautiful, so maybe you’re going to want to have a go at her?”

“As if!” I snapped.

“Well, if you do, I’ll see to it that you marry her properly. That would make you my brother-in-law. I’ll see to it you pay me respect as your older brother.”

“...I want no part of that.”

Being Fuuga’s brother-in-law? Count me out. I’d be in for as much trouble as Azai Nagamasa had with Nobunaga.

Then Fuuga slapped me in the back. “Well, anyway, I’m leaving Yuriga in your hands.”

“Ow... Fine.”

I figured the brother-in-law talk was just a joke, but it was scary that I didn’t know how serious he was about it.

And so, having had a troublesome present thrust upon us at the last moment, we set out on our return to the kingdom where Liscia was waiting.

Chapter 7: The State of Various Countries

— One day in the 1st month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar, in the Northeast of the Kingdom —

It happened while Souma was still in the Union of Eastern Nations.

In the east of the kingdom, the National Naval Defense Force under the command of Castor was engaged in patrol duties. As they advanced not in the top secret island-type carrier, but in five of the traditional sea dragon pulled iron battleships, Castor’s ship received a report.

That message, delivered by a messenger kui trained specially for naval use, informed him of a clash between the kingdom’s fisherman and fishermen from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union who had been fishing in the kingdom’s waters illegally.

What was more, there were armed ships on the side of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, and their attacks had forced the kingdom’s fishermen to retreat.

When Castor received the report, he immediately headed for the point where the clash was said to have occurred.

From his seat in the captain’s chair, Castor glared in irritation at the sea ahead.

These clashes have become more frequent lately. We’ve only had people wounded so far, but sooner or later, someone is going to die. Once that happens, there’s no stopping it. It’s a cycle of hatred. Do these Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago guys plan to kick off a war?

Even if it came to war, Castor thought the kingdom would win.

It was true that a naval conflict played to the advantages of a maritime state like the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, but the kingdom had their secret weapon, the wyvern-bearing island-type carrier, Hiryuu.

The Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union would probably not be able to respond immediately to a weapon which went against the common sense of this world, which said that wyvern cavalry couldn’t be used at sea because wyverns feared going far enough out that they couldn’t see the land.

Besides, on that island they had secretly built into a carrier, his former vassals who were now the wyvern cavalry were engaged in intense training to improve themselves to this very day. He couldn’t see them losing to anyone.

Still, if we can avoid fighting, that’s for the best.

Even if he was confident they could win, nothing in war was absolute. The unexpected could happen.

Besides, they had just fought a war with the corrupt nobles and the Principality of Amidonia last year, and they were dispatching reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations now. Frequent military campaigns would exhaust the country.

Well, not that I’m in a position to talk...

Though it was the product of many different intentions and situations intertwining, Castor felt a heavy sense of responsibility for having opposed Souma last year. He resolved to work himself to the bone for this country this time.

He imagined what a war with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago would be like. Wars at sea aren’t like wars on land.

In the war with Amidonia, their aim had only been to take one city, so it had been possible to end it in a short period of time. But an all-out war with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago would be troublesome.

There may be routes in the sea, but there’s no land. With a single naval battle, we can gain superiority in maritime trade, but unless we take the land where their ports and docks are, the enemy fleet can recover as many times as they have to. That said, it would be difficult to make an agglomeration of island countries, like the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, fully submit.

Even if they took an island, maintaining it would be difficult. Those islands were separated from the Kingdom of Friedonia by the sea, and he’d heard lifestyles on each island were drastically different from in the kingdom, of course, but even from each other. It would be difficult to put a magistrate in place to administer them.

Just winning’s not going to be enough, yeah. Honestly... When I was fighting in the air, brute force was everything, but there’s just too much holding us back on land.

Castor let out an exasperated sigh.

In the past, Castor would have been excited just at the chance to fight, but now he was thinking about what would happen after the war, too.

This was proof of his growth since losing to Souma and being properly reeducated by Excel, but he probably didn’t realize it himself.

“Captain, that is our destination.”

When his second-in-command told him that, Castor squinted.

He saw a fleet of about ten fishing vessels and medium-sized armed vessels deployed as if to protect them. As if to work himself up, Castor adjusted his captain’s hat.

“Okay. Today’s the day we find out what they’re up to. Send a message to all ships. ‘Ignore the fishing vessels; focus on capturing the armed ships.’”

If things followed the usual pattern, the illegal fishing fleet would flee the moment the National Naval Defense Force showed up. Then, in order to let them escape, the faster medium-sized armed ships would rapidly close in on them for a hit-and-run style attack to confuse the National Naval Defense Force before fending off pursuing attacks.

The medium-sized armed ships of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago were made of wood, and instead of sea dragons, they were drawn by horned doldons, which were creatures that were like dolphins with a unicorn-like horn attached.

These horned doldons might not have the same pulling power, but their swimming speed and maneuverability far outstripped that of sea dragons.

For that reason, in a moving battle, the National Naval Defense Force was unable to capture the armed vessels.

Castor was well aware of that fact.

“I’ve gotten used to how they move,” Castor announced. “There’s no need to match their speed! Do not change heading, but remain fixed on the direction the fishing ships fled! Prepare for bombardment!”

“But Captain!” his second-in-commander protested. “If we simply fire as we pursue another target, I believe it will be difficult to hit an enemy with their maneuverability!”

Castor shook his head. “There’s no real need to hit them. We’ll see how they move, and fire where they’re likely to go. I’m sure they won’t go anywhere that’s already being bombarded. When we’ve naturally placed restrictions on their course, we can kill their mobility.”

“I see. Roger.”

As expected, the three armed ships moved to shield the fishing ships, closing in toward Castor’s fleet.

The National Naval Defense Force fleet followed Castor’s orders, deliberately not targeting the armed ships and firing where they were likely to go.

Boom... Splash! Boom... Splash!

There was the repeated sound of cannonballs firing, and then them impacting the surface of the sea and raising a pillar of water.

Though the armed ships kept trying to use their maneuverability to make fools of them, with the cannonballs and pillars of water, their courses were blocked and they couldn’t move around well.

Castor watched calmly from beyond the brim of his captain’s hat. “I more or less have it figured out.”

“Huh?”

“Artillery! Direction: two o’clock! Distance: eighty!”

When Castor yelled into the speaking tube, the artillery fire began as commanded.

Boom... Crunch!

There was a hit on the prow of one of the armed ships that had been trying to turn while avoiding the cannonballs and pillars of water.

It tore the front off the boat, severing the reins that bound it to the horned doldon, and the now-free horned doldon swam off to the east.

“Target struck! Medium damage to enemy ship!” Seeing the incredible hit, Castor’s second-in-command looked at Castor with surprise. “Th-That was magnificent. I’m impressed that you could hit it...”

“When I was in the Air Force, we had to calculate the wind currents so that explosive barrels we dropped would hit their targets. This is a cinch for me.”

Castor made it sound easy, but it went without saying that this was an insanely advanced skill. It was the product of his experience as General of the Air Force and his training in the navy.

While the second-in-command was exasperated, the remaining two ships gave up on any further distraction as too difficult and began to withdraw.

The ship with its prow damaged was listing heavily and beginning to sink, but they must have decided rescuing them was too dangerous with the National Defense Force here.

They cut loose a meager number of life boats into the sea and then headed off to the east.

The crew abandoned the sinking ship, swimming desperately for the life boats that had been left behind.

Confident that his opponents had no will to resist, Castor gave an order to the whole ship. “Cease hostilities. We will now go to save those thrown overboard. Every one of them is a valuable source of information. In order to find out what’s going on in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, save as many lives as you can!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Then Castor’s fleet rescued all of the crew from the armed ship, loading them aboard and returning to Lagoon City.

The prisoners would likely be questioned by the National Naval Defense Force, and then Souma or Hakuya would decide what was to be done with them.

I hope we can learn something from this... Castor thought as he sat in the Captain’s chair on a ship returning to port.

◇　◇　◇

— At the same time, in the northwest of the kingdom —

In the mercantile district of a walled city near the border with the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, a large woman in her mid-thirties wearing armor was walking with a slovenly man who was casually wearing the vestments of a Lunarian Orthodox priest.

They were the female general of the former Principality of Amidonia, who Souma had entrusted with preparations against the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, and the rotten Bishop Souji Lester who had come from the Orthodox Papal State.

When they walked through the town, people frequently came up to speak to them.

“Lady Margarita, please shake my hand.”

“I’m always listening to you sing. You have such a lovely, powerful voice.”

“Could I ask you to pat my child on the head?”

The words Margarita received from young women were all of praise and respect.

Meanwhile, the words Souji received...

“Hey, Bishop. Why don’t you come here and join us for a drink?”

“Hey, worldly bishop, come listen to my drunken confession.”

“Hey, you, when are you going to pay for your drinks from last time? I’m not putting any more on your tab.”

Well, as you could imagine, a lot of them were from drunkards or the old lady who ran the bar.

Margarita looked at Souji with a wry smile. “You’re a popular one, aren’t you, Sir Souji?”

“Geez, that sounds nothing if not sarcastic. I only get talked to by old women and drunk old men. I’d rather be popular with the young ladies, like you.”

“Isn’t that because you show up at the bar to drink every night?”

“I don’t have anything else to do, so what’s the harm? My old haunt looks like it’s keeping quiet, after all.”

“...True enough. We’ve seen no sign of any activity.”

These two had been deployed here to prepare against the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, but the Orthodox Papal State was showing no sign of acting, and this border was oddly quiet.

Right now, close to half of the army had been dispatched to the Union of Eastern Nations as reinforcements, and the provisional king Souma was away on top of that.

It was a prime opportunity to pull something, but the Orthodox Papal State was showing no signs of moving. That was actually more disturbing.

“There have been no reports of their forces approaching the border, after all...” Margarita crossed her arms and cocked her head to the side.

Souji let out a snorting laugh. “Well, knowing that country, they’ll incite the believers here before they move troops themselves. That’s why you, who are beloved by the people of the Amidonia Region, and I, who am an obstacle to their incitement, were sent here, but... I don’t hear anything about orders being given to the believers.”

Margarita narrowed her eyes at him. “Is it possible that you’re just not aware of it?”

Souji shrugged. “I’ve asked the drunken adherents at all the bars I go around to, but nothing. Drunks will blab about anything, you know. If nothing along those lines is coming out of their mouths, that probably means there’ve been no commands at the level of the believers.”

“I thought you were just going out and drinking, but it seems you were doing what you ought to, after all.”

Margarita sounded impressed, but Souji just cackled.

“Yeah, I’m doing my job. So maybe I can get the king to pay my tab, huh?”

“...It seems you did it half out of a desire to drink, after all.”

“No arguments here. How about it, will you drink with me tonight? I happen to like glamorous gals like you.”

He was attempting to woo her, but Margarita was having none of it. “Unfortunately, you will have to try someone else. I am married, you see.”

“Huh?! You’re married?!”

“Is that such a surprise? I’m old enough to be.”

“No, but... I’ve never heard a thing about this...”

The bold General Margarita who feared no man had a man. Souji tried to imagine what kind of hero he must be, but Margarita shyly scratched at her cheek.

“Well, I won’t disagree that my husband doesn’t have much of a presence. He was originally a bureaucrat, and he’s a bit scrawny. Now he manages my domain in Amidonia and raises the children.”

“A bureaucrat?! Wait, you have kids, too?!”

“That was why I didn’t want to wear that dress for the Kouhaku red and white song battle.”

By the way, it seemed that Margarita’s husband and children had definitely seen her sing wearing that gaudy eighteen-meter dress Roroa had made for her over the broadcast. When she had returned, they’d kindly told her, “You did great.” And Margarita’s face had looked like it might spontaneously combust.

Margarita coughed to hid her embarrassment. “What about you, Sir Souji? You’re old enough; shouldn’t you be settling down yourself? Lunarian Orthodoxy doesn’t forbid its preachers from marrying, does it?”

“Womanizing is a taboo, though.”

“You’ve already broken that one, I’m sure. Did I not hear you were living with an elf-eared girl?”

“You mean Merula? When it comes to her... she’s more like my pet.”

“That sounds even more indecent, you realize?”

“It’s like feeding a stray cat. That curveless shrimp isn’t my type at... Hm?”

In the middle of talking, Souji stopped and looked in front of them.

From the looks of it, someone was coming their way. It was a middle-aged woman wearing the robes of a Lunarian Orthodox nun.

The nun stopped in front of Souji, out of breath. “Lord Souji... W-We have trouble...”

“What happened? Why the rush?”

“F-From the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State...”

Then, stopping to catch her breath, she brought her face to Souji’s ear and whispered to him.

“The saint has come from the Orthodox Papal State incognito. She says she wants to speak with you.”

Souji and Margarita visited a Lunarian Orthodox church on the edge of town.

Having Margarita stand by outside in case something should happen, Souji opened the door and entered the holy hall.

He saw someone wearing a hooded cape that covered the whole body sitting by the altar.

When he circled around in front of that person, Souji’s eyes went wide. “Well, color me surprised. It really is the saint girl.”

“It’s been awhile, Bishop Lester.”

When that person stood up, two pigtails fell out from inside her hood.

The shape of her face was beautiful, but pale and without life. This doll-like girl was the saint of Lunarian Orthodoxy, Mary Valenti.

While feeling suspicious, Souji didn’t let it show on his face as he casually asked, “What’s a great saint doing coming to the kingdom unannounced? If you’re not careful, they’ll catch you.”

However, Mary’s face didn’t move in the slightest.

“If it happens, it happens. I’ll simply request an audience with your Sir Souma from prison. That is the only reason I’ve come here, after all.”

“You came all this way just to see me? I had figured you fervent believers would hate an irresponsible bishop like me.”

“If I may speak my personal opinion, you’re right.”

“You’re forthright...”

“Sir Souji, you should be more aware of your role as a bishop of Lunarian Orthodoxy, and comport yourself in a way that befits that position.” Mary preached at him with a serious look on her face. “Though you are a man of the cloth, who ought to live a life of honorable poverty, you are infamous in the Orthodox Papal State for your fondness for wine and women. That hasn’t changed since you came to the kingdom, has it? That is unforgivable for the person who must unite the adherents of orthodoxy in the kingdom.”

“Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the sermon.” Souji dug the earwax out of his ears.

He was simply not equipped to repent after being given a sermon by a girl that much younger than him.

“Did you come all the way to the kingdom to lecture me?”

“...No. I say this strictly as my own personal opinion.”

“In that case, can we move on to the point?” he asked in irritation.

Mary’s face took on a sad look as she said, “The Lunalith has handed down a new oracle.”

“An oracle? Already?”

The Lunarian Orthodox Papal State centered their faith around a monolith called the Lunalith.

The oracles appeared by forming text on the Lunalith.

The Lunarian Orthodox Papal State based its rule and foreign policies on the oracles that appeared on the Lunalith. However, oracles were only supposed to appear once every five years or so.

It was said they had prophesied the emergence of the Demon Lord’s Domain around ten years ago.

Then, just around a year ago, an oracle had descended saying, “Send a saint to Souma who was summoned from another world, and place him under the influence of your own country.”

That plan had been cleverly thwarted by Souma, and though they had succeeded in making Lunarian Orthodoxy the state religion, it was a position shared with other religions, and the saint had been sent back so that they were unable to place him under their influence. It was fifty-fifty on whether it was a success or not.

After one had come down so recently, had a new oracle descended already?

“Isn’t the period a little short?” Souji asked.

“There have been precedents in the past. Though they say that when the time between oracles is short, the times are changing rapidly.”

“So, what’s the oracle?”

“‘Northeast,’ ‘rising sun,’ ‘light that covers the world’... and ‘burning countries.’”

“Huh? That’s pretty fragmented.”

“I’m told that’s how oracles from the Lunalith are,” Mary told a dubious Souji. “This is something only told to those in the upper echelons of Lunarian Orthodoxy, but we haven’t accurately deciphered all of the oracles from the Lunalith. However, we can understand parts of them, so we piece them together and infer their meaning.”

“Whuh?! The oracles are that vague?!”

Even for Souji this was a shocking revelation.

The oracles were a secret among secrets in the Orthodox Papal State. They said the Orthodox Papal State was ruled under the guidance of the Lunalith, but the truth was they could only read bits and pieces of it. That meant they were moving the faithful around on that sort of incomplete understanding.

A cold sweat ran down Souji’s back. “...Is it all right telling me something only the higher-ups know?”

“Normally, this is information neither you nor I would be able to learn... however, the situation that is unfolding inside the Orthodox Papal State makes it impossible to enforce that.” Mary lowered her eyes in sadness. “There were some disconcerting words in the oracle.”

“‘Burning countries,’ you mean?”

“Yes. The Orthodox Papal State’s higher-ups are divided over the meaning of these words. For ‘northeast,’ ‘rising sun,’ and ‘light that covers the world,’ they are united in their belief that it likely means, ‘A great man with influence that will cover the world will appear in the northeast.’ However, they are divided on what the ‘burning countries’ that will likely be burned at his hands are.”

Mary held up the index finger of her right hand for Souji to see.

“First, there is the group who see this great man as a threat. They think the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State may be one of the burned countries, and they propose that countermeasures must be prepared. Their main countermeasure is to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Friedonia. We may not have been able to make King Souma into the holy king, but activities of believers in the country are protected. If he were our ally, we would have a reliable backer. This group are the relative moderates, you could say.”

“Hmm...”

In that case, Souji thought Souma might accept it. It would mean a burden for Souma, but not having to worry about the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State when he handled that rising faction would be huge. He wouldn’t have to worry about them inciting the faithful inside the country anymore. If they were dealing with them not as the center of a religion, but as another equal ally, the kingdom would benefit from cordial relations, too.

Mary raised the index finger of her left hand. “The other group are the ones who have high hopes for this great man. They say that if a great man with such massive power is going to appear, we should send a saint, grant him authority, and bring him into the fold. Just like... when I was sent to be with Souma. This group is actively attempting to oppose other countries, so they’re being called the radical faction.”

“Radicals... More like extremists, right?”

“I won’t deny it.”

Well... I guess you’d expect there to be a group like that, Souji thought with a sigh.

The Orthodox Papal State gave Lunaria’s authority to the power holders of the era, and received their protection in return. That was how the country had maintained influence over their citizens and believers up until today.

If it was looked at as the survival strategy of a nation, there wouldn’t be anything more to say, but since it was his old home, Souji thought they were shameless.

“So? Which group has the upper hand now?”

“The radicals,” said Mary. “I think the failure to make Souma a holy king played a large part in that. The Gran Chaos Empire in the west has their own saint, and they’ve failed to form strong bonds with the Kingdom of Friedonia in the west, so the higher-ups were feeling a sense of crisis.”

Empress Maria had never declared herself a saint, and wasn’t backed by anyone as one, but that must have been how it looked to the Orthodox Papal State.

Mary continued. “For the radicals, if a new faction that can oppose these two countries is going to form, they see it as imperative that we form strong bonds with them this time.”

Because Souma skillfully dodged ending up under Lunarian Orthodoxy’s influence, he’s ended up pushing the Orthodox Papal State’s higher-ups into a corner, Souji noted.

And Souji carried a part of the responsibility for that, too.

With a rotten bishop like Souji in between them, the faithful inside the kingdom hadn’t had to listen to orders from the Orthodox Papal State. There was no worry about the church stirring them up into riots, either.

That had the result of making the higher echelons of the Orthodox Papal State panic, and ironically fed the creation of a radical faction that were eager to join hands with a great man whose identity was as yet unknown in order to counter the kingdom and the Empire.

“The moderates are already starting to be purged by the radicals,” Mary went on. “Cardinal Gold, who you were so fond of, was indicted for adultery and corrupt acquisition of wealth.”

“Well, the old guy had it coming to him.”

Cardinal Gold had risen through the ranks with the power of money. He was a corpulent man far from any ideal of noble poverty.

Souji had paid bribes to the man so that he had a free hand to do as he pleased while he was inside the Orthodox Papal State, but he’d had absolutely no respect for him as a human being.

Hearing that the man had been punished, I guess it was time he paid the piper, was all he thought of it.

“Well, which side are you on, little missie?” Souji asked.

“The cardinal looking after me belongs to the former.”

“I was asking for your personal decision, you know?”

“I... don’t know. No, perhaps ‘I don’t know anymore’ might be the more accurate answer.”

Mary stood up and looked at the stained glass mosaic. It depicted the goddess Lunaria descending from the heavens.

“When I heard King Souma say he would recognize not just Lunarian Orthodoxy, but other religions as the state religion, I thought he was acting haphazardly. That was because I thought different religions, different sects, couldn’t possibly coexist without conflict. I felt pity for the believers in this country who were forced to live under such a king.”

Souji was quiet.

“However... now that I see it, there have been no major conflicts, the believers inside the kingdom are not restricted in their activities, and they practice their faith at ease. More than that... Sir Souji, you carried out the Spring Announcement Festival inside the kingdom, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, it was Young Miss Roroa’s idea.”

Mary put on a slight wry smile. “I think there may be some issue with calling a woman who is going to become queen ‘young miss,’ you realize?”

“She calls me ‘old man,’ so I’d say we’re even.”

“You’re close... Well, setting that aside, I heard that many pagans participated in that Spring Announcement Festival. It’s a festival announcing the end of winter and praising the glory of Lady Lunaria, and yet pagans who refuse to convert and believe in Lady Lunaria participated and enjoyed the festival with the believers. When I heard about that, I was very surprised.”

“It goes both ways, though. Even orthodox adherents are taking part in Mother Dragon Worship’s festivals.”

“Yes. There were those in the Orthodox Papal State who were angry, saying, ‘This is outrageous.’ But I couldn’t see it as a bad thing. It’s strange. When we have discord emerging between members of the same faith in our country, a country that is a mix of many different religions has more mutual respect for each other’s beliefs.”

“Young lady, you’ve...”

...really changed, thought Souji.

The people called saints in Lunarian Orthodoxy were beautiful dolls who were absolutely loyal to the higher-ups in the Orthodox Papal State. They had no thoughts of their own, never doubted orders, and were offered up to powerful and influential men regardless of how they themselves might feel. That was how saints were meant to be.

However, Mary was unsure. It was proof she was thinking for herself.

Mary turned to Souji and bowed her head. “I’ve come with a request for you today.”

“A request?”

“Yes. To be more precise, I have a request I want you to pass along to Sir Souma.”

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, Souji scratched at his head. “That’s fine for you to say, but I was dispatched here by the Orthodox Papal State. I can’t say anything about what the king here does. I don’t have any right to, you know?”

Mary nodded as if that much was self-evident. “I know. This is not too difficult. I am asking that he protect people. I’m asking that he protect those who will lose their place in the Orthodox Papal State should the radicals rise any further... or my sisters, at the very least.”

“Sisters?” Souji repeated.

“The hundred or so candidates for sainthood.”

In order to place the rulers of the time under their influence, the Lunarian Orthodoxy sent saints to them as a way of giving them authority.

Those saints, of course, had to be appealing to those in power, so the Lunarian Orthodoxy always maintained a stable of a hundred or so “saint candidates” so they could cater to all sorts of demands.

Mary had been chosen for Souma from among those saint candidates.

“If the radicals send a saint to the great man who it is said will appear in the northeast, and that great man accepts the saint, the rest of the saint candidates will become a liability. In order to monopolize the authority of Lunarian Orthodoxy, I’m sure the rest of the saints will be purged. If this great man is of such a fierce temperament that it results in ‘burning countries,’ that is more or less a certainty.”

“Well, I’m sure you’re right...” Souji admitted. “Are you the one they’ll send?”

“I am the saint prepared for Sir Souma. I’m sure that, for another great man, they will prepare a saint suited to that great man.”

“So, you’re going to be a liability, too...” Souji crossed his arms and groaned.

He’d known that Lunarian Orthodoxy had several saint candidates. For as long as those girls weren’t chosen, they were treated well as individual nuns, so he’d never thought much about it before.

However, internal conflict and external factors could easily mess with their fates. That was the kind of weak position those girls found themselves in.

For his part, Souji wanted to save those innocent girls, too.

“I get it. I’ll at least pass the message to Souma. I’ll persuade him if he’s hesitant, and I’ll press my head against the ground and beg him to at least protect the saint candidates.”

“You have my gratitude, Sir Souji.”

“So, if you feel a threat to your well-being, you run, too. You may be a saint, but you’re still young. There’s no need for you to carry every burden.”

“...Yes.” Tearing up, Mary bowed her head to Souji.

Once the tears had dried, Mary put her hood on again and turned to offer a prayer to the stained glass before silently leaving the church.

Once Souji had seen Mary off, Margarita entered as if taking her place.

“That’s quite the troublesome request she brought you,” Margarita said with a wry smile.

“Well, yeah. Nothing could be more of a pain, but I am, technically, a bishop. I know this isn’t like me, but if there are young maidens who’ve lost their way, I’ve got to extend a helping hand. Fortunately, I can move more easily than any bishop back in the home country.”

When Souji said that, he looked up at the stained glass of Lunaria.

“Was it your guidance that led me to this country?” he asked.

The stained glass image had no answer to his question.

◇　◇　◇

— At the same time, near the western border of the kingdom —

This was close to the border with the Mercenary State Zem.

The Mercenary State Zem was surrounded by mountains, making it a natural state, difficult to invade other countries from, but easy to defend against invasion. There were few roads into Zem, and there was just one mountain road connecting the Kingdom of Friedonia and Zem that was fit for sending troops along.

Up on top of the walls of a city near the border and the road that connected to Zem were two old men, one of them Souma’s martial arts instructor and sounding board, Owen, and the other Roroa’s grandfather, who was the Lord of Nelva, Herman. They stared westward.

These two had been entrusted with handling the Mercenary State Zem, but Zem had made no major moves, so all they had been able to do was remain on guard. Still, it wasn’t that there had been no movement whatsoever.

There was a report from the spies saying they were gathering soldiers near the border. However, those forces showed no sign of crossing the border to invade.

“Hmm...” Playing with his Kaiser mustache, Owen groaned. “It seems Zem is intent on waiting and watching. If the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State or the Republic of Turgis move, I’m sure they’ll act to capitalize on that...”

“That country has always intervened in other countries’ wars and gained land as a reward,” Herman said. “They hardly ever fight a war alone. Sir Gouran has the republic under control now, and the Orthodox Papal State is keeping quiet for the moment, too. It looks like they’ll keep watching like this.”

Owen spun his thick arms in a circle. “How boring. And I felt it was so lucky when His Majesty entrusted this land to us to defend.”

“You should be happy there’s no trouble. Muscle-headed old men from the kingdom are too bloodthirsty for their own good.”

“Hmph, I’d say we’re a sight better than hard-headed old men from the principality.”

When their eyes met, sparks flew.

They were warriors, old commanders, both intent not to lose to the young’uns. That similarity made them each view the other as a sort of rival.

Especially after a large amount of free time with no invasion of Zemish forces, and with no one like Souma or Roroa to make them restrain themselves, they were competing with one another over every little thing.

“I think we’ll have to settle this with another mock battle,” Herman said. “I’ll have you retire from active duty today.”

“I’d have it no other way. I’ll give you time to be a doting grandfather to Princess Roroa.”

The two with too much time on their hands had made a daily event of having mock battles like this. They wouldn’t listen even if someone tried to stop them, so the guards nearby pretended not to see anything.

When these two fierce commanders fought, albeit with blunted weapons, the sound echoed around the city, inciting complaints from the residents.

The guards who would have to deal with those complaints sent resentful glares in the direction of the two energetic old men.

However, the mock battle didn’t begin today. That was because...

“Reporting. There appears to be a single mounted rider approaching from the west.”

A messenger came to report that information to them.

They leaned out over the edge of the wall, looking west, and there was indeed a single rider racing their way.

As the rider approached, they noticed that the rider was wearing an impressive suit of armor and two longswords crossed over their back.

Because their helmet had a full visor, it was impossible to see their face.

“Hoh... Their riding skill is impressive,” Herman commented. “They make a fine knight.”

Herman sounded impressed, but Owen said nothing, only staring at the knight.

That appearance, I’ve seen it before...

Then the knight came up to the gate and raised their voice.

“I speak to the keepers of this city! I bear a message from King Kimbal do Zem of Zem for King Souma Kazuya of Friedonia! Please, accept it, and deliver it to King Souma!”

The knight’s voice was loud, clear, and dignified, yet the slightly higher pitch made it clear it belonged to a woman.

Hearing this voice, Owen’s eyes went wide. “The woman’s voice... It can’t be?!”

“Owen?!”

Before Herman could stop him, Owen jumped over the outer edge of the wall.

Even though the wall was over ten meters high, Owen was able to kill his momentum with wind magic and land safely before rushing over to the female knight.

Looking at her up close, the knight had a long, thin, feline tail that extended from her rump and wrapped around her waist, meaning she was a feline beastman.

“Could it be, you are...”

“See to it that this letter makes it to King Souma.”

Before Owen could finish his question, the female knight pushed the letter into his hands.

Then, immediately turning her horse around, she raced off in the direction she had come.

“H-Hold on! Are you not Lady Mio?!” Owen shouted after her, but the knight raced on without looking back, and eventually vanished out of sight.

Herman came down from the wall and approached Owen who was just standing there “Why the face...? Just who is that female knight?”

“That person is most likely... Lady Mio,” Owen said, seemingly in a daze.

Herman cocked his head to the side. “Lady Mio? I haven’t heard that name before...”

“You were in the Principality of Amidonia, so I suppose you wouldn’t have,” Owen whispered, a pained look on his face as he looked off in the direction the female knight had departed. “Mio Carmine. The daughter of Georg Carmine, the former General of the Army.”

Epilogue 1: Family

— A little past noon, 21st day, 12th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —

“Whew... We finally made it back,” I said, relieved.

“When you see the castle, the exhaustion just melts away, doesn’t it?” Naden agreed, spinning her arms in circles after having returned to human form.

“You’re right, when you see the castle, it really does feel like we’ve come home,” Aisha put in.

“Hee hee! The castle really has become our home now, hasn’t it?” Juna smiled.

Yeah, they were right. We’d finally managed to make it home.

After having returned to Parnam alongside the reinforcements we’d sent to the Union of Eastern Nations, we’d gotten in Naden’s gondola and headed back to Parnam Castle ahead of the rest.

This wasn’t a war, so there would be no triumphant return parade, and the main force would likely just be disbanded outside the castle walls. That work was being left to Kaede, as Ludwin’s second-in-command.

Hakuya and Roroa came out of the castle to greet us.

“Your Majesty, hurry to Princess Liscia’s side,” Hakuya said without preamble.

“Ya better go quick!” Roroa added.

Those were the first things out of their mouths. It seemed they were in a hurry.

“Huh?! Did something happen to Liscia?!” I cried.

Hakuya nodded gravely. “I received word that she went into labor this morning.”

Labor...? She was giving birth?!

Roroa jabbed me in the chest. “The doctors, Hilde and Brad, are already with Big Sis Cia. We’ll be headin’ over there, too, once our work’s done, so get movin’, Darlin’!”

“Is that okay?” I fretted. “Should the king really be heading over there as soon as he gets back?”

Between the administrative work that had built up while I was away, along with dealing with the aftermath of having dispatched troops, there was surely a mountain of work to do. The bureaucrats must want me to return to my duties immediately.

But Hakuya just shrugged his shoulders. “You’re not going to be able to focus on your duties like this, anyway. If your lack of focus causes you to make a series of errors, that only results in more work in the end. Please, let us take care of things ourselves.”

“...Sorry. Thanks.”

I turned and spoke to my fiancées and little sister.

“You heard the man. Naden and I will be going to see Liscia. Aisha, Juna, sorry, but could you sort out the luggage in the gondola? I want you to come later.”

“Y-Yes, sire,” Aisha said.

“Understood.” Juna nodded.

“Roroa, I want you to come once your work is finished, too. Tomoe, show Ichiha and Yuriga to Hakuya’s place. If you want to come too, the three of you are welcome to join us later.”

“Gotcha,” said Roroa. “I’m countin’ on ya to take care of Big Sis Cia.”

“Okay, Big Brother,” Tomoe said obediently.

I straddled Naden’s back in her ryuu form. “Okay, Naden! Go as fast as you can, please.”

“Roger that! Don’t go fainting on me, okay?”

With that, Naden danced up into the air.

The ground sped away from us even more rapidly than normal. Normally, that would have really scared me, but in my haste to get where we were going, I didn’t have the presence of mind left to be scared.

Liscia... Liscia...

With me repeating her name in my head over and over, Naden and I headed straight for the former king Sir Albert’s domain, where Liscia was staying.

Having raced across the sky, Naden and I set down in front of Sir Albert’s manor.

As we did, I spotted the doctor Brad sitting at one of the tables on the veranda which could be seen from the gate. He was wearing a string-like thing diagonally over top of his white clothes.

I approached him, calling his name. “Brad?”

Brad noticed me. “Oh, it’s the king. That’s an interesting getup you’re wearing today.”

I realized I was still in my military uniform. We’d come here right after returning from the Union of Easter Nations, after all. There had been no time to get changed.

“I was in a rush... and, I mean, aren’t you wearing something kind of weird, too?”

“What choice do I have, the way things are here?”

Brad turned to show me his back, and there was a baby less than a year old strapped behind him. It turned out the string running diagonally across the front of his chest was for a baby sling.

When I approached and looked closer at the baby, it seemed to be sleeping. The wispy hair growing on the baby’s head matched Brad’s white hair, but on its forehead was the small, jewel-like third eye that was characteristic of the three-eyed race. Its puffy cheeks were adorable.

“Cute,” I said admiringly. “I’ve heard you have a kid. Is this your kid, Brad?”

“My daughter. Her name is Ludia.”

“Ludia, huh. You took the L and D sounds from the end of Hilde’s name, huh... Wait, I know Ludia’s cute and all, but now’s not the time for this!”

The adorable baby had momentarily distracted me from my original objective.

“I came flying when I heard Liscia had gone into labor, so what are you doing sitting around relaxing here?!”

“Fwah... Wahhhhhhhh!” Because of my shout, Ludia woke and burst out crying.

“Ah, sorry! D-Don’t cry,” I said anxiously.

“There, there... Could you not shout so loudly in front of Ludia?” Brad told me off while trying to soothe the daughter on his back. “Just having an adult they don’t know around is frightening enough for children.”

I feel like he’d been more prickly a long time ago, but now he was totally in dad mode.

The three of us worked together to get Ludia to settle down before I asked Brad the same question again.

“I’m sorry for shouting. But since it’s twins, wasn’t it looking like you were going to have to do a Caesarean section? If I find you, the head doctor, out here, obviously I’m going to be concerned.”

“So, about that... we ended up not doing one.”

“Huh?! Why didn—Mmph!”

“Souma! Quiet!” Naden covered my mouth and said that in a hushed voice. “You’ll make the baby cry again, you know?”

The three of us looked at Ludia’s face... Yeah, it looked like she was sleeping.

I moved Naden’s hand aside and took gasping breaths.

“...Sorry. But why?”

“At the mother’s request.”

“Liscia’s?”

“When I explained about the procedure, she refused. She said she didn’t want her stomach cut.”

According to Brad, she hadn’t wanted her abdomen... or rather her abdominal muscles... to be cut during the Caesarean section.

For Liscia, who partook in the martial arts, having her muscles cut meant she might not be able to stand on the battlefield the same way she had before. That was apparently why she had requested a natural delivery instead.

“Fortunately, the babies are not in a bad position,” Brad said. “In Hilde’s estimation, a natural birth should be possible.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. But she’ll be in pain for twice as long as an ordinary pregnancy. There are two of them, after all. Well, even with that explained, the mother requested a natural delivery, so that’s how it is... I don’t really understand her thinking, though, to be honest,” Brad said scratching his head.

I agreed, but Naden said, “I feel like I get it,” showing some degree of understanding. Maybe it was some sort of motherly pride us men couldn’t understand.

“Hilde’s attending to her closely now,” Brad said. “Obviously, if we determine she’s in danger, we’re prepared to switch over to the Caesarean. Are you all right with that, too, sire?”

“If that’s what Liscia’s decided.”

She had chosen not to have her muscles cut even if it meant being in pain for twice as long.

Was Liscia that eager to stand on the battlefield?

Brad told me I could talk to her about the details in person, so we headed inside the house.

The maids were moving about frantically. The scene reminded me of the palace just after I was entrusted with the throne.

I spotted a familiar maid and called out to her. “Carla!”

“Wah?! ...Oh, it’s you, Master. You’ve returned to the country.”

The dragonewt maid Carla turned around. She was wearing a maid dress with a skirt short enough that she wouldn’t be out of place working in a maid café, but instead of a silver platter, she held a metal basin that even a grown man would have struggled to carry.

“We just got back,” I said. “What’s the basin for?”

“To hold hot water for the babies’ first bath. I was told bigger was better, so I flew off and found the biggest one in this domain.”

“No, isn’t this kind of too big? It’s the size of one of those small vinyl pools for children, you know?”

It was large enough that you had to worry about the babies drowning. Someone was going to be holding them during it, though, so it was probably fine...

“Wait, before that, show me to where Liscia is, would you?”

“Understood. She is in the large room upstairs.”

Naden and I followed Carla upstairs. There was a door in the second floor corridor that was left wide open. We could see maids constantly coming in and out of the room. That had to be where Liscia was.

Approaching the room, I heard what sounded like a woman’s groaning.

I dashed forward. “Lisci—”

“Stay out of the room!” someone shouted.

I came to a halt.

The three-eyed doctor Hilde came out. Hilde had an irritable look on her face as she put a hand on her hip and glared at me.

“I heard, and looking at what you’re wearing, I can tell. You were just up fighting monsters in the Union of Eastern Nations, right? And you came straight here as soon as you got back. Am I wrong?”

“Y-Yeah...”

“In other words, you came without cleaning off the grime from your journey. Don’t bring that filthy body into the same room as a pregnant woman and her babies! Weren’t you supposed to understand hygiene?!”

“Urkh... Sorry.” Hilde was absolutely right in what she was saying, so I gave her an honest apology.

In modern society, where we had proper hygiene, fathers were allowed to be present for the birth, but here in this world where that was not the case, it was probably better to leave things to the doctors.

Not only that, I had been touching monster corpses in the Union of Eastern Nations. I had wiped myself afterward, obviously, but I hadn’t taken a thorough bath yet.

“Is that... Souma...?” Liscia croaked from within the room.

I couldn’t see her with Hilde blocking the way, but I could hear her voice.

“Yeah, it’s me! Can we talk? You’re not in too much pain?”

“Yeah... I’m feeling up to it for now...”

“Y-You are? Well, I’m right here!”

“It looks like you made it. How about you, Souma? You’re not hurt anywhere?”

“I came back in one piece! Aisha and Juna and Naden and Tomoe all came with me! Roroa was holding down the fort for us, but she seemed full of energy, too!”

“I see. Good. You... didn’t do anything reckless, right?”

“Liscia,” Naden called. “This is Naden. What Souma’s saying is the truth. He may have been a little reckless, but he’s not hurt, so don’t worry.”

I heard Liscia chuckling. “So you were being reckless again... Maybe we need to have a little heart-to-heart later? But from what Naden says, it sounds like you’re okay...” She paused. “Thank you... for protecting Souma.”

“No, I just did what any ryuu ought to!”

“Souma, just stay there and don’t worry,” Liscia managed. “I’ll make sure I give birth to healthy babies.”

“‘Don’t worry’? You know I can’t do that! I hear you refused the Caesarean section, you know?”

“So you heard,” Liscia replied a little awkwardly. “Listen, if they cut open my abdomen, I might not be able to fight like before. I don’t want that. I still want to be able to command the military and fight in your place.”

“Y-You’re still planning to go out on the battlefield now that you’re a mother?”

“Wouldn’t any mother want her kids to see how cool she is?”

My shoulders slumped. “You’re going to be one tough mom...”

Hilde made a shooing gesture with her hands and chased me off like a wild dog. “Now that you understand, take off that uniform and wash yourself. You leave the princess to me. I swear you’ll be able to see her and the kids later.”

“I’m counting on you...” I bowed my head to Hilde, then temporarily left the room.

While I was trudging down the stairs, Carla felt bad for me and raised her voice to say, “Y-You know, Liscia may not look it, but she’s pretty tough. You must be exhausted from your long journey, Master. I’ll get the bath ready now, so wash off the dirt from the campaign like Hilde said and get some rest, all right?”

“Wash the dirt off... huh.”

I should pour some hot water over my head... No, in this case, there was something that felt more appropriate, wasn’t there? I clapped my hands together as if I’d just come up with a brilliant idea.

“Okay. I’m going to perform mizugori.”

“Mizugori?” Naden looked confused.

I nodded. “It’s a traditional method of prayer from my world. You pour well water over your head repeatedly to wash away the grime, while offering Shinto and Buddhist prayers.”

“Well water? It’s the middle of winter! If you do that in this cold, it’s guaranteed to be unhealthy! Stop being stupid!”

“That’s perfect,” I said. “Liscia’s trying her best, too. I need to do that much, at least.”

“Just calm down already!” Every hair on Naden’s body rose.

Bzzzap!

“Gyah!”

I collapsed on the spot.

Looming over my immobile self with her arms crossed, Naden sighed. “Honestly... This is so unlike you that I can’t bear to watch. Calm down a little already. If you collapse because you’re being reckless, that will cause delays in your duties and make trouble for everyone at the castle, okay? That’s not something Liscia wants, either.”

“Uhhh... But I’m worried.”

“I understand, but is pouring cold water on yourself going to change anything? A little water isn’t going to let the gods do anything for you. My god is Lady Tiamat, and she generally doesn’t even interfere in the world below.”

“That remark wouldn’t go over well with the followers of Mother Dragon worship or Lunarian Orthodoxy.”

“Besides, isn’t your whole thing that you leave the things you can’t handle yourself to other people? You can’t give birth, so trust Liscia, who can, to handle it.”

Naden was so right that I couldn’t say a thing in return.

Naden was a nonsensical being that could transform into a ryuu, but Naden herself was a common-sense person capable of reasoned thought. Her lecture to me made sense.

“You’ve got it more together than I give you credit for,” I sighed.

“That’s right. I’m the only one around to scold you right now. Aisha loves you like a loyal dog, Juna is too indulgent, and Roroa is more likely to goad you into doing something than stop you. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of practice at it while Liscia’s been away.”

“You make me sound like some sort of problem child,” I objected.

“If you don’t have the self-awareness to see it, that’s pretty bad. But you were starting to get out of hand, so I want Liscia to hurry up and get back on the job soon.”

Wow, that was harsh. But I was in agreement about wanting to see Liscia soon.

“Oh, my.” A gentle voice came down to me. “If you sleep there, you’ll catch a cold, son-in-law.”

I sat up because the numbness was starting to fade and saw Liscia’s mother, the former queen Elisha, looking at me with a soft smile.

“If you’re tired, why don’t you come rest in my room?”

I wiped myself down in a hot bath, which Carla and the others had prepared for me after Naden’s stopping me from performing mizugori, and then put on a spare change of clothes I had borrowed from Sir Albert.

When I was finished getting changed and met up with Naden, who had likewise just finished wiping herself off, she was wearing a frilly apron-dress that made her look ready to chase a rabbit to Wonderland. It really suited the petite Naden.

“I think you look cute in that outfit, but where’d it come from?” I asked.

“Elisha forced it on me.”

It seemed the outfit Naden was now wearing was one that had been Liscia’s when she was younger. However, given Liscia’s personality, she hadn’t been willing to wear it often, so Elisha had wanted to take this chance to get Naden to wear it.

Liscia in a frilly dress... No, I couldn’t imagine it.

Naden transformed her scales into clothing (though it was all-black clothing) when she turned into her human form, so she didn’t really need a change of clothes, but where was the harm, once in a while?

“You look good,” I said. “Why not try dressing up once in a while?”

“I’ll think about it,” Naden said curtly, turning her head away, but her long tail was restlessly wagging back and forth, so it looked like she wasn’t entirely against the idea.

While I was smiling wryly at watching Naden try to hide how she really felt, Carla came in.

“Master. Lady Elisha is waiting for you in the parlor. Tea has been prepared.”

Carla put her hands together in front of her and bowed.

I felt like her performance as a maid had improved. Now that I thought of it, before we’d set out for the Union of Eastern Nations, Liscia had mentioned Carla was learning to cook with her. Maybe she’d learned various other things, too.

Carla led us to the parlor.

“I see you’ve gotten changed,” Elisha said. She gestured for us to have a seat on the sofa. “Please, both of you, come this way.”

Naden and I sat down side-by-side, and Lady Elisha personally poured tea for us.

“This herbal tea will help calm your nerves. Please, drink it first.”

“Oh, sure,” I said. “Thank you.”

Watching her gentle smile, Naden and I both took a sip.

Oh... It was good. Quite relaxing, too.

While I was feeling at ease, Lady Elisha sat down across from us. “Has that helped you to calm down a little?”

“Yeah... Ah! Um, sorry.”

For a moment, I had seriously relaxed.

Looking at me, Lady Elisha chuckled. “It’s your first birth. I can understand why you’d be tense.”

“...I’m sorry. Liscia’s the one who’s really having a hard time, and I’ve been told I should leave this to her, but... I just can’t help but feel anxious...”

She chuckled. “Albert was the same when I was giving birth to Liscia.” Her eyes took on a nostalgic look.

Wait, huh?

“Now that you mention him, I don’t see Father anywhere,” I said. “Where is he?”

“Oh, I’ve shut him away.”

“...Come again?”

“Today he was even more distraught than you are, milling around restlessly, so I gave him a sleeping... I gave him some medicine to calm him down, and put him to bed.”

What a troublesome man, she seemed to say as she put her hand to her cheek and sighed.

Wait, no, no, no! Didn’t she just start to say “a sleeping drug”?!

“Did you drug—” I began.

“Hee hee. I’m sure he was so eager to see his first grandchild that he just couldn’t get to sleep last night.”

I was aghast.

Forgive me, Father. Some subjects are best left unbroached, so please just rest quietly for now.

I was speechless, but that was Liscia’s mother for you. Liscia’s tough mom routine may have been inherited from her. You could tell she’d held the right to the throne before relinquishing it to Sir Albert.

Then Lady Elisha smiled. “I’m worried, too, myself, of course. It’s really hard giving birth to a child. I can tell you that because I’ve experienced it myself.”

“Mother...”

“However, you’ve arranged the best environment possible. You’ve sent talented doctors, and built the best environment for giving birth in this country... No, in the entire world. My daughter is more blessed than anyone.”

I was speechless for a different reason.

...Oh, crap. That nearly brought me to tears.

Feeling uneasy about the high rate of infant mortality in this world, and out of consideration for Liscia and the rest of my new family, I had set out to reform the medical system.

When she came right out and praised me for it like that, I felt something catch in my chest. I don’t know, I was just so grateful... I couldn’t speak.

Naden slapped me on the back. “I’m sure you already know this, but Liscia’s strong. If you weren’t around, I’d almost want her to be my dragon knight. So... I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“Ha ha...” I laughed weakly. “Is that supposed to be encouraging me? I’d be in a trouble if you two became dragon and knight on me. I want both you and Liscia to be my partners, you know.”

“I-It was just an example... you dummy.” Naden turned away, pouting.

I laughed and drank my tea. Then, exhaling, I finally settled down.

“...I feel pathetic,” I admitted. “Seeing how cowardly I am next to Liscia.”

“You’re a man. It’s only natural,” Elisha said. “There are times when fear lets you detect danger and protect you family. It’s a natural sense we all have as animals.”

“...Thank you.”

Thanks to her, I was feeling a little better.

Just as I was feeling relaxed, Carla barged into the room, hardly bothering to knock.

“Master! It’s started!”

We all raced to the hallway in front of Liscia’s room.

“Urkh...! Ahh...! Ahhhhh!”

From inside, we could hear the cries of agony. Just the sound had me beside myself with worry.

I knelt down, intertwining my hands in front of my forehead, and prayed that she would be safe.

To God, to Buddha, to Mother Dragon. Even to Lunaria and the gods of the minor religions.

Please keep Liscia and our children safe.

Naden put an arm around my neck and hugged me.

...

The time seemed to go ten times slower than usual. I don’t know exactly how much time had passed, but that was how it felt.

“Wah...”

I heard a tiny voice, not Liscia’s, coming from the room. It was not large, but not too small, either.

When I looked up, Hilde emerged from the room.

“It’s a boy. His cries are a little quiet, but his color is good, and I see no problems.”

Having announced that, Hilde immediately returned inside the room.

...They were born. Were they born?

No, that was just the first. There was one more.

Please, let it be born safely! And let Liscia be safe, too!

I waited, praying like that for a while, and...

“Wahhhhhhhhhhh!”

There was an inexpressibly loud cry.

Unlike the previous voice, this one was loudly broadcasting that it had been born.

Hilde came out again.

“The second child is a girl! Who’d have thought it? A quiet boy and a girl with too much energy. Wouldn’t you just know your children would turn out like that?”

Hilde gave me a teasing smile.

The sudden release from tension made my shoulders slacken.

I unclasped my hands, letting them slump to the floor.

A boy and a girl.

The twins had been born safely... Thank goodness.

“Wait, is Liscia all right?!” I exclaimed.

“Have no worries. The moment the second was born and I let her hold her, she fainted in relief.”

“F-Fainted...”

“She struggled a long time. She’s just sleeping out of exhaustion. When she wakes up, you give her the praise she deserves.”

“Of course... Of course I will...”

Overwhelmed by emotion, tears began flowing from my eyes.

◇　◇　◇

Where... is this?

I was in an empty space filled with milky white fog.

Huh? What was I doing up until now?

Where’s Souma? Where did everyone go?

While I vaguely wondered those things, I suddenly noticed a humanoid figure in a place a little ways away.

Two of them, actually. The figures were apparently looking at me.

The faintly glowing figures gradually took form, becoming like diminutive old people.

Judging by their silhouettes, were they an old man and woman?

Even squinting I couldn’t make out their faces, but somehow... I felt like they were smiling. Smiling gently in my direction.

I felt as though I knew who they were.

Um, could it be, you’re...

The moment I tried to say it, the two figures went further away.

Then the figures turned to me and bowed their heads. Until they vanished out of sight.

It was as if they were entrusting me with something that was very precious to them...

That’s when I woke up.

Looking up, there was a familiar ceiling.

This was my room in Father’s manor.

My whole body felt heavy. And tired.

I felt like if I relaxed even a little, I would lose consciousness again.

“Whoa! What’s all this?!” a voice shouted.

This voice was... Roroa? I looked down and found Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Naden, and Souma all around the bed where I was lying.

“They’re so cute!” Roroa squealed. “Just look at her tiny little hands.”

She was making a big fuss over something wrapped in cotton.

“Roroa! M-Me! Let me hold her next,” Aisha fussed.

“Here, Big Sis Ai. The princess sure is full of energy, ain’t she? She cries loud, and she’s always flailin’ her arms.”

“Hee hee.” Juna giggled. “You could say the prince is tame in comparison. Even with all the excitement around him, he’s sleeping and doesn’t cry much. Here, Tomoe.”

“Wow, he’s so cute and pudgy!”

What’s everyone having so much fun with?

While my addled brain pondered that, it happened.

“Fweh... Wahhhhhhhhhhh!”

It was a wail loud enough to clear the mist from my head.

“Whoa, what’re ya doin’ there, Big Sis Ai?!” Roroa objected.

“I... I was just holding her! There, there, don’t be scared.”

“Sh-Should I turn into my ryuu form and make funny faces?”

“That’s guaranteed to backfire,” Juna said. “I’d recommend against it. Should I try singing?”

“Sh-Should I let her cuddle my fluffy tail?” Tomoe asked tremulously.

“Seriously, what are you all doing?” I asked in exasperation.

Everyone turned and looked at me in unison.

“Liscia, ya woke up!” Roroa squealed.

Everyone was speaking at me from different directions, and when I turned to my side, Souma was sitting on the bed and peering at my face.

Ohh, I was wondering why I couldn’t see him, but there he is.

“Wahhhhhhhhhhh!”

Hold on... There had been a baby crying for a while now...

Wait, huh? A baby?

...!

That finally woke me up.

“Souma, the babies?!” I shouted.

“They were both born safely. You really worked hard.” Souma gently stroked my cheek.

Oh... They’d both been born safely. I’d been so desperate that I didn’t remember what happened all that well, but... now that he mentioned it, I recalled Hilde let me hold something warm before I blacked out. That had probably been one of the children’s warmth.

Naden came carrying the twins, laying them at either side of my pillow.

When the crying girl was laid down next to me, she instantly stopped crying. The boy was doing as he pleased and sleeping.

Our children were swathed in white blankets. They had been born safely. Nothing could have made me happier.

“When I look at the children’s faces, I can feel that my priorities in life have been changed,” Souma said, looking at their faces. “When I met you and the others, I felt your lives meant as much to me as to my own. But these children are a level even above that. If the time comes, I feel like I’ve got to give my life for these kids.”

“I know how you feel, so much that it hurts, but that’s not something a king should say,” I told him. “The lives of every person in this country rest on your shoulders, you know?”

“I know. But the part of me that isn’t kingly genuinely feels that way.” Souma gently stroked my cheek with a smile. “That’s why we have to protect the kids no matter what, ‘Mom.’”

“...You’re right, ‘Dad.’”

When we said that and shared a laugh, Aisha, Roroa, Juna, and Naden joined in laughing, too.

“As your kochiji, I pledge to protect not just you, sire, but these children as well, with every fiber of my being,” Aisha said. “I know! When they grow up, can I teach them martial arts?”

“Sounds good,” Roroa grinned. “I’ll teach ’em accountin’, too.”

“Hee hee, I suppose I would teach them to sing, then?” Juna asked.

“Teaching them to fly... isn’t something I can do,” said Naden. “But if I let them ride on my back, maybe it’ll be good training for riding an aerial mount like a wyvern.”

Souma watched the other four get excited with a wry smile.

“Hey, now... Don’t put too much pressure on them, okay? If you cram too many skills in there, they’ll never master any of it.”

I giggled a bit. “You’re right. If they’ll just grow up healthy, that’s enough for me.” I gently stroked the children’s foreheads. “So, fellow moms, please look after these children. I will, too, of course, and when all of our children are born, we’ll raise them all together.”

They all gave me a firm nod.

“Of course, Lady Liscia,” said Aisha.

“Hee hee. Let’s raise them all to be healthy.”

“Darn straight,” Roroa agreed. “With the group we’ve got here, we ain’t gonna ever have domestic troubles.”

“Roger that!”

Hearing four reliable responses from the four of them, I said to Souma, “This family... let’s protect it, no matter what. And for that...”

“Yeah. I need to make this country stronger and firmer.”

Because this country was our house. I needed Souma to protect it, and to go on supporting Souma.

For the sake of these new lives, too.

Epilogue 2: Welcome Home

— 11:00 in the morning on the 1st day of the 2nd month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar — Parnam Castle —

On this day, I was with my family in the courtyard: my fiancées of Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden, along with my little sister Tomoe and her friends Ichiha and Yuriga.

It was a cold day, but the skies were clear.

We were just staring into the open blue sky.

Ahh, I couldn’t calm down! I was restless and on edge. Time seemed to be flying by so fast.

My feet seemed to be floating off the ground, and even when I came to a stop, my heels would lift up for no reason.

In my head, I wanted to be calm, but my body and heart weren’t listening.

“Oh, geez! Calm down a little, would you?!” Unable to watch me any longer, Naden complained. “You’ve been acting too restless all this time. If you’re a king, act more dignified.”

“Nadie’s right,” Roroa said, hugging Naden from behind. “They’ll come back, whether you’re actin’ impatient or not.”

“Hey, Roroa, don’t hug me.” Naden tried to pry the nuisance off of her, but it had no effect.

“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Roroa said, playing around by clinging to her.

They were right, but... Still, I was beside myself with worry, so what else could I do? After all, today...

“Your fiancée and children who were visiting family come back today, right? Why do you have to be so tense?” Yuriga said, sounding exasperated.

That was right. Today was the day Liscia and the children would be returning to the castle.

I couldn’t go to pick her up because of my duties as the king, but the royal family’s wyvern gondola had already been sent for her. I had received word she’d be arriving soon, so we’d all come to greet her.

Yuriga shrugged her shoulders in resignation. “Besides, I’ve never even met this Lady Liscia person.”

“Isn’t that all the more reason you should pay your respects?” Tomoe shot back. “You and Ichiha are going to live in this castle, so you have to say hello to Big Sister, okay?”

“I... I know that.” Yuriga turned her head to look away.

With a wry smile at their antics, Ichiha curiously asked, “She’s the daughter of the former royal couple, and was the princess of Elfrieden, right? What is she like?”

“A gallant and beautiful princess,” Tomoe said confidently. “She’s the big sister I look up to.”

“If you want gallant, my brother is more than a match for her,” Yuriga scoffed.

“Murgh... You’re always so competitive, Yuriga!” Tomoe glared.

Ichiha quickly got in between them. “N-Now, now, both of you calm down.”

These kids were the same as ever.

Aisha, who had the best vision of anyone here, pointed into the sky and said, “It looks like they’re here.”

Spinning around to search where Aisha was pointing, I could see a gondola drawn by four wyverns coming toward us.

There was an escort of wyvern cavalry alongside it, too.

The gondola slowly approached, and eventually set down in the courtyard.

Once an attendant opened the door, Liscia in her usual uniform and Carla in her regular maid dress stepped out, each carrying a baby.

“We’re home, Souma, everyone,” Liscia said to all of us with a smile.

Her slightly longer than shoulder-length hair blew in the wind and sparkled.

It was my dear children and a woman I loved. I couldn’t help but stare at this scene, which was like happiness made manifest.

Eventually I came back to my senses, and rushed over to their side along with my fiancées.

“Welcome home, Liscia,” I said. “Sorry I couldn’t go pick you up.”

“Welcome home, Lady Liscia,” Aisha smiled. “I was eagerly awaiting your return.”

“Hee hee, it looks like the babies are sleeping,” Juna giggled.

“Ya got that right,” Roroa grinned. “Which of them’s the boy, and which is the girl?”

“The one Liscia is holding is the girl, and the one Carla is holding is the boy,” said Naden. “I can sort of tell by their magic.”

All of us were speaking to Liscia at once.

“Geez,” she said with a troubled smile. “I’m happy for the welcome, but calm down, all of you.”

Carla walked over to me and handed over the baby she was holding. “I have returned, master. Please take the young prince.”

“Welcome home, Carla,” I said, reaching out for the boy. “Good work guarding Liscia and keeping her company. But... when you call him the young prince, it suddenly makes me feel old. I mean, it’s not wrong, though.”

Even as I said that, I took my child, and...

“Wah...? Ahhhh!”

He suddenly burst out crying. Huh?! What was this, out of nowhere?!

I panicked, and tried to calm him with a, “There, there,” but there was no sign he was going to stop crying.

Even when everyone joined in with a, “What’s the matter,” and a, “Peekaboo!” nothing helped.

We were at a loss for what to do.

“Let Carla hold him,” Liscia suggested with a wry smile.

When I handed him back to Carla like I was told, the boy immediately stopped crying. Then, just like that, he dozed off again.

With an incredible look of relaxation. Was he that much happier in Carla’s arms than his own father’s?

“It seems he likes it in Carla’s arms,” Liscia said. “Sometimes he won’t stop crying while I handle him, but when Carla does it, he will.”

“As a parent, I’m getting jealous of Carla...” I complained.

“Th-There isn’t anything I can do about it, you know?!” Carla, who was getting flack for something that wasn’t her fault, protested, but she couldn’t blame us.

Liscia walked over to the three kids who were a little ways away. “You must be Ichiha from the Duchy of Chima, and you must be Yuriga from Malmkhitan. I’ve heard about both of you from Souma. Welcome to the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“N-Nice to meet you,” Ichiha said nervously. “I’m the youngest son of the House of Chima, Ichiha Chima.”

“I’m... Yuriga. It’s... a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

With Liscia suddenly talking to them, both the kids seemed a little tense.

With Ichiha, that was only to be expected, but wasn’t Yuriga being a little too tense? Her earlier bravado was gone entirely.

“What’s wrong, Yuriga?” Tomoe asked. “You’re all stiff.”

She seemed to find Yuriga’s reaction a mystery, too.

“Wh-What are you saying?” Yuriga shot back. “I am acting absolutely normal.”

“Are you?”

“Of course I am. You little squirt.”

“H-Hey, shtop thaaaat.”

Yuriga was stretching Tomoe’s cheeks again.

Seeing Yuriga like that, Liscia chuckled. “From what I’ve heard from Souma, you’re even more of a tomboy than that.”

“N-No, not at all...”

“They called me a tomboy princess, too, so I can relate,” Liscia said with a big smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Yuriga nodded quickly.

Oh, I got it. Because they were so similar, Yuriga might have gotten tense when she’d sensed the same sort of air she herself gave off.

It had felt like a bigger version of herself had shown up, the way you feel when an older cousin suddenly addresses you.

“Hey, Darlin’? I had a question,” Roroa said while pulling on the cheeks of the baby Carla was holding. “Do they have names already? I feel bad if you’re just gonna keep callin’ them ‘the boy’ and ‘the girl’ forever, ya know?”

“Hm? Ohh, I hadn’t told you yet. We did name them. Right, Liscia?”

“Yes. We decided Souma would name the boy, and I would name the girl.”

As Liscia, Carla and I stood in a line, we announced the children’s names to everyone.

First, the boy Carla was holding.

“This is Cian,” I said. “It seems like a lot of people use names that are close to their parents in this country, and he’s likely to rule this country as a blood relative of the Elfrieden royal family someday, so I gave him a name that established his link to Liscia.”

“Hee hee, Cian, is it? Well, that’s close to cyan, which means blue, so I can relate,” the blue-haired Juna said happily.

It seemed everyone liked the name, so... honestly, I was relieved.

Liscia showed the girl she was holding to everyone and said, “And for this girl’s name, I chose Kazuha.”

“Kazuha? Hey, you ended up choosin’ a name that sounds kinda like Tomoe or Kaede’s, huh?” Roroa asked.

“She’s right, it does have the same sort of sound as my name,” Tomoe said, giggling.

Yeah, but why did she choose that name? I wondered.

Liscia, with a soft smile, explained the origin of it.

“You know, because of a mistake early on, he ended up being called Souma, but Souma’s actual first name is Kazuya, right? When we’re married and he inherits the names of Amidonia and Elfrieden, he’ll be Souma A. Elfrieden, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “That’s what we decided on, right.”

“I felt sad knowing the name Kazuya would just disappear like that, so I gave this girl the name Kazuha. I thought I’d leave some proof that the name Kazuya did once exist,” Liscia said with a smile.

She’d chosen the name Kazuha out of consideration for me? Oh, crap. I was getting misty eyes.

If I burst into tears here, it’d be lame, so I held it in as well as I could.

“Kazuha, you say?” Aisha asked. “I think that’s a cute name.”

“I think it’s great,” Naden agreed. “It feels like a name from Souma’s world.”

It was kind of them to say that.

In the end, I had given a boy a name like Liscia’s, and Liscia had given a girl a name like mine.

It might seem too simple, but... you could feel a definite bond there, so we liked it. Hopefully the kids would like their names, too.

And so, turning around and pointing to the castle for the twins, I said, “Cian, Kazuha, can you see it? This is your home starting today.”

“They’re both asleep, so of course they can’t,” Liscia teased me.

Everyone laughed.

As I scratched my head in embarrassment, Liscia walked over to stand beside me.

“I was away for a while, but I see the castle’s more lively than ever.”

“We’ve got more family, and you’re back now, too, Liscia,” I smiled.

“Hee hee. And there are going to be even more new members after this, right?”

“I’m happy to have more kids, but I think I’ve got enough fiancées,” I said.

“I don’t know about that. Knowing you, you might just go with the flow again, right?”

“I can’t... deny that.”

I had a record here, after all. Like with Roroa, or with Naden.

While we were talking about that, Liscia leaned her head onto my shoulder. “No matter what happens after this, I’m sure we can overcome it.”

“You’re right.” I nodded. “If everyone’s with us, we definitely can.”

We smiled together, listening to the happy voices of our companions.

The spring, which would mark two years after I had been given the crown, was almost upon us.

Prologue: The Countdown to Marriage

— Afternoon on the 2nd day, 2nd month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar — Parnam Castle —

“Heh heh heh! At last, it is complete.”

It was a clear day, and fairly warm for the winter season. In a curtained, somewhat dim room, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at a certain work of mine. That was because the thing I’d found time in my busy schedule to slowly work on was finally finished.

Fwahaha! It would be no exaggeration to call this the ultimate weapon.

I’d never lose again.

That was how excited I was about this.

“What’re you grinning about?” Liscia, who was sitting on the bed, said in exasperation.

This was Liscia’s room. Though the layout of the furniture hadn’t changed since the last time I was here, we had recently installed a crib for our children, Cian and Kazuha. It had only been a month since they were born, so the children lived next to Liscia.

I lay down my completed work and turned to sit backwards in my chair, resting my elbows and chin on the backrest as I watched Liscia and the children. It was currently time for breastfeeding.

Liscia’s hair had grown out to the same style as when we’d first met. With her hair tied back at the nape of her neck, Liscia lowered her clothes off one shoulder, and gave milk to our child with a gentle expression on her face. Her beauty was so divine as to make me think she’d been cut from a portrait of the holy mother.

Cian finished, and now it was Kazuha’s turn. The now-full Cian was lying in the crib with his eyes closed.

“Oh, come on, I finally finished them, you know?” I picked up the thing lying at my side and showed it to Liscia. It was two sets of baby clothes. “Well? Don’t you think they came out cute?”

The little hooded outfits were hand-sewn by me.

Upon hearing we were having twins, I’d started coming up with ideas, then taken measurements after they were born to begin work. I was confident with the results.

Incidentally, I’d apparently been grinning the whole time I was working on them, and my other fiancées had found it super off-putting.

When Liscia saw the unusual design of the outfits, she sighed. “Yes, they’re cute, but those are practically costumes. What creatures are they modeled on?”

“Machapin and Zukke.”

“I’ve never heard of them?”

“Well, yeah, they’re fictional creatures from my world.”

Machapin and Zukke were the main characters of a children’s show I’d watched a long time ago.

They were blue and brown with relaxed faces, and when you looked closely, you started to doubt whether or not they were really cute, but they had a strange charm, and many products were released of them.

Setting out to make baby clothes for the twins, the first thing that had come to mind was that full-body costumes based on Machapin and Zukke would be adorable.

“They were modeled on Nessie and a yeti, I think?” I added.

“I get that I don’t get what you’re talking about... You seem to have put a lot of effort in, but they’re babies, they’ll make a mess of them in no time, you know?”

“Well, I did make two more sets, so they’d have a change of clothes.”

“Focus that passion on your administrative duties. You’ll make Hakuya cry, you know?”

“But I refuse.”

“Honestly... Oh.” Feeding must have ended, because Liscia pulled Kazuha away from her and patted her on the back to burp her. Then, carrying Kazuha over to the crib, Liscia laid her down next to Cian. Kazuha soon closed her eyes, mumbling as she went to sleep.

Kazuha tended to get cranky when she was alone, but if Cian was there, she went to sleep easily. Since they were twins, was it reassuring to have her other half next to her?

Liscia and I stood side-by-side looking down at the children, who were sleeping with full bellies and peaceful expressions.

Just looking at them made me feel happy, too. I hoped they’d drink lots of milk, sleep well, and grow up healthy.

Liscia laughed wryly. “You’re grinning again, Souma.”

I must have had quite the smile on my face, but could you blame me? I mean, Liscia’s expression wasn’t that different.

“Oh, come on, aren’t our kids super adorable?” I said.

“A doting parent already? ...Well, I feel the same way, though.”

“I mean, seriously, I’m just so happy.”

“When you say it so directly... that’s kind of embarrassing.” Liscia let out an embarrassed laugh.

Oh, I loved her so much.

“I’m happy, being surrounded with family like this.”

“Hee hee! We’re not married yet, though.”

“Ah! Speaking of marriage... we’ve finally set a day for the ceremony,” I said.

Our wedding ceremony, which had been pushed back repeatedly by Liscia’s pregnancy and the campaign in the Union of Eastern Nations, finally had a date: the first day of the fourth month of the 1,548th year (this year) of the Continental Calendar. That would be the day of my coronation and marriage to Liscia and the others.

When I told her that, Liscia let out a deep, emotional sigh. “In two months, you finally will be the real king, not just the provisional one.”

“Yeah. And you’ll all stop being queen candidates and become queens.”

“It’s been about two years since you came to this world, I suppose. But with all that’s happened in that time, it’s hard to believe it’s only been two years.”

“Yeah... I’m sure the me of back when I was first summoned could never have imagined the situation he’d be in now.”

I had five fiancées, and children already born to one of them. It felt like I’d come to a very far away place.

Liscia giggled. “Hee hee! Come to think of it, Souma, when we first met, you said, ‘I’ll probably quit this whole king gig in a few years, anyway. We can tear up the engagement then,’ or something like that, didn’t you?”

Yeah... I did say that, huh? It felt so long ago now.

“Don’t bring it back up too seriously,” I said. “It’d be a problem if you wanted to call things off at this point.”

“Obviously. But, back then, I thought, ‘If I become his family, could I tie Souma down in this country, I wonder? If I can make the marriage a fait accompli...’”

“Huh, you were thinking things like that?”

She’d been ready to marry me from that early on?

Liscia smiled proudly. “I did, in fact, manage to become your family and make the marriage a fait accompli, so isn’t that impressive?”

“...Yeah, I’m no match for you.” I gave Liscia a light kiss.

It had been embarrassing before, but we could kiss more naturally nowadays. Liscia didn’t look like she minded it, either.

After the kiss, I awkwardly scratched my cheek. “Ahaha... But there’s a problem that’s come up regarding the marriage.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“With my coronation, the marriage with all of you, and the first public appearance of the children happening together, Roroa and her people are getting worked up.”

They apparently wanted to mobilize the entire capital in a massive celebration. It was the sort of idea you’d expect from a girl who loved festivals so much.

Liscia smiled wryly. “That’s so like Roroa, but... it sounds like a lot of trouble. What’s involved, exactly?”

“The initial plan included holding wedding ceremonies for any of my subordinates who wanted them, too. The House of Arcs and House of Magna were just happening to have weddings planned for around the same time, after all.”

The Captain of the Royal Guard, Ludwin, would be marrying Genia the Overscientist, while Hal was planning to marry both Kaede and Ruby. By having the castle run those ceremonies, the hope was to have wedding ceremonies all around the capital for the event.

“We found other subordinates who wanted to take this chance to get married, but... because the event got too large, we don’t have enough couples to marry during it. If possible, having marriage ceremonies for those who serve me directly would be convenient, I’m told.”

“But marriage isn’t that simple, right?” Liscia said, chiding me, and I could only nod.

“Well, yeah. But we have a number of couples who feel like they should be coming together, but aren’t, so I think it’s up to them to act.”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Poncho for one, Ginger for another.”

“Ohh...” Liscia nodded, seeming to get what I meant.

Those guys were in a situation where it wouldn’t be strange for them to get married at any moment, but they themselves were so awkward that there was no noticeable progress whatsoever.

I want Poncho, in particular, to settle down soon...

The number of marriage meeting requests coming into the castle was starting to have an adverse effect on the bureaucracy. I understood Poncho’s opinion on the matter was important, but still.

Was there really nothing that could be done...?

Chapter 1: The Red Oni is Blue

— In the middle of the 1st month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar — Magna Domain, Randel —

The city of Randel in the west of the kingdom had been the central city of former General of the Army Georg Carmine’s duchy, and it was now the property of Hal’s father, Glaive Magna.

It was also the place where the Forbidden Army and the Army had clashed during the previous war.

Granted, the only real battle had been fought at a fortress built nearby, the walls being only lightly bombarded, so the city itself had taken no damage. Now that a year had passed, it had returned to its previous calm.

The House of Magna’s mansion was in the castle town at Randel.

This city was ruled by Glaive, so normally he would have been able to live in Georg’s former abode, Randel Castle. However, knowing Georg’s true intent in what he’d done, Glaive could not bear to reside in the man’s castle, instead living in his mansion in town and going to the castle only for work.

This was the mansion that, today, Halbert had brought Kaede and Ruby back to.

In order to reward the soldiers who’d participated in the expedition to the Union of Eastern States, they were taking turns being given long-term leave. Halbert and his partners’ return was making use of that leave.

Glaive welcomed the three with open arms. “Ohh, I’m glad to see you home safe. Little Kaede, and Madam Ruby, too.”

The “little” for Kaede and the “madam” for Ruby was an indication of how long he had known each of them. While he had known Halbert’s childhood friend Kaede since she was a little girl, he was hesitant to be too familiar with the newcomer Ruby.

The two of them gave Glaive a light hug with somewhat awkward smiles.

“We’re back, Sir Glaive,” said Kaede.

“We have returned, Father,” said Ruby. “You needn’t address me so formally, though.”

“Oh, I see. Let me just call you Ruby, then.”

Glaive was usually stern-faced, but now he was all smiles.

“No matter how many accomplishments my son makes on the battlefield, they can’t equal the feat of bringing two wise and beautiful ladies into our house. He’s always been a handful, but I must praise him for taking you two as his wives.”

Kaede giggled. “You’re exaggerating, you know, sir.”

“You’re embarrassing me,” Ruby added.

Seeing his father dote on his future daughters-in-law, Halbert sighed. “I’m back, too, you know?”

“Hm? Oh, Hal. I hear you distinguished yourself in the Union of Eastern Nations, too. You do me proud as a father, but don’t let it go to your head and do anything to put my daughters here in danger.”

“Yeah, I know,” Halbert responded meekly to the lecture.

Glaive found that attitude suspicious coming from Halbert. It felt like he was much less easily fired up than usual. In any other circumstance, he’d have said something like, “Don’t treat me like a kid forever!” and pushed back, but today he was acting awfully willing to listen.

“Did something happen?” Glaive asked.

“...Nothing really. Sorry, I’m tired, so let me go rest in my room.”

With that said, Halbert hoisted his luggage, and walked off towards his room.

When Glaive noticed Kaede and Ruby watching him go with concern, he cleared his throat to try and change the mood.

“Now then, both of you, come along now. My wife is eagerly waiting to discuss your bridal outfits.”

“We understand,” said Kaede. “Come on, let’s go, Ruby.”

“Okay.”

Glaive led the two of them to the dressing room where his wife was waiting.

However, when the two passed through the door and he closed it, he glanced in the direction of Halbert’s room.

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile...

Halbert was not resting in his room at all. He had in fact snuck out through the window, taking his two favorite spears to a copse in the mansion’s courtyard.

Halbert exhaled deeply in the cold winter air, then began to swing his spears. The sound of their blades cutting the wind, and the clatter of the thin chain that bound them together, echoed through the trees.

Block, thrust, slash... He moved as though he were fighting some unseen foe.

Most likely, he had a specific someone in mind.

However, the way he looked, swinging madly, only made it look like he was trying to cast off some indecision.

There was just one thought in Halbert’s heart as he swung.

Is it okay... for me to be doing this?

That was the one thing he considered.

Being given leave, coming home to his family with his fiancées, preparing for the wedding that was soon to come... that whole life separated from fighting put Halbert on edge.

Is it okay for me to be doing this...? Can I beat that guy this way?

His swings became more and more sloppy.

Because he was swinging wildly with more power than he could control, his pivot leg was unstable, and he shook left and right. He was gradually getting winded, too.

His inability to move the way he wanted fed further frustration, and Halbert stabbed his spears into the ground.

“Hahh... Hahh...” Halbert’s shoulders heaved with each breath.

A shadow approached him. “...Honestly. You’re a sore sight.”

“Huh?!” When Halbert turned to look, Glaive was watching from the shadow of a nearby tree. “Oh, it’s just you, old man...”

“Those ridiculous patterns won’t do you any good as practice. You’re just blowing off steam.”

“Guh...”

Perhaps he had some self-awareness, because Halbert didn’t argue back.

With a single sigh at his son, Glaive approached and clapped a hand on Halbert’s shoulder. “Did you lose to someone in the Union of Eastern Nations?”

“Wha?! I haven’t lost yet! I haven’t lost... but... I met a guy I’m not sure I can beat.” Halbert reflexively argued back hard, but his words gradually weakened and in the end he sat down limply.

Glaive furrowed his brow. “There’s someone out there who could do this to you, the boy who was always so needlessly full of confidence?”

“...Fuuga Haan,” said Halbert. “His strength is on another level, and he’s got overwhelming charisma, too. When I saw what he’d accomplished, I felt myself being drawn in despite myself.”

What was stuck in Halbert’s mind was the lingering illusion of the Fuuga Haan he had seen that day.

“I admired the way he lived as if he was burning, and for a brief moment, I wasn’t even scared of dying. The fact that I’d thought that way made me many times more scared when I thought about it later. Still... at the time, I thought I wanted to use up my life as a warrior. Completely forgetting Kaede and Ruby.”

His father was silent.

Hal pictured the heroic image of Fuuga racing back and forth across the battlefield, leading the temsbock cavalry, who would fearlessly give their lives for him, having no regrets if they died along the way. He had been entranced by that sight, and though he’d managed to stop, he’d felt himself being pulled in.

“I was never so conceited as to think that there was no one out there stronger than me,” Halbert said. “That dark elf by Souma’s side—even with me, Kaede, and Young Miss Carla all teaming up on her, she still overwhelmed us. There’s always someone better out there.”

“Call her Madam Aisha, would you?” Glaive asked. “That’s the second primary queen you’re talking about.”

“That Aisha... Madam Aisha’s never going to betray Souma. So, as long as I’m loyal to this country, I’ll never see her blade turned on us. But... Fuuga’s from another country. He wants to make his name heard across the continent, too. For as long as he holds on to that ambition, eventually he and Souma... he and this country are going to clash.”

And he figured when that time came, the ones facing Fuuga would be him and Ruby. Because Fuuga flew around on his flying tiger Durga, Aisha, who didn’t have a flying mount, was at a disadvantage.

Durga was so powerful that any attempt to face him with a wyvern would stand no chance.

In the end, only Halbert and Ruby the red dragon were going to be a proper match for him.

“I need to get to a point where I can win against him,” Halbert said. “If I don’t, I can’t protect the country, or Kaede and Ruby. When I think about that... I can’t help but rush. I start thinking, ‘Is it okay for me to be doing this? If I don’t get stronger, I’ll never be able to beat him.’”

Getting married and gaining a partner meant having that much more to protect.

In Halbert’s case, he’d be gaining two at once, so the responsibility was doubled.

Honestly, I’m amazed that Souma can take this pressure. I’m sincerely impressed.

He was the king, and he would be gaining five at once, after all.

On top of that, he and Liscia now had two children at the same time. In terms of the number of things they had to protect, Halbert had nothing on Souma.

In terms of brawn, the difference between Halbert and Souma was like that of a grown man and a baby, but in terms of mental fortitude, the opposite was true.

“When I think I’ll be marrying Kaede and Ruby soon... I worry more and more about whether I’m all right like this. It’s like... will I be able to protect my wives?”

“...I see.” Glaive, who had crossed his arms, listening in silence, surprisingly grinned. “You were just a whelp before, but now it seems even you’ve finally started to develop some awareness of your responsibility as the family heir.”

“Don’t tease me. I’m trying to have a serious conversation here, okay?”

Halbert glared at him, but Glaive shook his head quietly.

“I’m not teasing you. First of all, what you’re feeling is something everyone feels before getting married. I don’t think the fears you harbor have all that much to do with Fuuga at all, you know?”

“Huh? Fuuga... has nothing to do with it?”

“He may be a contributing factor,” said Glaive. “However, your fundamental concern is whether, once you marry those two, you can defend this family as the head of the household. That’s a worry even an ordinary husband who doesn’t face powerful enemies on the battlefield has to contend with. There’s nothing special about it at all.”

When Glaive laughed it off like that, Halbert felt as if the scales had fallen from his eyes.

Halbert had thought he was afraid of Fuuga, but Glaive was saying a large part of what he feared was uncertainty about having a family. If that was true, it meant that uncertainty had taken the form of the phantom of Fuuga.

“Are you speaking from experience here?” Halbert asked.

“Well... yes, I suppose I am.”

Seeing Glaive turn aside awkwardly, Halbert was dumbfounded. Even stern-faced Glaive had panicked like him before getting married.

Glaive cleared his throat and told his son, “Ahem... Still, even if it’s not the root of your worries, you truly view this Fuuga fellow as a threat, correct? If you’re so uncertain, rather than do training that will not benefit you here, why not go somewhere you can concentrate and train seriously?”

“Train seriously?”

“Before you take those two as your life partners, it might do you well to spend some time alone in self-contemplation. Fortunately, with the rollout of His Majesty’s transportation network, getting around the country has become much easier. I’ll put the two of them up in the house here, so use your leave to go where you want, get in touch with a variety of people, and train to your heart’s content.”

Training alone. It was an appealing proposal for Halbert. He certainly wasn’t going to be able to focus here. In that case, this would be a good chance to take a fresh look at himself.

“But is that all right?” he worried. “Won’t Kaede and Ruby get mad?”

“Even if they do, you need to tell them yourself. Oh, I’m sure they won’t be happy about it, but they’ll believe in you and send you on your way.”

“Yeah...”

“But be sure you don’t do anything that would sadden those two girls. If you go traipsing through the flower quarters just because it’s the last time you’ll be single, you’ll be eating my and your mother’s iron fists of retribution.”

Glaive sounded desperate somehow as he made that last threat.

“I had no intention of doing anything like that...” Hal said. He paused. “Don’t tell me you did?”

Glaive broke into a cold sweat as he placed a hand on his son’s shoulder. “Remember that some things will not be forgiven as youthful indiscretion. If you anger the ones who are going to be your life partners, expect them to take a complete grip over your married life going forward.”

Hal was silent.

Was this the reason that, despite his mother’s gentle demeanor, the House of Magna was under her dominion?

Getting the feeling he’d glimpsed some of the circumstances of his own family, Halbert resolved to be careful himself.

When he returned to the house, Halbert did as Glaive had said, and revealed to Kaede and Ruby that he wanted to leave on a journey of self-improvement. When he did, their response was...

“Well, if that’s what you want, Hal, that’s how it has to be, you know.”

“When you’re satisfied, hurry back.”

...to accept it with wry smiles.

It seemed they had both been worried about Halbert not acting like himself recently. Halbert was very grateful for their kindness.

And so, borrowing a war horse from Glaive, Halbert set out on a journey alone.

He traveled two days south from Randel on horseback.

Eventually, a deep forest came into sight. It was the self-ruled domain of the dark elves, the God-Protected Forest.

This was Halbert’s third time coming to the forest. The first time had been to provide aid during a disaster, and the second to be an escort for Souma when coming to pay his respects to Aisha’s father before marrying her.

When Halbert told the dark elf warriors standing guard outside the forest that he wanted to go to the village, he was quickly allowed through because he was a familiar face.

They said they would send out a messenger kui to inform the chief he was coming, so Halbert thanked the guards and proceeded into the forest on horseback.

During the bumpy horse ride, Halbert thought about things.

It sure was bad back then. Like something out of hell...

He felt as though the feeling he’d gotten watching Fuuga was akin to a natural disaster. As if something beyond human knowledge was wielding an incredible power, and he was but a fly before its might.

This forest was the place where Halbert was first made to keenly feel his own powerlessness.

That was exactly why he’d chosen it as the first place to go when taking a fresh look at himself.

Have I changed since then? I’m commanding the Dratroopers under Kaede now, yes. And I’ve gained a reliable partner and mount in Ruby. I also received an incredible weapon from the Turgish craftswoman Taru. But as for me, myself...

While he was thinking these things, he suddenly came out into an open area.

In the God-Protected Forest, which with its many trees was gloomy even in the middle of the day, this was the one place without any tall trees, the open sky spreading out above him.

It was where the landslide had happened. Because the landslide had mowed down all the tall trees, this was the only open place.

Halbert dismounted to look at that scene.

Back then, the dirt covering the ground had been a dark brown, but now it was blanketed with green, and there were young trees as tall as Halbert.

Sensing someone behind him, Halbert turned around to find a smiling dark elf warrior.

“Why, Sir Halbert, I haven’t seen you since Sir Souma came to visit.”

The young man was Aisha’s father and the chief of the God-Protected Forest, Wodan Udgard.

“It’s been too long, Sir Wodan,” said Halbert. “I’m sorry for coming on such short notice.”

Halbert was sorry to impose, but Wodan spread his arms wide to welcome him.

“Think nothing of it. You’ve done much for us, so you are always welcome. I’m sure Sur and Velza would have been happy to see you if they were here.”

“Are they away now?” Halbert asked.

“Yes. It seems they left the forest on some urgent business a few days ago.”

“I see... I’m a little disappointed to hear that.”

The twelve-year-old dark elf girl, Velza, had become attached to him after he’d saved her during the disaster. Since he was at the God-Protected Forest anyway, it would have been nice to see her, but if she wasn’t here, that was that.

Wodan asked, “So, what is it that brings you to the God-Protected Forest?”

“...I’m in training now. To reevaluate and improve myself.”

“Training... is it? I believe I recall hearing you would be wed soon, am I correct, Sir Halbert? At the same time as my daughter is to marry His Majesty.”

“Well... yes, but...”

“Hm, it seems you have your reasons. Would you mind telling me them?”

When Wodan asked that with sincerity, Halbert related the sequence of events that put him on this journey. When he spoke about Fuuga, Wodan groaned with a difficult look on his face.

“There is a warrior out there who can even make my Aisha acknowledge his superiority? Honestly... It’s a wide world out there, isn’t it?”

For Wodan, who knew Aisha’s strength better than anyone, it was hard to believe there was a being out there that even she feared. However, when Halbert’s tortured expression told him it was the truth, he shuddered.

Halbert sighed and said, “I’m... afraid of that man. If he becomes an enemy someday, will I be able to win against him? Will I be able to protect Kaede and Ruby, my wives-to-be? I overthink that, and it even makes me start to doubt whether I should be marrying them at all.”

“Hmm...” Wodan seemed to think about what he’d been told for a little while. The silence was awkward, and while Halbert was waiting for him to please say something, Wodan suddenly came out with, “That’s weakness.”

“Huh?!” When directly confronted with his weakness, Halbert gulped.

Seeing the reaction, Wodan realized his poor choice of words and corrected himself. “Ahh, I’m not saying this as a criticism of you. We all carry weakness in us to one degree or another. What is important is whether or not we can face it.”

“Face our weakness, you mean?” Halbert asked.

“Yes. You’re doing that. Now it’s just a matter of whether you can look at the true nature of that weakness. ‘Weakness is never just weakness.’ These words have been handed down among the warriors of the God-Protected Forest.”

Wodan crouched down, running his hand along the moss on the ground.

“In that disaster, the grass and trees were mowed down by dirt and mud. We can say that they were weak when compared to the land. Our power, too, was small and insignificant.”

Halbert was silent.

“Yet, look. Now grass covers that same dirt. Grass is knocked over easily, but it has a strength that more than compensates for that. It sprouted just a few days after the disaster, and in mere months, the area was covered in green. Now that about a year has passed, new trees have begun to grow, too. There is a strength in those we think to be weak. The same is true of people.”

When Wodan stood up, he turned to face Halbert.

“The heart that knows fear is cautious and averse to recklessness. The heart that wishes to run away is thorough when it comes to securing its own safety. That is why we say in the God-Protected Forest that you should not reject your fear.”

“Don’t reject fear...”

Was it important to fear Fuuga?

It certainly may be true that caution is important. However, that said, when I stand in front of Fuuga, will I be able to fight? When I fight Fuuga, who I fear, will I be able to defend this country, defend my family?

As Halbert thought it over, Wodan chuckled.

“If you wish to know more of the heart that knows fear, is there not someone close to you who would be well-suited to teach you? Why not try asking them?”

“Huh? Who are you talking about?”

“There is, isn’t there? The one who bears the greatest fear in this country, and the one who must also act the most cowardly. In the capital of Parnam.”

When he said that, it hit Halbert.

It was true, that guy was in a position where he always had to be afraid of something. To fear, to prepare, and despite his weakness, to somehow overcome his terror.

They were supposed to be friends, so it might not be bad to go and talk.

While Halbert was thinking that, Wodan for some reason drew and readied his bow.

“Sir Wodan?” Halbert asked.

“Heh heh! Well, that aside, you came to this forest to train, did you not? How about it? Will you train with the father of the girl they say is the strongest in this country?”

When he put it that way, a warrior like Halbert couldn’t pass it up.

Halbert readied his two favorite spears, grinning. “Sounds good to me. Compared to using my head, this is way more my style.”

“You mustn’t abandon using your head. Even during this battle, keep thinking at all times.”

“Yes, sir!”

While they shared an exchange like instructor and pupil, the two started to fight.

Finally, having carried out combat training with Wodan, Halbert left the God-Protected Forest behind, turning his horse north-northeast.

The next place Halbert arrived was the familiar capital city of Parnam.

When Halbert reached the capital, he immediately headed for the castle.

The guards knew who he was, and he already had clearance from Souma, so despite the suddenness of his visit, he was led to the king’s governmental affairs office with only a simple check first.

When Halbert knocked, a listless voice came from the other side. “Come in...”

When he entered the room, the provisional king, Souma, was there on the other side of a mountain of paperwork.

Next to him were a number of bureaucrats and the Black-robed Prime Minister, Hakuya.

When he noticed it was Halbert, Souma, who looked a little exhausted from all his paperwork, cocked his head to the side.

“Hal? That’s unusual. You came all this way just to see me?”

“Well, I just wanted to talk with you for a bit... I can come back later if this is a bad time.”

He obviously couldn’t get in the way of Souma’s duties.

Souma let out a big yawn. “Hmm, I was just thinking I needed a break, so sure. Hakuya and everyone else, let’s take a short breather.”

“Very well.” Hakuya bowed and then left the office. The bureaucrats departed, too, leaving only Souma and Halbert in the room together.

“So? You came here because you had something to talk about, right?” Souma said, indicating that he should speak.

Halbert resigned himself and said, “Fuuga’s been on my mind ever since we came back from the Union of Eastern Nations.”

“Oh, yeah? Have you awakened to the way of the warrior now?”

“Don’t be silly... I’m trying to talk seriously here,” Halbert said resentfully.

Souma shrugged his shoulders. “It was a joke. He’s been on my mind, too. He comes after my newborn children, Liscia and the others, and this mountain of work, though.”

“He’s pretty far down on the pile.”

“What is it about Fuuga?”

Halbert suppressed his desire to keep up appearances, and decided to be forthright. “If we end up fighting Fuuga at some point down the line, I’m the one who’s going to be facing him, right?”

“...You would be, yeah. I think that, probably, the only ones who could put up a proper fight against Fuuga and Durga would be you and Ruby. If Aisha was the one who’d made a contract with Naden, I could have relied on them, but I’m not going to cut it myself. I don’t see the other wyvern cavalry being able to stall him, either.”

Souma crossed his arms and rested them on the back of his chair as he spoke.

“Honestly, I’m worried the soldiers will flee just because Fuuga and Durga charge them. It’d be bad if they ended up doing the, ‘I-It’s Lu Bu!’ thing.”

“Lu Bu? What’s that?”

“...No, never mind. Anyway, in order to prevent that sort of situation, we need a great man of our own who’s just as majestic as Fuuga. Like, ‘If Wei has Zhang Liao, Wu has Gan Ning.’”

“Zhang Liao? Gan Ning?”

“It’s a shame that no one gets my Romance of the Three Kingdoms references,” Souma said with a straight face after spouting a bunch of nonsense no one else understood. “For my part, I have high hopes for Hal the Red Oni. I need you to become someone the people will think of when they’re afraid of Fuuga, saying, ‘Well, we have Hal the Red Oni.’ I’m never going to have that sort of flowery presence on the battlefield.”

“Flowery presence? You mean, like, charisma?”

“Yeah. If you and the other vassals could make up for what Fuuga has but I don’t, that would be a huge help. To keep the people from being dragged in by the atmosphere around Fuuga.”

“...” Halbert pursed his lips.

Those expectations would weigh heavily on him. Just when he was thinking he needed to do something about himself, he was having to shoulder the people’s expectations, too. He would be expected to win against an opponent he didn’t know for certain he could best. By all of the people, too. That was an incredible burden.

Please... Don’t make me carry that...

Then, Souma stood up and clapped Halbert on the shoulder.

“So, Halbert, I’m counting on you.” With no way to know what Halbert was feeling, Souma said, “If Fuuga charges us, hold him off for a minute at least, would you?”

“...Huh?” Halbert blinked. “Is just a minute okay?”

“Hey, if you can last five, ten minutes, or even longer, hell, even win, that’d be a great help, but I can’t expect too much, can I? Battles can be decided by the luck of the moment. Nothing is absolute.”

“Well... Yeah, I guess.” Now Halbert felt confused.

Souma scratched his head. “Even Fuuga and Durga can’t possibly take on the whole of the National Air Defense Force. Even if no one can take him on one-on-one, if we surround him and keep beating on him, he should concede.”

“Surround him and beat on him... Huh? Is it okay to do that?”

“He’s not a guy we can be picky about how we beat. The issue is if we can set it up or not. In the previous war, we had a situation where we couldn’t stop Gaius’s charge and things got dicey, after all. Wyvern cavalry using our treasure, the Little Susumu Mark V Light” (a lightweight Maxwell-type propulsion device) “are good at hit-and-run attacks, but they aren’t suited to pinning an enemy down. That’s why, in order to encircle Fuuga, I want you and Ruby to do your best holding him in place.”

Halbert was dumbfounded.

Souma had felt just as threatened by Fuuga, but he’d been thinking about it in an entirely different way.

Halbert had thought they needed a single person who could defeat the man, but Souma had been thinking of a way to win using a large group that included Halbert.

Because of Souma’s weakness, he wasn’t picky about the methods he chose to survive.

Halbert felt the scales falling from his eyes.

“I don’t necessarily need to beat Fuuga?”

“I told you, didn’t I? If you can, nothing would be better. But don’t push yourself too hard. In order to convince the people you’re a great man who’s Fuuga’s equal, the first priority is for you to survive. That sort of heroic figure will provide emotional support to the people. That’s why, no matter how dirty it is, you and Ruby have to survive together.”

“You make it sound so simple,” Halbert said slowly.

Standing in front of Fuuga and surviving wasn’t going to be easy.

However, it would be a lot easier than being expected to beat him. Just for that... he felt it was worth having come here today.

Halbert smiled a little and waved his hand. “Thanks for hearing me out. Well, I’m gonna head off now.”

“Hmm, you’re done already? Wait, your wedding’s close, too, isn’t it? Should you really be hanging around here?”

Halbert laughed. “I’m on the last training retreat I’ll get to take as a single man. I’ve got to become strong enough to fight equally with Fuuga thanks to a certain king, after all.”

He said that a little spitefully.

◇　◇　◇

It happened while Halbert was on a journey to train and reevaluate himself.

Kaede and Ruby, having seen him off on his journey, were staying at the House of Magna’s mansion in Randel. Because the extended leave they’d been granted was about a month long, they had been using it to relax and wash off the grime of the campaign trail.

And today, in the House of Magna’s dressing room, Ruby was trying on the wedding dress she would wear at the ceremony.

“W-Well, what do you think?” Ruby asked, looking down at her pure white dress. It was a simple, clean color, and the contrast with Ruby’s blazing red hair made her look very pretty.

When a dragon transformed into human form, their clothing was made of their transformed scales, and it wasn’t possible to change them to differ from their body color. So, red for Ruby, and black for Naden.

That meant that to put on the pure white dress she was wearing now, Ruby had temporarily made her scale clothing disappear and become naked before putting on the prepared dress.

Using this method, the dragon race could partake in fashion. But, unlike the outfits made of their own scales that transformed with their bodies, ordinary clothing would be torn to shreds when they transformed into dragon form. So if they wanted to transform, it would require getting naked.

Ruby spun around in front of the mirror, letting out a sigh of delight. “What a lovely dress...”

“Hee hee, it really looks good on you,” Halbert’s mother Elba said, pressing a hand to her cheek as she looked at Ruby’s dress.

Kaede stood at her side, smiling. “It really does suit you, you know, Ruby.”

Ruby smiled bashfully. “Thanks, Kaede.”

Elba nodded in satisfaction. “Because our hair colors are so close, it feels like you’re my real daughter, seeing you like this. I was grateful just to have Kaede, who I’ve known since she was young, come marry into our family, but to have you, too, Ruby... My boy is so blessed.”

“N-No, that’s not true,” Ruby said quickly.

“Yes, it is. Honestly... How could that boy leave his adorable brides to go off traveling by himself? Glaive’s just as bad, too, getting him fired up to do it. When he gets back, make sure Halbert does plenty of what the two of you want from him. You have my permission.”

“Ahaha... We’ll do just that, you know,” Kaede replied with wry smile.

Incidentally, Glaive had gotten an earful from Elba when she’d learned the reason Halbert had left on his journey.

“It was fine to hear him out, but sending him on a journey was going too far. Think of those two poor girls who were left behind! You need to understand women’s feelings more!” And so on, and so on.

Kaede and Ruby had interceded saying, “He did it with our permission,” mollifying Elba, but Glaive had been forbidden contact with his two daughters-in-law-to-be for a while as punishment.

The punishment was quite a shock to him, apparently, so Glaive was staying shut up in his room and sulking.

Kaede smiled wryly, remembering that fact.

As Elba pinched the sleeve of the wedding dress Ruby was wearing, she narrowed her eyes. “Let me tell you about this dress. It’s the one I wore when I came to marry into the House of Magna, you know.”

“Huh?! It is?!”

Elba giggled. “Yes. I’ve never had a daughter, so I was wondering when it would ever see the light of day again. I’m sure the dress is happy to have you wear it.”

“I-Is it okay to let me wear something so important?! R-Rather than me, shouldn’t the head wife, Kaede, be the one to wear it?!”

Kaede smiled wryly. “In the House of Foxia, we have our own garments for these sorts of wedding ceremonies, you know. My elder brother has already inherited the house, but there is a traditional outfit our women are supposed to wear. We’re a family that originally drifted here from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, you see.”

The wedding outfit used by the House of Foxia was a pure white shiromuku, a colorful iro-uchikake, and a long-sleeved hikifurisode, closely resembling the Japanese style wedding dresses of Souma’s world. The House of Foxia wanted Kaede to wear that traditional dress, so she wouldn’t be able to wear Elba’s dress.

“That’s why I’m leaving the dress to you, Ruby,” Kaede said.

“I see... But it sounds like your kimono will be lovely, too.” Ruby was delighted by the description of it.

“Hee hee, it’s going to be pretty,” Kaede giggled. “But Aunt Elba’s dress is lovely, too. I’d have liked to wear it.”

“Oh, then why don’t you wear both?” Elba clapped her hands as if she’d come up with a brilliant idea. “You’re both about the same height, so why not trade outfits halfway through the banquet? I’ll get permission from the House of Foxia.”

“I think that would be lovely, but... recently, I feel like Ruby’s chest has been getting larger,” Kaede sighed, glancing at it.

“D-Don’t look at me like that!” Ruby hurriedly brought her arms up to cover it.

A dragon’s human form started out androgynous, but then changed to the sex which matched that of their partner. Ruby’s body was becoming more and more feminine, and Pai, whose knight had been a woman, was becoming a man.

That said, Naden, who had contracted with Souma, was as puny as ever, so there was individual variation in how those changes manifested.

As Kaede eyed Ruby’s chest with jealousy, Elba smiled wryly. “Well, you’ll just have to do what you can with padding there.”

“The world is unfair, you know,” Kaede complained.

“If Naden heard you complaining with your breast size, I think she’d snap...” Ruby commented.

While the three of them were chatting, one of the servants entered the room with a knock.

“My lady, there is a person who says they wish to meet with the three of you,” he told them.

It turned out the person in question wanted to see Kaede and Ruby as well, so Elba had that person seen through to this room. It turned out to be a young man, accompanied by a dark elf girl of about twelve.

“Oh?” Ruby said. “If I recall, you two were...”

The dark elf girl bowed her head. “It’s been too long, Lady Ruby. And it’s a pleasure to meet you, madam. I am Velza, daughter of Sur, of the God-Protected Forest.”

“Ahh, so you’re Velza!” Elba said. “I’ve heard about you from Hal. If I recall, you were the girl Hal saved during that disaster.”

Velza gave an energetic response. “Yes! I truly must thank you for what he did.”

“Hee hee, what an energetic and adorable girl you are,” Elba said fondly.

“So, what have you come for today?” Ruby asked. “What is your business here, Sir Sur?”

Sur smiled wryly and shook his head. “Oh, no, I’m just here accompanying my daughter...”

Velza stared hard at Kaede. “Fox ears... Would you happen to be the one who will become Lord Hal’s head wife, Lady Kaede?”

“Huh? Uh... yes, I am. Why do you know my name?”

“I heard about you before when Lord Hal and Lady Ruby came to visit the God-Protected Forest. I see... So you’re Lady Kaede.”

Velza suddenly dropped to one knee, lowering her head.

“I have come today with a request!”

“A... a request?!” Kaede yelped. “Of m-me?!”

“Yes! I... I want...” Velza raised her face, full of determination, looked straight at Kaede, and said, “I want to serve Lord Hal! Please, make me a retainer of the House of Magna!”

It was decided they should talk this over calmly. After Ruby got changed, they moved to the reception room and listened to Velza speak.

Velza brought a hand to her chest and explained her reasoning. “Lord Hal saved my life. I wish to repay that debt, and to swear loyalty to Lord Hal. We dark elves pride ourselves on remaining by the side of those we swear our loyalty to and defending them until the day we die. So, please, place me at your side.”

“Now that you mention it... Madam Aisha did say something like that,” Kaede said, recalling Souma’s second primary queen to be.

If she remembered correctly, the reason Aisha had become Souma’s self-imposed bodyguard was because she’d sworn loyalty to him.

Seeing the seriousness in Velza’s eyes, Kaede and Ruby were taken aback, and Elba smiled, saying things like, “Oh my, oh my,” and, “Ah, to be so young again.”

Kaede broke into a cold sweat as she asked, “But, in that case, shouldn’t you be asking Hal directly?”

“When he came to the God-Protected Forest before, I did tell him subtly. However, Lord Hal thought it was a childish joke, and he wouldn’t take me seriously. He would only say, ‘When you get bigger.’”

That dense oaf! Kaede and Ruby thought simultaneously.

There was a faint romantic yearning visible through Velza’s words. Their fiancé’s complete inability to understand how serious the girl was gave both of them headaches.

Velza kept on going. “You will be marrying Lord Hal soon, correct? That being the case, I wanted you, who will be his wives, to know my intention in advance. And I want your permission. When I am bigger, please, allow me to be at Lord Hal’s side.”

Velza stared straight into Kaede’s eyes. Her seriousness was apparent.

Ruby looked at Elba, but this time she only smiled, saying nothing. It seemed she intended to leave this to Kaede and Ruby.

Meanwhile, Kaede stared probingly at Velza. There was a brief silence, and Ruby, who could no longer handle the stress in the air, cried out and clutched her head.

“Augh! What is with this atmosphere? ...What do you think, Kaede?”

Kaede was silent.

She looked into Velza’s eyes and gently spoke. “You said you wish to serve Hal as a retainer of House Magna, but will you really be satisfied with just that?”

“That’s...” Velza was suddenly at a loss for words.

Kaede didn’t take her eyes off her.

Velza, realizing she couldn’t hide the rest, honestly confessed her own feelings. “...No. That is the bare minimum, the least of my wishes I want granted. If Lord Hal has no intention of going further, I want to stay at his side as a retainer. However... in truth... if at all possible...”

Velza worked up the courage to continue.

“If at all possible, I would like to be Lord Hal’s wife. I wish to be at his side as his wife.”

“I thought as much. That’s what it comes down to, then.” Kaede sighed. From what she’d heard so far, she’d anticipated this.

For this girl, Halbert, who had rescued her from the sand and dirt, was a kind of prince on a white horse. In her mind, he probably looked three times cooler than he usually did.

If I were in her position, I think I’d have fallen for him, too, Kaede thought. Honestly, you know. That Hal. When he’s cool once in a while, he really gets a girl going.

While complaining in her head about her absent fiancé, Kaede thought hard.

She’d learned through Aisha that if a dark elf swore her loyalty to someone, they would serve them until death did they part. If she rejected Velza here, that might only inflame her passion further.

In addition, having a tie to the dark elves, who because of their previous insular tendencies had had few exchanges with the outside world, would not be a bad thing for the House of Magna.

It was a hard offer for Kaede, who was marrying into the House of Magna as the head wife, to refuse.

Hal has to be the one to make the final decision, but I’ll have to be prepared to accept her if it comes to that, Kaede decided. It’s a complicated feeling, but... I’ll need her to become someone deserving of my acceptance.

Kaede resolved herself and then spoke. “Velza.”

“Y-Yes?!”

“How old are you now?”

“Twelve.”

“I see... In that case, I would like to impose one condition.”

“...What might that be?” Velza asked hesitantly.

“That you attend school in the capital Parnam beginning this spring, and you must successfully graduate.”

“Sch-School?”

While Velza was blinking, Kaede had taken on an extremely serious expression.

“You wish to be of help to Hal, yes? I am aware that members of the dark elf race are excellent warriors. I think you have high potential as a martial artist. However, I am sure Hal will be flying to the front lines on Ruby’s back. This is not a place someone can accompany him half-heartedly, and I can imagine many scenarios where fighting alongside him would instead be a hindrance.”

Velza was silent.

“Thus, it will be important for you to provide support from the rear. If you are to be his partner, I want for you to master academics, and to be someone who can support Hal from off of the battlefield.”

“To support Hal... That’s what going to school is for?” Velza asked.

Kaede nodded. “I will leave the ultimate decision to Hal, but if you can graduate from either the Royal Academy or the Officers’ Academy, I will respect your intentions.”

Elba had been watching in silence, but now she spoke. “Kaede, are you all right with that?”

“There’s no helping it.” Kaede shrugged. “There is currently high demand for talented people in the kingdom. It will take at least four years to graduate from either school. If she learns academics, and still feels the same way four years from now, I have no reason not to welcome her.”

“Honestly... you’re too good for Hal, you know that, Kaede?” Elba said, smiling.

Kaede gave her an uncomfortable smile in return.

Velza, who had taken on a thoughtful look after hearing the condition, nodded firmly. “Very well. I wish to learn in the capital, and four years hence, I will appear before Lord Hal as a lady befitting of the House of Magna. When that time comes, I will be in your care.”

Velza bowed deeply to Kaede, Elba, and Ruby. Then, in a hurry to enroll, she dragged Sur off and they left.

After seeing them off, Ruby asked Kaede, “Are you thinking, with four years, she’s bound to change her mind?”

“From what I’ve seen of Aisha... I don’t think that’s going to happen. When the time comes, let’s resolve ourselves to welcome her warmly.”

“Okay,” Ruby said slowly. “But was it really all right for us to discuss this without Hal?”

“This is his own fault for being so damn cool. But... if I think about it, that girl wanted to become his subordinate. That means he’ll have a wife among his superiors, his coworkers” (his mount) “and his subordinates.”

“That sounds... difficult. I feel a little sorry for him.”

Kaede laughed happily. “He’ll have to suck it up. We’re going to work together from above him, beside him, and below him to see to it that, no matter how high he rises, no more girls fall for Hal.”

“Count me in on that.”

The first and second wife exchanged a firm handshake.

“That boy’s such a troublemaker,” Elba said, still smiling.

◇　◇　◇

Around the same time...

“Achoo!” Halbert sneezed.

Having met Souma in Parnam, Halbert was heading further east. Conveniently, there had been a unit heading to the island where the island carrier Hiryuu was stopped, so he had left his horse at the castle and taken a ride with them.

Speaking to Souma had done a lot to lessen his fear of Fuuga.

But that doesn’t mean I can be incautious. I have to protect Kaede and Ruby, after all.

Pondering that, Halbert had decided to continue his voyage to reevaluate himself.

And thinking about where best to train, he’d figured it had to be the Hiryuu, the home base of the Dratroopers he was the commander of.

Upon reaching the Hiryuu, he immediately headed to where the members of the Dratroopers were training.

“Hm? Commander?” one of them asked.

“Weren’t you on leave with Young Miss Kaede?”

“Didn’t you say you had a wedding to prepare for?”

Halbert was supposed to be on leave at home with his fiancées, so the unit members looked at him like they’d seen a ghost.

With a wry smile at their befuddled looks, Halbert shouldered his spears and casually said, “Well, you know, the home life was a little boring, so I came in to get a little exercise.”

“To get some exercise? Randel’s on the west side of the kingdom, isn’t it? This island’s in the far east, you know? Just how far did you come just to get some exercise?”

Halbert’s strained excuse had obviously not worked.

One of the men even said, “Oho! I see! Commander, you got scared, didn’t you? I understand the feeling, but that’s not gonna fly, sir. If you start mistreating your wives now, they’re going to hold that over your head for life, you know?” The stubble-faced middle-aged soldier nodded sagely.

He might have been speaking from experience, but he was a little off the mark.

Halbert smiled wryly, poking the soldier lightly in the chest with the head of his sheathed spear.

“I have permission, don’t you worry. Now then, you lot, I hope you haven’t been slacking off while Kaede and I are away, right? Just because we’ve been set free from the battles in the Union of Eastern Nations doesn’t mean I’m going to let you relax forever.”

“Don’t underestimate us, sir,” one of the soldiers who was younger than Halbert said with a serious look on his face. He was the newest member of the Dratroopers, being only eighteen, and the mission to reinforce the Union of Eastern Nations had been his first campaign. “In the battle at Lasta, we were forced to reevaluate our understanding of what sort of situations our unit will be deployed into. We descended from far above to allies who were fighting at a disadvantage, then fought hard to open a way through the middle of the enemy. No one would slack off in their training after going through a battle like that one.”

“...You have a point.”

That was just how close the Battle of Lasta had been.

There had been few allies against the enemy’s overwhelming numbers. And though the elite Dratroopers had been sent ahead, they’d been forced to fight at a disadvantage. If the wyvern cavalry hadn’t brought gunpowder casks for aerial bombardment, Halbert shuddered to think what might have happened.

He faced his unit and sincerely lowered his head. “Sorry. Forget what I just said.”

“Oh, no! I’m the one who was being presumptuous!” the young Dratrooper protested.

“Ha ha ha! You can really hold your own now, kid,” another one laughed. “Did that first night” (it was a night battle) “make a man of ya?”

“Whoa, don’t say that so vulgarly!”

The middle-aged soldier put an arm around the younger one’s shoulders, and the other unit members were laughing, too. The harmonious scene made Halbert smile.

Souma had said Halbert didn’t necessarily have to beat Fuuga. That meant not relying on his own personal martial prowess, but to surpass Fuuga as a unit, an army, or a country.

Halbert had such reliable comrades. He wouldn’t be fighting alone.

Halbert felt his hesitation clearing up.

Crossing his two spears, he slid them along each other to make noise as he turned to his unit to say, “Okay, I came all this way. That’s enough idle banter. It’s time to train!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

And so, Halbert sweated alongside the members of the Dratroopers.

About two hours later, Halbert, having finished his training, stood in front of a hand-pump well (though, this being a carrier, it was attached to a water tank), naked from the waist up, pouring water over his head.

When he was washing the sweat of training from that manly body and catching his breath, someone who was passing by called out to him.

“You! Are you Commander Halbert of the Dratroopers?”

“Huh?”

When Halbert turned in response to the sudden question, the person standing there was Castor, the captain of this island carrier, the Hiryuu.

The Dratroopers were a land combat force, so, strictly speaking, he belonged to a different organization than Castor, but as long as he was aboard the Hiryuu, Captain Castor was effectively the highest in rank.

Halbert hurried to salute. “Ah! Captain, pardon me!”

“No need to be so stiff,” Castor said. “I heard you were on leave, though?”

“Y-Yes. I am, but, um... stuff happened...”

Everyone kept pointing out that same thing, and Halbert was getting tired of explaining, so he tried to laugh it off.

Castor, sensing he didn’t want to talk about it, simply said, “Hmm...” with a gesture as though he were thinking. “So, you’re free now, then?”

“Huh? Err, well, yeah.”

Castor grinned. “Then will you join me after this?”

Castor brought Halbert to his private room, which was separate from the captain’s room, and had him sit on the sofa. Meanwhile, he took a bottle of wine from the shelf, a glass, as well as crackers and nuts as a snack.

“My second-in-command is on leave, too, you see,” Castor explained. “I’ve been bored.”

It seemed that Halbert was being asked to join him in drinking.

Castor sat down on the opposite sofa and asked, “Commander Halbert... Ah, can I just call you Halbert? How are you with alcohol, Halbert? Strong, or weak?”

“Huh? Uh, normal, I guess.”

Castor gave a satisfied nod. “I see. Well, normal is best. My mother-in-law is such a heavy drinker, the mornings after I’m forced to join her are rough.”

“O-Oh... Is that right?”

Halbert blinked as Castor poured wine into the glass.

Why was he here drinking with one of the former three dukes, and the current captain of the Hiryuu?

If you consider our positions... Wait, if I’m going to say that, the way I treat Souma like a buddy is even more of a problem.

The House of Magna was by no means a small house, but even considering that, Halbert seemed fated to be tied to the important figures of this country. That was no doubt a headache for Kaede.

If he thought back, the time Souma and the others had overheard him and Kaede arguing in the singing cafe Lorelei may have been when his luck had run out (?).

Castor tilted back his glass and said, “I envy those who can go home at times like this. I know it’s my just desserts, but... I’m not able to return to my home in Red Dragon City. It would cause problems for Accela and Carl.”

Even though he’d had a good reason, Castor had rebelled against Souma, and for that, his family name had been taken from him, and he was now in Excel’s custody. He had been forbidden from meeting his young son who was allowed to inherit the family name in Red Dragon City, as well as his wife, Accela, who was effectively the one managing things.

Castor agreed that the punishment was only natural, but being unable to see his wife and child still made him feel lonely.

Seeing Castor’s pain, Halbert, who had once thought about siding with the former General of the Army, Georg Carmine, in an attempt to make a name for himself, couldn’t help but sympathize.

He had a question he wanted to ask Castor, who was forced to live away from his family.

“Captain... how did you feel when you got married? When you took on a new family?”

“Hm? What’s this about, so suddenly?”

“Well, I’m getting married soon myself, you see.”

“Ohh, now that you mention it, you are. To the fox-eared girl and the red dragon girl, right?” Castor smirked. “Oho! If you’re here, then does that mean you got scared of getting married?”

Halbert only smiled wryly, neither confirming nor denying, because he was partially correct.

Castor cackled. “Oh, I envy your youth. I felt much the same when I married Accela.”

“Huh? You, too, captain?”

“Did you think I wasn’t thinking anything at all?” Castor said teasingly, then tilted back his drink. “Well, I’m not much of a thinker or a worrier, but... that time, I stupidly started thinking about all sorts of things. Like whether I could protect Accela or the children who would be born to us.”

Halbert was silent.

He was surprised that Castor had thought the same sorts of things he was. Maybe, no matter the time or place, the things men thought about before marriage were the same.

“So, once you were married, what then?” Halbert asked.

Castor downed the rest of his drink and laughed awkwardly. “Having gone into marriage with all that ardor... Well, I soon saw that I’d been misunderstanding the situation.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“The woman I was wanting to defend was more flexible and resilient than I’d given her credit for. Even more than I was, maybe. There were plenty of times I thought I was protecting her when the opposite was true.”

Castor poured himself another glass.

“Think about it. Even if I did it to stay true to my convictions, I broke the House of Vargas apart. But when I sent Accela to be with Duchess Excel, she told me, ‘Please, do what you want,’ and supported me. Then, after the war, she protected the House of Vargas. Furthermore, even though I cut my ties, she still behaves as my wife, sending letters telling me about everything that’s happened recently. Honestly... she’s so strong.”

Halbert was silent.

“How about you, Halbert?” Castor asked. “Are the people that you want to protect so weak that you need to worry about protecting them?”

Halbert closed his eyes and considered his fiancées.

Kaede was his childhood friend. She’d been timid long ago, always quick to hide in Halbert’s shadow. He’d thought he needed to protect her.

But at some point, their positions had changed. She was now his superior, and he fought under her command.

She had a strong core that allowed her to tell him off and make him stop when he tried to go the wrong way, too.

There were still situations where Halbert would need to protect her, but she wasn’t a little girl who needed protecting all the time.

Ruby, meanwhile, was both an adorable girl and a powerful red dragon.

If Ruby got into a fight in dragon form, she could burn her enemies to a crisp from far away with a fire attack. She was a strong girl, no objections there. However, he knew she could be emotionally vulnerable. He hadn’t forgotten her wounded eyes from when they first met.

Kaede was a girl who wasn’t just weak; she had strengths, too. And Ruby was a girl who wasn’t just strong; she had weaknesses, too.

When he thought of the two of them, Halbert realized something.

Huh? Neither of them are girls that need constant defending?

Thinking back on it, neither was so weak that he needed to worry about whether he could protect them or not.

In fact, because he was agonizing over it like this, despite how busy they were before the wedding, they’d sent him off out of necessity.

If anything, Halbert was the one being protected here.

Misunderstanding things... He’s right.

With this, Halbert felt like all his worries had fallen away.

His unease about Fuuga had been assuaged by talking to Souma, and Castor had helped him realize that his concern over if he could protect the others was a misunderstanding of the situation.

It seemed he hadn’t needed to worry about any of the things he’d been agonizing over.

Halbert smiled wryly. “...Captain?”

“What is it?”

“Is marriage... Is having a wife a good thing?”

Castor bashfully laughed. “Well, of course it’s good. She can be a bit of a nag at times, though. I was just telling you about Accela, but in her letters, she’s always writing, ‘You aren’t drinking too much, are you?’ and ‘Are you taking care of your appearance?’ It makes me want to say, ‘Who are you, my mom?’”

“Isn’t that nice, though?” Halbert asked. “It means she loves you, right?”

“I get that, but it’s exhausting to be asked over and over. Well, not having to hear her nagging may be one benefit of not being able to go back home.”

Just as Castor said that... it happened.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Hm? I wasn’t expecting anyone today.” Castor inclined his head towards the door. “Come in!”

The door was silent, and no one showed any sign of entering.

Castor stood up, suspicious, and went to open the door...

“Ah?!” he cried.

He shut that door so fast there was a loud, echoing bang. Whatever he had seen on the other side, Castor was sweating buckets.

“Um, was it not a guest?” Halbert asked, dubious about what was happening, but Castor didn’t answer.

While Halbert was wondering what was up, this time, the door opened on its own.

“Geez,” a woman said indignantly. “Closing the door on me so suddenly? Isn’t that awful of you?”

The person saying that was a lone woman.

She was a blue-haired beauty with horns and a tail. Halbert thought it was Duchess Walter for a moment, but on closer examination, there were some details that were off.

First of all, Duchess Walter’s horns were small antlers, while this woman’s were singular horns. On top of that, she had a pair of dragon wings on her back that Duchess Walter didn’t.

Looking at her, Castor finally managed to force himself to respond. “A-Accela?! Why are you here?!”

The blue-haired beauty was Excel’s daughter and Castor’s wife, Accela.

She was a daughter born to Excel and her second husband, who had also been a dragonewt (but he’d fallen sick and died at an age that was young for a dragonewt).

Because of that, despite her looks being similar to Excel’s, she had the features of a dragonewt.

Accela turned what looked like a plastered-on smile towards Castor. “Oh, my? Is it strange for a wife to come visit her husband?”

“Ah! No, we cut ties to avoid you being responsible by association, so you’re not my wife anymore, are you?”

“You were judged, weren’t you? So where’s the harm in us restoring our ties?”

“That’s not the issue... I mean, I’m forbidden from coming into contact with you or Carl, you know?!”

Accela giggled. “Yes, you can’t make contact from your end. However, there’s no issue with me coming to visit you.”

“Huh?! Is that how it works?!”

“Remember, you did a brilliant job capturing a ship from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, didn’t you? His Majesty was quite pleased to be able to find out what’s happening in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, and in recognition of your meritorious deed, he gave permission for me to come visit you.”

“H-He did...? I’m glad to see you, Accela.”

Castor tried to keep up appearances by saying that, but Accela immediately noticed the half-drunk bottle of wine lying out on the table.

Her eyes narrowed, and she stared as Castor’s face up close. “Drinking while the sun’s still high, are we? Did I not tell you, repeatedly, in my letters to practice moderation and take care of your health?”

“Th-That’s... I was doing it to deepen bonds with my subordinate here.”

“Deepening your bonds with your men,” Accela said sardonically. “Yes, there was something about that in Mother’s letters. You and your men have been frequenting an establishment where you can drink with women, she said. What exactly is that about, may I ask?”

“That’s also... um... I couldn’t refuse.” Unable to bear Accela’s gaze, Castor tried to avert his eyes, but Accela caught his face with her hands and snapped it back to facing her.

“Look me in the eye and answer me. You haven’t done anything you’d have to feel guilty about, have you?”

“No, no! ...I may have looked a little, but I haven’t done a thing I’d have to feel bad about you finding out about!”

“You don’t seem to be lying.” Accela, seemingly satisfied with that answer, released Castor... only to then pull him in hard for a kiss.

Castor was shocked at first, but then eventually wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to him.

They shared a kiss so passionate that Halbert, who was forced to watch, turned a bright shade of red.

When Accela eventually moved her face away, there was a soft smile on her lips. “I’m glad to see you again, Castor.”

“...Me, too, Accela.”

Castor had a natural smile on now. There was a warm atmosphere around them.

Halbert, who had been watching them with a dumbfounded look on his face, came back to his senses, and realized he was getting in the way. He crept along the wall to the door, closing it behind them as he left so as not to disturb them.

“Now, since I’ve come all this way, shall I clean your room for you?” Accela asked. “You don’t have laundry piling up, do you? Your subordinates won’t like you if your quarters are gross, you know?”

“H-Hey. Don’t mess with my desk too much! I’ll bring out the laundry myself, okay?”

He could hear that sort of husband and wife conversation from the other side of the door. It was clear he should give them some alone time.

Halbert moved away from the door, walking off down the corridor.

Watching the two of them, it kind of makes me want to go see Kaede and Ruby.

Walking faster and faster, he eventually broke into a run.

Halbert wasn’t confused anymore.

I’m going back! To those two!

Halbert’s journey ended, and he returned to Randel, where the people he loved were waiting.

Chapter 2: Ginger Wipes It All Away

— 3rd day, 2nd month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar — Parnam Castle —

On this cold day, Ginger Camus, the principal of Ginger’s Vocational School, where various fields were studied academically in the castle town, was having a meeting with Souma.

This was to report on a certain study from the music department which had opened just the other day.

In the governmental affairs office, Ginger sat on the sofa, anxiously waiting for Souma to finish looking through the materials he had submitted.

The only sound in the room they were alone in was the flipping of pages.

Eventually Souma, who had been intently reading the research documents, asked Ginger a number of questions. Ginger answered them.

“Hmm,” Souma groaned. “I see. That’s fascinating. It’s an interesting thing you’ve focused on, but... I can’t say whether it’s of any practical use to me or not. I’ll want to get opinions from a singer like Juna and a specialist on magic.”

“Why, yes,” said Ginger. “I think that would be for the best.”

“So, in the near future, could I ask you come back with the president of this ‘Society for the Study of Work Songs’? I’ll bring together some people who can make a decision, too.”

“Understood.” Ginger rose and bowed his head.

He hadn’t been able to get an instant answer, but this was a step forward. He’d be able to bring back good news to the researchers of the school.

While Ginger was feeling relieved, Souma lay the papers down beside him and said, “By the way, on a different topic... Ginger.”

“Y-Yes. What is it?”

“Don’t you have any plans to marry Sandria?”

For a moment, Ginger stared blankly back, unable to process what he’d heard. Then, as he gradually understood Souma’s words, the blood rose to his head, and he quickly turned red.

“Whuh?! What’s this, out of nowhere?!”

“Oh, well, you know how I’m holding my wedding together with the coronation in April?” asked Souma. “We’re planning to hold weddings around the capital for any of my retainers who want to participate. I’m looking for retainers who are interested, you see.”

“Y-Yes... I’ve heard.”

“When I first met you two, she was saying, ‘I don’t want to let you go,’ and ‘Please, keep me at your side,’ so I thought you’d be talking marriage in no time, but... I haven’t heard of any progress since,” Souma said with a doubtful look on his face. “I wanted to ask if you intended to get married or not.”

Ginger struggled to find the words to respond.

Honestly, Ginger wanted to marry Sandria, too.

They had overcome their positions as slave and master from his slave trader days, and worked together to find buyers for the slaves who would treat them well.

Then, even after Sandria was set free from slavery and Ginger was appointed to be the head of the training facility which came before the vocational school, Sandria had continued to support him.

He felt their bond was deepening. Ginger could feel that Sandria cared as much for him as he did for her, and that wasn’t just his ego speaking.

“The truth is... I’ve told her I’d like her to marry me before,” Ginger admitted.

Souma’s eyes widened. “What, so you’ve proposed already? What was her response?”

“‘I will have to decline for now’... she said.”

“Huh? She refused?! Oh, but with a ‘for now,’ huh... ‘For now’?”

Ginger nodded. If she was saying “for now,” then that meant she wasn’t entirely unwilling to consider it. That was a way of saying it might be possible she would accept later.

While Souma cocked his head to the side, unable to figure out Sandria’s true intentions, Ginger smiled wryly and explained, “San says she can’t be my first wife.”

Specifically, Sandria had told him this, with a slightly troubled look: “I am very happy to hear that. I love you, too, Lord Ginger. However, I am a former slave, and have no ties to my family. If I think of the House of Camus, which will continue to rise under King Souma, you should take the daughter of an influential family to be your wife. If you just keep me by your side as a mistress after that, I would not mind.”

It seemed she was declining solely in the interest of the House of Camus.

Because she cared for Ginger, she didn’t want to become a fetter to him.

It was a feeling that came from her all-too-pure affection for him, so it was hard to reject it. The fact that she wanted him to keep her by his side, even as a mistress, meant that, in her own way, she was accepting his proposal.

Ginger clutched his head. “Honestly, I don’t know what to do. She accepted my feelings, but not in the way I would have wanted. I think she would accept marrying me if she was the second wife, but it would be rude to both San and the other person if I arranged another political marriage just so she would marry me.”

“Well, it seems like a common concern in noble society,” Souma said. “I can’t say her thinking is out of line with the times we’re living in, but... it must be a complicated feeling for you.”

Souma brought a hand to his chin, a pensive look on his face.

Souma had only experienced an unorthodox romance in which he deepened his bond with Liscia and the others after already getting engaged to them, but it wasn’t wrong to get married because of mutual affection.

When he saw Ginger and Sandria who loved each other, but were at cross purposes, Souma couldn’t just leave them be.

“If status is the concern, why don’t I have some house adopt Sandria first? I’m sure there are many houses that would want ties to the House of Camus, and with a word from the royal house, things would move quickly.”

“...No, I don’t think that’s the issue.” Ginger silently shook his head. “I think, probably, San has a complex about having been a slave who was sold by her family. She looks down on herself, thinking she’s not good enough for me.”

“That makes sense, yeah... So, until that complex is resolved, she can’t take a step forward?”

If so, it was a hard problem to solve. That sort of complex was a personal issue, and no matter how much others tried to help, only the person themself could resolve it.

In the end, Sandria would have to come to terms with herself.

Souma crossed his hands behind his head, groaning as he leaned back in his chair, thinking. He then asked Ginger, “That part about being sold by her family, did you ask about that specifically?”

“Yes. I’m told she was the daughter of a merchant family, but after her father was tricked into shouldering a debt for a bad person, he sold her to a slave trader to protect his family and business. From the way San tells it, it was a hard decision, and I’ve never heard her say a word of complaint against her father.”

“That’s terrible. That happened in this country? I want to see that villain prosecuted.”

“No, it seems San was sold here from another country.” Ginger sighed powerlessly. “It seems the villain was connected to powerful people in that country, and he had no choice but to take it lying down. If it had happened in this country, I’d have you prosecute that miscreant, so as to restore San’s honor, but there’s not much we can do if it happened in a foreign land, is there?”

“Yeah... It would be difficult if we’re not on friendly terms with them,” Souma said. “If they’re tied to influential people, we’d probably be accused of interfering in internal affairs, too. What country was it, by the way?”

“The Gran Chaos Empire. There’s clearly nothing that can be done there, right?”

Souma went silent.

He was thinking, ...Huh? Maybe this’ll be easier to solve than I thought!

If he explained the situation to Maria or Jeanne, and had the villain and their powerful backers indicted together, he felt like it would fix everything.

If those two knew that their people were being made to suffer without their knowledge, they were sure to bring down the hammer of justice on the villains.

He’d thought it would be difficult, so he was almost disappointed how simple this was going to be.

However, Ginger still look depressed.

Oh, right. Ginger doesn’t know we’re on good terms with the Empire.

Because the secret alliance with the Empire was a secret, the number of the people inside the country who knew was limited.

For Ginger, who wasn’t informed, he couldn’t have imagined the channels that existed between the two countries, even though Souma and Maria could hold secret meetings whenever they pleased.

Souma was about to tell Ginger, seeing the gloomy look on his face, then... stopped.

Sure, if I make the request of Maria, she’ll take care of it. But is that good enough? Rather than me taking front stage, shouldn’t it be Ginger, who cares the most for Sandria, who takes an active role? Especially if we expect things to go well.

Souma put his mind to work for the two of them. When he thought about his relationship with Ginger, and the line he had to the Empire, he got an idea.

“Hey, Ginger.”

“Oh, yes? What is it?”

“Don’t you have connections in the Empire?”

Ginger shook his head vigorously. “N-Not at all! I’ve never even been out of the kingdom, you know?!”

“You may not have. But there’s someone in the Empire you know.”

“Someone I know? Who are you talking about?”

“Piltory Saracen. Remember him?”

“Sir Piltory... Ahh. The nobleman who took Anzu and Shiho to be his wives? Wait, you’re telling me Sir Piltory is in the Empire?!”

Piltory Saracen was the hot-blooded young man who was head of the House of Saracen, and when Ginger was a slave trader, he’d set the beautiful twins Anzu and Shiho free to become his wives. He’d been the prince in their Cinderella story, so Ginger remembered him.

Now that he mentions it, Sir Piltory said he’d be going to the Empire, Ginger realized, his mouth dropping open. I’d completely forgotten.

Souma laughed and told him, “Piltory is currently residing in the Empire as our chief negotiator there. He may have influence with the higher-ups in the Empire, so why not ask him? If it’s a favor from the man who set him up with his two wives, a man that hot-blooded isn’t going to refuse.”

“Y-You’re right! I’d love to ask him! May I head to the Empire?”

“No, if you just need to contact him, it can be done from the castle,” Souma said. “I’ll arrange things for noon tomorrow, so could you come to the castle again?”

“Of course! Please do!” Ginger bowed deeply.

Then he left, returning home with a look of unrestrained excitement on his face.

Watching him go with a wry smile, Souma stood up and stretched.

“Now then, I guess I’ll make the preparations for their wedding.”

He wouldn’t take front stage, but he’d set everything up for them.

While thinking about that, Souma headed for the Jewel Voice Room.

The next day...

“Oh, my. If that’s what you need, please, allow me to be of assistance,” Piltory said from the other side of the simple receiver, thumping his chest.

This was the Jewel Voice Room in Parnam Castle, where the jewel for the Jewel Voice Broadcast was kept, and Ginger was using it to speak to Piltory in the Empire.

Beside them, Souma and Aisha were watching. By having Souma sit in on them, they could avoid criticism that he was using a national treasure for personal reasons.

When Ginger asked for help with Sandria, Piltory accepted immediately and enthusiastically.

“You brought me and my wives, Anzu and Shiho, together, Sir Ginger. In a way, you were our Cupid. How could I do anything less than help you?”

“Your Cupid...? I was just a slave trader...”

“That’s just how grateful we are. They’ve both given birth now, and the House of Saracen is secure. I hear that Madam Sandria did a lot to take care of my wives, too. In order to repay the favor, I swear I will put a word in with the higher-ups in the Empire regarding the matter of Madam Sandria’s family and ask them to take care of it.”

After agreeing to take on the task with a commitment that suited such a hot-blooded man, Piltory bowed his head.

“Thank you!” Ginger was smiling.

It wasn’t a given that everything would work out just yet, but there was some hope of a resolution now. And this was all thanks to the connections Ginger had built going back to when he was a slave trader. He’d never liked the job, but now he was glad he hadn’t run away from it.

“It sounds like you’ve worked things out.” Souma, who had remained silent up until this point, walked up to the jewel. “Piltory. I’m asking you as well. Please, help Ginger out.”

“Yes, sir. It will be done, Your Majesty,” Piltory replied with a salute.

Souma nodded, putting a hand on Ginger’s shoulder. “I’m sure Piltory will handle the rest. I’ll contact you if there’s any progress, so come to the castle with Sandria when the time comes.”

“Yes! Thank you so much for everything!”

“Removing his subordinate’s worries is part of a superior’s job,” Souma said. “Now, I’ll handle the rest, so you can head on home.”

Ginger repeatedly thanked him, bowing his head over and over as he left the room.

Once Aisha confirmed Ginger’s presence had retreated, Souma spoke to the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel.

“...You heard how it is. Can I ask you to handle it?”

“But of course.”

The response was a woman’s voice.

When Piltory stepped aside, the Empress of the Gran Chaos Empire, Maria Euphoria, appeared. She had been listening to the earlier Jewel Voice Broadcast from off screen.

Maria put a hand to her cheek with a troubled look. “To think I’d learn something like that was happening in my country because people from another country told me... That’s embarrassing, as the person responsible for this country.”

Her tone was apologetic.

Souma silently shook his head. “No ruler can see into every nook and cranny of their country. I’m sure things like this happen in my country, too. I just don’t realize it.”

“...That’s true,” Maria admitted. “Everyone, no matter who, has their good sides and bad sides. Some people are bound to do evil deeds. Even with the power of an empress or king, it would be difficult to stop them before they can act.”

“If you wanted to stop them in advance, you would need to institute an absolute surveillance state,” Souma said. “But if you clamp down too hard, that will spread more discontent and distrust in the country. At present... the only thing we can do is deal harshly with these things when they come to light.”

“Yes. So leave this matter to me.”

“If you’re agreeing to handle it, that’s reassuring,” Souma said. “I’ll be counting on you.”

With that, Souma and Maria nodded firmly to one another.

About one week later...

Ginger and Sandria received a summons to appear at the castle together.

Normally, when there was business at the castle, Ginger would go while Sandria stayed at home, but today the summons called for Sandria, as well.

Sandria tried to refuse, saying it wasn’t a place a former slave like her belonged.

But Ginger assured her, “It’s okay. I’ll be with you, so let’s go together.”

That, and the fact that it was a message from the castle, made her reluctantly agree to go.

When she passed through the main gate guarded by the palace guards and saw the impressive castle rising up before her, Sandria felt awkwardly out of place, and grabbed Ginger’s sleeve as he was walking beside her.

Seeing Sandria like that, Ginger chuckled. “You’re not acting like yourself, San. Normally, you’re bold no matter who you’re dealing with.”

“You’re more of a bully than I thought, Lord Ginger,” Sandria said, pouting like a child. “I feel so out of place here, it’s intimidating.”

“I think you’re cute when you’re acting tim—Ouch!”

“You really are a bully.” With a look of displeasure, Sandria pinched Ginger’s arm. She may have been embarrassed, because her face was red.

I think that’s cute, though, Ginger thought, looking sideways at her.

When the two of them entered the castle, a dragonewt maid appeared to lead them where they were going and began walking ahead of them.

As they walked down the hall and rode the weighted elevator, Sandria asked, “Um, Lord Ginger? I was told to accompany you today, but are you aware of the reason you’ve been called?”

“Yes, well... It’s probably because things are ready.”

“Ready...?”

Ginger nodded, then looked up. “I’ve done what I can. The rest is up to you, I’d say.”

Sandria cocked her head to the side, a question mark floating over her head.

Then the elevator stopped, and the three got off into the hall.

Eventually they arrived in front of the Jewel Voice Room.

“Please, go in. Everyone is waiting,” the dragonewt maid said, then turned and left.

When they entered the room as instructed, they were greeted by a massive Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel.

“It’s big...” Sandria said in awe. “Is that the jewel for the Jewel Voice Broadcast?”

While Sandria was distracted by the massive floating jewel in the middle of the room, someone in the room called out to them, “You’re here!”

There stood a tall man dressed all in black.

It was this country’s Prime Minister, Hakuya Kwonmin.

Hakuya bowed to the two of them. “His Majesty is indisposed with preparations for the coronation and weddings, so I will be watching over you in his place this time.”

Watching over us? Do what? Sandria wondered.

Then what looked like a full-body mirror beside the jewel lit up, and the form of a person was projected on it.

It was a beautiful girl who, in her white armor, embodied the idea of a princess general. Surprised by the girl’s sudden appearance, Sandria tugged on Ginger’s sleeve.

This was a simple receiver for the Jewel Voice Broadcast, but even if the common people knew they existed, hardly any of them had actually seen one. It was hard to blame Sandria for being surprised.

The girl greeted the three of them. “Hello, Sir Hakuya. And Sir Ginger and Madam Sandria, was it? It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am the younger sister of Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos Empire, Jeanne Euphoria.”

The sudden appearance of the younger sister of the empress of the great nation in the west left Sandria briefly unable to understand what was happening.

Lady Jeanne... Ahh, it really is Lady Jeanne! Sandria was familiar with that beautiful face.

Sandria had been born in the Gran Chaos Empire, and she had seen that face before, just once.

While she was young, and the previous emperor was still alive, she had been in a crowd with her family, watching a Jewel Voice Broadcast where His Imperial Majesty and the imperial family appeared.

Sandria had thought Jeanne was a pretty girl even back then, but she was shocked to see she’d grown to be so beautiful and dignified.

Jeanne looked at Sandria as she said, “In place of my busy sister, I will be the one handling things on our side this time. Now then, Madam Sandria...”

“Ye... Yes.” Sandria was awestruck at having been addressed by name. “What is it?”

Jeanne bowed her head deeply. “In place of my sister who could not be here, I wish to apologize to you.”

“Huh...?”

“I have heard the story of your fall into slavery. I am told your father was deceived, forced to shoulder a debt, and sold you to defend his family and business.”

Jeanne was speaking about her circumstances. Why did Jeanne, the younger sister of the empress, know anything about her?

Then, with a flash of realization, she looked at Ginger, who nodded seriously.

Jeanne bowed her head again. “I am told that the con man was connected to influential nobles in the region, and his victims were forced to simply accept their losses. In having allowed this oppression to occur, we have failed as those responsible for this empire. The fact that our mismanagement caused trouble for you and others pains my sister. We are truly sorry.”

“N-No... There’s no need for you or Lady Maria to apologize...” It confused Sandria that Jeanne was bowing her head to her.

She wanted someone to explain what exactly was going on here. She’d already accepted her situation, but now she was getting an apology. From the younger sister of the empress, someone far above her station, too.

Jeanne told the confused Sandria, “I know this is late in coming, but we have taken the con man and the nobles he was attached to into custody and are investigating their other crimes. These villains will be dealt with harshly under our laws.”

“R-Right...”

“The nobles will have their family names terminated and their assets seized. These seized assets will be used to compensate the victims, at least in part.”

Those who had caused her to be sold as a slave were being brought to justice. It felt like something happening in some far-off world to Sandria.

She resented those who’d done this to her. She was sad her family had sold her into slavery. However, she hadn’t thought about that for a long time now. Because...

While Sandria was looking at the screen, Ginger’s passionate eyes were on her.

Because I met Lord Ginger...

Having been sold off into the kingdom, she had been taken in by Ginger’s grandfather, who’d sympathized with her plight and taken good care of her.

Then, after his death, Sandria had been able to meet Ginger.

From there, it had been a quick succession of wonderful events.

Ginger was a kind man, and he took good care of everyone.

Ginger was now the head of the newly established Ginger’s Training Facility by King Souma. And he had set Sandria free, saying he wanted to be with her forever. Because of that, they’d remained close, and they continued to run the training facility together to this day.

It might have been bad luck that she’d fallen into slavery. But Sandria felt more than fortunate enough now. Her heart was full and satisfied with her feelings for Ginger.

Having received the apology from Jeanne, Sandria ran through all that in her mind, and confirmed it all for herself again.

“Also... there’s someone who wants to see you.” Jeanne invited someone in.

It was a middle-aged beastman with the same raccoon ears and tail as Sandria.

Looking at the man who stood on screen with a pained look on his face, Sandria’s eyes went wide as she whispered, “Dad...”

“Sandria...”

They both fell silent for a while.

The father was subdued into silence by his guilt over selling his daughter into slavery, and the daughter was unsure what to say to her father.

The two just stood there, staring at one another without words.

As if forcing the frozen time to move, Ginger put a hand on Sandria’s lower back and gave her a push.

“Lord Ginger?”

“You should just tell him exactly what you feel,” Ginger said. “That’s what we arranged this time for.”

She was silent for a moment. Then, with Ginger’s urging, Sandria made up her mind and stepped forward.

“Um... Is everyone else doing well? Mom and my brothers and sisters?”

“Ah! Y-Yes, they’re doing well. The business, too. Thanks to you, we held on by the skin of our teeth. Because of that, I’m sure you went through a lot of trouble... I’m sorry...”

Her father didn’t bow his head as he apologized, but looked straight up. That was because if he looked down, the tears were bound to fall. He felt that, after what he put his daughter through, crying and begging for forgiveness would be unfair.

Sandria understood that, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“I’m so... sorry...!” her father burst out.

“...I know. It wasn’t just our family you had to protect; you had your employees and their families to think about, too. If you hadn’t sold me, I’m sure someone else would have been sold instead.”

Then Sandria smiled though her tears.

“I’m happy to have come to this country and met Lord Ginger. I think I’ll only get happier from here on. So don’t blame yourself anymore.”

She was happy. Whether she had been a slave or not didn’t matter. Here and now, being able to be at Ginger’s side was happiness. She wanted her father, so far away, to see that.

“Sandria...” her father whispered.

He turned away, rubbing his eyes, then bowed his head deeply to Ginger.

“Sir Ginger, after having sacrificed my own daughter, I am well aware that I have no right to speak. However, let me endure the shame as I say this: Please... make my daughter happy.”

“...Yes. Of course I will, Father.”

Ginger gave him a firm nod. Then bringing one hand to Sandria’s cheek, he used his other to wipe away her tears.

“San, I told you we’d get even happier, didn’t I?”

“...Yes,” she whispered.

“I’m more than happy enough. If I were to get any happier, it would have to be by marrying you, having children, and building a family. How about it?”

Sandria giggled nervously. “...Well, I think if that happened, I’d be much happier.”

“Will you accept my proposal?” Ginger asked.

Sandria’s heart was full of love for the man who had used his connections to do all this for her. Ginger hadn’t only wiped away her tears, he’d wiped away all her sadness.

Sandria was no longer chained down by the feelings of inferiority caused by having been a slave.

She practically leaped into the air as she hugged Ginger. “Yes, darling! Please make me even happier!”

Those words expressed her feelings more honestly than anything.

Chapter 3: Falling

“Wh-What is this?” I exclaimed.

My name was Naden Delal. I was a ryuu from the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and the candidate to be Souma’s second secondary queen.

That said, I was probably more famous as the weather girl who told the people of the kingdom the weather forecast.

Today, I was gathered in a room in the castle with the other fiancées: Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa. There was a raised platform and a podium in the center of the room, and five desks placed facing it.

On the black board behind the podium, these words were written in blocky letters.

“Second Lecture — Bridal Training Course.”

...What? What was a bridal training course supposed to be?

Since all the fiancées were gathered here, it was presumably a lecture we were all about to take, but what exactly were they going to make us do?

Not to mention...

Second lecture?! Did they have a first without me noticing?!

Since when had these lectures started? Maybe it had been before I came to this country?

While I was standing there befuddled, someone put their hand down on my shoulder.

“Whoa...! Wait, Roroa?”

When I turned back, Roroa, who looked the closest to me age-wise, was standing there with a blank look on her face.

“What’re ya doin’, Nadie?” she asked. “Just standin’ here like this?”

“No, I just couldn’t figure out what’s going on here...”

“What’s goin’ on...? Ohh, that’s right, this’s your first time, isn’t it, Nadie?” Roroa nodded to herself knowingly.

From what I’d heard, Roroa had joined after the other three fiancées, but from the way she spoke, had she been there for the first lecture?

Roroa put on a mischievous smile. “Mweheheh, be ready. This lecture can be pretty shocking.”

“Sh-Shocking?”

“You’ll be learnin’ a lot. Like all sorts of things about Darlin’.”

“About Souma?”

What exactly was I going to find out about Souma in this course?

From the naughty look on Roroa’s face, I felt like the “material” was going to be pretty risque.

I... I was kind of interested... and I was about to ask Roroa for more details, a silly grin on my face, when...

“Nyahaha...” (Bop!) Roroa took a sudden karate chop to the head. “Ouch!”

Behind Roroa stood Liscia with a look of exasperation on her face.

It hadn’t sounded painful, but as Roroa clutched her head and overreacted for comedic effect, Liscia sighed and said, “What nonsense are you putting into Naden’s head when it’s her first time?”

“No, no, Big Sis Cia,” Roroa protested. “Where’s the lie in what I said?”

“It’s not what you said, it’s the tone. What’re you making it sound sleazy for?”

“She’s right, you know, Roroa,” Juna said with a wry smile. She was already seated, “I can understand why you’d want to put it that way, though.”

Even when she wore a wry smile, she was beautiful. It just wasn’t fair. Juna was mature, her gestures were so very feminine, and she was busty. In my human form, I was the exact opposite. Fourteen, unpolished, and with no curves to speak of. It was giving me a bit of a complex.

Lately, I’d been feeling a gap opening between me and Ruby in terms of our figures, too.

Oh, God. Why were there such gaps between those who are blessed with great abundance (particularly in the chest area) and those without...?

Wait, in my case, “God” would be Lady Tiamat. To our holy “mother,” differences in figure might have meant little.

“Ah! It seems she has arrived,” said the other busty one... erm, I meant Aisha.

Liscia and Roroa had sat down already, so I took the empty seat on the far left.

The door opened, and a blue-haired beauty with a tail like mine entered.

That beauty, who was for some reason wearing a professor’s hat today, was Excel Walter, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, who had also fought alongside us in the Kingdom of Lastania.

This woman had a beautiful face that looked to be in her mid-twenties despite having been alive for over five hundred years, and she was busty, too.

Honestly, I couldn’t stand her.

I remembered her flirting with Souma on my back (even if she’d just been teasing him), so I did not have a good impression of her. Knowing she was involved, my guard naturally went up.

Excel stood on the teacher’s platform, placing her things on the podium before looking around to each of us.

“I see everyone’s here. Now, let’s start the second lecture of our Bridal Training Course.”

Excel glanced over at me with a grin.

“To start us off, as this is Naden’s first time, I’d like to review the general outline of this course. This course exists to teach all of you, who will be marrying the present king of this county, His Majesty King Souma, the secrets to marital and familial happiness. You will learn everything from the spiritual aspects of what it means to be a wife, male psychology, and how to make your husband look good, to how to perform your ‘duties’ at night in a way which will keep your marriage happy.”

“Oh, so that’s what this is... Wait, our ‘duties’ at night?!” I exclaimed.

Does she mean...? I-I guess she does.

Dragons formed contracts with knights to produce and provide for their offspring. So as a result, I did have a certain amount of knowledge in that field, but... we were going to learn about that here, all together?! What to do when we “did it” with Souma?!

“Huh? We’re really doing this?” I cried.

I thought she might be pulling my leg, so I looked around to the others, but Liscia and the rest were looking downwards, awkward smiles on their faces...

Apparently we really were going to be studying that stuff.

With a serious expression, Excel told me, “The creation of heirs is a matter of great importance to the nation. If there were some misstep, and it led a gap to form between husband and wife, there might be those who sought to take advantage of that. That’s why, embarrassing as it may be, you must take this course.”

“Urkh... Okay...”

Her logical argument left no room for rebuttal. I was going to marry a king, so I had to be prepared to do this much, at least.

Excel giggled. “Hee hee! Well, you don’t have to worry too much. You can think of it as studying ways to deepen your love with His Majesty. Right, Princess Liscia?”

“Huh?! Me?!” Liscia cried out in surprise when the conversation suddenly turned to her.

“Princess Liscia has become one with His Majesty before the rest of you, and given birth to little Cian and Kazuha. That’s done something to help with this country’s shortage of royals. Okay, everyone, give Liscia a big round of applause.”

Clap, clap, clap, clap... The applause was full of jubilation and envy.

Liscia turned a bright shade of red. “Hold on! That’s embarrassing! Stop it!”

She must have felt like she was being put on display.

By the way, as for Cian and Kazuha, whom Excel had just brought up, Souma and Carla were looking after them today.

Excel turned to Liscia, who was covering her face, and said, “Now then, Princess Liscia? When you engaged in intercourse with His Majesty, did the things you learned in the course help?”

“I think... they did. A lot.”

So Liscia acknowledged the efficacy of the lessons. Th-They were useful, huh?

I wondered how they’d been useful, but I doubted she was going to be giving us those details, even if all the other four fiancées piled on and started asking.

With a satisfied smile, Excel clapped her hands. “I think you can see the utility of this lesson now, then. Please study hard, and put what you learn into practice. Okay, now before we begin the lesson... Naden.”

“Y-Yes?” I yelped.

Excel pulled a white notebook from out of her belongings and handed it to me. The cover suspiciously had words like, “Top Secret” and “Not to be Taken Outside.”

While I looked dubiously at it, Excel smiled and said, “This notebook contains His Majesty’s true opinions about all of you, which I extracted from him after getting him drunk. That includes you, too, of course, Naden.”

“Wha?!” I stared hard at the note.

This thing had how Souma felt about me written in it?!

And hold on, she’d said it like it was nothing, but getting him drunk and then questioning him was pretty scummy, wasn’t it?

When I looked around, everyone nodded knowingly.

“W-Well, this is for Souma and the country,” Liscia seemed to be saying.

“If not for resorting to this, we never would have heard His Majesty’s true feelings,” Aisha’s eyes suggested.

“We do know this is improper, but...” said Juna’s resigned look.

“Well, what’s done is done, they say,” Roroa’s shrug implied.

...What was this? I felt like I could hear the voices (excuses) in all of their heads.

“Oh, my, you don’t want the notebook, Naden?” Excel asked archly.

“...I do.”

If she asked whether I wanted it or not... I did, of course. I was concerned by what Souma thought of me, too, after all.

So... Sorry, Souma.

Once I took the white notebook Excel had prepared for me, she continued.

“The evaluations written in here are unchanged from last time, but I’ve newly added his opinion of Naden. It’s very important to know what your partner thinks of you in a married relationship, after all. Now, let me announce His Majesty’s opinion of Naden.”

“Whah?! You’re reading it out here?”

“Everyone else has already gone through this. You can read his opinions of Liscia and the others later.”

“...F-Fine.”

If everyone else had already had theirs read out, I’d have to put up with it. It was embarrassing to have mine made public, but I was interested in what Souma had to say about the others.

Excel began reading what was in the notebook.

“Now, on to Naden’s evaluation. According to His Majesty, ‘Naden looks small, but she’s a girl who really has it together. I mean, she was there to scold me when I was freaking out over Liscia giving birth. I find I’m relying on her as a partner not just in battle, but in our personal lives, too. Naden’s a ryuu, so I know she could live on her own if she wanted, and go wherever she wants. That freedom and independence reminds me of the women in my old world. It’s a nostalgic feeling.’”

“Ohhhhh...” I murmured.

This... this was embarrassing, yeah. Hearing Souma’s praise for me in front of everyone else, I was happy, but I thought my face was going to burst into flames.

Liscia and Juna smiled, while Aisha and Roroa looked at me with a bit of envy.

Excel continued. “Now, when I asked him if there was anything that he had on his mind about Naden, this is how he answered. ‘I wish she’d stop jumping on me in the morning to wake me up. It’s cute, but it makes me want to pull her under the covers and go back to sleep while cuddling her.’”

“It’s his fault for not just getting up!” I exclaimed. “...And if he wants to pull me under the covers, I don’t really mumble mumble.”

I nearly said something embarrassing, but ended up trailing off.

Seeing my response, Roroa said, “That’s good,” leaning back in her chair. “I wanna try gettin’ on top of him to wake him up, too. I figure it oughta be fine for someone lightweight, right?”

“W-Would you happen to be implying the rest of us are h-heavy?” Aisha said, sounding panicked.

Well, looking at her, since Aisha was tall, had a good amount of muscle on her, and had an impressive figure that she kept hidden... she must have been the heaviest here. But it wasn’t that she was in any way fat.

Roroa stuck her tongue out. “For the first time, I think we’ve got an advantage on our bustier competition. Right, Nadie?”

“...I can’t deny it.”

There were things we could do because we were small. There were things we wouldn’t be able to do unless we were bigger, too, of course, but there was no helping that.

Seeing Liscia, Aisha, and Juna looking at us jealously, I felt a little more confident in myself for the first time.

Then Excel clapped her hands. “Okay, that’s enough. We’re in class now, you know.”

“““““Yes, ma’am.”””””

“No need to get jealous. His Majesty sees all of you for your own merits. I want you to keep that firmly in mind. Now that we’ve finished announcing Naden’s evaluation, I’d like to begin a lecture on the things a husband and wife can get up to.”

From there, Excel’s Bridal Training Course began.

The content was... often risque enough I’d be hesitant to talk about it, but, well... it was highly educational, I think.

When I heard about the black notebook, which contained all of the [censored] things Souma wanted to do with us, and which we would be given afterwards, my interest in the lecture grew.

...There was just one thing that bothered me. This part of Excel’s lecture.

“For a husband and wife, kisses are an important way of checking the bond between them. They feel less special if you kiss all the time, but be sure to kiss when it really counts. Learn how to encourage him to do it.”

My innocent heart was racing as I listened, but the others...

“Ever since the children were born, it’s come naturally to us,” Liscia put in.

“If I act like I want to, he’ll do it,” said Aisha.

“With me... he can’t do it without the help of alcohol,” Juna sighed.

“I end up kissin’ him myself,” Roroa grinned.

They were accepting what she’d said with surprising ease.

Hang on! Just a minute! I was shocked. No way?! Am I the only one who hasn’t kissed Souma yet?!

With Excel’s class over, and having received the aforementioned black notebook, I decided to ask the other fiancées for details.

When, as a part of that, I told them I still hadn’t kissed Souma, they were all visibly surprised.

“Whaa?! Ya haven’t kissed him yet, Nadie?!” Roroa’s eyes went wide.

I was the one who really felt this was unbelievable. “For me, it’s weirder that you’re all acting so normal about it. I know Liscia’s already had his children, but when did the rest of you kiss him?”

“For me, it was in the town near the border with the Star Dragon Mountain Range where we met up with you,” Aisha said. “With Lady Liscia’s consideration, I was allowed to sleep by his side for one night... Hee hee.” Perhaps remembering what had happened then, Aisha’s face broke into a silly grin.

Ohh... That time...

It was after Lady Tiamat had torn them apart, when Liscia had arranged for the exhausted Aisha to be with Souma.

I had been told they hadn’t done anything, out of consideration for Liscia, but it seemed they’d sneakily been having a little fun, after all. I’d underestimated her.

“For me... it was in the Republic of Turgis,” said Juna. “When I was caring for His Majesty, after he passed out at a hot springs inn in Noblebeppu... um... he was so vulnerable, I couldn’t help myself...”

Juna squirmed bashfully as she spoke.

I had a racial weakness to the cold, so I hadn’t been able to join them on the trip to the Republic of Turgis. To think an event like that happened there, in secret... It was a bit frustrating.

Maybe I should have bundled up and gone with them.

“It was the Memorial Festival in Van for me,” Roroa grinned. “When he said, ‘I will protect Princess Roroa for the rest of my life’ during his speech, I got so emotional, I ended up kissin’ him hard.”

She puffed her chest up with pride as she said that.

...Hard?

“Isn’t that a weird way to say it? Isn’t a kiss soft?” I asked.

“Nah, I got so carried away, I ended up smashin’ teeth with him.” Roroa was laughing about it.

Even that memory of failure was already, at worst, a bittersweet memory for Roroa. I was super jealous.

Then Liscia gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Naden. I never realized. Normally, as the first primary queen, it would be my job to manage things and make sure that none of us was being treated unfairly.”

“It’s not your fault, Liscia...” I said uncomfortably. “It’s just that Souma hasn’t kissed me even once.”

“I think the fact you’ve never done it before is the cause of that,” Juna said with a pensive look.

What did she mean?

“For a woman, her first kiss is something that stays with her. His Majesty knows that, so he’s being careful,” she explained.

“Ohh!” Aisha broke in. “Yeah, once we’d done it once, he was a lot less hesitant. Though he doesn’t ignore the people around us, doing it anywhere and everywhere.”

So, Souma was trying to be considerate, by assuming my first kiss was important to me, and while looking for a good time to do it, he’d kept missing chances? Hmm... I was happy he cared, but that was kind of vexing.

Roroa and Liscia were nodding, too.

“Darlin’ can be pretty shy,” Roroa added.

“He can. Even after we had been engaged for a while, he didn’t try to lay a hand on me,” Liscia agreed. “If the saint from the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State hadn’t shaken him up, he might not have done anything until we were married. The children might not have come until later.”

“Oh, ya think? Well, praise be to the saint, then!” Roroa said jokingly, and everyone smiled wryly.

If the Orthodox Papal State’s sending a saint to the kingdom to try and put themselves in a more advantageous position had made Souma and Liscia cross the line, and thus indirectly helped produce an heir, that was ironic...

Wait, that wasn’t important right now.

“Ohh... What can I do?” I moaned.

“This may not be the best way to say it, but you’re his means of transportation, aren’t you?” Aisha asked. “Don’t you have a lot of time alone, like when you’re predicting the weather?”

I could only shake my head. “During those times, I have Souma on my back and I’m in ryuu form, you know? If I were to try to turn my head around and kiss him, there’s too much of a size difference, so we could only touch noses at best.”

“I... guess so.”

“W-Well, I think the next time you’re alone together, you should try doing it at your own pace, Naden,” Liscia said. “I highly doubt Souma would refuse you.”

Trying to be supportive, Liscia was giving her permission.

...Okay. If Souma wasn’t willing to do it because he was being considerate, I’d have to do it myself! My prey wouldn’t come to me on its own. I’d have to hunt.

“I’ll give it my best!” I declared.

While I stood there feeling like I had back when I was hunting in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, everyone looked a little taken aback.

I apparently had the eyes of a large, carnivorous beast.

I didn’t want to weird Souma out, so I’d have to hold back a little.

Some days later, my chance finally came.

Today I was going to be flying around with Souma to see what the weather would be like for the week.

“Okay, let’s go, Naden,” he told me.

“Roger that!”

Having changed into my ryuu form, I had Souma get on my back, and I swam up into the sky.

Then, hanging in the sky in predetermined places, I predicted the weather using my ryuu whiskers, and Souma wrote the results down on paper.

During that routine work, I kept thinking furiously about where I would try to kiss Souma.

Should we stand on top of a mountain? Or beside a pretty lake? Or maybe set down on a little island...?

While watching the terrain flow by beneath me, I agonized over what to do.

I must have been pretty out of it, because Souma got suspicious. “What’s wrong? Your head’s in the clouds today.”

“...We are in the sky, after all.”

“Oh! Hey, that was clever.” Souma let out an impressed laugh.

It looked like I’d dodged the issue.

I refocused, got back to work, and we were at the final stop.

“It’s going to be clear six days from now, and seven days from now, too,” I said.

“Okay, and done. That’s everything, huh...? Whew!”

Having finished taking down everything I told him about next week’s weather, Souma let out a tired yawn, and held his forehead, probably because of his tired eyes.

“You okay? You look even more tired than usual.”

“Yeah... Cian goes to sleep easily, but Kazuha’s always crying at night. I’ve been taking turns checking on them with Liscia and Carla, so I’m a bit short on sleep.”

“You’re the king. Couldn’t you leave this to the maids? If you collapse, the country’s going to be in serious trouble, you know.”

“I know, but... Liscia wants to watch after them herself, without leaving it to a wet nurse. I can’t make her go through all the trouble alone, and, as a father, I want to take part in raising my own children. It’s tiring, but... Well, I’m just happy to be able to see the children’s faces.”

Seeing Souma smile like that, I felt a frustration building up deep inside my chest, and it was hard to be there.

Happy just to see the children’s faces... I think that was the right way for a parent to feel. But, just as Souma was Cian and Kazuha’s father, he was my knight, my king, and my life partner. I didn’t want him to be satisfied with just the happiness he got from Liscia and their family.

...I know. I was being jealous.

I wanted him not to just look at Cian and Kazuha, but at me, too. Normally, it might be a virtue to keep that feeling bottled up inside my chest and never speak about it. But even if that was a virtue... I felt like I just couldn’t do that.

If I did, it would have bad consequences.

I didn’t want to think badly of Liscia and her children.

I didn’t want to start acting unlike myself, losing the me that Souma loved.

That was why I needed Souma to face my feelings head on.

“I know Cian and Kazuha are cute, but it feels lonely when all you look at is the children,” I burst out.

“Huh?” Souma got a blank look on his face, and I brought my face around close to his.

“Look at me, too, okay?”

“Oh...! Sorry. I didn’t mean not to...” Souma seemed to recognize my jealousy and apologized. He stroked my snout. “You’re right. I feel like the children are more important than my own life, but that doesn’t mean I can neglect my time with you. No, not just you, Naden. Liscia, Aisha, Juna, and Roroa, too.”

“That’s right. It’s your responsibility to make every member of the family happy. If you make anyone cry...”

“If I do, then what?”

“Hee hee, this.”

I changed into human form. Even though we were still high in the sky. Seeing me rapidly shrink, Souma cried out in surprise.

“Whoa, hold on, Naden?! If you transform here...!”

“It’s dangerous, so don’t let go, Souma.”

I held Souma’s hand tight with my now-human hands.

Now that I was fully human, we were being pulled downward by gravity. Souma’s back was toward the ground, and I was falling with him, his right hand held in mine. We were gradually accelerating, and I could feel the air rushing by us.

This height and speed was nothing to me, but it looked like it was an incredible experience for Souma.

“%$&@#!” Souma shouted incoherently, slapping my hand with the hand I wasn’t holding. That was probably his way of saying, “I give, I give!”

I took his hand in mine, brought my face close, and shouted loud enough he could hear me over the wind. “It’s okay! I’m with you!”

“There’s nothing okay about suddenly making me go skydiving!”

“You make Halbert and his people do it all the time!”

“Sorry, Hal! I swear, I’ll tell them to raise the Dratroopers’ pay!”

It seemed Souma had managed to adapt to the situation. No, maybe I should say he’d stopped caring.

It seemed, holding hands with mine so that our arms formed a ring, he’d developed the composure to be able to look at the ground.

“It’s scary what you can get used to,” he said. “I’m starting to have fun now.”

“Well, you’re always flying through the sky on my back, after all.”

“Just please, turn back before we hit the ground.”

“Got it. But, now, let’s do something we can only do in human form.”

When I pulled Souma in close, our bodies turned so the scenery was upside down.

We accelerated, pitching headlong towards the ground.

And then...

I brought myself close to Souma’s flustered face, and locked lips with him.

We couldn’t stay close for long with our bodies like this, of course, so it was only a light kiss, but Souma turned bright red and his eyes went wide.

“I-Is now the time?!”

“Well, I heard I was the only one you hadn’t done it with yet.”

“But still... Mmph!”

I pulled him in and kissed him again. While repeating that process, the ground got close, so I turned into my ryuu form and got Souma on my back.

Finally released from free fall, and with an exhausted look on his face, I stifled a laugh as I asked Souma, “Well, how was it? Your first kiss with me.”

“...I’d rather have my feet firmly on the ground when I kiss someone,” Souma joked with a serious look on his face. “In more ways than one.”

“Ahahaha!” I burst out laughing. “Hee hee! If you don’t want another kiss in the air, make sure you kiss me regularly from now on, okay?”

“...I’ll remember that.”

With this, I was sure we’d made a memory we’d never forget.

Hee hee! I wonder what kind of face Liscia and the others would make if I told them about it!

I hummed to myself in ryuu form as I danced up into the sky.

Chapter 4: Heart Piercing

— 15th day, 2nd month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar — Genia’s Dungeon Laboratory —

On this day, I visited Genia’s dungeon laboratory near the capital with Aisha.

I was there to see the current progress on the joint project between the Kingdom of Friedonia, the Gran Chaos Empire, and the Republic of Turgis: the drill.

Today they were going to actually spin the drill and test it.

This drill was the work of the kingdom’s overscientist Genia, the high elf Merula, Trill Euphoria, who was the younger sister of both Empress Maria and Little Sister General Jeanne of the Empire, and Taru, the blacksmith from the republic.

In addition to these four, Genia’s fiancé and keeper Ludwin was present, as well as Taru’s comrades, Kuu and Leporina.

Incidentally, the leader of this drill project was Trill.

Trill had been the first to start on development of the drill, and she’d had experience as a researcher in the Empire, so this time, Genia and the others were serving as her assistants.

I went over to talk to her. “Now, then... Madam Trill—”

“Just Trill is fine. I may be a princess of the Empire, but they sent me here to be rid of me.”

“Okay. Trill, then. Please start the test and explanation.”

“I’ll do just that. It may be dangerous, so don’t stand in front of or behind the experimental drill, the ‘Little Piercer Mark XII.’”

“There are all sorts of problems with that name...”

Like how lazy it was, or how I was now wondering what had happened to Mark I through XI...

The test drilling machine that Trill pointed to was not in the conical shape everyone might imagine, but instead a stamp-type drill like those used in shield tunneling machines for digging subway tunnels. The conical type had a certain allure to it, but this was probably more practical.

When I asked, it turned out Taru had proposed this shape.

“With a conical shape, the tip is fragile and breaks while you’re digging. If that break makes the tip flat, its penetrative power drops, so we made it flat-faced to begin with and used multiple blades for the digging.”

“Ookyakya!” Kuu laughed. “I thought it looked unusual, but there’s a proper reason for it!”

Hearing Taru’s explanation, Kuu looked impressed.

“Oh, hey,” he added. “Do you think you could make a smaller version to put on the end of my cudgel?”

“If I was going to do that, a sharp spearhead would be faster,” Trill retorted. “For a weapon, you want the power to pierce through in an instant. The drill on the other hand, will be continuously carving away at a hard object, so its form has to prioritize sustainability. It’s not suited to being used as a weapon.”

“Hmm... It looks cylindrical, so I thought if I hid one in the tip, I might be able to catch anyone who thought I was using a normal cudgel by surprise. Ookeekee, that’s too bad.” Kuu shrugged, but he didn’t look all that disappointed. He tended to live in the moment, so he may just have been saying whatever came to mind at the time.

We moved from beside the experimental drill to a place a little further away. They said Trill had broken all sorts of stuff while she was in the Empire, so I was a little worried to be so close, even at this distance.

Apparently Aisha had the same concern.

“Sire, please, stand behind me.” She put her hand on the hilt of her greatsword as she positioned herself between the drill and me. If it broke and sent shards flying this way, she probably meant to cut them down.

Genia and Trill both had past offenses on their records, so I took Aisha up on her kind offer and hid behind her.

“Now, I will begin,” Trill said, raising her hand.

One researcher in a white coat pressed a switch of some sort.

Bwun, een, eeeen, eeeeeeeen, eeeeeeeeeeeeeen...!

The front part of the drill began to spin while making strange noises.

It was slow at first, but the speed gradually picked up, and in no time, the countless blades embedded in the front of the drill were revolving too fast for the eye to see.

“...It looks stable,” I said after maybe a minute.

Trill thrust out her chest, which, relative to her height, was quite sizable, with pride.

“Yes. This is all thanks to Big Sister Genia.”

Then she hugged Genia’s left arm.

Though she was younger, Trill was the more well-endowed of the two, so Genia’s arm was buried in her soft flesh.

“The biggest task was supplying the stored magical power to the apparatus in a stable manner, but the magical power storage system Big Sister Genia provided sorted everything out nicely. Ohh, how wonderful the technology of the House of Maxwell is!” Trill rhapsodized. “Viva Maxwell!”

“You’re too into this,” Genia told her. “Also, your drill hair is sitting on my head.”

Not only was Trill rubbing her cheek against Genia’s, her hair, which was tied in a distinctive drill-like sidetail, was resting on top of Genia’s head, so Genia was a little unamused.

However, Trill didn’t let go. “Ohh, if I were a man, I swear I would take Big Sister Genia as my bride...”

And she was saying some pretty incredible things, too.

I knew she was a big fan of the kingdom’s overscientists, the House of Maxwell, but this was already to feel less like she was a fan and more like she was a worshiper.

It seemed not even Ludwin could let that line go unchallenged. He took Genia by the arm and pulled the two of them apart.

“Please, stop, Madam Trill. Genia is my fiancée.”

Genia, with a look that showed she felt she had finally been liberated, hid behind Ludwin’s back.

Trill looked at Ludwin and puffed up her cheeks. “They tell me you’re Big Sister Genia’s childhood friend, but I see you have no appreciation for the things she develops. I, however, can properly understand the way she thinks!”

“True, Genia’s greatness is difficult for me to comprehend.” Ludwin, who was by nature a serious man, countered Trill’s argument directly. “But I’ve been with Genia for a long time. If you claim to understand Genia’s greatness, I understand everything that’s wrong with her. She’s a shut-in, unconcerned with anything outside her research, lacking in common sense, and unconcerned about how she looks to others. Even though she’s a girl, she doesn’t take care of her appearance, she lets the laundry pile up, and if you leave her alone, she’ll even collapse because she forgets to eat. I can’t say I don’t have my reservations about our married life.”

“Big Brother Luu, if you take it that far, even my feelings are going to get hurt, you know?” Genia pursed her lips in displeasure, but...

Wow, Ludwin sure has been through a lot, huh?

It seemed even Trill was put off by how bad it was. “E-Even so, the greatness of her technology wins out!”

“Because you comprehend its greatness,” said Ludwin. “I can only vaguely understand it. However, despite that, even as I’m confronted with Genia’s bad points and can’t understand her good ones, I still want her to be with me. I still want her as my wife.”

“Big Brother Luu...”

As Genia clutched at Ludwin’s cape, her cheeks reddened and her face melted into a big silly grin. It was an uncommon expression for one who was usually so aloof.

I guess if he was going to talk so seriously about how much he loved her, that would be enough to make anyone smile.

It seemed Trill was not amused, because sparks flew where her eyes met with Ludwin’s.

...Hold on, why was this turning into a love triangle? It was an unusual one, too, where even though there were two women and one man involved, Genia was the one at the center of it.

Well, in the interest of friendly relations with the Empire, I couldn’t have the commander of our National Defense Force and the Imperial ambassador’s relationship go sour, so I’d have to put my foot down.

I slipped into my king mode just a bit, and spoke to Trill in a frightening tone.

“Madam Trill. If you mean to take issue with the engagement of one my vassals...”

“Wh-What are you going to do about it?” she shot back defensively.

“I will report your words and actions just now, not a single detail omitted, to Madam Maria and Madam Jeanne. Madam Jeanne told me, ‘Please, tell me if she does anything to embarrass the Empire. I will bring her back, even if I have to tie a rope around her neck to do so.’”

This time, it was Trill who hid behind Ludwin’s large body. “Th-That’s the one thing I don’t want!”

Her distance from Genia, who had already been hiding there, dropped, and Genia looked bothered by that.

“I’m finally in a position to learn from Big Sister Genia!” Trill wailed. “I don’t want anyone taking me back to the Empire! Please, spare me that, at least!”

“Then please refrain from making waves about any of my vassals’ marriages, would you?” I glared at her a little.

Trill quickly saluted. “Understood, sir!”

Good grief.

Watching that exchange between us, Kuu smirked.

“...What?” I asked.

“No, I was just thinking you can sure talk the talk when you need to, Bro.”

“The castle is in a frenzy preparing for my coronation and wedding right now,” I said tiredly. “More than that, we have a plan to hold weddings for a number of my vassals at sites around the capital at the same time. I’m short on couples to marry as it is. If someone tries to get in the way of Ludwin and Genia’s engagement, that’s a problem for me. I don’t need more work.”

“Isn’t that a pretty personal grudge to be acting on?” Kuu questioned.

“I won’t deny it.”

I was already busy, so I didn’t have time for this. If I was being honest, I wanted to spend more time raising Cian and Kazuha. Ohh, how I wanted paternity leave!

While I was thinking about that, Kuu got a pensive look on his face. “Weddings, huh...”

It looked like he was plotting something, but, well, I could probably leave him be for now.

For now, I had to focus on what was in front of me: the drill, “Little Piercer.”

While we’d been bantering like idiots, it had kept on spinning.

One of the earth mages who was standing nearby carried the Little Piercer in front of a massive rock wall that had been prepared, and then moved the drill forward.

We were moving the Little Piercer with an earth mage’s gravity manipulation magic for now, but in actual practice, it would be pushed from behind by a large animal like a rhinosaurus.

As the front end of the Little Piercer made contact with the rock, it kept spinning and chipped away at it.

The power to keep spinning when it hit a rock wall was incredible. However, the speed with which it was carving away at the rock felt rather slow. Though it was making steady progress, it went as slow as the walking speed of a giant tortoise.

“Well... it’s a start, I guess?” I said. “Can’t you have it dig any faster?”

“That’s what we’ll have to solve going forward,” said Merula, who despite being part of the research team seemed to have been left on the sidelines a bit. “Currently, this is the fastest it can dig. If we increase the speed it moves without increasing the speed at which it can dig, it will break the machine. That’s why I suspect we will need to improve the spell so that the central axis can spin faster.”

“You think that’s possible?” I asked.

“I think it will take time. But we’ll do it.”

If Merula, an expert on magic spells, was on the job, I could safely leave it to her.

Fortunately, it seemed to be spinning nice and stably.

“The rotator itself is stable, right?” I asked. “I’d like to think of other uses for it, too.”

“Ookya!” Kuu exclaimed. “In that case, Bro, I’m interested in that ‘leisure skiing’ you were talking about before. If we have a rotational mechanism, we can make what you were calling a lift, and that’s what you said would make this ‘leisure skiing’ stuff possible, right?”

Kuu’s eyes were sparkling. Now that he mentioned it, we had discussed that.

True, if it had leisure skiing, the republic, with its snow and hot springs, could likely bring in tourists from the kingdom and Empire to gain foreign currency.

I mean, I’d want to go skiing with my family, too... but still.

“I’d have to turn this machine over to Turgis for that, you know...” I began.

“What are you saying, Bro?! This is a joint development project between our three countries. No one’s going to let the kingdom monopolize it!”

Kuu sounded offended, but I tried to mollify him as I explained.

“No, I know that, of course. But some of the materials used in this machine are sensitive. If I’m not careful, it could cause a conflict over them. With the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State in particular.”

The material in question was, of course, the central element of the magic storage system, curse ore.

Curse ore, which had the property of nullifying (actually absorbing) nearby magic, was hated in this world where magic tended to be seen as the work of spirits or the gods. That trend was especially prevalent in countries like the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State and the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, so if they found out we were using curse ore, it was bound to cause some serious headaches.

It seemed it was commonly dug up in the southeast of this continent, and our country had abundant reserves. They could probably mine it in the east of the republic, too. I could keep it under wraps if we were only using it in our country, but if we shared the information with other countries, too, there was the risk that it would eventually leak to third parties.

When that happened, how many of the countries of mankind were willing to support its use would determine how things developed after that.

In light of resistance from people connected to the Orthodox Papal State and Spirit Kingdom, would the Empire and republic really be able to continue cooperating with us?

I would need to sound them out on that as I negotiated.

That’s why I told Kuu, “It’s certainly true that this machine will have a major positive effect on the Republic of Turgis. If the country profits, it’ll be easier to shut up those who support the policy of northward expansion, so I’d very much like to see you introduce the technology.”

“Bro...”

“It’s just that we need to talk more about how the materials used in it are to be handled first. So, Kuu, I want to arrange for talks between the kingdom, Empire, and republic. Would it be okay to have you as representative of the republic there?”

Kuu thumped his chest. “Yeah! My old man left me in charge of any negotiations involving this drill. I’m not that smart, but I can tell this machine’s going to open a way to the republic’s future. So, if it gets this thing into the republic, I’ll do whatever it takes to help!”

Kuu’s eyes were earnest.

He’d been a bit of a goofball when we first met him, but at some point, he’d become so reliable. There was a saying about how fast boys grow up. I’d felt this with Julius, too. It seemed as long as people stay alive, they keep growing.

I had to keep doing my best, too... or so I was thinking, but...

“Ookyakya! I can’t help but wonder what this ‘leisure skiing’ stuff is. The name’s got a nice ring to it,” Kuu added with a devilish look on his face.

It seemed his growth was a bit uneven.

Half out of exasperation, I shook hands with him.

I didn’t even notice the serious eyes Taru and Leporina had fixed on Kuu.

Some days later, it was busy in Taru’s workshop in the Parnam craftsmen’s town.

“Hey, Taru,” Kuu said. “We’re done filing the anvil. Where do you want it?”

“Ohhh, it’s pretty heavy,” Leporina groaned.

Kuu and Leporina were carrying in a heavy-looking anvil. They had been doing maintenance on it outside the workshop until just now.

Hearing their voices, Taru, who had been cleaning the ash out of the furnace, stopped and wiped the mixture of soot and sweat from her brow. She pointed to a spot near her.

“Close to the furnace here.”

“Gotcha,” said Kuu.

Kuu and Leporina laid the anvil down where they were asked to.

The three of them were currently doing a major cleanup of Taru’s workshop.

The workshop had been left vacant recently because of her work on the drill development project, so Taru was using her day off today to clean the place up and do maintenance on her tools there.

Kuu had volunteered to help, and then dragged Leporina along, too.

Ever since they were in the republic, Kuu had wanted to show Taru his good side, so he often helped with cleaning the workshop, and was used to doing maintenance on her tools.

Leporina, who was often dragged along into helping, was the same.

Taru had anticipated the work would take all day, but with the extra help, they were finished before the sun went down.

As thanks for the assistance, Taru served the two of them black tea that she had allowed to chill after making it. It was still before spring, and cold, but the three of them were sweaty from their work, so the cold tea tasted especially good.

“Thanks for today,” Taru said bashfully, hiding her mouth with her cup. “Master Kuu, Leporina.”

“Ookyakya! It was nothing,” Kuu said energetically. “Right, Leporina?”

“Yes.” She seemed a little exhausted, her bunny ears drooping. “I’ve long since gotten used to being run ragged by Master Kuu.”

Taru watched those two contrasting individuals for a moment.

“So, Master Kuu, I still haven’t heard what you were here about,” she said at last. “Why did you come to see me today? You didn’t come just to help clean up the workshop, I assume?”

“Ookya? Oh! Right, right!” Kuu slapped his knee as if he’d just remembered.

Oh! He actually came on business... Taru’s eyes widened a bit in surprise.

In Kuu’s case, it was more than possible that he’d just dropped by on a whim. Or rather, before this, that would definitely have been what Kuu was doing. However, today Kuu spoke to Taru with a serious look on his face.

“I wanted to hear about that drill in detail. How about it? How’s development?”

“Going smoothly,” Taru said. “Even when there’s an issue, if Madam Genia and Madam Trill argue over it for a while, they have a new breakthrough in no time. Those two are smart. From there, it’s simply a matter of me making parts of the quality they demand, and Merula providing the spells.”

“Simply...? I’m sure it’s not as easy as you’re making it sound, though.” Kuu let out a sigh.

There was no doubt Genia and Trill were geniuses, but for Taru to be able to respond to those geniuses’ demands surely meant she was a first-rate craftsperson.

Kuu smiled in satisfaction. “Ookyakya, it’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t been around, our country couldn’t have gotten in on the drill development project. I’m really glad you came to the kingdom with me.”

“...Sure.”

Taru’s response was curt, but her cheeks reddened a little. She probably didn’t mind the compliment.

Leporina was watching Taru with a peaceful look on her face.

Putting a hand on his knee, Kuu stood up and picked up the hand-operated drill for use on wood. While spinning it, Kuu let out a little sigh.

“The problem now is, will our country be able to put the drill that’s developed into use? The question of whether we have people who can or not... will have an effect on its future.”

““Master Kuu?””

Kuu wasn’t acting like his normal self, so Taru and Leporina got worried. The usually easygoing goofball was acting like another person entirely.

When Kuu unfurled a map of the continent in front of the two of them, he smirked like a beast that had its eye on some prey.

“I’ve been thinking about what’s to come ever since I met Fuuga in the north. The future of the Republic of Turgis.”

“The future of the republic...” Taru whispered.

Leporina was silent.

Taru was surprised by the unexpected seriousness of the discussion, but Leporina had seen Fuuga in the Union of Eastern Nations with Kuu, and she’d already been told all this.

“In future, Fuuga’s Malmkhitan is going to rise in the north,” Kuu said. “He has the ambition, as well as the ability, to make it happen. Bro’s Kingdom of Friedonia is in the east, and Empress Maria’s Gran Chaos Empire is in the west. It’s likely that future events on the continent will revolve around these three countries.”

Kuu pointed to the map as he said that, then he pointed to the Republic of Turgis.

“In the middle of all that, what will our country do? We’re involved in the medical alliance and joint drill development project, so we have friendly relations with the kingdom and Empire. But that’s not enough for us to relax. If Fuuga’s Malmkhitan swallows up the Union of Eastern Nations, and then either allies with or invades and destroys the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State and the Mercenary State Zem, his fangs might reach all the way to the republic. It can’t even be assured that the kingdom and Empire will be safe forever.”

Kuu sat down in his seat, putting his elbows down on his crossed legs as he groaned.

“If that happens, can our country get through it? The land is locked in ice and snow during the winter, making it hard for enemies to approach, but that doesn’t give us much hope for victory. The snow and ice lower our productivity, too, making it hard to develop our country. That said, it’s not realistic to think we could expand northward and claim some land that doesn’t freeze. We don’t have an air force because of the bitter cold and violent air currents, so we’d struggle to hold any land we could take.”

The republic was so cold that wyverns and dragons hated it, the violent air currents kept air forces away, and in winter the roads were closed by snow, making it hard for foreign enemies to enter.

However, turning that all around, it also meant that they couldn’t build their own air force, and in winter the supply lines to their homeland were cut off, so it was hard to invade other countries, too.

Many in the older generation in the republic still believed in the policy of northward expansion, but Kuu thought they needed to hurry and wake up from that pipe dream.

“In considering the future of the republic, we need a new path to replace the policy of northward expansion,” Kuu said. “I’m thinking this drill development project could be the breakthrough we need.”

“A new path, you say?” Leporina asked.

Kuu nodded firmly.

“Our people are skilled with their hands. The accessories they create while cooped up in their houses for the winter are detailed, and I think it’s fair to say we’re the best on the continent when it comes to making things like that. I want to build on that even more. I want to make the republic indispensable to the kingdom and Empire, just like your skill as a craftsperson is absolutely vital for the drill.”

Basically, what Kuu was thinking of was technological nationalism.

The ability to make complicated parts could, at times, be the most powerful diplomatic card to hold.

If he could make it so the parts built in the republic were indispensable to the kingdom and Empire, he could expect the other two countries to do many things in return to benefit his country.

Furthermore, if the drill was developed and opened the roads in winter, that would mean they could import large amounts of food. It would help to raise the funds for that, too.

“The improvement of our technology will ultimately make the republic wealthy,” Kuu said. “In order to accomplish that, it’s important for the country to support craftspeople like you, Taru, who will create that technology. For that, I need to change minds in the republic.”

The people of the republic were residents of a country with advanced technology, but they only thought of the accessories they made as a way to pass the time during the winter. Until that thinking changed, he couldn’t expect further technological advancement.

“I plan to talk to my father about this, too, but we should praise craftspeople who make something amazing, and clamp down on those that churn out large amounts of shoddy garbage,” Kuu said. “That will create a desire to create something better in the country, and we’ll grow. That’s the path the republic should take.”

Taru nodded at Kuu, who gripped his hands into fists as he spoke. “I think it’s a good idea. Our techniques are a treasure.”

“Master Kuu, you can say impressive things, after all!” Leporina was even tearing up.

Kuu laughed bashfully. “I didn’t come to the kingdom just to play around, you know? I’ve been watching Bro’s policies, and absorbing what I think I should of them. That’s why I know what needs to be done.”

Then Kuu scratched the back of his head, as if troubled.

“The ability to create superior technologies requires adaptability. That’s something we lack.”

“Huh? Adaptability?” Leporina asked.

“Yeah. Like how Bro used the jewels from the Jewel Voice Broadcast to create broadcast programs. He used something that had only been used for speeches before to provide entertainment for his country’s people. No one in this world ever thought of that, right? The ability to adapt and apply existing technologies is guaranteed to be important going forward. Like the rotational mechanism in the drill. I’m sure Bro’s thinking of all sorts of uses for it.”

“You may be right.” Taru nodded with a pensive look on her face. “I’m sure Madam Genia and Madam Trill will come up with all sorts of uses for it. But I can’t think up ideas like that.”

“Yeah, and neither can I. That’s why, while they may not be up to Bro’s level, we need to find people of our own who can think of these things. Lots of them, too.”

“If we’re going to find these people, do you have any idea where to look?” Leporina asked.

Kuu smirked. “Not now, no. But with some time, we can make them.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“We round up some of the clever folks from our nation, young and full of motivation, and we send them to the kingdom and Empire to learn. Just like I’m learning from Bro. Then, if they come back home to teach, it should increase the number of people who are able to think with adaptability in the republic.”

Kuu’s idea was to gather students to study abroad in the kingdom and Empire. Of course, he would need to get permission from Gouran Taisei later, the man who was his father and the head of the republic, but Kuu planned to convince him, no matter what.

Leporina was impressed. “Wow. That’s amazing, Master Kuu. I never knew you were thinking about all this.”

“Yeah, well, you’re welcome to keep the compliments coming, you know?” Kuu said laughing bashfully. “Well, I am our future head of state. I’d be in a sore spot if everyone was useless when I take over. I’ve got to hire anyone useful I can, regardless of race or age.”

“I think that’s wonderful.” Taru seemed genuinely impressed, which only made Kuu happier.

“Ookyakya! You falling in love with me all over again?”

“You get carried away so quickly,” she sighed. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

“Well, because I want you to be the wife of the future head of state.”

At hearing him express his affection for her directly like that, Taru had no words.

The way he said it was as casual as ever, but his eyes were serious and focused directly on her.

“I’m always serious, you know?” Kuu said. “I know we can’t do it right now, but I have every intention of making you my wife when we go back to the republic. I want you to act as a representative for the republic’s craftspeople, after all. I want you to walk with me.”

She was silent.

“Well, there’s no rush to answer,” Kuu said. “Think on it.”

With that, he stood up with an, “Ups-a-daisy,” and left the workshop.

Left behind, Taru and Leporina stared vacantly at the door through which he had left.

At last, coming to her senses first, Leporina asked Taru, “The young master seemed serious. What will you do?”

Having come to her senses, too, Taru answered her question with another. “Huh?! What will I do...? Are you okay with this, Leporina? You love Master Kuu, too, don’t you?”

After she asked that, trying to read Leporina’s expression as she did, Leporina nodded.

“It’s certainly true that I have feelings for Master Kuu. However, Master Kuu will one day be head of the republic. If he were to ask for my hand on his own, that would be one thing, but I cannot ask him to take me as his wife myself. That’s why, honestly, I’m jealous of you.”

“Leporina...”

Seeing the worried look on Taru’s face, Leporina giggled.

“Until you make your feelings clear, out of loyalty to you, Master Kuu isn’t going to look at another woman. Whether you choose to accept or reject his proposal, I think now he’ll finally be able to look at me, too. I won’t ask that he marry me, but I can appeal to him so he wants to make me his bride on his own. I just want to be by Master Kuu’s side, whatever form that takes.”

Taru was speechless.

Leporina stood up and put her hand on the door. “Now, it’s just a matter of what you want. I don’t mind being second, so I’ll be rooting for the two of you. That said, if you reject his proposal, I’ll work to soothe Master Kuu’s wounded heart, and make sure he takes me as his first.”

“You’re able to come out and talk about your feelings honestly, I see,” Taru said quietly.

“Because I want to be with Master Kuu, from the bottom of my heart.”

When Leporina said that, as if putting her words into practice, she followed Kuu out the door. Left behind, Taru asked herself a question.

What do I want...?

◇　◇　◇

It was a winter day when I was still ten.

I hated the winter when I was little. The Republic of Turgis was shut down by snow and ice in winter, and whenever I opened the door, the snow was piled up to chest-level for me, so it prevented me going outside.

During this season, the adults stayed near the fire, their heads down, working on crafts as a side job.

That was because it wasn’t possible to work the fields or take the boats out fishing in the winter, so they had nothing else to do. They seemed so gloomy, it was mind numbing.

I would just stare vacantly as my grandfather the blacksmith struck the iron.

In this season, blacksmiths were busy mending all the tools that the farmers gave them to repair. The orders came in during fall, and they had to be repaired during the off-season so they were ready to be returned in the spring.

That was why, even though it was winter, my grandfather was currently standing in front of a blazing furnace, wearing thin clothes.

Clang, clang, clang...

I listened to the banging of the hammer and stared into the dancing flames. I thought my grandfather was cool when he was beating iron.

But when I had to see this same scene day after day, it inevitably got boring.

I’m bored...

While thinking that, I let out the latest of who knows how many sighs that winter.

Bwoon! My thoughts were interrupted by the trumpeting of some large beast outside.

Was it a numoth?

Numoths were large, woolly creatures, and they would trudge, undeterred, through the thick snow, so they were primarily raised as large mounts for the military.

When I rushed to the door, the numoth’s feet were right before my eyes. It was so big, I had to look up to see it, so my jaw dropped in surprise.

“Ookyakya!” laughed an energetic young voice from above. “Would I be right in guessing this is the Ozumi Workshop?”

For a moment, I thought the numoth in front of me had spoken, but I soon noticed a young boy of the snow monkey race who was about my age was peeking over the side of the numoth.

“I want you to repair my old man’s sword, since I broke it swinging it around.”

It seemed the voice belonged to the boy.

“It... It is...” I managed to say.

A girl of the white rabbit race who looked a little older than me peeked out after the boy.

“Hey, Young Master,” she said. “We scared the poor girl by suddenly riding up on a numoth. Also, this numoth’s a military one that your father is raising, and we borrowed it without permission, too, so he’s going to get mad again, you know?”

“Ookyakya! Where’s the harm? It’d be grueling to walk through this snow.”

The snow monkey boy didn’t seem concerned in the slightest at the white rabbit girl’s chastening. There was probably a difference in status between them. The boy was acting like he was more important than she was.

Then the boy nimbly jumped down from the numoth.

“Ookya?!”

He was not any taller than I was, so he sank into the snow up to his chest.

Perhaps feeling stubborn, the boy shouted, “Fungh!” and trudged through the snow towards me.

When he got in front of me, the boy finally grinned and said, “I’m Kuu. And that’s Leporina up there. You?”

“...Taru.”

“You’re called Taru, huh? Nice to meet you, Taru.”

When he said that, the boy who had introduced himself as Kuu took my hand and shook it vigorously.

The boy had cut through the snow that kept me from going outside as if it didn’t matter it was there.

That was my first meeting with Master Kuu.

“It’s morning...” I murmured.

I had the day off, but out of ingrained habit, I had woken up before dawn. As per usual, it was still dark out.

As I got out of bed, I remembered the dream I just had. It was a dream of when I was little, the first time I’d met Master Kuu and Leporina.

After that day, Master Kuu and Leporina had repeatedly come over to my house to play.

There were limits to the fun we could have indoors, though, so Master Kuu had always been quick to take me outdoors. We’d ridden on the numoth and gone all sorts of places.

Because Master Kuu was reckless by nature, he’d taken Leporina and me to dangerous places where we were caught in avalanches, chased by wild creatures, yelled at by adults who found out, and put through all sorts of other rather unfair situations.

Fond memories.

I tried comparing the Master Kuu of then to the Master Kuu of now.

I think... Master Kuu really has changed.

I felt like coming to this country — coming into contact with a number of worlds — had helped to broaden his horizons.

He’d tagged along to the Union of Eastern Nations, so he was as reckless as ever, but through it all, he had an awareness that he was the son of the head of our republic, and he was seeing what was good for our country, and what was out there that threatened us.

I think he has grown.

But some things never change.

Master Kuu was always trying to break down walls that stood in our way.

Like how he had broken through the snow to come to me in our youth, now he was trying to use the drill to open a hole and bring fresh air into the republic, which seemed locked in snow and ice.

It was because Master Kuu was the way he was that, even after all the hell he put her through, Leporina loved and adored him, and would follow him anywhere.

I... wanted to help Master Kuu, too.

I couldn’t fight, so I couldn’t follow him to the battlefield like Leporina, but I could at least watch Master Kuu press forward from behind.

Just as Master Kuu had broken through the snow to take me outside, if there was a wall that stands in Master Kuu’s way, this time, I wanted to be the one to tear it down.

Since I didn’t have battlefield strength, I’d do it using all the technology at my disposal.

“...Okay.”

Having found my resolve, I ate breakfast and left the workshop.

◇　◇　◇

Ten days later...

“Heyyyy, Taruuuu, I’m heeeere!” Kuu called.

“Taaaaruuuu?” Leporina called.

Taru had just called Kuu out with a letter saying she had something important to discuss, so he was here at her workshop with Leporina.

The furnace wasn’t lit today, and it was high noon, so without light shining inside the building, it was gloomy.

The two entered the workshop and looked around.

“Honestly, that Taru,” Kuu said. “What’s she doing so sneakily?”

Leporina was silent.

Taru had been acting strange lately.

It seemed she was always busy, so it was common for her to be out when Kuu came to visit her workshop.

She seemed to be up to something, but when Kuu had asked, all she would say was, “It’s still a secret.”

The “still” in that sentence suggested she meant to tell him eventually, so he’d left it alone, but it bothered him.

There was one other thing that was odd, too.

About a week ago, Taru had come to borrow the cudgel that was his favorite weapon. She was the one who’d made it in the first place, and she’d said she wanted to do maintenance on it, but he didn’t have it back yet. Had she called him here to return it today?

While Kuu was thinking about that, Taru came out from inside the workshop.

In her hands, she held an object that was very long and wrapped in cloth.

“Master Kuu, Leporina. Welcome.”

“Hey, Taru,” Kuu said casually. “Is that my cudgel you were working on?”

Taru shook her head a little apologetically. “I’m sorry, Master Kuu. The maintenance was a lie.”

“Ookya? You didn’t work on it? Why?”

“What I did wasn’t maintenance, it was an upgrade.”

When she said that, she pulled the cloth off the long object.

Inside was Kuu’s cudgel, which had changed.

The central part which had the golden centipede design wasn’t noticeably different. However, both ends had two channels carved into them, with bits of bare metal sticking out.

If Souma could have seen it, he might have thought it looked like the Wolf’s Tooth Cudgel or Langyabang that showed up in Romance of the Three Kingdoms-inspired action games.

“Wh-What is this?!” Kuu cried out in surprise.

Taru pointed to the centipede’s head section.

“Press the button there.”

“Huh? This?”

When Kuu pressed the button like he was told to, the metal bits on each end of the cudgel went, Gweeen! and started revolving rapidly.

As Kuu and Leporina stared on, dumbfounded by what they were seeing, Taru explained, sounding somewhat proud: “I added the drill function you said you wanted, Master Kuu.”

“No... No, no, no, no, no, no!” Kuu pressed the button once more to stop the spinning, and then turned on Taru. “No, didn’t you say it wasn’t possible when we talked about it before?”

“It was pretty hard. If you’re going to swing it around as a cudgel, a cylindrical shape is better than a conical one, so I consulted with Madam Genia and Madam Trill, and this is what we came up with. Scattering countless blades across the end of it was inefficient, so we used two grooves, similar to a hand drill for punching holes in wood, to make a shape that would dig through things. The drill section was reinforced with Merula’s magic, so it’s pretty strong.”

Putting her hands on her hips, Taru thrust her chest out with pride.

“If I were to name it, it would be... the Drill Cudgel.”

As Taru went on plainly explaining the change to the weapon, Kuu clutched his temples.

“No, it’s more than I expected, and I’m glad you made it for me. I never expected you’d make what I wanted a reality. You’re pretty stubborn, right, Taru? I was expecting you’d blow off a silly request like this.”

“This is... a show of my resolve.” Taru touched the Drill Cudgel softly and spoke in a serious tone. “The things you want to do, the wishes you want granted, the things you want to accomplish... I want to support you in all of them. Even if people say it’s reckless or crazy, I won’t reject it. I’ll do everything I can with my skills, and I’ll make it happen for sure.”

“Taru... You...”

Kuu reached out to her. When he did, Taru took his hand and pressed it to her own chest.

“For as long as you keep facing forward, driving toward your dreams, I will be right behind you supporting you. Because in my heart, I want to break through with you.”

“Does that mean... you’ll accept the engagement?”

Taru nodded slightly.

Kuu was so full of emotion he tried to hug her, but just as he was about she said, “Wait,” and held up a hand to stop him.

Kuu screeched to a sudden halt.

Taru asked, “Can I put one condition on it?”

“S-Sure! If it’s something I can do, then anything!”

“Well, then...” Taru walked over to Leporina, taking her hand.

“Huh? Taru?” Leporina asked.

“Come with me,” she said.

Then, hand in hand with Leporina, the two stood in front of Kuu, and Taru said, “If we’re getting married, I want it to be with Leporina, too.”

““Huh...? Whaaaaa?!””

This made both Kuu and Leporina’s eyes go wide with surprise.

“U-Um, Taru? Why would you suddenly...?” Leporina began.

“I can support Kuu on the technological front, but I have a lot of weaknesses elsewhere. I can make weapons, but I can’t fight alongside him, and I’m too shy to be much use in social situations, either. You can help Kuu at times like that, right, Leporina?”

While Leporina stared at her in confusion, Taru snorted.

“There may be a time when I’ll need to accept him taking a wife who can do the things that I can’t. If so, I want it to be you.”

“Taru...” Leporina said, moved.

“H-Hey! Don’t just decide this on your own... Taru’s the one I...”

Kuu tried to interrupt, but Taru jabbed a finger in front of his nose.

“You’re always being so reckless. I hear you were being reckless in the Union of Eastern Nations, too.”

“W-Well, yes, but...”

“No matter how much I worry, I can’t help you on the battlefield. But Leporina can defend you, and fight alongside you. If Leporina is with you, I can feel a little more at ease waiting. I will support you at home, and Leporina will support you outside. You don’t hate Leporina, do you?”

“Well, no, I don’t hate her... but that doesn’t mean...”

As Kuu stammered, Taru kept pressing him.

“Before, you were saying, ‘Will you be my wife?’ to King Souma’s little sister.”

“I was just trying to get your attention!” he yelled.

“I know. You were always flirting with girls, then glancing in my direction. I kind of knew you wanted me to get jealous.”

She was right. When she said all these things that saw right through his vanity, Kuu wanted to find a hole and hide in it.

As he was feeling that way, Taru faced him straight on and said, “But you never tried to hit on Leporina. Even though she’s a cute girl, and you’ve known her even longer than you’ve known me. That’s because you knew how Leporina feels, right? If you hit on her when you had no plans to follow through, you’d end up hurting her. That’s why you never did.”

Kuu was silent.

“M-Master Kuu...?” Leporina asked hesitantly.

She’d hit the nail on the head again. She completely saw through Kuu. That was probably because, though she treated him brusquely, Taru had been watching Kuu all of this time.

“Leporina’s always been thinking of you,” Taru said. “And you don’t hate her. I like Leporina, too. So... I don’t want her left out.”

“Oh, fine, I get it! I give, I give!” Kuu raised his hands in surrender. Then, awkwardly, he looked to Leporina. “Erm... there you have it. Will you be my wife, too?”

Leporina must have been overcome by emotion. She was smiling as big tears streamed down her face. “Master Kuu... Yes! I know I have many shortcomings, but please take good care of meeee!”

Taru rubbed Leporina’s back. Leporina who had been so happy about their engagement, and Taru who was so eager to protect him that she welcomed Leporina.

With those two wonderful girls in front of him, Kuu seemed to have made up his mind. “Ookyaaa! If that’s how it is, I’m going to be a man and look after both of you!”

“That’s wrong,” said Taru. “We’re the ones who’ll be looking after you.”

“Taru’s right,” Leporina agreed after sniffling.

With the two poking fun at him to the very end, Kuu wasn’t able to act cool.

Chapter 5: The Black Tiger’s Delivery

— Night of the 1st day, 3rd month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar — Parnam Castle —

The leader of the Black Cats, the intelligence and covert operations unit that reported directly to the crown, was summoned by Souma to the governmental affairs office in Parnam Castle.

When Kagetora entered in his usual imposing black tiger mask and black armor, not through the office door, but the glass door leading onto the terrace, Souma pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.

“I have come at your behest,” Kagetora announced.

“...Can’t you use the normal entrance?”

“People are suspicious of me in this outfit. It wouldn’t do to have one of the maids fainting again.”

“It’s a bit late to say this, but that outfit’s not very sneaky at all, is it?”

It might melt into the darkness, but Kagetora looked intensely out of place anywhere there was light. However, Kagetora shook his head.

“If need be, the attention of others can be diverted using enchantments. More importantly, what is it you have called me here for today? I am led to believe you have some important task for me.”

“Yeah. This is a task I can only entrust to you.” Souma’s face grew serious, and he drew a rectangular object from the drawer of his office desk.

It was a metal case.

It was a rectangular prism, 15 centimeters x 20 centimeters x 40 centimeters, with no ornamentation on its surface, but there was a big lock on the top side, which was where the lid was.

Looking at the simplicity of the design and the attention paid to defending it, you could infer how important the contents must be.

Souma passed that metal box to Kagetora.

“I want you to deliver this to my father-in-law in the House of Elfrieden. I’m asking you like this because I mean for you to deliver the item personally. It must remain sealed until it’s in Father’s hands.”

“You mean the former king, Sir Albert?” Kagetora stared at the metal box.

It was a tightly sealed box.

The sender was the current (provisional) king of the country.

The recipient was the former king.

And then there was the care taken in sending it with the leader of the Black Cats.

It was almost as if some dangerous object that might shake the country was inside.

What in the world could possibly be in the box?

“May I inquire as to the contents?” Kagetora asked.

“You may not. I cannot tell you.”

Having said that, Souma now passed a letter with a wax seal to him.

“I would like you to give this letter to Father along with the box. It contains the key to this box. Have Father read the letter in your presence, and when he has finished, you are to carry out the orders within.”

“...Understood.”

Kagetora bowed his head and accepted the box and letter.

Though the delivery was nothing if not mysterious, he knew the young king. There had to be some deep thought at work here, so Kagetora would ask no more. Now all that remained was to carry out the task with which he had been entrusted with precision.

Kagetora was about to leave from the terrace in the same way he had arrived... and then it happened.

There was a knock at the office door.

Kagetora tried to hide himself, but Souma said, “Wait,” and stopped him.

“It’s me. May I come in?” It was a woman’s voice. That voice belonged to Liscia.

Souma said, “Go ahead.”

The door opened, and Liscia and...

“My lady?!” Kagetora exclaimed.

...of all people, the former queen, Elisha, entered with her.

“It’s been too long,” Elisha said formally. “Sir Car... I mean, Sir Kagetora.”

She was as graceful as ever, and despite now being a grandmother, she was still a beautiful lady.

It turned out that, having heard from Souma how difficult raising twins as their first children was, she had rushed to their side to support them.

Liscia and Elisha each held one of the children, Kazuha and Cian. Liscia glanced to Kagetora, who was standing stunned in one corner of the room, nodding to him with a soft smile.

Seeing her, something hot welled up in Kagetora’s eyes, deep within the mask.

That tomboyish princess... she’s a mother now...

This room now held three generations of royal princesses. The scene made Kagetora want to pinch the bridge of his nose, but he desperately hid his emotions, not wanting to let them be discovered.

While Kagetora struggled, unbeknownst to anyone, Souma asked Liscia, “Did you already finish giving milk to Cian and Kazuha?”

“Yes. They both drank a lot today, and now they’re sound asleep. Cian fell asleep at my bosom, but Kazuha was excited for some reason, and she just wouldn’t go to sleep.”

“Hee hee, Kazuha is just like you were when you were little,” Elisha giggled. “You were a rambunctious little thing, you know? Always quick to try and sneak out of bed.”

“M-Mother. It’s embarrassing when you bring up things I can’t even remember...”

Elisha’s talk about old memories was turning Liscia’s cheeks red.

With a wry smile at their conversation, Souma took a peek at the twins’ faces. Kazuha was asleep in Liscia’s arms, Cian in Elisha’s.

“Oh, honestly,” Souma sighed. “If it weren’t for my duties, they’re so cute that I could stare at them all day.”

“Oh, geez, don’t be silly,” Liscia said. “You’re the king, Souma, so keep yourself together.”

“Hee hee hee! Liscia, you sound just like I used to.”

Liscia’s chastising Souma for acting like a silly parent seemed to amuse Elisha.

While Kagetora stood there, feeling out of place in this homey environment, Liscia peeked in his direction.

Then she walked over. “Um... Sir Kagetora?”

“...What is it?”

“Could you hold her for me?”

With that said, she handed Kazuha to Kagetora.

It seemed Kagetora was uncharacteristically dismayed by the proposal. “No, I... I would scare the child were I to hold her...”

“It’s all right.” Liscia looked at Kagetora with complete sincerity. “You closely resemble a man I loved and respected. I’ve heard from mother. That person once held me when I was Kazuha’s size. And he adored me like I was his own daughter. So... there is no chance that this girl, my daughter, would dislike you.”

“Princess...”

Kagetora took off his gauntlets, and hesitantly accepted Kazuha.

He had thick, burly arms, but because Kagetora was a feline beastman, his arms were covered in fur.

Though the fur tickled Kazuha for a moment when he took her, she soon began breathing softly with a look of total calm on her sleeping face.

Children are always sensitive, because there’s still so much they don’t know about the world. That sensitivity must have let her pick up on the fact that these arms belonged to one who would protect her unconditionally.

A minute later, Kagetora returned Kazuha to Liscia.

“I am grateful that you offered me this valuable experience.”

“Hee hee. Souma may continue to cause a lot of trouble for you in future, but please don’t push yourself too hard, and take care.”

Seeing Liscia’s concern for Kagetora, Souma was just a bit upset. “Trouble? Now that’s just not fair.”

“Oh, my! Jealous of Sir Kagetora, are we, son-in-law?” Elisha teased.

Souma shrugged in resignation. “I won’t deny it, Mother.”

Even as Liscia said, “Yeesh,” she was smiling.

Feeling his lips turn upward beneath the mask thanks to the warmth around him, Kagetora said, “Pardon me,” and then vanished into the darkness of night from the terrace.

— In the evening of the next day —

Kagetora was now in the previous king Albert’s former domain, secreted away in the mountains.

He arrived at Albert’s mansion and was led by a maid, who looked somewhat intimidated by his appearance, to the living room.

Though it was now the third month of the year, it was still cold in the mountains, and a fire burned in the large hearth. Albert was already in the living room, and he greeted Kagetora with a smile.

“Ohh, Sir Car... Sir Kagetora. Good of you to come.”

“Yes, sir.” Kagetora saluted. “I am pleased to see you seem in good health.”

Albert slapped him on the shoulder. “None of that, none of that! I’m retired now. Let us cast aside the restrictions of liege and vassal, and treat one another, instead, as old friends.”

“No... If you’ll forgive my rudeness, I do not believe we were that well acquainted.”

“...You never change. That personality of yours is as troublesome as ever.”

With a sigh at Kagetora’s stubbornness, Albert extended his right hand.

“Then let us become friends now. If you would treat me as if you were an acquaintance I’ve known for a long time now, I would be pleased.”

“...Yes, sir. If that is what you wish, I will do so gladly.”

Kagetora took Albert’s hand, and they exchanged a firm handshake.

Albert had Kagetora sit on a sofa near the fireplace, and he himself sat at a spot across a small table from him.

Then, folding his hands together above his knee, Albert asked, “So, what business have you come on today?”

“Sir, I have come bearing a delivery for you from my master, His Majesty, King Souma.”

Kagetora passed over the metal box he had received. Then, from his pocket, he produced the letter which was the other thing Souma had entrusted him with, and gave it to Albert.

The former king looked at the metal box, and said, “Oh, my, what could it be?”

“I also received this letter from my master. He says you are to read it in my presence. The key to this box should be enclosed with it.”

“Hmm. Understood.”

Albert accepted the envelope. Breaking the wax seal and pulling out the letter inside, he began reading it. He occasionally would go, “Mm-hm, mm-hm,” or, “I see...” as he read, and when he finished, he folded up the letter.

He took the key to the metal box from inside the envelope. Holding it in two fingers, he looked to Kagetora.

“The letter, it said you are to follow my orders while you are here, you know?”

“Yes, sir. I have been ordered to do so by my master.”

“Hm... Be sure you remember those words.”

With that, Albert put the key into the lock holding the box shut. There was a clink as he turned it, and the lid slowly opened.

Kagetora was watching in anticipation, waiting to see what important item might be inside, but...

“Hm?”

Inside was a single bottle of wine.

What... exactly is this supposed to be? Kagetora’s eyes went wide.

He’d been made to carry what seemed like an important box, but in truth, he had only been bringing a bottle of wine to Sir Albert.

Kagetora began to think his master might be having a laugh at his expense, but then...

“Hm?! That wine?!” Seeing the brand of wine, Kagetora’s eyes bulged beneath his mask.

Seeing Albert’s reaction, Albert smirked. “Oh, my, how strange. You shouldn’t know anything about this wine.”

“No... It’s nothing. It was just my imagination.”

“This wine, you see? When my daughter Liscia was born, I sent it to an old friend. A wine made in the year of her birth, in the hope that he would always protect her. My friend often said, ‘I intend to drink this wine on the day the princess is married.’ That friend is no longer with us now, but...”

As Albert spoke, he gestured for one of the maids to come closer, then ordered her to bring two glasses and something for dinner.

After that, Albert leaned back in the sofa, looking down at the letter once more.

“It seems my friend entrusted this wine to my son-in-law. However, my son-in-law says he has no taste for wine and it would be wasted on him, so he would like for me to drink it. It would be a problem if I were falling down drunk on their wedding day, so I am to drink it as a pre-celebration. ‘It would be awkward to drink it alone, so have the one I sent to bring it to you join you’... is what it says. Will you join me, Sir Kagetora?”

“No, I could never drink such a thing...” Kagetora faltered.

“You are under orders to do as I command, yes?”

“Guh...”

Kagetora tried to excuse himself, but he couldn’t in face of an order from his master.

While he was grinding his teeth, the maid brought in a small feast and set it on the table.

Then, as if to strike the final blow, Albert raised a glass to Kagetora.

“I was just thinking I had too much time on my hands with Elisha away. What do you say? Would you join me for a drink, in remembrance of my late old friend, and celebration of our daughter’s marriage?”

“...Yes, sir.” Finally giving in, Kagetora accepted the glass. “Understood. But there is no way you could get drunk on so little alcohol.”

“Ho, ho, ho, rest assured. Our wine cellar has plenty more of this vintage. I bought it in bulk because I was so overjoyed by Liscia’s birth, you see.”

It seemed the bottle Albert had sent to his friend was just one of many.

“Such wasteful spending...” Kagetora sighed. “Wouldn’t the madam be furious if she heard of it?”

“She was, indeed, quite cross with me. She wouldn’t let me hold Liscia again for a while.”

“Heh heh heh! That’s so like you... Gyah ha ha!” Kagetora laughed louder than you would usually expect from him.

Albert joined in, and the mansion was filled with the echoing laughter of men.

That night, there was drinking and merry-making, but in the morning, only Albert remained in the living room, his guest long since having vanished.

He had likely already set out for another mission.

Like a shadow, Kagetora was a man of many mysteries.

Chapter 6: A Wedding Present That Was Worth a Fortune

— 3rd day, 3rd month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar —

Ding dong! Ding dong!

There was a joyous pealing of bells.

“Congratulations!”

“May the Mother Dragon watch over you!”

The masses clapped and applauded unceasingly.

On this day, two couples were joined in matrimony...

However, it was not in the Kingdom of Friedonia, but in the Kingdom of Lastania inside the Union of Eastern Nations.

“Princess Tia! Congratulations!”

“Lord Julius! Please, take care of the princess and make her happy!”

“You’re beautiful, Captain Lauren!”

“Congratulations, Jirukoma!”

On a warm day where you could feel the coming of spring, the Kingdom of Lastania witnessed the weddings of Julius to Princess Tia, and Jirukoma to Captain Lauren.

It being the wedding of the country’s sole princess, the central city of Lasta was so bustling that you might think the entirety of the not-exactly-large population of this small country was clustered there.

Because Lauren was popular among the soldiers of the Kingdom of Lastania, there was some jeering from guys who were jealous of Jirukoma mixed in with all the applause.

“Captain Lauren’s finally become another man’s property...”

“Damn you, Jirukoma! Stealing Captain Lauren from us! If you ever make her cry, you’ll pay for it!”

But there was only a very small number of them.

The vast majority showered them with blessings, and the two newlywed couples waved to the crowd.

On the high platform behind them, Princess Tia’s parents, the current king and queen of the Kingdom of Lastania, watched with satisfied smiles.

Eventually, the new brides and grooms began walking down a road packed with crowds on both sides.

They made a full circuit of the city, showing themselves off to those who had kindly come to see their wedding.

As they did, one of the guests of honor, Lauren, perhaps unused to wearing a dress, tripped and nearly fell over.

Jirukoma reached out and caught her.

“S-Sorry! Sir Jirukoma!” Lauren’s face turned bright red as she jumped away from him. Then, with silk-gloved hands, she covered her cheeks. “Urgh... How embarrassing. Unused to this sort of frilly outfit, I’ve made a fool of myself. I’m now finally able to become your wife, and yet I hate myself for not being able to act as feminine as the princess.”

Seeing her so bashful, Jirukoma thought it was cute. Unable to suppress his rising emotions, he swept her up in his arms.

Suddenly finding herself in a princess carry, Lauren blinked repeatedly.

“Uwah?! Sir Jirukoma?!”

“I loved you for your usual, gallant self,” Jirukoma declared. “Yet seeing you so gorgeous today, I’ve fallen in love all over. I am the happiest man on the continent, Madam Lauren.”

“Sir Jirukoma... yes. Oh, but, please, stop with this ‘madam’ business. It makes us sound like strangers. I’m your wife now.”

“I understand... Lauren. Then don’t call me ‘sir,’ either.”

“Yes, dear!” Lauren replied in Jirukoma’s arms, a broad smile on her face.

Seeing the happiness of Lauren’s face, Tia smiled at Julius, too. “Captain Lauren looks so happy, doesn’t she?”

“Yes... I’m sure Jirukoma feels the same,” Julius said with his usual cool expression. “I’d say he’s not normally the type who would sweep a woman up in his arms in front of others like that, but he was pushed into it because he didn’t want to see a sad look on Madam Lauren’s face.”

Tia peeked at his face. “But... I’m really jealous of her.”

Seeing the thinly veiled hope in Tia’s face, Julius let out a resigned sigh. “...Shall we, then?”

He lifted Tia up like Jirukoma was doing for Lauren. But, of course, his embarrassment was winning out.

Julius wore his usual stony expression. Tia wrapped her supple arm around his neck, and drew her face in so close he could feel her breath.

“I love that about you, Lord Julius.”

“What about me?” he asked.

“The way you’re kind, but awkward and unable to show it.”

“You... don’t mince words.”

Julius gave Tia a light headbutt. It didn’t hurt at all, but Tia held the spot where he’d hit her with both hands, and she puffed up her cheeks.

“I think you’d be so wonderful if you could just be honest with your feelings, Lord Julius,” she said wistfully.

“This personality suits me. In my work, it’s easier to be just a little respected, and just a little feared.”

“Murrgh, but then no one will know how wonderful you are.”

“You understand me, Tia.” He smiled slightly. “That’s all I need.”

Tia’s heart skipped a beat. “The way you’re always making my heart race like that... it isn’t fair.”

“I could say the same of you.”

“I make your heart race, too?”

“Yeah. If I take my eyes off you, I never know where you might wander off to.”

“Murrgh.” Princess Tia groaned in dissatisfaction.

Julius smiled slightly again.

◇　◇　◇

Some days later, in the governmental affairs office of the royal mansion in Lasta, Julius was creating some documents that were needed for government purposes.

Normally, this would be something for the King of Lasta to do, but Julius could do it both faster and better. At some point, Julius had begun doing the work in his place, and the king would merely press his stamp on it after looking it over.

Due to their accomplishments in surviving the prior demon wave, during the conferral of honors within the Union of Eastern Nations, the amount of territory held by Lastania had been nearly doubled.

That said, because their country was so small to begin with, the increase in their power as a nation was negligible. Yet with more territory came more people, and consequently the number of matters that needed to be attended to rose, meaning the volume of work was on the rise.

With the current volume, no one but Julius could handle it, and it had been decided, due to his marriage to Princess Tia, that he would be the next king, so the work could be entrusted to him without fear of usurpation.

Basically, Julius now found himself in a situation much like Souma had when he was first summoned to this world.

For one as neurotic as Julius, it bothered him to have work piled up so haphazardly, so he actively took on work he didn’t want and did it all in silence.

Knock, knock, knock.

Then there was a knock at the office door, and he heard the voice of a lovely young girl.

“Lord Julius, it’s Tia!”

“Come in!” he called back.

The door opened, and Tia, who had become his wife just the other day, came in. In her hands, she carried a tray with tea.

“You’ve been working hard. Why not take a short break?”

“...Yeah. I think I will rest a bit.”

Julius laid down his feather pen, moving over to sit at the tea table with her.

While pouring his tea, she apologetically said, “I’m sorry, Lord Julius. This is supposed to be my father’s work...”

“Don’t worry about it. I was simply better suited to doing paperwork than your father,” Julius said nonchalantly, sniffing the aroma of the tea she had made for him.

“Still, we’re... um... newlyweds, but you’re already back to work.”

“It couldn’t be avoided. If the royal family is lax, the country will stagnate.”

“Well, yes, but... I hear things are much sweeter over at Captain Lauren’s place, you know? They, um, you know... every night, and she’s not been getting a lot of sleep.”

“...Well, they did say they were going to have three children.”

It seemed Jirukoma and Lauren were getting along nicely. The two had some time off, so they must have been making the most of their time as newlyweds.

Maybe because she was jealous of them, Tia pursed her lips. “I’m old enough to have children, too, you know?”

“I told you to wait a little longer, didn’t I?” Julius sighed.

Even though they were married, Julius had yet to lay a hand on Tia. The fact that Tia was still only sixteen (turning seventeen this year) played at least some part in that.

That was considered marriageable age in this world, but she was younger than his little sister Roroa, and some of her gestures still seemed childish, so Julius was in no hurry to do anything with her. He wanted to continue their relationship as it was for at least another year.

Julius reached out, gently stroking Tia’s cheek.

“There’s no need to rush into things. We’ll be together forever. If, in all the time we have together, you can bear my children, that would make me happy.”

“Lord Julius...”

They stared into each other’s eyes. The mood had started to get vaguely sweet... and then it happened.

Thud! Thud! There was a violent pounding on the door.

Julius ordered, “Enter,” and a young soldier rushed in without pausing for pleasantries.

“W-We have trouble, Lord Julius!”

“You’re awfully noisy. What exactly is it?”

The soldier raised his voice.

“A... a wedding gift has arrived from Lady Roroa of the Kingdom of Friedonia!”

““Wha?!”” Julius and Tia gulped in unison at what they were seeing.

They were led not to the entrance of the castle, but to the south gate of the walls of Lasta.

When they passed through to the other side, there was a long luggage train that continued up into the hills. There were a variety of carts in the luggage train, some drawn by horses, others by large mounts like rhinosauruses.

There were many adventurers guarding it, too, making it more like a merchant caravan or fleet.

As Julius stared at it in dumb disbelief, the thin, gray-haired gentleman who had been riding in the lead carriage walked over.

“I presume you must be Lord Julius Lastania and his wife, Tia.” The man stood in front of her, offering a reverent bow.

“Yes, but... hm?” Julius said. “I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

“Yes. My name is Sebastian Silverdeer. Previously, I managed an apparel store in the princely capital of Van known as The Silver Deer. I have maintained close ties with Princess Roroa since those days.”

Julius was puzzled. “An apparel store? I’ve never been to such a place...”

If he was an acquaintance of Roroa’s, had they passed by one another in the castle, perhaps?

Julius stared hard at Sebastian’s face. The man seemed like he was mild-mannered, but not one to be underestimated. Julius had a feeling he’d met him somewhere before, a long time ago.

Not at an apparel store, but somewhere more savage...

“The Silver Deer... wait, Silverdeer?! No, you couldn’t be the Silver Deer, could you?!”

“Hmm, there’s a name that takes me back.” Sebastian had a peaceful look on his face as he basked in the nostalgia. “They used to call me that.”

The Silver Deer had been the epithet of the right-hand man of General Herman, Julius and Roroa’s grandfather.

A renowned scout, he had been nicknamed that because of his silver hair and the ease with which he hopped around the Principality of Amidonia’s treacherous mountain roads.

In his youth, Julius had seen the man come as an assistant to Herman when he came to visit the castle.

However, the Silver Deer was supposed to have retired around a decade ago.

The man had said he ran an apparel store in the capital, and was close to Roroa. Suddenly, it made a lot of sense.

“Grandfather Herman must have really adored Roroa,” Julius commented.

“My, whatever could you mean?”

Julius sighed at Sebastian’s attempt to play dumb.

Ever since the death of Herman’s daughter, Julius and Roroa’s mother, Gaius had thrown himself into revenge against the kingdom.

Because Julius was a warrior, his father had never pushed him away, but because of Roroa’s more bureaucratic leanings, she had been isolated in the family.

Honestly, both Julius and Gaius had ignored her counsel, so Roroa had gotten closer to the bureaucrat Colbert than to them.

Grandfather Herman must have been worried about her, and sent his right-hand man to watch over his granddaughter, in case anything should happen.

It seemed the perpetually stony-faced general was soft on his granddaughter.

“Does Roroa know?” Julius asked.

“Why, even I don’t know what you might be alluding to.”

“You’re a shrewd one, I’ll give you that.” Julius smiled wryly. “Well? What is the wagon train about? I was told it’s our wedding present.”

“Yes. Everything here is Lady Roroa’s wedding present to the two of you. If I were to simply describe the cargo, it is wood, stone, and iron.”

“Huh? Wood, stone, and iron?”

As a wedding present? What in the world was Roroa up to?

Julius was suspicious, but then Sebastian produced a sheet of paper from his pocket. “I have been entrusted with a letter which I am to read aloud in your presence.”

Sebastian then began reading.

“‘Congratulations to my big brother and adorable big sister. You two flirtin’ with each other? Brother, Big Sis is a little on the small side, so don’t go forcin’ her into anythin’ too weird in bed.’”

“That Roroa... We’re only at the introduction, and it’s already this bad,” Julius groaned. His head was starting to hurt at the sudden assault.

Tia turned bright red at the “in bed” part and looked down at the ground.

Julius was going to have to smack his sister upside the head the next time they met. She’d be queen by then, but if he got King Souma’s permission first, it wouldn’t turn into a diplomatic incident.

Sebastian cleared his throat, then continued reading.

“‘Now then, as for your wedding gift, I was talkin’ with Darlin’ about what’d be appropriate, and... we were thinkin’ what you’re really gonna be needin’ for your newlywed life is a house. That’s why we’re sendin’ ya a mountainload of timber, stone, and iron. Ya can put what we sent you together and make a nice house for yourselves, right? Bye bye. From Roroa.’”

Tia looked dazedly at the luggage train that continued into the mountains. “Materials for a house? But there’s enough here to build a castle.”

Julius smiled wryly at her literal interpretation. “Tia, we’re royalty. As royalty, wouldn’t our ‘house’ be the ‘country’?”

“Oh, I see! Then Lady Roroa sent this for the country?” Tia asked.

“That must be it. They’re all things this country lacks now.”

The Kingdom of Lastania was recovering from the damage they’d suffered during the demon wave.

In addition to the territory they had held before now, they also needed to rebuild the new territories they had been awarded. There was sympathy money flowing in from the rest of the Union of Eastern Nations, but the materials for reconstruction that the money was supposed to buy were in short supply to begin with. Even with doubling their size, it didn’t change that they were a small nation, and merchants would go to places that could pay more.

Supply and demand. The price of supplies rose the more they were in short supply.

In the end, they had been unable to obtain sufficient supplies at the market, and were being forced to focus on repairing the walls, medical facilities, and other high priority institutions.

That must have been why Roroa had sent goods, not money. It seemed likely the other nations would raise an objection if it came in the form of material aid, but this was just a wedding gift for her brother. It wasn’t going to resuscitate the whole country all of a sudden, but it would make the process a lot easier.

Julius conveyed his thanks to Sebastian. “It must have been hard, bringing all of these supplies all this way.”

“Why, yes. Gathering the supplies was hard enough, and the arrangements to bring them through the other countries of the Union of Eastern Nations was far more troublesome. I’m told His Majesty went to a great deal of effort.”

“He’s put us even further in his debt, huh...”

“Debt...! That’s right, what are we going to do?!” Tia exclaimed, clapping her hands against her cheeks.

“What is it?” Julius asked. “Suddenly raising your voice like that...”

“Lord Julius, this is a wedding gift to us, right? And Lady Roroa will be getting married to Sir Souma soon, too, I’ve heard. I think we need to send them something, too, but is there anything in this country that could match up to this wonderful gift?!”

It seemed Tia was concerned about the return gift. It was true, there was likely little this small, recovering country could send to the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Julius gently stroked her cheek as she quivered with worry. “It’s okay, Tia. If it’s a wedding gift for those two, I can prepare one.”

“Y-You can?! But is there anything like that in this country?” Tia stood there with question marks over her head.

Julius gave her a smile. “There is something we can give. It’s something this country is well-positioned to offer. Sebastian.”

“Yes. What is it?”

“When the supplies are unloaded, you’re returning to the kingdom, right? I’ll go get it now, so could you deliver my wedding present to Roroa and Souma?”

“As you wish, sir.” Sebastian bowed reverently again.

Julius went back to the castle temporarily, withdrawing the item he was after from his desk, and then returned to the gate where Sebastian was waiting. Then, when he turned over what he had brought to Sebastian, he asked to have it be delivered to Souma.

When she saw what Julius had given him, Tia cocked her head to the side. “Is that item equal to their gift?”

“Yes. This will do.” Stroking his dumbfounded wife’s hair, Julius insisted, “I’m sure Souma must want this more than anything.”

◇　◇　◇

Another two weeks later, in the governmental affairs office in Parnam Castle, as Roroa and Sebastian watched, Souma went through the wedding present Julius had sent.

The reason he was looking through it was because what Julius had sent was a sheaf of papers.

When he finished reading, Souma let out a sigh, and laid the papers down on top of his desk.

“I have to hand it to Julius. Not only did he know what I want, he had this prepared in advance, too. He’s frighteningly perceptive.”

“Darlin’. What was my brother’s weddin’ gift?” Roroa asked.

Souma crossed his arms. “This is a report on the situation in Malmkhitan compiled by people working under Julius.”

“That’s the place where that Fuuga fella you’re so worried about’s from, yeah?”

Souma nodded, stood up, and walked over to the map of the continent hanging on the wall. Then he looked at Malmkhitan in the Union of Eastern Nations.

“It seems that Fuuga and Madam Mutsumi’s wedding was just held in Malmkhitan. Simultaneously, they succeeded in eliminating the remaining anti-Fuuga elements within Malmkhitan. In short, Fuuga has shored up the home front inside Malmkhitan.”

Souma put his hand on top of Malmkhitan on the map. The territory was still small enough that his hand spilled out of it, but just like his fingers were now spilling out, so too would Fuuga’s ambition spill out from inside the country.

“Now his eyes will turn to the outside in earnest,” Souma said.

Fuuga had talked about this. First he would secure the country, then once that was finished, he would request aid from other countries in the Union of Eastern Nations to invade the Demon Lord’s Domain.

That plan was finally going to be put into motion.

Going forward, Souma was going to be less and less able to ignore Fuuga’s actions.

He returned to the desk and put a hand down on the papers. “This is an independent report based on Julius’s independent investigation into Malmkhitan. I’ve sent the Black Cats to engage in intelligence operations of our own, but because the Union of Eastern Nations is a group of countries, making contact is difficult, putting some heavy limits on their activities. However, because Lastania belongs to the Union of Eastern Nations, it seems a fair bit of information is making its way to Julius.”

“So, my brother was tellin’ ya about that?” Roroa asked.

“Yeah. For instance, it’s hard for the Black Cats to investigate what negotiations Fuuga might make with other states inside the Union of Eastern Nations. Julius says this isn’t a one-off thing; he’ll be sending regular updates. As our wedding gift.”

Souma wanted information on Fuuga, no matter what. Even if it had cost him more than the goods he had asked Roroa to send.

That he’d understood that, and sent this back as a wedding present, showed that Julius was not a man to be underestimated.

“This wedding present is worth a fortune,” Souma said.

Chapter 7: Time to Face One Another

— Around the end of the 1st month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar —

It was around the time when the reinforcements sent to the Union of Eastern Nations were returning, and all of the cleanup was over. It was an evening so chilly that snow was falling in the royal capital.

Komain had come to Serina’s room in Parnam Castle, and was sitting across a table from the owner of the room. While there was tea laid out on the table, there was a bizarre atmosphere in the air that left her unable to relax and drink it.

In that tense situation, Komain asked, “Do you mind, Serina? I’m going to ask one more time.”

In response to Komain’s serious expression, Serina was her usual cool self.

Komain found her resolve and opened her mouth. “There’s not much time left, so no beating around the bush. How do you feel about Poncho?”

Komain sure cut straight to the chase.

Serina cocked her head to the side. “I don’t know what to tell you. I think Sir Poncho is Sir Poncho?”

“That’s not what I mean. I’m asking whether you like him or not.”

“Whether I... like him?” Serina groaned. She was a beauty, so there was a certain flourish to the way she looked when deep in thought. “I find him... likable, you know? He may be weak-willed and indecisive, and I would be grateful as his aide if he were to have a little more self confidence, but he has good character. I would say, without a doubt, he’s a likable person.”

“I agree, but... that’s not what I was asking.” Komain clutched her head, wondering how it had come to this.

Souma had asked her to subtly help Serina realize her romantic feelings, but an unaware Serina made for quite the tough adversary.

From Komain’s perspective, Serina and Poncho seemed compatible.

Serina was highly capable and filled in for Poncho’s shortcomings as a minister, while Poncho had used his cooking to seize firm control of Serina’s stomach.

Komain’s relationship with Poncho was similar, but she felt like Serina and Poncho’s ties were even deeper.

They needed each other.

That irked and frustrated Komain, who was pining for Poncho herself.

“You love Poncho’s cooking, don’t you, Serina?” she asked.

“Certainly.”

“How do you feel about Poncho, who makes that food? As a man.”

“I respect him. I think having encountered that sort of food is the greatest happiness in all my life. That’s why I’m grateful to Poncho for creating all those dishes.”

Serina looked enraptured. Komain thought there really was something there.

“And that respect and gratitude hasn’t transformed into romantic feelings at some point?” Komain asked.

“Romantic feelings... is it?” Serina looked up slightly in response to that.

That change made Komain think, “Oh?”

This was Serina, always cool and composed, her expression never changing, and yet now she looked just the slightest bit melancholy.

While Komain waited, wondering what it could be...

“Um... I don’t really understand what ‘romantic feelings’ are,” Serina confessed, as if searching for the words to express herself.

“...Come again?”

“My family has served the royal house for generations. I was educated from a young age to become a servant befitting the royal family. I was taught that loyalty and sincerity are meant to be reserved for those in the royal family. As a result, I’ve never thought about anyone outside the royal family.”

Komain was speechless. It seemed Serina’s cluelessness about love came from her devotion to her family’s duty, and the thorough education that had molded her into a maid.

No, no matter how proud a family was to work in service of the royal family, they wouldn’t suppress all their personal feelings except loyalty to the crown. If they forbade romantic feelings, then Serina herself would never have been born.

However, Serina, ever loyal to her duty, must have taken their teachings at face value.

Thinking of the royal family first, she had cast off any special feelings for any of the other people outside it as unnecessary. Serina could skillfully handle any job you set her to, but she was so awkward when it came to herself.

Komain slumped her shoulders, because of course this was going to be hard, but at the same time she thought, But even though she’s like this, Serina has a strong interest in Poncho’s food. Her usual iron mask has a way of falling apart when she’s eating, too, so with one more push, maybe she’ll realize her own feelings?

If that came to pass, what was needed next was Komain’s own resolve. In order to open a heart that was locked up so tight, somewhat forceful methods might be needed.

“Very well,” Komain said. “I will find my resolve, then.”

“Hm? I’m not entirely certain what you might mean?” Serina cocked her head to the side.

Komain stood up and looked down at her. “If that’s how it’s going to be, I’ll go all out! In order to reach the place I want to be, I don’t have the luxury of being picky with my choices.”

As Komain found her determination and left the room, Serina looked on dumbfounded.

◇　◇　◇

It was a few days later.

Poncho was in a room in a certain mansion in the capital with a tense look on his face.

Just the other day, talk of an arranged marriage meeting had arrived, and he was about to meet the lady in question today.

Though the numbers had declined from their peak, Poncho was still a well-off bachelor, so these offers kept coming in.

Normally Serina and Komain stood behind him, keeping a keen eye out for ulterior motives, but today Komain was away on business. Because of that, the only one behind Poncho today was Serina.

When it was almost time for the meeting, and Poncho was losing his composure, he tried striking up a conversation with Serina behind him to distract himself from his nerves.

“I wonder who exactly it is I’m meeting today, yes.”

“Hm? You haven’t heard?” Serina asked.

“I haven’t, no. It was suddenly brought to the castle, so the information on my partner hasn’t had time to reach me. The castle says they want me to at least try meeting her.”

“That is... odd.”

Does anyone go into an interview about a potential arranged marriage with no knowledge of their partner? Serina wondered. If they hope to form relations with Poncho, they would have had to lay the groundwork for it first. Wouldn’t they normally give the lady’s name and advertise her lineage, appearance, and talents, so as to inspire as positive an impression as possible of her in Poncho?

While Serina was thinking that, Poncho bowed his head apologetically.

“I’m sorry to always trouble you like this, Madam Serina. Accompanying me to these marriage interviews.”

“No, this is a duty I undertake on His Majesty’s orders.”

“I’m still grateful for it, yes. I’d like to tie the knot already. I feel bad for you and Madam Komain, helping me with all this.”

“Yes, I... suppose.”

Seeing Poncho clench his fists with enthusiasm, Serina felt just a little irritated. However, she did not know what at.

Poncho had said nothing particularly strange. Yet still... for some reason, there was a rustling in her chest.

As Serina clutched at her chest, there was a knock at the door.

“C-Come in, yes,” Poncho called.

“Pardon me,” came the response as the door opened, and in came a woman in fine clothes. This woman was presumably his partner for the day.

When they saw her face, not just Poncho’s but Serina’s eyes bugged out, too.

“M-Madam Komain?! Didn’t you say you had business today?!” Poncho cried out.

“Yes,” Komain replied with a smile.

Today, she was more dressed up than usual. She wore a vibrant shawl over her usual Native American-ish outfit, and on her head she wore a hairpiece made of jade. This was likely her tribe’s finery. She was wearing make-up, too, thin though it was.

Seeing Komain all dolled up like this, it finally dawned on Poncho.

“C-Could it be that you’re my partner for today?”

“Yes,” said Komain. “I asked His Majesty Souma to arrange this for me. Please, take good care of me today!”

An instant later, an intense wave of pressure flew her way. From behind Poncho, Serina had turned those eyes that had repelled many conniving potential marriage partners on Komain.

Struck by this cold gaze, like that of a wild wolf, an ordinary woman would have broken. However, Komain had already experienced it once, and she knew it was coming, so she was prepared.

I won’t lose, Madam Serina. Komain sat straight up, looking right back into those eyes. Not returning the pressure, simply staring at Serina.

Responding, I have nothing to feel guilty about, and I’m not afraid of your intimidation.

As she kept staring back, Serina dropped the pressure in no time.

Perhaps Komain will be all right? she relented. She knew the woman was not approaching Poncho with ulterior motives. I know Komain’s personality well. She is without artifice, cheerful, and has a pure respect for Sir Poncho. In her case, even if they were to wed, I see no misfortune befalling Sir Poncho as a result... or at least I shouldn’t...

She had acknowledged Komain as a valid partner, but Serina’s chest was filled with an eddy of conflicted feelings.

As Serina tilted her head, unable to identify why, Komain seated herself across from Poncho.

“Um... if you’re here as a potential marriage partner, that means, you, um... would be willing to marry me, yes?” Poncho asked hesitantly.

“Yes,” Komain replied crisply. “I have great respect for you, Poncho... Lord Poncho. There’s my gratitude for what you did for the refugees in our time of need, but I also am enamored with your gentle personality. Of course, I also love the many dishes you make.”

This straight expression of affection made Poncho blush.

He had been laughed at for his appearance before, but Poncho was unused to this sort of pure affection being directed towards him, so he was flustered.

“U-Um... I’m not much when it comes to looks or personality, but you still wish to be with me, yes? Oh, no, I don’t mean to suggest I would be dissatisfied with you in any way, Madam Komain. But still, your elder brother, Jirukoma, is a manly warrior, nothing like me, right? For someone as lovely as you, Madam Komain, I would think you could find a more talented and attractive man, one who has performed great acts of valor, yes.”

“I suppose I could. Long ago, I wanted to marry a strong, cool guy, like my brother.” Komain chuckled. “But the one I fell for was you, Lord Poncho. The heart never acts quite as we expect it will, does it? I mean, I fell in love with you, even though you’re the opposite of my type.”

“Madam Komain... thank you, yes.” Poncho answered Komain’s shy smile in his own shy way.

He met Komain while distributing food aid to the refugee camp, and she had helped him with the former refugees after he’d become the magistrate of Venetinova.

Then Komain had ended up serving under Poncho, supporting him both openly and secretly.

That was why Poncho knew how good-natured Komain was. He thought she was too good for him, but if she was willing to marry him, he couldn’t have asked for a happier outcome.

Poncho turned around and asked his assistant, who was standing behind him, “What do you think, Madam Serina?”

“...Let me see.” Appearing to think for a moment, Serina looked at Komain and said, “Madam Komain can be expected to support you without ulterior motives. However, you are a minister in this country, and, though you are an up and coming one, you are nobility. Without influential backers, I think Madam Komain merits some concern in that regard, wouldn’t you say?”

What Serina was saying was right.

The people they had chased off so far had come from lineages of knights, nobles, and influential merchants. If Komain, who had no backers, became his wife now, she couldn’t be expected to fend off the jabs of women of such parentage.

However, Komain looked straight back at Serina and replied, “If I am to become Lord Poncho’s head wife, then I am told His Majesty Souma will arrange for my adoption into a suitable family. He seems to feel it’s a threat to the country that a good vassal like Sir Poncho should remain single for so long.”

“H-How embarrassing... Yes...” Poncho bowed his head apologetically, but the reason he hadn’t tied the knot yet wasn’t his fault. It was because Serina and Komain were intimidating the candidates.

Serina looked probingly at Komain and asked, “True. In that case, your lineage should be no problem. However, in that case, the responsibilities of the first wife of a noble will land squarely on your shoulders. Can you bear that?”

“Let’s see. What I really want is for Sir Poncho to take someone reliable as his first wife, and then to keep me at his side as his second.”

“...Is that a fact?”

“Yes. However, that person just won’t appear,” Komain said. “If I just keep waiting like this, I never know when my turn might come. That being the case, I think I will do my best to be able to handle it myself.”

Komain words were earnest, determined, and there was nothing Serina could say in response.

The path she would walk was sure to be fraught with difficulties. Even knowing that, Komain had decided to walk down it. With her and Poncho supporting one another.

To make light of that determination... was something Serina could not do.

Serina closed her eyes and took a step backwards.

That was proof of her recognizing Komain as suitable for Poncho.

Poncho avoided giving Komain an immediate answer, due to the nature of these sorts of meetings, but he promised to provide a favorable response. They would likely be engaged to marry in short order.

“This is awkward to say, but this is a load off my shoulders, yes,” Poncho added.

“Hee hee,” Komain giggled. “You went through a lot of these marriage meetings, after all. You’ve lost weight, haven’t you?”

“Have I? I don’t think my waistline has changed much.”

“You wouldn’t be Poncho if you weren’t paunchy, after all.”

Watching the two of them talk, smiling, from up close, Serina felt like she had been left all alone by the flow of time.

◇　◇　◇

“Whew...”

Some days had passed since then. In a room in Parnam Castle, Serina let out her umpteenth sigh of the day.

Carla could simply watch no longer, and hesitantly spoke to her.

“...Um, Head Maid? Did something happen? It seems to me that you’ve been sighing a lot today.”

“Pardon me. I was a little lost in thought.” Following her meek apology, Serina resumed cleaning the room as a maid, but her expression remained as sullen as before.

Honestly... what is it...? Serina wondered.

Ever since she’d heard Komain’s confession, there was a maelstrom of conflicted feelings whirling inside her chest.

Poncho was a good colleague of hers, and Komain was a pleasant girl. She ought to have been happy they’d gotten engaged, so why couldn’t she bring herself to bless the two of them?

Do I think I’ll feel lonely once they’re married...? That’s absurd. I’m no child. I shouldn’t feel left out. So why...?

Though Serina’s hands hadn’t stopped working, her thoughts were looping, and they eventually poured out in another sigh.

Normally, Serina’s default persona was the cool and serious type whose emotions were hard to read, which made Carla all the more alarmed to see her look so gloomy.

“Um, could it be you’re feeling unwell somewhere? If you’re under the weather, maybe you should leave this to me, and take the rest of the day off?”

“That’s not it, really... Was my work sloppy in some way?”

“No, you were doing well,” Carla said hastily. “In fact, the way you looked so sad but your hands were still moving properly made it more creepy... Whoa, excuse me!”

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Carla hurriedly saluted and apologized.

Seeing Carla so flustered, Serina let out a sigh of exasperation. “There are times when I’m not at my best, too.”

“Um... are you really sure you won’t consider resting?” Carla suggested.

Serina shook her head. “It would be nice if I could, but... in this case, it wouldn’t let my mind rest.”

“Your mind? It’s not your body?”

“Yes. How should I put this...? I don’t like leaving things I could be doing to other people. It’s the job of a maid to look after others, so it feels to me like having others look after me is contrary to my role.”

“I see...” Carla said. “Well, I have to say, you aren’t the head maid for nothing. You’re like the ideal maid.”

The ideal maid. That was what Carla called her, but Serina cocked her head to the side and wondered if she truly was.

She felt like the desire not to have others worry about her came not from her thoughts as a maid, but her thoughts as an individual. Serina hated having to rely on others. She desired not to have others look down on her just because they had lent her their strength.

In the end... I suppose I’m clumsy.

If she could be honest with herself and accept help from other people, life would be much easier.

In fact, the king of this country, Souma, always honestly recognized when he could not do something himself, hired someone he could delegate the task to, and kept the country running smoothly by trusting them.

However, because Serina had the misfortune of being talented enough to do anything, she had come all this way not relying on others. She couldn’t just change the way she had lived after so long.

If my personality let me rely on others better... I’m sure I could have asked someone about these conflicted feelings... Serina reflected.

“Oh! But Head Maid, you’ve let Sir Poncho cook for you before, right? I hear he’s done it for you a number of times as thanks for being his assistant.” Carla suddenly brought that up.

“Yes,” Serina said. “What about it?”

“No, um, if you hate letting other people do things for you, maybe you actually dislike it when Sir Poncho cooks for you... is what I was thinking.”

The words Carla spoke off-handedly set off a rustling in Serina’s chest.

“That’s not true,” Serina said. “Sir Poncho’s dishes are all unique, nothing I could come up with. That’s not something I could do myself, you see?”

“Oh, no, maybe that was true the first time, but you’re a better cook than most, right? The dishes that Sir Poncho and the master make use a lot of unusual ingredients, but making the dishes themselves is incredibly simple. If you’d asked him to write down the recipe, there would be no need to trouble Sir Poncho. You could make the dishes yourself, couldn’t you?”

“Huh?!” When Carla pointed that out, Serina’s eyes went wide.

Now that she mentions it, that’s true.

Poncho’s dishes were novel, but all of them were made with affordable ingredients, and if he had just told her the recipe, of course, Serina could make them, too.

Despite that, Serina had never tried to make them herself. She would just smack her lips and eat what Poncho made for her with an enraptured look on her face.

Though she claimed that she hated letting others do for her what she could do for herself, Serina had been letting Poncho cook for her.

Serina was certainly looking after Poncho, but Poncho had been looking after her, too.

And not once had that felt unpleasant to her.

Now that she had been made to realize that, Serina stood there with a rare look of amazement on her face.

I... was relying on Sir Poncho, wasn’t I? And the reason I didn’t notice, was that it came so naturally...

This was the first time she realized how special Poncho was.

“The weather’s just awful, isn’t it?” Serina griped.

It was that afternoon. The sky was heavy with clouds.

According to Naden’s Weekly Weather Forecast, which she, as the head maid, dutifully checked every week, sleet was expected today, turning into snow at night.

Under a sky that weighed her down just looking at it, Serina left through the gates of Parnam Castle and headed out to town.

She had work as Poncho’s aide today, so she was on her way to his residence.

Being an aide to Poncho was a respectable job, so normally she was able to receive permission to take a carriage... but today she was in a walking kind of mood.

She walked through the chilly streets wearing a coat over her classical maid uniform.

When a beauty like Serina walked through the city, she naturally drew the eyes of men passing by. If those men had women accompanying them, the jealous women would sometimes pull their ears or slap them for it.

From a man’s perspective, she was quite the sinful woman.

While looking at the scenery of the town, Serina let out a sigh. Normally, she wouldn’t think anything of this scenery, but today it felt awfully lonely to her.

I’m sure Sir Poncho will be replying to Komain soon. Those two will be engaged, then eventually become husband and wife. There’s no place for me there...

Serina remembered something that Ginger’s secretary and maid, Sandria, had said. “Then, how would you feel if Lord Ginger were a woman? If it were a woman that Lord Poncho was having such a good time talking to right now, would you still not feel the least bit anxious about it?”

What did I respond back then...?

If she recalled, it was something about how, if Poncho only made food for that woman, and she couldn’t eat with him anymore, she wouldn’t like it... or something like that.

If things continued as they were, the one eating with Poncho would be Komain.

Was it all right for her to hate that?

Did Serina have the right to?

It’s like a scene I’m looking at through glass...

Staring at the glass window of a carriage that had just stopped in front of her, that was what Serina thought.

She could see the people within clearly, but they were in a separate space, and as envious as she might be of what she saw, she could never have it for herself.

Looking at her face reflected in the window, Serina looked like a child about to burst into tears.

Sleet began to fall from the sky.

“It’s started coming down, huh?” Serina murmured.

It was soggy snow that turned to water the second it touched her skin or clothes.

Serina had been staring vacantly up into the sky for a while, but at this rate, she was going to catch a cold.

She had meant to arrive at Poncho’s mansion before it started coming down in earnest, so she had made no preparations for rain at all. Fortunately, it wasn’t far.

Serina walked quickly through the sleet until she arrived at Poncho’s mansion.

When she knocked to inform them of her arrival, Komain came to answer the door and her eyes widened.

“Whoa! What happened, Serina?! You’re soaked!”

“I got caught out in the sleet for a little while.”

“This took more than a little while... Why didn’t you come by carriage?”

As Komain fussed over and welcomed the soaking wet Serina, heavy footsteps sounded from deep inside the mansion.

Of course, it was the master of the house, Poncho. He had a large bath towel in his hands.

As he rushed to Serina’s side, he threw the towel over her head quickly. “I... I heard Madam Komain’s voice, so I brought a towel. If you don’t wipe yourself quickly, you’ll catch a cold! Madam Komain, please boil some water and bring it here, yes.”

“U-Understood!”

Watching Komain hurry off, Poncho started wiping Serina’s hair with the towel. His hands weren’t gentle at all, and Serina was at his mercy. Hanging her head, her eyes closed, Serina was thinking.

No... I really don’t dislike this at all...

Her wet hair was being touched and scrubbed. She was letting someone else take care of her. Despite that, she didn’t feel any displeasure from it at all.

No... I can’t hide it anymore. This person is special to me.

Serina finally acknowledged her own love.

She placed her right hand on top of Poncho’s left hand, which was on the other side of the towel, and brought it down to rest on her cheek. His big hand was warm and reassuring.

“M-Madam Serina?! Wh-What is it, yes?!”

Serina’s sudden action made Poncho’s usually narrow eyes go wide.

“Nothing really... Only what I want to do.” When she looked up, Serina wore her usual dauntless and serious face. However, the corners of her lips were turned up just a little. “Sir Poncho, your right hand is slacking. You were going to wipe my hair for me, weren’t you?”

“Y-Yes... Um, but, it’s difficult to do with only my right hand...”

“Bear with that much, at least. Because you are a special person who is allowed to take care of me.”

“I... I don’t know what you’re talking about. Wait, Madam Serina, why are you touching my cheek now?!”

This time Serina’s left hand was on Poncho’s cheek. That ultimately put them in a position where they were holding one another’s cheeks.

Poncho’s eyes darted around as he tried to process the situation. “Wh-What is this?! Is this a joke?! Are you teasing me, yes?!”

“Yes. I am teasing you. But this is no joke. In my own way, I’m showing my love for you here.”

“Y-Your l-love...?! Wait, whaaa?!”

Serina took one step back from the surprised Poncho, then lifted up the hem of her long skirt and bowed her head, like she was asking him if they might share the next dance at a social event.

“Sir Poncho. You are special to me. That is why I cannot abide you pushing me aside to share your table with someone else. Even if that is a family member. If you say you can only let family sit at your table, then let me be a part of that family.”

“Huh...? What do you mean by...”

“It’s simple. If you are to take Komain as your wife, please take me, too.”

Poncho was left speechless, his mouth just opening and closing silently like he was a goldfish.

When a beauty like Serina, whom he had assumed was far out of his reach, suddenly confessed her love to him, even if she did it in a weird and roundabout way, his mind went blank.

That was just when Komain came back with a basin of hot water. “Um... Did something happen while I was bringing the water to a boil?”

“I was just expressing my desire for Sir Poncho to make me his wife.” Serina said nonchalantly.

Komain’s eyes went wide. “Well, then! You’ve realized your own feelings, Madam Serina?”

“Yes. It did take some time to look at them, however.”

“Ahaha... Too long,” Komain said, laying the basin down with a laugh. “But I’m glad. If you’ll be coming, I don’t need to be adopted into a noble family. I’m fine with being the second wife.”

“Komain... are you sure about that?”

“I said I would do my best if the need arose, but I think it really would be hard for me to act like a nobleman’s wife, after all. If you’ll take care of things outside the home as the first wife, I’ll focus on inside the house.”

Seeing the peaceful smile on Komain’s face as she said that, Serina smiled a little, too.

She was sure she could get along fine with her.

“Wait, Poncho?!” Serina shouted. “Your eyes have rolled into the back of your head! Are you okay?!”

Komain shook Poncho and tried to call him back to reality.

As she watched her, Serina suddenly remembered something Komain had said before. “By the way, what was the ‘place you want to be’ that you were talking about that time?”

On the day that she had most likely resolved herself to have the marriage meeting with Poncho, Komain had said it was to reach the place she wanted to be.

Komain responded, “That’s obvious,” and grinned. “The table that Poncho, you, and I can sit around as a family.”

◇　◇　◇

Later, Poncho’s engagement to Serina and Komain would be widely publicized, and the gold digger women would be greatly disappointed.

Conversely, Souma and the other elites of the kingdom who had been worried about Poncho were relieved.

“It feels like everything worked out the way it should in the end,” Souma said with satisfaction.

“Yes,” Hakuya agreed. “If Madam Serina and Madam Komain are with him, we can be sure they will protect the gentle but timid Sir Poncho from those who might try to take advantage of him.”

Souma gave a big nod in agreement. “He’s someone we need to continue doing good work for us in the future. For the development of the kingdom, and for my own personal reasons, I want to see Poncho build a happy, stable family.”

May the three of them be happy together, Souma wished silently.

Chapter 8: Before the Ceremony

“Dawoo.”

“Aayee.”

Cute voices from tiny little mouths.

“Ohh... They’re so cuuuute!” I exclaimed.

“They certainly are,” agreed Carla.

We smiled as we watched the babies moving around in their crib.

Cian and Kazuha were both about four months old, with their necks firmly set in place, and they could play while on their tummies now, too.

Maybe because they were twins, it was hard to tell their faces apart, but in terms of personality, they were becoming quite different people.

Cian tended to stare off into space and didn’t cry often.

He was a quiet boy who didn’t cause trouble, but he froze up a lot when introduced to a new situation. That was apparently a sign of shyness, and when an unfamiliar face came near him, his face would stiffen and he would look away. Even if they tried to circle around in front of him, he would turn his head and avert his gaze again.

When his eyes had first opened, he’d refused to look at either Aisha or me for a while.

That wasn’t the case anymore, but the only ones he’d smiled for from the beginning were Liscia, Lady Elisha, and maybe Carla. It made me feel a little lonely, as a parent.

Meanwhile, Kazuha was a bundle of energy, always smiling, and always crying.

She didn’t object when someone held her, and she would keep on crying regardless of who sang her a lullaby. From the moment she was laid down, she would swing her arms and legs energetically. She never calmed down.

Because she moved so much, she would accidentally slap Cian, who was beside her, so we’d considered separating the two a little so he could get some rest, but when we’d tried to move her to another bed, she had thrown a fit.

Maybe because they were twins, Kazuha felt most at ease when her other half, Cian, was close by.

Even though she still slapped Cian from time to time.

Hang in there, Big Brother.

While looking at those adorable twins, I whispered, “Honestly... Why are my children so cute?”

“Master, you’re too much of a doting father. You’re repeating yourself.” Carla sounded exasperated, but cute was cute, so what could I do?

Oh! Kazuha was clapping her little hands and smiling again.

Cian was looking at Kazuha, and maybe he lost his balance, because he fell over.

Oh, geez! How cute were they?

I could watch this forever.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you when you’re so happy, master, but do you have time to be wasting here?” Carla asked. “This is an important day for you, is it not?”

That pulled me back to reality, and I let out a sigh.

“...Well, yeah. The girls take longer to prepare, of course, so they’re already getting ready. I’ll have to go pick them up soon.”

No sooner had I said that than there was a knock at the door.

With a simple greeting, Prime Minister Hakuya came in. “Your Majesty. It’s about time for you to begin preparing.”

“I know.” I shrugged in exasperation, then clapped a hand on Carla’s shoulder. “Okay, Carla. I’m counting on you to look after Cian and Kazuha for a while.”

“Yes, sir.” Carla saluted. “Leave it to me.”

“Ayee!” Kazuha imitated her by raising both hands above her head in the banzai position.

Was that a cheeky response?

Meanwhile, Cian looked at me blankly, like he was saying, “Are you going away somewhere?”

If he could be so easygoing on a big day like this, he was going to be big when he grew up...

Wait, I can’t go on acting like a doting parent forever.

I hit myself in the head to get into a new frame of mind, and then followed Hakuya out of the room, leaving the children behind.

◇　◇　◇

— 1st day, 4th month, 1,548th year, Continental Calendar —

Today, beneath clear blue skies, we would be holding my coronation as the King of Friedonia, as well as my wedding to Liscia and the others.

I, who had kept calling myself the acting king and the provisional king, would formally ascend to the throne as king, and I would also become the husband of Liscia and the others.

They would, from today forward, not be my fiancées, but my primary and secondary queens.

We were already a family, though, so it felt a little late for all this.

For us, our big day would become a festival the likes of which the people of this country might only see once in their lives.

There was an unprecedented number of people gathered here in Parnam today to see the coronation and wedding.

When people gathered, that invigorated the merchants, and there were stalls and street performers livening up the city.

Dece the warrior and his party were there in that festive city, too.

“Whew, things have gotten so exciting, there’s no comparison with any ordinary festival,” he commented to his party members.

“Well, that’s to be expected,” Febral the priest answered. “If the new king is formally ascending the throne and getting married, that’s something the whole country has to come together to celebrate. For a celebration in the capital, this isn’t overblown.”

Augus the brawler took a swig from the bottle of wine he had bought at a nearby stall and laughed boisterously. “Let’s not sweat the details. We’re adventurers, traveling from country to country. It doesn’t matter what the country’s celebrating so long as there’s good food, and good drink, am I right?”

“This country certainly does have good food,” said Julia the quiet beauty. “Public order is good, too, so we’ve really settled in.”

Febral shrugged in response.

Augus called out to Juno the thief, who was walking ahead of the group, a skewer of meat in one hand. “Hey, Juno! You agree, right?”

“Hm? Me?” Juno put a hand on her hip and thrust out her meager chest. “I’m celebrating the king’s coronation and wedding, like I should.”

“Huh? Why?” Augus asked.

“What do you mean, ‘why’...? What’s it to you? I can celebrate for whoever I want.”

Juno looked away peevishly.

Her comrades didn’t know that the one controlling Mr. Musashibo was the king of this country. They didn’t know Juno had been meeting with that king and his queens for secret late night tea parties, either.

He’s just finished putting down monsters up north, and as soon as he comes back he has a coronation ceremony? He must be busy. Ignoring her bewildered comrades, Juno lifted her skewer up toward the blue sky. Congratulations, sir... no, Your Majesty! I’ll come play again sometime soon, so don’t go treating me badly just because you’re married now!

While she was thinking that, a salute of cannons was fired, and the birds took off.

◇　◇　◇

“It looks like things have really livened up,” I commented.

Looking down on the castle town from a certain room in Parnam Castle, it was possible to tell the city was packed from even this far away.

No, but seriously, the last few days leading up to this were super busy.

The arrangements for setting up the site and placing personnel had been a lot of trouble.

That was because, thanks to Roroa’s plan to have weddings all across the city, the key retainers we could normally have used were indisposed because they were preparing their own weddings.

The key members who would be getting married the same day as us were Ludwin, the commander of the Royal Guard, to Genia the overscientist; Halbert, the commander of the Dratroopers, to Staff Officer Kaede and Ruby the red dragon; Ginger, the principal of Ginger’s Vocational School, to his maid-secretary Sandria; and Poncho, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, to Head Maid Serina and Komain, the former second-in-command of the refugee group. All of them were faces that represented this country.

In particular, the inability to use Ludwin, who had been tasked with the security of the capital as the commander of the Forbidden Army, and Serina, who was in charge of managing the castle’s maids, left a big hole.

It had taken a lot of effort just to establish a chain of command for the day of the event.

We had managed to get several veteran members to send skilled personnel to assist: Excel, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force; Owen, the retired general; and Herman.

Prime Minister Hakuya, who was popular with the ladies but remained single, would direct them on the day of the event, but everything would be helter-skelter until then.

I had naïvely thought holding the two events simultaneously would cut down on costs, but I would have to think things through a little more cautiously in future.

“Now, then...”

Having finished changing with the help of the maids, I was standing in front of a full-length mirror.

“Hahaha... Looking pretty white today, huh,” I said without meaning to as I looked in the mirror.

The design of the outfit itself was extravagant, making use of gold-thread embroidery. Aside from the tailcoat, it wasn’t that different from my usual black military uniform, but on the whole, it was very white.

During the ceremony, I was going to wear a cape, like the former king Sir Albert had, on top of this.

When I saw how regal I looked, it made my cheeks twitch just a little.

“Ha ha ha... If I wear this much white, it hides my black heart,” I muttered.

“Now, that’s not true!” Tomoe objected. “You look really cool, Big Brother.”

“Really? I think the outfit overpowers him, you know?” Yuriga shot back.

...I’d received two comments that were polar opposites.

“It feels too much like he’s being forced to wear it,” Yuriga went on. “He doesn’t live up to it.”

“Murgh, that’s not true! Big Brother looks great in these clothes.”

“My brother Fuuga would look more dashing.”

Ichiha was also in the room, trying to get them to settle down and stop arguing.

“Now, now, you shouldn’t fight on a happy day like today.”

““Hmph!”” Tomoe and Yuriga both looked away peevishly.

Good grief. The three kids were up to their usual antics today, too, huh.

All three were dressed to the nines today, though.

That was because Tomoe would be attending the ceremony as my little sister, while Yuriga and Ichiha would be there as guests from Malmkhitan and the Duchy of Chima, respectively.

In the case of Yuriga and Ichiha in particular, they were acting as envoys for Fuuga and Duke Chima, respectively, and would say a few words of congratulations each during the coronation ceremony.

“Urgh... I have to speak in front of a large number of people, don’t I?” the youngest of the three, Ichiha, said nervously. “I’m getting all tense.”

He shuddered at the thought.

Tomoe took Ichiha’s hand, and wrote the kanji for “human” on his palm.

“Listen, Ichiha, Big Brother told me before that, at times like this, you write the character for ‘human’ on your palm like this, and then pretend to eat it, okay?”

“‘Human’? That’s how you read this?”

“It’s read that way in Big Brother’s world.”

Yuriga, who was beside her listening, furrowed her brow.

“Do you mean a human in the sense of mankind? Or in the sense of the human race? Would celestials like me be included in the ‘humans’ you’re writing and eating?”

She was really focusing on the details there. It was just a little charm to calm you down, so I didn’t think there was any need to think so deeply about it.

With a grin, Tomoe said, “Oh? Could it be you’re getting tense, Yuriga?”

“Nwah?!” Yuriga’s face turned red, and she pinched Tomoe’s cheeks. “Why are you such a cheeky little kid?!”

“If you’re mad, dosh that mean I’m right?”

“Shut up, shut up!”

“Shtop, your shtretching them.”

“Um, Yuriga, isn’t it about time you let go?” Ichiha asked nervously. “Tomoe, you too. Don’t tease Yuriga so much.”

Those three kids sure made a racket. They really were lively.

Hold on, Yuriga’s people were called celestials? I felt like I’d missed that up until now, so it surprised me.

Then there was a knock at the door, and a maid came in and bowed. “Your Majesty, the princess and the others are prepared, so please come.”

It was time already, huh?

I told the three kids, “Well then, you three, I’ll be counting on you at the ceremony.”

“Yes, Big Brother!”

“Count on me. I’ve got this.”

“I-I’ll do my best.”

Having heard their three responses, I went to go see Liscia and the others.

Liscia and the others were being dressed in the castle’s great hall in an area divided by screens.

Because this had become a major event, we were perpetually shorthanded, and this allowed the maids and the makeup and dressing staff go back and forth from one to another.

When I took a peek inside, it was so full of stuff that it reminded me of being behind the scenes at a drama club event, but if they were done preparing, the room had likely been cleaned up a little.

Before heading to the great hall where Liscia and the others would be waiting, I headed to another room nearby.

I knocked and then entered. In that room were several people sitting around a long table chatting: Liscia’s parents, the former king Sir Albert and former queen Lady Elisha; Aisha’s father, Sir Wodan; Roroa’s grandfather, the old general Herman; and finally Juna’s grandmother, Excel.

Basically, this was where the families of the brides were gathered.

At one end of the table, next to Excel, a blue-haired man and woman were sitting there looking very small.

These were Juna’s parents. From what I had heard, they were merchants who operated the main Lorelei singing cafe back in Lagoon City. I was going to be marrying their daughter Juna, so they had needed to be invited as a matter of course, but even if they were related to Excel, being in a room with the former royal couple, generals, and nobles had to be difficult for them.

I might need to show some more consideration here.

While I was thinking that...

Sir Albert noticed me. He stood up and spread his arms, then patted his upper biceps lightly. “Ohh, son-in-law! You look so manly, I scarcely recognized you.”

The others stood up, too, looking at me with peaceful faces.

I bowed my head deeply to them. “Fathers, mothers, and family. Thank you for coming today.”

“No, no.” Wodan shook his head. “I am very happy to have lived to see this wonderful day. When I saw Aisha in her dress earlier, she reminded me of her late mother. The reason that crude glutton became so beautiful must be that her meeting with you made her want to be more feminine. I wish my wife could have seen,” he finished sadly.

It seemed Aisha’s mother had died of a pandemic when Aisha was still little. Even the long-lived races could get into accidents, and die of serious illness. If they were incautious, it was entirely possible they would live shorter lives than humans did.

Taking care to remember that, I thought about the people I hadn’t been able to invite here.

“Yeah... I wish Grandpa and Grandma could’ve seen, too,” I said. “I would’ve liked them to see the way I’ve ‘made a family,’ like Grandpa told me to that day.”

“Hee hee,” Excel giggled with a relaxed expression. “I’m sure they’re watching over you together. The dead live on in the memories of the living, after all. You can easily imagine those precious people in your memories watching over you, right?”

Those words must have come from her having lived five hundred years, experiencing many meetings and partings.

It was true, if I imagined what Grandpa would think if he could see me now... I could see him smiling.

Sir Wodan wore the same sort of smile. “Yes. I think my wife is happy.”

“I wonder what faces my family would make,” Herman mumbled, his arms crossed.

If it was Roroa’s family, that meant Julius... and Gaius VIII.

Julius was one thing; we had fought together in the Kingdom of Lastania. But remembering the devilish look on Gaius’s face, I shuddered. We’d fought to the death in a war, so he must have hated me.

I broke into a cold sweat. “I’ll bet he’s glaring at me from the hereafter.”

Herman let out a little laugh. “Heh, well, you’ll be fine. As long as my little girl is with him on the other side, that is.”

“Your little girl... Do you mean Roroa’s mother?” I asked.

Roroa’s mother had passed away while she was still young.

“Her mother was much like her: bright, cheerful, and spirited. If Sir Gaius had kept up that sour face during his own daughter’s wedding day, she’d have slapped him upside the head. You’re the one who saved Sir Julius from his crisis, too, after all.”

I tried to picture the scene of a mother who looked like Roroa slapping Gaius upside the head.

“The idea that Gaius was whipped like that... I can’t see it,” I admitted.

“I can only say this now, and you may not believe it, but Sir Gaius wasn’t always so stubborn.” Herman narrowed his eyes, as if thinking of fond memories. “He inherited a grudge against the kingdom, but when my daughter was there, that was never all there was to him. My daughter’s personality brightened the castle, and supported Sir Gaius. But when she passed away, Sir Gaius only had revenge left. If I look back on it now, it just shows how important she was to him.”

I was silent.

He’d lost the woman he loved, and had only revenge remaining... huh. Hearing that really changed my impression of Gaius.

“The reason that he got along so poorly with Roroa was because he couldn’t bear to see her becoming more like her mother with every day. That’s what I think, nowadays.” Herman laughed in a self-effacing manner. “Ha ha... but forgive me, I shouldn’t be saying this in front of people from the kingdom.”

“No... Thank you for telling me.” I shook my head.

Unlike the boisterous Owen, Herman was always so quiet. If he was speaking so passionately about this, there had to be something in it he felt he needed to convey to me.

“Roroa would never talk about this sort of thing,” I went on.

“She gets that from her mother,” Herman told me. “You would think she’d be good at letting people indulge her, but the truth is, she’s stubborn and unwilling to show weakness.”

“You’re right...”

“I am letting you, the man taking her as your wife, know about Sir Gaius, because I hope you will learn a lesson from him.” Herman looked me straight in the eye. “When you marry my granddaughter, you will also be becoming king. As king, I am sure you will put the country first. Because you believe that will protect your wives, and the children they will give birth to. Because you value ‘family,’ you will put that family second or third, for their own benefit.”

I had no words. That was exactly the kind of problem I might fall into.

“When that happens, I want you to remember Sir Gaius,” Herman said. “While you put them second and third, before you realize it, that family may be gone. All that will be left is a country without those important to you. Could you remain a good king like that?”

“...I’m not confident I could.”

If I was being honest, I didn’t think it was possible. But in my position, I couldn’t come out and say that. If a king showed weakness, the people would be uneasy, and would cease to follow him.

Herman nodded. “I cannot fault you for that. So I want you to look at your family as you look at your kingdom, and protect them the same as you would it. If the king builds a peaceful family, that is for the good of this nation, too.”

“Yes. Thank you for the lesson.”

Building a peaceful family is for the good of the nation. Let me carve that sentiment into my heart.

I bowed my head to Herman, communicating my regards for the former princely couple of Amidonia.

Then Herman bowed his head to me. “I’ve spoken too long, but in the end, there is really just one thing I wanted to say. Please, make my granddaughter happy. That is all. So that, even when I’m gone... that girl can always stay as bright and cheerful as she is now.”

“Yes, I’ll see to it, grandfather.”

The other parents watched this exchange between Herman and me with gentle eyes.

Except for two pairs of eyes, which looked to have frozen up with tension. It went without saying that those belonged to Juna’s parents.

I walked over and bowed my head to them with a wry smile. “I’m sorry. I’ve put you in an awkward situation.”

“Oh! No... We’re well aware how out of place we are here,” Juna’s father said hastily, glancing around the room.

It must have been hard to relax with important figures from around the kingdom, including the former royal couple, here.

This man was Excel’s son, a handsome middle-aged fellow with blue hair.

He was human by race, so he looked older than Excel, but he must have been quite the looker in his youth. Next to him, Juna’s mother was every bit as beautiful as you would expect a descendant of loreleis to be.

Still, these two looked relatively plain compared to their current company.

“Because I wanted to marry the primary and secondary queens at the same time, I’ve put you two through a lot of trouble,” I said.

“Oh, no, Juna seems happy, and that’s good enough for us,” her father said quickly.

“That’s right,” her mother agreed. “Please take care of her, until death do you part.”

These were common blessings from common people. They made me more happy than anything.

Juna’s folks were wonderful people. Though Juna resembled Excel, her good nature and kindness must have been their influence.

Her father, in particular, was such a fine man, I couldn’t believe he was Excel’s son.

“...You’re thinking something rude, aren’t you?” Excel demanded suspiciously.

“No, not at all...”

Excel narrowed her eyes at me, and I looked away.

Of course, a veteran like Excel was going to be sharp.

Then Lady Elisha, who had been watching our exchange, burst into giggles.

“Hee hee hee! Now, now, son-in-law. Don’t spend all your time with us; go and be with Liscia and the others. I’m sure they’re waiting with bated breath.”

Ah! That was right.

“Yes, Mother. Now then, everyone, I will see you later.”

I bowed to the parents and family one last time, and then left the room.

The grand hall where Liscia and the rest were waiting was right next to the waiting room where their families were.

There were guards standing on either side of the large doors, and they saluted me as I approached.

I stood in front of those doors, reached for the handle... then froze up.

On the other side of the door were Liscia and the others in their bridal clothing. The moment I thought that, my body refused to move. If I opened this door, our relationship would change. From engaged to married, from regent to king, from candidate to queen.

The fact was, I felt like Liscia, who had become a mother, had already changed. Having gained Cian and Kazuha, who were more important than her own life, she was even more stable than before, and would not be shaken easily.

What about me, though? Cian and Kazuha were more important than my life, too. But if you asked whether I had changed, I wasn’t so sure.

In my old world, I had heard talk that women’s values changed when they gave birth, but men never stopped being children.

Was it possible for me to grow in a way that was equal to the way Liscia and the others no doubt would?

When I thought that, I hesitated to open the door.

Looking at me as I stood motionless, as if time had stopped, the younger guard worriedly spoke to me.

“Um, Your Majesty? Is something the—”

“Shh. Get a clue.” The middle-aged guard standing across from him brought a finger to his lips and silenced the young one.

Then, with a sage look, the middle-aged guard nodded at me.

Because, in the chaotic period after I first assumed the throne, I had spoken to everyone in the castle to use them as much as I could, and I had been eating with the guards and maids in the cafeteria, some of them would readily strike up a conversation with me. That trend was especially strong with the middle-aged guards and the granny-type maids.

They were polite, of course, and they wouldn’t do it when anyone who liked to go on about the dignity of my position was around. But this man was one of those middle-aged guards.

“You must be feeling uneasy, am I right?” the middle-aged guard asked. “I can understand. This is a path any man who decides to have a family goes down, after all.”

“Is that how it works?” I asked.

“Yes. I went through it when I married my wife. Though, that said, you’ve already long since prepared for this, right, sire? The only thing stopping you now is sentimentality.”

“Sentimentality...?”

Sentimentality. Being sentimental. He had a point.

It went without saying that my relationship with Liscia and each of the others would change over time. There was nothing I could do about that, and I had long since accepted it.

I could only say that the reason I was still hesitating to go forward was that I was basking in sentimentality. It was a waste of time to think about it, you could say.

With a wry smile, I put my hand down on the middle-aged guard’s shoulder. “You’ve got a way with words. It’s not like being indecisive now is going to change anything.”

“Yes. Besides, if you dawdle too long, your pretty wives are going to get mad, you know?” He smirked.

Just as he said that, there was a shout from behind the door.

“Souma! You’re there, aren’t you?! Get on with it, make up your mind, and get in here!”

“Y-Yes!”

I stood up ramrod straight at the sound of Liscia’s voice, then hurriedly opened the door and rushed in. The guards immediately closed the doors behind me.

The glimpse of the middle-aged guard I got just before the doors fully shut, with a look on his face like, They’ll have him whipped in no time, irritated me.

But when I turned around...

The sight of Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden, all in wedding dresses, hit me with a shock so hard that it rattled my brain.

First, there was Liscia. She had her hair down today. She wore a pure and cute long dress with white as the main color, but a pink lining that peeked out from the hem. The sash around her waist was the same color as her military uniform, giving her a dignified beauty that was both gorgeous and very true to who she was as a person. She looked fit to represent all of the queens.

Aisha’s pure white dress was a stunning contrast with her brown skin. The ribbons on her head were also white, and it reflected her innocence. I had a strong impression of Aisha as a warrior, but she had a good figure, and was very attractive to me as a woman today.

On top of her white dress, Juna wore a blue corsage and sash that matched the color of her beautiful hair. The dress had a light blue tinge to it, too, reflecting her nobility, which was like the moon reflected in the water, and her enveloping kindness.

Roroa’s dress had a white base color, too, but the hem and sash shone with a light lemon yellow to match her cheer and youth. The dress gave off the same charm and cheer that she herself did, and even though it had a long skirt, she looked like she might start running around in it at any moment.

Naden’s dress was a little shorter compared to the others. She was the only one with a tail, so that had likely been a decision to keep her from looking weird. The front was knee-length, but I thought that was a lovely representation of her flexibility and free spirit.

Five different women, five different dresses. All of them beautiful, all of them suited to the person wearing them.

They looked so brilliant in their wedding garb, I just stared at them, entranced, for a while.

As I stood there speechless, Liscia shyly asked, “Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“R-Right... You’re pretty. All of you. You left me without words.”

I was stammering for some reason, but everyone grinned.

“M-Me, too?” Aisha asked. “I’m taller than all the others, but is that still okay?”

“Hee hee hee, oh, Aisha,” Juna giggled. “You’re slender, but shapely. I think you’re very pretty.”

“Shapely... I’m not sure how I feel about Big Sis talkin’ about that,” Roroa griped. “How about you, Nadie?”

“I wish I had cleavage. Pretty desperately.”

“Don’t pout on such a happy day,” Liscia tried to mollify them. “Besides, I think you two look lovely and wonderful in your dresses.” I fully agreed with her.

Roroa and Naden were even more gorgeous than usual today, but in a pure way, feeling like true princesses.

Of course, Aisha and Juna, with their feminine sexiness were wonderful, too, and Liscia, who had the best parts of both camps, was marvelous in her grace.

“Hahh...” Looking at those five lovely ladies, I let out a sigh.

“What’s wrong, Your Majesty? Have we done something to offend?” Juna asked with concern.

“Could you not sigh in front of us?” Naden snapped in a prickly tone.

I hurriedly shook my head. Obviously there was nothing wrong with them, and I couldn’t possibly be dissatisfied.

“It’s just... I have such lovely brides, so when I think we can’t just have a normal wedding... Well, I’m pretty disappointed.”

“Ahh, I went and planned this whole thing, and even I’m thinkin’ that a bit,” Roroa agreed with me.

The weddings in this world weren’t significantly different from Western-style weddings on Earth.

In a church, the bride and groom pledged their love before a priest or pastor.

That was the sort of ceremony Ludwin and Hal were likely having.

The sort of wedding where, though the ceremony also held the meaning of tying two houses together, it was a syrupy sweet time where the brides and grooms only had eyes for each other.

But our marriage ceremony was different.

It would be broadly classified as a wedding, but as the wedding of a king, it could not be devoted solely to the brides and groom. The main goal was to introduce the queens to the people, and make clear the ranking between them.

The coronation and wedding would, of course, be broadcast over the Jewel Voice Broadcast, and every person in the country would be able to see it.

Our people wouldn’t be the only ones watching the ceremony, either.

It was going to be broadcast over the jewels we used for broadcast conferences with the Gran Chaos Empire and Republic of Turgis, so Empress Maria and Sir Gouran, the head of the republic, would be watching, too.

In a marriage ceremony watched over by so many people inside and outside the country, we would have to keep alert constantly, and there would no room for the brides and groom to enjoy some sweet time to themselves.

“It may be disappointing, indeed.” Aisha crossed her arms and looked gallant, despite being in a wedding dress.

Juna put a finger to her lips and went, “Hmm?” questioningly. “But it’s every girl’s dream to have a big, gaudy wedding at a place like the castle, isn’t it? We’re the ones to be envied here, surely.”

“Ahaha! That kind of jealousy is pretty common, right?” Naden smiled with nostalgia.

She must have been remembering her time in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Naden had harbored a complex about Ruby, who was a normal dragon, while Ruby had felt jealous towards Naden, who was an unusual ryuu.

The grass is always greener, they say.

Roroa smirked. “Hmm. So, what you’re sayin’ is, if we sell wedding packages at the castle, we’ll turn a profit. Even if it’s out of reach of the common people, the nobles’d pay a pretty penny to—Ow!”

When Liscia retorted with a light chop to her head. “Roroa, don’t tie everything back to making money.”

Roroa laughed. “Nyahah!”

“Honestly,” Liscia said, putting her hands on her hips, but she seemed more gentle than exasperated. “No matter what shape it takes, as long as we’re happy with it, isn’t that good enough?”

We all nodded in agreement.

“Yeah. Right now, I’m happy,” I said.

“Hee hee, then let’s hear a word from you, as the head of the household,” Liscia said teasingly.

I scratched my cheek. “Head of the household...? What house is this, anyway?”

The fact was, even if we got married, we weren’t going to have a single last name.

That was because the mother’s family name changed based on the position her children would be in.

I was inheriting the names of both the House of Elfrieden and the House of Amidonia, so I would become “Souma A. Elfrieden.”

Liscia and Roroa would pass their names to their children, so they would remain “Liscia Elfrieden” and “Roroa Amidonia.”

Because she was becoming a primary queen with right of succession, it might have been best for Roroa to take the name Elfrieden, but we were maintaining a clear separation to agitate the people of both countries as little as possible.

Liscia’s children, Cian and Kazuha, carried the name Elfrieden.

If the two countries continued to stay reconciled, it might be possible in the future to establish a House of Friedonia, but that would be up to how things went from here.

The second primary queen, Aisha, would become, “Aisha U. (Udgard) Elfrieden.”

The Udgard name was being kept to promote harmony with the dark elves, who had only just begun to make contact with the outside world.

As for Juna and Naden, whose children would have no right of succession, after talking it over, we’d decided they would take the family name “Souma,” and become “Juna Souma” and “Naden Delal Souma.”

Naden had no family name.

Delal was a part of her name, as was the case with her friend, Pai Long. Because of that, she needed a new family name, so I’d decided to have her use my family name, Souma.

It had become my given name now, but Souma had originally been my family name.

After that, Juna had asked to use the Souma name, too.

Because the children of secondary queens often inherited their mother’s family, many of them kept their original family names, but Juna’s father, that man who seemed too kind to be Excel’s son, had told me, “I do not want to claim excessive ties to the royal family!” and “My mother’s name already makes me stand out badly enough. Just the thought of any more makes my stomach hurt!”

In the end, Juna was taking the newly established Souma family name, and if they wanted the children to inherit the House of Doma, they could be adopted into it later.

Given all that, our names were all different, so what was it that we should call our house when we were all together?

While I was thinking about it, Liscia shrugged. “It’s a name we’re using among ourselves, why not just be the Souma family? It’s our husband’s family name, after all.”

Liscia said that with a smile, and no one objected, so it was decided.

Now then, moving on...

“Erm... I was asked to say something, but I don’t know what to say, so suddenly...” I began.

“What don’t ya just try sayin’ whatever popped into your head, darlin’?”

“...Okay. Well then... Today, on this day, we will become a family. I hope that we will continue to support one another, as we have before, even more in the future. Let’s laugh, cry, and sometimes fight, as we spend time together.”

I hugged Aisha and Naden first.

“Aisha. I’ll live as long as I can, so I want you to live with me.”

“Yes.” Aisha nodded firmly. “Let’s live together as long as we can.”

“Naden, you, too. It may only be for a short time in your long life, but give me your time.”

“Hmph,” she snorted. “It’s a bit soon to be making this a memory. This is where we start making memories, not where we look back on them.”

I let the two of them go, then hugged Roroa and Juna next.

“Let’s build a home where the smiles never stop, Roroa.”

“Even when we cry, I’ll be smilin’!”

“No matter what kind of bashing I receive from the people for it... Juna, I’m making you mine.”

“Yes, forever,” she smiled.

Then, finally, I hugged Liscia.

“Just two years ago, I was saying I’d throw away the crown, and tear up our engagement, too.”

“Two years ago, I stormed into my father’s room, mad he’d gotten me betrothed without my input.”

“I’m not letting go anymore,” I told her. “Not of you, and not of this kingdom where Cian and Kazuha live.”

“I won’t let you go, either. Not away from this world, and not away from me.”

While we were feeling one another’s warmth like that, there was a knock at the door.

It seemed like the time had come.

I let go of Liscia. Then, looking at each of them, I said, “All right... Let’s go, everyone.”

“““““Okay!”””””

We were going to become the king and queens of this country.

Final Chapter: The Wedding Ceremony

“His Majesty Souma Amidonia Elfrieden, King of the United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia, will now appear,” Hakuya declared loudly.

I stepped out alone onto the red carpet.

This was the audience hall, the place where I had originally been summoned, and where I had also first met Aisha, Juna, Hakuya, Tomoe, and Poncho.

This place was pretty familiar to me, but today it was decked out in gaudy decorations.

On either side of the red carpet running through the audience hall knelt generals and bureaucrats, including Prime Minister Hakuya, Chamberlain Marx, Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force Excel, Black Cats Commander Kagetora, and Hiryuu Captain Castor.

In front of the throne at the end of that carpet were the former king, Sir Albert, and the former queen, Lady Elisha.

This scene was being broadcast nationwide using the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel. (It was positioned so that Kagetora was off screen, though, of course.)

I absolutely could not be allowed to make a fool of myself. I walked slowly towards the two of them, as if savoring each step. Then, kneeling when I reached them, I lowered my head.

Sir Albert took the crown lying beside him, and stood before me.

“I, the 13th king, Albert Elfrieden, will hereby carry out the coronation of the 14th king, Souma A. Elfrieden! You will henceforth be king, comforting the people within, repelling the enemy without, and making the country prosper!”

“Yes, sir.”

Hearing my response, Sir Albert nodded and placed the crown on my head.

“Finally, I was able to hand you the crown,” Sir Albert said in a whisper so quiet only I could hear.

With my head lowered, and a wry smile on my face, I responded, “You’ve been holding onto it for me all this time. I’m sorry.”

“I should hope so. I was able to give you the throne, but it was annoying that I couldn’t give you the crown until your coronation. The position of king can be so restricting. The coronation kept getting delayed, too. Having to hold onto the crown all that time gave me the chills.”

“Between Liscia’s pregnancy, and the expedition to the Union of Eastern Nations, a lot has happened.”

“But that ends today. I’m counting on you to take care of Liscia and the kingdom, son-in-law.”

“Yes, Father.”

When Sir Albert moved away from me, Lady Elisha approached to drape an exquisite velvet cape over my shoulders.

In my ear, she whispered, “I will be wishing for your happiness, and the happiness of Liscia, your other queens, Cian, Kazuha, and any other children yet to be born. May you remain in good health forever after.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Hee hee,” she chuckled. “Do come and visit us in Albert’s domain. Though, instead of being called Grandma, I think I’d prefer to be called Grandmother, like Excel.”

When Lady Elisha said that, I couldn’t help but smile a little.

“Okay. That’s what I’ll teach them to do.”

When Lady Elisha moved away, I stood up.

Then another voice called out to me. “Your Majesty.”

The one who walked out from the line of retainers was Roroa’s grandfather, Herman. He saluted me, walked to my side, and knelt.

The bureaucrats running the ceremony brought a sword in a sheathe with sparkling detail work to him, and Herman offered it to me.

“This is the treasured sword handed down by generations of Amidonia’s sovereign princes. We ask that Your Majesty please protect the people of both Elfrieden and Amidonia, without discrimination.”

“...Got it.” I accepted the sword and held it aloft. “I will endeavor to be a king supported by both peoples.”

It was important for me to inherit not just the Elfrieden name, but the Amidonia name, too. That was why I had to be recognized as rightful successor not just on the Elfriedenian side, but on the Amidonian side, too. Herman was handing me this treasured sword as a way of showing that.

Herman stood down, and then I turned to my retainers, who stood up.

“Pledge your unswerving loyalty to the new king, His Royal Majesty Souma,” Hakuya intoned, and they all bowed to me in unison.

The rustling of clothes echoed through the room. It was amazing to behold.

This concluded the coronation ceremony.

I was now, both in name and in fact, the king of this country. Not provisional, or temporary.

I was now King Souma A. Elfrieden.

This was the moment of its happening.

The pipe organ began playing. Then the doors to the audience chamber opened wide, and five beautiful brides appeared.

Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden.

They parted with their families at the door, and the five in wedding dresses walked forward with children who were all dressed up helping them.

Liscia’s helper was Tomoe. The other four were assisted by children from the castle nursery.

When the five of them got closer, they stopped in front of me, got down on both knees, and bowed their heads.

Tomoe bowed once before joining the line of retainers, while the other children scampered off.

The wedding ceremony would now begin.

The priests of Mother Dragon came forward, presenting five tiaras and five golden rings.

I took one of those tiaras, stood before Liscia, and placed it on her head. “I hereby make you my first primary queen. Let us develop this country together.”

“Yes. I will be with you forever.”

When Liscia stood up, she looked me straight in the eye and extended her left hand. Then she added, “And, of course, Cian and Kazuha will, too,” in a voice only I could hear.

I put a ring on her finger, and then we shared a light kiss.

Seeing the little tears forming in the corner of Liscia’s eyes, I wanted to ignore the procedure and hug her, but I managed to restrain myself in the eye of the public.

Doing the same for Aisha, Roroa, Juna, and Naden in turn, I took off whatever headpieces they had been wearing and replaced them with tiaras, put rings on their fingers, and then kissed them.

“I hereby make you my second primary queen. Let us protect this country together.”

“Yes!” Aisha declared. In a whisper, she added, “(Of course, I will continue to protect you, too!)”

“I hereby make you my third primary queen,” I told Roroa. “Let us make this country prosper together.”

“Yes! (Just you leave it to me, darlin’!)”

“I hereby make you my first secondary queen,” I told Juna. “Let us make this country’s culture flourish together.”

“Yes. (Hee hee, yes. Let’s make a bright country, full of songs.)”

“I hereby make you my second secondary queen,” I said to Naden. “Let us open a future for this country together.”

“Yes. (Roger that. I’ll take you anywhere, Souma.)”

When we kissed, they each gave me something like a declaration of their resolve.

They hadn’t said anything during the dress rehearsal for the ceremony, so they must all have thought about it during the lead up.

Had Liscia taken the lead on that? The ceremony was highly formal, so I was very happy to be able to tell how each of them felt through it. I don’t know how many times I had thought this before, but they were all so wonderful that they seemed wasted on me.

Now we were husband and wives, a family.

The priests departed, and Liscia and I headed towards the thrones.

There was a seat for the king, and a seat beside for a queen. Liscia and I sat, and the other four stood beside us.

Once everyone was in their positions, Hakuya resumed his job as presenter.

“On the occasion of His Majesty Souma’s coronation and wedding, messengers have come from every country to offer their congratulations. First, the younger sister of Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos Empire, Madam Trill Euphoria.”

“Yes, that’s me!” Appearing from the entrance, her drill hair swaying, it was Trill, original promoter of drill development.

This time, as the resident ambassador in Friedonia, she was here to offer congratulations on behalf of Maria.

Kuu was acting in the same capacity for Sir Gouran of the Republic of Turgis, Ichiha for Duke Chima of the Duchy of Chima, and Yuriga on behalf of King Fuuga Haan of the steppe state of Malmkhitan.

Trill and Kuu were one thing, but Ichiha and Yuriga seemed to be tense about their role here.

But, you know, though Yuriga was supposed to be Fuuga’s representative, he probably wasn’t interested in the fact I’d become king, or that I’d gotten married.

He was probably charging headlong towards his ambitions even now.

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, in the north of Malmkhitan, Fuuga stood on the banks of the Dabicon River, which flowed from far to the west. The land beyond this river was called the Demon Lord’s Domain.

Stroking his trusty comrade, the flying tiger Durga, he pointed his rock-crushing blade, Zanganto, at the opposite shore.

“Listen up! Once we cross this river, we’ll be in the Demon Lord’s Domain! That is the land the monsters chased us from, and the land mankind must reclaim!”

He turned back to face the 20,000 soldiers behind him.

5,000 were the pride of Malmkhitan, the leaping cavalry, riding temsbocks.

5,000 were heavy cavalry, riding larger, stronger war horses than were usual.

The remaining 10,000 were foot soldiers, a group composed of refugees who had been driven from their homelands by the expansion of the Demon Lord’s Domain.

Upon hearing that Fuuga was going to push into the Demon Lord’s Domain, refugee soldiers from across the Union of Eastern Nations had gathered under him.

Fuuga spoke to all of them.

“These numbers here are no more than dust compared to the expeditionary force once led by the Empire. There may be some who think it foolish to venture into the Demon Lord’s Domain where the expeditionary force was wiped out by demons with these numbers. However, I have seen it for myself. The demons, said to have wiped out the expedition, did not show themselves, even when I went quite deep into the Demon Lord’s Domain. In short, the demons live only in the deepest parts of the Demon Lord’s Domain! Everything else is simply a lawless zone, where monsters run rampant!”

Fuuga turned the hand with which he had been petting Durga towards everyone else. He tightened it into a fist, then pulled it towards himself.

“That is why we can take it back! If only in part, to begin. This time, we will reclaim the abandoned city to the north, and the smaller cities around it, and begin to restore them. We will be the first on the side of mankind to successfully take back land from the Demon Lord’s Domain!”

The passion in Fuuga’s words excited the assembled troops.

“If we can accomplish this, we will astound the nations of this continent, bring in more support, and that will allow us to take back even more new land! We will be daybreak’s bell, ringing out the end of a stagnant era!”

“““Yeahhhhh!””” the soldiers roared in response to Fuuga’s speech.

The spark of his passion set the whole army ablaze in an instant.

Fuuga leapt on Durga’s back, then pointed Zanganto toward the northern sky and shouted, “Now onward, you brave warriors who have assembled here! We will make our names echo across the whole of this continent!”

“““Wowwwww!”””

Incited by Fuuga’s fiery speech, the men charged headlong into the river.

As Fuuga stared at them, a single warhorse came over to Fuuga’s side. It carried Fuuga’s wife, Mutsumi Chima.

She looked beautiful with her long, black hair streaming behind her, her body clad in light armor, as she rode the horse with a longsword slung over her back.

“A brilliant speech, Lord Fuuga,” she said.

“I’ve told you, just Fuuga is fine. You’re my wife.”

However, Mutsumi shook her head with a wry smile. “I couldn’t address the commander of this force without the proper respect. It would be intolerable if I were to do something that lowered the morale you worked so hard to raise.”

“You’re as conscientious as ever... but, well, sorry. We just got married, and I’m starting a campaign. I received a letter from Yuriga, and apparently Souma’s officially becoming king down south in Friedonia. When I heard that, I couldn’t sit still.”

Yes, Souma felt a sense of urgency about dealing with Fuuga’s existence, but Fuuga was conscious of Souma, too.

Because each was conscious of the other, there was a mutual understanding, paired with a fundamental disconnect, and they were both preparing for the clash that might come sometime in the future.

Fuuga’s existence made Souma stronger, and Souma’s existence made Fuuga stronger. To call them rivals might have sounded nice, but when you considered the future to come, it was a complicated relationship, and not one to be welcomed.

Mutsumi chuckled. “Don’t mind me. No matter where you go, Lord Fuuga, I will be at your side. So, please, follow the path you believe in. Whether it leads to glory or hell, I will stay with you all the way.”

Mutsumi brought a hand to her chest and smiled.

“And, please, show me the world that only you can create.”

“...Yeah! You’ll have a front row seat! I love you, Mutsumi!” Fuuga leaned in and planted a kiss on his wife, then had Durga race off.

Behind him, Mutsumi and the soldiers followed.

And so, Fuuga’s military force stepped into the Demon Lord’s Domain.

◇　◇　◇

“Ah!” I exclaimed. I had suddenly felt a shudder run down my spine. I didn’t know what it was.

Trill’s congratulatory remarks had ended, and we were in the middle of Kuu’s very serious remarks.

“...was the result of the cooperation between our three countries. My father Gouran hopes that cordial relations between the kingdom, the Empire, and the republic will continue to...”

As I twisted my head to look around, Kuu continued.

“That being the case, in the hopes of lasting friendship between the republic, the kingdom, and the Empire, we would like to congratulate Sir Souma on his coronation and wedding. Please, continue to show us your favor.”

With his address finished, Kuu mouthed the words, “Thanks, Bro,” and winked at all of us. Throwing in that bit of mischievous charm at the end was so like Kuu.

I gave Kuu my thanks, and then Kuu bowed and left the audience hall.

I remembered that Yuriga, as representative of Malmkhitan, was next according to the program.

This wedding was a ceremony, so while it had a certain flair to it, it couldn’t avoid feeling somewhat stiff. It was at times like this that I felt envious of my subordinates holding their weddings down in the castle town.

I wonder what Hal and the rest are up to now...

While I was thinking that, Yuriga entered the room, so I returned my focus to the matter at hand.

◇　◇　◇

At the same time, Halbert was trying to catch his breath.

“Oh... I’m getting tense,” he muttered.

His military uniform was Halbert’s default outfit, but now he was wearing a tuxedo instead. His messy hair was also neatly set today, and that made him kind of uneasy.

He was the groom in the ceremony about to take place, so he understood that was to be expected, but he didn’t feel like himself, and it made him nervous.

“You need to suck it up already, you know, Hal,” Kaede told him.

“If you can’t be bold and confident, it makes us look bad,” Ruby agreed.

Beside him were Kaede in a shiromuku and Ruby in a wedding dress, both of them wearing wry smiles. Their yellow and scarlet hair stood out against the pure white outfits.

These two were all dressed up as brides today, so they were even more beautiful than usual.

In fact, falling in love all over again looking at them, Hal had been unable to resist going for a hug, only to have them get upset that it would mess with their outfits.

However, their beauty was also an element that felt like it was pushing Halbert into a corner.

“If they could see these two now, they’d be jealous, I’m sure of it...” Hal murmured.

There were quite a few people in attendance for their wedding.

Because it was happening at the same time as Souma’s coronation and wedding, all of the major figures in the country, excluding family of the bride or groom, had gone to the castle instead. In their place, many of his subordinates in the Dratroopers and colleagues from his time in the Forbidden Army had rushed to attend Halbert’s wedding.

For Halbert, they were comrades and good friends.

However, in the military, where the gender ratio was highly biased toward the male side, the adorable Miss Kaede, a staff officer, had been something of an idol.

Because of that, Halbert’s old war buddies felt an incredible jealousy for the man who was her childhood friend, and who had now snatched her away from them. Basically...

“How dare you be the only one who gets a cute wife, you bastard!” they were shouting in their hearts.

That was about how it was.

Adding insult to injury, his other wife, Ruby, was beautiful, too.

That fact only poured more fuel on the fires of jealousy.

If any of those men saw the women in these beautiful wedding outfits, their jealousy would only flare up harder.

“Congratulations on your marriage. Now let me sock you one!”

That had to be how they felt.

Halbert’s shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

“The guys were going on about how, when it came time for throwing wheat, they were going to hit me with it as hard as they could. There were even a few of them double-checking their throwing forms.”

The practice of throwing wheat was equivalent to the practice of throwing rice in weddings on Earth.

When the brides and groom came out, the attendees would throw wheat, a symbol of fecundity (because a single grain could produce many more) at them.

Normally, this was done like the throwing of salt during sumo, throwing it upwards gently so that it scattered, and not overhand like a baseball.

“They started muttering, ‘Maybe we’ll mix in some gravel...’, too,” he complained. “Although they stopped because it’d be dangerous if it hit anyone else.”

““Ahaha...”” his wives-to-be laughed.

The men were jealous of Halbert, but they didn’t want to cause trouble for Kaede and Ruby.

Even if their husband was going to be Halbert, the men wanted them to be happy.

So, because of their complicated male feelings, they had settled on throwing the wheat as hard as they could.

Kaede gently placed her hand over Halbert’s right breast with a wry smile.

“They’re letting you off with just throwing wheat at you as hard as they can, so I think they’re good friends, you know. It means you’re so fortunate that everyone is jealous.”

“That’s right,” Ruby added, placing her hand over his left breast. “If you’re a man, accept a little jealousy as the price you pay for taking two wives as pretty as we are.”

With the two of them blasting him like that, Halbert laughed wryly and said, “You’re merciless. But you have a point. If that’s how they feel, I’m gonna show off how happy I am, and make them good and jealous.”

“Hee hee! That’s the spirit, Hal!”

“Make sure you escort us well, darling.”

Kaede and Ruby kissed Halbert on the cheek from both sides.

“H-Hey...” Hal objected.

“Hee hee! Your face is bright red, Hal.”

“We’ll save the kiss on the lips for the main event.”

Halbert’s face felt like it was going to melt, so he shook his head.

Kaede chuckled as she watched him, but then something seemed to occur to her. “Come to think of it, Hal, there was a message from His Majesty Souma to everyone getting married this time.”

“From Souma?” Halbert cocked his head to the side.

Given that they were ruler and servant, it was normal for messages to come, but he didn’t understand why it would be restricted to those getting married.

Smirking, Kaede added, “Apparently, ‘Depending on the political situation in the north, the country may become quite busy going forward. Therefore, during this period of comparative calm, make sure you get on with the baby-making’... That’s what it said.”

“Nuwhuh?!”

Hearing the words “get on with the baby-making” from Kaede’s mouth, Halbert was so surprised that he took a step backwards despite himself.

Ruby may have been embarrassed, too, because her cheeks reddened.

While smiling wryly at their reaction, Kaede explained Souma’s intentions. “Those of us getting married today are the retainers His Majesty especially relies on. He’d like to avoid pregnancy or childbirth overlapping with any event that leaves him shorthanded.”

“R-Right...” Halbert said, his voice cracking slightly.

For a man who had been in the military, Halbert was awfully innocent about these sorts of things.

That was because, though it was normal for the seniors at the officers’ academy to take the younger men out to places where they could fool around with girls to blow off steam, Halbert had been with Kaede even back then, so, out of concern for how she would see him, he hadn’t experienced any of that.

Even when they were split up, with Halbert joining the Army and Kaede joining the Forbidden Army, his colleagues had known he had a cute childhood friend, so if he’d ever so much as looked lustfully at a woman, they would have reported him to her.

Naturally, his colleagues weren’t acting out of genuine affection for Kaede, but jealousy towards Halbert for having a cute childhood friend.

As a result, though, Hal had no experience playing around with women.

After Hal’s transfer to the Forbidden Army, they’d been together with Kaede again, so the situation stayed the same as back at the academy.

This was the reason that, for all his crudeness, Halbert was rather innocent.

Kaede approached Halbert, and said with upturned eyes, “I’ll do my best to fulfill my duties as wife. So, please, Hal.”

“M-Me, too... Okay?” Ruby hesitantly tugged on Halbert’s sleeve.

These two were so cute, they made him feel grateful, embarrassed, and... happy.

Halbert, with his face bright red, slapped his cheeks to reinvigorate himself.

Then, taking both of their hands, he walked towards the door.

“Oh, whatever! Wheat, gravel, bring it on! Hell, come with spears and arrows, too! If you think you can get in the way of my happiness now, just try it!”

Filled with emotion, Halbert couldn’t help but shout that.

◇　◇　◇

At the same time, in a different church in the capital, the former slave trader Ginger Camus and his former slave Sandria were having their wedding.

“Now, you shall swear your oath, in the name of Mother Dragon,” a priest intoned.

Under the watch of the teacher’s and research staff of Ginger’s Vocational School, where Ginger was the principal, and under the watch of Sandria’s family, who had been invited from the Empire, the two were about to say their vows.

“O Ginger,” said the priest. “Do you take Sandria to be your wife, and swear to share your whole lives, in times both good and bad?”

“I do.” Ginger gave a firm response to the priest’s question.

There was no sign of the usual, slightly weak-willed Ginger here now.

This was the result of his deciding: I need to be a man for today, at least. If I’m not, I’ll make Sandria uneasy.

The priest nodded, then turned to Sandria.

“O Sandria. Do you take Ginger to be your husband, and swear to share your whole lives, in times both good and bad?”

“...I do,” Sandria responded, tripping over her words a little bit.

The reason it had taken a moment for the words to come out was not because she was feeling tense, but because she was verklempt. That was because, upon hearing the part about their whole lives, everything that had happened so far was racing through her mind.

Her father being deceived and saddled with a debt. Her being sold off to this country as a slave to pay it. Meeting Ginger after she had given up on everything.

From there, things had gotten better and better, like when the rain suddenly lets up.

Being freed from slavery. Making it to this fine day where she was now Ginger’s wife.

“Now, seal your promise with a kiss,” the priest said.

The two turned to face each other.

“Lord Ginger... I’m so happy,” Sandria said, beaming.

Ginger said with a wry smile, “I’m your husband now. I think you can drop the Lord business, you know?”

“But... Ginger... no, that won’t do. It only feels right with the title.”

“Well, if that’s what you want to call me, so be it.”

“Would you prefer if I went all the way, and called you Master?” she asked. “You’ll be master of the house, so it doesn’t seem too out of place, right?”

“That makes it sound like I’m forcing you into some sort of roleplay, so stop it!”

Sandria chuckled at how earnestly Ginger was begging her.

In response, Ginger gave her a shy smile.

The former slaver and slave.

Ginger had always been in the higher position, but he had also always been the one being swung around. That relationship wasn’t likely to change going forward.

Ginger lifted the veil hanging over Sandria’s face. They stared into one another’s eyes up close.

Ginger spoke. “Even now, I remember your eyes from the time back when I was still a slave trader.”

“My... eyes?” Sandria stared blankly at him.

“Back then, you had this ‘It’s because I’m a slave’ look in your eyes, as if you had given up on the future entirely. I wanted to give you hope.”

“Hope... for the future, you mean?” Sandria asked.

“Yes,” Ginger said. “How am I doing? Can you imagine a bright future now?”

Sandria closed her eyes and meditated for a bit. Opening her eyes, she smiled and said, “There’s a big house with a big yard. You and I are living there. We have two children, a boy and a girl. Maybe we’re raising a large pet, too. That might be nice. I hear that raising animals is good for the children’s education, too. In that house, I wake up early to prepare breakfast, have the children wake you up when you sleep in, and then after all of us eat the meal I’ve made, our family holds hands and goes to school together. That’s what I imagined.”

Sandria’s story was eloquent. Ginger was taken aback by the amount of detail.

“I-Isn’t that a bit specific?”

“For me, it’s the happiest future imaginable.”

Standing on her tiptoes, Sandria planted a kiss on Ginger’s lips.

She was already able to imagine a bright future.

Ginger happily accepted her feelings.

◇　◇　◇

At the same time, in yet another church, Ludwin and Genia were in the middle of exchanging the kiss that sealed their vows in front of the priest.

Because of the height difference between the tall Ludwin and petite Genia, Genia stood all the way on the tips of her toes, and Ludwin leaned forward as far as he could for the kiss.

There were shrill cries from the ladies in the audience.

In among them were their fellow researchers, Merula the high elf, and Taru the engineer from the Republic of Turgis.

“Congratulations, Genia, Sir Ludwin!” Merula called.

“Congrats!” Taru added.

They congratulated the couple with raucous applause.

Incidentally, Merula’s keeper, the bishop Souji, was carrying out the wedding in the castle as a representative of Lunarian Orthodoxy. Because Merula was a wanted woman, having been declared a witch by the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, and she couldn’t be allowed to appear on the broadcast, she couldn’t accompany him.

Well, even if she had been able to go, she probably would still have put her fellow researcher Genia’s wedding first.

Even Trill, who was attending the wedding in the castle as representative of the Gran Chaos Empire, had said she would be coming as soon as her responsibilities as ambassador were complete.

Because of the connections between all the houses involved in this multiple simultaneous wedding event, many families had to run back and forth from one ceremony to another. Though it was causing some confusion, the festive mood throughout the capital was turning even that chaos into a good time.

In the middle of that celebratory atmosphere, Genia pulled her face away from Ludwin’s and giggled.

“I knew it! You sure are big, Big Brother Luu. It makes kissing hard.”

“I’m on the tall side, sure. But I think how small you are has something to do with it, too, you know?”

“Hm... It seems I could do with some additions to my body to be a fitting wife for you. In terms of height, and... if at all possible, chest.” Genia laughed wryly at her disappointing physique.

Ludwin gently scooped Genia up in his arms. Genia cried out in surprise at suddenly being put in a princess carry.

“Uwah?! Big Brother Luu?! What’s this, all of a sudden?!”

“Well, I was just thinking the height difference makes it easier to do things like this.”

Having said that, Ludwin winked at the dumbfounded priest.

The priest snapped back to his senses, and turned to the attendees to say, “Here, a new husband and wife are born. I would ask all in attendance to go out in front of the church, and celebrate with them as they first go out the door.”

It seemed Ludwin wanted to leave the church with Genia in his arms.

The priest, picking up on that, was having the attendees leave the building, even though it was not the standard procedure. He would wait to greet them outside. He was quite the flexible priest.

Once the attendees filed out and only the three of them remained in the church, Genia looked to Ludwin with eyes that were, naturally, as a result of her position in his arms, upturned, and asked, “You’re sure you want to disregard protocol like that?”

“You’re the one always breaking established patterns, right, Genia? I just want to show everyone how cute my wife is. Let me let loose once in a while, too.”

Genia’s face turned beet red. “Big Brother Luu, you can be a bit mischievous at times, you know that?”

“You’re the one who incited me. By the way, am I still getting called Big Brother now that we’re married?”

“You’ll always be Big Brother Luu to me. I can’t change the way I call you now.”

“Well, fair enough. Okay... let’s go, Genia.”

Ludwin started to walk with Genia in his arms, and they passed through the church door together.

Once they were outside, the attendees stood on either side of the carpet, throwing wheat.

When Ludwin finished walking down the middle of the attendees, Genia threw the bouquet she was holding backwards behind her.

In this world, too, there was the superstition that the person who caught the bouquet would be the next bride. The bouquet sailed in a high arc, towards the women hoping to catch it.

Before it could touch down, one girl made a big jump to catch it.

“Sorry!” she called.

The bouquet was still about ten meters from the ground when it was snatched.

In the middle of the bewildered crowd, the girl who had caught the bouquet landed and bowed apologetically to everyone around her. Each time she bowed, her bunny ears shook.

“Sorry, sorry! The young master ordered me to catch it!”

“...What are you doing, Leporina?” Taru sounded exasperated.

It was Leporina who had caught the bouquet.

Leporina was supposed to have gone to the castle with Kuu, but it seemed he’d ordered her to come all this way just to do this.

With a troubled look on her face, Leporina handed the bouquet to Taru. “Urgh... The young master said, ‘It’ll be our turn next anyway, so let’s take it for ourselves.’ Oh! The young master will be coming here later, too.”

It seemed that Kuu couldn’t fully slip out of a ceremony where he was one of the guests of honor, either.

That must have been why he’d dispatched Leporina to catch the bouquet. And he apparently intended to slip away as soon as the royal ceremony was over.

“Master Kuu, honestly...” Taru accepted the bouquet, albeit with a wry smile.

Though she complained, she was using the bouquet to hide her mouth, which looked ready to burst into a grin, so she wasn’t entirely displeased.

Leporina was smiling, too.

Seeing that exchange between the next to be wedded...

“Is this what they call ‘sharing the happiness’?” Ludwin asked.

Genia grinned. “I’m not really sure if we’re the ones who shared with them, or they’re the ones who shared with us, though.”

Ludwin and Genia both laughed happily.

◇　◇　◇

“O-Okay, everyone, let’s toast! Yes.”

Meanwhile, around that same time, in the garden of the Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta mansion in the capital, Poncho was wearing a white tailcoat as he proposed a toast.

Poncho was dressed in his best clothes, but because of his rotund belly, his shirt looked even more stretched than usual.

Next to Poncho were a cool-faced Serina and a happily smiling Komain, both in dresses.

They had held their wedding ceremony in the morning, so Serina and Komain were already Poncho’s first and second wives.

“““Cheers! Ohhhhhhh!””” At Poncho’s urging, the attendees raised their glasses.

Then, in the next second, they all fell over one another in the rush to the tables covered with many large platters of food.

Because this was a party held by Poncho, widely revered as Lord Ishizuka the God of Food, all of the dishes were popular items from the Ishizuka’s Place cafeteria, and they looked delicious.

These Ishizuka dishes that normally only the night staff at the castle could eat were being presented in a buffet format. There was no way people wouldn’t crowd around.

More than that, though, Poncho was a rising noble, and many of the merchants he bought ingredients from wholesale, people from the marketplace, and members of the general public had been invited, too, so many were not concerned about appearances when racing for the food.

Even the knights and nobles, desperate not to have all the food snatched away, abandoned their shame to engage in pillaging the dishes, so of course it was going to be a riot.

As this war over the food unfolded, the brides and groom were left standing on the sidelines.

Despite all the noise, mysteriously the party wasn’t totally ruined.

On closer inspection, there were individuals smartly moving in among gluttonous guests.

“Roast beef is two slices per person,” a servant said. “If you want seconds, please return to the end of the line.”

“Madam, would you like something to drink?”

“The line for tatsuta chicken ends here.”

“There should be no fighting on this blessed day. Guests who cannot respect this will be asked to leave.”

They were all wearing butler or classical maid uniforms.

They deftly divvied out the food, served drinks, organized lines, and mediated when fights seemed likely to break out, all in an effort to minimize the chaos.

Their movements were truly professional. This was only to be expected. That was because they were a family that had produced many butlers and maids who served people of high status in the castle.

As he watched them at work, Poncho wiped away his cold sweat with a handkerchief. “Th-This has gotten incredibly boisterous, yes. If Serina’s family weren’t handling things, this would have been a disaster.”

The butlers and maids going around the event site were all members of Serina’s family.

They should normally have been here as guests, but they’d said that, by their nature, their house was better-suited to wait on guests than be waited on as guests, so they’d asked to be in charge of service at the party.

“I feel bad making Madam Serina’s family help out, too, yes,” Poncho admitted.

“Have no worries,” Serina said. “We take pride in our work as servants.”

Serina was as expressionless as ever, but there was a certain pride in the way she spoke.

“Even if we hadn’t asked, Father and Mother would have carried out the role of servants. They’re happily running around to all of the tables now.”

On the other end of Serina’s gaze was a gentleman in a butler’s uniform, carrying a tray with many glasses of wine on it with one hand.

It was Serina’s father. He would normally have been expected to sit quietly with the other relatives as the father of one of the brides, but he was moving around like a fish in water, carrying out the duties of a servant.

Watching Serina’s father, Komain smiled wryly. “My parents are gone now, but I’ve always assumed a father would weep for joy on their daughter’s big day.”

“Our work is our life in my family,” Serina said. “Because we’ve been educated for generations to put loyalty to our employer’s house first, we tend to put our own feelings second, or third, as we work. I’ve even been told I’m the most expressive member of the family.”

When Serina said with a straight face that she was the most emotionally expressive person in her whole family, Komain couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a joke or not, so she froze up.

Poncho, who was listening, too, let out a troubled laugh and wiped his cold sweat away again. “When I went to pay my respects to her father before the wedding, it ended in very few words, yes.”

Poncho was talking about the time he’d brought Serina to her family’s home to meet her parents before the wedding.

Though he was sweating profusely...

“P-Please, give your daughter to me, yes.”

...he had managed to come out and say that properly.

Serina’s father had just listened silently.

And as for Serina’s own conversation with him...

“Father. I will be marrying this man.”

“Understood.”

It had been over with those two lines.

Finally, Serina’s father had turned to Poncho, and said, “My daughter has her shortcomings, but I hope you will take care of her,” and bowed his head.

If you included the time Poncho had spent on introducing himself, it was over in a little over five seconds.

That might have been fine, since it meant things were sorted out, but it felt like it had ended too easily after all Poncho’s stressing over it.

Poncho related the story to Komain, and she was taken aback. “W-Wasn’t that a bit too easy?”

“That is just how much he trusts Madam Serina, yes,” Poncho said. “He must have been able to answer instantly because he knew Madam Serina wouldn’t fall for any strange man.”

“It’s because Father knows I never yield once I’ve set my mind on something,” Serina said nonchalantly, and Poncho and Komain looked to one another with wry smiles.

It was hard to tell because of her paucity of facial expression, but the two of them had been with her long enough to know she was feeling shy.

Seeing their reaction, Serina turned her head away peevishly. “It’s not as though Father simply trusted my eye for men. I’ve sent the recipes for junk food you’ve taught me back to the family home, and though it may not show on their faces, they were moved by how wonderful those dishes were.”

“Ohh. Then Poncho had them by the stomach before he even went to pay his respects, huh?” Komain clapped her hand, as if it all suddenly made sense.

It seemed that Serina and her father shared not just a common temperament, but a common taste for food, too.

Serina quietly offered Poncho a tray with a number of dishes on it. “Come now. If we leave them alone, all the food will be eaten by the guests. I’ve secured a number of dishes for us, too, so let’s eat them together.”

“Wh-When did you do that?! We’ve been talking this whole time, yes!”

“No, I slipped over when I saw an opening earlier. I’ve brought enough for Madam Komain, too.”

With that said, Serina laid out a tray of colorful food in front of Komain’s seat, too.

She had gone when she’d seen an opening... according to her, but to move through that massive crowd, secure food, and even arrange it in a manner pleasing to the eye, it was a technique that would put even ninjas to shame.

Komain looked at the food in front of her and sighed. “Serina, you may be one of the most capable people in the kingdom...”

“I just move efficiently,” Serina said. “Please, look at these delicate arms. I’ve never dragged anything more heavy than Carla.”

“Dragged?! Not carried?! And wait, you’re treating Carla like an object?!”

“Pardon me. Carla is a fine to—colleague.”

“Did you just start to say ‘toy’?!”

“U-Um... Madam Serina?” Poncho asked hesitantly.

Serina cocked her head to the side. “Is something the matter?”

“Um... About the dishes on the plate in front of me...”

Komain looked at what was on Poncho’s plate.

Komain and Serina’s plates had roast beef and napolitan, complemented by mashed potatoes, salad, and fruits.

In contrast, Poncho’s plate was packed with liver pate, a fried dish made with pumpkin and nuts, and eel omelette, a dish from Souma’s world.

“Poncho, is there something wrong with the food?” Komain asked.

It was strange that his food was different from theirs, but a big eater like Poncho should have been able to eat this much. Komain didn’t understand why Poncho was so perplexed.

However, Poncho’s face turned bright red and he looked at Serina. “Madam Serina... are you doing this deliberately?”

“Of course,” Serina said nonchalantly.

There seemed to be some mutual understanding between them, so Komain puffed up her cheeks, upset at being out of the loop. “Don’t leave me out. What is it about these dishes?”

“Oh, um, Madam Komain...” Poncho said hesitantly. “The ingredients used in them, they... uh...”

In contrast to Poncho, who seemed to have trouble saying it, Serina came right out and told her. “They are said to increase sexual potency.”

Increasing sexual potency. As the meaning of those words hit her, Komain turned red so fast you could hear a little poof! sound effect.

“Um... Liver, pumpkin, nuts, and eel are all said to be effective at recovering your stamina, yes. So they’re believed to increase sexual stamina, too...” Poncho explained despite his embarrassment.

It seemed Komain hadn’t noticed, but there was no way Poncho, the God of Food, would not.

Seeing Poncho and Komain looking down, their faces turning a bashful red, Serina said, “We’re husband and wives now, you know,” in an exasperated tone. “Now that we are married, it’s only natural to think about an heir.”

“Well... Yes, you’re right... Yes.”

“His Majesty told us to take this chance to make babies, and he says many of our colleagues will be incited by this event to marry by the end of the year,” Serina went on. “I would expect that, around this time next year, the upper echelons of the kingdom will be experiencing a baby boom. If possible, I would like to have mine before the midwives are too busy. I’ll need you to work hard to make that happen, darling.”

“D-Darling?!”

Hearing Serina suddenly address him that way, and telling him to work hard on making a baby, Poncho’s eyes went wide.

With eyes that seemed unable to believe she still had to say this, Serina looked at Poncho and said, “You are my husband now, and that is what I will call you. More importantly, how long are you going to go on addressing your wife as ‘Madam Serina’?”

Poncho panicked a bit when she drew attention to it, but eventually he found his resolve and said, “M-Ms. Serina... Ms. Komain...”

“...I suppose that will have to do as a compromise,” Serina said.

Komain giggled. “In that case, I’d like to call you ‘dear.’ It makes me feel like a newlywed. Now then, dear, I’ll have one of those.” Having said that, Komain took a piece of liver pate from Poncho’s plate. “I think... I will be needing stamina, too, after all.”

“M-Ms. Komain?!” he yelped.

“Hm... should I eat some as well, perhaps?”

“N-Not you, too, Ms. Serina...”

Serina took an eel omelette. The two of them looked at the intimidated Poncho with wry smiles, then planted kisses on both his cheeks.

““Stay strong, darling/dear.””

The sweet sound of those words was dizzying, and Poncho nearly fell on his back.

◇　◇　◇

Like that, Souma’s followers were each enjoying their wedding day.

In the capital’s fountain plaza, many citizens were watching the coronation and wedding ceremony over the Jewel Voice Broadcast. It was now reaching its final stages.

The only thing remaining now was Souma’s coronation speech after being formally crowned king.

Souma rose from the throne and walked forward. First Primary Queen Liscia stood beside him, Aisha stood behind, and Roroa, Juna, and Naden waited in the back.

Souma turned to face the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel that had been moved onto the red carpet. In other words, he turned to face the people watching this coronation and marriage ceremony.

“Around two years have passed since my arrival in this country.” Souma spoke in a quiet, but firm tone. “In these two years, many things have happened, both internally and externally. In an age of blindingly fast changes, this country, too, has been changing. To the point that even the official name of the country has changed, becoming the ‘United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia,’ also known as the ‘Kingdom of Friedonia.’ In the midst of all that, I am glad to have been able to welcome this day.”

He paused.

“From this day forward, I will formally be the king of the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

He went on:

“In addition, now that I have married both Liscia, the daughter of Albert Elfrieden, former king of the Kingdom of Elfrieden, and Roroa, the daughter of Gaius Amidonia, the former sovereign prince of the Principality of Amidonia, I will be ruling over both nations as Souma Amidonia Elfrieden. I intend to do my utmost to be recognized as a worthy king by the people of both the Elfrieden Region and the Amidonia Region. However, no matter how firm my resolve, and no matter how hard I try, there are limits to what one man can accomplish alone. That limit is not particularly high, either.”

He paused, and went on.

“We did not overcome the many events of the last two years by relying on my strength alone. It was the result of the queens who were at my side supporting me, the retainers you see lined up here, and many others who could not be here in attendance today, as well as you, the people, all working for this country. I hear that a program called Nameless Heroes has been popular with the public, and if you watch it, you’ll see what I mean. The world isn’t made solely of those who do the big showy jobs. We know there are nameless heroes working in the shadows. The reason that, here, now, I was able to reach this bright day, is thanks to all those unnamed heroes. Those nameless heroes... they are you, each and every citizen of this country!”

The words yuusha and eiyuu both translate to “hero” in English.

Souma had been summoned here as a yuusha, but he was referring to his people as na mo naki eiyuu, heroes without names.

He might not have been able to hear it in the castle, but in the fountain plaza, where people were watching the broadcast, there was loud cheering.

Souma allowed himself a pause, then continued once more.

“I was told my coronation speech should be about what I want to do with this country as a king. However, my feelings are unchanged from when I made my New Year’s address. That is, I want to make a ‘good country.’”

He smiled.

“You might think this is a rather plain goal. My fellow summoned hero, the father of the nation, the First Hero King, likely had a much grander vision than mine. However, I think that strong beliefs are often left behind by the times. For instance, if I embraced the dream of ‘uniting the continent,’ I might well gain the support of those who shared that dream. In this chaotic world, there is fertile ground for that sort of grand dream. In this situation, which we all find constricting, we hope for a way to break out. But what of the next generation? Is it not possible that grand dream would become a shackle on them?”

He paused.

“The king before the last one took a policy of expansionism, trying to build a country that could equal the Gran Chaos Empire. It’s true, our territory expanded. However, if you look at the result, it ended in a civil war between the royals after his death, and invited intervention from the foreign countries he had angered. If your dreams are riding the current of the times, then at the end of that era, it is the way of the world that they will be abandoned. So, how are we to go about creating a country when thrown about by the currents of the era?! Well, we must look at reality, change gradually with the times, and adapt.”

He paused.

“It doesn’t require us to think hard about it. If you can feel that today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today, that is enough. That is something this country has already put into practice.”

Then Souma spread his arms wide.

“Look at this Jewel Voice Broadcast. This Jewel Voice Broadcast, which can be watched as video in the large cities and heard as audio even in small ones, has been used for many things since I first took the throne. If you feel it has grown easier to live today over yesterday, and tomorrow over today, that means you don’t want to go back to how things were before. I ask you! Could you return to a life without the songs of the loreleis?!”

“No!” Souma couldn’t hear it, but that was the answer the people shouted.

“Could the housewives of this country dry their laundry without Naden’s weather forecast?! Could the fishermen take their ships out to sea?! Could the farmers choose when to harvest their crops?!”

“No!”

“Without the transport network we laid, could the traveling merchants carry their goods?! Would the store owners be able to stock their shelves?!”

“No!!”

“In the larger cities, we have installed sewer systems, and improved public health! Could you keep living there, if the air and water went back to how they were before?! We’ve increased the number of doctors! Could you feel safe living without the number of hospitals we have now?! Could you feel safe giving birth?! We’ve created new culinary customs, eating things we hadn’t before! Would you be all right with the variety of dishes on your table decreasing?! The metal-poor Elfrieden Region has received a steady supply of metals from the Amidonia Region, and the food-poor Amidonia Region has received a stable supply of food from the Elfrieden Region! Could you afford to lose that relationship now?!”

“Absolutely not!!”

It was true, the people had no desire to return to yesterday.

Even if the day-to-day changes were small, they would eventually realize the many great changes that had occurred, and it would change their understanding of things.

Souma lowered his hand and spoke to the excited people.

“Like this, as the days pile up, through gradual change, I will build a good country. Together with my queens and retainers. That is how I am as a king. That is how this country is. Now, I implore all of you, lend this country your strength. So that, little by little, we can steadily work towards our magnificent future!”

Saying that, Souma raised a fist.

At the same time, Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Naden, and the line of retainers bowed their heads.

In that moment, a cheer rose up from the people watching.

If you listened closely, you could have heard it over the broadcast, too.

The voices from the fountain plaza had certainly reached the castle.

And so, Souma and the others slowly walked to the exit.

◇　◇　◇

Liscia and I led the way, and we went to the terrace overlooking the castle courtyard with the other queens.

Looking down into the courtyard from there, it was packed with people, people, and more people.

If I were the villain of a certain famous anime movie, this was a scene that might have made me say, “The people are like garbage,” but in my current position, I couldn’t use that line, even as a joke.

When we stood by the railing and waved to the masses below, there was a roaring applause that seemed to shake the whole castle.

This was something similar to the practice of Ippan Sanga in Japan, where the Imperial Family would appear to the general public from the balcony of the palace at the beginning of each year.

In order to catch a glimpse of me and my queens on our big day, many citizens, regardless of their status, had gathered in the courtyard. That was as far in as they would be allowed to come, of course, and there was heavy security in place.

Though they could see us in the flesh, I was sure we had to look pretty small, so I was glad so many people had turned up despite that.

“Your Majesty, I have brought Prince Cian and Princess Kazuha.”

I turned toward Carla’s voice, and she was standing there with the former royal couple. Carla and Lady Elisha were each holding a baby.

Judging by the color of their baby clothes, Carla was holding Cian (blue), while Lady Elisha was holding Kazuha (pink).

I chuckled and said to their mother, “Liscia, you take Kazuha.”

“Okay.”

Liscia took Kazuha from Lady Elisha, and I took Cian from Carla.

Then we approached the railing again. Taking every care that they wouldn’t fall, we held them so that the people could see.

There was a roar of applause.

“Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

“Fwah...! #$%@aah!”

Surprised by the crowd, Kazuha tried to bury her face in Liscia’s chest and started crying.

Liscia said, “There, there,” rocking her back and forth to calm her. Kazuha went on sobbing a little, but she didn’t raise her voice.

Still, seeing the way she wasn’t raising her face from Liscia’s chest, the large crowd must have scared her.

Meanwhile, as for Cian... his face was frozen solid.

It was like he’d been hit by petrification magic, his expression didn’t change as he looked at the crowd.

Cian was shy, and his face often froze like this when he met a new person.

So, in a way, this was business as usual.

I tried poking his pudgy little cheeks to try and get them to loosen up, but his face stayed the same, like he was engaged in some kind of staring contest.

Stubborn...

“It’s amazing,” Naden whispered, waving her hands. “Everyone is blessing these children.”

Aisha and Juna smiled softly, too.

“They’re the prince and princess, after all,” Aisha said. “When the royal family has a bright future, that’s something for the people to be happy about, too.”

“Hee hee, those two are probably even more popular with the people than the loreleis right now,” Juna added.

“Well! When all’s said and done, the people love us,” Roroa said with a cheerful smile. “Big Sister Cia’s popular with folks in the Elfrieden Region, and I’m a hit with people in the Amidionia Region. Juna’s famous as the Prima Lorelei, and Big Sister Ai and Nadie are well liked ’cause of all the exposure they’ve gotten on the Jewel Voice Broadcast. I’m sure there’s some jealousy towards Darlin’ now he’s gone and snatched us all up for himself.”

Then Roroa winked.

She was probably right. I was surrounded by all these marvelous wives. I’d have to willingly accept a little envy.

But... we were loved by the people, huh?

“That scares me, just a little,” I whispered.

“Souma?” Liscia cocked her head to the side.

I smiled wryly and adjusted the way I held Cian.

“It means that the people here, celebrating with us, they’re just that willing to express their emotions. You could say they easily go with the flow.”

I focused my eyes on the crowd as I spoke in an undertone.

“If I rule poorly, and betray their expectations, their blessing will turn to resentment, and their applause to ridicule. I was thinking they might condemn our family with the same fervor that they celebrated my coronation, our marriage, and Cian and Kazuha’s birth.”

When I said that, the others got pensive looks on their faces.

Just as I had taken on the heavy burden of ruling this country, they had taken the burden of being its queens, so they surely had their own thoughts on the issue.

But...

“Relax,” Carla murmured in my ear.

At some point, she had moved to stand right behind me.

“If you go down the wrong road, Master, I’ve been contracted to risk my life to stop you. If it comes to it, I will stop you before the resentment can turn on your family, too.”

Carla was whispering that so only I could hear. It made me laugh despite myself.

“Ahaha... So you’ll kill me if I go astray? Is that anything to be saying on such a fine day?”

Carla responded with exasperation. “It’s your own fault for being so pessimistic on this fine day.”

“...You’ve got a point there.”

“Yes. So, please, be a good king, so that day never has to come.”

With that said, Carla smoothly moved away.

Serina was always messing around with her, but Carla was a sword hanging above my head. She was an ever-present danger, a deterring sword that forced self-reflection. If a time ever came when I went astray, that sword would fall.

Conversely, she was also a guarantee that something would stop me if I went too far.

In my position as king, that deterrent and guarantee were reassuring.

“It’s going to be okay, Souma.” Liscia approached me with a soft smile.

Seeing that, the people cheered.

“We’ve managed to overcome everything so far. From here on, no matter what happens, with this family, we can overcome anything.”

Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden nodded in agreement.

I felt like they were giving me courage, and I said, “Thank you,” then turned back to the people and once more I resumed waving.

“But I think we could do with more family.” Still facing the people, Liscia continued to talk. “That’s why, from today on, you’ll be sleeping in our rooms.”

“Um... Liscia, that’s...” I began.

Did she mean... what I thought she did?

That I wouldn’t be able to sleep in my own bed, or the bed in the governmental affairs office for awhile...?

Still smiling, Liscia declared, “This is already decided. You’ll be in Aisha’s room tonight, by the way.”

“I... I know I have my shortcomings, but please take good care of me,” Aisha said bashfully while still waving to the people.

It seemed they had each reported on their plans and current physical condition to one of the court ladies at the beginning of the week, and using that information, they had put together a schedule of who would sleep with me when.

Tomorrow was Juna, then Roroa, Naden, Liscia... and so on.

Incidentally, no one had asked me what my plans were.

“Stay strong, Souma,” Liscia said teasingly.

“...Right,” I said nervously.

I’ll work hard. And I mean that in many ways.

That was when the crowd let out another loud round of applause.

Huh? Why cheer now? I was thinking, and then...

“Souma, look at that!” Naden pointed straight up and shouted.

I looked up to the sky...

“Wha?!”

High in the sky above, I saw a large white shadow flying between the clouds.

That fur which shone in the daylight, and those great wings that seemed to rend the sky... There was no mistaking her.

“Lady Tiamat?!” Naden cried, because that form was unmistakably that of Mother Dragon.

Madam Tiamat would, on rare occasions, take a sightseeing flight around the continent, and Mother Dragon worshipers believed catching sight of her was a good omen.

Liscia and I had seen her before, too.

“Souma, we did send Madam Tiamat a wedding invitation, right?” Liscia asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. Through Princess Sill of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. But, because Madam Tiamat doesn’t interfere in the world below, I didn’t expect she could come.”

Since I was marrying Naden, it would have pained me not to invite Madam Tiamat, the mother of all dragons, so I’d sent an invitation just in case. But, as expected, there had been no response.

I put a hand on Naden’s shoulder as she stared, dazed, into the sky.

“No way... It’s Lady Tiamat... Why...?” she whispered.

“She can’t intervene in matters on the land,” I said. “But I’ll bet she was worried about you and Ruby, since you’re marrying into a country other than the Dragon Knight Kingdom. That’s why she did it like this. She went on a sightseeing flight, and ‘just happened to pass by her two daughters on their big day.’”

“Souma...” As tears pooled in Naden’s eyes, I clapped her on the shoulder.

“Come on, why don’t you give your overprotective adoptive mother a response?”

With a sob, Naden said, “Okay!”

Naden waved up toward the sky, emitting the roar of a ryuu while still in human form.

There was a similar roar from the castle town at the same time, so Ruby must have noticed, too.

Then, as if she’d heard their energetic voices, Madam Tiamat let out her own cry, like that of a whale. It would no doubt remain in the record that her cry was like a blessing on the entire country.

“It was a good wedding,” Liscia said.

I agreed with her from the bottom of my heart.

Prologue: The Night Before New Days

— Late at night on the 1st day, 4th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

“...I feel kind of uneasy,” I mumbled to myself, alone in a dark room.

It had happened just today. We held the coronation and wedding ceremonies, making me officially the King of Friedonia, and Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden into my wives and real family. With all of the ceremonies complete and the unveiling event for the general public over, there was now a great feast underway celebrating my rise to the throne and marriage.

It was a large-scale event, but it was fundamentally a celebration being hosted by the royal family. My vassals who had been attending weddings throughout the city joined us, and it made for quite a lively event. ...Actually, even as we were now heading into the second day of it, it was still ongoing.

This room was distant from the great hall where the event was being held, but I could still faintly hear the riotous good time being had by all. I had been there myself not long ago, but Hakuya approached me and requested I take my leave before midnight. It might seem strange that I, the host, was being driven out, but he said that was how these things worked.

“It is also your duty to increase the number of royals, sire,” he’d told me with an over-serious look on his face.

I guess that meant he wanted me to make the most of our first night of married life. My partner for the night, Aisha, had been thrown out of the party along with me. I was never going to forget the smirking faces, or desperately-trying-not-to-smirk faces, of my retainers as the two of us left together. I wish I could just crawl into a hole.

It seemed it was traditional to make a show of, “We’re going to go work hard on the baby-making now,” and have the retainers pledge their loyalty to the royal family and all of our progeny.

“Ho, ho, ho. Work hard for our country.”

“I know my daughter has her shortcomings, but please, be gentle.”

That’s what my fathers-in-law Albert and Wodan said. It seemed they had both drunk heavily, and were in an ecstatic mood... I didn’t know how to respond.

The first primary queen, Liscia, had already left early to put Cian and Kazuha to bed, so Roroa would take over as host once we left. Hopefully she wouldn’t get too carried away, but... Well, Juna was around, too, so it would probably work out fine.

I was sitting on a bed while I thought about all that.

This was Aisha’s room. Because she was a warrior, the room gave a generally spartan impression, and the walls were decorated with shields and other equipment. Though, the head of the mannequin which bore her light armor was adorned with a cat ears headband I had seen before. There was also a teddy bear I had made sitting next to her pillow, and other girlish touches here and there. The room really was a good reflection of who Aisha was.

Then the door opened, and Aisha entered, fresh from the bath.

“P-Pardon me,” she said, a little shyly, as she sat down next to me.

Her long, silver hair which was always tied back was down now, and wet, making her somehow feel more feminine than usual, and making me feel highly conscious of her. Her current dress made a massive impact, too. Aisha was wearing nothing but a short bathrobe. Her ample bosom, usually restrained beneath a breastplate, pushed back against the fabric, and with her healthy thighs peeking out, too, I had trouble deciding where it was okay to rest my eyes.

“Um... Sire...” Aisha said, shrinking into herself a little, as I struggled to find my words. “P-Please... take good care of me tonight.”

“Y-Yeah...”

When Aisha subtly leaned in closer to me, I put my arm gently around her shoulder. I had been through this with Liscia before, but I still felt tense, worried that she might not want me to be her first. Though, if I was uneasy, Aisha must have been even more so.

I figured we should talk a little, if only to ease the tension.

“You’re so beautiful...” I gasped. “I never knew that outfit would look so appealing.”

“R-Really?” Aisha stuttered, looking down at her robe. “Before, when the princess and I tried to approach you in these outfits, you only slept next to us. I worried that perhaps Your Majesty thought it looked unseemly...”

Worried...? How could she be? How silly. She was more than attractive enough. I was already feeling a bit lightheaded. Honestly, I’m amazed I managed to restrain myself after seeing Aisha like this last time.

“It’s alluring. It’s a wonder that I was able to keep a level head last time.”

“You were awfully depressed at the time, sire.”

“Yeah... It was just after some bloody things happened, too. But if I hadn’t been so down, I might have given into my lust and attacked the two of you. Though I’m sure you’d have beaten me back.”

“I-I wouldn’t have,” Aisha said shyly. “Ever since that time, I’ve been prepared to offer myself to you, body and soul...”

It was so cute the way she acted shyly like that, I hugged her tight. Her supple muscles were slightly hardened with tension, but she had a feminine softness, too. While savoring that sensation, I whispered to Aisha, “Today, we became king and queen, husband and wife. Starting tomorrow... It’s not that far off, huh? Soon, our new life as royal partners will begin.”

“Sire?”

“If I’m being honest, I have my misgivings. There’s no room for excuses from now on. I’m not provisional, or a candidate, or anything like that anymore. Our kingdom, our family, and our children all rest on our shoulders. We have to take responsibility for all of them ourselves.”

Why am I letting myself sound so weak at a time like this? I wasn’t entirely sure of that myself. But I felt very strongly that I needed her to hear this. Then Aisha reached out and stroked my back.

“We will bear that burden with you. I am sure Lady Liscia, Madam Juna, Madam Roroa, and Naden feel the same. We are husband and wives, after all.”

“Aisha...”

“I am not that smart,” Aisha said, a smile spreading across her face. “But I have confidence in my stamina, so please allow me to support you in my own way, Darling.”

I felt something come over me. I lay down, still holding Aisha tight. My head was already filled with desire for her, but... then, suddenly, a thought popped into my head.

“...Hey, Aisha. Can I ask you for just one thing?”

“What might that be?” Aisha was a little bewildered by my sudden return to calmness.

“Um... When we do the deed, would you mind if I forbid you from hugging me? No putting your hands around behind me like this.”

When I put my arms around her to illustrate, Aisha’s eyes widened in surprise. “Huh?! Why do you ask that?!”

“The last time you gave me a bear hug, it scared me hearing the way my bones creaked. If you gave it to me at full strength, I wouldn’t last a second. If you broke my spine, and I became an invalid, it would be a serious issue.”

Sure, they told me producing children was one of my official duties, but if I became unable to do any of my other duties in the process, it defeated the point.

“Urgh... It’s unfortunate, but I understand,” Aisha said, accepting it once I explained about the risk of spinal injuries. “In that case, please, sire, hug me lots instead.”

When she asked me that, with upturned eyes... it was incredible.

“Of course I will,” I said, placing a kiss on Aisha, then got on top of her.

Chapter 1: Let’s Go To School

— Morning of the 7th day, 4th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

I sat in my office chair with Liscia and Hakuya standing flanking me as three young children stood in front of me. They were Tomoe, a mystic wolf who was my adorable adopted little sister; Ichiha, a human who was the youngest son of Duke Chima; and Yuriga, a celestial who was the younger sister of Fuuga Haan.

Though they were of mixed national and racial backgrounds, today they all wore the same outfit.

“Those uniforms look good on all three of you,” Liscia told them with a smile.

“Heehee, thank you, Big Sister,” Tomoe said with a big smile.

“Y-You are too kind, Lady Liscia,” Ichiha stammered, bowing his head.

“...Thanks,” Yuriga muttered, looking away in embarrassment.

These three were wearing the uniform of the Royal Academy. The blazers were indistinguishable in design from the one from the Officers’ Academy that Liscia wore when we went into town in secret, but were beige instead of red.

The uniforms were provided to each individual student by the academy, free of charge. This was in part because, in addition to the nobility, the Royal Academy actively recruited those students noted for academic excellence, and this prevented differences in clothing being a mark of class. Because some students, like Yuriga, belonged to winged races, their uniforms had to be custom made, and this was done as a way of lifting that financial burden. Though, that did mean that admittance required academic performance worth more than the cost of the uniform.

After watching their innocent reactions, I rose from my chair and said, “Liscia’s right. You all look great. ...Now, can we have a word from your teacher, perhaps?”

I turned the conversation over to Hakuya, who had been their instructor up until this point, who said, “Well...” and walked over to stand in front of the three. When they looked up to him, as his height necessitated, Hakuya calmly said, “I expect you three will have no problems academically. You already possess the academic prowess to keep up with classes at the academy. ...You did, at least, receive a passing mark, too, Yuriga.”

“Why am I the only one you say that to?!”

“Whoa, Yuriga,” Tomoe interjected, sounding like she was trying to get a horse to stop.

“Don’t treat me like an animal, you little kid!”

“Ohhkay, ohhkay...” Tomoe said through pinched cheeks.

Yuriga and Tomoe started squabbling. Even on the morning of the first day of school, these two were the same as ever. That went for Ichiha, who was trying to stop them, too.

“When you see them like this, Yuriga feels more like my little sister, huh?” Liscia whispered beside me.

Yeah...she did have the tomboy princess thing going on. They were different races, and Yuriga’s ash gray hair was pretty far from Liscia’s platinum blonde, but I felt like they had a lot in common in terms of personality.

As for Tomoe, she was more like Juna, maybe? She could be a little devil at times, too. It was going to be fun seeing what she grew up to be like, but also scary... My feelings about it were complicated.

“Ahem,” Hakuya cleared his throat to get the three of them to pipe down, and the three stopped talking and stood at attention. In a scolding tone, he said, “I certainly see no problems academically, but school is also where you learn to get along with others. You three, in particular, are individuals of status in your respective countries. The academy is a place where no one will be given special treatment, but it is inevitable that others will view you as special. How will you think about your position in the group, and what sort of friendships will you form with whom...? I would like for you to keep these things in mind as you live a valuable school life. Do you understand?”

“““Y-Yes,””” the three of them responded in unison.

“Well, I understand where Hakuya is coming from,” I cut in, thinking he was being a bit too strict. “But you’re going to be spending four precious years of your youth there. Find some friends you get along with, and have a good time.”

“Understood, Big Brother,” Tomoe smiled, as she gave me a salute.

““Okay,”” Ichiha and Yuriga responded in kind.

When the three of them left the room, I turned to look at Hakuya.

“You were talking about there being no special treatment, but... I know you. You’ve got some sort of protection planned for them, right?”

“But of course,” Hakuya said with a nod, as though it were obvious. “I talked it over with Sir Inugami, and we’ve already placed our observers among the academy’s staff. If anything happens with your little sister, I will hear of it immediately.”

“If Inugami’s involved...it’s probably foolproof.”

Inugami adored Tomoe as if she were his own daughter. If that “doting father” was taking part in this, I could expect the security around them to be perfect. As we nodded to one another in relief, Liscia looked at us with exasperation.

“Being a little overprotective, aren’t we?”

“That may be true, but Tomoe’s position warrants caution,” I replied. “She’s a former refugee, now the younger sister of the king. She also gets the credit for setting up the rhinosaurus train. That’s a position that nobles and commoners alike are going take notice of, with both good and ill will. Eventually, she’ll need to handle all of that herself, but I want to protect her while she’s a child, at least.”

When I impressed on her that I wasn’t just being a doting adoptive brother, Liscia shrugged.

“I do understand how you feel, but...I resented having that sort of overprotective environment around me back when I was a student. I don’t think you should be too pushy about it.”

Well, I could sort of see what Liscia wanted to say. Still, though...

“That’s how you felt back then, right? What do you think now? Cian and Kazuha are going to go to school eventually, too, you know?”

“There are times when you need to be overprotective,” Liscia said, easily retracting her earlier statement. Hakuya and I could only smile wryly at how quickly she changed tack. Even if she couldn’t understand her parents as a child, now that she had a child she understood how a parent felt. This is how it looks when someone grows and learns... Nah, just kidding.

“Now then, I guess I should get ready to head out, too.”

“I’ll help you. Carla and the other maids are looking after Cian and Kazuha.”

I was scheduled to give a celebratory address to the new students at the Officers’ Academy and Royal Academy today. Because of the occasion, I had been told I was to appear in formal wear, which meant my military uniform. It always took so long to put that thing on...

“Okay, Hakuya. We’ll leave you to handle the rest.”

“Yes, sir. Take care.”

Hakuya saw us off with a salute as Liscia and I left the office.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Wow...”

Tomoe’s jaw dropped as she got out of the carriage and saw the building in front of her. The red brick building she could see on the other side of the thick, iron gate was the Royal Academy.

The Royal Academy. Situated in Parnam, it was the highest educational institution in the Kingdom of Friedonia. The other major cities had academies, too, but even among them, the Royal Academy was the top.

In contrast to the Officers’ Academy, which was also located in the capital, and was responsible for training knights and military officers, the Royal Academy was a place that taught a variety of different fields, as well as provided the necessary education to the children of the kingdom’s nobility.

“It’s so big,” Tomoe sighed, seeing the academy for the first time. “It’s practically a castle.”

“You literally live in a castle, and you’re going to say that?” Yuriga, who was standing beside her, said in exasperation.

“Now that I think about it, we’ve all been staying in the royal castle, huh?” Ichiha said, a wry smile on his face. “Because Sir Souma and so many of the others don’t make a big deal out of it, it doesn’t usually occur to me.”

“Hmph. My brother Fuuga’s name will echo across this world. Someday, I’ll live in an even bigger castle!”

“You sure do love your brother, huh, Yuriga?”

This time it was Tomoe’s turn to look at Yuriga, who was always bragging about her brother, in exasperation. Then...

“Well, this is as far as we can take you, so please, continue on by yourselves from here. We will be back to pick you up when the time comes,” the servant who had been acting as their chaperone said with a respectful bow.

“Thank you. Okay, Yuriga, Ichiha. Let’s go.” Tomoe thanked the servant, then walked onto the academy grounds hand-in-hand with Yuriga and Ichiha.

“Hold on, we’re not children. We don’t have to hold hands.”

“I-I’m getting a little tense...”

Tomoe pulled Yuriga and Ichiha through the gate with her.

Thus, the three small children took the first step of their school lives... and yet, immediately, their eyes went wide. At the enthusiasm of the many people there. And the noise.

There were many students who would be entering the academy this year, the same as Tomoe, Yuriga, and Ichiha, on the road from the main entrance to the school building. However, on either side of that road, there were older students carrying flags, signs, and banners in many colors, desperately calling out to the new students.

“The Enchantment Magic Club is currently recruiting! Any new students who are interested are welcome!”

“Hey, all you cute boys and girls! Would you like to come unravel the secrets of dungeon relics with us?!”

“You there, you look clever! Please, join our society!”

“Huh? You mean me? But...” said the confused student.

“O young one, our field of study is certain to make great leaps in the future! I say that because they tell me we have promising new students joining the academy this year...”

“Our club members register as adventurers and take part in activities off campus...”

“N-No, I refuse!” the student cried.

“Command Center, a new student has fled, requesting immediate backup.”

“This is Command Center. Roger. Dispatching reinforcements immediately.”

There were the voices of older students’ engaged in enthusiastic (and in some cases weird) attempts at recruitment, and the screams of new students running around trying to escape. There was a scene of unexpected chaos playing out in this house of learning. Having witnessed all of the shouting, the three froze up.

“Th-This isn’t... quite what we were led to expect, huh?” Yuriga said, her cheeks twitching a little.

The three thought back to the advance knowledge of the Royal Academy that their teacher, Hakuya, had imparted to them.

The Royal Academy was largely divided into two sections. There was the school, where students learned the basic subjects, as well as the education, manners, and management skills they would require as nobles; and then there was the research academy where students performed further academic research.

If you were to equate this to Souma’s original world: the former would have been equivalent to a combined junior and senior high school, while the latter was equivalent to university. When a person graduated from the school’s four-year program they were deemed to be able to take care of themselves, but those with excellent grades who wished to continue down the path of a researcher could enter the research academy. Though, in the case of the nobility, the oldest legitimate son would need to manage his domain eventually, so many of those who wanted to join the research academy were people who had been disinherited.

In addition, the research academy was a total meritocracy, so they accepted talented researchers from outside without regard to their identities. Because of that, the research academy was even less hung up on notions of hierarchy than the school. Conversely, though the school was set up so that anyone who had the good grades to get through the entrance exam was able to enroll, it was still a class society, and the nobles acted full of themselves.

The children of the nobility were especially prone to viewing the school as a place to build connections. They looked at the rare commoners in attendance with cold eyes, and spent all their time ignoring their studies and holding tea parties with the children of any house with the slightest influence. Liscia hated this aspect of the academy, which was why she joined the Officer’s Academy instead, despite being a princess.

This had been their understanding of the Royal Academy before now. However, the school had changed greatly in the past two years or so.

“Come to think of it, when Mr. Hakuya was explaining the academy to us, he did say, ‘As for how the school is now... it may be faster for you to see for yourselves,’ didn’t he?”

“He looked exhausted by it, yeah. So, does that mean...?”

With Ichiha and Yuriga both looking to Tomoe, it hit her, too.

“This is Big Brother’s influence... right?” Tomoe concluded with a wry smile. That expression had a strange resemblance to the one her big sister made every time her big brother did something off the wall.

There were two major factors that led to a change in the overall environment at the academy. One must have been that King Souma’s If You Have a Gift event caused a change towards valuing talent highly. The way influential nobles ran around gathering personnel, and even competed to recruit slaves if they had some ability, was still fresh in everyone’s memories. That trend led people to look to the Royal Academy as a place to train talented personnel.

The other factor was the rise of another high school-level educational institution in the capital, Ginger’s Vocational School. This vocational school, which opened with the sponsorship of King Souma, constantly researched fields of study that no one had paid any heed to before, and had obtained quite successful results in many of them. Those results were then covered in the broadcast program Nameless Heroes, spreading knowledge of them throughout the country.

In addition, at Ginger’s Vocational School, if you had knowledge of a special field or ability, and a novel idea, they would accept any student there, regardless of wealth or class. That brought prospective students rushing to their doors. The more attention they gained from the people, the more talented personnel gathered there... and the result was that Ginger’s Vocational School was recognized as an academic center. That made the Royal Academy sit up and take notice of their predicament.

Unlike the Officers’ Academy, which turned out soldiers, the Royal Academy was tasked with training personnel in cultural fields, so there was overlap in their roles. Of course, the sort of research being undertaken at the vocational school would have been summarily rejected at the Royal Academy, so there was differentiation. Still, the Royal Academy couldn’t sit still while talented personnel in cultural fields were drifting to the vocational school, and they were forced to reform their old ways. Now, as for what result that led to...

“Instead of a focus on creating personal connections to powerful families, they’ve placed a greater emphasis on securing talented personnel. Is that it? It’s taken things in a more meritocratic direction,” Ichiha plainly stated the impression he got from this.

The children of the nobility wanted to form connections with talented personnel, regardless of their class background. That was because, under King Souma’s meritocratic politics, that was the road to fame and glory. Because there was a demand for it, if someone had something they specialized in, they would try to improve at it. The classes that everyone took were not sufficient for that, and, as a result, clubs and societies grew more active.

In order to maintain and expand those clubs, they needed people. What they wanted were talented people. But even if they were untalented, it didn’t matter. To even enter this school required a certain level of academic ability, so if someone lacked an area they specialized in, it was possible to train them from nothing into the kind of person that the group wanted.

They set their eyes on talented individuals in both the school and research academy while they were still enrolled, and plotted to have them join their research after graduation. These days, every person of talent in the academy had those sorts of eyes set on them, and even those who had still yet to develop any ability did, too, in their own way. The result was this mad rush to recruit new students.

As they watched the chaos unfold, Yuriga let out a frustrated sigh. “Honestly... this country makes no sense.”

“But I still like this country. The country that my big brother and big sister rule,” Tomoe said with a smile, to which Yuriga shrugged in exasperation.

“You would. But isn’t it about time you realized? The people know your face, right? There’s going to be plenty of people looking for you, aren’t—”

“Oh! Hey! Isn’t that Lady Tomoe over there?!” The voice of a female student cut Yuriga off mid-sentence, and the older students who were doing the recruiting all turned to look towards Tomoe.

“Despite being a refugee, she was adopted by the former royal couple because of her gift...”

“That means she’s incredibly talented, right?”

“Wasn’t there talk of royalty from another country coming to school with her?”

“Then, are those two...?”

“Indeed?! Then, perchance, could the young boy who stands next to Lady Tomoe be Sir Ichiha Chima who our society so admires? He of the Monster Encyclopedia...”

“I like the leg muscles on that winged girl with the twintails. She must have considerable athletic ability. I really want her for our club.”

There were hushed whispers. Then, a sudden gleam in the eyes of the older students. Yes... those were the eyes of hunters who had found their quarry. Their thirst for new blood was almost palpable.

“I-It looks like it’s not just me,” Tomoe winced. “You two are popular, too, huh?”

“Wh-What should we do?” Ichiha asked in a mild panic.

“This is unexpected,” Yuriga said, taken aback. “...I don’t want any trouble.”

“...Should we run?”

““No objection there.”” The three made an immediate decision to flee, but the school building was on the other side of the older students.

“I’m starting to want to go home.”

“You know we can’t go home before the entrance ceremony has even started.”

While Tomoe and Ichiha were struggling with what to do...

“All right, you two, see you later.” As the only one with wings, Yuriga jumped up into the air.

“Hey! No fair, Yuriga!” Leaving a protesting Tomoe behind, Yuriga flapped her wings in an attempt to clear the human wall, but...

“Whoa, hate to break it to you, but you’re not the only one who can fly,” a girl who looked to be a dragonewt rose up to block her.

“Urkh!”

“Now, young lady, why don’t you work up a nice, youthful sweat doing some sports with me?”

“Nooooo!” The dragonewt girl began chasing Yuriga across the sky.

The realization that even flying was not enough to let them escape left a look of despair on Tomoe and Ichiha’s faces. Even now, the older students were closing the net around them.

You won’t get away. That was what their eyes said.

“I-Ichiha.”

“T-Tomoe...”

The two held hands as they trembled.

“““Please, join our society!””” As the mob was rushing towards them... it happened.

Suddenly, Tomoe felt herself scooped up by someone, and the next thing she knew she was floating in the air. Had they jumped about ten meters? From where she was, held in someone’s arms, Tomoe looked down at the green leaves on the branches of the trees. There, beneath them, she saw Ichiha being swept away by a wave of people.

“Ichi—mmph!”

“Shh!” a figure said, covering her mouth. “If you shout, the people down there will find us.”

They had acted fast, just before the human wave struck, so nobody had noticed Tomoe being spirited away.

“I know I was only able to save you, Lady Tomoe, but he is a boy, I am sure he will manage just fine by himself.” It was a girl’s voice that came from behind her. When Tomoe nodded to show her acceptance, they removed the hand covering her mouth.

When Tomoe turned around, behind her stood a girl with dark skin, white hair, and pointy ears—all traits that were the same as Aisha’s. If there was one thing that was different from Aisha, it was that this girl’s hair was cut short. Tomoe’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Are you a dark elf?!”

“Yes, Lady Tomoe. I believe we are not yet acquainted,” the dark elf girl said, bringing a hand to her breast and bowing her head. “I am Velza Norn, daughter of the warrior Sur of the God-Protected Forest. In order to gain the education I will need to, one day, be fit to serve a certain person, I have come here today to enter the same school as you, Lady Tomoe. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

Velza smiled at Tomoe, who was clearly taken aback.

About an hour later.

Tomoe and the others were in the Royal Academy’s auditorium. They were in the middle of the entrance ceremony, and the new students sat in rows of seats, listening (disinterestedly) as the stout, white-bearded principal up on stage gave a congratulatory address. Yuriga and Ichiha were on either side of Tomoe, slouched in their chairs with exhaustion on their faces.

“A-Are you okay?” Tomoe asked in a worried whisper. The other two weakly waved their hands.

“I-I thought I was going to die. That dragonewt, she’s too stubborn...”

“I was forced into the Monster Research Society. I wanted to join a group like that if there was one anyway, and once I was in, my seniors protected me from the other recruiters, so it was fine, but...it still took a lot out of me.”

It seemed Yuriga had managed to give her pursuer the slip, but Ichiha had found refuge under the protection of this Monster Research Society. Seeing how exhausted they looked, Tomoe mentally thanked her rescuer, Velza, once again. Speaking of Velza...

“Now, new student representative Velza Norn.”

“Yes!”

The principal called her name, and she walked up on stage. It turned out she had been near the top of their class on the entrance examination, and was chosen to give an address as the representative of the new students.

“But the offer came to you and Ichiha, too, right?” Yuriga, who had recovered a little, asked, and Tomoe nodded with a wry smile.

Tomoe and Ichiha had both received good grades on the entrance exam (Yuriga had received just over a passing grade), and so, in light of their position and status, they were each asked to give remarks as prospective representatives.

“I didn’t want to stand out too much, so I turned them down,” Tomoe explained.

“The three of us already belong to the ruling families of our countries, and we live in the castle. That puts us close to His Majesty, a position which invites both excessive good and ill will. I wanted to avoid standing out too much and having people take note of me,” Ichiha agreed with her, but Yuriga wasn’t convinced.

“You already stand out plenty,” Yuriga replied. “That being the case, why not take in any talented people from among those who approach and build your own clique? You could call it the Tomoe Army.”

“...You think that would be fun?”

“I think it would be too much hassle, so I won’t be doing it myself.”

“Whaa...”

“But the idea of seeing you panic as people give you more praise than you deserve sounds amusing,” Yuriga said with a smug smile. “Seriously, why not do it? If you do, I’ll be your lieutenant.”

“You’re definitely planning to be in control behind the scenes. I don’t want an army like that, either.”

While the two of them were whispering about that, “Ahem,” a woman with pointed glasses cleared her throat loudly. The apparent warning not to chit-chat any more made them both shrink a little. While all this was happening, Velza’s address continued.

“...Therefore, with pride and an awareness of our role as students in my heart, I would like to do my best in academics, athletics, and amicable relations with my school friends. Not just as your new student representative, but as myself, Velza Norn.”

With that, it seemed her remarks were finished. There was a round of applause, and Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga joined the clapping. Velza bowed, then came down from the stage and returned to her seat.

The teacher who was acting as event coordinator tried to announce the next item on the program, but the piece of paper it was written on was shaking in his hands, and he looked tense about something.

“O-Our next guest will offer a congratulatory address. Yes. His Majesty Souma A. Elfrieden, King of Friedonia. I-If you will, please.”

“Huh? Big Brother?” When Tomoe looked up, Souma walked on from the side of the stage. In that moment, every student and every member of the staff rose in unison.

Souma, who was dressed in his black military uniform as formal wear, smiled wryly and said, “There’s no need to be so stiff,” tapping the nerve-wracked teacher on the shoulder as he took the podium.

You were the special guest for the entrance ceremony today, Big Brother?! You could have said something. Tomoe’s cheeks puffed up with a slight dissatisfaction, but this must have been Souma’s way of keeping the surprise for his little sister. Then Souma turned to the students and began to speak.

“I am Souma A. Elfrieden, as I was just introduced. New students of the Royal Academy, congratulations. You must be here because you demonstrated, through the entrance exam, that you were fit to be students of the Royal Academy. That means you may be one of the people who support this country in the future. As king of this country, I look forward to you learning in this academy, and becoming people capable of supporting my country.”

There was a regal confidence in the way Souma spoke, and the students were listening to him closely, without chatter. No one was going to be so impertinent as to talk when the king of this country was speaking. Nobody wanted to be hauled off for the crime of lèse-majesté right after getting into school. Even Tomoe, who knew Souma wasn’t the type to mind, was standing up straight and listening to him now.

Big Brother really is a great king. Seeing him look regal for the first time in a long time, Tomoe felt a little proud, but...

“Okay... I’d say that’s enough of the stiff, formal address from the king. Oh! Standing at attention like that’s got to be hard on all of you, so, please, be seated.”

Souma broke the tense air in the room on his own. The way he suddenly shifted to casual speech left Tomoe and everyone else feeling bewildered. The students and teachers, who were looking at one another, wondering if it was really all right for them to be seated, began to sit down here and there.

“Okay, everyone’s sitting.” Souma spread his arms out towards the students, and grinned. “It’s a fact that our country is looking for smart people. Every person who can do something at an above-average level is valuable. A country can’t run on the people we call ‘geniuses’ alone. The country keeps running because of diligent workers who may never see their day in the sun. I’m sure, if you’ve watched the broadcast program Nameless Heroes, you understand that.”

The students nodded in agreement. Nameless Heroes was a popular broadcast program that shone a light on engineers who supported the country in ways people wouldn’t usually see.

“However! I’d be in real trouble if all I had were people who can study. It’s definitely true that personnel who can do one thing really well are appealing. Those who can run ahead of the pack, pushing into a new era, and those who will help lay firm groundwork. This country needs both of them!”

Souma spoke passionately, slamming his hands down on the podium as he did.

“I hear the Royal Academy has changed since my If You Have a Gift event and the opening of Ginger’s Vocational School. I want to see both kinds of people cultivated here. I want you to recognize every person with a gift, no matter how pointless it seems. Conversely, I also want you to recognize anyone who is able to do everything well because of their hard work, even if they have no outstanding talents. If there are people like that here, please, let the country know.”

When Souma turned to the line of teachers and said that, the principal and all of the faculty bowed their heads as one, as if to say they accepted his request. Souma nodded, then turned to the students.

“That was my request to the school, but I have a wish for you, the new students coming to this academy, too.”

“““.........”””

Hearing the king had a wish for them, the new students waited with bated breath to hear what he might say. After a brief dramatic pause, Souma’s wish was...

“I want you to really enjoy your time at school.”

“““...Huh?”””

...That was it.

Looking at the blank stares he was getting from the students, Souma laughed and said, “It may only be four years, but it’s still four years during your youth. The knowledge and friendship you cultivate in a place like this will be an asset that lasts you for life. We’re creatures whose heads and bodies work more efficiently when we’re enjoying ourselves. That’s why I want you to enjoy learning, enjoy spending time with your school friends, and get the most out of your school life. While you’re doing that, I want you to look for something that you can get absorbed in.”

Souma brought his hands down on the podium with a bang, then grinned and continued, “If, among the things you enjoy, there is one that you can get absorbed in and you want to master it, that’s a great strength in and of itself. It doesn’t matter how small it is, or that no one else can understand it. Naturally, you have to avoid causing trouble for others in the process, but when a person has something they enjoy and are absorbed in, they shine brighter than other people. Someone will be watching that effort, and recognize you for it.

“That’s true of the country, too. In fact, in the music program at Ginger’s Vocational School, there’s this one student pursuing a fanciful topic of research that seemed like hogwash at first glance, but the reports say they’re getting some interesting results. We plan to do everything the country can to test it soon. It involves knowledge of magic, so the Royal Academy will be cooperating, too.”

Even if their research looked like hogwash initially, it could find recognition. These words from Souma earned more applause from the existing students than the new ones. Those cheers came from the members of minor research societies. Their work, which they thought might never see its day in the sun, might receive the recognition it deserved. Seeing the reaction from those students, Souma gave a satisfied nod before continuing.

“You can work hard if you’re having fun. And if you work hard, people, and the country, will be watching. So, to all you new students, I’d like you to enjoy your school lives. That is all.”

With Souma’s congratulatory address finished, the students clapped and cheered. In the middle of that applause, Souma came down from the stage. When he did, he glanced towards Tomoe, and gave her a little wave, warming her heart.

Thank you, Big Brother. I’m going to do my best! Tomoe gripped her hands into fists in front of her chest so Souma could see.

The entrance ceremony ended, and Tomoe and the other children moved to their classrooms. There were six classes in each year, and each class had thirty students. Tomoe and her group were in Class 1-1.

Class assignments were made based on the results of the entrance examination, irrespective of social class, and the most gifted students were assembled in Class 1. While social class was not a factor considered in the assignment, the upper classes often hired talented tutors, which resulted in Class 1 overwhelmingly being made up of the children of the nobility.

“Isn’t this great, Yuriga? We made it into the same class.”

“Of course we did... is what I’d like to say, but it was exhausting.”

Yuriga, who was sitting next to Tomoe, stretched out over her desk. They were apparently free to choose their own seats, so Tomoe had taken one a little to the right of center (closer to the hallway), while Ichiha sat behind her, and Yuriga was to her left.

Tomoe and Ichiha had always had good grades, so it was seen as a given that they would make it into Class 1.

“You really did your best, Yuriga.”

Yuriga’s academic ability would normally have put her in the lower half of Class 2. Not wanting to be put in a lower class than the others, Yuriga had begged Hakuya for help, and studied like mad for the entrance exam. Thanks to that, she made it in to Class 1, but thinking back to those days spent studying always seemed to depress her.

“But you didn’t really need to push yourself to get into the same class as us, did you?” Ichiha asked. “I mean, Class 2 is right next door. It would have been easy to come visit, wouldn’t it?”

Yuriga snorted. “I am going to learn in this country, and become someone who can be of use to my brother. Do you think I could let you two stay ahead of me?”

“You say that, but the truth is you were worried about being in a class full of people you don’t know, right?” said Tomoe. “That’s why you studied so hard, so you wouldn’t be separ—aww, aww, aww.”

“Be quiet, you little kid!”

Yuriga pinched Tomoe’s smiling cheeks. As Ichiha smiled wryly at them getting along as well as ever, things were getting noisy over by the blackboard.

“Looks like they’ve finally settled on one.”

“A-Ahahaha...”

“...Honestly, I can’t see why they care,” Yuriga said in exasperation.

Over at the blackboard, there was a lottery in progress. It was to decide “Who will sit next to Tomoe?”

Tomoe might have been a former refugee, but she was now the king’s younger sister. It was only natural that the people of this kingdom would want to get closer to her; by sitting next to her in class, for instance.

That being the case, when they learned that seating was free, their classmates crowded around, saying, “Please, let me sit next to you!” They were very pushy about it.

“I-I’d like to sit close to Ichiha and Yuriga... I think...” Tomoe managed to force those words out despite feeling intimidated.

None of her classmates wanted to earn her scorn, so those two seats were secured. That left the seat to the front and to the right of her. That is ultimately what led to the current situation, and judging from the noise over there, one of those seats had just been decided.

“...The Kingdom sure is peaceful, huh.” Yuriga sighed, and Tomoe smiled happily.

“Of course it is. Big Brother and Big Sister are ruling it.”

“That’s not what I meant. I was being sarcastic. Sar-cas-tic.”

“Murgh...”

“Ahaha... Oh! It looks like they’ve settled on the other person, too.”

When Ichiha pointed to the blackboard, there was one student jumping for joy in the middle of her dejected peers. It was a petite girl who had forced her short hair into two pigtails.

The girl looked towards them, then rushed over. With distinctive beady eyes, she slammed her hands down on Tomoe’s desk and asked, “Lady Tomoe! Would ya mind me sittin’ in front of you?”

“S-Sure. Go ahead...” Tomoe answered somewhat hesitantly, and the girl’s face burst into a beaming smile.

“Thanks! The name’s Lucy Evans; thirteen years old. I’m the daughter of the representative of Evans Company, and we do business in the capital. Pleased to meet ya!” The girl who called herself Lucy introduced herself energetically with a mix of merchant slang.

Lucy of the... Evans Company? Though she was intimidated by the girl’s vigor, Tomoe remembered them.

The Evans Company was a fairly influential merchant family in the capital, engaged in the operation of restaurants and cafes. They were the first to serve dishes incorporating the recipes from Souma’s world that Souma and Poncho had published, and that had brought them great profit. Her house was one of common birth, but they might have had more influence than a minor noble. She had heard Roroa saying, “Nyahaha, there’s some companies on the Elfrieden side with an eye for business, too, huh!” with a cheerful smile on her face.

Huh? Roroa? That’s when Tomoe realized something. It was about Lucy.

The merchant slang, the beady, personable eyes, and the pigtails, even if her hair wasn’t quite long enough... She was exactly like a mini-Roroa.

“You look... like Roroa?”

“Nice one, Lady Tomoe! You noticed!”

Th-This is a lot of pressure... thought Tomoe.

Then, putting her left hand over her chest, and raising her right hand into the air, Lucy declared, “I’m an adorin’ fan of Lady Roroa. She’s a lovely princess, but she’s also got a good head for business, and that’s won her every merchant’s heart. We always thought of Amidonia as full of uptight men, so who’d’ve thunk there’d be a lady like her there. She’s a business goddess! The way I talk, and the way I look, I’m doin’ it all out of admiration for Lady Roroa!”

“O-Oh... I see...”

Though she was intimidated by the way Lucy was touching her hair as she rambled on, Tomoe managed to nod along. Then, with a sideways glance, she looked to Ichiha or Yuriga to rescue her.

However, Ichiha put his hands together in a silent, “Sorry, I can’t help you,” and Yuriga looked away, resolutely ignoring her.

While Tomoe was agonizing over what to do... it happened.

“Ohh, would ya be so kind as to introduce me to Lady Roroa some—Gwuh!”

Mid-sentence, someone pulled on Lucy from behind. For a moment Tomoe wondered what was up, but then she saw the dark elf girl with short silver hair behind Lucy.

“How about you calm down a little? Can’t you see you’re bothering Lady Tomoe?”

“Velza?!”

It was Velza, daughter of Sur. It seemed she had grabbed Lucy by the scruff of the neck, and was dragging her away from Tomoe.

Then, still holding Lucy by the neck, Velza introduced herself, “Hello, Lady Tomoe. I will be sitting to the right of you, so I hope we will get along.”

“You were participating in the lottery, too?!”

“Yes. In considering the future, I believed it would be best to be seated next to you so that we might form a bond. Fortunately, I was able to draw the seat beside yours, and I am pleased by that.”

“I-I see...” Tomoe gulped.

There was a feeling of heaviness behind this talk of the future. Though she wasn’t as pushy as Lucy, Velza had a certain tenacity about her, too.

“Hey, hey, would ya mind lettin’ me go now?” Lucy, who had ended up like a kitten being carried by her mother, protested. When Velza let go, Lucy angrily said, “What’s the matter with you. Treatin’ me like an animal. Did ya hear me meowin’ or somethin’?”

“I wouldn’t want to have trouble communicating, so please, be human.”

“Oh, come to think of it, I might’ve heard Roroa meowin’ as a joke before,” Tomoe commented.

“Meowhat?! Is Lady Roroa a cute goddess?!”

““She’s a queen!”” Tomoe and Velza retorted in unison.

“Well, aren’t you all oddly in sync.”

“I agree. It feels a lot like watching His Majesty Souma banter with his queens.”

When Yuriga and Ichiha said that with exasperation and a wry smile respectively, the three looked at one another and then laughed.

“I guess you’re right, huh? I have a lot of respect for Big Sister and the other queens.”

“Lady Aisha is the pride of all women living in the God-Protected Forest.”

“Lady Roroa for life!”

Each had a different woman she admired and was trying to be a bit more like, so perhaps that was why their interactions had come to be similar, too.

After a hearty laugh, Tomoe rubbed the corner of her eye and said, “Ahaha... Hey, since you’re both my classmates, can we not do the whole ‘Lady’ thing? I’d really be happier if you’d just treat me like a friend who sits next to you in class.”

“Okay! If that’s what you want, Lady Tomoe... I mean, Tomoe.”

“...Yeah, if that’s how ya want it, I can do that, Tomie.”

The two both gave hesitant nods. From the way she’d already given Tomoe a pet name, you could see Lucy was similar to Roroa in her ability to close the emotional distance between herself and other people.

“I, for one, don’t mind you calling me Lady Yuriga, you know? I am the younger sister of a king, after all,” Yuriga said, maybe because she felt left out.

Tomoe sensed what Yuriga was thinking and chuckled.

“Very well, Lady Yuriga,” she said, bringing a hand to her chest and bowing.

Ichiha, Lucy, and Velza did likewise.

“““Very well, Lady Yuriga,””” they said in unison. Yuriga froze solid, her cheeks twitching.

“...No, don’t do that, after all. It’s kind of creepy.”

“Don’t say that, Lady Yuriga.”

“Gahhhh! I’m sorry, now stop it, you little kid!”

A red-faced Yuriga was pinching Tomoe’s cheeks, and the smiling Tomoe was at her mercy. The remaining three watched them warmly.

They continued chatting until a woman with pointed glasses entered the classroom.

“Hey, hey, Tomie.”

As the first day of lessons came to an end, and Tomoe was preparing to go home, Lucy called out to her while kneeling backwards in her chair. Ichiha, Yuriga, and Velza all came over to see what was up.

Tomoe tilted her head to the side as she asked, “What is it, Lu?”

“I was thinkin’, since we’re all friends now, maybe we ought to go somewhere and have fun?”

“Somewhere... You mean in the castle town?”

“That’s right. You come to my place, and I’ll hook ya up with a whole lotta sweets.”

As Tomoe was considering how she’d respond to the pushy Lucy, Velza interjected, “Lucy, don’t you think that’s a bit too much to ask? Tomoe is His Majesty’s little sister, so I doubt she can go play in the castle town so easily.”

“Well, it won’t be easy without King Souma’s permission. In my case, I’m allowed to go anywhere in the capital. My big brother’s very hands-off, you see.”

“Setting Yuriga aside, there’s a carriage coming for us, too. Oh! I need to report I joined the Monster Research Society. I’ll probably be staying late on meeting days.”

“You’re all no fun,” Lucy said, puffing up her cheeks. “Hangin’ out together after school. Stayin’ together durin’ the summer break. Ain’t that the joy of school life? His Majesty said we were supposed to enjoy our school lives, didn’t he?”

“That’s the same king we’re telling you she needs permission from,” Yuriga sighed, but Tomoe tried to mollify her.

“Now, now. Lu, I really can’t go off without Big Brother’s permission. I made everyone worry the last time I snuck off on my own...”

Tomoe must have been talking about the time they were in the Chima Duchy. When she slipped out of the room she had been told to stay in out of curiosity, some nasty men had picked on her and almost sparked an international incident.

Nothing happened because Ichiha, who she met that time, protected her, and Souma and the others found them in time, but she didn’t want a repeat of what happened there.

At Tomoe’s words, Lucy came to her senses and sat down normally in her chair.

“O-Oh, yeah,” she laughed, rubbing her head with her hand. “I was so gung-ho on gettin’ to know ya, I got ahead of myself. I wasn’t thinkin’ about your position at all. Sorry.”

“Nah. I want to go out and play with everyone just as much as you do. That’s why I’ll talk to Big Brother and the others about it. They’re all really nice, so if I bring it up with them, I’m sure they’ll work things out for us.”

Lucy smiled as Tomoe gripped both her hands. “No need to push it too hard, ya hear? This’s just a selfish request of mine.”

“Sure. I’ll do what I can to get that selfish request granted.”

Tomoe felt highly motivated.

◇ ◇ ◇

That night. Tomoe visited Liscia’s room alone.

When she went to the governmental affairs office to see Souma, there was only Hakuya inside. He informed her that Souma had been relieved of his work for the day, and he had gone to Liscia’s room to be with Cian and Kazuha. If she wanted to see him, she should go there.

When she knocked, she heard Liscia say, “Come in,” and upon entering, she found Souma and Liscia sitting on a king-sized bed holding the babies.

On Souma’s lap was Kazuha in light blue baby clothes, and on Liscia’s lap was Cian in red baby clothes. They were only four months old and couldn’t sit on their own yet, so without support, they would fall on their backs.

The full-body baby outfits they wore were hand-made by Souma, and were modeled on bizarre creatures called Machapin and Zukku from his old world. The faces of the characters on the hoods looked kind of silly, but the two babies wearing them were super adorable.

They were in the middle of playing with stuffed animals and dolls. Cian was holding the hand of a doll like he was shaking hands with it, and Kazuha was hugging a stuffed bear as she nibbled on its ear. Th-This was a carnivore woman (in infant form)...

“Is something up, Tomoe?”

“You came here for a reason, right?”

Tomoe came back to her senses upon hearing Souma and Liscia call out to her.

“Oh! Um... I had something to talk to you about...”

““Something to talk to us about?””

From there, Tomoe told them about what had happened at school. That she had made friends with the dark elf Velza and the merchant girl Lucy. That she had been invited to play after school by Lucy. And that she had wanted to go and play with everyone.

When she had gone through all of that, “Hmm...” Souma groaned in thought, stroking his jaw. “Well... What do you think, Liscia?”

“What do I think? I’m worried, of course.”

“Yeah... We’ve told Naden she’s free to do what she likes in the capital on her days off, but that’s only because of how powerful she is.”

“I can’t see Tomoe being able to protect herself...”

The two frowned. Tomoe thought she might not get permission. While she tensely waited for them to come to a conclusion, “But...” Souma said, “How was it when you were at the Officers’ Academy, Liscia? Did you just go back and forth from the castle to the school?”

“I slipped out all the time, of course. Ditching my bodyguards.”

“Haha! I figured.”

“...I feel bad about it now, okay? Now that I have children of my own, I know how my mother and all the rest must have felt.”

“Whoa, the tomboy princess is sounding all mature now,” Souma said, giving Liscia a little poke.

“Oh, stop teasing me.”

There was a warm air around the newlywed new parents. Tomoe had been bracing herself for a more harsh opinion, so she almost felt a little deflated by it.

“Well, the best part of being a kid is the time you’ll spend with friends, after all.” Souma shuffled to the side a little, creating a space between him and Liscia, and beckoned for Tomoe to come over.

Tomoe sat herself snugly between them, with Souma and Kazuha on one side, and Liscia and Cian on the other. Now sandwiched by the royals, Souma and Liscia both patted Tomoe on the head.

“Though it was for your protection, we did force you to become a member of the royal family. That’s why I don’t want to make you feel too constrained by being royalty.”

“I always hated it when things were too rigid and formal, so I don’t want to force that on you, either, Tomoe.”

“Big Brother, Big Sister...” Tomoe squinted, feeling a little tingle in her eyes, and...

“Dahh.”

“Ahh.”

Imitating Souma and Liscia, Cian and Kazuha started touching Tomoe’s head, too. Though there was no blood relation between them, there was a familial scene unfolding here.

“Okay. I’m going to permit you to go out with friends,” Souma said, patting Tomoe’s head with a grin.

“Really?! Big Brother!”

“I really do think spending time with your friends is important... There’s two conditions, though.”

“Conditions...?”

“Yeah. First, I’ll be sending a unit from the Black Cats to protect you, so you’ll have to accept that. I’ll tell them to watch from the shadows while you’re in the capital so they don’t inconvenience you. But if you decide you want to go outside the capital with your friends, they’ll be protecting you openly, not in the shadows. Well, think of them as bodyguards. I’m sure Inugami can handle it.”

“Yeah... That seems like a reasonable call. It’ll be reassuring for us to know someone is by her side, too,” Liscia said with satisfaction as she made Cian clap his hands.

Tomoe nodded in agreement. “I understand. So, what is the other condition?”

“That you don’t try to ditch your guards. The more active you become, the more you resemble your ‘Big Sister,’ so I’m a bit worried about that.”

Souma shot a cold glance in Liscia’s direction, which she blatantly looked away from. That exchange between the two of them made Tomoe chuckle.

“I understand. I’ll absolutely abide by those conditions.”

“Okay. Well, I can tell from the way you came to talk about it with us that you’re understanding, Tomoe. Those conditions are merely added insurance. I want you to enjoy your time with your friends without worrying too much about it.”

“Hold on, Souma. You say that like I’m not understanding?”

“It’s a fact, isn’t it? Once you set your mind on something, you don’t budge, now do you?”

“...What’d you say to me?” Liscia glared at Souma.

“...What’d you say to me?” Souma glared back.

Invisible sparks flew over Tomoe’s head. Because Souma and Liscia were so close, they occasionally had these little fights. Still, they always passed quickly, and the two would make up in no time. No one wanted to get in the middle of a marital spat, and that included Tomoe.

As she was fretting over what to do...

““Fwah...! #$%&ahh!”” Cian and Kazuha started wailing. Souma and Liscia hurried to soothe them.

“Ohh! Look, Kazuha. It’s Mr. Bear.”

“Don’t cry, Cian. There, there.”

Their desperate attempts to soothe the babies managed to get them down to just sniffling. Tomoe stood up, put her hands on her hips, and told them, “Geez, the scary looks on your faces made Cian and Kazuha cry! Big Brother, Big Sister! Try to get along, for the children’s sake!”

““Right. I’m sorry.””

The royal couple bowed their heads to a twelve-year-old girl. What would the people have thought?

Once they had apologized to one another, “Oh!” Souma seemed to remember something and pulled an item out of his pocket. He then offered the thin object to Tomoe. It appeared to be some sort of wooden token.

The words written on it were...

“Rent-a-Cycle? ...What is this?”

“If you’re going to the castle town, you’ll need to get around, won’t you? You can ask the merchant girl you met how to use it. She probably knows.”

“Okay. Thank you,” Tomoe said, sticking the wooden token under her arm.

For now, she had permission to go play in the castle town.

Tomoe couldn’t wait to tell everyone.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day. When everyone had gathered at the school, Tomoe’s friends were glad to hear she had been given permission, conditional though it was, to visit the castle town.

Then, when Tomoe pulled out the wooden token...

“A Rent-a-Cycle token?!” Lucy raised her voice in surprise.

“You know what it is, Lu?”

“Do I know? The whole capital’s talkin’ about it!”

“They are?”

That’s when Lucy banged her hands down on the desk, and leaned in closer.

“It’s easier to show you than explain it... No, it’s even faster to have you experience it yourself! You’ve got the token, so how about we all go after school?”

“S-Sure...”

It seemed what they’d be doing after school was already decided.

After school that day.

“So, we’ve come to Rent-a-Cycle! Please clap!”

“““Yaaaay!”””

“...Why are you all so high-strung?” Yuriga said, exasperated by the way Lucy looked like she was ready to play a fanfare, and how Tomoe, Ichiha, and Velza were so willing to go along with her.

After school, the five kids had set out with the wooden token Souma had given Tomoe in hand, and stood in front of a business whose sign simply said “Rent-a-Cycle.” Naturally, the Black Cats were watching them from the shadows, but anyone else watching would only have seen five children getting along.

“This is... Rent-a-Cycle,” Tomoe mumbled as she looked at the shop.

The business was not on the shopping street, but on a main road. Looking at it from the outside, it was plain to see what kind of place it was... There were several of the same thing lined up out front.

Lucy pointed to one of them with a grin. “That’s right. Rent-a-Cycle rents out these here tricycles.”

“Tricycles... Ah, they do have three wheels, yes,” Velza said as she stared at one of the tricycles.

As per the name, Rent-a-Cycle was a business that rented out cycles, these three-wheeled tricycles in particular. Naturally, these weren’t the kind a child might ride, with the pedals attached directly to the wheels. These had a proper chain, and the two wheels in the rear turned as it went around.

“Wheels, a seat... and a basket in back. It looks like this is a vehicle, huh. Could it be that spinning the things down here makes the wheels go around?”

“Ohh, ya got it!” Lucy clapped, impressed that Ichiha had managed to discern the function of the thing from its form. “If ya sit in the seat and pedal, I hear it’ll go forward. You put stuff in the basket, and it makes carryin’ it easy, even if ya don’t have a horse. His Majesty Souma’s the one who invented it, y’know?”

“...Yeah. I sort of guessed,” Tomoe said with a slightly troubled smile.

Off-the-wall ideas like this generally came from either Souma or Genia. If it were Genia, it’d be even more crazy, so she assumed that, because this still showed some semblance of common sense, it must have been Souma’s idea. Tomoe had come to understand how her big brother was over the past two years.

I can just imagine the look on Big Sister’s face when he came up with this. As Tomoe thought that, she looked to the castle where the two of them were.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile.

“Go, go, Darlin’!”

“Right, right...”

In the courtyard of the castle Tomoe was looking at, Souma was pedaling a cycle with Roroa sitting behind him. Instead of a tricycle, like they used at the Rent-a-Cycle, they were riding a more standard mountain bike.

“I’m seein’ everythin’ from a higher vantage point, and the speed is refreshin’,” Roroa said, having fun behind him.

She was standing on bars that came out of either side of the rear wheel, and had her hands on Souma’s shoulders for balance. If a police officer saw them, they’d have received a warning for this behavior, but there were no such laws governing bicycles in this world yet, so give them a break.

“Mweheheh, Darlin’.”

Roroa took her hands off his shoulders, wrapped them around his neck, and pushed herself up against his back. The impact made the bike wobble a bit, but Souma managed to keep his balance.

“Hey, that’s dangerous.”

“I was just thinkin’. I can play all the tricks I want on ya right now.”

“If I go down, you’re going down, too. Behave.”

“Don’t be like that. The truth is, you’re enjoyin’ this, aren’t ya, Darlin’? The way you can feel my breasts on your back.” Roroa snickered, but her cheeks were just a bit red. Even she must have found that line a bit embarrassing.

Souma couldn’t see her face because he was driving, but having lived with her so long, he could pick up on it from the way she was laughing.

That’s why Souma started feeling a bit mischievous himself.

“They are touching me, yeah. Just a little, though.”

“Unyah?!” That direct response made Roroa’s face turn bright red. “Wh-What’re you sayin’, Darlin’! You idiot! You pervert!”

“This coming from the person who touched me...”

“I’m not pressin’ them against you, I wanted to get you flustered.”

“That’s a novel comeback.”

It wasn’t that old, “I’m making them touch you,” line.

When they finished one lap of the larger-than-you-might-expect courtyard flirting like that, Liscia was waiting at the central terrace with a look of exasperation on her face.

“Souma’s gone and made something weird again...”

“It’s a fascinating vehicle, though...”

Beside Liscia was Souma’s personal trainer and sounding board, the old commander Owen.

“Hmm, I think riding with someone will help increase muscle mass in the thigh area. How does ten laps with me riding in the back sound as part of your daily training menu?”

“Riding double with you, Owen?! Give me a break...” Souma groaned. Riding double with an old macho man was nothing but a punishment.

“Whew, that was fun, Darlin’,” Roroa said cheerily as she hopped off the bike.

Liscia looked at the bike Souma was riding and said, “Still, it’s strange. How does it stay upright when there’s only one wheel in front and back?”

“It’ll be a long explanation, okay? First, let’s start with the gyroscopic effect...”

“Ahh, if it’s going to take that long, I don’t need it. I doubt I’d understand anyway.”

When Liscia smiled wryly, scratching her cheek, Souma let out a sigh.

“...Well, just assume anyone can ride one with practice. In fact, using the technique my grandfather taught me, every member of the Hiryuu’s crew learned to ride a bike. Do you want to try it later, Liscia?”

“Hmm. What’s the technique?”

“First, you use really shallow, short strokes to...”

Souma taught Liscia and the others his grandfather’s technique for riding a bike.

In fact, Roroa learned to ride the bike using this technique (Liscia declined), but because there was no guarantee of safety, they decided to put off doing it in public for now.

When she had heard the full explanation, Liscia cocked her head to the side as she touched the bicycle. “So, why did you make this thing?”

“I received a report that there was a lot of trouble moving around our carrier, the Hiryuu. Given that we already carry wyverns, there really wasn’t space left for mounts like horses, too. That’s why I thought bicycles would be a faster, easier way to get around than walking.”

Now that they had access to a rubber-like material, we were able to make tires. Souma remembered how bicycles were put together, and if he gave Genia and the other researchers a rough outline, he figured they could have a bicycle developed in no time. But it wasn’t that easy.

“I never expected making the chain and gears to be so difficult...”

Not once did it cross his mind while riding a bike in his former world, but it was an incredible feat of engineering to make the chain and gears mesh perfectly. The technology was already established, and there was no room for improving it, so not even a genius idea from Genia was going to solve things. In the end, hard work was the only option available to them.

“I asked Kuu to get Taru to help us, and we somehow managed to get to a finished product, but it ended up being incredibly expensive. I had to give up on spreading the technology far and wide.”

“Th-This thing was that expensive?” Liscia asked in shock.

“Nyahaha, almost as much as one of the royal family’s ornamental carriages,” Roroa told Liscia with a wry smile, making her eyes go wide.

“You... can’t mass produce them then, huh.”

“Right? I wanted them to be available to the common folk who can’t afford horses one day, but this is out of their reach. Still, I can’t see the nobles and knights buying them, either. The nobles would never think to pedal a vehicle on their own, and the knights generally have horses of their own. Basically, there’s no demand for it.”

The only place to ride a bike in this world was inside the cities, where the roads were paved. There were roads outside the city too, of course, but in a world full of dangerous monsters, it would be unsafe to keep your hands occupied riding a bike.

Souma had said himself that no matter how excellent a policy or system might be, if it was out of step with the times, it wouldn’t be accepted. That applied to inventions, too. It might have been too soon for this country to have bicycles.

“Huh? But there’s a Rent-a-Cycle business in town, right? Doesn’t that place deal in cycles?”

“Hm? Ohh. I talked with Roroa about how we could use the bicycle, and...”

“I said, if they can’t buy one, why not lend them out?” Roroa said, looking slightly smug.

This was Roroa’s proposal:

Because cycles were expensive, they were unsuited to individual ownership, but they were attractive as a means of transportation that didn’t require mounted beasts. Even if the range of movement was limited to within the city, there were merchants who had used carts for transporting their loads all this time. By renting them out to such people at low prices, the development costs could be recouped, and at the same time, it would ease the flow of goods.

“We decided on mainly usin’ tricycles, which the merchants can ride without trainin’, and to rent them for cheaper than it’d take to keep a horse fed.”

“Yeah. With a one-per-store limit. If they intend to use them for other purposes, the cost goes up, by the way. Because I mainly want them to be for commercial use... But still, between making numbered plates for them as a preventative measure against theft, and having the guards watch closely to ensure they weren’t taken out of the city, there was a lot of annoying work that had to be done.”

Souma slumped his shoulders, having been unable to get a return that was worth the upfront costs in labor. There was no guarantee that every idea he had would end up working out, and things often played out in ways he didn’t expect.

Roroa gave Souma a slap on the back and said, “We’re just gettin’ started. I hear Rent-a-Cycle’s doin’ pretty good business. Apparently it’s a real hit with the guys in the shippin’ business. They don’t get much speed when they’re loaded up with luggage, but they can go through the back alleys. The old ladies who run restaurants were sayin’ it’s made stockin’ up on ingredients from the market way easier, too.”

“...Yeah, I guess it’s good that we’re getting even a little use out of them.”

If they’re not completely useless, the effort wasn’t entirely in vain, thought Souma. Like Roroa said, things were just getting started.

“Why not try spending the income from Rent-a-Cycle on cycle production? We may have a real ‘cyclical industry’ on our hands here... Heh.” Souma intended it as a joke to lighten the mood, but...

Roroa followed up, “Well, duh, they’re dealing in cycles.”

“What are you stating the obvious for?” Liscia groaned.

These times when the joke doesn’t work in their language can be real tough...

Souma slumped his shoulders again.

◇ ◇ ◇

As for what was happening with the five children who had come to Rent-a-Cycle down in castle town...

“Whoa, the wind feels great,” Tomoe said as the background scenery streamed past her faster than usual. She was currently on the back of a tricycle being pedaled by Ichiha, sitting on the luggage rack with the basket removed.

Thanks to the token she had received from Souma, it allowed them to borrow this tricycle for a single day. Primarily, Rent-a-Cycle lent to commercial users for a limited time, so to borrow it for personal use would typically cost a fair bit of money.

“Heehee, keep going, Ichiha.” Tomoe cheered Ichiha on as he pedaled.

“Y-Yes.”

There was a limit of two cycles that could be loaned out for personal use, so they ended up splitting riders for today. One was being ridden by Tomoe and Ichiha (the driver), and the other by Yuriga (the driver), with Lucy and Velza struggling to fit on it together. As such, Yuriga’s pedals felt heavy.

“Th-This... isn’t much fun.”

“Ya think? I’m havin’ a blast.”

“Yes. It’s refreshing to see the scenery stream past us.”

“Well, yeah, you two are just riding! It’s about time one of you took my place!”

“Aw, don’t be silly. A frail little thing like me’d never be able to manage with two people ridin’ in back.”

“I can take over in a little while.”

“I can fly, so why do I need to ride this thing anyway?!”

The three of them, despite their arguing, seemed to be having a good time.

Meanwhile, as for Tomoe and Ichiha...

“Take that!”

“H-Hey! Tomoe! Don’t poke the driver in the cheek.”

“Ahaha, sorry, sorry.”

...They were writing another page in the story of their youth.

Some ten minutes later...

“Whew... I’m beat...”

Yuriga was sitting with her head down at a table on the balcony, exhausted from pedaling a cycle with Lucy and Velza on it all the way here.

As she lay there, Lucy brought a spoon to Yuriga’s mouth with a smile.

“Here, Yurie. Say ahh.”

“Ahh?”

Unable to think straight, possibly due to exhaustion, Yuriga just opened her mouth, and Lucy put a spoonful of something inside. To her surprise, Yuriga remarked, “...It’s sweet.”

“Isn’t it, though? I hear when you’re exhausted, eatin’ somethin’ sweet’ll do you good.”

“You’re saying that when you’re the one who tired me out?”

“Here, say ahh.”

“...Ahh.”

It must have tasted really good. Yuriga did as she was told, opening her mouth wide like a baby chick, and let Lucy feed her.

Tomoe, Ichiha, and Velza watched the two of them with wry smiles.

The five had come to the fruit parlor run by Lucy’s parents, The Cat’s Tree. It was a trendy main street shop with, as the name suggested, a cat on the sign. It was two floors, with a quarter of the floor space taken up by fresh fruit they were selling, and the remaining space being a cafe which served sweets made using that fruit.

Tomoe and the others were The Cat’s Tree’s main street balcony, trying out the sweets Lucy was so proud of. There were two plates of them laid out on the table.

Tomoe took a spoonful of the treat in front of her, put it in her mouth, and smiled.

“This pudding is really delicious.”

“Glad to hear it. That’s our best sellin’ item, the ‘Special Pudding a la Mode.’ We pride ourselves on the fact that the pudding, fruit, and cream are all delivered fresh through our own routes.”

Lucy puffed her chest out with pride when her product was complimented. It was that sort of gesture that made her look like Roroa. Then Ichiha, who was also enjoying the pudding, tilted his head to the side. “What’s ‘a la mode’ mean?”

“Dunno.”

“Huh?”

“Couldn’t tell ya why, but that’s what they call puddin’ in Souma’s world when it’s bein’ served with fruit and whipped cream like this. Feels kinda fancy, doesn’t it?”

“I-I guess...”

Ichiha worried whether it might be a strange word, but even if it was, no one from this world would know it, so he decided it was still fine. “A la mode” means something like “modern style,” so there was no issue, but Ichiha couldn’t have known that.

Lucy also seemed to like it, so it would probably have been rude to say anything, too. While Ichiha was thinking about that, Lucy continued to pile the pudding into Yuriga’s mouth.

“Here. Say ahh.”

“Ahh... Wait, how long are we going to do this?! That’s enough! Don’t make me eat any more!” Yuriga said, moving her head away.

“Aww, I was havin’ such fun, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, help yourself! And hold on, Velza, what have you been so quiet about all this time?!”

Now that she mentioned it, Velza hadn’t said a word. Wondering what was up, the four turned to Velza.

“Whew...”

She was frozen stiff. A spoon in her mouth, and a look of ecstasy on her face. Her eyes were gazing up and to the right, unmoving, as though her mind had gone elsewhere.

“H-Hold on, Velza, are you okay?!” Tomoe said as she shook Velza.

“Ah!” She blinked as though she had just come back to her senses. “I-I’m sorry. It was so delicious, I lost myself.”

“Th-That badly? I know it’s good, but...”

“Apologies. In the God-Protected Forest, the only sweet food that we have is fruit, so...”

“Oh...”

Aisha did say that, remembered Tomoe. She also remembered Souma watching Aisha with a wry smile and saying, “Half of Aisha’s loyalty might have come from me taming her with food.”

Velza held her cheeks in embarrassment. “Ohh... Ever since I left the God-Protected Forest, the food has been so good I don’t know what to do.”

“Uh, yeah, I sort of get that from having watched Aisha.”

“But, even with that in mind, I think this pudding is delicious... I would very much like to share this with them. And I’d like to come back here with everyone again...”

“Huh? Who’s ‘them’?”

“Oh, just talking to myself there.” Velza smiled and brought an index finger to her lips. It was a soft, mature smile; an expression that implied she would not divulge on this topic any further.

“Huh? Is this a kuku berry?”

“Huh?! Whoa! It is!”

When Ichiha scooped up a round, translucent fruit that was next to the pudding, Yuriga looked surprised, too.

“Kuku berry?” Tomoe asked, tilting her head.

“It’s a little round berry that comes from the Union of Eastern Nations, and it has a distinctive gummy texture,” Ichiha replied as he held up the spoon.

“Nom... Munch... You’re right, it does have an unusual texture,” Tomoe commented, having snapped up the kuku berry that Ichiha offered her.

This was a scene where there were indirect kisses and lines like, “Say ahh,” going around, but Tomoe and Ichiha were both still children, so they didn’t care.

In fact, in order to return the favor, Tomoe took a different fruit and fed it to Ichiha. Once he had swallowed, Ichiha continued his explanation, “Munch... But kuku berries don’t last long. They may not spoil immediately, but I never expected to be able to eat them outside the Union of Eastern Nations.”

“Heheheh. You’d better not go underestimatin’ the Kingdom’s ability to ship things. There’s rhinosaurus trains runnin’ to and from the border almost every day. That’s why we can put these short-lived fruits on our menu.”

“Why are you acting so smug about that...?” Yuriga said, sounding exasperated at the way Lucy was puffing up her still flat chest.

Lucy stood up, and got so close to Tomoe their cheeks might have been touching. “What’re you sayin’, Yurie? The one responsible for gettin’ that rhinosaurus train set up is our very own Tomie here.”

“Hm? It is?”

“I-I only helped out a little.”

Tomoe told Yuriga about how she could speak to animals, and how she had used that ability to arrange an area suitable for rhinosaurus mating, securing their help as a means of mass transportation. Naturally, she kept quiet about the top-secret information that she could speak to monsters and demons, too.

“I was iffy on it at first, but as I was listening, it started to sound incredibly useful,” Yuriga grunted approvingly. “If you have that ability, why not join the dairy farming club, or something like that? If I recall, there was a farm with horses and cows on the outskirts of the school, you’d be instantly useful to them...”

“Absolutely not!”

“Whoa!” Tomoe’s firm refusal made Yuriga bend back in surprise. “I-I didn’t expect you to be so against it.”

“...Okay, Yuriga, try imagining it.”

Tomoe rounded on Yuriga with a face so serious you could hear the dramatic sound effects. Her threatening attitude made Yuriga sweat as she asked, “Imagine... what, exactly?”

“The voices of livestock that will be made into meat. Of chickens having their eggs taken away.”

“...I’m sorry,” Yuriga meekly apologized. It was tough just imagining it.

Tomoe adjusted herself in her chair, then, “Whew...” she let out a sigh. “Obviously, I plan to do whatever I can with my ability if it helps Big Brother and Big Sister, you know? I think I can help with creating an environment that won’t stress the animals... But I don’t want to get seriously involved in farming livestock. I don’t think I’d be able to eat the oyakodon that Big Brother makes anymore if I did.”

“No, seriously... I’m sorry.”

There was an awkward air in the room. The once sweet pudding had lost all its flavor.

In an attempt to change the atmosphere, Lucy clapped her hands and said, “Now, now, let’s get back on topic. So, like I was sayin’, we’re able to offer unusual fruits thanks to a distribution network that includes the rhinosaurus train. It’s just that, well, products that are subject to shipping fees end up being more expensive. The only ones who’ll be orderin’ this puddin’ a la mode regularly are the family of nobles, knights, or influential merchants.”

“Ah... So it is expensive.” Velza looked wistfully at the already half-eaten pudding. Lucy smiled and crossed her arms.

“That’s right. For my part, I wanna make it cheaper so your average girl can come eat, too. If we had reasonably-priced sweets, that’ll make puddin’ a la mode feel more special. If we can manage that, maybe the gals out there’ll buy it as a luxury on special days.”

“Wow... That’s amazing, Lu. You’ve got all of this thought out.”

“Nyah, nyahaha. You’re makin’ me blush.”

Tomoe’s compliments made Lucy a little bashful.

Looking at the way she thought about the common folk at the same time as she thought about business, it was little surprise she idolized Roroa.

“So, it was just as I was thinkin’ about that. The God of Food, Lord Ishizuka, released a new recipe. Hold on just a sec.”

Lucy rose from her seat, and rushed down the stairs to the first floor. Not long after, she returned carrying a single plate. This plate also had pudding on it, but... this pudding was different somehow. It was glossy, shining, and wobbly.

Lucy laid the dish on the table, and, smiling, she said, “Ta-dah! This is our store’s future hero product! It’s called gel pudding!”

““““Gel pudding?””””

The other four cocked their heads to the side in unison.

Lucy confidently laughed and said, “It’s faster just havin’ you eat some. Go on, try it.”

The four dug into the pudding with their spoons as directed, and each took a bite. Instantly, their eyes widened.

“How is this so delicious?!”

“It’s wobbly, but smooth on the tongue. It goes down like a drink.”

Yuriga responded instinctively, and Ichiha analytically.

Though they expressed it in different words, each was extremely pleased with the taste. Tomoe, meanwhile, was smiling despite herself, and Velza even had tears in the corners of her eyes.

“To think there could be something so delicious... I’m so glad I left the God-Protected Forest.”

“Velza, do you need a hankie?”

“Th-Thank you, Tomoe.” Velza took Tomoe’s handkerchief and wiped her tears.

Lucy was nodding ecstatically at their response. “Reactions are lookin’ good. Looks like we’ve got a big hit on our hands.”

“It’s like pudding, but not, right? What’s different?”

“That there’s a good question, Tomie. To make it simple, custard puddin’ is made by boilin’ it, while this gel puddin’ is made by chillin’ it. The base ingredients’re similar, but custard puddin’ uses the way that eggs harden when heated, while gel puddin’ uses the power of an ingredient that isn’t in custard puddin’ which hardens when chilled.”

“An ingredient that hardens when chilled?”

“Like this.” Lucy put a jar filled with a white and slightly greenish-yellow powder on top of the table. Everyone peered at the contents of the container.

“What’s this?”

“Dried, powdered gelin.”

“Gelin?!”

“Huh?! I just ate gelin?!”

Ichiha and Yuriga both cried out in surprise.

Gelins were invertebrates that lived in the fields, and primarily lived by absorbing the remains of animals. The Union of Eastern Nations had no such culture of consuming gelin, so seeing it came as a shock to them.

“The same gelins from gelin udon?” Tomoe asked.

“We had that sent to us in the God-Protected Forest, too, after the disaster,” said Velza. “It was called instant gelin udon, and they told us it was developed for military rations, but it was delicious.”

The children’s reactions were divided into two clear camps. Lucy smiled with amusement as she explained, “For gelin udon, you destroy the core and use the hardened remains, right? Well, this is the opposite. We cut or bludgeon them without destroying the core, and then use the liquid that produces. It turns out, chillin’ liquefied gelin makes it get hard. You know how, when ya boil meat, the juice that comes out can turn into a jiggly lump when you leave it? It’s like that.”

Even after being appointed a minister, Poncho had continued his research on dishes from Souma’s world. He tried, through trial and error, to recreate the sort of gelatin-based pudding he had been told about (the kind where you pull the tab, and it wobbles out of the package), and in that process, he arrived at using gelins. The liquefied gelins were a source of collagen, and he discovered they could be used in place of gelatin to produce an exceptionally smooth result.

Naturally, because gel pudding used raw eggs, it required fresh eggs to make. The Kingdom had put food hygiene laws into effect after taking over Van, the capital of the Principality, so using old eggs was illegal. However, in a situation where fresh eggs could be prepared, gel pudding was less expensive to produce than custard pudding. That was because powdered gelin was cheap, and it meant less eggs and milk were required.

There was also the ease of mixing together the ingredients, then leaving them in an ice room in the basement to set.

The ice could be made by packing in the snow that fell in the winter season, or replenished by hiring a user of ice magic, so most businesses that handled even slightly larger ingredients had an ice room in their basement.

Incidentally, last summer in the castle...

“Liscia, I want to cook. Can you make me some ice?”

“Again? Don’t treat me like an ice merchant.”

“I was planning to make ice cream for dessert, you know...”

“...Well, okay then.” (<- Cheerily producing ice.)

This was a conversation that took place between people at the highest level of power. It reflected how ice was rather important to the people. But we’ve digressed. Let’s get back on track.

This was how a low-cost, delicious gel pudding came to be.

“The God of Food, Lord Ishizuka, sure is incredible. Praise be to him.” Lucy brought her hands together as if praying to a deity.

But for Tomoe, who knew the man personally... I’m sure Poncho would be so troubled to see her praying to him like that...

She could just imagine Poncho laughing (because what could he do but laugh?) with a troubled look on his face.

“Tricycles, rhinosaurus trains, and gel pudding...” Yuriga whispered to herself as she stared at the streets of Parnam from the balcony.

“Yuriga?” Tomoe tilted her head to the side, causing Yuriga to look back to her.

“It’s a weird country, huh... This country of yours.”

“Murgh, there you go, saying that again...”

“I don’t mean it sarcastically.”

Yuriga grabbed Tomoe’s puffed-up cheeks. She didn’t put any force into it. It was more like she was just lightly rubbing them. She didn’t pull like usual.

As Tomoe was thinking this was odd, Yuriga smiled wryly and said, “I don’t really understand what it is your brother is trying to do with his policies. If he were like my brother: stronger than everyone, leading the warriors with his charisma, defeating enemies, and protecting his people... that would be easier to respect. But King Souma is making tricycles and bizarre food?”

“Th-That’s not all he does. He’s always busy attending to his duties.”

“But the people can’t see that, right? They only see the result. The sight of my brother fighting inspires the troops, and the way they sing his praises wins him the support of the people. That united the clans on the once fractured steppe, and is about to unify the Union of Eastern Nations, too. Do you think your people will feel the same way when they see a tricycle?”

“.........”

When she put it that way, Tomoe had no response. It was a fact that Souma wasn’t doing things in a way that stood out.

His dealings with other nations, the place where Souma was most regal, were hidden from the people. He had their gratitude for the Jewel Voice Broadcast programs, but it was hard to see them associating that with how he was doing as a king. Souma had their support, but he was not showing them much that was kingly.

“...That’s what I don’t get.”

“Huh?”

When Tomoe tilted her head to the side, Yuriga crossed her arms and groaned, “My brother is king because he’s been recognized as more regal than anyone else. But King Souma never acts like a king, and yet he is able to continue being one. Even though he’s making nonsensical contraptions like this.”

“...Aren’t you ragging on the tricycle a little much?”

Had being forced to pedal with three people riding on it left her with a negative impression?

While Tomoe was thinking about that, Yuriga let out a sigh and said, “It all looks pointless to me. But from what I hear, it’s helping, isn’t it? I can tell that from looking at the city. Everyone’s smiling, full of energy. They don’t think tomorrow will be worse than today. The people aren’t fanatically obsessed with their king, but they do trust in him. That’s why I said it’s a weird country.”

“Yuriga...”

Though Yuriga called it a weird country, Tomoe felt like it was a compliment.

This country has a set of values not present in Malmkhitan, and it felt like Yuriga was recognizing that. Tomoe grinned at the thought of it.

“What’re you smiling for, you little kid?” Yuriga grumbled as she pinched her cheeks (for real this time).

“Ow, ow, ow.”

As they were jostling about, it happened.

“Huh, Tomoe? What’re you doing here?”

“““““Whoa!”””””

There was a sudden voice from the direction of the window, and all five of them shuddered. The first to realize who it came from was Tomoe.

“Wait, huh? Naden?”

Sitting on the balcony railing was King Souma’s second secondary queen, Naden Delal Souma. For some reason, she was carrying a basket full of vegetables on her back.

The sudden appearance of the second secondary queen made Velza and Lucy, as citizens of the kingdom, stand and salute. Being so startled by the queen they couldn’t speak was seen as rude to them.

““Excuse us, Lady Naden!””

“I don’t really mind. You don’t need to salute, either.” Naden waved her hand and gestured for them to sit down. “I noticed you while I was running, so I decided to call out.”

“Um, Lady Naden, this is the second floor, you know... Did you climb up here?”

“I was running along the roofs, so I climbed down, actually.”

“D-Did ya now?” Lucy said, blinking. The way she started out talking more formally but was slipping back into merchant slang showed her confusion.

“Is this a tea party on your way home from school? It looks like you’re having fun.”

“Y-Yes. Something like that,” Tomoe replied. “What about you, Naden? Are those vegetables...”

“Ohh, when Souma’s cooped up in his office, or when there’s no weather forecast, I have nothing to do. So I’ve been told I can do whatever I like inside the capital. When I’m talking to the ladies in town... I get asked to do all sorts of things. I’m delivering vegetables right now.”

“We have a queen acting as the town’s errand girl?! Does Big Brother know?!”

“I’ve got his permission. Souma sort of laughed about it, but told me, ‘It’ll probably help earn you support among the people, so I think it’s fine.’ Besides, he’s always super happy when he sees the fresh fruits and vegetables they give me as ‘thanks.’”

“They even pay you in product?! Is this why I see Big Brother gleefully standing in the kitchen more often lately?!”

Naden and Tomoe were having a conversation no one would have expected between a queen and the (adopted) royal sister.

As Yuriga stood beside them, watching, she whispered, “Yeah... This country is weird.”

◇ ◇ ◇

That night, Yuriga, who had returned to Parnam Castle with Tomoe, was visiting the kitchen that was near the Souma family’s section of the castle.

This was a simple kitchen, prepared for Souma, who said he still wanted to cook for himself. The question of how long the king should continue borrowing the kitchen that was attached to the cafeteria had apparently become an issue. To sum it up, he had been quarantined.

Now with it decided they would be building him his own personal kitchen, Souma had Genia and the others develop cooking equipment for him. Thanks to that, though it was a narrow space, the room had quite similar functionality to kitchens back in the world he had come from. He obviously couldn’t get a microwave, but he did manage to make a pseudo-hotplate using an ore that absorbed heat.

The door to the kitchen had been removed in the interest of making it easy to bring serving trays in and out, as well as due to ventilation concerns, so when Yuriga simply said, “Excuse me,” and entered without knocking...

“Aisha. Say ahh.”

“Ahh. Hamph... Munch, munch.”

“Souma. Me, too. Me, too.”

In front of a bubbling pot, Souma was feeding Aisha with chopsticks. They were probably taste-testing the food, or something.

Having been fed, Aisha’s face broke into a contented smile.

Naden, who was standing behind Souma, may have been jealous, because she was pulling on the hem of his shirt and making her presence known.

“Here. You, too, Naden.”

“Ahh... Chomp. Munch, munch.”

“...Um, what are you doing?” Yuriga said, exasperated by the syrupy-sweet scene she had witnessed the moment she stepped into the room.

““Guh...! Cough, cough.”” Perhaps startled by the sudden voice, Aisha and Naden choked in unison. When he realized Yuriga had seen him making his wives say, “Ahh,” Souma got a little embarrassed, and he scratched his cheek as he asked, “What’s up? Why are you here?”

“I was looking for you, Sir Souma. I went to the government affairs office, but Mr. Hakuya was the only one there. I asked him, and he said, ‘His Majesty has finished work for the day. I believe he is in the kitchen. He looked giddy, carrying the daikon Naden brought home for him when he left.’”

“Was I that obvious...?”

“So, really, what were you doing?” Yuriga asked again.

Souma pointed at the bubbling pot and said, “It’s just like Hakuya predicted. Naden brought home an amazing daikon, after all. I just had some octopus delivered, too, so I was thinking I’d make oden for the first time in a while.”

“O-Oden?”

“It’s a sort of soup... no, a hot pot dish from my old world. I can’t get any boiled fish-paste products, so it’s just daikon, octopus, boiled egg, and then konbu for the soup base. ...If I were to tie together some gelin udon, would that work in place of shirataki noodles? Hmm, the texture is similar to konjac jam, so it shouldn’t taste bad, but it would take it further away from being oden...”

“...The one thing I understood from all that is that you’re up to nonsense as usual.” Yuriga gave an exasperated shrug. She had begun to get used to the weird atmosphere in this country... or rather, the bizarre actions of the people around Souma.

Why was the king of a nation so happy to get a daikon?

Why was the king cooking it himself?

Why were the queens saying, “Ahh”?

If Yuriga looked at this through the lens of common sense, there were any number of things she could call them out on, but that effort would surely be in vain. She had figured out this much already.

“So, you came because you needed me for something?” Souma asked.

“That’s right,” Yuriga replied, having remembered her reason for coming. “I want to send a letter to my brother about recent events in my time here... I was hoping to get permission. May I?”

Having said that, Yuriga pulled a letter from the tool bag at her waist, and showed the front and back of it to Souma. It had apparently not been sealed yet.

Looking seemingly uninterested, Souma turned back to the pot and said, “Hmm? If it’s about mail, you can hand it to the relevant official. I’m sure they’ll take care of it. There’s no need to come out of your way to report to me.”

“Huh?! You’re not going to check the contents?!” Yuriga’s eyes went wide.

Being treated as a transfer student from Malmkhitan, she belonged to a foreign country, and was trying to contact another person in a foreign country. Shouldn’t he have been concerned she would leak national secrets?

If Yuriga were in Souma’s position, she would have been. That was why she had assumed this letter would definitely be read by Souma and his people. Even if it was only an update on her current situation, why wouldn’t they still search it for anything resembling a coded message?

However, Souma said there was no need.

“...I’m not the one who needs to tell you this, but shouldn’t you be more cautious? What if I were leaking this country’s secrets to my brother?”

“Oh, I’m fully aware of the danger,” said Souma with a laugh. “If someone from another country goes anywhere where they might come in contact with secret information, I have covert agents who will let me know. I just haven’t gotten any such report yet. I don’t think there’s anything you could have put in that letter that would cause me trouble.”

The lack of tension in his voice left Yuriga bewildered.

“That’s... true, yes, but I’m not quite convinced. Okay, what would you do if I tried to find that secret information?”

“In that case, I’d use that fact to send you back to Fuuga. If we judged you under our own laws, it might give him a strange excuse to do something, so you’ll be going home in one piece. I need to treat you respectfully as a transfer student, but I don’t think I need to be so concerned about the feelings of a spy.”

“That you can handle it with such disinterest is... actually more scary in some ways.”

He had absolute confidence in his covert agents, and believed beyond a doubt that Yuriga could never leak his secrets.

In the way he handled her with disinterest as he fussed over how well-boiled the contents of his pot were, Yuriga felt she had seen the image of a king who would not be disturbed easily. It made a chill run down her spine.

Incidentally, around when he got to the, “If you try to leak our secrets...” part, the looks Aisha and Naden were giving her got noticeably sharper.

This country... is frightening. The king and queens, too.

“Obviously, I have no intention of leaking any secrets.” Yuriga put her hands up, unable to bear the way the queens were looking at her any longer. “This really is just an update on my situation. This country has been taking care of me, after all. There’s a lot I want to learn, so I’d rather not be thrown out yet.”

“That makes things easier on me. I wouldn’t want to throw one of Tomoe’s few friends out like that.”

“I-I don’t particularly think of myself as her friend...”

Yuriga was trying to play tough, but she and everyone else already knew she was friends with Tomoe and Ichiha. Her poor attempt to deny it was met with a smirk from Souma.

“Oh, right. Back to the oden, would you like to join us, Yuriga? I was so excited to eat it again after so long, I made too much. I was going to call Tomoe, and Ichiha, too.”

“...Can I?”

The scent of soy sauce and soup broth had hung in the air for a while, and it had Yuriga interested.

She was uncomfortable about joining the king and his queens at the dinner table, but if Tomoe and Ichiha were there, she’d probably be fine. In fact, if they got to eat something tasty, and she was left out, that would have bothered her.

“...If those two are coming, I will join you, too.” Yuriga said with a blush.

That evening, dinner was very lively.

◇ ◇ ◇

— Roughly a week later —

“Hahaha, looks like she’s having fun.”

Far to the north, Fuuga Haan, the King of Malmkhitan, grinned as he read Yuriga’s letter.

“What are you reading, Darling?” Mutsumi asked as she came into the room.

Fuuga handed her the letter he had been given and replied, “It’s a letter from Yuriga. It sounds like she’s having fun in the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“Oh, it’s from Yuriga?” Then, looking through the letter from her sister-in-law, Mutsumi cocked her head to the side. “Hmm? It seems to be a report on recent happenings in her life. The writing style is fun, though...”

“Does something about it bother you?”

“Oh, no, I thought she might be made to write a letter like this. I wondered if we should really take the pleasant tone at face value...”

“You’re saying Souma might’ve forced Yuriga to write this? Not a chance.”

Fuuga blew off Mutsumi’s concerns with a hearty laugh.

“This is unmistakably Yuriga’s handwriting. Besides, if Yuriga is forced to write letters against her will, she’s been taught to deform her writing in a certain way. Well, knowing how overly cautious Souma is, he wouldn’t do anything so silly as to harm his relationship with me. There may be some censorship, but I’m sure what’s written in there is how Yuriga really feels.”

“Her true feelings... Then the thing she wrote at the end is how she really feels, too?”

“Yeah, it means that’s how she felt.” Fuuga grinned.

This is what was written at the end of Yuriga’s letter:

“Brother,

Friedonia is a weird country.

It is fun living here, but I feel something other than just enjoyment from it. My preconceptions are breaking down, and the values inside me that I thought were absolute are colliding with a set of values that are different from them... It’s hard to put into words. I haven’t sorted it out myself yet, either.

You have been cautious of King Souma since the beginning, so I doubt you will let your guard down, but let me say it regardless. By no means should you underestimate him.

Sincerely, Yuriga.”

“Yuriga believes in me more than anyone, and even she’s saying that. He’s one hell of a guy, huh?”

“...You are enjoying this,” Mutsumi said, sounding exasperated.

There was a ferocious sparkle in Fuuga’s eyes.

“We’ve only accomplished one so far. From here on, I don’t know who, or what, will stand in my way. Not being able to see that excites me. This era’s gonna get so hot it makes my blood boil!”

Then, resting his feet on the walls of a city he had reclaimed from the monsters, he roared towards the sun which hung high in the northern sky.

In the northern lands, a tiger was about to take flight.

Chapter 2: The East and West Real Song Battle

“...Ngh.”

When I woke up, the person who should have been sleeping next to me was gone.

Not yet fully awake, I touched the space where she had slept, and found it still slightly warm. That meant she hadn’t been gone long. I felt a certain loneliness that the white softness that had been seared into my mind was not there.

I rolled over on to my back, and stared idly up at the ceiling as I reviewed my current situation. I was naked from the waist up, but I was still wearing pants. Then...

“You’re awake now, my darling?”

The voice came from the opposite direction of where I was looking, and when I turned around Juna was waiting with tea prepared. I slowly sat up.

“...Morning, Juna.”

“Hee hee, good morning.”

When I greeted her, Juna responded with a smile.

I could be more casual with her now because... well, we were married. I had promised to try to be less formal when we were alone together, and I was trying to follow through with that.

While pouring hot water into the teapot, Juna said, “I’ve prepared things. Would you like a cup to start the day?”

“Yeah, I would. But before that...”

I got out of bed, and embraced Juna from behind as she put a lid on the teapot to allow it to steam. “Gosh...” she said, with a slightly troubled chuckle. “It’s dangerous when you hug me so suddenly.”

“Sorry. But you’re half to blame here, Juna.”

“Oh, my.”

I was the one who got turned on, but Juna was the one who had provoked me.

Her current attire had more than sufficient power to blow away any reason I might have had. That’s because all she was wearing over top of her underwear was the white shirt I had cast off.

The sleeves were a bit long, but the chest was bursting at the seams. With one look, I was on the verge of losing all control, and I couldn’t resist holding her.

“Darling...” Juna turned just her head around, and reached out to put her hand on my cheek. “I never knew you were so passionate.”

“I mean, now that we’re husband and wife, I don’t have to hold back anymore.”

“You were holding back?”

“Well, you’re attractive, and your occasional coquettish gestures tickled me just right as a man. It was a long battle between my self-restraint and the temptation to give in.”

“Hee hee... That explains why last night was so intense...” Juna smiled, tracing her fingers gently along the arms that embraced her. “It may not be long before we have children at this rate.”

“If we do, Cian and Kazuha will be their big brother and sister, huh? Cian is a gentle boy, so I’m sure he’ll be fine, but Kazuha is too energetic, so I’m a little worried there.”

“Hee hee, I’m sure it will be fine. If she’s inherited Lady Liscia’s personality, I’m sure she’ll make a good, caring older sister.”

“...Yeah. You may be right.”

We laughed, and then flirted with one another until the maid came to inform us breakfast was ready. It’s a good thing we lived in the castle.

If it were just the two of us living together, I suspect Juna’s charms might have turned me into a useless person... Though, it’s still a bit of a shame we didn’t.

◇ ◇ ◇

— 6th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

It was an afternoon with clear skies. I was in the governmental affairs office looking over some documents that Hakuya had handed to me. As I read them... I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“...He’s finally taken one.”

“Yes. It will be vital to pay attention to the situation from now on.”

“What’s goin’ on, Darlin’? Why the frowny face?”

“Did something happen?”

Because Hakuya and I had difficult expressions on our faces, Roroa and Juna got worried.

Roroa was here to handle financial documents, and Juna was here because, though their heads were more stable and they could sit now, Liscia was still fully occupied by dealing with Cian and Kazuha, so Juna was taking her place as my assistant.

In order to show them there was nothing to fear, I gave a small smile and waved the piece of paper.

“I was just reading the regular report from Julius.”

“From my brother?”

“Yeah. ...It seems that Fuuga’s reclaimed a city inside the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

I laid the documents on the table, and rested my chin on my hands as I explained, “The Eastern Union of Nations is in an uproar over it. Fuuga was no more than the king of a minor nation, but now his name echoes like thunder.”

When I said that, Roroa cocked her head to the side.

“Hmm... Sure that’s impressive, but it’s still just one city, right? When the Empire sent their expeditionary force, they must’ve gone in deeper, but no one ended up makin’ that much of a fuss over it...”

Yeah. I largely agreed, but the way they interpreted it on the ground was different.

“Ever since Madam Maria took the throne, the Empire has been cautious about launching an expedition. If the greatest of mankind’s nations will not act, then we’re all forced to sit quietly and watch. That’s why they’ve worked to maintain the status quo and keep the situation from deteriorating further, but if you look at it another way, it meant there was no chance to break out of the situation. Now they’re getting good news for the first time in a long time.”

“The people are more excited than the accomplishment merits... Is that what you’re saying?” asked Juna.

I nodded to her as Hakuya spoke up, too, “In addition, the Union of Eastern Nations is an amalgamation of many small to medium-sized states. The fear of the demon wave externally, and the haphazard system of alliances and familial ties internally, makes acting with unified purpose difficult. Even if a ruler like Your Majesty, Madam Maria, or Sir Gouran were to try to make their country better, those fetters would get in the way.”

“It’s easy for the nail that sticks up to get pounded down there,” I said.

“Hmm,” Hakuya nodded. “Is that a saying from your world, sire? It’s quite apt... There are limits to what they can accomplish so long as they remain a country of small to medium sized states. They have no bright outlook, and the nation is enveloped in a feeling of entrapment. That is the current situation in the Union of Eastern Nations.”

“And that feeling of entrapment is fertile ground for the rise of a ‘great man.’”

When a society felt trapped, the people would look for a great man who could break through whatever was holding them back. The sort of entity who could use radical means to smash everything and let them stand up anew.

Oda Nobunaga, Cao Cao, Napoleon... These men all held the potential for greatness, but what made them great men was the people of the era they were born into. Their actions, which would have been considered massacres in peacetime, were deemed necessary by their people, and that was the birth of their status as great men.

If I thought about it now, the lack of notable resistance when Sir Albert gave me the throne was a manifestation of the people’s desire to change the plight of their directionless country.

The people placed their hopes in the words, “the summoned hero.”

With Liscia’s support and some words from Maria, I was able to pull myself back from the brink, but if I had kept trying to role-play being a king any longer... I might have been forced into the same “great man” position as Fuuga.

“The report from Julius indicates nearly all the refugee soldiers serving under Jirukoma have joined Fuuga’s forces now as volunteers. With the exception of a small number who, like Jirukoma, married Lastanian women, they all wanted to flock to go to Fuuga’s side.”

“That’s a real hit to the ol’ manpower. Is my big brother and big sister’s country gonna be okay?”

Roroa looked worried. Her relationship with Julius was mending, and she got on well with his wife, Princess Tia, so she must have felt uneasy.

“They’re fine,” I said with a laugh, trying to reassure her. “I told them to flee to the Kingdom if they have to.”

“You told that to Sir Julius, who was once, even if only for a short time, the Prince of Amidonia...? I apologize to Lady Roroa, but I cannot recommend stoking the fires of potential strife like that,” Hakuya said, frowning.

Roroa looked like she wanted to say something, but she must have understood Hakuya’s point and didn’t voice her displeasure.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” I told Hakuya with a shrug. “Machiavelli said, ‘People will forget the harm you have done them, but they will never forget the women and the money you stole.’ Right now, the most important thing Julius has is Princess Tia. For as long as her safety is guaranteed, Julius won’t get his priorities out of order. That’s what I felt when I actually met him.”

“...Very well. Let us trust in your eye for people, then.” Hakuya looked me directly in the eye as he backed down.

He must have wanted to be sure I wasn’t simply being soft on Julius because he was family. I couldn’t have been more grateful to Hakuya for taking on an important role that would only hurt him. If I didn’t have someone like him at my side, I wouldn’t be able to have confidence in my own decisions.

With that conversation sorted, I decided to change topics.

“Now then, partially as a means of preparing for Fuuga, there’s a project I’d like to push forward.”

“Oh! It’s finally time to get movin’ on that, huh!”

“Hee hee, I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I heard about it.”

Roroa and Juna smiled happily.

Hakuya, meanwhile, shrugged in exasperation. “I understand this project is likely important, but is there a need to make it such an overblown affair? It’s an experiment for the country, is it not?”

“Well, sure, but it should make for a fun image. Since we have the opportunity, why not put it on the Jewel Voice Broadcast, and let the people enjoy it, too?”

“...I have to acknowledge my lack of knowledge in these matters, so I will defer to your decision, sire, but please ensure you do not forget the original purpose of all this.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said, standing up as Hakuya impressed his point on me. “All right, now let’s make it a big, fun experiment.”

◇ ◇ ◇

“Magicium.”

This substance was said to be the key to the appearance of magic in this world.

Magic was divided into six elemental types: fire magic, as wielded by Carla and Hal; water magic, as wielded by Liscia and Juna; wind magic, as wielded by Aisha; earth magic, as wielded by Kaede; light magic, which could heal external wounds; and dark magic, which encompassed all the powers, like mine and Tomoe’s, as they did not fall under one of the other groups.

It was an important element, and yet we knew hardly anything about magicium. Even Doctor Hilde, a member of the three-eyed race, who each bore a shining third eye on their forehead that allowed them to see with the precision of an optical microscope, was apparently unable to see this magicium. I didn’t know if that was because it was invisible, or because it was so incredibly small that even the three-eyed race couldn’t see it, and we would need an electron microscope.

When things were this unclear, I almost began to doubt the very existence of the stuff, but if I considered the connection Mother Dragon had hinted at of continuity between “this world” and “that world” where I had once lived, there had to be some reason for the emergence of magic. There were various feats we could do here that couldn’t be done in my former world.

In that world, there was a cause and effect relationship between all things. There had to be a “cause” that resulted in the “effect” of magic emerging, so I thought that “cause” was magicium.

The other point I had learned about magic was that its power was greatly diminished over the ocean. Even water magic, which was less affected than the other elements, was affected to at least some degree near sea water. This was why Excel had once been called, “the mage who is unbeatable anywhere there is fresh water.”

It had become established as common sense that magic did not work well near the sea. That was also why firearms, which had been ignored for use on land because they were inferior to magic, had still been studied by the Navy.

Because of all this, I had hypothesized that magicium’s effects were limited by nearness to the sea. The fact that magic could be used with fresh water, but not with sea water, was interesting. If fresh water was good, but sea water was bad, it was almost like you-know-what, right? If so, perhaps magicium was... No, I didn’t have enough to go on just yet. I could go on about my conjecture, but I couldn’t be sure of it. It needed to be studied more firmly.

Some months ago, when I was thinking this, a research proposal for a certain experiment came to me from Ginger’s Vocational School. I was in the midst of preparing for my coronation and wedding ceremony at the time.

“The Work Songs Society?” I cocked my head to the side as I looked through the report Ginger had brought to me in the governmental affairs office.

Ginger’s Vocational School did more specialized research, focusing on the kind of things they wouldn’t handle at an academic institution like the Royal Academy. That could be skills like cooking and singing, or more esoteric topics that would be wasted on the Royal Academy.

Though, recently, Ginger’s Vocational School had catalyzed a shift towards supporting more unique research at the Royal Academy. Competition was an important factor for academic development. I wouldn’t tolerate them interfering with each other, but surely a close competition between the two was to be welcomed.

The thing that Ginger had brought to me on this occasion was also something that had been wasted on the Royal Academy, and drifted over to Ginger’s Vocational School instead.

Ginger nodded in response to my question. “Yes. The Work Songs Society. The formal name is ‘The Society for the Study of Work Songs.”

“By work songs, you mean those songs everyone sings while they’re working?”

“That is correct.”

In essence, these were songs that laborers tended to sing in place of shouting as they worked. In terms of ones I would know, there was Asadoya Yunta, which I had learned in elementary school. I seemed to recall that was a work song. Hmm, studying the work songs of this country, huh?

I was a little curious about what there were... but still...

“I think it’s interesting as an object of ethnological study, but was this something you needed to come all the way to the castle about?”

“Oh, no, this isn’t simple ethnology.” Ginger hurriedly shook his head.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“According to the head of the Work Songs Society, some of the songs that the common people sing seem to have the effect of increasing the potency of magic.”

“Singing makes magic more effective, you’re saying?”

It sounds like something out of a game, but is it possible? I thought, but on more careful consideration, from the perspective of my old world, wasn’t this world of swords and sorcery already kind of like a game?

Madam Tiamat had suggested there was some temporal relationship between that world and this world, so was something so absurd possible? I was only half-convinced, but Ginger shook his head strongly.

“No, it seems the effect is gained by listening, not singing. The effect doesn’t affect all magic, either. There are songs suited to specific spells. For instance, a work song used in the quarries affects the magic used when extracting stone. It doesn’t work on other magic... like, say, the enchantments placed on weapons.”

“So listening to the woodcutters’ songs makes you better at magic used for cutting down trees, and so on?”

“That’s right.”

“I see. That’s fascinating.”

Did that mean if they were listening to the most famous woodcutters’ song from Japan, their logging magic would get stronger? No, that was an enka song, not a work song, huh.

Hmm... At the current juncture, I couldn’t really be sure if this was incredible or not.

“It’s an interesting thing to focus on, but... I can’t decide if it’s a worthwhile thing to study or not,” I said. “I’d like to get an opinion from Juna, since she’s a singer, and from an expert on magic, too.”

“That makes sense. I think that would be good.”

“So, could I ask you to come back with the head of this Work Songs Society someday soon? I’ll bring together the people who can make a decision.”

“Understood.”

From there we moved on to a discussion of Ginger and Sandria’s upcoming wedding. They had apparently been having problems, so I gave Ginger some advice, and arranged behind the scenes for things to be set up for him.

With that done, I went back to thinking about the plan Ginger had brought me again.

Now, who was I going to need other than the loreleis...? Ah, I know of one.

“Aisha,” I called out to her as she was standing guard by the door.

“Yes, sire?”

“Send a messenger to Genia’s dungeon workshop. Have them tell Merula, who is involved in the drill research project, to appear at the castle.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

Having left the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan and dappled with a variety of magic cultures, primarily enchantment magic, Merula Merlin was an expert in all things relating to magic.

If I showed her this report, how would she react? I was kind of looking forward to it.

◇ ◇ ◇

“I do not believe it’s impossible,” Merula said, not seeming particularly surprised.

It had been some days since then, and a new group of people had been gathered in the meeting room at the castle.

The members other than me included Liscia, who had come to help because the children were having an afternoon nap; Juna, who had been called as an expert on music; the high elf Merula; and Souji, the worldly bishop who had for some reason insisted on accompanying her; as well as the central figures of this gathering, Ginger and the head of the Work Songs Society, Morse Butchy.

I was surprised by how large Morse was. He stood easily over two meters tall, and was pretty thick, too. But, more than that, he had the face of a walrus.

He was a member of one of the five races of the snowy plains, which made up the majority of the population in the Republic of Turgis, the walrus race. His family had apparently immigrated to the Kingdom in his grandfather’s time.

This man was more rotund than Poncho, and was wearing an academic uniform, so I couldn’t help but think, What fantasy movie did you escape from, buddy?

On top of that, the moment we met...

“Ohh, Your Majesty. I am most honored to have received your invitation on this occasion,” said Morse. “It is an honor beyond anything I deserve that you know about our research.”

His low voice overflowed with a dandyism that I would not have expected from his walrus face, so I was quite surprised upon meeting him. It was so good I instantly fell in love with it. From what I heard, he wasn’t just a researcher, he was also a bass singer.

From there, I received a thorough explanation of the Work Songs Society’s activities from Morse. They had gathered work songs from all over this country, and had been satisfied just to be able to record them. However, when they tried using magic while singing a work song used in the forge, they got the feeling it had increased the power of their flame magic. Did songs have the power to affect magic?

With that thought, ever since then, the Work Songs Society had been studying which songs had what effects. As a result, they began to learn that the mental image was what was important.

If you listened to a song that made you envision roaring flames, it would strengthen your fire-type magic, and if you listened to a song that made you envision a raging gale, it fortified your wind-type magic instead. The key point here was that songs that were about a quietly burning flame, or a gentle breeze would instead lower the power of the associated magic. That was presumably because of the mental image, too.

“A strong image will strengthen the magic, while a weak image will weaken it,” Merula said, following Morse’s explanation. “And the simplest way to conjure that image in people’s minds must be through song.”

“Is it possible for a song to affect magic?”

“Yes. It’s pretty commonly said that image is important in magic.”

Merula stood up, and began writing on the prepared blackboard.

Person’s Head → Will → Magicium → Reaction → Phenomenon

Person’s Head → Strong Will → Magicium → Strong Reaction → Large Phenomenon

“In regards to the system of magic in this world, it is said that first you convey your intention to manifest a spell to the magicium, and then the magicium responds to that will by triggering a phenomenon. Though the all-important magicium’s existence has not been proven, it is clear that magic is manifested by our will. The size of magic each person can use differs, but in most cases, they can adjust their power at will.”

Oh, yeah. My Living Poltergeists had a limit on the number of things it could control, but that didn’t mean I need to control all of them all of the time. I could control just one thing, too.

Satisfied she had convinced me, Merula went on, “This will could also be referred to as the ‘image of using magic.’ With a stronger image than usual, we can see that the magic’s power is increased. This is something that is on display in spell names.”

“By spell names, you mean... the attack names that Liscia and Aisha shout? Ice Sword Mountain and Sonic Wind, was it? Oh, and there was Water God Calling, which Excel showed us in the Kingdom of Lastania.”

“Yes, but... when you say it like that, it’s kind of embarrassing.” Liscia sent me a resentful glance as she blushed.

It apparently was embarrassing to have her attack name pointed out by someone else. My own Living Poltergeists sounded a bit like a name that a kid in middle school would come up with, too.

“But, normally, manifesting magic doesn’t require you to say the spell name aloud,” Liscia commented.

“It doesn’t? Oh, now that I think about it, Aisha was using it without calling the name, huh?”

“When I say the name, it helps me get fired up! Augh, just leave me alone.”

When I looked at her, she was covering her face with both hands. Her ears were red, too. She must have felt pretty embarrassed. If I poked at her any more, I was probably going to get an earful later, so I decided to lay off.

Merula coughed politely and resumed, “What Princess Liscia said is more or less correct. The key point is that how strongly you imagine the result is how well the effect will manifest. That’s why people shout spell names, or chant incantations to help them imagine things more concretely. The latter method takes more time, so it’s actually less effective in battle or when in a hurry, though.”

“Hmm, so it’s not just because they’re cool.”

“Yes. Also, in the sense of forming an image, I think that songs should have the same sort of effect. In fact, there are even types of magic that make use of that. Right, Souji?”

When she suddenly threw the discussion over to him, Souji’s eyes went wide. “Huh? What’re you asking me for?”

“There was magic in the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State that we could infer was making use of song-based effects, right? The reason I had you come here today was so that you could explain that, so do it properly.”

“Songs and magic... Oh, you mean Area Heal?” Souji said, sounding convinced, as scratched his head.

Area Heal... The name suggested it was a mass healing spell.

When I expressed that opinion, Souji nodded.

“You’re not wrong. It’s rare, but among the Orthodox Papal State’s light mages, there are a number who can heal multiple people’s wounds at the same time. When those guys become cardinals or archbishops, they get cloistered away. Then, when a large number of people are hurt because of a disaster or a battle, they’re taken there to heal the wounded. With talk of how it’s ‘Lunaria’s grace’ or whatever.”

“Huh?! They can heal all of the wounded at once?!”

If they could heal multiple wounded people at the same time on the battlefield, I was scared they were going to pull a zombie attack on us. That was too good a match for religious groups, like the Ikko Ikki back in the other world, who believed they would get into paradise if they died for their beliefs.

However, “Oh, yeah, that’s not happening,” Souji said, waving off the idea. “It’s called Area Heal, but for every additional person being affected at the same time, the effect on each individual person is lessened. Besides, all it can heal is gashes up to a certain size and some minor bone fractures. Healing multiple broken bones at the same time, or reattaching severed arms... that’s beyond their power. Of course, it doesn’t work on sickness, either.”

“...I still think it’s plenty threatening.”

They might not be on the same level as zombies, but they’d still be a tough group.

Though, it did seem like the sort of magic that would be useful in disaster areas. I’d have liked to have users of Area Heal in our country, too, but they had probably hidden them and all of their blood relatives away. That’s definitely what I’d have done if I were in charge there.

“Whoops, got off-track there. When they perform Area Heal, the wounded and their families are supposed to sing a hymn. They’re praying to god, basically. I had figured it was a religious rite, but... if Merula’s explanation is correct, it’s to make the magic user’s image of ‘being healed by the power of god’ more concrete, and to boost the power of the spell.”

“I believe that’s the case. Whether or not they are aware that’s what they’re doing is another matter, though.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

When I asked that, Merula raised her index finger and explained, “People have a tendency to focus on the causes when things work well. To take it to an extreme, ‘I walked out of the door with my left foot first today and something good happened, so I’m going to walk out of the door with my left foot first again tomorrow. It’s a sort of wish.”

“Oh, like routines.”

It was like the way athletes would go through the same routine each time in order to elevate their spirits.

Merula cocked her head to the side, looking confused, but she went on without worrying about it.

“Whatever the case, when something works for people, they have a tendency to repeat that action. If that goes on for about a century, it can become a religious or cultural ritual. So, for the hymn sung with Area Heal, they sang it, and the effect seemed to improve. They kept singing because they felt like there was an effect. Then, at some point, it was recognized as a religious rite... I think that’s the sequence of events.”

“I see...” I crossed my arms and groaned.

If the same routine was repeated with a common understanding of it, it would eventually be recognized as a religious or cultural ritual, huh?

“So, you believe Morse’s theory that certain songs can enhance the effect of certain magics,” I said.

“There’s a need to prove it more thoroughly, but I believe there would be value in doing so. I believe there are things we could learn about the nature of magic by studying this, too.”

“Hmm... What do you think as a lorelei, Juna?”

“Well...”

Juna brought her clasped hands up to her mouth, and made a slightly difficult expression.

“As a singer, I’m happy to feel the potential of songs in it. However, as someone who was in the Marines, I also think we may be able to use songs in battle. What if there were songs that could boost the power of offensive spells...”

“...I went straight to that, myself.” Liscia agreed with her. As someone tasked with managing a country and a military, it was an inevitable thought.

“Me, too. Though, depending on how you look at it, it may be more suited to defense than offense. We can’t send a military band out to the front lines, after all. If we were going to run a band, it would probably stay inside a castle or camp. That’s why I intend to prioritize studying defensive music. In order to defend this country... Does that sound convincing?”

It sounded like a fallacious argument to me even as I made it, but Juna still smiled and said, “I already believe in you, sire. No matter what you do, I will simply trust and support you.”

“I’m prepared for that, too. You should do what you believe in, Souma.”

“Thank you, Juna, Liscia.”

This was how the project to study the relationship between magic and songs began.

However, because it was a major undertaking and would require a number of staff, it was decided the experiment to demonstrate it would not be performed until after the coronation and wedding ceremony.

◇ ◇ ◇

— End of the 6th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

On this day, there was a massive crowd overflowing from the fountain plazas where people could watch the Jewel Voice Broadcast. That was because word had spread that the young king would be doing something interesting again.

Ever since Souma had begun to use the Jewel Voice Broadcast, the number of fountain plazas had grown, and in turn, the content’s popularity as well. The broadcasts drew massive crowds, and so people were gathered in Parnam’s central fountain plaza, waiting with bated breath for the broadcast to begin.

“Whoa! What a crowd. There’s so many people, you could sweep them up and throw them out.”

“Oh, Yuriga. Don’t talk about people like they’re garbage.”

Yuriga’s all-too-frank opinion left Tomoe pursing her lips in dissatisfaction.

The five kids: Tomoe, Ichiha, Yuriga, Velza, and Lucy, were currently on the third floor terrace of the restaurant managed by Lucy’s family, which was near the central park. Lucy had invited them because they could see the Jewel Voice Broadcast from here without getting caught in the crowds.

“What do ya think? It’s a pretty good location we’ve got goin’ on here, huh?”

“It is, yes. It’s a bit far, but I can see the fountain plaza well,” Ichiha said with a small smile as Lucy puffed out her still non-existent chest, with pride.

Velza, who was quietly eating the nut cookies that had been left out, had yet to respond. Unlike Aisha, who devoured her food like a lion, she had more of the look of a small animal desperately stuffing as much into her cheeks as she could.

Lucy looked at Velza and chuckled. “I’m glad to see you’re likin’ the food.”

“Munch, munch... Yes. I am quite satisfied with it,” Velza said shyly.

Ichiha pointed to the fountain plaza. “Oh! It’s starting now.”

The third primary queen Roroa and the kingdom’s first newscaster, the half-elf Chris Tachyon, appeared. Lucy squealed in delight at the sudden appearance of her idol.

“Eeek, Lady Roroa’s super cute today, too!”

“Munch, munch... Whoa, girl.”

While grabbing a cookie and putting it in her mouth with her left hand, Velza tapped Lucy on the shoulder with her right. Then, as the many people watched, the two on screen shouted in unison.

“The—“The East and West Song Battle”—ttle.”

...Correction. They were not quite in unison.

“Hey, Chrisie. We practiced this. Why’re you not matchin’ my timin’?”

“S-Sorry. It’s my first time MCing a program like this.”

“Why’s that? You’re always fine when you’re readin’ the news, aren’t ya?”

“The news has a fixed script, but they only gave us a rough outline to go off of for this kind of thing. Why am I the MC anyway? We had other people to do it before now, didn’t we?”

“They’re more or less all bein’ used for this event, so there ain’t much else we can do. Now then, was the next part of the program the one where we make you strip off some of your clothes and strike a sexy pose?”

“It is not! Seriously, please don’t say things that we haven’t discussed in advance!”

The plaza filled with laughter at the sight of Chris’s flustered response.

Lucy watched Roroa’s mischievous snickering with pure ecstasy. “Not only is she smart, she’s charmin’, too. Is Lady Roroa our cute goddess?”

“““She’s our queen,””” Tomoe, Ichiha, and Velza dutifully pointed out.

Yuriga was the only one to remain silent, apparently having had enough of playing along with their nonsense.

“Now then, getting back to it, I’m Roroa Amidonia, the third primary queen of Friedonia. I’d like everyone to go home at least rememberin’ my name and face.”

“I don’t think there’s a person in this kingdom who doesn’t know your name and face... Erm, I am Chris Tachyon. Along with Lady Roroa, I am here to act as the MC for this project. Please, enjoy the show.”

“Wow, you’re actin’ stiff... Come on, smile.”

“Fake smiles are my specialty, you know?” Chris said with a smile.

“Now there’s a smile that looks like it was stamped on your face, but it’s time to introduce the program.”

“Yes. In regards to the ‘East and West Song Battle’ that will be held, it is fundamentally the same sort of thing as the ‘Red and White Song Battle’ held at the end of the year. The loreleis and their male counterparts, the orpheuses, as well as singers of our country will be divided into two teams, and they will take turns singing.”

“The difference is, unlike with ‘Red and White,’ the National Defense Force’ll be doin’ a trainin’ exercise along with it,” Roroa added. “The National Defense Force will be divided into the ‘East Force’ and ‘West Force.’ During this program, we’ll be showin’ you video as the East Force attacks a certain fortress outside Randel, and the West Force defends it. Basically, the loreleis are gonna be cheerleaders for the opposin’ sides in the battle. Get a good look at our brave soldiers fightin’ as loreleis sing in the background.”

“We hope you will enjoy the show.”

“...They’re up to something weird again. It sounds fun, though,” Yuriga said in dismay as she sipped her tea after hearing what the program would be about. “But are you fine here, Tomoe? If you asked your brother, wouldn’t he have taken you to the event site?”

“Yeah. Well, you’re right, but...”

Tomoe had been invited to come to the event by Souma, in fact.

However, though this was, on the face of it, just a new broadcast program, behind the scenes it was also an experiment on the connection between music and magic. Because the whole nation was being mobilized for the experiment, they couldn’t let exchange students like Yuriga and Ichiha, or a commoner like Lucy, see the full picture. Even if they were her friends, she couldn’t bring them.

“I wouldn’t be any help this time, and besides... I’d rather watch here with all of you than alone by myself.”

“Aw, you’re makin’ me blush,” Lucy said, grabbing Tomoe around the shoulders. “Go on, have another biscuit. Drink some tea.”

“I-I will.”

Tomoe took one of the sweets with a wry smile. Watching them, Yuriga sighed a little, then turned to look straight at the broadcast. Her eyes were too serious to think she was watching a simple entertainment program.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, around that time.

We were in the fortress outside Randel, the city that housed the castle that once belonged to former General of the Army, Georg Carmine. There were a large number of officers from the National Defense Force gathered here.

This place was where the Forbidden Army and the Army fought during my fake confrontation with Georg Carmine. Though, the most intense fighting was between the Forbidden Army and the personal forces of the corrupt nobles and their Zemish mercenaries, so the Army itself had hardly moved at all.

It was made by reviving a long since destroyed castle using military engineers, and had been used as a training facility for the National Defense Force since the end of the war.

“Now then, let us review the rules of this exercise,” I said.

Inside the fortress, I was standing in front of the broadcast jewel wearing my military uniform, explaining the outline to the men who would participate in this combined training exercise and experiment. The only ones watching this broadcast were the officers and soldiers gathered in the fortress as well.

In order to maintain secrecy, we used separate jewels so that the people couldn’t watch. The rules had, of course, been communicated beforehand, but you can think of this like the announcement before the start of an athletics festival.

“In this exercise, you will be split into the attacking team and the defending team. The attacking team will be called the East Force, and will be commanded by Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force, Excel Walter. The defending team, meanwhile, will be called the West Force, and I will be their commander-in-chief. But, in actual practice, command will be taken by Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force, Ludwin M. Arcs. The attacking team wins if they can break through the fortress wall and reach where I am within the time limit, while the defending team wins if they are able to protect me the whole time. The winning team will receive a bonus to their pay, so give it your all.”

The moment I mentioned that bonus, the soldiers cheered so loudly I could hear them in the distance.

Yeesh, what a mercenary lot. It’s just bonus pay... Anyway, getting back on track.

“In light of the inherent advantage the defending team has, the attacking team will have double the number of members. In addition, there will be a major magical experiment during this exercise. Because we are observing the power of magic, the attacking team will be limited to using the tactic of attacking by force from all sides. There will be no aerial forces involved in the battle. We’ve gathered people who are used to magic here, so I’d like you to listen to the loreleis, orpheuses, and singers and really let loose with all your power.”

Next, I went over the rules for fighting.

“I know I am repeating myself, but the objective of this exercise is to observe the power of magic. Because of that, those who fight with weapons must use the arms and equipment provided. The weapons are blunted swords and spears, as well as arrows with rounded tips. You must enchant these with magic as you fight. Throwing them without magic is forbidden. The armor is a suit of breastplate that has been enchanted to slightly resist magic. If this armor is destroyed, or you run out of magical power, you are out. You must leave the battlefield at once.”

Incidentally, the one who came up with this equipment was Genia.

While we were discussing the best way to observe magic while also limiting the number of injuries, she proposed these rules and equipment.

When I first heard the rules, I couldn’t help but think, Clothing destruction KOs? But only the breastplate would break, so there wouldn’t be any particularly sexy results.

Well, ninety percent of the soldiers participating were male anyway. I was relieved to know we wouldn’t be showing the people a video where there were half-naked men everywhere. Besides, Aisha was participating as a combatant, too, and I would hate to let others see my wife naked... So, yeah, that about did it for the rule explanation.

“This exercise is a combat experience, and an experiment. At the same time, it is also important that you do not forget the people are watching your bravery. That’s why I have an order for you.”

I thrust my fist skyward.

“Fight hard, and make it flashy! The ones who stand out the most win! If you were especially noticeable, you will receive a special cash prize regardless of if you won or lost! Now give me a heroic display of magic!”

“““Yeahhhhhh!”””

There was cheering from inside and outside the fortress. It seemed I had them good and motivated.

Once I had checked that the broadcast was terminated, I returned to a table set up in the back of the fortress.

“Good job,” Liscia said. “Here, have some water.”

“Thanks... Whew.”

I took a breath, then loosened the collar on my uniform. I looked at the simple receiver placed in the middle of the room. There I could see Roroa and Chris explaining the plan (the one for public consumption) for this event. They were recording in a separate room, so that their jewel wouldn’t pick up the sound of our broadcast.

“Did the sound from when I riled the men up end up getting broadcast to the people?” I asked.

“Roroa did a good job playing it off with a, ‘Sounds like the soldiers are rarin’ to go!’”

“Well, that’s good. Now... we just wait for the report to be done.”

For this experiment, the Royal Academy had dispatched a large number of researchers who specialized in magic and related fields, and they were positioned all around the area to report on minute fluctuations in magical power.

What songs would affect which magic? I was looking forward to finding out.

“Now then...” Liscia smoothly stood up, and put her rapier on her hip.

“Hold up, Liscia. You can’t be planning to...”

“Aisha’s participating, isn’t she? I have Mother watching Cian and Kazuha back in the castle, so I want in on this, too. Between the pregnancy and birth, I’ve been letting my skills get rusty. If I’m going to be a cool mom, I’ve got to get my combat instincts back.”

“Does a mom need combat instincts...?”

There had been signs that Liscia would be a tough mom, and that was exactly what she was shaping up to be. Well, there was hardly any danger involved this time, so I guess it was fine. She had been spending all her time looking after our kids lately, so I needed to let her spread her wings occasionally.

“Have fun.”

“Thanks, Souma.”

Liscia gave me a kiss, then was out of the room in a flash. She was as brave as ever.

“Now then... I guess I’ll go help Roroa.”

I left the room to attend to my own work.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Juna... Oh, no, Lady Juna.”

With the battle about to start shortly, the lorelei Komari Corda, who was wrapped in a dress of spring colors, struck up a conversation with Juna while they were waiting in the wings of the stage.

Juna, who wore a blue dress, looked very noble and beautiful. Even now that she was married, none of her glimmer had faded.

“Just Juna is fine, Komari,” she said with a smile.

“No, you’re a queen, Lady Juna...”

“It’s really all right. When I’m standing in front of the Jewel Voice Broadcast, I want to be myself.”

“...I understand. Juna.”

Touched by Juna’s soft smile, Komari sensed anew at how great a presence the one they called the Prima Lorelei possessed.

In general, the word lorelei was synonymous with the term idol back on Earth, so Juna, who could no longer be an idol after marrying Souma, was called a singer like Margarita.

However, the people still referred to her not as a singer, but as the Prima Lorelei. As if the words Prima Lorelei had been separated from the concept of what a lorelei was.

The title Prima Lorelei had become Juna’s alone. That showed how great the people’s support for her was, even now.

For Komari, who was referred to as the Post-Juna, her successor, Juna was an ideal she strived toward, but also a great wall she hoped to someday transcend.

That was why she had spoken to her: to convey that resolve.

“I am here because you saw something in me. I couldn’t be more grateful for that. Which is why... I want you to listen to my songs on the opposing team.”

“.........”

In this program, the singers would also be split into two teams, cheering for the attackers and defenders, respectively. In short, they would be competing against one another as well.

Komari was on the attacking side, while Juna was on the defending side. Their voices would collide on the battlefield, and allow the men to fight their hardest.

“I’ll sing with everything I have,” Komari started, placing her hand over her breast. “So that I can pull the music industry as your replacement. So that I can put on a performance that doesn’t make me ashamed to be the one you chose, your successor. I intend to repay that favor by showing you, through this project, just how much I’ve grown.”

“...Is that so?” Juna erased her smile and listened to Komari’s bold proclamation with a serious face. Then, looking her straight in the eye, she said, “I can see your resolve. But there’s one part of what you said that concerns me.”

“...What might that be?”

“That you’re replacing me. Am I already a person of the past to you? Does my marriage to His Majesty somehow decrease my appeal as a singer? Is that, perhaps, what you’re trying to say?”

There was a quiet but intense emotion hidden in those words.

“......!” Intimidated by the air around Juna, Komari gulped.

It was like she was looking at a blue flame. Hot despite looking cold. This dignified air that overwhelmed those who saw her was that of a queen, no matter how Juna might try to deny it.

As Komari stood there speechless, Juna looked to the side. When she did, the air of dignity around her vanished.

What’s going on? Komari wondered as she followed Juna’s line of sight. There she saw Souma talking to Roroa who had just finished presenting. He must have come here when he finished his speech to the soldiers. No sooner had he joined them than...

“Darlin’, I know you just got here, but you’ve got a job to do!”

“...I know, but the schedule’s pretty tight, huh?”

It seemed he would be compiling the reports that came in from around the experiment site. Because Souma’s ability specialized in paperwork, people looked to him to do the work even though he was king.

“Desk work even here, huh? It’s just as tiring as always.”

“Nyahaha, it’d be nice if there were a song that strengthened your magic, though. Know any good ones? Like a labor song for filling out paperwork.”

“Hm... Day-O, maybe?”

“What kinda song’s that?”

“In between the lyrics, there are call and response segments about how they want to go home.”

“Listening to that’d kill your morale...”

...Is being a king that much hard work? Komari was a little weirded out. Then Juna, who had been listening to the two of them, chuckled.

“Um, was there anything in that conversation to laugh at?” Komari asked.

“Don’t you worry. This happens all the time.”

“All the time...?”

“You couldn’t leave him alone, right? That’s exactly why I want to be by his side, supporting him,” Juna said, clasping her hands in front of her chest as if she were singing.

“In meeting him, and meeting all the people around him, I’ve been touched by so many kinds of love. Romantic, parental, familial... It’s an invaluable time, walking with those important to me, and the joy of life itself. Now that I understand that, I can sing even more powerfully than before. About love, dreams, belief, sadness, and the joy of being alive right now.”

They should have been kind words, but they struck deep in Komari’s heart.

This is Juna Souma... she thought. It was a fresh reminder that, even now that her family name had changed, she was still a lorelei loved by the people.

“...Haha! You really are the Prima Lorelei, Juna.”

Komari laughed. It wasn’t a cold laugh, or a laugh of scorn. She was just happy. That Juna, her ideal, and her target, still stood before her as a towering figure.

So she looked Juna straight in the eye, and made a declaration, “Someday, I will transcend you!”

“That’s a wonderful show of resolve. But I won’t clear the way easily, you know? I want you to see me shine. Because we need figures like that.”

“Of course! Now that your shine has grown next to His Majesty, I’ll aim even higher!”

“Hee hee, I’ll look forward to it. Now let’s go.” Juna smiled and extended a hand to her. Komari took it without hesitation.

“Okay! I’ll sing with all my body, all my soul, and all my strength!”

The opening performance of this experiment was a duet by the two loreleis.

◇ ◇ ◇

As the two loreleis sang, the battle began.

They were singing the passionate opening theme of a relatively new robot anime. Pulled along by their voices, the attacking team opened with a strong offensive.

The defending team desperately shot down the fireballs and magic arrows that arched towards them, or deflected them with shields. In the middle of all that, Halbert was just standing on the edge of the wall.

Though he knocked away the occasional attack that came straight at him, from the look on his face, he seemed a bit out of it. What was dominating his head right now wasn’t the battle, but a single woman.

It had happened just yesterday.

“I’m pregnant, you know, Hal.”

His childhood friend who was now his head wife announced in front of Ruby and his parents.

Kaede had seemed a little off recently, but it was apparently because of morning sickness. They had been given a long vacation after their wedding, and used it to travel around to Venetinova and other places, with all three of them making love to their heart’s content, so... Well, it was kind of the obvious outcome.

Naturally, the House of Magna had been turned upside-down by the furor it caused.

His father, Glaive Magna, was overcome with emotion and started slapping Halbert on the back, while his mother, Elba, got teary-eyed as she congratulated her daughter-in-law.

His second wife, Ruby, was as happy for Kaede as she would have been for herself.

Halbert, meanwhile... was so shocked his mind went blank. He’d known this day would come, and even prayed for it too. Yet it was so sudden, he couldn’t process it.

Then, snapped back to his senses by the pain of Glaive continually slapping him on the back, it slowly dawned on him, and the emotion rapidly welled up inside him.

“Aw... yeahhhhhhhh!” Halbert lifted Kaede up and spun her around.

“Whoa! Hold on, Hal?!”

When Souma discovered he was going to be a father in the Republic, he was disappointed that Liscia wasn’t there in front of him. But Kaede was here, right in front of Halbert, and so he hugged her as he burst with joy.

Though, he’d gotten carried away, so...

“““Take care of her!”””

...Ruby and his parents all shouted at him.

For that reason, Kaede wasn’t participating in this mock battle. There were apparently a large number of people who couldn’t participate for similar reasons.

Two months after all those weddings in the capital, there was an epidemic of morning sickness in the newlywed families. It would be followed by a baby boom the next year.

Now, some days later, Halbert was thinking about it with muddled thoughts. I’m... gonna be someone’s old man, huh...?

“You’re too dazed, Hal.”

The next thing he knew, Ruby was standing next to him. Because there were to be no air forces involved in this mock battle, Ruby the red dragon was only allowed to participate in her human form.

This was the first time in a long time that Halbert would be fighting on the ground alone.

Putting her hands on her hip, Ruby shook her head in dismay. “I’m sure this is about Kaede and the baby, right? Well, get your act together. You’re the ace of the defending team.”

“Well, yeah... I know that, but still.”

“Besides, I’m sure Kaede is watching this broadcast while on maternity leave, you know?” Ruby pointed to the broadcast jewels positioned here and there around the battlefield. “Don’t you need to show off how cool you are? Dad?”

“...Darn straight I do.” Halbert readied his spear, and looked down at the soldiers swarming towards the walls below. “I’m not ready to be a dad yet, but I don’t want to let her see me looking uncool!”

“Hee hee, that’s the way to be. You remember your order, right?”

“Of course. You stay on task, too, Ruby.”

This time, their orders from the commander of the defense team, Ludwin, had them acting independently.

They listened, and the music had changed to a firey song by the orpheus unit, Yaiba.

In terms of the anime songs from Souma’s world, this would be the sort of theme used when rising up against a massive enemy and turning things around. The energetic song spurred on the attacking team, and in turn, made it harder for the defending team to act.

That being the case, the defenders had to go on the offense.

Halbert turned around, giving the order to the Dratroopers who were waiting behind him.

“Hit them where it looks like you can push in! Let’s show the people of this country what the Dratroopers can do!”

“““Yeahhhhh!”””

The men’s morale was high. If they stood out here, the girls out there watching the broadcast might squeal over them. It’d give them something to brag about to women in the tavern, too.

These single men who had been forced to watch all of Halbert, Kaede, and Ruby’s flirting were desperate for partners of their own. Even for the one-in-three who was married, their families were sure to be watching the broadcast, so they wanted to stand out, too.

“And... Drop!” On Hal’s order, Ruby and the Dratroopers threw themselves over the edge of the wall. “Ooh, rahhhh!”

“Whoa!”

“Wh-What is with this unit’s strength?!”

Halbert and the Dratroopers were an elite unit, and they went around to places where the defense seemed ready to break, joining the fray and pushing back the attackers.

The song that had been playing up until then stopped, and a new tune began to play.

This time it was an orchestral piece without singing, included in this experiment to help measure the effect of lyrics. Incidentally, because they were looking for battle songs, many of the pieces were game music from Souma’s world.

The one that just ended played in the castle scenes of a game where you explore a cave and collect treasure. This piece, which rearranged the main theme into something with composure and dignity, made the attackers imagine high walls, and highly damaged their morale.

Halbert destroyed a few enemies’ armor with his flaming spears, then let out a sigh. Because he wasn’t allowed to use the Twin Snake Spears that he always trained with, he was using two spears provided for the experiment.

“This is a cinch. If this’s all they’ve got, we’ll be able to defend until time’s—Guh?!”

Before he could finish that line, Halbert got a bad feeling and doubled over backwards. When he felt the wind rush past his nose, a number of the Dratroopers who had been in front of him moments ago were flying through the air.

Halbert continued to do a backwards flip, and when he landed, he saw a person in front of him who had just finished a full swing of her greatsword.

Tch! I have to fight against that again...? Halbert mentally clicked his tongue.

The music had just changed to the sort of thing used to hype the arrival of an invincible general. The defenders, faced with a person wielding a greatsword, cried out despite themselves.

“““I-It’s Lady Aisha!”””

“...Hahh!”

Facing those soldiers, Aisha slammed her greatsword into the ground. In the next instant, a gust arose that blasted more than ten of them into the air, scattering them like leaves.

“Having to use magic with every attack... It’s a troublesome rule, don’t you think?” Aisha sighed as she watched.

Normally, she fought with a style that relied on the weight of her greatsword and the strength which let her swing it about with ease. Though she did attack with magic blades of wind, too, that was only when there was a distance between her and her opponent, so she wasn’t used to fighting while imbuing every attack with magic.

That was because, if she were using her regular greatsword, she didn’t need to imbue it with magic; her blade didn’t even need to be sharp, she would crush her opponents to death with the weight of the thing.

However, she wasn’t using that sword this time; she was using a sword that looked similar on the outside, but was made of wood from the God-Protected Forest. In order to blow them away effectively, she had to use magic.

“This is not a fight I am familiar with, but to answer his majesty’s expectations of me, I—Ah?!”

Kaching! A sound more high-pitched than anything you’d expect from a training weapon echoed. Two spears of flame swung down on her greatsword, which she had instantly used to block the attack from above.

“Today’s the day I stop you, Young Miss Aisha!”

“Sir Halbert, huh!”

In the instant they traded blows, their eyes met and sparks flew between them.

After their momentary encounter, Aisha swung with all her might, and Halbert made a nimble landing meters away. Her usual dumb strength brought a strained smile to Halbert’s face.

“I didn’t expect you to be on the attacking side. Don’t you need to guard the castle where your husband is?”

“I was told to stand on the attacking side to maintain the balance of power. In order to go be with His Majesty, I will slip past you here!”

“You think it’ll be that easy?!”

Their weapons clashed and grinded as they jostled against one another. If it weren’t for magical reinforcement, both of their weapons would have been shattered by now.

“...Are your wives not with you today?”

“Ruby’s here, but elsewhere. Kaede’s on maternity leave.”

“Ohh, she’s with child. I am happy for you.”

“Thanks... Oh, no, I should say ‘Thank you,’ huh?”

“You’re a friend of His Majesty, it is fine to speak like you normally would. I am naturally inclined to be a bit more formal.”

Their conversation was idle chatter, but their arms never stopped swinging their weapons. It was amazing they could keep up a conversation next to that banging noise.

The conflict continued a while before Aisha began to overwhelm Halbert with her natural strength. Now at a disadvantage, Halbert clicked his tongue, “You’ve got the same dumb brute strength as ever...”

“And you don’t have Madam Carla and Madam Kaede with you this time, either. If I let myself lose to you when you’re not on Ruby’s back, I will never be able to defeat that man.”

“...Fuuga, huh? Then I can’t lose, either!”

Halbert desperately held out against Aisha’s fierce attack.

“““Whoa, whaaaaaaa?!””” The nearby soldiers were blown away by the shock waves of their battle.

“When the time comes, it’s gonna be my job to take that bastard down! So...”

“It is my duty to defend His Majesty from that man! So...”

““I can’t afford to lose!””

“Hey, hey, you two sure are getting worked up.” In the middle of their test of wills, an easygoing voice came down from above. “Ookyakya! Let me in on this, too!”

Kaching! As a cudgel swung down from behind together with those words, Aisha blocked it without turning back, using only her gauntleted left hand. The music had already changed from that of the undefeated general to a jaunty tune from something that might have played in the original monkey’s great adventure.

Aisha glared behind her and said, “If that was meant to be a surprise attack, you shouldn’t have shouted first, Sir Kuu.”

“In this festive atmosphere, it’d feel boorish to launch a sneak attack. That’s why I gave you a shout, Bro’s wife.” His attack parried, Kuu did a flip to land beside Halbert. “I’m gonna take the redhead’s side. That should be a fair handicap, right?”

“Be my guest. It will make this better training for me.”

“Wait, did you get permission from Souma? You’re not from this country, right?”

When Halbert asked, Kuu let out a hooting laugh.

“There’s no way I could stay out of something so fun. I appealed to Bro directly, and got his permission to participate. He gave me some condition about staying away from the experimental observation posts, and the data gatherers, and a bunch of other stuff, though.”

Halbert, who had been having a hard time alone, grinned. “Oh, yeah...? Well, give me a hand then, would you?”

“You got it.”

“Heheh. Very well. I will smash both of you.”

As Aisha boasted, Halbert and Kuu both kicked off the ground towards her.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile...

In another place, amidst a raging thunderstorm, the sparks of an intense battle were spreading. It was clear skies a moment ago, and now this sudden thunderstorm? And mixed with sparks? The viewers might have been left wondering, but there were, in fact, sparks flying on the battlefield as it was pounded by the tempest. In the middle of all of it...

“Tahhhhhhhhhh!”

“Daryahhhhhhh!”

Zukabakidokozubashucchuindokan!

In the middle of all of it, the hero with a red and silver scarf traded blows with the Emperor of Evil. It was the protagonist of the Kingdom’s popular tokusatsu show, Overman Silvan, and his ultimate nemesis, the Great Evil Ogre Emperor, Akki Taitei. It seemed like a good opportunity to see how music affected Ivan and Moltov’s illusions or performance.

In addition, because Ivan was known as the actor who played Silvan, we decided it would confuse the children if he was seen fighting normal soldiers instead of monsters and villains, so we had his father Moltov face him in the guise of Akki Taitei. It meant father and son would be fighting for real, but they fought all the time, so that was no issue.

The song currently playing on the battlefield was the Silvan theme song, sung by Nanna. Thanks to it being their own theme music, the two of them were fired up, and sparks flew as their fists collided; their moves left afterimages, and countless phantasmal Silvans and Akki Taiteis appeared around them then vanished. It looked like they were moving at high speed, fighting one another all over the place, and it may have made Souma whisper, “What kind of warrior race are these people from...?”

Rain fell when they stared each other down, and when they collided, sparks flew and lightning struck. Even knowing it was all an illusion, the storm of intense special effects made soldiers on both sides stay away. No, actually, it wasn’t so much fear as a feeling they shouldn’t interfere that kept them from approaching. Sort of like how people feel bad walking in front of a person who’s trying to take a photograph.

There was no reinforcement magic on their bodies, by the way. Though the effects were flashy, all they were really doing was beating the crap out of one another. With no magical armor to decide the winner and loser, their battle had turned into a quagmire.

As Souma thought, The one who runs out of stamina first loses...

The music changed to an ominous melody.

It sounded like a piece that heralded the coming of a one-winged angel, and Silvan and Akki Taitei both stopped. They looked up as the section that celebrated the arrival of a warrior played, and red wings alighted on the wall in front of them.

“Why...? Why?!” the figure cried out.

That person slapped the wall with the reptilian tail that protruded from her rump, clenching her fists as she spread her wings wide. Her highly revealing, swimsuit-like outfit, which was open in the middle, exaggerated her cleavage as she puffed her chest out and shouted.

“Why do I have to dress like this agaiiiiiiiiiiin?!” The cry of her soul echoed across the battlefield, and Ivan and Moltov’s eyes widened.

“Is that Miss Dran?!”

“...Young Miss Carla?!”

The one who had landed on the wall was Carla, in the sexy villain costume of Miss Dran. Her face was red with shame, and her eyes wet with tears.

“Here I thought... I could participate in a training exercise for the first time in so long. I was happy to be able to serve as a warrior once more, so why do I have to wear this getup?! Urgh! I hate myself for underestimating that person. I thought she wouldn’t be so unreasonable while she was pregnant, but I never expected her to have already ordered the other maids to block my escape...” Carla muttered to herself, her eyes like those of a dead fish.

The person Carla was talking about must have been the head maid, Serina. Incidentally, though she just sort of threw that out there like it was nothing, Serina was pregnant with Poncho’s child.

Being the capable woman she was, Serina had predicted the coming baby rush, and taken action immediately, so this was to be expected. As for what action she had taken, please understand that everyone was concerned by Poncho’s sudden weight loss. This was why Komain, who had become pregnant like Serina, had stayed behind in the capital with her.

Given the family of workaholics she came from, it seemed Serina didn’t intend to go on maternity leave until the last possible moment, and the way she was working at the castle, even now, had Poncho and her maids worried.

With all this, Carla had expected to be able to fight without Serina’s eyes on her for the first time in so, so long. However, the next thing she knew, the other maids had hidden her clothes as she slept, and the only thing she had to put on other than her underwear was Miss Dran’s sexy costume.

Her colleagues had put their hands together, begging her forgiveness, as they explained this was on Serina’s orders—who was probably watching the broadcast from the capital with a smile.

Carla looked at Ivan and Moltov with muddy eyes. “I’m sorry, but... I will be taking this sadness out on you.”

“W-Wait, Carla... No, Miss Dran!” Ivan pleaded.

“Calm yourself, Miss Dran!”

They made a point of calling her Miss Dran for the viewers’ benefit, but that ended up enraging Carla.

“Don’t call me that naaaaame!”

Countless balls of fire launched forth from Carla’s arms, and they rained down with a Boom, boom, boom.

These were real fireballs, not illusory ones. Getting hit would leave no trace behind. Ivan and Moltov broke into a sweat as they looked to one another with a nod. They extended their hands forward and shouted in unison, ““Deploy illusion!””

When they did, countless Overman Silvans and Akki Taiteis appeared. At a glance, there had to be hundreds of them. It was almost like a duplication technique. They hid among the illusions as they tried to escape the area. However, it wasn’t going to be so easy.

“Heheheh, we’ve worked on the same program, so of course I know about your abilities. That the illusions you make are without form, and lack the presence of a living person.” Carla narrowed her eyes as she looked around. There were countless Silvans and Akki Taiteis, but she only felt life from two of them. She formed a fireball in the palm of her hand, and the corners of her mouth turned upwards. “...Heheheh, I fouuuund you.”

The ball of fire shot straight toward Ivan and Moltov.

““Nwahhhhhhh?!””

The direct hit blasted both of them into the air. With the originals gone, the illusions vanished, and only Carla’s flames remained.

“Hahaha, burn! Burn away, along with my memories!”

The image of her as an evil queen was burned into the viewers’ memories instead. No one approached the scorched earth, and for some time Carla’s desperate laughter echoed through the area.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, behind the scenes of that intense fighting...

“Sire. I’d like the records of that battle just now.”

“Hm... Does listening to your own theme song increase the power? Maybe I should make theme songs for Aisha, Hal, and the other powerful warriors. Like the themes that play when a pro wrestler enters the ring.”

Souma and his group were carefully recording the results of Ivan, Moltov, and Carla’s battle. When he finished recording, Souma looked up at the simple receiver which showed images of Carla going wild.

“She’s gone too far,” he sighed. “The evil female commander won.”

Both the hero and his nemesis were blown away by Miss Dran. Souma was wracking his brain over how to explain this development to the viewers.

Incidentally, this utter domination by Carla would go on to be discussed by the viewers as the one episode where Miss Dran awakened and, unable to control her great power, went out of control, and even defeated her master Akki Taitei along with Silvan. Silvan would undergo intense training to defeat her in the next episode. But that’s another story.

◇ ◇ ◇

Now, let’s get back to the battlefield.

Maybe because the battle had been engineered to produce a stalemate, the attacking and defending teams pushed back and forth, neither side achieving dominance.

In the main camp of the attacking team, Excel Walter watched the proceedings unfold with boredom. It might have been hot out, because she was sitting in a chair beneath something like a beach parasol, fanning herself as she watched the battle on a simple receiver.

“Because the focus of this event is on the magic experiment, we haven’t been allowed to use any tactic other than pure force. I have nothing to do. It’s such a pain to be in this position now. If only I could leave someone else to be commander, and go out to fight as one of the common soldiers... Hold on?”

The hand holding Excel’s fan stopped. Looking like she had come up with an idea, she clapped her hands and folded up her fan before rising from her seat.

“Now that I think about it, I was never told, ‘The commanders must sit quietly in their main camps.’ Well, then. I suppose that means I can participate!” With a devilish smile, Excel opened her closed fan once more. “Hee hee, they said the ones who stand out the most win, so maybe I’ll give this battlefield a little more flair.”

“Wh-What is that?!”

“The water’s rising?!”

The soldiers fighting on the south side of the fortress all gulped, regardless of which side they were fighting on. The water in the river south of the fortress suddenly surged upwards. Then the vast amount of water transformed into a great five-headed snake, its heads all poised to strike the fortress.

“I-Is that...?! There’s no mistaking it, it’s the same as from back then!”

“It’s Duchess Walter! Duchess Walter’s magic!”

“I-If we stay here, won’t we attackers get caught up in it, too?”

The water snake was familiar to those soldiers that participated in the battle in the Union of Eastern Nations to divert the incoming monster assault. However, now, standing at the base of the snake, Excel looked dissatisfied.

“I knew it... It looks a little thin. It would be better if it had the volume of water that the Dabicon provided, but I suppose this is the most I can expect from a river like this.”

It was true that the serpent she had given birth to was a size smaller than the one from the Dabicon. The river running by the forest was little more than an oversized stream, and it did not have that much volume. Even so, from the point of view of the soldiers, it was no less of a threat.

Excel refocused, and looked towards the fortress. “Well, if I try to control too much, my magical power will run dry in no time. This is fine. Now... What will you do, defending team?”

As she said that, Excel pointed her fan toward the fortress. When she did, one of the five snake heads rushed towards the fortress like a water cannon.

The song playing at that time came from the most famous kaiju movie in Souma’s old country. Hearing music that seemed to stir terror in people, the defenders felt as terrified as if a massive creature were attacking them. However...

“There’s not much that needs to be done.”

Bwoooooosh...!

Flames suddenly rose from the battlefield to evaporate the snake head in an instant. The next thing she knew, there was a girl in a red scale dress that looked out of place on the battlefield standing in front of Excel with a defiant look in her eyes. Her red hair streamed behind her, and a reptilian tail protruded from her rear.

Excel’s eyes narrowed as she regarded the girl and said, “I believe you’re... from the House of Magna, yes?”

“Yes, Duchess Walter. I am Halbert Magna’s wife Ruby.” As she introduced herself, Ruby produced flames in the palm of her hand. “Sir Ludwin predicted this. Knowing how capricious you are, it seemed likely you would want to come out and play. That’s why I, who have power to rival your own, was ordered to keep you under control.”

“Hee hee, Lord Ludwin understands me well. But you on your own won’t be enough to stop me now.” Excel was smiling, but her eyes shone like a raptor that had sighted its prey. “It’s true that you have considerable magical power as a member of the dragon race. However, under current rules, you must fight in human form. Because using air power is forbidden. And the amount of force you can exert in that form is limited, right?”

“...You know your stuff.”

“I am Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force, after all. I am well acquainted with this country’s strengths in war. So let me ask you again. Do you truly believe you can stop me in that form?”

When she said that, Excel turned the remaining four snake heads towards Ruby and had them lunge. Ruby loosed flames from both her hands as she stepped back, causing two snakes to evaporate.

“How naive.”

Before Ruby knew it, one of the water snakes had circled around behind her. Then the last snake came from the front, threatening her with a pincer attack. Ruby dug her heels in, spreading her arms wide, and threw fire at both snakes.

Hisssssssssss...!

“Urgh...!” she grunted.

However, Ruby couldn’t fully evaporate them. That was because Excel kept up the supply of water to them. The power of the flames kept things at a stalemate, but Ruby couldn’t knock the attack aside.

The steam hung in the air around the two of them. Then...

“Do you know they call me, ‘the mage who is unbeatable anywhere there is fresh water?’” Excel said, creating a new snake head to menace Ruby, who was unable to move. Its lips were upturned in a crescent shape. “That’s because, in any place where there is fresh water, I can wield my magic more efficiently. Now, let’s have you step aside.”

“Urgh... To think you can control this much magic when in a human form. It’s not fair...”

“Call it whatever you like. Now, I’m going to strike the final blow.”

The water snake assaulted Ruby from above, when...

Crack!

Lightning flashed through the sky, and the water snake was blown away.

“Huh?!”

Excel took a huge jump back in surprise, and two bolts of lightning came down where she had just been standing. This broke Excel’s magic, and Ruby was finally set free. A black figure who had a tail on her rump and a pair of antlers that were even larger than Excel’s growing through her glossy black hair landed, then turned to Ruby.

“Looks like you’re having some trouble. Want help?”

“...You’re being a busybody, Naden.”

Naden already looked ready for battle, her hair standing on end, and sparks crackling around her as she slapped the ground with her tail.

The sudden intrusion of Naden made Excel chuckle. “Oh, my. The second secondary queen is joining the fray, too?”

“For the same reason as Ruby over there. Souma asked me to stop you if you came out to play. You did help me with those lessons of yours, but I won’t let you go any further.”

“Hee hee, now this is interesting. Both of you come at me together.”

Excel spread her arms and created more snakes. Eight of them this time. When she witnessed Excel’s incredible magical power, Naden spun her arms in circles with a resigned sigh.

“...This is going to be tough if I can’t take ryuu form. Ruby?”

“I know. I’ll take you up on your offer to face her together.”

“Don’t get in my way, stupid Ruby.”

“I could say the same, dumb Naden.”

Even as they argued, they readied themselves for the fight, and then ran towards their joint foe.

Excel sent two water snakes at them, but they nimbly dodged. Ruby launched a great ball of fire toward Excel, who had a water snake coil around her, forming a wall, and blocking the attack. Piercing through the steam created when they canceled each other out, Naden rushed in close to Excel, her body wreathed in electricity.

Excel sent a water snake after Naden and shouted, “Come to me, ancestor of the sea serpent race!”

“I’m not as old as your five hundred years!”

Their attacks collided, and the splash of water sparkled with electricity. The soldiers who witnessed this battle later reported it was like a fight between three massive beasts. Fortunately, the theme playing at the time was the theme song of a film where three kaiju fight a great war.

◇ ◇ ◇

The excitement on the battlefield was reaching its peak.

I was in a room deep inside the fortress the defending team was protecting, fighting with the reports delivered by researchers from the Royal Academy and Ginger’s Vocational School.

“Your majesty, reporting from Observation Point 8. Track number 28. Effect witnessed on defending side,” said a researcher.

Another followed up with, “Report from Observation Point 14. Track number 52. No effect detected.”

“Observation Point 2! The battle between Duchess Walter, Queen Naden, and Lady Magna has become too loud to hear the music!”

“Also from Observation Point 2! The aftermath of their battle has caused a large number of casualties!”

“Don’t talk all at once! I can write several things at once, but there’s still only one of me!” I shouted despite myself. I might have sounded angry, but it was a cry of desperation. I wasn’t Prince Shoutoku; if they talked at me at the same time, I wasn’t going to be able to hear them all.

If they were talking in front of my note-taking machine, Factory Arm, it would at least be able to think independently. But even if it could do that, it couldn’t respond, so I had to do what I could with my main body.

“I only need the records, so talk to the Factory Arm,” I said. “Also, let them do whatever they want over where Excel is. Even if we told her to lay off, she wouldn’t listen. Oh! But make sure you get all the data.”

“Yes, sir. It will be done.”

Having sent all matters that didn’t require me to talk over to the Factory Arm, the number of people dropped a little, and I was able to catch my breath.

The three simple receivers set up in the room all showed images of the soldiers fighting. They were going all out while listening to the loreleis sing.

I could only smile wryly at the fact that the showiest places were Aisha, Hal and Kuu’s, and Naden, Excel and Ruby’s, all people I knew personally.

...Watching this, it does look like the music has an effect.

Listening to music elevated the power of the imagination, which had an effect on magic. When cheerful music that urged the soldiers to fight played, the attackers pushed forward, and when music played that made you imagine a solid defense, the defenders pushed back.

The most impressive was the orchestral showdown between the theme of “an action-adventure puzzle-solving game that featured a mark similar to the Hojo Clan’s family crest” vs. “the theme that played in the rebel army base in the second installment of a major RPG everyone in Japan would know.” These were the pieces that gave me the strongest sense of offense and defense.

I tried having them played together, and I could clearly see that when the former played, the attackers gained momentum, and when the latter played, the defenders rallied. These two themes could probably be used in actual combat.

From the reports I’d seen, the presence of lyrics made no real difference. That was likely because, on the battlefield, there was no time to listen to them. However, in a situation where they could hear the lyrics, or where they knew the words in advance, like with the Lunarian Orthodox hymn that strengthened healing magic, the outcome might have been different. I wanted to perform tests under a variety of different conditions, and record lots of results.

“Your Majesty, we received a report from the medical team.” The head of the Work Songs Society, Morse, who had initially proposed this experiment, brought me some papers.

“By the medical team, you mean the group that has the legal loli lorelei Pamille Carol with them to test the effect of music on healing magic, right?”

“Legal... Uh, what are you talking about?”

“Uh, never mind that part. How did it go?”

“...It really does seem like their ability to form a mental image is the key,” Morse said as he handed me the report. “When they cast healing magic on the wounded while singing the Lunarian Orthodox hymn, the effect was different depending on whether or not the injured soldiers were believers of Lunarian Orthodoxy or not. This is a fascinating result.”

“Hm? The magic relies on a mental image, right? Wasn’t this the result you anticipated?” I asked.

The ones who had an image of the hymn healing people were the believers, right? If the followers of other faiths were told this was the mercy of Lady Lunaria, it wasn’t going to feel quite so real to them. In the country I came from, everyone sang the hymns during weddings, but unless they were Christian they probably didn’t have any image of the Lord’s grace.

When people prayed for divine intervention, it was either to Amaterasu, or to the Buddha. Or maybe their ancestors. That’s why I had a vague sense that hymns would only work for followers of the same faith, but according to Morse that was not the case.

“Sire. The predicted result was that adherence to Lunarian Orthodoxy would only be relevant for the magic users. If songs have an effect on magic, it should only influence the mages originally casting the spells.”

“Hm... Oh! I see now. As the recipients, the wounded soldiers’ faith shouldn’t matter at all. But it actually is involved somehow, you’re saying.”

“Yes. In short, recovery magic does not only exhibit a magical reaction from the caster, but from the subject, too. It’s truly fascinating.” Morse laughed with that handsome voice of his.

The recovery magic in this world cured external injuries by activating the body’s natural ability to heal. That was the explanation why it didn’t work on illnesses. Though the one elevating the body’s natural ability to heal was the caster, that ability itself belonged to the subject. In that case, the mental image of the subject might be important, too.

“Is that why they have everyone sing the hymn when they use Area Heal? Not to have the casters hear it, but to make the wounded imagine themselves being healed.”

“I imagine that’s likely the case.”

I didn’t know if Lunarian Orthodoxy did that because they understood it. Like Merula had said before, it might have become a custom because it was most effective when they did it that way. From a routine, to a custom, to a tradition, huh?

Then, perhaps having listened to our conversation, Ginger came and handed me a report. “This is a report from that medical team. It seems there were non-religious songs that increased the recovery effect, too. One surprising choice was ‘the song sung by three villains’ from your world. When people heard it, they said, ‘I’m not gonna let them beat me,’ and it actually made them more energetic.”

“Oh, so that sort of image works, too, huh...” I said. “Maybe in addition to divine blessings, songs that make you envision relaxation and health, immortality and indomitable spirit might have an effect, too.”

Those three villains’ song definitely had an image of invincibility and indomitable spirit.

But a hospital (or church) with their theme playing, huh...? That sounded fun, but it would also make this country seem even more absurd. I felt like I’d get another lecture from Liscia, so I crossed my arms and groaned.

“We’ve made a discovery that should be useful to the research magic in an unexpected place. The researchers at the Academy should be thrilled. That alone is enough to have made this experiment worthwhile.”

“Yes, I agree,” Ginger replied. “I believe there is value in continuing the research.”

“I would like to continue with my research as well,” Morse followed up.

This sort of experiment was too big to carry out easily, but they could continue and develop their research using the data gathered here. Morse had drifted to Ginger’s Vocational School because of how preposterous his research seemed, but views of him were bound to change now. If his studies found acclaim, this research that had been overlooked as meaningless by the Academy might be given the chance for further consideration.

That sort of academic development should become a great strength for this country.

Unlike Fuuga’s Malmkhitan, which bordered the Demon Lord’s Domain, we had nowhere to expand our territory without fighting an external war. That was why we needed to develop on an academic and technical level instead. We needed more and more powers, like our knowledge in the field of medicine, and the carrier Hiryuu, which other countries did not possess.

While I was thinking about that, “Ah!” Ginger suddenly mumbled to himself.

“What is it?”

“It seems something has happened on the battlefield.” Ginger was pointing towards the place where Aisha and the others’ battle was unfolding.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Hahhhhhhhhhh!”

“Whoa?!”

Though Kuu blocked a swing of Aisha’s greatsword with his cudgel, he was still sent flying a good distance. He used his agility to flip through the air and land on his feet, but there was cold sweat running down his cheeks.

“S-Scary, scary. If I hadn’t jumped in time with the impact, I’d have been crushed, weapon and all.”

“Hahh... Hahh... Her strength’s in another league, isn’t it?”

Halbert, who was winded from having been sent flying earlier, lined up beside Kuu.

They were both very capable, and were now fighting together, but were still unable to land a single effective blow on Aisha.

Kuu put on a forced smile as he wiped his brow. “Ookyakya... You’re so strong it’s not even funny anymore, Bro’s Wife #2. Is Bro gonna be okay living the newlywed life with her when he’s such a weakling himself?”

“...Oh, that explains it,” Halbert said.

“Huh?”

“Earlier, I heard him grumbling, ‘My back hurts thanks to Aisha...’”

“...Not his hips? Just what are those two getting up to?”

Kuu seemed a little put off by this revelation, but Aisha must have heard them, because her brown skin turned a brighter shade of red.

“N-N-N-N-Nothing really, I just forgot my promise... and squeezed a little too tight...”

Isn’t it dangerous if she can accidentally injure his back like that?! they both thought in unison.

The two were even more weirded out now. In order to mask her embarrassment, Aisha swung her sword even harder. They still somehow managed to dodge the blades of wind that she produced with each swing.

“Whoa, watch out! She’s not holding back anymore!”

“Ookyakya! Scary, but... it’s not a bad situation. Hey, redhead!”

“What is it, whitehead?!”

“We’re gonna keep Aisha’s focus on us for a while.”

“...Sounds like you’ve got a plan. I’m in.”

They closed in while dodging Aisha’s blades of wind, then, as they swung their cudgel and spear at her, they spoke with their normal voices.

“What do you talk about in bed with Souma?”

“Is Bro ever proactive in bed?”

They decided to use dirty talk to catch her attention. When Aisha heard them, she turned an even deeper red.

“A-A-As if I could ever tell!”

Aisha kept swinging her greatsword, trying to pull the two of them apart. The two had done a brilliant (?) job of getting her attention. Then, sensing now was the time, Kuu raised his left hand.

Just at that moment, the track that began playing was the main theme to the game adaptation of a manga about a hard-boiled sniper. Then...

...Whoosh!

Something flew over Aisha’s ear from far in the distance. She turned to her side, and saw an arrow coming straight towards her, and Leporina, who must have fired that arrow, standing on a large boulder.

A sniper?! Oh, no!

Aisha tried to chase off the incoming arrow, but it came directly after Hal and Kuu’s attacks, leaving her off balance. There was no way to dodge or block it like this.

Am I out of options? she thought, only to be interrupted by the sound of hooves and the whinny of a horse...

“You let your guard down too much, Aisha.”

The person who came riding in on a white horse cut the arrow down. When they saw who the sudden interloper was, everyone’s eyes went wide.

“Lady Liscia?!” Aisha exclaimed.

“Whaa?! Bro’s Wife #1?!”

“Huh?! The princess... No, the queen?! Why is she here?!”

“It looks like fun, so I want in,” Liscia said with a smile. “Aisha, leave the rabbit over there to me. You stop these two.”

“...Oh! U-Understood!”

Having come to her senses, Aisha managed to give that much of a response, and then Liscia was off at a gallop, heading towards Leporina.

“Huh? I have to face Queen Liscia?! Master Kuu?!”

Kuu heard Leporina’s bewildered cries in the distance, but unable to do anything about them, he just gave her an off-handed, “Good luck!”

Leporina loosed arrows as she fled, but Liscia cut them out of the air as she gave chase. The fleeing Leporina and pursuing Liscia. It was a scene that looked like a rabbit hunt.

“Eeek! Stay away from meeee!”

“You’re fast, and you’ve got good aim. But a challenge always gets me fired up.”

Liscia looked like she was having fun, and she kept chasing the teary-eyed Leporina. As he watched, Kuu couldn’t help but mutter, “All of Bro’s wives are a little too energetic...”

“...You’ve got a point.”

Halbert could find no words to disagree with him.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Liscia’s so full of life,” I said to myself, sighing as I watched her enjoy her rabbit hunt on the other side of the simple receiver.

She was really in her element. Having to look after the children all the time lately must have left her itching for this. Cian and Kazuha were cute enough that she didn’t mind, but she was a warrior trained by Georg, and she must have wanted to really let loose sometimes.

Suddenly, one of the bureaucrats came in and said, “Y-Your Majesty! This is big!”

“What is? What happened?”

When I asked him, the bureaucrat caught his breath and gave his report. “They’ve breached the walls! Please, head to the hall and prepare to meet them at once!”

“They broke through... Seriously? I thought it was a stalemate...”

I looked to the simple receivers, but all I saw was my wives and companions fighting, the same as before. No matter where I looked, it seemed like the fighting was even.

“Yes. The heads of the attacking and defending teams have thrown the major players at one another, so the places that are being recorded are all at a stalemate. However, in the more ordinary spots, the ones not picked up by the broadcast, there was an ordinary fight, fought with ordinary means, and it has broken through the walls in an ordinary way.”

“Oh... Yeah, I guess that makes sense. It’s not like we’re seeing the whole battlefield.”

I was satisfied with their explanation. There was fighting in the places Ludwin and Excel weren’t concerned with, too, and a result had been decided there.

“It’s not really a satisfying conclusion, but... I guess that can’t be helped. I’ll take it on board as something to learn from.”

I didn’t know if we would be doing this a second time, but if we did, I wouldn’t have them fight in a big, chaotic melee like this. There would be proper routes, and the broadcast jewels would be placed along them.

I feel like that’ll bring it closer to *******’s Castle, though.

“Sire, hurry.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m going.”

At the bureaucrat’s urging, I returned to the hall where I gave my initial speech.

◇ ◇ ◇

“...And so, the winners are the attacking team! Also, the special award for the person who did the most to make things the most exciting goes to Miss Dran for blowing away both Silvan and Akki Taitei.”

“Yayyyyyyy!” ← The crowd roaring.

“...Th-Thanks.” ← Carla wanting to crawl into a hole and die.

“Whew, it’s all done. Lady Roroa was cute as a button, and the whole project was pretty interesting, on the whole, I’d say.”

“Yes. Lady Aisha was as strong and cool as ever.”

With the song battle over, Lucy and Velza, who were both at a restaurant with a terrace overlooking the fountain plaza, both gave their opinions.

Tomoe nodded in satisfaction as she sipped her tea. “Big Sister Liscia was so brave and wonderful, too. And Naden was cool.”

“The fighting was incredible, but the loreleis’ performances were amazing, too. That duet between Madam Juna and Madam Komari was simply enthralling,” Ichiha added enthusiastically.

Tomoe noticed that Yuriga was watching the broadcast in silence. There was no enjoyment on her face, only seriousness.

“What’s wrong, Yuriga?” she asked.

“...Hm?” Yuriga grunted hesitantly. She inclined her head towards Tomoe as if to say, “What?”

“No, um... it’s just that you were just staring so intently.”

“Ohh... I guess I was, huh? I spent the whole time thinking about the purpose of this broadcast. If he’s doing something on this large a scale, there must be some reason for it.”

“P-Purpose...”

Tomoe jumped a little at the mention of it. She had heard from Souma that this was all to, “Investigate the effect of music on magic.” But that information had not been made public. They might figure it out much later, but for now, the people only saw it as another show.

“Big Brother is trying to put on broadcasts that will entertain the people. I guess this is part of that,” Tomoe said. “Look, everyone seems to have enjoyed it, right?”

“Is that a job for the king?” Yuriga said with a sigh. “Honestly, your brother isn’t regal at all, is he?”

“Huh? Uh! Well... Yeah.”

Tomoe was (only slightly) miffed to hear her speak so disrespectfully about the brother she admired. Still, if it meant Yuriga would be satisfied with that answer, that was for the best, so she didn’t push back.

“Did you really think I’d buy that?”

“Huh?!”

Yuriga stared at Tomoe with eyes that seemed to see everything. As Tomoe shuddered, Yuriga shrugged her shoulders in dismay.

“I’ve gradually come to understand it, too. The way your brother’s politics work, I mean. I know the things he does that look pointless often aren’t, and the events he seems to have put no thought into have some deeper intent lurking in the shadows. Even if I can’t figure out what that is.”

“.........”

As Tomoe sat there, unable to respond, Yuriga stared at the broadcast image of Souma. “He’s someone my brother is wary of, after all. I guess you could say that while I may not know what he’s thinking, I know he’s thinking something, at least.”

“Yuriga, you’re...”

Tomoe felt like she saw something in Yuriga’s eyes that resembled the big sister she admired. Liscia once told Souma, “I may not have faith in you, but I do trust you.” ...and Tomoe was reminded of that now. Souma did all these crazy, off-the-wall things, but she knew there was a reason he did them.

Maybe Yuriga feels the same, Tomoe thought. Come to think of it... Yuriga’s personality is similar to Big Sister’s, too.

As a princess who was serious, with a strong will that would not bend once she made up her mind, and a willingness to take up the sword to fight herself, it was true she had a lot in common with Liscia. Even more than Tomoe did, though that was to be expected because they were not blood-related sisters.

In that case... I wonder if Yuriga will grow up to be like Big Sister. She admired Liscia, but though her ability to talk to animals was a valuable asset, it was not suited to combat. No matter how hard she tried, she likely couldn’t be a brave warrior like Liscia.

But Yuriga had that potential.

That’s... kind of frustrating. Tomoe clenched her fists. This was the first inkling of feminine pride inside Tomoe.

The fact was, though she couldn’t touch Yuriga in the realm of physical abilities, in terms of academics, she far exceeded her. This was to be expected, since they each had their own specialties, but Tomoe’s newfound pride as a woman could not accept the loss when it meant she was somehow less of one.

I’m not the same type as Big Sister. I can try all I want, but Yuriga is the one who’ll be more like her. That’s why I have to aim to be someone more womanly than Big Sister... The image of her adoptive big brother’s blue-haired partner flashed through Tomoe’s mind.

The first secondary queen, Juna Souma. Though Juna was also a fighter, her true value was in her beautiful appearance and her refined manner. This was a lady that other women strove to emulate, and one who even Liscia felt slightly inferior to as a woman. I want to be like her, too.

Tomoe felt like she could envision the future she wanted for herself. To be a talented and sexy woman who could support her big brother politically.

I’ll ask Juna for help when I get back. I need her to teach me to be a more wonderful woman. So I won’t lose to Yuriga. Tomoe worked herself up as she clenched her fists.

The other four looked at her mystified.

From this day onward, Tomoe began to learn how to be a woman from Juna, and took her first step towards becoming Tomoe the little devil, who played havoc with the lives of men around her (primarily Souma, Hakuya, and Ichiha), but... that’s a story that comes a little later.

Chapter 2.5: An Unexpected Evolution and Possibility

— Some time after the real song battle ended —

In a clinic in the new city, Venetinova, Hilde stared speechless at her own hands, a beastman woman laid out on the examination table in front of her.

The woman had been deathly pale when she was brought in, but now that the procedure was complete, she was sleeping with a relatively peaceful look on her face. Hilde was the one who was pale now.

“B... Brad... Brad!” Coming back to her senses, she called her husband’s name. Hearing her cries, Brad, who had been in the bedroom with their one-year-old daughter, rushed over.

“Wh-What’s wrong, Hil—”

“Brad!” Hilde jumped at Brad as he arrived. Seizing his white coat, she buried her face in his chest.

Normally Hilde was so good spirited and strong-willed that you might have called her manly. In all of their long time together, Brad had never seen this weak side of her.

“Wh-What?! What in the world is going on?”

“Brad... I may have done something terrible.”

“Terrible?”

Hilde looked up at him, her face still pale. Though she didn’t seem to be crying, she did look frightened of something. Brad gently rubbed Hilde’s back to try to calm her.

“What exactly happened? Did you botch the treatment?” Even as he asked, Brad was sure that couldn’t be it. If she had been about to make an irreversible mistake, she would have called him then, not now.

Brad looked at the beastman woman on the table. Her eyes were closed, but her chest gently rose and fell. Her breathing didn’t seem labored, either. ...As far as I can see, she’s just sleeping.

This wasn’t like surgery, where a botched procedure could directly result in the death of the patient. This woman had come in feeling unwell, and Hilde asked questions, examined her, and then decided whether or not to provide medicine. Brad, who had nothing to do, had been left to take care of Ludia.

Having finally calmed herself, Hilde began to tell him what had transpired, “Brad. I...”

Hilde related the events to Brad in minute detail. As Brad listened, first his eyes widened, then he cocked his head to the side as he failed to understand what Hilde was worried about... then, when he eventually comprehended what it was that she was concerned about, he frowned.

“What should I do, Brad? Should I go into hiding...?”

“Hold on! You’re getting way ahead of yourself!” Brad clapped his hands down on her shoulders. “The first thing we need to do is calm down. Both of us... Also, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side. Ludia will, too.”

“Ah! Ludia!” Hilde brushed off Brad’s arms and took off running. When Brad recovered from his surprise and chased after her, Hilde was looking at their sleeping daughter.

When Brad approached, Hilde leaned against him with tears in her eyes.

“...If it were just me, I might have fled the country and gone into hiding.”

“...Yeah. I would have gone with you, too.”

“But... I don’t want this child to be caught up in it, too. I couldn’t make her suffer like that.”

“I know.” Brad gently embraced Hilde as he came to a decision. “Let’s talk to the king about this.”

“Huh?! But what if...?”

“It’s okay,” Brad said, looking a hesitant Hilde straight in the eye. “If this were any other country, I wouldn’t be saying this. But that king, he wouldn’t mistreat you, no matter what’s happened. That king treasures family. He couldn’t abandon you after you helped his wife to give birth.”

“.........”

Hilde seemed torn, but eventually she accepted.

◇ ◇ ◇

— Several days later —

Having received a message from Brad and Hilde saying, “We wish to meet with you in secret to discuss something important,” I set aside time to meet with the two of them in a room at the castle.

They had indicated that the fewer people present the better, so only Hakuya and Liscia were in attendance, with Aisha outside the door standing guard and keeping others away.

Incidentally, their daughter, Ludia, was being looked after by Elisha and Carla.

“It’s not everyday you come to the castle, huh, Brad?” The looks on their faces were dark, so I decided to open with some lighthearted banter. “Maybe you don’t want to come to the den of the powerful, hmm?”

I tried teasing him for the way he acted like he had a bad case of middle school syndrome, but...

“...The situation left me with no alternative,” Brad responded with a grim look on his face. ...This was apparently going to be a serious talk. Liscia elbowed me in the ribs, as if to say, “You shouldn’t be teasing him.” It kind of hurt.

Brad stood up, and bowed his head deeply. “Please. Lend us your power for Hilde’s sake.”

“Please.” Hilde stood up as well and bowed her head, and my eyes went wide.

“No, lift your heads, please.” I had them sit back down, then started over by asking them, “Please, tell me. What in the world happened?”

“...There was a woman who visited our clinic the other day.” Hilde slowly began to explain the situation. “I will keep her name a secret, but she was a beastman woman, thirty years old. She complained about stomach pains, and after examining her, I realized it was the work of bugs.”

“By bugs you mean... parasites, huh?”

Anisakis, or the like. Hilde nodded.

“It seems she ate some fish that spoils quickly raw. Because Venetinova is on the sea, it happens on rare occasions. The usual treatment involves using a deworming medicine to kill the bugs, followed by medical supervision. And, in serious cases, I will have Brad perform an abdominal incision and remove them.”

“Hm...”

“I had this woman drink the deworming medicine and stay in the clinic so I could watch her, but... she was quite weak-willed. She begged me, ‘Please, use recovery magic on me.’”

“Recovery magic? But I heard light magic like that can only heal external wounds?”

The story I’d heard was, indeed, that light magic was not effective in treating illness. That was why I had worked to increase the number of people like Brad and Hilde, who could treat people with the power of medicine, in our country.

“Yes, that’s right.” Hilde nodded. “The symptoms brought on by parasites are an infection, and magic has no effect on it, just like with bacteria. I explained that to the patient, but she wouldn’t accept it.”

“When you’re suffering from illness, you’ll cling to any straw, after all...”

“I think so, too. It was only going to make her feel better about it emotionally, but if it satisfied the patient, I didn’t see the harm. I cast the spell on her, and when I did...”

Hilde paused for a moment, then, seeming to resolve herself, she confessed.

“Her illness... got better.”

“...Come again?” I muttered in disbelief.

It got better? With recovery magic? Huh? Didn’t that contradict her statement from, like, ten seconds ago?

“Was it really a parasitic infection?”

“From everything in my diagnosis, I have no doubt of that.”

“I confirmed it myself later. Hilde was undoubtedly correct,” Brad cosigned her statement.

If the two great doctors were in agreement, I had to believe them.

“You gave her medicine, right? Could that have had an effect?” I asked.

“It wasn’t so potent it could have an instant effect on the bugs like that.”

“Well, how about a placebo effect?”

“Plasiiibow? What’s that?”

“Erm... In the world I came from, there’s a saying, ‘Sickness is in the mind.’ The way you think about things can apparently help ameliorate your symptoms. If you drink spring water that claims to be a panacea, you might feel like your symptoms are getting better... That’s sort of how it works.”

“That’s fascinating, but she didn’t just feel she was getting better, she was fully recovered.”

Hilde had a point. You couldn’t make parasites vanish by changing how you felt.

“Your Majesty, this may be huge,” Hakuya, who had remained quiet up until this point, interjected. “I haven’t heard of a single instance of a disease being healed with magic before this. Because light magic is believed to be a sign of God’s grace, powerful light mages have been integrated into the church. If they learn Madam Hilde can heal sickness with her light magic, she will have religious power greater than any mere saint.”

That figures... The Lunarian Orthodox Papal State was going to want her more than anything. If she was a saint they couldn’t have for themselves, they would have to publicly condemn her. The same way they had criticized Maria and others.

“Me, a saint? Spare me.” Hilde hugged herself and went pale.

Oh, I saw what this was about now. Was this why they had come to me? To have the country protect her, so she wasn’t caught up in the machinations of some religion?

“...Who was the patient? Does she know it was Hilde’s light magic that cured her?”

“When she realized something was wrong, Hilde put her under with drugs immediately. When she awoke, we explained the medicine had run its course, so I don’t think she realizes... Lying to a patient may disqualify us as doctors, though,” Brad said as he held Hilde’s shoulders.

“So the only ones who know are the five of us here, then. Well...”

As I was pondering what to do about this, Liscia tugged on my sleeve.

“Hm? What?”

“...I know, normally, I shouldn’t let personal feelings come into this. But, please, Souma. Help Dr. Hilde. She looked after me the whole time I was pregnant. I don’t even know if Cian and Kazuya would have been born safely without her.”

“Liscia...”

“So, please. Lend the two of them your strength.”

“...I know.” I gently stroked the back of Liscia’s head. “It’s already decided that I’m going to help them. If anything happened to Hilde, Brad wouldn’t stay quiet about it. It would be to the country’s detriment if we were to lose their rare gifts. More than that, do you think I could abandon the people who did so much for our family? I don’t want to see such a sad look on my wife’s face.”

I looked to everyone present.

“For that reason, I first want to organize the information we have. The foremost question is, ‘Why did her magic cure the infection?’ Hilde, have you ever tested something like this before?”

“A number of times. When I’ve had a patient in a condition so serious it was beyond my ability to do anything, I’ve used recovery magic and prayed for a miracle... It never worked, though.”

“There must be countless times that people have tried to use recovery magic to treat an illness before now. But if it’s never had an effect... is there something special about Hilde?”

I presented my suspicion to Brad who replied, “But if that’s the case, why was Hilde never able to cure them before now? This was the first time it was successful.”

“Did her magic evolve? It grows a little each time you use it. I mean, the number of things I can control with my Living Poltergeists has gradually grown.”

“No, I think this has jumped too many stages to be from simple growth. In terms of your ability, sire, it would be like you suddenly being able to control a suit of armor in the Empire that you’ve never even touched.”

If I had that power, I could go on an assassination bonanza. Er, I wouldn’t, of course, but that’s how big of a change it would be. That made this harder and harder to understand.

“Why do you suppose she was suddenly able to cure it with magic?”

“Oh! Maybe it’s like the song battle, and there was something in the situation amplifying her magic?” Liscia said, clapping her hands as she came up with the idea.

“The effect’s too big for that, though.”

“There was no music playing when I was treating her anyway.”

“Urkh. Yeah, that’s right...” With Hilde and me both stepping all over her idea, Liscia backed down.

“Wait— The song battle... Hold on.” Hakuya interjected.

“Did you figure something out, Hakuya?”

“Sire, please, try to remember the goal of that experiment.”

“The goal? ‘To observe the effect that songs have on magic’... right?”

“Yes. And the premise was that, like Madam Merula said, the strength or weakness of a person’s mental image would make that magic stronger or weaker.” As he said that, Hakuya turned to look at Hilde. “I’ve been thinking all this time about the difference between Madam Hilde and other light mages. If Madam Hilde is the one light mage who, unlike the others, can cure illnesses, where does that difference lie?”

“The difference... That she’s a member of the three-eyed race, maybe?”

When I said that, Hakuya shook his head.

“I considered that, too, but the three-eyed race are some of the foremost experts in medicine on this continent. I can’t imagine they haven’t tried to cure illnesses with magic before now.”

“Well, what’s different then?”

This time, Hakuya looked to Brad. “Madam Hilde has Sir Brad at her side.”

“...Me?”

“Yes. Brad the surgeon, to be precise. Madam Hilde, even before the two of you were married, you have been watching Sir Brad’s surgical procedures, correct?”

“Huh? ...Well, yes.” Hilde nodded. “When it comes to stitching the patient up after the procedure, the wounds heal faster with light magic. With all the times I helped out, I learned to perform surgery myself before I knew it.”

“I thought as much... In other words, Madam Hilde is deeply familiar with the structure of the human body, the same as a surgeon like Sir Brad, correct? And she knows about the parasites that harm the body, too.”

“What are you getting at, Hakuya?”

“I am suggesting that Madam Hilde knew all about the parasites, where in the body they were, and what they were doing to harm it.”

Hakuya spoke with confidence.

“Please, remember that people’s mental images influence magic. If she was able to imagine the parasites, their location within the body, and what harm they were doing, she forms an image of removing those parasites, and healing the damage. Turning that around, the reason no other light mage has been able to cure illness may be because they lack that mental image.”

When we heard Hakuya’s guess, we all looked to Hilde, and she nodded.

“...It’s true that I’ve been with Brad several times when he opened a patient’s stomach and removed the parasites. I could imagine what was going on inside that woman’s body, if only vaguely.”

“Basically, if you understand the mechanism behind a disease, it can be cured with light magic, huh...” I trailed off.

It might be possible to cure any illness she understood the mechanism of with light magic. Even diseases that would have been untreatable in the world I came from. Eliminating all those parasites in an instant without surgically opening the patient’s stomach would have been impossible in my old world. Because it was overtechnology, the possibilities were endless.

“To sum things up, if we pound medical knowledge into our light mages’ heads, we can increase the number of them who can cure disease like Hilde did, huh?”

“It is only a hypothesis for the time being... but that seems likely.” Hakuya nodded.

True enough, we couldn’t say for certain until we had tested it, but I was convinced.

“...Thank goodness.” Liscia let out a sigh of relief. “That means Dr. Hilde’s not special, right? If we can increase the number of mages who can do the same thing, Dr. Hilde won’t be seen as anything unique, and countries like the Orthodox Papal State won’t come after her.”

At her words, Hakuya and I felt a little embarrassed.

In our positions as king and prime minister, our minds had been solely focused on the potential of magic and how it could be used. Meanwhile, Liscia was thinking about Hilde the whole time. This is embarrassing, I thought, and Hakuya and I looked at one another with wry smiles.

“...Yeah.” I smiled to reassure Liscia. “It’s an issue that powerful light mages are being taken in by the church, but some of them must have the desire to save people. I could speak to Bishop Souji and have him find us some promising individuals. I’d like to have more people like Hilde a few years from now.”

I then looked to Hilde and Brad.

“Until then, it would be best to keep this secret for both of your safety.”

“But... if I have the means to save someone, not using it is not an option.”

I looked to Hilde, who spoke as a doctor, and nodded. “I know. In that case, you can put the patient under with drugs, and pretend that the medicine worked like this time. You’ll have to accept that much of a lie.”

“...I suppose so. It’s easier than being told not to use it at all.”

“I’ll also post guards for the two of you. Their job will be less to monitor you, and more to gather information, and prevent leaks. They’ll watch to ensure this doesn’t get out, and to deal with the situation if it looks like it might, so they’ll do what they can not to interfere with your lives.”

“I know that can’t be helped, but... let me say one thing,” Brad said, raising his hand.

“I’m sure you’re not entirely satisfied, but you’ll have to put up with some inconvenience...”

“No, that’s not it. What I want to say is that I want you to protect Ludia, too, not just us. That girl’s more important than our own lives.”

Hilde nodded in agreement. This was an issue with the way I had explained it.

“I promise the country will guarantee your family’s safety.”

“...Ahaha! Sorry to trouble you, Your Majesty.”

Hilde finally smiled at that point, making my heart feel lighter.

On this day, the history of medical science in our kingdom broke into a new stage.

Chapter 3: Symposium

“Tomoe’s been visiting Juna’s place a lot recently.”

It was a cool summer night when the heat of day had faded.

When I mentioned that offhandedly, Roroa nodded. “Ohh, I’ve been hearin’ about that. Says she wants to learn about the charms of an adult woman.”

“An adult woman, huh... I’d like her to be childish while she’s a child, at least. But maybe that’s just the selfishness of an adult talking.”

“Nyahaha, could be,” Roroa laughed. “Tomoe’s already twelve, ain’t she? That’s when us girls start growin’ up, y’know... But, wait, why do ya think she’s not askin’ me?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because you don’t give off that impression at all, right?”

Roroa puffed up her cheeks and pinched me in the side. It kind of hurt.

“Why not? I’m already a married woman, y’know?”

Roroa hugged me so that her skin pressed against mine. She was currently lying in bed with me, using my outstretched arm as a pillow. There was a blanket over us, but underneath we were both naked.

I turned towards Roroa, without moving the arm under her head, and stroked her hair. “It’s more about the kind of woman she wants to become. In your case, there’s that friend of hers... Lucy, was it?”

“Ohh. That kid from the Evans Company, huh?”

“That girl admires you, doesn’t she?”

“Ohh, yeah, I guess. It threw me for a loop when she started callin’ me Big Sister Roroa out of nowhere, though.”

The other day, we heard Tomoe had made friends at the academy, so we invited them to the castle, though not in any official capacity.

While Ichiha and Yuriga already lived in the castle, and I was acquainted with Velza, Lucy, the daughter of a merchant family, was the only one who was new to me.

When I and all my wives came out to greet them, since it involved our beloved little sister Tomoe, Lucy was humbled at first, but when she noticed Roroa was there, too, she let out a shriek.

“Eeek?! Lady Roroa! Isn’t that Lady Roroa?!”

“Wh-What? What’re you shoutin’ for all of a sudden?”

“I’m a huge fan of yours! Please, shake my hand!”

Then she took Roroa’s hand and shook it vigorously. Roroa and everyone else were dumbfounded, but Velza hurriedly grabbed Lucy by the scruff of the neck and dragged her off.

“L-Lucy! This is rude to His Majesty and the queens!”

“Huh?! Oh, no! I was so giddy over finally meetin’ Lady Roroa, I lost control of myself! P-Please, forgive my rudeness! This’s got nothin’ to do with my family, so please only punish me!” Lucy threw herself on the ground and apologized.

Unable to watch her any longer, Tomoe said, “Big Brother, Lu’s usually a good girl. She’s my friend, too, so please forgive her,” or something like that. There wasn’t any need for forgiveness, though. I wasn’t even upset in the first place.

Things were getting out of hand, so I decided to laugh it off so they knew I didn’t plan to make a big deal of it.

“What a cheerful, fun girl. That’s a good friend you’ve found there, Tomoe.”

“Big brother... Yes!” She gave me a big smile. That was all I needed.

Roroa must have been remembering what happened that time, too, because she snickered.

“I’m like a little sister to Big Sis Cia and the rest, but I’m a ‘Big Sister’ to her. That was kind of a new feeling.”

“There was Princess Tia in the Kingdom of Lastania, too, wasn’t there?”

“I know she’s younger, but she’s a Big Sis to me. Oh, right. I’ve been correspondin’ with Big Sis, and it seems my big brother hasn’t laid a hand on her yet. He’s plannin’ to wait about a year.”

“Princess Tia was rather petite, after all... I guess that just shows Julius is taking care of her.”

That was probably because he wanted her to grow a little more before they started making babies. You know, to lower the risks of pregnancy as much as possible.

While I was thinking about that, Roroa poked me in the side. It was time to get started... apparently.

Then, Roroa covered her body with her hands, and in a desperate-sounding voice, she said, “Y-You can do whatever you like with my body. Just, please, don’t hurt the people of my country,” her eyes moist with tears.

I looked at her and let out a sigh. “...Can you stop playing the princess of a ruined nation?”

Roroa seemed to be awfully into setting up situations like this. I thought the way she played around was cute, but she seemed awfully eager to make me into a lecherous king in her fantasy scenarios. When I tried bringing it up with Liscia...

“Hee hee, I heard. That girl sure thinks a lot about this stuff, huh? But, you know... I’m a former princess, too, maybe I should do that for you next time?” she said with a smirk.

It seemed my wives frequently traded information among themselves.

It was a very good thing for me, and for the country, that my wives got along, but... I dunno, it was grinding my psyche down pretty quickly.

“My taste isn’t that bad, okay?”

“Well, you’re no fun. Haven’t ya heard the rumors sayin’ you started a war to get your hands on me?”

“That’s an old one. It’s long since been wiped away by now.”

“But doesn’t this sort of actin’ get you goin’?”

I tilted my head towards Roroa, and pulled the head that was resting on my arm closer to me.

“Even without that... you’ve already got me going.”

“Nyaheheh!”

◇ ◇ ◇

The following day, I called Tomoe and Ichiha to the governmental affairs office. Liscia and Hakuya were already in the room. When I explained the reason I had summoned them, they both cocked their heads to the side in unison.

““Monsterology Symposium?””

The word must have been unfamiliar to them. Tomoe followed up with another question, “What is a ‘symposium,’ Big Brother?”

“It’s a word from my old world referring to an academic conference on a specific theme. An exchange of opinions in regards to research, held in a public place. This time, I’ve decided to hold a symposium on the field of monster research—that’s monsterology—at the Royal Academy this weekend.”

“The Academy... You’re doing it at our school?”

“Yes. Okay, Hakuya, I’ll let you explain the rest.”

“Understood.”

Hakuya bowed, and then pulled out a book. On the cover, the words “Monster Encyclopedia” were written in this world’s language.

It was the first encyclopedia of monsters in this world, published as a joint work by Ichiha and Hakuya, and featured illustrations of monsters drawn by Ichiha that had been sorted into categories. Printing had already existed without me introducing the idea to this world, so there were quite a few copies in circulation already.

“Between the publication of a Monster Encyclopedia featuring categorized sketches by Ichiha, and research on the various monster parts we were able to collect after the demon wave hit the Kingdom of Lastania, academic fields involving monsters have seen a boom in this kingdom. The question ‘What is a monster?’ is an important one for this kingdom, no, this world.”

“There’s the Demon Lord’s Domain to the north, and even if there wasn’t, they’re inside dungeons, too,” Liscia said, sounding convinced.

“Yes.” Hakuya nodded. “There are also the demons that Tomoe enc... No, that exist inside the Demon Lord’s Domain to consider, too. If we have a proper understanding of monsters, I believe it will be easier to distinguish them from demons. It may be possible to negotiate with the sapient demons to avoid pointless strife.”

“I’d rather not fight them if we don’t have to, too.” Tomoe clutched at her chest as she spoke. “In Lastania... I touched the minds of those lizardman monsters. They all had an intense feeling of starvation, and they only saw me as prey. They didn’t think about anything but eating. So...”

Tomoe’s unspoken feelings, I don’t want to lump the kobold who saved me with those things that could only think on that level... came across clearly.

Ichiha was here right now, so she wouldn’t touch on it, but she must have wanted to say there were demons with hearts, too.

“...Yeah.” I nodded to her. “They say that the demons are intelligent, but it’s still unclear. Even if they are intelligent, it’s dangerous to assume we’ll be able to hold dialogue with every demon. Still, we need to consider the possibility that some are like that. To make sure the war doesn’t wage until one side is completely annihilated.”

Seemingly in agreement, everyone nodded gravely.

“Well, anyway, on that note, it’s in our national interest to research monsters. That’s why I’m holding the Monsterology Symposium. Well, instead of the study of monsters itself, the main topics will likely be, ‘The Importance and Verification of Monster Research,’ and, ‘The Way Forward for Monster Research.’ Given how important the topic is, we need to move forward cautiously.”

“Researching monsters... That sounds pretty close to heresy, huh? The Orthodox Papal State will probably raise a fuss.”

I agreed with Liscia’s observation.

In a country that placed such importance on religion, even if academic development was necessary, it was bound to meet pushback if it tried to unravel some divine mystery. They wouldn’t want to permit the study of monsters, which served as an easy-to-understand enemy of God.

“Let’s have their bishop, Souji, take part in the symposium. It will be hard to wipe away all their concerns, but it should provide some cover for us. I intend to have Kuu take part as a representative for the Republic, and to let Madam Maria in the Empire watch via Jewel Voice Broadcast. Hakuya, the preparations are in place for that, right?”

“By your will. I have received her eager consent by way of Madam Jeanne.”

I gave Hakuya’s answer a satisfied nod and said, “Monsters are a topic I want to study together with the Empire and the Republic. Besides, I wouldn’t want to risk making them investigate us when we’re doing nothing wrong.”

“Um... can I say something, Big Brother?” Tomoe hesitantly raised her hand.

“What is it, Tomoe?”

“I think what you’re saying makes sense, but this symposium will be public... which means anyone can listen, right? How will you handle Yuriga?”

“...Oh, right. Yuriga, huh?” I held my head.

Yuriga, being the younger sister of the King of Malmkhitan, periodically wrote letters to her brother describing her life here in the Kingdom. If she attended the Monsterology Symposium as an observer, the contents of it would make their way back to Fuuga. This was vital information for him, as he was the center of the land reclamation movement.

Fuuga was a man who could blow up big riding the waves of this era, so I didn’t want to show him any of our cards that I didn’t have to, but... like I already said, it was dangerous to conduct this research in secret.

“What do you think, Hakuya?”

“...I think it’s inevitable. If possible, I would prefer that Madam Yuriga not participate, though.”

“If she’s not interested in monster research, it’s possible she won’t...”

“There’s no chance of that,” Tomoe stated awfully clearly. “During the song battle, Yuriga told me. The events you seem to have put no thought into have some deeper intent lurking in the shadows. If she hears about an off-the-wall event like this, she’s guaranteed to realize it’s important.”

“...That girl’s not bad. Managing to understand Souma’s personality at her age,” Liscia said, sounding impressed.

Now that I thought about it, Liscia had said something similar to me once, too. Liscia and Yuriga... They might have a lot in common, huh?

“In that case, we can’t hide it...” I hesitated for a moment, but eventually resolved myself. “If the information is going to come out either way, let’s publish it ourselves.”

“Are you certain you want to do that?” Hakuya asked.

“Fuuga is invading the Demon Lord’s Domain. In this present moment, he’s the leader most likely to run right into the demons. It’d be bad for us if he starts hostilities with them because he can’t tell the difference between monsters and demons. We should give him information on monsters, as a warning, if nothing else. Maybe we should lend him a copy of the Monster Encyclopedia while we’re at it?”

“I see. That seems wise.” Hakuya seemed satisfied, so our course was set.

I rose from my seat, and faced everyone.

“That’s that. Everyone, keep everything we talked about in mind this weekend.”

“Okay, got it.”

“““Understood, sire.”””

“In regards to how to handle the children... I’m honestly not sure what to do.” Once Tomoe and Ichiha were sent away, I conferred my thoughts to Liscia and Hakuya. “I’m sure Ichiha will be fine. He’s not that loyal to the Duchy of Chima, and with some negotiation, I’m convinced he’ll offer his allegiance to this country. You would agree with that, right, Hakuya?”

“Indeed. I believe we can look forward to his service in the future.”

“The problem is... Yuriga. What do we do with her, going forward?”

“What do you mean, do with her?”

“We’ve set our policy in regards to Monsterology for now, but for as long as Yuriga stays in this country, things like this will keep happening. It’ll be a pain having to worry about Yuriga’s eyes every time we try to do something that takes us forward.”

“That’s... true, yes.”

As Liscia chewed on that thought, I held up two fingers and showed them to her.

“There are two options available to us. The first is to send her back to Fuuga without teaching her anything of importance. If we send her back ignorant, it won’t improve our relationship with Fuuga, but it won’t make it any worse, either. It will just maintain the status quo.”

“That’s the safe choice, yeah.” Liscia nodded. “So, what’s the other one?”

“We bring her to our side.”

“You mean... make her our ally?”

“No, there’s no need for her to be completely aligned with us. She just has to not be an enemy.”

“...I’m not sure I quite get the difference.”

Liscia seemed confused, so I crossed my arms and explained, “From what the recent reports tell me, though Fuuga and Yuriga are brother and sister, I feel like their personalities are quite different. Yuriga is more realistic, I guess you could say? The more powerful the opponent, the more fired-up Fuuga gets, but I feel like Yuriga would rather avoid the dangerous battles.”

“...I think I can understand.” Hakuya agreed with me. “The girl is clever. Her ability to study was nowhere near the level of Little Sister or Ichiha, but she possesses a mind capable of flexible thinking and imagination. You might say she’s adaptable... She possesses a skill for seeing through to the true nature of things. The way she praises the way you reign, but is also wary of it, is another sign of that... Ahh, I see. You think you can use her as a deterrent against Sir Fuuga?”

Hakuya nodded in fascination, perhaps having seen through what I was planning.

“It’s true that if you show Madam Yuriga what this country is capable of, she will warn Sir Fuuga not to fight with you. Perhaps she is already warning him through her letters.”

“Hrmm,” Liscia crossed her arms and groaned. “I get what you two are saying, but... I’ve never met this Fuuga. From everything I hear, though, he doesn’t sound like the type who would stop because his sister warned him against something, you know? I mean, if he was, Souma would have no reason to be so wary of him.”

Liscia had struck at the heart of the matter, and I nodded.

“That’s right. I think Fuuga would likely be able to throw Yuriga away for his ambition. But he wouldn’t like doing it. There’s a slight difference in nuance between ‘not hesitating,’ and ‘not being able to hesitate.’”

Think of the similar great man, Oda Nobunaga.

He killed his younger brother, and murdered the families of his wife and his sister’s husband, so he’s remembered as a cruel and merciless demon king, but he could be awfully soft on those close to him. He forgave his little brother and Matsunaga Hisahide several times for betraying him, and offered that same Hisahide and Azai Nagamasa the opportunity to surrender up until the very last moment.

Ultimately, Nobunaga dominated the era by destroying whoever he had to destroy, but he had a strong heart, and it wasn’t like he didn’t struggle with that.

“Having to do it over his little sister’s objections should put some psychological pressure on him, if only a little. If we’re going to face that man, I feel we’re going to need to build up every little advantage that we can.”

“It’s a tough one... But do you think Yuriga will actually oppose him for us?” Liscia asked.

“That’s the problem, isn’t it? What do you think, Hakuya?”

“It is hard to say at this stage,” Hakuya said, shrugging his shoulders as if giving up. “In the end, that will depend on who Yuriga thinks would win in a conflict between you and Sir Fuuga. If she decides Sir Fuuga would win, we won’t be able to use her as a restraint on him. If she thinks you would win, or perhaps that Sir Fuuga would have difficulty winning, I expect she will do whatever she can to stop him. The latter would be good for us, but...”

“That’s the ideal outcome... but we’d have to show her a certain amount of our real power to convince her our country is strong, right? It’s still too early to show her something like the Hiryuu, obviously.”

“Yes. That’s why we should have her participate in events like this symposium. To show that we are studying fields that other countries aren’t is one easily-understood signal that we are ahead of the other nations academically.”

“We should proactively show her what we can, huh...?”

Well... that’s the only way to do it, I guess. I thought. I don’t know what will happen between our countries in the future, and I can’t be sure what decision Yuriga will make when that time comes. If possible, I’d like her to see us as a country they don’t want to tussle with...

“All we can do is watch and wait for now. We’ll have to show her what we can afford to in order to make her see this country’s power, and keep a watch on her. Hakuya, you keep your eyes sharp, too.”

“I intend to, of course.”

When Hakuya bowed, Liscia let out a sigh and said, “The girl is clever, but we’ll just have to hope she’ll act as a good deterrent for us.”

I agreed with Liscia from the bottom of my heart.

In the afternoon, on a day some days after the guardians had that discussion.

Having finished her classes at the Royal Academy, Tomoe and the other students had gathered in the grand auditorium following after-school homeroom. They were here to clean up and bring in seats in preparation for the Monsterology Symposium to be held tomorrow. This world did not yet have folding chairs, so they had to bring in the wooden ones they usually used in the classroom.

Later, when he heard about this, Souma considered developing a folding chair. Mass-producing them would be expensive, and they were doing well enough moving the wooden seats they already had around, so he decided to put it off.

While Tomoe was setting the chairs up in neat rows on the carpet, Lucy came along with a one under each arm and laid them down with an “Oof!” Then she sat down in a chair herself.

“Augh, this is exhaustin’.” Lucy sighed, hanging her head. “The chairs’re heavy, and too far away.”

“You okay, Lucy?”

“I dunno if this is a symposium, or a symbolium, or whatever it is, but what’re they makin’ a frail young maiden work like this for? And where’re Yuriga and Ichiha at a time like this?”

“They both have clubs. The teacher said that takes priority, and Ichiha’s in the Monster Research Society, so he must be especially busy.”

“I get that, but it’s killin’ me goin’ back and forth over and over to get chairs. I ain’t never carried anythin’ heavier than a sack full of wheat before, y’know?”

“That’s pretty heavy, isn’t it? More than a chair, I’d say.” Tomoe pointed that out with a wry smile, and Lucy cocked her head to the side.

“If you add in how awkward they are to carry, isn’t it about the same? How about you, Tomie?”

“Me? Hmm... I haven’t carried a lot of heavy things, but I may have pulled some.”

“Pulled them?”

“Back when I was a refugee, we all pulled a heavy cart together.”

“.........”

The ease with which that emotionally taxing story came out left Lucy speechless. It reminded her once more that Tomoe lived quite the odd life in her twelve years, and she put her hands together and bowed apologetically.

“Aw, I’m sorry.”

“Ahaha... Don’t be. With Mr. Jirukoma and Ms. Komain leading the refugees, we hardly lost anyone, and we’ve been treated well ever since we came to the Kingdom. Things were hard back then, but it’s not that unpleasant of a memory.”

In Tomoe’s case, that was largely because her family had been there with her. Many of the refugees had been separated from their families, but because the kobolds had spared her, Tomoe was able to evacuate.

Once they came to the Kingdom, the kind but indecisive King Albert had given them tacit approval to stay, and a small amount of support. Then, once Souma took the throne, Tomoe became Liscia’s adopted sister, and the refugees were accepted as citizens of the Kingdom.

The kindness of many people had allowed her to be where she was now. The thought of this warmed her heart. Those had been days of uncertainty, where she never knew what tomorrow would bring, and she would not willingly go back to them, but there was nothing in them that made it painful and sad just to remember them.

Now, all it made her think was, “Oh, yeah, that’s a thing that happened, isn’t it?”

I hope I can repay the kindness I was shown someday. To the former refugees, and the kobolds in the north, too. The first step to doing that had to be the Monsterology Symposium being held tomorrow.

While Tomoe was thinking about that, Lucy suddenly cried out in surprise, “Whoa?! Just how many of those things can you carry, Velie?”

When she looked over, Velza had brought a stack of five chairs. The wooden seats weren’t designed to be stacked, so the pile was awkward and shaking. Still, Velza carried it with a cool look on her face.

“This is nothing. I still have a long way to go before I’m anything like Lady Aisha.”

“No, no, what’re you comparin’ yourself to the strongest person in the Kingdom, the Kochiji Queen for!” (Bop!)

“Ow...!” Lucy bopped Velza with the back of her hand for comedic effect, and the impact made her tower of chairs lurch even more.

““Whoa?!””

While Tomoe and Lucy cried out in surprise, Velza was concentrating.

“Oof, there...”

The tower was shaking to and fro, but Velza managed to balance it and stop it from collapsing, to which Tomoe and Lucy broke out in applause. When the shaking completely subsided, Velza laid down the chair tower, and the three of them dismantled it together.

“Oh, right, I believe you two were saying something about clubs earlier?” Velza asked as she lined up chairs.

“Oh, yeah, we were. Ichiha and Yuriga are both in clubs,” Tomoe replied. “Aren’t you going to join one, Velza? You’re really athletic, so I’ll bet you’ve had invitations from all those clubs.”

“It is true that I move well, but... I’m not that interested. I am thinking I would rather join the Cooking Club.”

“Huh? Cooking?”

“Yes. If I consider my future, I believe it will be necessary.”

Velza said, her cheeks reddening a bit.

Come to think of it, Velza said she came to this academy so she would be fit to serve a certain someone. From the way she’s acting, is it someone she loves?

Tomoe was already twelve. The time in life when you first take an interest in romance. She wanted to hear about it in detail when she got the chance.

But Velza joining the Cooking Club, huh...? If you considered the fixation she’d shown on the food served at the fruit parlor Lucy’s family operated, it might be a more natural fit than you’d think.

“Have you not considered joining anything yourself, Tomoe?”

“Hmm... I wouldn’t mind joining Ichiha in the Monster Research Society, but... How about you, Lu? Aren’t you going to join a club?”

“If there were a Lady Roroa fanclub, I’d be joinin’ it.”

“Fan club?! There are fan clubs?!”

“No way. That’s why I’m thinkin’ of makin’ one myself. Lady Roroa’s popular, so I think I can get members, and if we make it somethin’ business-related, for public purposes, I think I can get it approved. Ahh... Big Sister Roroa.”

A look of bliss fluttered across Lucy’s face. It seemed meeting the genuine article at the castle had only intensified her love for Roroa.

“Ahh, if only I could see you again. Lady Roroa, are you the wonderful mother goddess?”

““She’s the queen! And wait, she’s leveled up from last time?!””

Tomoe and Velza could only smile wryly.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Oh! That’s Yurie over there, ain’t it?”

“Ah! You’re right.”

Having finished preparing the grand auditorium, the students dispersed. The three were discussing where they might drop by after school when they passed by one of the sports grounds inside the academy. Out on the field, the trio spotted Yuriga with her club. They were divided into two teams, using their feet to try and seize control of the ball. It looked like soccer at first glance, but if that were what it was, the sounds they were hearing would be strange.

Shoom...! Whoosh...! Ring!

Rumble... Kaboom!

It was hard to imagine they were playing soccer from these noises. If Souma were here, he’d think, “Is this a factory, or the runway at an airport?”

This was to be expected though, since they were, in fact, not playing soccer. What they were playing was a new sport, created by merging the rules of the sport called soccer that Souma had brought them with a new rule allowing all non-offensive magic.

It was aptly named Magic Soccer.

“Yuriga, I’m going!” A female dragonewt player kicked the ball high into the air.

She looked familiar, and she was. She was the senior who had chased Yuriga through the air to recruit her into a club on the day of the entrance ceremony. Yuriga had escaped then, but it seemed she had eventually caved to the other girl’s enthusiasm and joined.

The ball flew to a height even an amateur could tell might be too high (about ten meters in the air), and Yuriga kept after it, taking advantage of her ability to fly. Then, getting in position for an overhead kick, she wrapped the wind around herself.

“Goooooooo!”

Shoooom!

Yuriga’s powerful shot flew straight towards the goal.

“I won’t let you!” The goalkeeper opened her hands wide, and the ground in front of the goal rose up, taking the form of an earthen doll.

The girl who was goalkeeping was a user of earth magic, like Genia, and had summoned a golem that was three meters tall. No, it had been spread thin to better protect the goal, so it looked less like a golem, and more like the creature Nurikabe from Japanese folklore.

The ball, wreathed in wind, struck the Nurikabe-like golem. When it did...

“Break throuuuugh!” Yuriga bellowed, and the Nurikabe-like golem cracked.

“No way?! My golem!”

The shot tore through the Nurikabe-like golem, and into the net. A whistle blew to indicate a goal had been scored, and the team that scored it celebrated with high-fives.

“The scrimmage is over! Take a break!” A long whistle blew as one dragonewt club member made the announcement, and the other members started to disperse.

Yuriga, who had been mobbed by her side because she scored the point, was set free, and fluttered over when she noticed Tomoe and the others had been watching.

“Well, if it isn’t Tomoe and the gang. What, is the auditorium set up already?”

“Yeah. That shot you made was cool.”

“Well, of course it was.” Yuriga puffed up her still underdeveloped chest with pride. Looking towards the auditorium, she said, “About the symposium tomorrow. It’s all right for me to go and see, right?”

“Huh...? Oh, yeah. The audience seats are open to the public. But Ichiha and I are both going to be in the seats for people involved in the symposium, so you’d be watching on your own.”

“That’s fine. I’m sure there will be people watching me, too, though.”

“I think so, too, but...”

Yuriga put her hands on her hips, laughing as if she had just remembered something. “When we went to Lucy’s fruit parlor before, the ice seller who came to restock the ice room was singing something. That’s because of that song battle you held, isn’t it?”

“.........”

She was totally on the mark, and Tomoe didn’t know how to respond when it came up so suddenly.

The Work Songs Society had received state support after the experimental skirmish called a song battle, and part of their research on improving magic used in daily life had been made public. Incidentally, the song the ice seller had been singing was from Souma’s old world, and was one that made you want to build a snowman when you heard it.

“Even when your brother’s policies seem pointless, they do have some meaning to them. Now that I know that, I can’t afford to look away,” Yuriga proclaimed while Tomoe remained speechless.

Uh, oh. I can’t let things like this shake me. Coming to her senses, Tomoe shook her head. I’ve got to do like Juna told me. At times like this, I...

“Always smile, so your opponent doesn’t know how you truly feel. Always act with composure, and only let the one you love see your weaknesses.” That was what Juna, her vision of an ideal woman, had taught her.

Tomoe smiled at Yuriga and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“...What’s that pasted-on smile for?”

“Oh, nothing really.”

“You’re kind of pissing me off... Anyway, I’ll be watching from the guest seats tomorrow.”

“Sure. Please, do as you like.”

Yuriga looked dubiously at the smiling Tomoe. Smile and stare collided.

“Wh-What, what? What’s goin’ on here?” Lucy stammered.

“...I was stunned for a second, too,” Velza muttered. “I need to train myself more.”

The unease flowing between these two who were, on the surface, just having a peaceful chat gave Lucy and Velza the chills.

◇ ◇ ◇

It was the day of the Monsterology Symposium, and the auditorium at the Royal Academy was packed. The theme had been narrowed to monsterology, but experts in various fields had been called in to hear their opinions, so there were quite a large number of people gathered. In addition, there were ten times that number of spectators who wanted to watch and listen, so it was likely the largest gathering this auditorium had ever held.

In terms of seating arrangements, the main guests of this event, the authors of the Monster Encyclopedia, Hakuya and Ichiha, were seated at a table in the center of the stage. Also sitting with them was the head of the Monster Research Society, a young man who was petrified with nervousness. He had been brought in solely because he headed the club Ichiha belonged to, and I had to feel bad for the guy being put under the spotlight like this.

At the table on the right were the members of the royal family: Liscia, Roroa, Tomoe, and me. The left table held the headmaster of the Academy; Ginger, the head of Ginger’s Vocational School; Kuu, the son of the head of the Republic; and Souji, a Lunarian Orthodox bishop. Because of the VIPs gathered on stage, Aisha, and Kuu’s servant Leporina were there as bodyguards, while Carla and Ginger’s wife Sandria were there to assist with other tasks.

There were rows of long tables in front of the stage, and researchers of Monsterology and all the other fields were gathered around. Among them, there were familiar faces like Genia the Overscientist, and Merula the high elf. This symposium was basically going to be an exchange of opinions between us on the stage and those researchers and experts at the tables in front of us.

On the other side of the researchers and experts, there were chairs filled with those who had come to observe. Given that this was being held at the Royal Academy, a large percentage of them were students. Yuriga was probably in there, too. The symposium was also being broadcast to Empress Maria of the Empire over the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

With the preparations nearly complete, I spoke to Liscia who was sitting beside me.

“I feel like I haven’t sat next to you at an official function in a long time.”

“Yeah. I’ll have to thank Mother for watching Cian and Kazuha,” Liscia said with a smile.

The children were being watched by Lady Elisha, who often helped with raising them, and Sir Albert, who had come to the castle to see his grandchildren’s faces for the first time in a while. They were always helping us out.

On the other side of Liscia, Roroa had a grumpy look on her face. “Hey, Darlin’, I’m here, too, y’know?”

“Yeah. I’m counting on you today as well, Roroa,” I said as I stroked her hair. “I think your area of expertise will probably come up.”

“Nyahaha, you leave it to me.” Roroa grinned as she puffed her chest up with pride.

Okay... It looks like everything’s good to go, so I’d say it’s time to get this show on the road.

I stood up and walked to the lectern in the center of the stage. At the same time, all the people assembled rose and bowed their heads to me. They couldn’t sit while their king was standing, after all.

“At ease, everyone.” I started by having them raise their heads. “Thank you all for coming to this Monsterology Symposium.”

Because there were so many people from different classes and positions gathered, I figured it was most efficient for me, the top person in this country, to MC and run the show. This was the first time we were doing it, too, so it was probably fine.

“First, I’d like to ask you all to be seated, and to look at the cover of the materials you will find in front of you.”

With everyone now situated, I moved on to explain this symposium once more.

“Now then, the theme of this symposium is ‘Monsters.’ The monsters from the Demon Lord’s Domain that attacked in large numbers and destroyed the lands of the north. As well as the monsters that live in dungeons, occasionally appearing on the surface and threatening the area around them. Monsters are a threat to mankind, but studying them is of great importance if we are to protect our lives and property. I believe you are all aware that there is considerable research being done into monsters in my country now.”

I gestured for Ichiha and Hakuya to stand. Hakuya bowed his head, and seeing him do so, Ichiha hurriedly did the same.

“The impetus for that has been this Monster Encyclopedia, written by Sir Ichiha Chima, an exchange student from the Duchy of Chima, as well as our own Prime Minister Hakuya. I am sure everyone here, interested in monsters as you all are, has already read it.”

I could see the researchers nodding. It was a favored book among them, and anyone who hadn’t read it might as well have been living under a rock.

Once Hakuya and Ichiha raised their heads and were seated again, I continued.

“I, myself, have seen monsters on multiple occasions. From the monsters that overflowed from a dungeon in the Republic of Turgis, to the great army of monsters surging towards the Union of Eastern Nations from the Demon Lord’s Domain. These were horrifying beings that devoured people. At the same time, I felt they were creatures full of mystery.”

I paused slightly and gazed out at the audience.

“What are monsters? Why are they born? Why do they attack people and other living creatures? Do they always come in such aberrant forms? What makes them different from the demons who are said to live deep inside the Demon Lord’s Domain?”

I spoke strongly, pounding my hands down on the lectern.

“It was the Monster Encyclopedia here that made a number of those mysteries clear to me. ‘What is a monster?’ If that mystery is solved, we can handle them more efficiently, and lessen the threat to people considerably. This is a theme that we should be putting the nation’s resources behind studying. I hope this symposium will provide a lively forum to discuss what direction that research should take.”

A small number of people began making side glances at others, or whispering amongst themselves.

“This is the first time, so we are still feeling around in the dark. It’s not as though every method of studying monsters has already come to light. That is why I have summoned a variety of leading experts and researchers. There are times when the perspective of a completely different field of research can aid the discovery of a new approach. Also, in this field in particular, there is the need to consider both the safety and ethical aspects of your work. To that end, I want to encourage an active exchange of opinions. Little by little, I want us to find the path together. With all of that said, I hereby conclude my opening remarks.”

When I finished, the hall burst into applause.

Once they settled down, I clapped my hands together.

“Now, with that out of the way, let’s get right to the point. We will start with a lecture from Sir Ichiha and Hakuya on the topic of, ‘The Beings Known as Monsters.’ Following this will be a question and answer period, so save your words for the end. Now then, Sir Ichiha, Hakuya, you take it from here.”

“Yes, sir. Understood.” Hakuya bowed politely, while Ichiha’s response was a stiff “Y-Yes!”

I returned to my seat and sat down as they took my place at the lectern.

“Do you think Ichiha will be all right?” Tomoe asked, her face full of concern. “He looks tense.”

“I know he isn’t the best at standing in front of people, but if things get bad, I’m sure Hakuya will cover for him,” I said. “I think it’s about time he overturned it, though...”

“Overturned it? What is he supposed to overturn?”

I looked at Tomoe with absolute seriousness and said, “The common opinion that he, the 8th child of the House of Chima, is just an extra.”

◇ ◇ ◇

A little before the symposium began, Ichiha was standing in the wings of the auditorium stage, looking tense. He couldn’t believe he would be standing on a stage like this.

During his time in the House of Chima, his body had been feeble and overshadowed by his brothers and sisters—he had never stood out. Many adults laughed that he was the extraneous eighth Chima sibling, when he was even counted among them at all. It was Mutsumi who had always tried to encourage Ichiha.

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’ll become an amazing person one day, Ichiha.”

The words his sister gave him that day provided Ichiha with emotional support. However, other words tormented him. “He led in all those troops, and all he got for it was the youngest brother. It’s hardly worth the bother.”

The snickers and jeers that day came back to Ichiha. When Souma had invited him to the Kingdom, the generals of the Union of Eastern Nations had put Ichiha down in order to praise Souma. “Let them say what they want,” he’d said, but those words had still been too harsh for the ten-year-old Ichiha.

Am I... worth being so kind to? That his life in the Kingdom was so much fun only made him think that more.

Firstly, ever since he came to the Kingdom, he’d felt super healthy. In the Duchy of Chima, he often spent the day in bed, but he hadn’t done it once since coming here. In regards to this, Doctor Hilde who examined him said, “The kid’s got a respiratory disease. The air up north is bad because of the desert and the proximity of the Demon Lord’s Domain. If he lives in a place with comparatively good air quality, his condition should improve as he grows.”

Just being told that he wouldn’t be frail forever had made Ichiha feel far better. As well, the people of the Kingdom were kind towards him. Tomoe had been especially close since they’d met in the Duchy of Chima, and her family, the royal family, were good to him, too.

He’d met a teacher he could respect in Hakuya. And, with Yuriga, Velza, and Lucy, he now had more friends in his own age group. Finally, by writing the Monster Encyclopedia with Hakuya, he was being praised by people for the first time. The head of the Monster Research Society had even wept for joy when he joined the group. He could never have imagined any of these things happening back when he was in the Duchy of Chima.

Now, today, he would be giving a big joint presentation on the subject of researching monsters, in front of a large number of people. He had prepared for it together with members of the Monster Research Society.

“I-Ichiha, i-it’s going to be okay. We’ll be r-right there with you.” The president of the society was beside him, looking even tenser than Ichiha himself.

The only pressure on Ichiha was whether or not his presentation would be a success. For the president, though, presenting in front of members of the royal family and key retainers of the country was a major event in his life, and one that might never come again. It was only natural he would be nervous. Because Ichiha interacted with Souma and the others in a friendly manner on a daily basis, though, he was numbed to that.

“I-It’s okay. His Majesty won’t get mad if we flub our lines a little.”

While Ichiha was trying to reassure the president, someone tapped Ichiha on the shoulder. When he turned to see who it was, Hakuya was standing there with a faint but peaceful smile on his face.

“...Mr. Hakuya?”

“Your shoulders are too stiff, too. You would do well to relax more.”

“R-Right... I know that, but... I want to do my best for you, and Sir Souma, and Tomoe, and everyone else who’s done so much for me.”

“I’m happy to hear you say that, but you’re putting too much pressure on yourself.”

Hakuya walked around behind Ichiha, and began rubbing his shoulders. He felt ticklish, and ducked his head for a second, but he couldn’t shake Hakuya off so he sat there and accepted it.

As Ichiha got a relaxed look on his face, Hakuya asked him, “Sir Ichiha, you like researching monsters, right?”

“Huh...? Oh, yeah. I’ve done nothing but study them, so it’s become a hobby. When I see a monster I haven’t before, I want to sketch it.”

Ichiha’s face reddened in embarrassment, but Hakuya smiled gently.

“Then you should think of this as a place to speak about your hobby. People can speak on and on about the things they love, and they want the people they tell about them to love them too, right? I could go on forever about books.” Hakuya said, as he put his hand on top of Ichiha’s head. “Leave the success or failure of the symposium out of your head. You should just enjoy yourself, and say what you want to say. Because everyone has come to see you speak.”

“Mr. Hakuya...”

“You’re still just a child, so leave the complicated parts to us adults... I believe I said something similar to Little Sister not long ago.”

“You said that to Tomoe, too?”

“It’s common to want to act more mature at your age. There’s no need to rush.” Hakuya patted Ichiha on the head.

You should think of this as a place to speak about your hobby. Just enjoy yourself, and say what you want to say. Hakuya’s words seeped into Ichiha’s heart. Don’t worry, have fun...

Ichiha turned to face forward. He could enjoy researching monsters, without burdening himself. That was what having a specialty meant. A specialty that none of his siblings could beat him at. Even once the time came and he took his seat at the table in the middle, Ichiha was no longer hanging his head.

“Now then, Sir Ichiha, Hakuya, you take it from here,” Souma said to them after opening the symposium. Ichiha stood up together with Hakuya and the president.

Standing at the lectern, Ichiha kept his head up, and looked straight ahead as he spoke. “First, I would like to thank His Majesty for granting me the opportunity to speak here, as well as all of the people of the Kingdom of Friedonia who have come. I am Ichiha Chima, an exchange student who has come here from the Duchy of Chima, one country in the Union of Eastern Nations. I am honored to be able to discuss monsters with you here today.”

The way he spoke with confidence inspired everyone who had gathered in this place. Even in the Kingdom, there were rumors about the supposed extraneous eighth child of Duke Chima. However, the people assembled in the audience knew he was the author of the Monster Encyclopedia. That Hakuya participated in a primarily supportive role had been made clear in the text of the book. When they learned that the radical new encyclopedia had been written by an eleven-year-old boy, the research world got excited.

Extraneous and prodigious.

There was a disconnect between these two evaluations, and people were watching closely to see which Ichiha truly was. Judging by the confident way he spoke here, it was likely the latter. Souma had not been stuck with the leftovers, after all. The people here understood that, true to his reputation of a maniac for recruiting capable personnel, King Souma had seen the boy’s potential and brought him back.

“I was worried before he got started, but it looks like I didn’t have to be,” Souma commented, impressed by Ichiha’s sudden boldness.

“You said it. He’s the type that’s really strong.”

“That’s obvious. Big Brother, Big Sister,” Tomoe said proudly. “Ichiha is timid, but that’s because he lacked confidence in himself. But he has a strong heart and he’ll never run away when it really counts. He protected me when we were surrounded by scary people in the Duchy of Chima. That is the real Ichiha.”

““.........””

When Tomoe spoke of him almost like she would herself, Souma and Liscia both looked at her fondly. They could sense an absolute trust of Ichiha in her words.

Eventually, Souma let out a small sigh, and Liscia smiled.

“...If Daddy Inugami could hear, he’d be so jealous.”

“And you aren’t, Souma? Hee hee, it’s so bittersweet.”

“???”

There was a blank look on Tomoe’s face and question marks hovering over her head. She had no idea what they were talking about.

While the Souma family were having their chat, Ichiha was still giving his speech.

“The Duchy of Chima, where I was born, borders the Demon Lord’s Domain. Due to that, incursions as large as the demon wave are infrequent, but small groups of monsters come out of the north on occasion. In short, it is a situation with plentiful subjects for observation. The monsters would be put down by soldiers led by my older brothers, who excelled in the martial arts, but I sat on the walls, where it was safe, sketching the monsters my brothers fought. Of all my siblings, I was the only one with no notable skill, so I wanted to be what little help I could be to everyone by learning about the monsters...”

Ichiha trailed off, and his face brightened.

“...Though, along the way, it just became a hobby. It’s fun, you know? If any of you have the chance to go north, please give sketching a try.”

The whole audience chuckled. It looked like he’d gotten adjusted to the point where he could mix in the occasional joke.

“The first to recognize me for my sketches was my eldest sister. The second was His Majesty’s little sister, Tomoe. I was able to come to the Kingdom because she introduced me to His Majesty, and that let me meet my respected teacher Hakuya. I thank her from the bottom of my heart.” Ichiha looked at Tomoe and smiled.

Ichiha... Tomoe’s wolf ears perked up happily.

He looked forward, and picked up the Monster Encyclopedia he had written.

“This book was produced using those sketches, with the help of Mr. Hakuya. There is also the basis on which we compiled the Monster Encyclopedia. That is the Monster Part Identification system. Ah—”

Ichiha cut off, before continuing again.

“That’s kind of long, huh. Let’s call it MPI for short. Yes. In order to provide a guidepost along the path of monster research, I would like to give a lecture on MPI. President of the Society for Monster Research, if you don’t mind.”

“U-Underst-stood,” the president blurted out. He sounded a bit shrill due to the nervousness of being called on.

Still, he put a large paper up on the movable blackboard that had been prepared. That paper was full of monster drawings. The lizardmen that Souma had encountered in the Kingdom of Lastania were there, as well as the pudgy, winged snake monsters they had gotten them to eat.

Standing in front of the pictures, Ichiha resumed his presentation.

“While I was drawing pictures of monsters in the Duchy of Chima, I realized something. There are monsters that, despite being of different races, shared the exact same parts. Ever since I realized this, I have paid close attention to monsters’ body parts.”

He stood in front of the picture of a pudgy, winged snake and boxed both the wings and the snake’s main body in long, thin, colored paper cutouts.

“Take this monster as an example. There is no official name for it, but I believe that His Majesty’s temporary name, the flying tsuchinoko, feels apt, so I am going to call it that. This flying tsuchinoko is composed of two types of parts: the snake body part, and the wing part. Its defining features as a creature are its powerful jump, and the ability to fly, albeit only for short distances. Also... it’s edible.”

There were hushed voices from the crowd when he said it was edible. Most of mankind did not yet know about this fact. Even in this hall where many experts had gathered, it was a bombshell statement.

“Would God forgive us eating monsters...?” One voice could be heard saying that. It was apparently a Lunarian Orthodox bishop.

There were those participating in this symposium who viewed the study of monsters with a sense of crisis and taboo. In order to learn what reactions there might be to them studying monsters, Souma had not denied them entry.

The whispering continued, with Ichiha unsure as to what to do, Hakuya stepped in and said, “This is a fact. There is a precedent for eating flying tsuchinoko in the Empire. Though, obviously, with monsters like the lizardman, which possess a human body part, it just felt too wrong to try eating them. A flying tsuchinoko is basically snake meat with chicken wings. It should not be that surprising that it would be edible.”

At Hakuya’s words, the room calmed down a little. Thinking it would result in a scandal, he had decided not to include the fact that Jeanne, the younger sister of Empress Maria, had been one of the ones to eat it.

Continuing from where Hakuya left off, Ichiha resumed speaking, “I will address the matter of edible monsters later, so please listen. Now, in regards to the flying tsuchinoko’s wings, there are other monsters confirmed to have the exact same wings. Please, turn to page 5 of the booklet you were provided.”

Ichiha paused to give the audience time to navigate themselves before following up.

“The monster there is a dog with two heads. We will call it an orthrus. Now, for some reason, it and the flying tsuchinoko have the same part despite being two different types of monster. When I noticed this, I sorted my sketches by each monster’s body parts. It was then that I realized there were an unusually high number of cases where this same thing occurred. The orthrus has the same wings as the flying tsuchinoko. And I have found another monster with the body of a turtle and the same head as this orthrus, too.”

Then Ichiha moved to stand in front of the lizardman picture.

“It is the same with this lizardman. This is a monster that the Friedonian National Defense Force fought in the Kingdom of Lastania, and we have been able to obtain many dead samples for research. This lizardman’s upper body resembles a human, but the face and lower body have traits typical of a large, bipedal lizard. It has human elements, but its nature is strictly that of a wild beast. It seemed they had as much intelligence as a shoujou, and could divide labor among their pack, but not so much that we could communicate with them. Isn’t that right, Tomoe?”

When Ichiha asked her, Tomoe blurted out, “Y-Yes!” and rose to her feet.

“I saw a captive lizardman in the Kingdom of Lastania. I have the ability to speak to animals... to understand their hearts, but the lizardman only recognized me as ‘food’... or as ‘prey.’ It was actually creepy how it seemed to lack any other feelings. Normally, if an animal is captured, no matter how hungry it is, I would be able to feel anger and unease...”

Tomoe crossed her arms and clutched her elbows as she recounted the event. That terrifying memory of being seen as prey was seared into her mind.

Ichiha felt bad for her as he continued in a quiet voice, “Thank you. As Tomoe just said, it is interesting that they lack the emotions that they should have as living creatures.”

Checking that Tomoe had sat back down, Ichiha returned to the topic at hand.

“As you can see, monsters are a mix of elements from a variety of different creatures. Furthermore, there are zombies and skeletons, which seem to be existing creatures that have rotted or skeletonized. The reason monsters seem creepy to us compared to wild animals may be because, according to our preconceptions, they have unneeded body parts (parts from other creatures), or unneeded features (rot or skeletonization).”

“Makes sense...” said Souma.

He hadn’t used a loud voice, but the words caught everyone’s attention since they came from the king. When Souma realized everyone was looking at him, he felt awkward about holding up the presentation.

“...May I say a word?” Souma asked, raising his hand.

“Yes. Go ahead.”

“Being overly formal is too much trouble, so I’m just going to talk casually, but... I encountered four-legged ogres in the Republic of Turgis. Isn’t that right, Kuu?”

Souma turned towards Kuu, who was sitting at the table opposite his.

“Yeah,” Kuu said with a nod. “Those furry ogres, right? I remember they had big arms, and four legs. They came out of the dungeon, attacked villages, and ate people. Considering how vicious they were, I’ll bet they were the same as the lizardmen, and they only saw us as prey.”

Kuu was making his hatred for the ogres plain to see as he spoke, and Souma agreed with him.

“When I saw those ogres, I thought they were warped creatures. Thinking back now, they had ogre faces, but their bodies must have come from some other creature. The gorilla... That’s a large creature from my world that’s similar to the shoujou, and they resembled it.” Souma crossed his arms and groaned as he spoke. “When I remembered that, and heard what you were saying, Sir Ichiha, it made me feel like I understood why monsters are warped. Sorry. I seem to have ended up interrupting you.”

“No, that was a valuable story you’ve just told us.” Ichiha bowed, then turned back to the crowd and resumed speaking, “It is exceptionally difficult to categorize monsters which are such a hodgepodge of different traits. That is why Mr. Hakuya and I came up with MPI, which sorts each monster into its constituent parts. I would now ask Mr. Hakuya to explain the reason for doing so.”

“Very well.”

Ichiha retreated from the lectern, and Hakuya came to take his place.

“I am Hakuya Kwonmin, the Prime Minister of this country. The Monster Encyclopedia is considered to be jointly authored by Sir Ichiha and me, but I merely made it look nice. The core of the material is in the sketches Sir Ichiha drew, and the method by which they were sorted. I feel bad, taking the lectern when that is the situation, but I would like to explain MPI on Sir Ichiha’s behalf.”

Turning to Ichiha, Hakuya gave a small nod.

“Now then... Normally, monsters are like evil spirits, and unless they form packs all of the same kind, it is difficult to sort them into species. They come in a multitude of forms, and it has been impossible to sort them into species based on their whole bodies. However, when I learned of Sir Ichiha’s system, which sorts the monsters based on their body parts, there were a variety of ways I found it could be applied.”

Hakuya pointed to the monster pictures behind him.

“As you can see, when monsters were sorted in this way, we are able to recognize those which share the same parts. This has made it possible to name monsters.”

“Ohh...” The was an exclamation of awe from some members of the crowd. Those must have been the ones who understood what Hakuya was trying to say.

However, most of the crowd simply went, “Name them? What’s the point?” and cocked their head to the side. Was it even possible to name monsters when they all looked so different?

Having anticipated that response, Hakuya explained, “In order for us to recognize a thing, we must first name it. Because when something has a name, we can take it as a subject, and research becomes possible. By sharing that with other people, it allows us to spread information about the subject of our research— To give a quick example, by giving ‘people’ the name ‘people,’ and sharing that word with others, I can communicate to them that I am studying people.”

He began to pace slowly towards one side of the stage as he spoke.

“Looking back in our conversation a little, we know that monsters have aberrant forms when compared with other creatures. Because of that, it is difficult to perfectly convey what we have seen about monsters to other people. How about the ‘flying tsuchinoko’ His Majesty named, for instance? If you were to communicate the existence of this monster to others, how would you describe it? ...You would say it is a fat-bodied snake-like monster with wings, or something similar, I suppose.”

With a slight pause, Hakuya turned and began pacing back towards the center of the stage.

“It would be nice if that sufficed, but there are monsters with a variety of traits like, ‘Has horns,’ ‘Has two heads,’ ‘Spits poison,’ and more. To name all of these species individually, and share a common understanding of them would be too daunting a task.”

Stopping at the board, he gestured towards the paper filled with sketches.

“This would serve as an impediment to sharing information on monsters. If we were studying them in detail, it would be tolerable. However, when a group of monsters that are a hodgepodge of different traits overflow from a dungeon, there’s no time for that. The situation must be addressed at once.”

Hakuya moved towards the lectern, and placed his hands on it with a sigh.

“When the soldiers on-site contact the military for backup, they won’t have time to report every single one of those traits. The information from the scene will be limited to, ‘There is a monster attack,’ ‘There are around this many,’ and, ‘They do or do not fly.’ If the group is composed of a single race, like the lizardman pack we encountered in the Union of Eastern Nations, their abilities are clearly defined and countering them becomes easier.”

He raised his arm and pointed it toward the board.

“Lizardmen do not fly. However, they have the ability to jump. The green ones do not spit fire, but the red ones require caution... It’s easier because we can share these common understandings about them. Meanwhile, in the case of a horde composed of many species, it is not so simple. First of all, because there are monsters that take on warped forms, and it is hard to even communicate the enemy’s traits.”

Here Hakuya took a sip of the water left next to the lectern and paused for a breath.

“There is a risk that information will be miscommunicated. ‘We neglected to understand the situation before rushing to the scene, and were not equipped to handle the monsters,’ or ‘We took too long carefully preparing, and the damage spread.’ I can imagine either of these situations arising. However, if we identify monsters by their body parts, and have a shared naming system, that time can be shortened considerably.”

Hakuya tapped the picture of the flying tsuchinoko with a pointer.

“Take this ‘flying tsuchinoko’ for instance. We will call monsters with this wing part ‘flying,’ and those with this short, fat snake part ‘tsuchinokos.’ Further, wolf monsters will be called ‘wolves,’ those that are rotting will be called, ‘zombies,’ those that are poisonous will be called, ‘poison,’ those with horns will be called, ‘horned,’ and those with two of a part will be called ‘twin-plus-the part name.’”

He paused again to allow the audience to absorb this information.

“Think of it like how we already call monsters with human parts ‘men.’ In doing this, a group that would once have been reported as containing, ‘fat snake monsters with horns and wings, two-headed wolves with poisonous fangs, and lizardmen whose bodies are rotting,’ can now be reported as, ‘A group of horned tsuchinoko, two-headed poison wolves, and zombie lizardmen,’ and the same information will be conveyed. We know in advance that if there are many flying monsters, it would be wise to send anti-air equipment, and if there are a lot of poison monsters, we should send antidotes and serum.”

“““Ohhh!””” The crowd cried out in awe. They finally understood the practicality of it.

As Hakuya was speaking, Souma thought, Hm... If they used a system of writing that represented ideas, not sounds, we could compress it even more, though...

What Souma was thinking of was ‘kanji,’ which had existed in the language of the country he once lived in. With kanji, those three monster names could be written, 角飛槌蛇, 双頭毒狼, and, 腐蜥蜴人.

However, Souma shook his head. Continental Standard uses an alphabet like English, so it’s not gonna be possible, huh... Maybe if I invented something like pictograms... Wait, those can’t be communicated verbally.

While Souma was thinking about that, Hakuya continued, “Now, MPI does more than just allow us to share information by naming monsters. This came up in the beginning, but it’s also relevant to the question of which monsters can be eaten. The flying tsuchinoko is edible. This has been proven by the cases of them having been eaten in the Empire, and consumed by the lizardmen. Flying tsuchinoko contain a snake part and a wing part, but both of them must be edible. It is probable that monsters made of all edible parts are edible.”

He pointed at the body and wings on the sketch for emphasis.

“Conversely, if they have even a single poisonous part in their bodies, there is a high possibility that those monsters are not suitable for consumption. However, due to the lack of trials at this point, this still remains just a prediction. If we feed the monsters we slay to animals and continue to experiment, we may be able to come to a more precise conclusion. I would like to ask you all to cooperate with demonstrating this.”

Hakuya bowed his head, and the crowd nodded at his reasonable suggestion. The memory of the food crisis was still fresh in this country.

“There are also monsters with human parts, and even if those parts are not toxic, I doubt anyone would want to eat them unless they were in a serious crisis. However, on the front line, if our men are starving for some reason, they could serve as a valuable source of food to keep them alive. It is important to address the legal and ethical implications of consuming meat from monsters with human-like parts. This is something on which I would like to proceed cautiously, taking into consideration the opinions of the state, and, of course, the religions which support our people’s spiritual well-being.”

There was a buzz of hushed voices from the crowd at Hakuya’s words. The researchers leaned towards those nearest them, whispering, “What do you think?” They were exchanging opinions, but the religious figures in the audience had harsh looks on their faces.

The Lunarian Orthodox bishop who had been suspicious of the idea of studying monsters to begin with was glaring at Hakuya unhappily. He must have thought consuming monsters was unthinkable. Even with the opinions of those looking at him so divided, Hakuya continued to speak.

“The third merit of MPI is that, by categorizing the body parts, we can determine just how many human parts are in a subject. This is still just a theory, but it seems that monsters with more human parts are more intelligent.”

He pointed at the flying tsuchinoko and lizardman pictures.

“The flying tsuchinoko acts on animal-like thoughts. The way it flies to attack its prey, then consumes its meat, is a purely instinctual pattern of action. No different from any wild animal. The lizardmen that the National Defense Force encountered, on the other hand, demonstrated the ability to learn. When we showed one lizardman how to cook and eat a flying tsuchinoko, that lizardman cooked and ate one when it was back among its pack. The other lizardmen that saw this imitated it, and they began attacking flying tsuchinokos. The key takeaway here is that lizardmen can learn.”

Hakuya looked out emphatically as the entire hall went quiet.

If there were monsters with the ability to learn, that made them that much more dangerous. It was said that the demons that lived on the northern end of the continent were intelligent. And those same demons had once destroyed the united forces of mankind that were led by the Empire.

Monsters were not intelligent like demons, so it was assumed they were simple to handle. However, if some of those monsters had the ability to learn, they couldn’t maintain an optimistic perspective. It’s harder to deal with a pack of wolves than one great bear. If the beasts were clever, that raised the threat to humanity.

Hakuya continued, “Intelligence is the greatest advantage we hold over the monsters. If they possess even a shred of what we do, that is a threat to us. However, can we not also say this? If those that possess even a small number of human parts are intelligent, then those with more parts will be more intelligent. Perhaps to the point that it may be possible for them to communicate with us.”

He stopped there and looked out at the crowd once more.

“I am sure you can all think of a group this applies to... The demons.”

With his words, the assembled people gulped once more. They had heard that the demons seemed to be intelligent, but they hadn’t thought they were so intelligent they could communicate with humans. An enemy with human-level intelligence was dangerous. It also opened the possibility for dialogue, but with some notable exception, almost no one had realized that yet. Those exceptions were the people who already knew about this.

“Have we finally come this far...?”

“It certainly took a while, huh?”

Up on stage, Souma and Liscia whispered to each other. Only a select few in the upper echelons of this country had been privy to the story of how the kobolds had contacted Tomoe. It was not simple to prove the communication that Tomoe’s power had made possible, though, and they risked condemnation from other countries for being in communication with demons.

If other countries found out and began trying to contact the demons independently, it would be chaos. None of the countries could tell the difference between monsters and demons at the time. Because of that, Souma had kept this fact a secret. But today, it was finally revealed for all to see.

With the advancement of the study of monsters and demons through Ichiha’s MPI, they had newly presented the objective potential that dialogue was possible. If it looked like that was objectively the case, the other countries couldn’t condemn them for it. Of course, there was only a potential at this stage, but the times were slowly catching up to the facts they had gleaned through Tomoe’s ability.

“If demons are intelligent like us, do you think they can understand monsters that have only meager intelligence?”

Hakuya’s words hung in the air.

“Think about it. If you were surrounded on the road by a pack of wild dogs, you would be frightened. What if you were a demon? Do you suppose you would be calm surrounded by monsters? Between monsters and demons, could there not be conflict between them? Do you suppose the terrifying demons and monsters have built a symbiotic relationship? Perhaps we need to think of demons and monsters separately... That is all. Thank you for listening.”

Hakuya bowed and stepped down. There was no applause. Everyone was busy thinking through the new possibilities that had just been presented to them.

Amidst the silence, Souma began clapping his hands. Liscia and Tomoe followed suit, and the crowd, brought back to their senses by that sound, gave a huge round of applause. When the clapping stopped, Souma rose and spoke.

“Now, with the explanation of Sir Ichiha and Hakuya’s MPI system finished, I would like to move on to the exchange of opinions that is the goal of this event. Taking into consideration what Sir Ichiha and Hakuya have explained, I would like to hear your frank opinions about monsters, researching monsters, and the MPI system.”

Then, taking a deep breath, he said, “If you have questions, please, raise your hands.”

There was the swish of clothing. Many hands went up in unison.

Chapter 4: Exchange of Opinions

Whew, they’re all so passionate... I gulped, seeing the flood of hands that went up that moment I asked them to raise their hands. They all looked like they wanted to ask their question or state their opinion. To the point that they were willing to push the others aside, regardless of rank. You could tell there were a bunch of research fanatics here.

That passion was to be welcomed, for the country’s sake.

“Now, please, give your name and affiliation before stating your opinion or asking a question. Yes, you, in the priest’s robe.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty. I am Priest Bart of Lunarian Orthodoxy.”

The first one I called on was a priest who had been scowling throughout the entire research presentation. I knew full well from his demeanor that he would be opposed to researching monsters, so I deliberately let him go first. In order to move research on monsters forward, it was necessary to hear opinions from people like this, and take measures to tamp down on resistance from the public.

“I thank you for your permission to speak.” Bart looked straight at me. “This opinion may be out of place in a gathering such as this, but I will voice it despite that. As a man of the cloth... No, as a single person, I have a strong aversion to trying to learn more about monsters.”

There was hushed whispering. They were all confused that, at an event that had been called the Monsterology Symposium, the first opinion was one against researching monsters to begin with.

The researchers around Bart said things like:

“What is this guy on about?”

“What’re you even doing here?”

They cast cold eyes on him. However, I asked him to go on.

“Let’s hear it. What is your concern?”

“In the teachings of Lunarian Orthodoxy, the monsters were born as evil counterparts to the good god of the moon, Lunaria,” Bart began. “They are filthy beings, and unable to interact with people. That is exactly why, no matter how frail the monster may be, it is forbidden to feed or use them. A monster is a monster, no matter how small. No matter how harmless they may seem, they are dangerous creatures. There is no telling what dangers keeping them near to us may bring about. Even for those who worship another, I suspect the other religions’ understanding of the issue is the same, is it not?”

“.........”

I didn’t really understand the religious views of this country, so I looked to Liscia and the others. “Yeah, that’s right...” they seemed to say as they nodded.

There was no argument, so the priest continued, “I am not opposing this on purely doctrinal grounds. I am suggesting there are realms which man should not touch. It is God who decides the forms of living beings. If we set foot in that domain unduly, might we not do something that we will be unable to take back?”

The buzzing in the room settled down. If you removed the veil of religion from what he was saying, he was warning of the danger of working with things that were too much for mankind to handle.

Let’s imagine research was progressing, and we brought living monsters back to the capital. If a number of them escaped, they might breed somewhere, and no one knew what damage that might cause. In my old world, there were more examples than I could count where just a few members of a foreign species released into the wild had completely destroyed the existing environment.

In fact, the disused underground passages beneath the castle had been home to a massive salamander that had grown far beyond any normal size, among other creatures. They might change in response to a specific environment, too. When I think of it that way, I can’t belittle his point...

I was impressed how surprisingly reasonable it was. Those things he said about God deciding the forms of all creatures, and it not being our place to step into that domain reminded me of the opposition between ethics and practicality when it came to gene editing and other cutting-edge science in my old world.

If I thought about it, with the exception of those that served to reinforce the religion’s power, religious precepts were generally meant to convince people to live better lives. Some of them must have been knowledge gained from experience that was then handed down as stories. Maybe someone caught a monster in the past, and because they underestimated the threat, there had been harm caused... or something along those lines.

“Sir Souji, what do you think after hearing his opinion?”

“You’re asking me?”

When I turned to Souji, for a moment he gave me a look like, “You really want my opinion...?” but he quickly recomposed himself and put on a serious expression.

“That is certainly the teaching of Lunarian Orthodoxy. However, Lady Lunaria says elsewhere, ‘Never should you neglect to put in the effort to try things and learn.’ Surely, we must not neglect to learn about monsters. However, there is some reason in what Sir Bart says, too. The utmost caution must be taken in any research.”

Souji gave an opinion that justified researching monsters while giving some consideration to Bart’s opinion. He was equivocating, but that was exactly what I wanted.

“Okay, I get it. We should move forward with the research, but be careful.”

I considered my words carefully, then spoke.

“For now, I believe I will put forward these regulations:

“First, the transport of living monsters from the border region to the inner regions is forbidden.

“Second, in the case of dungeon monsters, living monsters are not to be transported away from the area around their dungeons.

“Third, if you want to study living monsters, it is to be done near the border, or near dungeons. Research to be done in the capital must be performed exclusively using confirmed dead samples.

“That’s what I’ve got off the top of my head. I’d like to come up with some more detailed rules later, but... there are monster parts for sale at the market now, right, Roroa?”

“Sure are. Mostly comin’ from the dungeons, though.” Roroa nodded. “They can be the basis of the economy in towns that’re near a dungeon, and some of the materials’re valuable. Livin’ monsters are dangerous, so I do agree we should be clampin’ down on tradin’ them, of course, but we’ll need to put laws in place either way.”

“That’s our job, yeah... Does anyone else have an opinion on this? ...You, the one who just put your hand up over there.”

When I called on him—the man who looked exactly what I expected a researcher to look like, wearing a white coat and glasses—stood up.

“I am Gordon, a researcher at the Royal Academy. If that is the case, I would like one of the small dungeons in the Kingdom to use for research. Until we conquer it, I do not believe we can study monster ecology and the mechanism behind their creation inside the dungeon.”

“Hmm... What do you think, Hakuya?”

Hakuya thought a little before nodding.

“If we can secure the safety of the surrounding area, I believe that would be fine,” he said. “However, we will need to garrison the minimum number of forces needed to respond to any issue that arises at all times. I believe that we should prepare an environment where anyone can come and participate in the research, too. That will also mean they can monitor one another to ensure no one is using monsters to pursue illegal research.”

“...You heard the man. What do you say?” I turned back to Gordon, and he nodded.

“The Prime Minister’s opinion is reasonable.”

“Good. I think we’ll move forward with that policy then. What do you say, Sir Bart?”

“...I understand. Please, at least take every caution.”

Bart probably wasn’t completely convinced, but we had shown him some consideration, so he stood down.

When I called for the next opinion, a young man raised his hand. “You, the young man over there.”

“R-Right! I’m Toto, a researcher working in Professor Cosno’s lab at the Royal Academy! N-Normally, I study materials that come from living creatures with the professor.”

The young researcher seemed tense as he introduced himself.

Toto... Oh! I thought I recognized that name. He was one of the researchers who participated in finding a substitute material to replace rubber for me. The secrets of that development were discussed on the broadcast program Nameless Heroes, so I remembered him.

“Erm... What I... I wanted to say was...” It looked like Toto was a nervous wreck. If he got any more tense, he wasn’t going to be able to talk at all.

“Please, relax.” I tried to keep my voice as calm as possible as I spoke. “Whatever your opinion is, it’s fine.”

“O-Okay. Breathe in... Breathe out...”

Toto took a deep breath, then opened his mouth again.

“In regards to the lizardman remains you brought back from the Kingdom of Lastania, Your Majesty. There were samples sent to the lab I work at to probe the potential use of the materials from them. There was an interesting development in our investigation...”

“What was that?”

“They had no reproductive organs.”

When he suddenly brought up reproductive organs, there was a palpable disappointment from the room, but they started excitedly whispering again when they realized what that meant.

The lizardmen had created a massive swarm to attack the Kingdom of Lastania. If they had no reproductive organs, that meant that swarm was not produced through mating.

“They have no genitals, then?”

“They do have an organ for excretion. However, they had no organ which produced the eggs or sperm that would be needed for reproduction. There were few samples available to us, though, so I couldn’t tell you if the entire swarm was like that, or if it was just these individuals...”

“...It’s been a while since then, and I’m sure the Kingdom of Lastania has already finished dismantling them all. I’ll send a letter just in case. Does anyone else know anything about this?”

There was a lot of talking when I asked that, but no actual response. It seemed no one was able to say anything definitive about the reproductive organs of monsters.

“This was probably to be expected. There is a strong taboo against researching monsters, and it is dangerous, too.”

Toto explained why that was.

“When adventurers face monsters in the dungeons, they neutralize them by cutting them with swords, shooting them with arrows, and attacking them with magic, so it is inevitable that the remains are not in good shape. Even if they do manage to defeat them in good condition, it is a lot of labor to bring them back. Ogres are too heavy to bring back whole, for instance. That’s why it’s rare for a full, well-preserved corpse to make its way to the lab.”

“I see...”

Souma felt like he could see one reason monster research had not progressed much up until now. Before even addressing the religious taboo, it was too dangerous, and they couldn’t secure good samples. It would be one thing for a military force, but adventurers like Juno and her party, who tended to work in groups of less than ten, wouldn’t be able to bring back a monster intact. On that point, it was fortunate that we were able to gain lizardman bodies in good condition.

Still, monster reproduction, huh? I’d have to let future research look into whether they had reproductive abilities or not...

“I suppose that means that, despite the presence of individuals with no ability to reproduce, they were still able to create that massive swarm,” I said.

“A word, if I may, King?”

Together with those words that were so casual they could be seen as disrespectful, a hand rose. It belonged to a person I knew well.

“Does something occur to you, Genia?”

“Yeah. Whoops... I’m, uh. I’m Genia M. Arcs. Descendant of the House of Maxwell, who have always studied dungeon relics, and adorable wife to Big Brother Luu, who is Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the National Defense Force.”

“Maybe leave out the last part. Who are you trying to impress?”

“I figured it’s my job as a wife to do PR for my husband.”

“If Ludwin were here, he’d be holding his head in his hands,” grasping my own temples to suppress the headache.

“Now, getting to the point,” Genia continued. “I think I know a little more about dungeon monsters than most people, but their theory that you can categorize monsters by their parts was a real eye-opener for me. So... I hear that many of the monsters in dungeons are more warped than the ones we hear about in legends.”

Genia went on with no regard for formalities, but the House of Maxwell were widely known to be eccentrics, so no one worried too much about it. They were more focused on what a member of a family with such rare talent would say.

“From what Sir Ichiha’s said, that warped nature must come from them being a mixture of parts from different creatures. When you add in the monsters that have no reproductive organs from earlier... I just can’t see these monsters as having emerged naturally.”

“If not naturally... Then, you don’t mean they were created, do you?”

“Precisely!” Genia said with a snap of her fingers. “That’s the natural conclusion. Children are born carrying the traits of their parents. If Big Brother Luu and I have children, they’ll be small if they take after me, and tall if they take after him. I want to have about two, by the way.”

“Uh, listen, I don’t know about your family planning, but...”

“...But even though we just got married, Princess Trill keeps coming over. Not only that, but she takes forever to leave, and she’s always clinging to me, so Big Brother Luu starts moping, and it’s so much trouble.”

“Okay, now I want to hear more, but... this is a symposium, so can we get back to talking about monsters? I am sure the matter with Princess Trill will be sorted out by her guardian (who was no doubt watching this) later.”

Then, there was a banging from the crowd.

That drill hair, tied off to one side... It was Trill. She was watching from the observer seats, and fell out of her chair in shock. This was a good opportunity, so I decided to give her a lecture.

Genia shrugged her shoulders in dismay. “Understood... Please, I am seriously counting on you to handle Princess Trill.”

Genia was polite there?! ...Was this Trill person really that bad? The people in attendance wondered, but Genia returned to the topic at hand like nothing had happened.

“I don’t get that sense of heredity when it comes to monsters. You can see it with those flying tsuchinoko, right? They look like the lovechild of a snake and a bird, but snakes and birds don’t mate, and it’s not even possible for them to. So, why does a monster like that exist? The parents were flying tsuchinoko, so the children were, too? Then what about the parents’ parents? And the parents’ parents’ parents?”

She paused briefly.

“...That’s right. It’s hard to imagine that a bird and snake mated at any point. That means that, even if we go back, the flying tsuchinoko was a flying tsuchinoko all along. One day, all of a sudden, it came into being in its full form. Almost as if someone created it.”

“Created it...? Who?” I asked.

“Search me. I don’t know, either. Was the producer the Demon Lord, or God? As a dungeon relic researcher, I want to say it’s the dungeon core. In dungeons that maintain their own independent ecology, the number of monsters seems to be kept stable, too. It’s thought that they have some function that gives birth to monsters.”

“But that’s when we’re talking about dungeon monsters, right? The flying tsuchinoko was with the monsters that came out of the Demon Lord’s Domain, you know?”

“No, no.” Genia shook her head at my words. “You can’t say for certain that the monsters from the Demon Lord’s Domain weren’t born in a dungeon. It could be that the entrance to the demon world that’s said to have opened up in the north of the continent was the entrance to a massive dungeon. Well, I can’t be sure, so this is all just speculation, though.”

“I see... If monsters are created beings, that could be possible, huh?” I groaned, convinced by her argument. She wasn’t an overscientist for nothing.

The crowd listened intently to our exchange. That was because we suggested the possibility that monsters were created beings, and not just the ones born in dungeons, but perhaps the ones coming from the Demon Lord’s Domain, too.

“Doctor. What do you think about her opinion?” one student asked.

“I believe it is worth listening to. But in my view...”

“If monsters are manufactured, the next question has to be...”

The academics had already begun debating with those next to them. The reason monsters are warped... is because they were created... huh? While the attendees had a lively discussion about monsters, I was alone in thinking about something else.

But it’s not just monsters that have traits from other creatures. To me, rhinosauruses appear to have traits from both rhinoceroses and dinosaurs, or some other large lizard. It’s the same with wyverns. And...

I looked at the diverse crowd gathered here.

I could say the same of beastmen, dragonewts, and the sea serpent race, too. Looking at it using the logic of my former world, it should be impossible for so many different races to exist.

I had been studying humanities, so I at least knew the rough outline of human evolution.

Pikaia were born in the sea and became fish. Fish became amphibians and came up on land. Some of those amphibians became reptiles, and adapted to live on land as well. The smaller mammals which were born as reptiles were growing to massive sizes, survived an extinction event, became primates, and then eventually became human.

What about the beastmen in this world, though? There were lion beastmen, monkey beastmen, rabbit beastmen, and many other races of beastmen, but had they all evolved from the creatures they were based on?

...No, that was hard to imagine. I had heard that no matter how intelligent chimpanzees were, they wouldn’t evolve to become human until modern humanity was wiped out. Unless there is a virus or genetic manipulation like in a certain movie, it was impossible for two human races to exist at the same time.

Come to think of it... Madam Tiamat once called me, “You who have a familiar smell.” If I considered the link between my past world and this one that she hinted at... it could be that the diverse races of this world didn’t evolve separately from humanity, but were an extension of our own evolution. Yes, almost as if they were “created” by someone. When that thought occurred to me, I shuddered. I felt a primordial fear, like when I thought about the beginning or end of the universe.

Breathe in... Breathe out... I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled until my lungs were completely empty. In order to calm my uneasy heart. Once I sensed calm had returned to it, I opened my eyes. This line of thought... is something I can’t bring up here. If a nation that believes one race is superior heard, they might use it to suppress the other races. Claiming that beastmen came from the same root as monsters.

The high elf supremacist Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, and the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State who claimed they were the descendants of humans who came down from the moon would gleefully proclaim their own race’s superiority. I wanted to avoid that, no matter what.

I’ll keep this secret until I know more. But I’d like to discuss it with a select few people. To prepare for the day when it comes out... I’ll ask Hakuya, Genia, and the others what to do later.

Having thought that to myself, I turned to the still noisy hall and said, “There’s still time. Does anyone else have an opinion?”

Even more hands than last time went up in a hurry.

◇ ◇ ◇

After the conclusion of the symposium. The chairs had been moved off to the side after the passionate exchange of opinions ended, and in place of them a number of large tables laden with trays of food had been brought out. The post-symposium party had begun.

Food was served as a buffet, and everyone was free to eat and drink what they wanted as they talked about whatever they wanted to. The entire spread was provided by a team of chefs led by Poncho, and service was offered by the maids who reported to Serina. Serina wasn’t here herself due to her pregnancy, but her subordinates helped Poncho in her place.

Once the drinks had gone around to everyone, I stood up on the stage with a bottle of wine and a large glass in hand, and called Hakuya over.

“...What is it, sire?”

“Here, take this.”

I pushed the large glass into Hakuya’s hand as he approached me with a dubious look on his face, then poured the contents of the bottle into it and spoke loudly so everyone could hear.

“Sir Ichiha, our guest of honor at this symposium, is still just a child. In his place, I would like to ask Hakuya to offer a toast instead.”

“...Isn’t that a little much you’re pouring? You’ve emptied out half of the bottle there, haven’t you?”

“It’s more exciting this way, isn’t it? Go on, once we all say cheers, you just knock that back.”

“Honestly, sire...”

Hakuya sounded exasperated, but he turned to the crowd and raised his glass.

“To monster research, which took a new step forward today, and to the young genius who has appeared in this country to lead it into the next generation, cheers!”

“““Cheers!”””

On Hakuya’s call, everyone smiled and raised their own glasses.

Having finished his toast, Hakuya resolved himself and drained the glass that was full of drink, which was met by a myriad of cheers.

“Okay, from here on, we set rank aside. Drink, and eat, and talk away,” I said.

At my words, everyone swarmed the food. It was as popular as you’d expect a menu overseen by the God of Food himself. Meanwhile, Hakuya, who had drunk more than it was easy to in one gulp, wiped his mouth and stared at me with disdain.

“...The juice was delicious.”

“I’m glad you liked it. I’ve heard you’re not much of a drinker.”

By not making it wine, I figured that made it okay to have Hakuya, who got tipsy with a single glass of wine, to drink it all in one gulp. I couldn’t have the guest of honor drinking until he dropped, after all.

I don’t engage in alcohol harassment. Not me.

“I wish you had told me so beforehand,” he sighed.

“Wasn’t everyone excited to watch a lightweight like you steel yourself and drink?”

“...I do believe we weren’t concerned about rank tonight, yes?”

Hakuya pulled a paper fan out of nowhere and smacked me over the head with it.

“Ow! Wait, where’s you get that from?!”

“Pardon me. I appear to be drunk.”

“As if you could get drunk on juice!”

Everyone laughed at that master-servant comedy routine. Well, they seem to like it, so I guess I’ll let it slide.

With the party started, a ring of people formed around Ichiha and Hakuya, as I expected. Everyone gathered here was passionate about monster research. The two of them were being hit with questions one after another, so they probably didn’t have time to enjoy the food.

The president of the Monster Research Society, who was acting as something like an intermediary between them, was very busy, too.

Then, as the party was livening up...

“Souma.”

“Yeah. I know.”

I slipped away with Liscia and snuck off to the changing room behind the stage. Once there, I spoke to the person reflected in the simple receiver.

“I’m sorry. We kept you waiting.”

“No, you’ve let me hear something fascinating.”

The gentle smile on the other side of the screen belonged to Empress Maria of the Empire. Her younger sister, Jeanne, stood beside her with an apologetic look on her face.

“Also... I must apologize for what happened with Trill.”

Maria was embarrassed when she heard her younger sister Trill was making married life difficult for Ludwin and Genia. As for Jeanne, her smile was so intense that, if this were a manga, I had to imagine Jeanne would have had one of those cross-shaped anger marks on her forehead.

“We will give her a stern talking-to about her behavior.”

“Not that she’s the kind to listen...” Jeanne murmured.

Even Maria, who always wore a gentle smile, could only sigh and agree. I had heard from our ambassador to the Empire, Piltory, that the third princess had a reputation for being a troublemaker, but it seemed she was worse than I’d imagined.

Jeanne put her hands on her hips indignantly and said, “If she causes any more trouble, you’re welcome to deport her. If she objects, I will come there and drag her back by the scruff of her neck myself.”

“...Please leave that until the joint research project is finished.”

Well, knowing how madly in love with Genia Trill was, if we teased the threat of deportation, she’d probably tone it down a bit. She didn’t want to be torn away from Genia, after all.

Oh, but it might be good to get Maria and Jeanne to sign off on it being all right to deport her. While I was thinking about that, Liscia tugged on my sleeve.

“Souma, you’re getting off track.”

“Oh, right. Now, on the topic of monster research...”

Maria put on her serious face and nodded. “Right. I’d like to carry out research in our country using the same methods as you are in the Kingdom. Therefore, I would ask you to send us a number of volumes of the Monster Encyclopedia.”

“Got it. In exchange, please send us any information on monsters you discover. You border the Demon Lord’s Domain, unlike us, so I expect you’ll be able to gather far more samples.”

“Very well. However... you still have cards you’re keeping hidden, don’t you?”

Maria’s eyes were gentle, but also probing. The fact that Tomoe had spoken to a demon with her ability hadn’t been leaked yet, but it seemed she had sensed there were still things we were keeping from the Empire. Honestly... She was such a clever woman.

I played dumb and shrugged my shoulders. “I will remain silent on that.”

“Hee hee, is that right?”

After that, we exchanged a few pleasantries, then terminated our call with Maria on ostensibly harmonious terms. Jeanne said she was disappointed she couldn’t speak to Hakuya, but he was surrounded by people at the moment, and in no position to be thinking about that.

“Today Hakuya stands on stage, while I work behind the scenes, huh? That’s the opposite of how it usually is.”

“That’s good once in a while, isn’t it? It lets you understand what Hakuya goes through,” Liscia said, linking her arm through mine.

“That’s true. It’s rough in a different way than being the one up on stage.”

“Hee hee, maybe he’s thinking the opposite thing right about now?”

Ahaha, she could be right.

When I walked back to where Roroa and Tomoe were, arm-in-arm with Liscia, Roroa said, “Whoa, what’re you two doin’, actin’ all lovey-dovey by yourselves?!”

Roroa angrily hugged the opposite arm. I had two women hanging off of me, but I couldn’t eat or drink like this. When I said as much, Roroa snickered.

“We’ll be the ones feedin’ you. Okay, Darlin’, say ahh.”

“Hee hee, she’s right. Say ahh.”

When they each offered me food on forks, I broke into a cold sweat.

“Um, you two, aren’t you forgetting that we’re in the public eye?”

“It’s fine. They’re all focusin’ on Ichiha and Hakuya anyway.”

“It’s true. Those two are really popular, huh?”

I looked at what they were looking at, and Ichiha and Hakuya were still surrounded by researchers, the same as before. No, actually, I think there might have been even more people now.

That just meant there were that many people who wanted to hear them talk. If anyone saw this scene, they’d never think of Ichiha as “extraneous” or “the leftovers” again.

“Failure leads to growth, and success to confidence. The results he achieved this time should greatly bolster Ichiha’s confidence. ...I guess it’s time to bring him into the fold in earnest.”

“Bring him into the fold?” Tomoe cocked her head to the side.

“Yes. In his current position, Ichiha is ‘a guest from the Duchy of Chima,’ or ‘being left in our care.’ Because everyone thinks I’ll be sending him back to the Duchy of Chima eventually, I’ve kept him away from our secrets up until now. Like your secret, for instance, Tomoe.”

“M-My secret...” Tomoe clapped her hands when she got it. “Oh! You mean that thing?”

If mishandled, that information could lead to us being condemned by other countries, so even within this country, only a select few were allowed to know it.

“If Ichiha is going to study monsters and demons, it’s a fact he’ll have to know. It may open new horizons for him when he learns. But once he knows, we can’t send him back to the Duchy of Chima. Obviously, Hakuya and I want Ichiha to offer us his services and stay in this country permanently.”

“...I do, too,” Tomoe said, gazing in Ichiha’s direction.

They were already fast friends. Though that went for Yuriga, too.

“That’s why I’m thinking we’ll reveal the secret to Ichiha soon. I’ll want you there when we do it, so I’d like you to help convince him to serve this country.”

“Okay. Of course I will, Big Brother.”

Tomoe gripped her hands into fists enthusiastically. That gesture was adorable, and I patted her on the head.

“Well, as long as we talk to him, I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Besides, from the way things look over there, it’ll be fine, wouldn’t you say? Word of Ichiha’s skill will spread now, and once they know he has promise, the nobles won’t leave him alone. Those are researchers flocking around him now, but soon enough there will be nobles saying, ‘Marry my daughter,’ in—Ow!”

Liscia suddenly elbowed me in the ribs.

“Wh-What was that for?!”

When I looked tearfully at Liscia, she gestured towards Tomoe with her chin. What’s that mean? I wondered, and looked over to Tomoe.

“.........”

“Murgh...” Tomoe had a sulky look on her face. She was turned towards Ichiha, who was in the center of that ring of people.

Because Tomoe was cute, when she sulked like that, she just looked a little upset, but... that reaction...

“Wh-What do you think?” I whispered to Liscia despite myself, and then we both shook our heads with wry smiles.

“I can’t tell just yet. But girls grow up fast, you know?”

“That’s right,” Roroa chimed in. “She’s Big Sis Cia’s little sister, so when she goes and set her heart on somethin’, she’s gonna stick to it.”

The two of them both sounded like they were enjoying this.

“Hrm... If she did that, I could be pretty sure he’d settle down in the kingdom, though.”

But even if that were to happen, just how many people’s expectations would the other party, Ichiha, have to live up to?

There was her birth mother, Father, Mother, Hakuya, Inugami, and me and my wives... More people adored Tomoe like a little sister or daughter than I could fit on one hand. What’s more, a lot of them were in high positions within the Kingdom. They were all hoping for Tomoe’s happiness, so if she wanted him from the bottom of her heart, they wouldn’t get in the way, but... I guess it was too early to worry about it now.

...Well, whatever happens, happens.

I gave up on thinking about it.

Chapter 5: March of the Bon Parade

— 2nd day, 8th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

Some time after the Monsterology Symposium...

“They’re here! I count eight of them!”

“Okay, get back, Juno! Augus, we’re moving up.”

“Got it!”

Walking past Juno the thief, who had been scouting the enemy, Dece the warrior and Augus the brawler moved up to block the hallway as the buzz of countless insects closed in.

This place was one of the dungeons inside the Kingdom of Friedonia. It had been thoroughly searched before, and now all that remained was to stop the core that lay in the depths. In doing this, it would turn the dungeon into no more than a labyrinthine cave.

However, some of the monster material that was harvested here was valuable, and many of the villages and towns in this domain were enriched by the trade in them. That’s why they chose not to stop the core, instead opening the place to adventurers, who would routinely cull the monsters inside, and collect their parts.

So long as there wasn’t a hidden room somewhere (and these had no doubt all been found), there was no great treasure left outside of the dungeon core; but the paths had been thoroughly searched, so they could gather monster parts without fear. You might think of this as a comparatively low difficulty dungeon. Today, Juno and her party were here on a quest to gather materials.

“Febral, what’s that monster?”

“It’s a ‘giant dragonfly’ with ‘crab claws,’ so... that would make it a scissor meganeura.”

Febral the priest identified the incoming monsters with a glint in his eye. It was common for adventurers to encounter monsters in dungeons, so Souma had distributed the Monster Encyclopedia to adventurers’ guilds inside the kingdom, and was working to spread the knowledge contained within. However, because the Monster Encyclopedia was still expensive, it was put in the guild’s closed stack library, and taking it out was forbidden (there were penalties).

Febral had an academic streak, and was very particular about things, so he spent his time off cooped up in the guild, reading the Monster Encyclopedia and absorbing its knowledge... Though, really he was just a bit of a monster maniac.

The Monster Encyclopedia was sorted well, and had pictures, making it a fun read, and that tickled Febral’s fancy. Hakuya and Ichiha had let their love for the material run wild when working on it, and Souma had read the finished product with great interest too, so maybe literate types liked this sort of encyclopedia.

In regard to this, Juno had said, “I know it’s just your job title as an adventurer, and you’re not an actual priest, but is it really okay for you to be so into monsters?”

Her exasperation was evident, but Febral seemed completely unconcerned about that. The monster maniac had identified the incoming foes as scissor meganeuras. Their bodies were mostly giant dragonfly, but their arms (forelegs) were crustacean claws.

The scissor meganeuras flew in and assaulted Dece and Augus with their sharp claws.

“Guh! They’re fast little buggers!”

“Damn it! Go down, you crabonfly!”

“Not crabonfly, scissor meganeura.”

Ignoring that correction from Febral, Dece drove them off with some sort of flying attack with his sword, while Augus did the same with his gauntlets. They must have been striking heavy blows, because sparks flew every time their metal weapons struck a claw. But there was a reason Dece and Augus were fighting entirely on the defensive.

“So which parts are the valuable ones?!”

“Stop holding back and tell us, Febral!”

There was a sparkle from Febral’s imaginary glasses (he wasn’t wearing any real ones) as they asked him.

“Those crab claws are sold as a luxury food item. There doesn’t appear to be any toxic parts, so the guild should pay good money to take them off our hands. Their compound eyes are also a valuable component for some medical equipment, so they should sell for a good price, too.”

“The scissors and the eyes, huh? Got it!”

“We aim for the body then!”

Augus and Dece slipped past the scissor attacks, using sword and fist to pummel the scissor meganeura’s bodies. Their attacks seemingly crushed its weak dragonfly part. The thin wings, cut free from the main body, fluttered to the ground.

“Okay, me, too!”

Juno threw a knife at one scissor meganeura which had slipped between the other two. That dagger stabbed into one of the scissor meganeura’s simple eyes, and it fell to the ground on its back.

“Whew... Looks like the compound eye is fine,” Juno said in relief as she checked the corpse.

Julia the mage, who had been preparing her flame magic behind them, asked Febral, “Do you not need me to use my magic?”

“The claws last a long time if smoked, and are more useful that way, so if you cook them, their value’s cut in half. Please stand by and be ready to burn them all if the front line stops being able to handle the situation.”

“Okaaaay.”

The gentle beauty, Julia, smiled as she summoned a large flame in midair, but because Juno and the two up front were able to handle the situation themselves, the spell was never fired.

Having secured a large number of crab claws and compound eyes, Juno and her party had their first big haul in some time.

◇ ◇ ◇

Some days later, in the capital Parnam. The night of the day Dece and his group returned.

“...And that’s how it went down. We made bank.”

Juno, who had come to the castle for tea, like she always did, jovially related the story. Our tea parties were a valuable chance to hear the voice of the common people, and it was fun to shoot the breeze over tea with my comrades, so I welcomed it.

Juno put a biscuit in her mouth, then laughed raucously. “Seriously, I’ve got to hand it to the Monster Encyclopedia. I hear other adventurers saying it’s helped them avoid wasting parts, and improved their earnings, too.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

It was satisfying to see that the book was having a positive impact on people’s lives.

“Hee hee, I guess it was worth distributin’ it, huh?”

“The ladies in the merchants’ district were happy to see unusual ingredients making the rounds, too.”

Roroa and Naden both piped in. The four of us were here for today’s tea.

“I couldn’t be happier to see it having a positive impact, and it looks like the acclaim for Ichiha is rising steadily, too, so I have nothing to complain about.”

“Ohh... Now that you mention it, the author, Ichiha Chima, lives in the castle, doesn’t he?” From the way Juno scratched her cheek, she had something on her mind.

“Hm? Did you want to meet him? I could call him in for tea...”

“No, that’s not it,” she said with a wry smile. Resting her cheeks on the palm of one hand, she traced the rim of her cup with a finger. “I was just thinking, if Febral found out I had met Ichiha Chima, he’d probably cry out of frustration. When the guy first read the Monster Encyclopedia, he said something like, ‘I want to stop being an adventurer, and become Sir Ichiha’s apprentice!’ The whole party stopped him, though.”

“...The problem is, there’s a lot of guys like that.”

And, as Ichiha’s fame grew, the number of them was steadily increasing. Ichiha had a promising future, and he was a talented academic. In another five years, with his looks, he was going to be a literate pretty boy. There would be no shortage of girls looking to get hitched with him, regardless of their social status.

If I didn’t keep him guarded at the academy by day and the castle by night, someone would snatch him up in no time. I expected something like that rush of marriage meetings that Poncho experienced was in the boy’s future. He was like the protagonist of an anime or manga.

I guess getting him engaged early would be one option. It was more or less decided that we would be absorbing him into our country. If we let a genius like him go, it would be a loss to our country. It would be a blow to the Union of Eastern Nations as well, but there was no way I could let him go anywhere else. The primary candidate has to be Tomoe... But I dunno.

Ichiha was turning eleven this year, and Tomoe was turning twelve. In my former world, they would both still be in primary school, and there were relationships they could only build in childhood.

I could see they were close, even looking from the outside, but Tomoe, Ichiha, Yuriga, Velza, and what was the other one’s name, Lucy, was it? I was hesitant to put any strange external pressures on them and change their relationships. But what could I do...?

“I think we should watch and wait.” I looked up in surprise, and Naden shrugged her shoulders. “It’s all over your face, Souma. I can tell what you’re thinking.”

“Huh? Really?”

When I started touching my face all over, Roroa chuckled. “We’re your wives, y’know? Figurin’ out what’s on your mind’s easy, Darlin’.”

“Wow, I dunno what to say. Wives sure are amazing, huh?” Juno said, sounding impressed. This was kind of embarrassing. “I can tell what Mr. Musashibo’s saying, though.”

“No, no, that’s the real special ability here. How can ya tell what a doll’s sayin’?”

“Julia said it’s ‘the power of love.’”

“Love...? What’s with this girl? Maybe we shouldn’t be underestimatin’ her?”

Roroa had a dubious look on her face, but Juno just stared blankly back at her.

“Well, anyway, we’re turning a nice profit because of you. If there’s anything I can do for you, just say the word.”

““Anythin’ / Anything?”” Roroa and I said with a glint in our eyes.

“Huh? Uh, well... if it’s something I’m capable of...” Juno said, despite seeming intimidated. Good, that was a commitment.

“I do, in fact, have a job for you.”

“Yeah, yeah. We were just lookin’ for a boyish girl like you, Junie.”

“Huh? Wait. Huh?”

The devilish smiles on our faces made Juno unintentionally hug herself.

Naden let out a sigh of dismay. “Geez... Explain it properly, you two.”

◇ ◇ ◇

The story now turns back to the day after the Monsterology Symposium.

On this day, I was in a room in the castle with Liscia, Roroa, Hakuya, and Genia the Overscientist. We were here to discuss the doubts I had during the symposium. I would have liked to have Ichiha present, too, but we hadn’t brought him fully into the fold yet, so he was not asked to participate this time.

In this world, there are several races that were human, but with added characteristics from various creatures. Was this the same as how monsters were constructed with parts from a variety of creatures? If monsters were created, were the races of mankind with a variety of features from other creatures created, too? These questions could shake society to its core if mishandled, so they were too much of a burden for me to handle alone.

“The reason I’ve called all of you here today is to tell you about something I was thinking during the symposium yesterday. I want to hear your frank opinions about it.”

Having prefaced my remarks with that, I told everyone about the things I described above. As for how they reacted, Liscia and Hakuya were holding their head and looking troubled, while Roroa and Genia listened with great interest. The responses were at two extremes.

Liscia let out a great sigh. “Why must your ideas always be so wild?”

“I agree entirely.” Hakuya nodded in complete agreement with her. “For better and for worse, you are constantly coming up with ideas that could upend the underpinnings of this world, so we, the people who serve you, can never relax.”

...Did he have to go that far?

“I’m not exactly saying wild things because I want to...”

“Of course not. If you were doing this intentionally, it would be downright nasty.”

“Really? I thought it was interestin’,” Roroa said with a cheerful laugh. “The monsters were all made by someone, and so was mankind... Wait a sec. If all of our races were created, it makes groups who think they’re the chosen people, like the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, sound pretty silly.”

“On the contrary, this manner of thinking could give birth to new elitist ideologies.” Genia brought her hand to her chin with a smirk. “From what the king’s said, there’s a distinction to be made between the human race of his world and the human race of ours, but if we choose to view them as the same, it would be easy to come up with human supremacist ideas. If you were to do that, yeah... you could use the birth of a child between the king and queen as proof of it. If you claim that the birth proves they’re the same kind of being.”

“Stop it...” Liscia said with a look of distaste. You couldn’t blame her. She wouldn’t want Cian and Kazuha being used as props for some selfish ideology... No, I wouldn’t let that happen.

“It’s not just humans.” Genia shrugged, seeing the dangerous looks on our faces. “Merumeru’s homeland, the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan, would probably say, ‘Even if we were created, we were created more beautiful than others, which proves that we really are special.’”

“Ohh, I could see them sayin’ that.”

“Their use of fallacious arguments like that only makes them more fascinating to me, though.” Genia smiled like this didn’t concern her. I couldn’t possibly do the same, though. “By the way, do you remember what I said during the symposium, King?”

“Hm? Which one?”

“When we talked about how the monsters may have been produced by someone. I said, ‘As a dungeon relic researcher, I want it to be the dungeon core.’”

“Now that you mention it... you did say that, yeah.”

“If they really do work that way, then...”

“Huh?! Madam Genia. You can’t mean...” Hakuya sounded surprised. About what?

“Heheheh. It looks like the Prime Minister gets it. Hey, King. If monsters and mankind were both created, where did mankind come from, and who made us?”

Genia laughed provocatively.

“Ah... So then mankind in this world was created in the dungeons...”

“I can’t prove it. But if your idea is correct, we can make that prediction.”

Oh, geez... I clutched my head. In the world I came from, life was born in the sea, and evolved from there. That was why we referred to the sea as our mother, and as the cradle of life.

But, for life in this world, could it be that their “mother” and “cradle” was the dungeon? The dungeon already felt artificial and manufactured as-is. They had once created mankind and animals. Now, they were the home of monsters.

The situation made me think of one word. “Malfunction.” Like how a poorly-maintained machine might do something unexpected, and cause a major accident, perhaps the dungeons that created living creatures malfunctioned, and began creating warped creatures like monsters. That was Genia’s prediction.

“...I’m scared to carry that idea through to its conclusions.”

“I know! ...It’s making me sick,” Liscia said, her face a little pale.

My face must have looked similar. Thinking about the origin of life or the future came with a primordial fear connected to life and death. If you thought about it too much, it would keep you up at night.

“Still... I feel like it’s something to keep in mind... There’s the demons, intelligent lifeforms, that aren’t on the side of mankind to consider, too.”

“Ohh, I see. If we’re sayin’ mankind was born in the dungeon, then demons may’ve been born in the dungeon, too, huh?” Roroa clapped her hands as if it all made sense to her now.

Like she was saying, there were physical differences between humans and demons (though, to me, they didn’t seem that different from beastmen), but if we traced them back to their origin, they might be the same. But if we made a mistake in how we released this information, it would no doubt cause confusion in society.

When you looked at it that way, this world was almost like a gigantic minefield. There were mines lying everywhere, and they’d blow up if you stepped on them. But the only solution was to disable them one by one. We had to take our time with it.

“If it’s going to take time, I guess we should get to work quickly.”

“Souma?” Liscia had a dubious look on her face.

“Now that Fuuga is expanding his actions into the Demon Lord’s Domain, there will likely come a time in the not-so-distant future when mankind must confront the demons once more. When we do, the degree to which our side understands the demons will change what options are available to us. If we want to reduce the threat of a return to total war even a little, we need to start preparing for it, little by little, starting now.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“What, precisely, should we do?” Liscia asked.

“The method is the same as when we occupied Van and soothed the hearts of the people there.” I grinned. “This is where soft power... the power of culture does the talking.”

“Nyahaha! I know what that means.”

I met the excitement in Roroa’s eyes with a nod.

“Yeah. Let’s do this the way Roroa likes.”

◇ ◇ ◇

— 11th day, 8th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

It was a hot summer day. Juno walked through the shopping street in the capital, her face red with shame.

“I know I said I’d do anything to help... but still.”

Right now, Juno and her party of five were in the middle of fulfilling a quest. “Advertise the new event.” And it had been said to Juno, directly by Souma, on the night of the tea party. Naturally, she couldn’t tell her companions that, so he submitted a quest to the guild through the castle and requested Juno’s party.

“This is a notice from the palaaaace. Please, take a looook.”

“It concerns the event to be held five days from now. Please, look at this to see the details.”

Dece the warrior held up a placard, while Augus the brawler had signs tied to his front and back like he was some kind of sandwichman, and they were both calling out to people as they walked by.

The main difference from usual was that they were both dressed like clowns. They even had clown face makeup on, but it looked a bit creepy, in a way that people who were bad with horror movies, or those who suffered from coulrophobia couldn’t stand to look at for long.

Next to them, Febral was frowning. “Is it really all right for me to be doing this when I technically call myself a priest?”

“There was no other choice. Dece and Augus were both too brawny for the outfit.” The gentle beauty, Julia, tried to mollify Febral.

They were dressed as a vampire and vampiress. Febral wore a white cape and tuxedo (because it was deemed too dangerous for him to wear black in the summer heat), and had fake vampire teeth in his mouth. Though Febral was the indoorsy sort, and he looked like a literate man, the vampire look, which appeared sickly at first glance, suited him, and he got a lot of attention from the ladies.

“Even if it’s white, it’s still pretty hot...”

“Oh, my. Well, mine is black, but it’s quite breezy, you know?”

Julia was dressed like a bunny girl without the ears, but with bat wings on her back, and a pointed tail sticking out of her rear. If you factored in her figure as well, she had a real “sexy vampire” look going on. The men in town—as well as with Dece and Augus—couldn’t take their eyes off her, but because of her own gentle nature, she seemed unconcerned by the eyes on her.

Now, as for how Juno was dressed...

“This getup’s still not okay!”

She was wearing nothing but a tiger stripe bikini, with little oni horns sitting on her head. She looked exactly like the most famous oni girl in the country Souma had once lived in. If someone like Julia, whose body stuck out in all the right places, had worn that same outfit, it would have been erotic. However, with her thin figure and baby face, Juno looked more cute than sexy, so the crowd found it less arousing than Juno herself thought. Though that didn’t make it any less embarrassing for the one wearing it.

A roly-poly hand poked Juno’s exposed back. It was the kigurumi adventurer controlled by Souma, Little Musashibo. Today, Little Musashibo wasn’t dressed as a priest soldier, but as a mummy man wrapped in bandages. However, because of his roly-poly body, he looked like a giant cocoon made by a moth or something instead.

Juno gave Little Mummy Musashibo a piece of her mind, “Ki—I mean, Mister! This outfit really is not okay!”

“But it’s not any more revealing than your usual outfit, is it?”

When Little Musashibo tilted his head to the side, Juno felt like he had said that to her. An angry mark appeared over Juno’s head as she shook Little Musashibo.

“It’s totally different! I don’t have my gauntlets or scarf!”

“Stoooop iiiit.” (Flailing his arms.)

“If you want someone to dress like this, tell your wives to do it!”

“.........”

Little Musashibo blatantly looked away.

“...Don’t tell me you’ve made them before.”

“.........” (Pretending to whistle.)

“You and I both know kigurumi don’t whistle. Huh? Who? Who did you have do it?”

Because of their late-night tea parties, Juno was friends with Souma’s queens too, and her mind raced, wondering who it was.

Naden already had antlers and a tail, so this sort of costume would be difficult for her. Aisha was so fond of Souma you could mistake her for a puppy, and Roroa was a good sport and loved festivals. Either of them would have gleefully done it for him. But she felt like Liscia and Juna would both do it if Souma asked, too.

Unable to come up with an answer, Juno pinched Little Musashibo’s cheek. “Hey, Mister, tell me. Who did you make do it?”

“B-Before that...!” (Pulling away from Juno.)

Little Musashibo patted the placard on his back.

“Let’s do the quest first. You were paid in advance.”

Juno felt like he’d said that to her, and she got upset.

“Oh, fine. Darn it all.”

You better not forget this at the next tea party. King or not, you’re gonna have to let me sock you one, Juno thought. Then, half in desperation, she called out to the people walking past.

“Five days from now, on the 16th day of the 8th month, the castle will be holding the ‘Ghost Festival’! In the king... His Majesty Souma’s world, this is apparently a time when the boundary between this world and the next world becomes vague. And, in this festival, they welcome souls that wander into this world, in order to have them return to the next one!”

Then, Juno twirled around to show off her costume.

“On the day of the event, a parade of people dressed as ghosts (?) like we are now will walk and dance through the streets! If you have time, please, dress as a ghost, and have fun! Cute ghosts and scary ghosts are both welcome!”

“Seeking participants. Feel free to jump right in.” That’s what it said on the sign Little Musashibo was holding.

“Hah, look at them go.”

On the terrace of a tavern not far from where Juno and her party were working, Souji Lester, the resident bishop, watched with a glass of wine in one hand. Next to him was the high elf and Genia’s research partner, Merula Merlin. Because Genia was being called to the castle frequently of late, work on the drill project had been put on hiatus. That being the case, she decided to go out for a drink with Souji since it had been a while, and they were now drinking in the middle of the day.

“Is it okay to ignore them, Souji?” Merula asked with unfocused eyes as her pale skin flushed red from the alcohol. “Don’t religious figures hate it when you dress up as ghosts more than anyone?”

“Well, yes, but... His Majesty spoke to me about it in advance,” Souji explained before throwing a piece of cheese into his mouth. “The day after, representatives from all the national religions will offer prayers, and send back any lost souls that wander in.”

“He’s keeping up appearances then. But will there be complaints from the Orthodox Papal State?”

“I’m sure there will, but I’ll dodge them, as usual. There’s been less nagging from Little Miss Mary’s faction lately, so that makes it easy. ...Though, it might just be that the Orthodox Papal State doesn’t have time to be worrying about external affairs right now.”

“...The conflict between the hardliners and the moderates, right? I believe Madam Mary was one of the moderates, correct?”

There was presently a division over the interpretation of the Lunalith’s oracles. Because she lived with Souji, Merula had heard the story. As well as the fact that Saint Mary had told Souji she wanted to have the moderates and the saint candidates protected by the Kingdom if it became necessary.

“Yeah,” Souji said, crossing his arms. “That’s why, as a reward for my cooperation in this matter, I’ve requested that King Souma and the Black-robed Prime Minister help with Mary’s request. There are a hundred people just counting the saint candidates, and if he was to shelter all of the moderates, that would require taking in even more. It will take time and people to put together a plan that includes their escape and transport. A lone bishop like me can’t do it.”

“Wow...”

Even just thinking about it seems like a pain, thought Merula. In exchange for his support in this event, Souji had passed the whole nuisance off to Souma and Hakuya. I don’t know whether to say he’d shrewd, or shameless, Merula thought in exasperation.

“That must be a headache for Souma and his people.”

“He was clutching his head, saying, ‘Now I’ve got to write another manyewal.’ That’s apparently a book of instructions, by the way.”

“I’m sure he was.” Merula nodded, sympathizing with Souma.

“He also said, ‘Maybe we can put together a gospel choir with the saint candidates. Delivering the love songs of the angels,’ with a far-off look in his eyes.”

“Gospel? Choir?”

“Search me. I have no clue what he was talking about.” Souji shrugged.

“I see you’ve been doing your job as bishop after all.” Merula chuckled. “I’ll have to reevaluate my opinion of you a little.”

The rare compliment brought a wry smile to Souji’s face.

“Well, you’ve got to work just enough to be able to slack.”

“Fine words, those. Is that in the teachings of Lunarian Orthodoxy?”

“Nah. Just my philosophy on life.” Souji raised a glass to the adventurers working on the shopping street. “Young people have no clue that their work may be saving someone’s life. Just like those adventurers are bringing salvation to those who are lost in the Orthodox Papal State. Unknown to man, but not to God. So work hard, young ones.”

“From where I’m standing, you look plenty young yourself, Souji.”

Merula, whose age was unknown, shrugged with dismay.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile...

I was in the castle, speaking to Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire over the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

“Thank you for your cooperation, Madam Maria.”

“Not at all. I thought it would benefit my own country, too.”

“That idea of yours, Sir Souma.” Maria smiled. “I’d like to do it in my country, too.”

“You’ll need to gauge your people’s response as you do it, but... Go ahead.”

After that we engaged in some idle banter and then terminated the call. Once we did, Liscia, who had been quietly watching us talk, came over to me.

“If you’re bringing in Madam Maria of the Empire, this has turned into something pretty big.”

“We needed information that only the Empire could possibly know, after all. I had to play some of my cards in exchange, though...”

“The Dungeon Origin of Monsters Theory, right? Was it okay to tell her? Won’t Madam Maria reach the conclusion that both mankind and demons came from the dungeons, too?”

I could understand what Liscia was saying. If possible, I had wanted to keep it under wraps, still.

“It’s too much to ask them for the information we want, while also concealing everything we know. When it comes to Genia’s theory, it’s still an unproven hypothesis. Even if Madam Maria reaches the Dungeon Origin of Mankind and Demons Theory, she won’t spread it carelessly.”

If the information leaked, she would have trouble managing her own empire, too.

“So, for now at least, with Madam Maria’s cooperation, we’ve gained a reason to hold this event. We’ll just have to do what we can currently.”

“Right... For a project that came up so suddenly, it was all prepared pretty quickly, huh?”

“I had already been talking about wanting to do an event this time of year. You know how we did the Gaius Memorial Festival in Van on the 32nd day of the 8th month last year? That was pretty popular, so there were requests to do something similar.”

However, because the Gaius Memorial Festival was aimed at the people of the former principality, it was difficult to turn it into an event that the whole nation would celebrate. That’s why I was taking this opportunity to retool it into a memorial event for the whole country. I called it the Ghost Festival.

It was primarily going to be a mix of a costume party in the style of Halloween (because the “trick or treat” aspect of that event had been taken by the Spring Announcement Festival, that was cut), the Bon-odori, and a certain strange festival held on the border between two prefectures in the world I came from. On the day of the event, participants would dress as ghosts and monsters, and parade through the town while dancing.

Meanwhile, in Van, we would hold the Gaius Memorial Festival, the same as the year before. If we overdid these sorts of events, it could stir up the emotions of the people of the former principality, but if we didn’t do them at all, that could cause a reaction, too. It was safest to make it just one festival of many.

“Hee hee, this takes me back, you know?” Liscia wrapped herself around my arm. “The way you would suddenly come up with an odd idea, and you’re running with it. It reminds me of when you had just been summoned.”

“Well, yeah, but... aren’t you a bit close to me, compared to back then?”

Liscia chuckled. “Of course. We’re married with children now.”

“Things sure have changed, huh?”

“Yeah. But there are things that haven’t, too.” Liscia rested her head on my shoulder. “I stay by your side, watching what you do. That’s not going to change.”

“...You really are amazing, you know that? Liscia.”

I had thought it countless times, but... Yeah, I was no match for her. That didn’t just go for Liscia; I could say it about all of my queens. No matter how our relationships changed in the future, I was going to fall in love with them anew over and over again.

◇ ◇ ◇

Then, on the day of the event.

The sun had set, and normally, at this time of day, the shopping street would only be dimly lit by the lightmoss streetlights. Today, however, there were lightmoss lantern decorations everywhere, making it quite bright. Souma had ordered these lanterns placed there for the event.

The voice of a pretty young girl echoed across the brightly lit streets.

“Woah! Lu, you’re so cute!”

“Nyahaha, thanks.”

Lucy laughed shyly at Tomoe’s compliment. Today she was dressed as a wolf girl, wearing an apron dress along with a wolf ear headband, and a wolf tail on her rump.

Because the Royal Academy was on summer break, Tomoe, Yuriga, Ichiha, Lucy, and Velza were dressed up to participate in this Ghost Festival event. Obviously, a group from the Black Cats, led by Inugami, was watching over them from the shadows.

When she looked at Lucy’s outfit, Yuriga said, “...It looks pretty familiar to me,” with dismay.

Yuriga glanced at Tomoe. It was true, wolf ears and a tail were both traits she naturally possessed. If Souma could have seen Lucy right now, he might have muttered, “The Player 2 palette swap for Tomoe?” to himself.

Lucy grinned, pulling her mouth open with her index fingers. “My crooked teeth are one of my charms. Gotta put ’em to good use. Besides, I always thought Tomie’s ears and tail were cute.”

“You’re super cute, Lu!”

“Thanks. Y’know, it feels like we’re sisters now.”

Lucy hugged Tomoe. Yuriga pressed her fingers to her temples and let out a sigh as she watched the two of them play around.

“Honestly... I mean, how is Tomoe any different from usual?”

“I’m totally different. Look!”

Tomoe raised her hands, and there were puffy paw gloves on them. She has a choker with a bell around her neck, and three whiskers drawn on each cheek with paint.

“Today, I’m not a wolf girl, I’m a cat girl! Meow!”

“That’s barely a change at all!”

“Murgh. You say that, Yuriga, but all you’ve changed are your clothes.”

Yuriga was wearing her usual tribal outfit, but with a small black hat called a tokin on her head. She wore a pompom sash called a yuigesa, which hung from her shoulders to her belly, and she held a conch shell in her hands. These were all traditional tools of a Yamabushi mountain ascetic from the world Souma came from. Because Yuriga also bore the signature wings of a celestial on her back, she looked exactly like a (slightly moe) crow tengu.

“This is supposed to be a monster called a tengu from your brother’s world. He made the hat and sash himself, too.”

“Hee hee, Big Brother made my paw gloves, too.”

“Listen, I’m sorry to say this when you sound so happy, but isn’t it weird for the king to be good at sewing?”

When Yuriga raised that doubt, Tomoe puffed up her chest with pride. “Big Brother is also a good cook. You’ve eaten his food, too, haven’t you, Yuriga?”

“Sure, it was good, but... either way, those aren’t very kingly skills.”

“Well, I love Big Brother anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’m sure you do.”

While the two of them were bickering like that, Ichiha and Velza came over.

“You two, if you two keep squabbling like that, you’ll stand out.”

“If too many people gather around, the bodyguards will force them to disperse, correct?”

“Well, yes, but... what are you two wearing?” Yuriga asked.

Today they were wearing their casual outfits, but with round hats on their heads. There was some sort of tag hanging from the front of them. On closer inspection, those tags were made from cloth, not paper, and what was written on them was geometric symbols, not text.

Velza pointed to a stall at the side of the road. “We bought them at that shop run by The Silver Deer. Right, Ichiha?”

“Yeah. They’re apparently for a monster from Souma’s world, the... Janky? Jiangshi? ...Something like that. These talismans are used to control a dead body, apparently.”

“Moving corpses? Are they somethin’ like zombies?” Lucy asked.

Ichiha and Velza immediately stretched their arms out in front of them and stood up ramrod straight.

“I hear they hop like this.”

“They cry ‘paa, paa, paa,’ too.”

Ichiha and Velza hopped along, saying “Paa, paa.”

“Paa paa...? What a weird monster,” said Yuriga with an exasperated sigh.

“Aww, I’m jealous. You two have matching hats.”

Lucy hugged Tomoe. “Now, now, Tomie. We’re a beast girl pair, now aren’t we?”

“Oh, yeah. I guess we are, huh?”

“Hold on! You’re making it sound like I’m the odd one out!”

As Yuriga protested, Tomoe gave her a cute smirk.

“What? Were you feeling lonely, Yuriga?”

“Argh! You’re such a cheeky little kid!”

“Aww, aww, aww.”

Yuriga grabbed Tomoe by the cheeks, as per usual, and then...

Boom... Boom... Cannons sounded from the direction of the castle.

“Oh, looks like things’re gettin’ started.”

The two shots signaled the beginning of the Ghost Festival.

In the next moment, music began playing throughout the town. At the same time, they saw a drum and fife band, each member dressed as a monster, coming towards them from the direction of the castle.

In the midst of the cheering, Yuriga checked the sign nearby. On it, there was an outline of the Ghost Festival.

[Ghost Festival Outline]

- The goal of this festival is to help any souls that wander into the living world return to the next world without regrets by having a good time together -

- In order to make the souls think we are like them, every participant must be dressed as a ghost or monster -

(This is voluntary for spectators, but you will have more fun in costume.)

- When the cannons fire, our costumed band and parade will begin to march -

- Spectators should sing along with the music, and dance -

(All are welcome to jump in and participate.)

...Well, that was what was written there, more or less.

“Yaaaay.”

“H-Hold on, Tomoe, you’re spinning me too much!”

“...Hey, can I have a moment?” Yuriga called out to Tomoe, who had already taken Ichiha’s hand and started dancing.

“Hm? What?”

“Is this festival one of King Souma’s policies, too?”

“...Hmm, I wonder?”

“What? Are you playing dumb again?”

“You can say that, but I really haven’t heard anything this time. Though, knowing Big Brother, I’m sure there’s some deeper thinking behind a fun event like this.”

“.........”

“But before that, come on.” Having finished spinning Ichiha, she now offered her hand to Yuriga. “You can’t enjoy the festival with that look on your face. Let’s dance, Yuriga.”

“...Hmph.”

Even as she acted unamused, Yuriga took Tomoe’s hand.

◇ ◇ ◇

“This is a good place, just like Tomoe said.”

“Nyaha! Everyone needs a younger girl who’ll call them Big Sister, huh?” Roroa said with a laugh.

This was the fruit parlor at The Cat’s Tree, run by Tomoe’s school friend Lucy’s family.

In order to watch the Ghost Festival we had planned in anonymity, we had asked Lucy to reserve the whole place for the royal family. I was here together with my five wives, and our bodyguards and subordinates. To be honest, I wanted to bring Cian and Kazuha, too, but I was told it would put more of a burden on the guards, so they were left with Carla and the others in the castle.

“I know we paid, but do you think we’re hurting them, since this is a profitable time?”

“Don’t you fret. Lucy’s family’ll be makin’ their profit off the stall they’re runnin’ today, so they couldn’t spare much staff for the main business, and were only plannin’ to run it like any other day.”

“Well, I guess it’s okay then.”

“That’s right. But more importantly, Darlin’, we’ve got a good view of the fountain plaza from here.”

The fountain with the Jewel Voice Broadcast receiver system was easy to see from the second floor terrace. The image of the costumed parade dancing to the drum and fife band’s music was projected there, and it made for a fantastic, or rather a nightmarish scene.

If I recalled, Tomoe had used this place during the song battle. It was a bit far away, but you could see the gathered crowd, so it was a pretty good spot.

“Colbert and Sebastian, thank you for your cooperation, too.”

Minister of Finance Colbert, and Sebastian, the proprietor of The Silver Deer, were here too. Their help in arranging this event had been monumental.

Colbert had managed the funding and placement of loreleis, while Sebastian had handled the production of spooky costumes (basically cosplay goods) for the event. The money from goods would go to the business Roroa ran from behind the scenes, so we would be able to make back the costs of running the event somehow.

“If I have been any help to you and Lady Roroa, it brings me the greatest honor, sire.” Sebastian brought a hand to his chest and bowed reverently. He was a true gentleman.

Colbert, meanwhile, slumped his shoulders in exhaustion. “Handling the funding and arranging things with the loreleis was exhausting. I had to place guards along the parade route, and set up areas for them to prepare.”

“Ohh... Yeah, that was rough on me, too.”

I had to make documents, and keep on stamping them... I feel like I worked pretty hard myself.

As we both sighed, Roroa slapped me hard on the back. “What’re you lookin’ so glum for? It’s a festival! You’ve gotta enjoy it.”

“Hee hee, she’s right. I know half the reason we’re here is official business, but it’s like a day off, so why don’t you enjoy it as much as those two over there?”

Liscia was pointing at Naden and Aisha, who were enjoying the sweets (which had been tested for poison) that the staff here had prepared for us.

“After I saw Tomoe and her friends eating here, I wanted to try it, too.”

“I do enjoy your homemade sweets, sire, but the sort of stylish sweets that are sold in restaurants are nice, too... Munch, munch.”

The two of them were smacking their lips at the mountain of cakes and puddings before them. ...Well, they seemed to be enjoying themselves, so I guess I could leave them be. Then...

“Um, sire. Was it all right for me not to take part in the parade?” Juna asked, looking a little restless.

“Did you want to participate after all?”

“Yes... I do somewhat feel that way,” she answered embarrassedly. “It was an opportunity for my songs to be of use to you, so it was a little disappointing... Oh! But I enjoy relaxing here with everyone, too, of course.” Juna smiled softly.

Though she was the first secondary queen of this nation, she was also the people’s Prima Lorelei. If she couldn’t take part in an event that involved singing, she must have felt like a diver in front of a clear sea, but didn’t have their diving equipment. There was a reason for it, but she still felt a little bad about not being part of the event nonetheless.

“I’m sorry. This is an experimental event, so I couldn’t be sure how the people would react to it. I was too scared to let you join in...”

I had the sense that, with the way the people of this country were now, it would be fine. But if I trusted them implicitly, I would be starting from behind if something happened, and might respond too late. If I thought of the potential tragedy that might occur... I had no choice but to be careful.

Juna brought a hand to her chest. “Don’t make that face. I trust in your decisions, sire.”

“Juna...”

“Hey, could you two stop ignorin’ the rest of us and goin’ off into your own romantic little world?!”

““Whoa!””

Roroa suddenly jumped on me from behind, causing me to stumble, nearly taking Juna down with me. I managed to avoid falling over, but Roroa and Juna shrieked as I ended up spinning them both around.

“What’re you doing, geez,” Liscia said in exasperation. “But more importantly, Souma, isn’t it time you told us what the intent behind this plan is?”

“Oh, right. But rather than have me explain, it might be faster if you were to look at that.”

Having regained my balance, and with Roroa still on my back, I pointed to the fountain in the distance. In the sky above the bonfire-lit fountain plaza, there was an image of Nanna, Pamille, and Komari projected.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Oh! Looks like they’re here!” Tomoe, who was watching the parade, shouted.

The costumed band and performers had entertained the people so far, but now an even greater roar of applause came from the crowd. The line of floats that were the main attraction of the parade were here.

One of these floats, which were pulled by rhinosauruses, had the loreleis Nanna, Pamille, and Komari aboard, and another had the male idol unit, the orpheuses, Yaiba. Each of them was engulfed in the screams of their respective male or female fans.

“Hey, people! Are you feeling energetic?!”

The cat girl, Nanna, who was wearing a black tube top and hot pants together with bat wings and a pointed tail, shouted to the crowd. That outfit, which accentuated her healthy body more than her sexiness, made her look like a genuine little devil.

Then, wearing a head protector that looked like the one Hal had, along with a Japanese-style dress similar to the ones that his first wife Kaede wore, Komari stepped forward, dressed forward in an oni costume.

“Tonight, let us show you a song that will make both the living and dead dance like mad.”

“Heheh, hear my song, and be cursed.”

Rather than her usual frilly dress, Pamille was wearing a black gothic lolita style outfit, along with bandages, and an eye patch... In some ways, she might have been the one we’d stuffed the most character elements onto this time.

The members of Yaiba were dressed as Dracula, the wolf man, and Frankenstein’s monster, only modified to be cooler, and their female fans were squealing.

“Oh, hey, it’s the loreleis. They’re lookin’ mighty cute, huh?” Lucy said to herself when she saw them.

“Certainly. Even though their costumes are modeled on monsters, they are still adorable.”

“Bat wings and horns would usually be creepy, but when they’re just one part of the whole, I feel like they actually accentuate the loreleis’ cuteness.”

Velza and Ichiha agreed.

“Hrmm,” Yuriga groaned. “Is it like how, if you eat something salty in between sweets, they taste better?”

“I don’t know about that analogy... but I feel like you’re right.”

Yuriga’s unflattering explanation made Ichiha smile wryly.

The monsters look cute... Tomoe looked at the loreleis standing up on top of the float. They’re dressed like monsters, but no one minds, they’re just enjoying it, and calling them “Cool” or “Cute.” Maybe that’s what Big Brother is after? Tomoe thought that to herself as she watched the lively parade.

“Squeeeee!”

“““““Huh?!”””””

There was a sudden loud squeal from next to them. Tomoe and the others turned to look, and Velza’s eyes were sparkling as she waved her hand wildly. This was so far from the usual, cool Velza, Tomoe and the rest just kept blinking.

With no regard for their eyes on her, Velza shouted, “Lord Haaaal! Over heeeere!”

They followed Velza’s gaze, and there, on the other side of the floats, a massive red dragon was trudging along on four legs. And there on top of it was a soldier with an oni head protector on.

“Is that Hal and Ruby?”

“Isn’t that the red dragon knight who fought alongside my brother, Fuuga?”

While Tomoe and Yuriga cocked their heads to the side in shared confusion, Halbert took notice of them. He hopped down off Ruby’s back and walked over in their direction.

“Hey, Velza. And Young Miss Tomoe, too. Were you all watching together?”

“Yes, Lord Hal!” Velza responded with an energy that made Tomoe and the rest think, Is this girl really Velza?

“Oh, yeah?” Halbert plopped his hand down on top of her head. “I’m glad to see you’ve made some friends.”

“Yes! But why are you in the parade, Lord Hal?”

“Oh... Souma said, ‘You’re the Red Oni, so you can join the Ghost Festival as is,’ and forced me into it. That’s how Ruby and I got put on display in this freak show.” Halbert scratched his cheek, seeming a bit embarrassed.

“You’re not freaks! You’re cool, Lord Hal!”

“Hahaha, thanks.” He patted Velza’s head vigorously.

“Hal... It’s time to get back to it,” Ruby called to Hal telepathically.

“Whoops, gotta rejoin the procession.” Halbert turned around to head back. “Later, Velza. Enjoy the festival.”

“Bye-bye, Velza.”

“Okay! Lord Hal, Lady Ruby!”

Velza waved her hand wildly as she saw Hal and Ruby off. Once they were gone, and Velza turned around, only to be met by blank stares from Tomoe and the rest, she finally realized. Velza coughed and cleared her throat.

“...I apologize. That was unseemly of me.”

“Uh, no, it’s too late to try and keep up appearances now.”

Yuriga’s calm retort made Velza turn red. Then it clicked for Tomoe.

“Wait, could it be that the person you were saying you want to serve is Hal?”

“...D-Did you figure that out?”

“If you’re actin’ that different around him, who wouldn’t?” Lucy chimed in, and Ichiha followed up with, “I-I think it was cute, and very appropriate for a girl your age.”

Velza covered her face with her hands. “I had tried to act aloof and keep it hidden, but it came out so easily.”

“Nyahaha, you’re so cute, Velie.”

Tomoe and the rest just chuckled as Lucy poked Velza in the cheek, who smiled shyly at their reactions.

It was a night during summer break. The children enjoyed the festival to their heart’s content.

Epilogue: Intentions

At the same time, in the fruit parlor at The Cat’s Tree.

“The important thing was to have the loreleis dress up like that,” I explained, pointing to the loreleis reflected in the distance. “We talked about how mankind may have been created earlier, right? Well, just like there are beastmen, dragonewts, elves, and a variety of other races on the side of mankind, demons may be another race created by someone, one that mankind simply hadn’t encountered before.”

“Now that you bring it up, we did talk about that,” Liscia said as if she had just remembered, and I nodded.

“Someday, when mankind re-encounters the demons, how strong a sense of taboo we feel towards them, and, conversely, how willing we are to accept them will decide whether the negotiations succeed or fail. Appearances will be one of the big things. I’m sad to say it, but first impressions mean a lot to people.”

“My first impression of you was ‘An exhausted young man.’ You even had bags under your eyes.”

“...Well, that’s an impression from external appearances, too, right?”

It told me that bags under a person’s eyes left a strong impression on Liscia.

“Since coming to this world, I’ve been surprised by the many races I’ve encountered, since humans were the only intelligent lifeforms in my old world. But I got used to the way other races looked relatively quickly. As for why that is... it’s because I was used to seeing them.”

“Used to seeing them? But there were only humans, right?”

“Yeah. In the real world, sure. But in the worlds of stories, there were lots of different races.”

I imagined the residents of fictional worlds.

“The was a hero show with a protagonist who had a lion’s head like Georg. There was an adventure story with an elf like Aisha as the heroine. And even more stories with characters like Tomoe, who had animal ears and tails, than there were stars in the sky.”

I stuck the wolf ear headband I had with me on Liscia’s head before continuing, “There were a lot of accessories like these for ‘roleplaying,’ too. If you went to a place that sold fashion accessories, or to that gigantic leisure facility that was like a land of dreams, you could buy them easily.”

“Land of dreams?”

“Oh, don’t get caught up on that. It could land us in trouble, in a lot of ways.”

“Huh? Uh, sure.”

The wolf ears slid when Liscia nodded, so I poked them.

“That’s why, even when I actually met beastmen, or any other race that looked different from my own, I just thought, ‘They’re like something out of a story.’ Thanks to that, I got by without developing any weird prejudices. So... I wanted the people of this country to get used to seeing demons.”

Those outfits the loreleis wore were made based on eyewitness reports that were left in the empire. The incursion into the Demon Lord’s Domain by the combined forces of mankind led by the Empire ten years ago.

The forces of mankind were met with an attack (counterattack?) by the demons who lived deep inside the Demon Lord’s Domain, and wiped out, so they definitely encountered demons then. I suspected that, in the Empire which led the war, there would still be eyewitness reports of the demons from survivors. That’s why, on that day, I explained the situation to Empress Maria of the Empire, and asked her to tell me if there were any remaining descriptions of the demons’ physical traits. Maria agreed with my thinking, and provided the information.

The result was that, in addition to kobolds, there was an ogre-like race with horns on their foreheads, and a devil or vampire-like race with bat wings. There were also reports of “ones that looked like giant suits of full-mail armor,” but I couldn’t trust the veracity of these, so I set them aside for the time being. Regardless, I now knew the general features of the demons.

“Beings that look like ogres and devils are a source of fear for people in this world. In the Republic, I saw gorilla-like ogres attacking people myself. Those ones lacked intelligence, but they were pretty scary. The reason we gave Hal that oni headband, and people carve devil faces on their shields is because of the preconception that they’re scary, right?”

“Yeah.” Liscia nodded. “That kind of equipment exists to intimidate the enemy.”

There were things like onigawara back in my old world, too.

“I want the people in this country to adopt a different set of values. Look, isn’t Nanna’s little devil costume cute?”

“Sure. I bet it’d fit Roroa nicely.”

“Nyaha! You want me to try puttin’ it on for you some time, Darlin’?” Roroa poked her own cheek and smiled. They were right, it would look good on her.

“Let’s, uh, set that aside for now. I was thinking that if people see devilish looks or oni horns as just another fashion accessory, then maybe if they show up on someone they meet in the future, it won’t feel as wrong to them. This is preparing for that.”

“Ohh, so that’s why you asked me not to participate,” Juna clapped her hands together as she got it.

I had thought it was risky to dress one of my queens up in a monster costume, so I had her sit this one out. Once the fashion was more established, and the Ghost Festival was an annual event, it would be fine for her to join in.

“I want to see the people’s reactions first, and if they’re all right, I’d like you to participate next year.”

“I like it. I want to wear an outfit like that, too,” Juna said with a happy smile.

...If Juna wore something like that, she’d come off less like a little devil, and more like a succubus, wouldn’t she? Just the thought of it was, um... Yeah, pretty awesome.

While I was thinking about that with a wry smile, Liscia got a dubious look on her face and asked me, “Do you think making people look at demons as fashionable is going to be able to eliminate prejudice?”

“...I don’t think we can get rid of it entirely.” I shrugged. I knew things probably wouldn’t go that well. “In the world I came from, we only had humans, but there was still discrimination and conflict there. Human history is a story of people finding differences between themselves and others to fight over, then reconcile, and then do the same thing all over again. So, I want to shorten the time it takes to reconcile, even if we do end up in a conflict.”

The tragedy of ten years ago could only have ended with the annihilation of one side or the other. Mankind couldn’t tell demons from monsters, and wasn’t thinking of the possibility of dialogue. Maybe things were similar on the demons’ side, too.

I heard somewhere that war is one means of diplomacy. If you go into a war with no means of negotiation, all that’s left is the dirty act of killing one another. Even if it comes to conflict, we must never stop looking for common ground. In order to find that, we must know all we can about the other side.

“I’m hoping this project will help with that.”

“I get how you feel, but... don’t you think that only a small number of the people will understand it? Even I didn’t get it until you explained that was what the project was about.” Liscia’s frank opinion made me smile a little.

“That’s fine. I mean, it’s just annoying when those on top try to force their values on you.” I put my hands on the terrace railing and looked out over the capital. “Soft power, the power of culture, works little by little without you noticing it. Even if they don’t understand, it’s fine if they sense it somehow. So...”

Let them just enjoy it for now. When I imagined the innocent smiles of Tomoe and her friends enjoying the Ghost Festival in the castle town, I thought that with all my heart.

Chapter 1: The Lion’s Daughter

I grew up watching that large back of his...

My father was a big man, but the size of the things he carried on his shoulders made him appear even greater than he actually was. He shouldered the country and the people who lived there as he faced our enemies, served the royal family on a level above himself and his own.

Father believed that they would protect the nation, and protecting the nation would in turn protect his own family. He was awkward and didn’t spend much time at home, but as his daughter, I was still proud of him all the same. Proud of that large back of his—the back of a man who everyone relied on and respected.

When he fought to defend something, his martial prowess would overwhelm any foe. I admired and aspired to be like that myself. It was this desire to be like him one day which led me to live the path of a warrior. At first, Father did not approve of a woman like me seeking strength, but when I asked him to teach me, he responded with sincerity. He trained me, and allowed me to watch as he led his troops.

He was never one for words, but I feel like he told me a lot of stories during our sparring sessions. He pulled his punches against me at first, but each time he held back a little less, I felt as though he was praising me, saying, “You’ve gotten stronger.” But, well, he never actually said it out loud...

Ultimately, I didn’t manage to beat him even once; still, though, I think I ended up strong in my own right. But now... The father who taught me to live as a warrior is no more.

He was captured as a traitor, and died in prison. Father raised a rebellion against the royal family that he had so loved and respected—that he has put his life on the line to serve—and he was captured in the ensuing war. In the end, he took his own life. The fame he had built up was lost, and all that remained was the infamy of that treasonous act.

I was in a foreign land when I learned of my father’s fate. You see, prior to raising his rebellion, he disowned us—his family—and sent us out of the country. It was probably so that if the rebellion failed... No, because he knew the rebellion would fail, and he didn’t want us to be held accountable for his actions. Perhaps Mother could sense his grim determination, because she obeyed him without letting him see her cry. I was ready to stop my father, even if it meant having to fight him, but I was rendered unconscious with a surprise attack. When I came to, I was already outside the country, and unable to return.

When I received word of my father’s passing, I cried. Enough for my mother’s share, too, when she admirably did not. Then, after crying my heart out, I stood up. I wanted to learn what it was my father truly meant to do. Even though the way the throne had changed hands had been awfully sudden, I couldn’t imagine that my father, so full of loyalty to the royal family, would have started a rebellion.

I didn’t know what the new king—I believe his name was Souma—was like, but Princess Liscia, who my father had cared for just as much as he cared for me, was with him. The princess supported King Souma, and had sent a number of letters to Father requesting that he talk things over with him directly. Yet Father never responded. Then he started the rebellion, and even went so far as to make an enemy of the princess.

No one who knew my father could ever have imagined him doing it. He would never have placed the princess in danger. That was why I knew there had to be some secret motive behind my father’s rebellion. I wanted to know what it was. As his daughter... The daughter of Georg Carmine.

◇ ◇ ◇

Father’s name echoed throughout the land as a warrior of superior talent. The Carmine Duchy was largely made up of land won from the Kingdom of Amidonia in the time when Queen Elisha’s father, the king two reigns before King Souma, was in power. This seized land, still inhabited by its former citizens, could not possibly have been ruled by a halfhearted individual. It goes without saying that my father, the head of the House of Carmine and chosen ruler of the Duchy, was no ordinary man.

Eventually, with the passing of the king, a succession crisis broke out, ending with Lady Elisha as the royal family’s sole survivor. It was then that her husband King Albert took the throne. Father had been friends with King Albert for a long time, and he had great trust for him.

Respected by the people, and feared by the Amidonians. That was my father, Georg Carmine.

— The 6th month, 1545th year, Continental Calendar —

This happened about a year before King Souma was summoned.

When your domain borders a hostile state, you never know when you might be caught in the fires of war. In fact, Randel, the central city of the Carmine Duchy, was so close to Van, the capital of the Principality of Amidonia, that it was fair to say they were right in front of each other’s noses. Because of that, there were troops stationed on the border at all times, and they closely monitored any moves the other side made. Though that may have helped to prevent any major conflicts, skirmishes on the border were still a frequent occurrence.

During the reign of King Albert, it seems they insulted our country as being “peace-addled,” but that could not have been further from the truth. On that day, there were reports of small-scale clashes near a bridge crossing close to the border. Father took his second-in-command, Sir Beowulf, and rushed to the scene on horseback. Because I pushed for it, I was allowed to accompany them, too.

“Though there were no fatalities according to the report, magic was used, and there have been casualties. Currently, forces from both sides are staring each other down from opposite ends of the bridge.” Beowulf reported on the situation as we rode towards the site.

“Was it both sides that used magic?” Father asked.

“Yes, sir.” Beowulf nodded. “That seems to be the case.”

“...That is fine, then,” my father sighed. “If our forces attack them too hard, we could end up giving the Principality excuses that we don’t have to.”

Personally, I was not satisfied with that answer.

“Father, why must we show such consideration to the Principality? Doesn’t their country only have half the power and troops that ours does?” I asserted.

“Lady Mio, that’s...!” Beowulf tried to say something, but Father held up his hand to silence him.

“Mio, you just spoke of power and troop totals, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think this kingdom can afford to fight the Principality now?” he asked, eyeing me for my response.

“Are you referring to the food crisis? I do believe our opponents are equally affected by that.”

“There is more to it than just food,” he rebutted. “The wounds left by the succession crisis have still yet to heal. Seeds of discontent have taken root throughout the members of noble and knightly classes.”

“Do you mean some would betray us to join the Principality?”

That was absurd. The principality must have been hit even harder by the food shortages—they barely had any fertile land. Surely no one would defect to a country like that.

That was what I thought as I looked at my father, but he just sighed again. “No, they may not openly betray us. However, it is entirely possible that they might be hesitant to cooperate, leak information to the enemy, fail to send needed aid to our allies, or deliberately delay their response to orders.”

“They’d engage in those sorts of... childish pranks?” I chided.

“Individually, those small betrayals may not be serious. But when many of them overlap, they shake the framework of our country. Albert... His Majesty is working desperately to keep them in check right now.”

“...You’re saying the Kingdom can’t present a unified front against the Principality right now?”

Father nodded and asserted, “Because His Majesty married into the royal family, tamping down that discontent is the best he can do. If we are to make this country truly one again, we will have to count on the next generation to do it.”

“The next generation... You mean Princess Liscia? I’ve heard that she’s quite wise.”

“She can be inflexible and a little too active at times, though,” Father said, a wry smile on his face.

Despite her upbringing, Princess Liscia had graduated from the officers’ academy, and was now learning from my father as she served. Because of how Father viewed the royal family, I felt like his attitude towards her was more fatherly than anything he ever showed me, his real daughter. A long time ago, I was upset over this and raised the issue with my mother. She got a good laugh out of it.

“It’s easier to be open with your feelings and fawn on the daughter of another family. There’s no responsibility to be a parent there. You’ll understand when you grow up,” was what she told me.

I couldn’t understand it at the time, but from the next day onward, the time Father would spend training me grew a little longer. Mother must have told him how I felt. He never said anything about it, but he must have decided that extended training would be his response. That was when I realized my father was an awkward person.

But Princess Liscia, huh? Though we were both learning from my father, because of my position as the heir to House Carmine, he didn’t want me to get too involved with the military, so I had little contact with her. I was incredibly jealous that she got to work alongside him.

“It’s coming into view now,” Beowulf called out to us. His words brought me back to my senses.

Off in the distance, there were guards planted on both sides of the bridge, staring each other down. The mood was so tense that if any soldier were to draw their sword, or even throw a rock, it could spark another clash.

“Ohh, Duke Carmine.”

Noticing my father’s arrival, the soldiers of the Kingdom parted to open a path for him. It looked like a representative for the Principality had just arrived, too. When we touched ground at the bridge, a handsome young man with cold eyes appeared from the Principality end. He approached our side, flanked by burly warriors.

“You must be Sir Georg Carmine,” the young man said as he looked up at my father. “I am Julius, crown prince of Amidonia. In my father’s name, I have come to quell this disturbance.”

If he was the crown prince, did that make him the son of Gaius VIII, the current sovereign prince of Amidonia? It seemed that because the capital was so close to here, a member of the princely family had come to handle the situation personally.

“Indeed, I am Georg Carmine,” my father responded. There was a solemn dignity to his voice, but Julius showed no reaction to it.

“This is a waste of time, so I’d like to cut to the chase,” Julius spoke in a dispassionate and bureaucratic manner. “Our country has no intention of attacking yours at the moment. We see this clash as the result of the soldiers getting out of control. How about you?”

Even though soldiers were injured on both sides, his words were as cold as his eyes. Still, it did not take my father long to reply.

“...We are of the same opinion.”

“Then could I ask that both sides withdraw their troops?”

“Very well.”

“Father!” I exclaimed. “Are you really all right with this? There are people injured. If we don’t make it clear who’s to blame, then...”

“Stand down, Mio.” Father gave me a piercing look. I gulped and swallowed the rest of my words.

“Hmph,” Julius snorted. “If we were to try to attribute blame, the argument would go on forever. It’s a waste of time. The sparks of discontent are always smoldering within us, after all.”

There was a visible hostility in Julius’s eyes. Father stepped forward quickly and said, “That’s true. I doubt either of us desires an all-out war.”

“......!” His tone hadn’t been threatening. In fact, he had kept his voice quiet. And yet, I could tell that the weight of Father’s dignified presence had made Julius gulp. “Understood... We’ll be careful not to cause one.”

“Yes. Both of us should be.”

Father and Julius stared one another down, then each turned his back on the other, as if to say the discussion was at an end. We had avoided an all-out war for now, so the wounded on both sides were carried away for treatment.

Suddenly, a lone young man raced out from the Principality’s side.

“Please, wait!” he cried out.

The man, who wore no armor or uniform, was tall and lanky, and gave me the impression he was a bureaucrat of some sort.

“Colbert.” Julius’s brow furrowed as he looked at him. His face seemed to say, “Why are you here?”

The man called Colbert rushed over to Father and put his hands together in front of him. “I am Gatsby Colbert, an official in charge of the finances of the Principality of Amidonia.”

“...Hmm.” Father turned and looked down at Colbert. “I am Georg Carmine. Did you have some business with me?”

“Ah...!”

For a moment, Colbert seemed cowed by the atmosphere that a warrior like my father gave off, but he mustered his courage, and looked into my father’s lion eyes.

“Y-Your soldier’s attack has destroyed a boathouse used by the people of our domain! Our fishermen rely on it for their livelihood, and we demand compensation!”

“...On what basis do you claim this was done by us?” Father asked.

Colbert produced a piece of paper from his pocket. “We have confirmed that there are lacerations caused by wind magic at the site. Our border guards may include individuals who use fire or earth magic, but we have no wind magic users. Furthermore, our soldiers have attested that people on your side used wind magic.”

Father quietly looked through the materials presented, then snorted, “...Very well. We will pay to repair the boathouse.”

“Thank you. Do you mind if we make an estimate of the cost?”

“I will trust your judgment.”

“Understood.”

After exchanging those few words, my father returned, and I asked him, “Was that all right? Admitting fault so easily?”

“There was no hostility towards the Kingdom in that young man’s eyes,” Father said, letting out a little laugh. “He was simply thinking of those who had been hurt. Even under my gaze, his eyes remained unswerving. He had the will to look me in the eye. That is proof he had nothing to hide.”

Father crossed his arms and watched as Julius and Colbert walked away side-by-side.

“The crown prince is a calculating ruler, able to handle things with pragmatism, while the bureaucrat is unafraid to make his opinion known, even to military men. Amidonia has produced some promising youths, too. It seems... we can’t afford to let our guards down.”

It was then that I burned the image of those men who my father had viewed with deference into my eyes.

“Mio, I hear you’ve had trouble concentrating on your lessons on how to manage a domain.” On the way back, Father called out to me.

“Urkh... I’ll admit, it’s not my best subject...”

“Sigh... You’re not a bad warrior, though.”

Though I was pleased he recognized me as a warrior, that sigh made me feel like I was being called out for my shortcomings—it was awfully conflicting.

“It’s difficult to be the lord of a large domain when all your skills are of the martial variety. My own father was always telling me that.”

“Grandfather said that to you?”

“Yes. There was a time when my skills were purely martial, too. I leaned on my wife for support, and over a long period of time I got used to it, but... it seems my blood runs thick in your veins.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Mother was a woman of great wisdom, and because Father was away from home so often as part of his duties, she was effectively the one who handled the administrative side of things. I was often told I looked like my mother when she was young, but I apparently inherited none of her inclination toward domestic affairs.

“I-If we have to, let’s bring in a husband who is good at handling internal administration!” I said.

“...Yes, I suspect that’s how it’s going to go.” Father gazed up to the sky. “I pray it will be a bureaucrat with spine, like that young man.”

Hearing the tone of resignation in my father’s voice, I couldn’t say anything. And, as Sir Beowulf listened to our exchange, a smile broke out on his face as he suppressed a laugh.

◇ ◇ ◇

However, the day when I would inherit the Carmine Duchy never came. Three years had passed since then.

“I’m going now, Mother,” I said, with two longswords strapped to my back and a full-face helmet held under my arm.

Mother gave me a slightly troubled look. Putting one hand on her cheek, she sighed, “Mio... There’s no need for you to endanger yourself over him, you know? I’m sure he wouldn’t want you to, either.”

“...Maybe not. But I don’t want to leave it like this.” I put a hand on my mother’s shoulder as her lion tail drooped. “No matter how things ended up, I believe that Father fought with determination. That’s why I want to know the truth. If I find out that he truly wanted to defeat the current king, then...”

“Mio, your father didn’t want us getting caught up in it...”

“I know that. But I’ve already made up my mind,” I replied to her, as I looked into her eyes.

With another sigh, she said, “Once you set your mind on something, you won’t bend. That stubbornness must have come from your father.”

“Of course. I am his daughter, after all.”

“I see...” Mother lowered her head. “...In that case, do what you want.”

She looked at me again, now with a gleaming strength in her eyes.

“I’ll accept whatever result that determination of yours brings. If you say that willfulness is because of his blood, then that is my own determination. As his wife, and as your mother.”

“Mother...”

I felt something hot rising in my chest, and the tears nearly began to flow. I put on my helmet to shield my face before turning my back towards her.

“I swear I will emerge victorious. Then I will have my wish granted.”

“...Please, just don’t take on more than you can handle, Mio.”

With those words from my mother, I left the house.

Chapter 2: Invitation

— Late in the 8th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar - Parnam Castle —

“Okay, Kazuha. Say ahhh.” I brought the little spoon to her mouth. Munch.

It was the night of one of an ongoing series of hot days. Liscia and I were in her room, feeding the twins. Kazuha’s toys were covered in drool, and she would chew on just about anything, but when it came to baby food, she wouldn’t eat unless I put it in her mouth. Even so, once it was in there, she smiled and ate it, even as she made a big mess of it. Maybe she just enjoyed being fed. I never know what babies are thinking... They’re cute, though.

Now that we were feeding them more baby food, I could even help feed the twins. Though, according to Doctor Hilde, it was best to give them breast milk after they ate their baby food as a nutritional supplement, which was why, next to me, Liscia was breastfeeding Cian.

It had been about eight months since the twins were born, and they both had full heads of hair that was a similar color to Liscia’s. They could crawl now, and Kazuha in particular was always going somewhere, making Liscia and Carla worry to no end.

Cian, meanwhile, despite having learned to crawl, was generally more relaxed, playing with stuffed animals and wooden blocks. (I was worried he might swallow those, so I prepared an extra large set.) He would sit there, flipping them over, looking at them, whacking them, licking the rounded corners of the blocks, and lightly chewing on the ears of his stuffed animals. Cian didn’t seem like an energetic baby, but Kazuha was the complete opposite. She would charge in and flip him over, or ride on top of him like a baby turtle on the parent turtle’s back. When night came, they would both sleep soundly.

As I finished feeding Kazuha, I asked Liscia, “She’s done eating. Are you good to go?”

“Yeah. I think Cian’s had his fill. Let’s trade.”

“Righty-o.”

I took Cian from Liscia, then deposited Kazuha in her arms in return. Kazuha started suckling Liscia’s breast immediately, as if she had a separate stomach for milk. Meanwhile, Cian, who was now full, was starting to doze off.

“...Eat well, sleep well, and grow up healthy.”

“Hee hee, you sound like a real father,” Liscia giggled.

“Well, yeah, I am these kids’ real father, after all.” Though we were sharing a peaceful moment, I let out a sigh. “But I’m not going to be able to see them for a while after this, huh?”

“...You’re going to that country, aren’t you?”

I nodded and said, “I received the invitation before the wedding. I could have refused, but... I’m scared to leave the issue unaddressed. I have other reasons to go, too, so in the end...”

“I’d like to go with you, but I can’t, right?”

“...Yeah. When I consider what could happen in the worst case...”

“I understand, but... it sure is frustrating.” Liscia said, lowering her head. “To be honest, this is an issue I should be settling. As someone who learned under him.”

Putting my arm around her, I whispered, “I can’t take you with me because of the children. We’ll be taking every precaution, of course, but it’s a foreign country, we can’t be certain that nothing will go wrong.”

“Right...”

“Well, I expect it should be a week at most this time. I’ll do what I can about the matter that’s concerning you, too.”

“...Don’t be reckless. You need to come back safe for the children’s sake, too.”

“I know.”

We nestled close to one another for a little while after that.

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day at the governmental affairs office in Parnam Castle.

“The ‘Great Martial Arts Tournament’ in Zem?” Aisha asked, as if acting as the representative of everyone gathered there. There were seven people in the room including me; three of my queens, Aisha, Roroa, and Naden; Prime Minister Hakuya; my personal trainer and sounding board, Owen; and Hal’s father Glaive Magna.

Setting aside Liscia, who I had told about this yesterday, the reason Juna was not here was because I had sent her to Lagoon City. The maritime state to our east, the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, had become more active lately, and Excel was gathering information on why.

I wish I could focus on the east, but now the west, too... While I was thinking that, Roroa crossed her arms and said, “I’ve heard of this before. The whole country gets involved in puttin’ on the tournament.”

The Mercenary State Zem was founded and led by the mercenary commander, likewise named, Zem. It was a robust country. Their geography was even more mountainous than the Amidonia Region’s, and they had mercenary forces (which was just a name for their national army) that would fend off any foreign attack. They proclaimed eternal neutrality, while at the same time earning foreign currency by forming contracts with other states to dispatch mercenaries. In some ways, you might have been fair to call them a military state.

It was still fresh in my memory that, during the rebellion Georg Carmine had staged, the corrupt nobles had hired Zemish mercenaries. Though, cornered as they were, the best they could have hired were third-rate mercs who were worth very little when ransomed back. Hakuya later told me, “If it were Zem’s elite forces that had come, this wouldn’t have ended with such a small offensive.”

“Zem ain’t the type to go holdin’ festivals year in and year out like we do, so they’ve gotta put a whole lotta passion into this tournament,” Roroa continued. “The merchants’ll be there, and money’ll be changin’ hands, too.”

“You probably shouldn’t use us as a baseline for comparison, though.”

Ever since we had adopted all the religions inside the kingdom as national religions, and we made their festivals, like the Spring Announcement Festival, into major events, we had been celebrating a lot more. There was always something going on month by month.

Aisha cocked her head to the side and asked, “Um... Does that mean we’re entering someone in that tournament?”

“Ahh, no, no. The current Mercenary King, Gimbal de Zem, sent an invitation to come watch the finals. Though, that invitation arrived before the wedding.” I put the letter I had received down in front of everyone. “This was delivered to Owen and Herman who were watching the western border while we were away in the Union of Eastern Nations. Right, Owen?”

“Yes, sir.” Owen gave me a solemn nod. The old man was normally energetic to the point it was annoying, but today he spoke little, and his pallor seemed to be not so good. I knew why, so I decided to press on without touching on the matter.

“Hakuya, what do you think King Zem is looking to do here?”

“He wants to restart diplomatic relations with our country after we terminated their mercenary contract with us. To accomplish that, he wants to show off how powerful his mercenaries are.”

“It’s a show of force, then?”

“Yes. The best result for him would be forcing us into another contract, but, failing that, he wants to demonstrate his country’s strength, and show us how terrifying an enemy they could be.”

“Darlin’s goin’ to a country we don’t even have diplomatic relations with just for that?” Roroa chimed in, sounding unamused. “Can’t ya just ignore him?”

“Well, ignoring him outright would be a problem, but I was planning to politely decline. It’s just... some circumstances have cropped up that made it so that’s no longer an option,” I said, slumping my shoulders. “First of all, the person who delivered the invitation is a problem.”

“The person? Who?”

“Mio Carmine. She’s the daughter of the former General of the Army, Georg Carmine.”

“Wha?! Lady Mio, you say?!” Glaive exclaimed.

During the rebellion, Glaive, who had stood alongside Beowulf as Georg’s right and left hands, had been sent to help take care of things when it was over. I had entrusted him Georg’s old castle at Randel, as well as a portion of his former domain. However, even after he was given Randel Castle, Glaive did not choose to live there, instead ruling from a mansion in the castle town. I took this as proof that his respect for his former commander had not waned.

When the name of Georg’s only daughter came up, Glaive seemed to lose his composure. He rounded on Owen, who had been the one to accept the letter. “Sir Owen. You’re certain that the messenger was Lady Mio?!”

“...Almost certain. The messenger was a knight who had the tail that marked her as a lion beastman, and she carried two longswords on her back. I recognized the way she acted, too.”

“How could this happen...?” Glaive pressed one hand to his forehead.

Georg had severed ties with his wife and daughter to avoid them being held responsible for his rebellion, and made them leave the country. In order to honor his wishes, I never searched for the two of them. If their locations were discovered, there would be those who wanted to dispose of them before others tried to use them for their own gain.

But now that his daughter was supposedly out in Zem, I wondered what had led her there, of all places. Glaive couldn’t help but be concerned for her. And, unfortunately for him, there was more information of concern.

“About Mio, she’s apparently won her way into the finals of the Great Martial Arts Tournament.”

“She what?!”

“That’s impressive, but... what’s the problem?” Naden cocked her head to the side. “If she were hiding out in the country with a grudge against you... I’d understand you viewing that as a threat, but her participating in a martial arts tournament in another country shouldn’t even be an issue, should it?”

Naden’s question was to be expected. But things were not that simple.

“It has to do with the special situation inside Zem,” I said. “Hakuya, explain please.”

“By your will.” Hakuya stood in front of the map on the wall, and pointed to Zem. “I believe you are all aware their country was founded by Zem, who was called the Mercenary King. During a time of chaos on the continent, as Emperor Manas rose in the Gran Chaos Empire, the rulers of many cities were vying for hegemony in that land.”

“So, like the Union of Eastern Nations now?”

“Similar to that, yes. It was a land prone to conflict, so those who found themselves unable to find work or who lost their homes to the fires of war survived by working as mercenaries. When the various lords began to gather up these sellswords to fight in their wars, that laid the foundation for the mercenary industry.”

I was impressed by Hakuya’s explanation. So that was the history behind all of this, huh?

“But...” Hakuya continued. “The mercenaries of the time were something like battle slaves, to be thrown away at a whim. The people groaned under the strain of war, and the mercenaries were discontent with the way they were treated as expendable. In the middle of all that, Zem appeared with a rare aptitude for commanding people, and martial skills of his own to be proud of. He led the oppressed mercenaries in a rebellion, taking cities one after another, and built an independent state for them all.”

It was a spectacular series of events that sounded like the plot of a movie. In fact, there was a dramatization called the Chronicles of Zem, and it was apparently quite popular. When I heard this story, what came to mind for me was the way men followed Fuuga. Zem must have been a great man of a similar caliber.

Hakuya continued explaining, “Because of how the country was founded, they value ‘being strong’ over anything else.”

“Oh, hey, that’s not so different from the national values in Amidonia, huh?” Roroa said.

“Yes.” Hakuya nodded. “But I would add that while Amidonia thought, ‘We must be stronger than those who have wronged us, so that we can take revenge,’ what Zem believes is more like, ‘If you’re strong, your every wish will be granted.’”

“If you are strong your every wish will be granted? Is that not a little too simplistic...?” Aisha cocked her head to the side at the idea, but Hakuya simply shrugged and moved on.

“They believe Zem built the country on strength, and that was how he became king. What they ought to focus on is the charisma that let him unite an unruly band of mercenaries, but... well, I suppose there’s nothing to be done about it.”

“It’s a matter of how the people themselves see things, after all,” I added in.

Aisha seemed to understand, and she nodded. “I-I see...”

“That idea is demonstrated most simply in the prize for winning the Great Martial Arts Tournament,” Hakuya said. “The prize is ‘the right to have your wish granted.’”

When they heard the prize was the right to a wish, everyone just sort of stared vacantly at him. When I heard it the first time myself, I was taken aback, thinking it was an awfully vague prize. But, when I heard the details, I was shocked by how ridiculous that country was.

“Obviously, it must be a wish that can be granted. They cannot grant impossible wishes like bringing the dead back to life. However, if it is a wish that can be granted by people, they can grant it. If you wish for ‘money,’ for instance, they will pay the winner up to a preset limit. If you wish for ‘women,’ you can literally take any woman you want as your wife.”

““No way!””

The girls looked angry. They must have felt bad for the women forced to marry a man they didn’t love. But the reverse is also possible, huh? If a woman won, a man might be forced to marry her. When I looked at powerful women like my own wives, I had to wonder if there were a lot of past examples of that. Not wanting to stir up the hornet’s nest, though, I didn’t bring it up.

“One of the possible wishes is also ‘to become king.’”

“What, they can be king, too?!” Aisha asked.

“Yes. Like I just said, the country values strength. The people want the King of Zem to be the mightiest of all warriors. To that end, anyone who wants to become king can receive the right to challenge the current king as their prize. If they are able to defeat them, the challenger ascends the throne as the new king, and inherits the family name Zem.”

“Incredible...”

They really were a country that recognized brute force as a way of changing political regimes. I had heard that their current king, Gimbal de Zem, had ascended the throne that way. Though he carried on the Zem name, he had no blood relation to the original Mercenary King.

“It’s a wonder that they can run a nation that way.” Glaive crossed his arms and groaned.

“It seems the king only controls the military and external affairs, while internal affairs are managed by the bureaucracy,” Hakuya replied. “Even if there was a change of kings, the bureaucrats don’t, so they are able to keep things running smoothly.”

“But if that’s the case, wouldn’t the bureaucracy become too powerful?”

“Because strength is so highly valued, bureaucrats like myself would be the lowest of the low, and they work them like slaves. I have heard stories where a bureaucrat was engaged in corruption, and the Mercenary King went to their house personally and killed them along with all their subordinates.”

What the heck? That’s like something out of The Unfettered ***gun. Nah, I guess he’d be The Unfettered Mercenary King, huh?

“But what if a bad guy wins? Is it okay to let someone like that be king?” Naden asked.

Hakuya nodded. “Yes. If they can just win, any person can become king. However, if they are too evil, they will undo themselves in no time.”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Because it is a country of mercenaries, people have a strong sense of independence, and rebellions come easily. If the king is excessively tyrannical, he will be unseated in short order. Even if they are the strongest warrior, they can’t deal with repeated uprisings all by themselves.”

“Well, if they win, they can have their wish granted, within limits, so no one is going to want to have all the limitations that come with being king,” I commented. “They’d be bringing a lot of trouble onto themselves.”

“Hmm, it’s a pretty good system, huh?” Naden replied, sounding impressed.

But was it really? I felt like it was a country that existed on top of a delicate balance. With some impetus, it could all fall to pieces. But even without any, the changing times might eventually destroy that balance too. That’s how it felt to me. Their country would surely be left behind by the flow of the ages.

As I stood up, everyone turned to face me.

“So, now that you’ve all heard, you can see why we can’t just ignore it as a simple tournament. On top of that, they say Georg’s daughter Mio is still in the running.”

Everyone gulped in unison. The possibility of Georg’s daughter having a grudge against the Kingdom, and potentially having a wish granted, was a real threat.

“Depending on what she wished for if she won, it could affect this country. If she were to become king while still harboring resentment against the Kingdom...”

“You’d be lookin’ at another enemy state. Like we used to be,” Roroa said with a sigh. I nodded to her.

“Anyway, we don’t know what Mio’s thinking, and that worries me. I need to go to Zem to find out what her intentions are, too.” Then, looking around to my comrades, I said, “Now, as for who will accompany me, I want to limit numbers as much as possible in the interest of safety and mobility. First of all, I want to ask Aisha and Naden to come. I’ll likely be counting on them to guard me.”

“Okay. I understand.”

“Roger that.”

The two of them nodded. Next I looked towards Glaive and Owen.

“I wanted to bring Glaive to probe Mio’s intentions, since he’s an old acquaintance of hers. But we can’t have the man managing the National Land Defense Force leave when I’ll be out of the country. In his place, I’d like Owen, who also knows her, to come along.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“...I suppose this is how it has to be. Won’t you take my son or Ruby?” Glaive asked, and I shook my head.

“If I were to bring two dragons with me, they would likely not take kindly to it. I am leaving Ruby so I can take Naden. If it’s just Hal on his own, I don’t see a point in forcing him to come along. His first wife, Kaede, is pregnant as well, so I think I’ll do without him this time.”

“I see... Sire, please take care of Lady Mio...”

I could see the strain on his face. He seemed awfully concerned for Mio.

“I will do my best to consider it.”

“...Please, do.” Glaive backed down.

“Ah!” Roroa spoke up. “Why not try bringin’ Mr. Colbert with ya, then?”

“Colbert?”

“Well, y’know how the Principality of Amidonia and the Carmine Duchy were neighbors, right? With all the clashes along the border, my brother and Mr. Colbert must’ve met the Carmines a few times to settle things.”

“Oh, yeah...?”

Hostile relations can make unexpected connections, huh? If all I had was people like Owen, who were close to the Carmines, they might be looking at her through rose-tinted glasses. If I really wanted to know what Mio was thinking, it was best to look at the information from many different angles.

“I get it. I’ll bring Colbert, too.”

“Nyahaha, I’ll run the finance department while Mr. Colbert’s away.” Roroa wore a happy smile. Her financial sense was a cut above the rest, but she was prone to making high-risk, high-return decisions. I felt like she was a good balance with Colbert, who kept a tighter hold on the purse strings, but... was this going to be okay?

“Don’t do anything too crazy, all right?” I said to her. “Don’t make Colbert cry when he comes back home.”

“It’s only a week, right? It’ll be fine.”

Was it okay to trust that innocent smile? Regardless, the members of my entourage had been chosen now, so...

“And... Hakuya,” I addressed him.

“Yes, sir.”

“I’d like you to make preparations for the other reason we’re going to Zem.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.” Hakuya gave me a deep bow.

All of the orders were given. Now it was just a matter of seeing what Zem would throw at us... Hopefully, this can all be settled peaceably, somehow. I could only pray that it would be.

Chapter 3: Mercenary State Zem

— One day in the 9th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

“Sigh... It sure is nothing but mountains, huh?” I said as I looked at the scenery while riding on Naden’s back.

We were in the skies over Mercenary State Zem, heading to watch the finals of the Great Martial Arts Tournament. There was a wyvern flying alongside us, carrying a gondola which held Aisha and the other members of our entourage. Naden and I had been riding in the gondola at first, but the scenery outside was so beautiful that Naden said she wanted to go for a swim through the sky. I ended up tagging along for her little midair stroll.

Our view was truly breathtaking. The Amidonia Region had been pretty mountainous itself, but the mountains of Zem were big, tall, and they shone blue when viewed at a distance. There were settlements dotted around at clearings in the mountains, and I could see the people were raising some white woolly animals that looked like sheep or llamas. You know, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a certain “Girl of the Alps” out here.

I petted Naden’s back as I asked, “What do you think, Naden? Does this sort of mountainous scenery put you more at ease?”

“Because the Star Dragon Mountain Range is all mountains?”

“Yeah. The only ones near Parnam are medium-sized, and are the source of our water.”

“I never thought about it, you know... Dracul itself is flat, and I only really went into the mountains to hunt, after all.”

“Oh, yeah,” I recalled. “The deer meat I had in your cave was delicious.”

It didn’t taste too gamey, and the meat was soft. I’d enjoy eating it again.

“Heheh, would you like me to hunt for you again sometime?”

“That’d be nice. I’d like to eat it again, using soy sauce and ginger to completely get rid of that gameiness. Oh! But don’t come back covered in blood, okay? If you cause an uproar in the castle, I’ll be in for a long lecture from Liscia.”

“Roger that... I know it all too well.”

While we were chatting idly, our destination came into sight in the distance. There was an aged castle rising up in the mountains, that was Blanc Zem Castle. Incidentally, the place the castle looked over was also called Zem City. The Colosseum where the finals would take place was located here, as well.

Being their country’s greatest hero, the name Zem was used on everything, from the city itself to the dishes cooked there. Looking at it from the perspective of a foreigner, it felt excessive, but it just showed how great the people of this country thought the first Mercenary King Zem was.

“Can I assume that castle’s where we’re going?” Naden asked.

“The Zemish side said to land right in the courtyard.”

“We’re not going to suddenly get attacked, are we?”

“They probably wouldn’t do anything that stupid, but... if it happens, let’s fly away,” I assured her.

A single wyvern rider flew towards us from the direction of the castle. They came up alongside Naden, then put his hand forward to salute me.

“I assume you must be King Souma of Friedonia and his entourage!” the rider said. “I have come at the orders of the King of Zem to welcome you! I will guide you in, so please follow me!”

“Gotcha. Lead the way.”

We followed the wyvern rider and flew over the walls of the castle to land in the courtyard. Naturally, the anti-air repeating bolt throwers did not take aim at us. There were no flowers in the courtyard, just plaster figures of macho men, and columns of soldiers who were masses of muscle, trying to look no less tough.

I jumped down as Naden turned back into her human form, and Aisha came out of the wyvern gondola that had landed with us and rushed over to me. “Your Majesty, take every care not to be separated from Madam Naden and me.”

“I know... I’m counting on you to protect me, Aisha, Naden.”

“Roger that.”

We had fought against Zemish mercenaries during the battle against the corrupt nobles. There was no guarantee that none of the soldiers lined up here had been among those who had been forced to pay ransom money for their release. Also, I had entrusted old man Owen with the task of guarding Colbert. We had brought other guards as well, and snuck in a number of members of the Black Cats, too.

“Make way!” a voice rang out.

The line of soldiers in the hall split in two. Once they had, a single man walked through the middle of the crowd. He was a large, muscular fellow with an eyepatch over one eye. His physique was quite similar to Owen’s.

The man stood in front of me, and spread his big arms wide. “It is good of you to come to Zem, Sir Souma, King of Friedonia.”

“You are... Sir Gimbal?”

“Indeed. I am Gimbal Zem.”

“Thank you for the invitation, Sir Gimbal, King of Zem.”

I shook his hand as the representative of the group. If Gimbal felt like it, he could easily have crushed mine, but he held back and left it at a somewhat firm handshake.

I introduced Aisha and Naden to Gimbal, “Sir Gimbal, these are my wives, Aisha and Naden.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Gimbal.” Aisha put her hand to her chest and bowed.

Naden did the same. “I-It’s an honor to meet you.”

Gimbal seemed impressed with the two of them, stroking his short goatee. “It seems your wives are strong and beautiful warriors. Especially Madam Aisha. If you were to participate in the martial arts tournament, you might have some chance of winning. If you could win and they defeat me, you could even become the king of this country.”

He must have found the aura Aisha gave off as a warrior quite stimulating, because there was a somewhat defiant look in Gimbal’s eyes. Aisha looked straight back at him, accepting it.

“It is an honor to meet you, but I am happiest in the Kingdom... at His Majesty’s side,” she replied. “I have no wish I would want granted in Zem.”

The way Aisha could say that so boldly was really inspiring. Aisha could be a bit of a disappointment once food got involved, but as a warrior, she was always so gallant and beautiful I couldn’t help but fall head over heels for her.

Hearing her response, Gimbal laughed heartily. “Is that a fact? Well, well, I can see she loves you dearly.”

“She’s too good for me.”

“Now then, you must be tired from coming here. Please, rest in your room first.”

“Thank you.”

Gimbal clapped his hands twice. When he did, a person clad in armor walked over from among the soldiers and dropped to one knee before us. I couldn’t see her face, but the shape of the armor indicated it was a woman. She took off her helmet, and held it under her arm. She was a little older than me, with well-balanced features, and cat ears perched on top of her dirty blonde hair.

“Ah! I knew it...!” Owen, who was a little ways back from the rest of us, exclaimed.

Then is this cat-type beastman Mio? Was she Georg’s daughter, Mio Carmine? Sexual dimorphism was a trait of many of the beastmen races, but this woman was far prettier than anything I would have imagined from the stern lion face her father had.

Gimbal put a hand on her shoulder and said, “You can spend your time as you like until the finals tomorrow. If you wish to look around the castle town, she will be your guide, so please ask. She is a participant in the tournament, but I hear she is from the Kingdom, so I asked her to help out.”

Yes, she certainly is from the Kingdom...

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Mio.”

The girl raised her head and stared straight into my eyes.

“There’s no doubt about it. That was Duke Carmine’s daughter, Madam Mio,” Owen said with a pained look.

After we had each been shown to our rooms, I had gathered my key companions in the room allotted to me and my queens.

“Yes, it most definitely was Sir Carmine’s daughter. I have met her on multiple occasions,” Colbert agreed, so that more or less confirmed it.

Mio, the daughter of Georg the traitor. If he assigned her to be our guide, it was a near certainty that Gimbal knew who she was. It was clear Mio was plotting something by taking part in this tournament. But what was Gimbal’s angle, putting us in contact with her like this? Were their plans the same?

“What do you think? Colbert?” I asked Colbert, the intellectual of the group.

Colbert brought a finger to his mouth as he pondered. “Though I’ve met her in the past, we weren’t friends, so I couldn’t tell you what Madam Mio is thinking. But... if Sir Gimbal were plotting something, you would have expected him to show some reaction when you and Madam Mio met.”

“Reaction? Like a scheming look, or something?”

“Or a forced smile, maybe. But I didn’t see either. It’s entirely possible that Madam Mio’s intentions are just as inscrutable to Sir Gimbal.” Colbert crossed his arms and groaned. “Even if she is the daughter of Duke Carmine, Madam Mio is still originally from the Kingdom. To Sir Gimbal’s eyes, she must appear as a suspicious individual who still has ties to us. It seems Madam Mio has been winning her way through the tournament, so perhaps he arranged for the two of you to meet so that he could gauge your reaction?”

“He was checking if we’re secretly connected to Mio?” I said with a sigh. “If that’s what it was... his fears are unfounded.”

Had he been scrutinizing our motives, the same way we were scrutinizing his?

“Yes, completely.” Colbert nodded. “But it does prove that Sir Gimbal doesn’t have a full grasp of what Mio’s intentions are, either.”

“...So it all comes down to what Mio’s thinking, huh?”

If she won the tournament, she would be granted a wish. But what was she participating for? What exactly was the wish she’d want granted?

“Hrm... If she’s got a grudge against Souma, maybe she wants ‘Souma’s head’?” Naden said that so casually that I felt a chill on my neck.

“I-Is that a wish Zem can grant?”

“I doubt she could ask for it directly. However, if she asked for ‘the throne of Zem,’ and defeated Sir Gimbal to become the Queen of Zem, she could start a war with us any time she wanted to. Naturally, based on the relative size of Zem, they would have a hard time winning a war against us alone.” That was Colbert’s sober analysis.

Well, our country was coordinating with the Empire and the Republic, so even if she roped the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State into attacking us with her, we could still beat them back. But if she didn’t attack directly, and instead fomented unrest inside the country, lending mercenaries to the dissidents and encouraging terrorist attacks, that would be a pain.

“So if someone with a grudge against the Kingdom got a hold of the Zemish throne, they’d have all sorts of ways to harass us, huh?” I thought aloud.

“Does Madam Mio even resent you to begin with, sire?” Aisha asked. “She had a bit of determination in her eyes when she looked at you earlier, but nothing like the dark emotions you would expect from someone looking at her father’s killer.”

“Now that you mention it... you’ve got a point.”

If there was any hostility or murderous intent, a warrior like Aisha wouldn’t have missed it. Mio’s expression then—her eyes, specifically—were full of resolve. I felt no anger or hatred. When I met Julius in Van after the war with the Principality of Amidonia, his disgust for me was palpable. Even if he kept a level head, those sorts of emotions weren’t something you could fully suppress.

“That makes it even harder to figure out, then. What exactly does Mio want?”

“Madam Mio, like Duke Carmine, has a one-track mind...” Owen said with a pained expression. “You could take that to mean she’s stubborn and obstinate like him. Once she sets her mind on something, she will do whatever it takes to stay the course. Even if it’s a path of carnage, and she may fall along the way...”

“...This father and daughter are a couple of pains in the neck,” I said, scratching the back of my head and trying to find some resolve. “I guess all that’s left is to talk to her directly, huh? She’s our guide, after all.”

“You’re going to have her join us,” Naden asked, and I nodded.

The “one-track mind” that Owen mentioned and the lack of “dark emotions” that Aisha detected led me to believe that she wasn’t going to kill me the moment she saw an opening.

“Whatever Mio’s wish is, she’ll win the tournament first, and then openly try to have it granted. That’s why I want to try to talk with her as much as I can before then.”

“Is that not... dangerous?”

“Don’t worry, Aisha. I’ll keep you and Naden with me at all times as a means of protection and escape, of course. If Mio tries to harm me, will you stop her for me?”

“Leave it to me.” Aisha thumped her chest with one hand. “I can see that Madam Mio is quite a capable warrior, but I won a tournament of my own back in the Kingdom. I won’t let her lay a finger on you!”

“Well, if it gets dicey, I’ll grab you in my mouth and run away into the sky.” Naden put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest. My wives were so reliable.

Colbert opened his mouth, a pensive look on his face. “Should I... look into it a little?”

“You, Colbert?”

“Because I’m from the former Principality of Amidonia, she may be less wary of me than she would someone from the Kingdom. It would be easier for her to air her complaints to someone who was also part of a hostile faction.”

I saw what he was saying. Maybe she would let a complaint slip.

“I’m grateful, but don’t push yourself too hard,” I said. “If anything were to happen to you, there’d be no one left to keep Roroa under control, you know?”

“...I could say the same thing to you, sire.”

Seeing the wry smile on Colbert’s face, everyone nodded in agreement. Huh? Is that how they all see me? It felt kind of awkward, so I cleared my throat loudly and moved along.

“Anyway, don’t any of you get careless.”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Chapter 4: Mio

“Zem City developed around the Colosseum in the city’s center,” Mio explained, pointing towards the towering Colosseum as she led the way.

It was a massive, austere structure reminiscent of the Roman Colosseum—probably larger than Zem Castle itself. The stone carvings on the walls were a sight to behold, too. The fact that the vast majority were of men carrying swords was indicative of this country’s belief in the supremacy of brawn over all else.

Aisha, Naden, Owen, Mio, and I had all come down to the castle town. Everyone but me was dressed as normal, but I would stand out if I wore my military uniform like I had when meeting Sir Gimbal, so I changed into something lighter—like what an adventurer might wear.

Mio continued her explanation as we stared at the majestic Colosseum in awe. “This structure predates the rise of the first Mercenary King Zem, dating back to the country that existed before Zem’s founding. The mercenaries who lived in that country were low in status. They were treated like war slaves, and would throw their lives away for anything if you had the money. Some mercenaries who were in trouble financially were forced to put their lives on the line as gladiators in this very Colosseum.”

“They made a spectacle of it?” I said. “I see... Zem brought all their grievances together and rose up, huh? Do they still put on those sorts of massacres there?”

“No. There are shows where people fight the wild animals and dungeon monsters that others caught to prove their strength, but there are no battles to the death between people anymore,” Mio responded. “The worst that happens is someone gets carried away and kills their opponent during the Great Martial Arts Tournament.”

She was answering questions when asked, like she was supposed to. I couldn’t sense any hostility in her words or attitude.

“The battles between people and animals are popular, and spectators come from across the continent to see them. The most popular is the battle between the mercenaries and the dragon that walks on land.”

“The dragon that walks on land?”

“It’s a type of wyvern that gave up the skies to run around the mountains. They call them ‘earth dragons,’ or ‘wingless ones.’ They’re fierce creatures that use their devolved wings for balance as they run around on two legs. ...You can see one right over there.”

I looked in the direction Mio indicated, and there was a rhinosaurus pulling a freight car. The majority of the freight car was taken up by a cage, and there was a massive animal inside it.

“That’s an earth dragon...?”

Based on Mio’s description, I had been imagining something like a carnivorous dinosaur, but it was a bit closer to a wyvern than that. It had horns, and was spiky all over, giving off the impression of a ferocious beast. On top of that, it was large enough to compete with Ruby and the other members of the dragon race, in terms of size.

“Hmph, it only looks tough. That thing’s no match for me,” Naden said dismissively.

Wait, wait, why was she feeling so competitive?

“Do they tame creatures like that in Zem?”

“No, earth dragons are ferocious, so they don’t get attached to humans. They just catch them to fight in the Colosseum. They’re still wild animals.”

“...Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I’ve heard that there have been many cases of them escaping and running wild,” Mio said dispassionately.

Wait, they escape?!

I worried if that was all right, but Mio shrugged. “It’s fine. The people in this country are ridiculously good at fighting against animals.”

“Oh, I see. You’re talking about Zem’s riding-beast hunters.” Owen nodded, seemingly satisfied with Mio’s explanation.

“Riding-beast hunters?”

“Sire, do you notice anything when you look at the people walking on the street?” Owen asked, leading me to look about our surroundings.

I had been noticing earlier that many of them wore breastplates, gauntlets, and other such pieces of light armor over top of their clothes. They looked indistinguishable from adventurers at a glance, but were all of them actually Zemish mercenaries?

“There’s a lot of people dressed like adventurers in light armor?” I said.

“That’s also true, but it’s something else. Please, pay attention to their weapons.”

“...Oh!”

There was something that definitively set them apart from a typical adventurer. They all used weapons like spears, axes, and halberds. Ah, because of how often they are in tight places, adventurers prefer not to use weapons with a long reach, I thought, recalling my own escapades as Little Musashibo.

“The mercenaries here are all using long-handled weapons,” I commented.

Owen gave me a satisfied nod and said, “In the Army, we have a saying. ‘If you’re facing a Zemish mercenary, get off your horse.’ The Zemish mercenaries use long-handled pole weapons, and they’re famous for being especially effective against cavalry.”

“Ahh, and that’s why they’re called riding-beast hunters?”

“Yes.” Mio nodded. “Zem is not a fertile country, so they can’t afford to raise a large number of horses, wyverns, or other riding beasts. Because of that, historically they assumed only the other side would have mounts, and created and developed tactics that allowed even a foot soldier to fight against mounted warriors.”

“On top of that, if a mercenary can take a high-status person like a knight prisoner, they can receive a ransom for them. That’s why Zemish mercenaries are super strong when they’re facing cavalry. Many of them use long-handled weapons so they can surround the knights and pull them down,” Owen added. So there was a proper reason for it, huh?

“So, why do you tell people to ‘get off your horse’?”

“Because it’s hard to make tight turns on horseback, it’s actually harder to fight a line of soldiers in close combat from up there. If everyone is on the ground, it’s harder to tell who’s higher in status, too.”

“Ah, I get it.”

It seemed like mercenaries had extreme strengths and weaknesses. I hadn’t planned it this way, but how we holed up in the fort outside Randel and struck them as they came in must have been one of the more difficult situations for them to handle.

“You were saying they couldn’t raise a lot of wyverns, right? Do they not have much in the way of wyvern cavalry, then? They guided us in when we landed at Blanc Zem Castle, though.”

“The wyvern cavalry report directly to the King of Zem,” Owen said. “The king’s direct forces are this country’s elite warriors, and standing army. They aren’t loaned out to anyone. Because raising wyverns is expensive, there’s a natural limit on the number of them they can keep. It would be a lot of trouble if they loaned them out to another country and lost them as a result.”

“I see...”

They must have been keeping the strongest soldiers in reserve. In which case, though Zem’s mercenary companies were renowned for their strength, the ones being loaned out were actually the weakest. This country wasn’t to be taken lightly.

I looked up at the Colosseum again. “So this is where they hold the Great Martial Arts Tournament.”

“That’s right.” Mio nodded in confirmation, a pensive look on her face. “The Great Martial Arts Tournament is a major event that the whole country works together for. The warriors fight in an elimination format for the right to have a wish granted. The battles continue until one of the opponents yields, or is rendered unable to continue fighting. That can include death.”

“So they literally put everything on the line, huh? ...And you’re participating in the Great Martial Arts Tournament, too.”

“Yes.”

Hrm... I figured I shouldn’t make her feel cornered if I didn’t have to, so I’d avoided touching on the core of the matter before now, but maybe it was time to ask a direct question.

“If you’re fighting in the tournament, you must have a wish you want granted, too, right?” I asked. “What is it you want so bad that you’re willing to risk your life to get it?”

“That, I cannot say.” Mio looked straight at me. “I will grant my wish with my own strength. In order to see it through, I cannot tell you it here. I intend to win this tournament, so I’m sure you’ll find out then.”

Well, of course she wouldn’t spill the beans so easily. Mio seemed strong-willed like Georg, so we wouldn’t find out anything until she won it all. While I was thinking about it, Aisha stepped forward, quickly inserting herself between Mio and me.

“Madam Mio. I couldn’t detect any dark emotions in what you’ve said.”

As Aisha stared straight at her, Mio’s eyes stared back at her, unswerving. Aisha knocked on the hilt of her greatsword with the back of her right hand. Because we were on a busy street, she was trying to intimidate her without actually putting her hand on it.

“However, if you intend to harm His Majesty to avenge Duke Georg, I will cut you down,” Aisha declared.

“Liscia asked us to do it. I won’t hold back on you, either,” Naden added with her arms crossed. Her black hair spread out and sparked a little.

Even in the face of their threats, Mio showed no sign of being intimidated. “I can see you two really do love King Souma.”

“It’s obvious that a wife should be concerned for her husband’s well-being.”

Naden followed up with, “Normally, it’s the other way around, though. Oh, well. ‘The right person for the right role’ is practically a family motto for us, anyway.”

“The wife protects the husband?” After listening to the two of them, Mio closed her eyes quietly. “...Come to think of it, Lady Liscia is a wife now, too. I wonder how she feels.”

“Madam Mio?”

“It’s nothing. More importantly, there’s somewhere I’d like all of you... especially Madam Aisha, to come with me.”

“Especially Aisha?”

When I asked her that, Mio nodded. Taking one of the sheathed longswords off her back, she pointed it towards the door to the Colosseum and said, “I’d like to have a match with Aisha in the sparring arena of the Colosseum.”

“A match? Why?”

“My father always believed, ‘We say more through combat than through words.’” Mio held up the scabbard for us to see. “If you wish to know me, Madam Aisha, we should cross swords in a sparring match. I can tell you have considerable prowess as a warrior. For my part, I think that it will make good practice for the finals tomorrow.”

“No, but...” I stammered.

Before I could say any more, Aisha responded, “Let’s have it out, then.”

“Aisha!”

“Let me do it, sire. I want to judge her with my own eyes.” Aisha looked straight at me. It looked like we had a strong-willed one on our side, too... It didn’t matter what I said, now. She wasn’t going to listen.

“Fine... But be careful you don’t get hurt.”

“Understood!”

That was how we ended up with an impromptu mock battle between Aisha and Mio.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

We were in a practice arena surrounded by stone walls, with nothing else but a sand floor. The sounds of sword colliding with sword echoed through the air as Aisha and Mio traded blow after blow.

“Hahhhhhhh!”

“Yahhhhhhh!”

Sparks flew as Aisha’s greatsword and Mio’s two longswords collided. They were both using blunted training weapons, but if they made contact at that speed, the one who got hit wasn’t going to get off with just minor wounds. I had seen Aisha and Liscia spar before, but this was nothing like that.

At the time, Liscia had been using technique to dodge, parry, and neutralize the attacks that Aisha threw at her with dumb brute strength. That one was what you might call a battle of hard versus soft. However, Mio, like Aisha, was also all about hard.

That made this a battle of hard versus hard. Mio’s martial arts were impressive to behold, and though she was facing Aisha in a straight-up test of brute strength, she wasn’t being pushed back.

“Urgh! Can I not push through?!”

“Compared to my father’s heavy sword, this is nothing!”

When Aisha took a big swing with her greatsword, Mio crossed her longswords to catch it and then knock it back. Then she took two swings with her longswords, with a time delay in between them. Aisha blocked both with her greatsword.

“You’re pretty... good!”

“You, too, Madam Mio.”

The two exchanged words while jostling with the hilts of their weapons locked. Perhaps deciding that the greatsword was too hard to use when her opponent was so close, Aisha held her sword in her right hand while performing a backfist strike with her left. Mio blocked it with her elbow.

Next, Mio launched a low kick, but Aisha raised one leg to protect her defenseless thigh. They continued trading roles as attacker and defender like that for a while. Naden, Owen, and I, who were watching the fight from a safe distance were in total awe.

“Wow. They’re fighting with fists in between their swords.”

“I’ve never fought with a sword, and even I can tell how abnormal their strength is...” Even Naden, who didn’t specialize in fighting in her human form, was entranced with the way they fought.

“It’s like a collision of souls. Both of them are fine warriors,” Owen spoke up. The old general, who was the same hard type of warrior as the two of them, got emotional at the sight of their battle. “I wish you could fight at even one-tenth of that level, sire.”

“No way, that’s absolutely impossible! Even if there were a hundred of me, I couldn’t fight like that!”

“You mustn’t be so dispirited. You have an heir now. Let’s add more to your training menu.”

Urgh... That stirred up a hornet’s nest. But, well, the reason the onlookers could talk about it so lightly was that the two combatants looked like they were having a riot.

“How about this?!”

“Not yet!”

As they competed with strength and in technique, things got more and more heated. They fought with swords, punches, and kicks, never pausing for a breath, to keep their opponent from having an opening to use magic.

“......?!”

Mio’s sword knocked Aisha’s greatsword upward. But that was a ruse.

“There!”

In the instant it was exposed, Aisha pounded her fist into Mio’s belly. Mio was sent flying backwards, but she corrected her stance in midair and landed on her feet.

“Guh...!”

However, the damage must have gone through, because she held the spot where she was hit and grimaced. Aisha, meanwhile, stood there, not going in for a follow-up.

As I was wondering why, snap, the string holding Aisha’s hair in a ponytail burst. Her silver hair fell down.

“...It looks like you only missed me by a hair.” Aisha said.

Mio shook her head as she continued grasping her belly. “You landed such a clean hit on me that I have no choice but to admit defeat.”

“Think nothing of it. It was pretty dangerous for me, too. You’re plenty strong, Madam Mio.”

“...It’s a good thing you weren’t participating in Zem’s tournament.” Mio said with a wry smile.

“With the skill you have, I’m sure you’ll achieve good results in the tournament.” Aisha furrowed her brow. “But... Madam Mio, what is it you want to wish for if you win?”

Refusing to say anything, Mio looked away.

“Your father said, ‘We say more through combat than through words,’ right? There was no indecision in your technique, I felt something like a strong conviction there. Something not held captive by grudges and hatred.” Aisha laid down her training sword and approached Mio. “If you have a grudge against the country and His Majesty, you can’t have a very positive view of me. I am his wife, and will protect him no matter what. Yet, I feel nothing like that from you. During our match, you were almost like a child, enjoying the chance to test your strength. What exactly is it that you...”

“...That, I cannot say.” Mio stretched and turned towards us. “My wish is something I must grant for myself. If I don’t, I cannot face my father in the afterlife. I’m sure it will all become clear when I win the tournament.”

She looked at me with unswerving eyes—they were filled with determination. The way she wouldn’t budge once she made up her mind was just like Liscia. Was that because they had trained under the same man? If so, there was probably no way to get an answer out of her.

Ultimately, we ended up going back to Zem Castle without having been able to suss anything out.

◇ ◇ ◇

That night...

Naden rolled over onto her side in the big bed, then let out a sigh. “...We couldn’t figure anything out, huh?”

“Yeah. She didn’t seem to be harboring any negative emotions, though.”

Having returned to Blanc Zem Castle, we went back to our room. Aisha, Naden, and I were talking about what had happened today there.

“For now, at least, her requesting my head as her prize... seems unlikely, I think. She has the same sort of single-minded personality as Liscia, so I’m having a hard time imagining that she’s been deliberately hiding her negative emotions from us.”

“Yes. In fact, she seemed ill-suited to that sort of performance.” Aisha, who was sitting in a chair, her arms crossed, agreed with me. “In that case... is her wish to ‘Restore the House of Carmine,’ or something along those lines, perhaps?”

“If that’s all, I feel like I could probably grant that.”

I obviously couldn’t return all of their lands to her, and there would have to be conditions, but restoring her house wasn’t out of the question. Georg had done everything properly in regards to severing ties with his family, so Mio and her mother weren’t guilty of any crime. She’d likely have the support of Glaive, Owen, and others from the Army too, so it wouldn’t even be that difficult.

“But if that was her wish, Mio wouldn’t need to participate in the tournament. She must have involved another country because it’s something that couldn’t be granted in the Kingdom.”

So it’s something we can’t do anything about, or perhaps something Mio doesn’t think we can do anything about...? What exactly is she thinking? While I was pondering that...

“Darling... Could it be that you feel guilty towards Madam Mio?” Aisha came right out and asked me, and I couldn’t argue back when it came up so suddenly.

“Well, yeah... The issue of Georg is a problem I’ve left untouched ever since I first took the crown. When I think of my responsibility to the victims... It’s complicated.”

The reason the Kingdom was stable now was because of Georg’s contributions. I had never forgotten that, but thinking I should give it some time, I ended up putting off dealing with the problem. The fact that I was now at the whims of a single woman was the cost of my indolence.

Aisha gave me a stern look. “Darling. Even if Madam Mio’s wish ends up being something you think you could grant, please think long and hard about the result of doing so before you make a decision.”

“...You do realize I’m trying to be careful of that, right?”

With a wry smile, Naden added, “But you’re not always logical about things, are you? Especially when it involves family.”

“Well, yeah... There are some things I can’t compromise on.” I looked away.

Naden let out a sigh. “Liscia studied under Mio’s dad, and she respected him, right? ‘Because they both learned under Georg, I want to do something for his daughter...’ Is what you’re thinking, isn’t it, Souma?”

“...You understand me well.”

“You’re easy to figure out,” Naden said with a smile. Aisha was nodding, too.

“If she knew that she was a ball and chain around your ankle, making her husband make bad decisions, Liscia would be sad, right? We’ll shoulder your guilt with you. So, please, make the right decision.”

“Got it.” I gave a meek nod.

They were both right. If I let my emotions put the people I wanted to protect in danger, that would defeat the purpose. I had... to see this through. If she wanted the restoration of her house, fine. If not, the only other thing I could think of was... That could be pretty difficult.

I let out a little sigh at the premonition I got.

◇ ◇ ◇

Around the same time, Colbert was going to another room, alone.

It was the room given to Mio in Blanc Zem Castle when she was assigned to be Souma’s guide. Mio was chosen because she said she was from the Kingdom. But the room was only temporary, as she didn’t serve Gimbal personally.

“Excuse me. Is Madam Mio here?” Colbert knocked and called out. The door immediately opened.

“...How may I help you?”

“Ah!”

When he saw the state Mio was in, Colbert’s face froze. Since she was in her room, Mio had taken off her armor, and was wearing a thin tank top. The thin fabric couldn’t hide her figure the way her armor could, and her breasts were asserting themselves.

While averting his eyes from her appearance, Colbert said, “I-I’m sorry to bother you when you were relaxing. I am the Kingdom’s Minister of Finance, Colbert. I came hoping we could talk a little.”

“By all means.” With that, Mio invited Colbert into her room, seemingly unconcerned.

“Huh? It’s all right?”

“You came to talk, didn’t you?”

“Ah, right... Pardon me.”

Even as he felt a little flustered, Colbert went into Mio’s room. Being temporary quarters, the room was simple, with a bed and not much more. There were no real furnishings, just a mannequin that Mio could put her armor on, and her two swords leaned up against the wall.

Mio offered Colbert a chair, and sat down on the bed facing him. “Did Sir Souma ask you to look into me?”

“Ah! Yes. There is that, but...” Unable to look Mio in the eye, Colbert’s gaze wandered as he spoke. “I wanted to relive some old memories, so I’d like to talk, even if it’s just a short while.”

“Old memories? ...Come to think of it, you do look familiar.” Mio stared hard at Colbert’s face. “You’re not from the Army, right? You look more like a bureaucrat.”

“Yes. I was originally involved with the finances in the Principality of Amidonia. When Duke Carmine was still alive, I met you along with Julius sometimes when we were mediating, after clashes. Though I don’t think we ever spoke more than a few words to each other.”

“Oh! From back then?!” Mio clapped her hands.

“You remember?”

“Yes. Father always praised you two. He said, ‘There are some good youths in Amidonia, too.’ Oh, yeah... There’s no difference between Elfrieden and Amidonia now, huh?”

Maybe because she’d learned he was an acquaintance, Mio was acting a lot more casual now.

Colbert nodded. “It’s technically a united kingdom, but yes, we’ve become a single country.”

“So that’s why you’re serving King Souma, huh? What about Sir Julius?”

“A lot happened, but he’s in the north now, and doing quite well. He married the princess of a kingdom he was staying with, and is working hard on behalf of his family.”

“Sir Julius is? The guy that had such cold eyes? I can’t even imagine.”

The conversation popped like they were a couple of old friends. Colbert knew that even if he tried to dig into matters, Mio wouldn’t tell him her intentions, so he worked to understand what she was like while making idle banter.

When he spoke to her like this, he could only see her as a normal girl. Her expression changed at the smallest of things, and she would chuckle when he told a funny story. He felt no hostility, no wariness, and she didn’t seem worried about anything.

In fact, she was so natural, she didn’t seem bothered by how provocative the outfit she was wearing right now was, and her chest swayed every time she reacted to something. There were many times Colbert looked away in embarrassment.

“You keep looking away? Why is that?”

After a while of prodding, she got suspicious, so Colbert gave up and told her, “Could you, um... put something over yourself?”

“Hm? I don’t need to. It’s not like I’m naked.” Mio gave him a blank look. Because she had spent so much time in the Army training with burly men, she didn’t have much in the way of feminine shyness, apparently. “I’m proud that I don’t have a lot of excess meat on me, too.”

“Well, yes... You don’t, but...”

“This is the body my Mother and Father gave me. What do I have to be ashamed of?”

Mio was so bold, Colbert started to feel effeminate for having let it bother him. He did his best to carry on without staring at her chest.

“Speaking of your father, you don’t look much like him, huh? Duke Carmine was terrifying to stand in front of, but you’re... um... beautiful.”

“Ahaha, thanks. They always tell me I get my looks from Mother. With the complaint, ‘If you would have taken after her internally too, you’d have grown to be a proper lady.’”

“That’s not true...”

“I can recognize it myself. I got my stubbornness from my father.” Mio let out a self-effacing laugh. “But even though you said he was terrifying, you didn’t hesitate to tell my father your opinion, did you? I was impressed.”

“Well... Duke Carmine didn’t kick people for voicing their opinion.”

“Huh? Did someone kick you?”

“Well, yes. Lord Gaius, and quite frequently...”

When he was working in the Principality of Amidonia, any time he tried to admonish Gaius VIII, the man had gotten angry and kicked him. If he’d been able to write him off as someone who didn’t listen, like Roroa had, he would have been fine. But, because he was unfortunate to have a serious personality, he clashed with all of the military officers but Julius.

“The militarists hated me because I spoke too much for such a weakling.”

“Hee hee, look’s like you’ve got a difficult personality, too.” Mio gave a small smile, but eventually put on a serious expression. “Hey, Sir Colbert.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know anything about the series of events that led my father to raise a rebellion?”

“I—” Colbert couldn’t come up with an immediate answer when faced with that serious look of hers. He wasn’t sure how to respond, but her sincerity made him think he needed to give her a response nonetheless. “...I only started serving the Kingdom after they annexed Amidonia, so I haven’t been told anything about Duke Carmine’s rebellion, since it happened before then.”

The fact was, Colbert didn’t have any information on the rebellion that wasn’t public knowledge. The people who did know the situation were tight-lipped. It was likely only Souma and his wives, and a very small number of their closest retainers who knew.

“...Oh, yeah?” Mio’s shoulder slumped in disappointment, having sensed no lie in his words.

As he looked at her, Colbert spoke up, “Madam Mio, you...”

“Please, don’t ask, Sir Colbert.” But Mio gently rebuffed him. “I’m sure nobody wants what I’m wishing for. Deep down, Mother probably wanted to stop me, and Father... if he were here, he’d get angry, and tell me to mind my own business.”

Mio looked at the longswords leaning against the wall.

“But this is still the only path I can take.”

“Madam Mio...”

Sensing her determination, Colbert could say no more.

Chapter 5: The Great Martial Arts Tournament

It was a clear autumn day, and the Zemish Great Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin. The Colosseum was bustling with excitement. It was a massive structure, larger than the domed stadiums in the world I came from. In the center was a square arena, fifty meters on each side, waiting for fights to take place on top of it. (In a certain famous Budokai of the Tenkaichi variety, this arena was called the Bubudai, but I wonder if it had an official name here?)

Up in the stands, King Gimbal of Zem stood up.

“My people, gathered here!”

Gimbal called out to the crowd using a Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel in place of a megaphone.

“You will see! The well-trained bodies of these brave warriors, and their polished technique, as they fight with well-used weapons, and rise to the highest summit! The one and only victor will have their wish granted, so long as it is possible! And, should they desire, they may even sit in the special seat, reserved for the king alone—which is behind me now! I won’t let them have it for free, of course! If it comes to that, they will have to defeat me, and take my royal title along with it!”

Gimbal raised his thick arms around as he spoke.

“This country has been protected and cultivated by the strong! Ever since I first took the throne, I have waited for the day when one stronger than I would defeat me! If you wish it, fight through this battle, and face me! In my name! Gimbal, King of Zem!”

Then he thrust his raised arms towards the ring in the center.

“I declare the finals of the Zemish Great Martial Arts Tournament have now begun!”

“““Woooooo!”””

The crowd packed into the Colosseum’s stands rose as one, and clapped in praise of Gimbal. This passion wasn’t just because they were excited for the tournament. Because this country treated the tournament winner like a hero, being a former winner himself, Gimbal received the fervent support of the people.

“...They’re pretty fired up, huh?” Naden, who was wearing a black dress, said, sounding a little weirded out by it.

We were watching the Colosseum from the stands along with the King of Zem. There were two opulent chairs in the middle of the stands, where the king and I sat side by side while there was another seat to the side of me occupied by Naden. There were actually two seats prepared for my queens, but Aisha firmly refused, wanting to focus on her role as my bodyguard, so Naden was sitting with us as the representative of all my queens. Both Aisha and Owen stood guard behind us, keeping a watchful eye on the area.

“Th-This is kind of tense. I don’t get looked at as your queen like this that often,” Naden said in a small voice as she froze stiff.

Now that she mentioned it, as a secondary queen, she wasn’t in a position that garnered much attention at ceremonies, huh? That had suited her just fine, though, because she wasn’t good at acting dignified, or formal.

“It’s just hitting me now that I’m the wife of a king.”

“Just now?”

“Hmph. It’s your fault for not being regal.” Naden looked away peevishly.

The gesture didn’t have even a hint of queenliness, but I appreciated how much of a normal girl Naden was. As her hand laid on the armrest, I put mine on top of hers. She glanced at me, seeming not at all unhappy about the situation.

Then the crowd began to rustle. I looked at the stage, wondering what it could be, and a massive cage was being carried in. Inside the cage was the earth dragon we had seen in town yesterday.

“What’s that for?” I muttered.

“It’s a sideshow before the final tournament. In order to demonstrate the martial prowess of my country’s mercenaries, six chosen warriors will fight it,” Gimbal explained, because we were clearly dumbfounded.

Come to think of it, when she was explaining the Colosseum, Mio had said, “The battles between people and animals are popular, and spectators come from across the continent to see them. The most popular is the battle between the mercenaries and the dragon that walks on land.” Was that what we were going to see now?

“Sir Souma, have you heard of Zem’s ‘riding-beast hunters’?”

Since Gimbal was asking me, I nodded. “Yes. I’ve heard Zem’s mercenaries are unrivaled at fighting cavalry.”

“Even if you were being charitable, you couldn’t say my country is prosperous. We don’t have the resources to raise and support a large number of horses or wyverns, so we trained assuming that other countries would deploy far more cavalry than we could. That meant training foot soldiers to defeat cavalry. So...” Gimbal pointed at the earth dragon. “...The cavalry they need to defeat includes wyvern cavalry.”

“I see...”

Wyvern cavalry? They intended to face the air force with foot soldiers, too?

“They can do that?”

“Naturally, there’s nothing they can do against a flying opponent. However, if they can bring them down to earth, there are things that can be done. We gathered people who can use long-range magic, or draw powerful bows, and loaded the anti-air repeating bolt throwers onto war carts, focusing on knocking the wyvern cavalry out of the sky. Even if they survive the fall, they’ll quickly find themselves surrounded by infantry.”

“Make the air force fight on land... is that it?”

“Yes. That earth dragon is a stand-in for a fallen wyvern.”

From what I could tell, the earth dragon was smaller than a red dragon like Ruby, but still much larger than a wyvern. It was vicious, too. If they could beat that thing, that meant they could win against a grounded wyvern and its rider, too, huh?

“Though, earth dragons don’t spit fire. If they could, the audience would be in danger. But the trade-off is that they’re stronger and more agile than a wyvern on land, so it works as practice.”

“Right...”

They opened the cage, letting the earth dragon loose. At the same time, six mercenaries came and surrounded it. They were all carrying pole arms. Then...

Gyaohhhhahhhh! The earth dragon let out an ear-splitting roar, and attacked the mercenaries.

The first to be targeted raised a shield, and dodged at the last minute to avoid the attack. The remaining mercenaries used that opening to strike from outside where the earth dragon was, focusing with spears and the like, dealing cutting blows to its body. Because it was so massive, the amount of damage a single blow could do was only slight.

When it turned its anger towards another mercenary, that merc took over as the decoy, and the others looked for openings to attack. Even if they were minor wounds, the more of them there were, the more blood it lost. By repeating that process, they made the earth dragon bleed out, sapping it of its stamina. I thought it was a bit like a bullfight, but it looked like something out of that famous game about hunting monsters. I mean, they were taking on a powerful earth dragon with a group of companions, after all. Though it wasn’t completely one-sided.

“Gwah!” Snap!

One mercenary was sent flying with a powerful tail slap and slammed into the wall beneath the stands. He slumped to the ground and stopped moving... Was he okay? Even that scene made the crowd go wild.

“...This is in poor taste,” Naden whispered to me. I liked how Naden didn’t go along with those around her, and could keep her normal sensibilities.

“Yeah... But it’s necessary for this country,” I responded quietly. “It’s to impress on the mercenaries and the people the fact that wyverns can be beaten. If they do that, they won’t be so intimidated when they see them on the battlefield.”

“Is that how it works?”

“That’s got to be it.”

There was more than one set of values in the world. When we think about the customs of a country, we have to look at them from a multifaceted perspective, considering their history, culture, situation, and environment before making any judgment.

“But I agree with you, it’s in poor taste. I wouldn’t want to do it in our country.”

“You’ve got that right. I’m so glad we didn’t bring Tomoe.”

Ahh, yeah, she has a point there. If you know how the earth dragon feels, this is probably pretty depressing. While we were talking about that, one of the mercenaries took advantage of an opening when the earth dragon fell over to climb up on top of it. He stood on the dragon’s shoulders and slammed his spear into its spine.

Gyaohhhhahhhh! The earth dragon let out one last dying cry, then fell to the earth with a great thud. It thrashed for a while after that, but with another thrust of the spear, it stopped moving entirely. Quest clear... I guess. The mercenary who struck the final blow received a standing ovation.

When Gimbal finished clapping, he looked at me. “What do you think? Of our mercenaries.”

“...They’re strong.”

Even as I felt there was something irreconcilable between us, I decided to leave it at that.

◇ ◇ ◇

Once the arena was put back in order, it was finally time for the final tournament to begin. The rough-and-tumble mercenaries competed using their combat abilities. This was an elimination tournament, and each match was decided quickly. Mio was fighting now.

“Hahhh!” Swinging her two longswords down with a battle cry, she sent a burly mercenary flying.

It was the semifinals in no time. This came as no surprise, given she had been able to put up a serious fight against Aisha, but Mio had overwhelmed all her opponents up until now without ever seeming threatened.

From beside me, Gimbal spoke, “How do you feel, Sir Souma? Of my country’s warriors.”

“They all seem very strong. I can see why Zem’s mercenaries are renowned for their power.”

It was true that those who remained in the tournament all had incredible martial ability. The place was littered with guys who could take on Kuu or Halbert—assuming he wasn’t riding Ruby. Owen had said that Zem’s mercenaries were strong against cavalry but weak against infantry, but they were just bad at fighting as a group. One on one, they were in no way inferior.

Gimbal gave a satisfied nod. “I’m sure you can. How about it? Would you be willing to enter a mercenary contract with us again?”

“It would be reassuring to have you as allies, but our country is in the process of strengthening our own military. If I were to hire them, it would dampen the spirits of all my subordinates who are trying to get stronger. I’m afraid to say I can’t form a contract.”

“That is truly unfortunate.” Gimbal suddenly had a serious look on his face. “You seem to hate mercenaries, Sir Souma.”

“...Not true.”

“I can read between the lines. You’ve made a firm decision not to use mercenaries.”

Clever man. I guess I can’t dodge the issue, huh?

“It’s not so much me, but my teacher, who didn’t trust mercenaries.”

The man I regarded as my teacher, Machiavelli, the author of The Prince, felt this way. He’d had a difficult experience with them. When Pisa broke away from the Florentine Republic, which Machiavelli served, he raised an army to restore Florentine control over the city. But, because he put a mercenary commander in charge of his troops, they retreated without taking Pisa, despite having broken the walls of the city.

In The Art of War, Machiavelli said (though I’m paraphrasing here), “For as long as those who make war their business try to profit from their talents, they cannot be benevolent actors. That is because, in order to feed themselves in peacetime, they will attempt to make a considerable profit during a war, and they hope that it will not end.”

These “people who make war their business” are mercenaries. Unlike soldiers, who are attached to a state and want to defend their country and family, the people he refers to will serve any faction if the compensation is right. That is why Machiavelli argued for a militia, instead of relying on mercenaries. The reason mercenaries were so willing to engage in heinous acts of plunder was that they needed to support themselves in peacetime, and their uncertainty about their own prospects if peace came led them to wish for the war to go on. All of these factors led Machiavelli to opposing mercenaries.

“When he was discussing those who make their living off of war, my teacher used the saying, ‘War makes thieves and peace hangs them,’” I said. “Because they can only live in times of war, they try to make a profit by outrageous acts in wartime, and try to keep the conflict from ending.”

Gimbal remained pensive.

“I think of countries as if they were big people. Mercenary State Zem is one big mercenary. What do you say about that mercenary? Can she live in a less chaotic time?”

I looked Gimbal straight in the eye as I asked that. He stared right back at me, then eventually shrugged.

“...Ha ha ha, it looks like we can’t come to an understanding.” Gimbal laughed, but his eyes weren’t laughing. “If you won’t form a contract, I hope you’ll at least maintain cordial relations, so we can avoid our countries coming into conflict. I pray my elite warriors will not have cause to turn their arms on the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

“I do agree with that. If you can maintain true permanent neutrality, our nation has no intent on fighting with Zem.”

Though we both kept a calm tone, you could sum up what we said as: “Mess with my country, and you’ll pay.” and “If you start it by giving mercenaries to other countries, you’ll be the one to pay.”

Aisha, Naden, Owen, and the Zemish bodyguards were all looking pretty tense as our conversation transpired.

“In this country, strength is everything,” Gimbal said, crossing his thick arms. “Without strength, you can’t protect your people and country. With strength, you can. Because of my martial prowess, the country recognizes me as king. What do you think, my lady?” Gimbal looked at Naden.

“...Me?”

“I’ve heard the dragons of the Star Dragon Mountain Range prefer strong knights.”

It was likely out of spite asking why a dragon, who was supposed to prefer a strong partner, formed a contract with a powerless person like me, but... maybe he was just curious. Whichever the case, I was not happy about it.

Naden thought for a moment, then shook her head. “That single standard of judging a person only by their sheer power is a lot like the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and I don’t like it.”

“Oh... You have an unusual set of values for a dragon.”

“I’m not a dragon, I’m a ryuu, after all. Souma liked what made me unique.” Naden looked straight into Gimbal’s eyes as she spoke. “That’s why I wanted to be with him. The only ones who can decide my worth are me, and the people who I love.”

“Oh...” Gimbal smiled. “I can see she loves you dearly.”

“She’s too good for me,” I responded, looking at Gimbal. He was a mountain of muscle, but looking more closely at him, I could see thin scars all over his body. They reminded me of the late Georg Carmine. It was the body of a man who had fought for many long years.

“...Sir Gimbal.”

“What is it?”

“Is it really... because of your strength that the people support you?”

Gimbal furrowed his brow. If he took that as an insult, he’d misunderstood me.

“It’s true that you can’t defend them without strength. As the man carrying the country, it’s absolutely necessary. However, there are times you can’t defend with strength alone. No, there have been times I couldn’t.”

I had encountered a number of situations like that in my time as king. The food crisis, the economic downturn, the natural disaster, and diplomatic issues... There were many times that just gathering strong retainers wouldn’t have gotten me through. If I had been missing any one of the family I had around me now, or the companions and retainers I trusted, I would not be in a better world as a result. Wasn’t it the same here in Mercenary State Zem?

“That thunderous applause after your opening remarks today. I can’t imagine it was only for your strength.”

“.........”

“Assuming the winner today wants the throne, and they defeat you to become the new king, would that same passion be directed at the new king right away? Would they be happy that someone stronger appeared and ended your reign? I think... More than just your strength, the people of this country look at the burdens you’ve shouldered along the way with them.”

“If that’s the case, it would be contrary to the structure of Zem as a country...” Gimbal said that with a strained smile, then sank deep into his chair. “To be defeated by someone stronger and more reliable than me, and to entrust my burden to them—that is a time-honored tradition I’ve inherited from the past kings of Zem. If what you say is true, then my desire to live as a warrior is out of step with the wishes of the people.”

“Sir Gimbal...”

“But I’m surprisingly fond of the way this country is.”

“...I see.”

I didn’t agree, but I couldn’t bring myself to reject the view, because he’d made his peace with it.

While we were talking, the semi-finals had ended. It looked like Mio had moved on to the next round. I was focused on talking to Gimbal, and I’d barely been watching the fight, so I asked Aisha about it, “How is Mio? Can she win?”

“She’s strong. I get the impression she is especially well-suited to fighting one on one. Though she relies on strength over finesse, there is no waste in the way she moves. She must have been receiving daily instruction from a truly impressive warrior.”

“Well, her father and teacher was him, after all...”

“She’s the sort of opponent who Zemish mercenaries have trouble with, so she may be able to take the victory.”

There was a short break, and then the final match began.

“Hahhhh!”

Her two longswords captured her opponent’s halberd. When one sword cut the head off of it, the other was thrust at her opponent’s throat. With nothing but a pole left for a weapon, her opponent surrendered. Mio had won, just as Aisha anticipated. Her opponent hung their head and departed the arena, leaving only Mio on the stage.

“A remarkable victory!” Gimbal spoke from the stands. Mio laid down her sword, and knelt. Gimbal asked her the question. “The wishes of the strong are to be granted! Tell us what it is you desire!”

...It’s finally happening, huh? I braced myself.

Mio stood up, pausing for a breath before she spoke her wish.

“I want the truth! Why did my father raise his sword against the royal family? As his daughter, I want to know! In order to find out, I want the King of Zem to request the Kingdom of Friedonia reinvestigate the matter!”

Chapter 6: Crossing Swords

“I just knew she’d ask for that...” I pressed my hand to my forehead.

I’d talked to Aisha and the others about it last night. There was a chance that Mio’s wish was probably going to be the restoration of the House of Carmine. And if it wasn’t that... I had an inkling it would be the restoration of Georg’s honor. He bore the disgrace of becoming a traitor, and sacrificed himself to root out the villains who had infested the Kingdom. Things went as he planned, and now that the problems inside the Kingdom were nearly all fixed, all that remained was to restore his honor.

Naturally, I wanted to make the truth known, and rehabilitate Georg’s reputation. Liscia loved and respected him, and I didn’t want to leave the man who had risked his life for the country as a villain. However, because it was before I formally took the throne, I had put off restoring his reputation in order to avoid confusion. When I considered that it might still cause chaos, even now that I had been coronated, I was hesitant to get started—especially when I considered the children who had just been born.

But, at the same time, it was also a problem I didn’t want to hand down to their generation. No... but Mio isn’t demanding a release of the results from the new investigation. All she requested was that we “reinvestigate” and “to know the truth.” She might have had some vague awareness that there was a reason why Georg needed to keep everything a secret when he died. That was why she wanted the truth just for herself.

“Don’t let your emotions lead you to make a decision lightly.” Aisha’s words from yesterday came back to me. It was true that I was feeling a little sympathetic towards Mio right now. That was no good. I needed to be aware of the risks of granting her wish.

“Influencing other nations is beyond the realm of what this country can do. If you insist on it, you will need to defeat me, become queen, and negotiate with other countries in your role as sovereign,” Gimbal declared to Mio. “However, King Souma just so happens to be here in the audience.”

Gimbal looked at me.

“You should ask him directly whether your wish can be granted or not. I, Gimbal, will observe the result as Zem’s king.”

He was taking a dignified tone, but I felt like he was saying, “Would the Kingdom please solve their own problems?” Well, that was fair. I stood up and stepped forward. When I did, all the eyes in the crowd were suddenly on me. They all must have been interested to see how I’d answer.

It was generally accepted in this country that the winner of the tournament’s wish ought to be granted, so if I refused I was going to get booed. Well... I’d have to be ready for it.

“First, Mio. Your victory in the Great Martial Arts Tournament was incredible.”

“Thank you.”

“And... I understand your wish.”

“Sire!” Aisha exclaimed from behind me.

Naden followed up with, “Souma, is it okay for you to say that?”

They sounded worried, but I put my hand up and signaled for them to stop. I deliberately made the announcement to Mio in a regal manner.

“You were willing to go as far as winning this tournament for your wish. You must be quite determined. In which case... In the process of granting your wish, I would like you to show me your determination once more.”

Those words made Mio furrow her brow. “...What do you mean by that?”

“This is a martial arts tournament. Clearly, your determination should be shown through battle.” I extended my hand towards Mio. “If you can defeat the warrior from my country who I will send against you, I will reinvestigate the truth of Georg Carmine, as you wish, and tell it to you.”

At my declaration, the whole Colosseum shook with applause. The site was filled with people who had come just to enjoy watching a good fight. What I was proposing was basically an exhibition match. They must have been genuinely pleased to be able to see another fight.

I turned back to a dumbfounded Gimbal and asked, “That’s how it turned out. Is it okay?”

“Hmm. If the parties concerned accept it, I suppose it’s fine. Though, with the crowd so worked up, I couldn’t very well refuse it now.”

“You have my gratitude.”

Once the crowd settled down, I asked Mio, “Do you accept my terms, Madam Mio?”

“I accept your proposal. Right now, even if Madam Aisha were my opponent, I would make you grant my wish.” Mio put her hands together in front of her and bowed to me.

Aisha put a hand on the hilt of her greatsword and stood to my side. “Sire, send me,” is what her eyes pleaded, but I poked her in the ribs instead.

“Ahwhuh?!”

Aisha let out a strange cry, and fell to the ground. Paying no more attention to Aisha as she glared at me, tears in her eyes, I looked down at Mio and said, “Don’t misunderstand. Your opponent is not Aisha.”

“Then who would you have me fight?”

“You’ll see soon enough... That’s how this thing is going!”

I raised my voice as I looked around the stands.

“You saw how things went! So...” Spreading my arms wide, I bellowed, “Come forth, Kagetora!”

As my shout reverberated through the Colosseum, a black shadow descended from the stands to the arena where Mio was standing. A sudden interloper—his strange and majestic appearance made the audience gulp.

His massive form clad in black armor, wrapped in a cape of the darkest black, he carried an odachi, a large, single-edged sword similar to a Nine-Headed Dragon Katana, at his waist. But more mysterious than anything else was the black sword tiger mask that he wore.

“The black tiger of Parnam...” Gimbal whispered beside me. “It is said that any spy who meets him never comes back.”

They were apparently terrified of him.

“Don’t tell me you brought him here.”

“I did. As my bodyguard.”

After responding to Gimbal, I gave Kagetora his orders, “Kagetora. Fight with Mio, and test her determination.”

“...By your will.” Kagetora drew his odachi from its scabbard, then cast it outside the arena.

Kojirou, you are defeated... Yeah, no. Historical reference aside, it was probably because the scabbard didn’t work well with his cape. Mio drew her two longswords and took up a fighting stance, too.

“I know not who you are, but I can see you are a good warrior. Now, let us do battle.”

“...Have at you.”

Then the two ran forward, and their blades collided.

◇ ◇ ◇

He’s strong, she thought. The man was dressed all in black, with a black sword, and a tiger mask over his head. She could only assume he was outfitted this way to be purposely strange, but the air around him was that of a battle-hardened warrior. She could feel it when their swords collided, too.

As she swung with her longswords, Kagetora would knock away each blow with his odachi. His guard was so solid that Mio felt like she was beating her swords against a rock. He’s blocking all my attacks... This was different from the kind of strength that Aisha had.

In addition to the techniques that must have been cultivated through many long years on the field of battle, this person could see through all of her attacks. I’ve never faced anyone like this before... she thought. But, as they traded blows, she felt something familiar. It’s like... when Father was training me.

Making a large leap backwards to put some distance between them, she spread her two longswords wide like a pair of wings, then rapidly closed the gap. She tried to cleave through her opponent’s torso before he could swing down his odachi.

“You let off too much.”

“Guh!”

Kagetora let loose with a tackle instead of swinging his odachi, and sent Mio flying. She felt like she’d been hit by a charging bull as she soared through the air.

When she landed and tried to recover, Kagetora came after her with a followup attack. As Mio blocked the downward swing of his odachi with her two longswords, Kagetora told her, “You depend too much on your inborn strength. Because of your excessive confidence, you’re too soft when it comes to judging your effective distance. You need to let the tension out of your shoulders more, and focus on eliminating unnecessary movements.”

“Y-Yes, sir! ...Huh?”

Mio put distance between herself and Kagetora, as if she’d been launched away from him. In an attempt to hide her confusion and surprise, she used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat that dripped from her chin. Yes, sir...? What was I thinking just now? She couldn’t believe herself, meekly accepting Kagetora’s advice in the middle of a battle. Mio was shaken up, but Kagetora simply held his odachi in a fighting stance, unmoving. He was just staring... Watching...

Wha?! No way... As she peered into the eyes beneath his mask, Mio felt something like a premonition. His stature, his presence, the way he carried himself, and the techniques he unleashed... She remembered all of them. The premonition confused Mio horribly, and she couldn’t even take up a proper stance with her longswords.

“What’s wrong? Are you finished already?” Kagetora quietly said. “You’re going to let it end? Was this all that your technique, your resolve, could manage?”

“......!”

His words snapped Mio back to reality. She kicked off the ground and quickly closed the gap between her and Kagetora. He tried to swing his odachi down at Mio who charged in... but he stopped halfway. Mio had made no effort to defend her exposed head.

Thump! In the next instant, Mio socked Kagetora in the face. The impact made him back away this time. With her face downturned, and her arm still outstretched, Mio told the stumbling Kagetora, “Don’t just say whatever you want...”

As she raised her face, there was a burning anger in her eyes.

“As if I’d let it end with just this. I’m sure Mother accepted it, but I haven’t. This anger, this sadness, this indignation... I’ll make you take all of it. You and no other!”

“...Very well.”

That punch must have cut the inside of his mouth. Kagetora spat the blood out, and then readied his odachi once more.

“A dialogue between warriors needs no words. Show me the extent of your resolve.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The battle between Mio and Kagetora raged on.

◇ ◇ ◇

From the stands, we were watching their battle. At some point in the middle, there was an obvious change in the way the two of them fought. In the beginning, they gave measured blows, trying to see how their opponent reacted. But now each fought as if they wished and gave it their all.

Mio, in particular, seemed to have let her emotions explode. She went at him hard, relying on brute force, and Kagetora accepted every one of her strikes. It probably... meant exactly what I assumed it did.

“Sire... Was this really all right?” Aisha asked in a whisper. “I think it’s a gamble whether or not Madam Mio will be satisfied with this...”

“Well, yeah,” I whispered in response. “I bet Hakuya will have a few choice words for me later, but... I don’t think it’s a bad bet. Didn’t you say it yourself, Aisha? ‘More is said through combat,’ right?”

“Yes... I did say that.” Aisha thumped one hand on her chest, a look of concern still showing on her face.

“Because this involves another country, it may seem like a big deal. But if we can just satisfy Mio, we can handle the rest however we please. In order to make her accept the result, we don’t need any little tricks. Perhaps because they learned under the same teacher, she and Liscia both have very straightforward personalities.”

I watched Mio fight. She seemed angry, but I could see another emotion there, too.

“If we go at her with sincerity, she should accept it.”

“...I see.” Aisha nodded as she watched the two of them fighting down below. “They both certainly seem to be enjoying themselves.”

“If I’m being honest, when they talk with their swords like this, I can’t follow what they’re saying, though...”

“Would you like to talk with me through combat, sire?”

“If I got injured, it would impact my duties, so please, no... Oh!”

It had been awhile now since they started fighting. If they played around any longer, people would start to find it suspicious.

I gave Kagetora the sign. He silently glanced towards me and nodded.

◇ ◇ ◇

Shing! Clang! One of Mio’s longswords swung up, knocking Kagetora’s odachi from his hands and sending it clattering to the ground. Without delay, the other was at Kagetora’s throat.

“...I yield.”

Kagetora slowly spread his arms. The match was decided, and the Colosseum was rocked with applause. Mio was the victor, yet she seemed more surprised than anyone.

“Why did you let me win?”

“...The master’s orders.” Kagetora quickly answered, having decided that there was no lying his way out of it. Souma had demanded he “look for an opportunity to lose.”

Mio looked up at Souma in the stands, and whispered, “King Souma had no intention of preventing my wish?”

“...There will be a new investigation into the true intentions of your father, Georg Carmine, I’m sure. The results of which will no doubt reach you.”

“Huh?! But I already...”

“Even so. Now that it’s come to this, my master must make sure everything ends properly. You had best prepare yourself. From here on... I am sure you will be expected to do a suitable amount of work.” With that, Kagetora picked up his odachi and turned his back on Mio as he said, “It must be difficult for you, having had such a stubborn and foolish father. I suspect the late Georg feels sorry for what he did to you and your mother.”

“Wha—?! Even so—” Mio shouted after Kagetora as he departed. “Even so, he is my pride! No matter what path he chose to walk!”

“.........”

“Will we meet again... Sir Kagetora?”

Remaining unturned, he replied, “...If there comes a day when the two of you return to the Kingdom, I am sure we will meet somewhere.”

Kagetora jumped into the stands and disappeared into the crowd.

“Mph... Mph...”

Mio was left alone in the arena, hanging her head as she cried. The people watching apparently thought they were tears of joy, but those in the front row said they were like the tears of a lost child when reunited with her parents.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, having vanished into the crowd, Kagetora was meeting with a woman in a mostly-deserted hallway. The woman in question had a feline tail, and though her age showed a little, her profile, and her eyes closely resembled Mio’s.

Kagetora stopped right beside her, and faced forward. “...You came?”

“I wanted to see my daughter’s efforts through to the end,” the cat-eared woman said without turning.

Kagetora took a deep breath. “Couldn’t you have... stopped her?”

“Never. My husband was a man of conviction. If his daughter was going to act on her convictions, I would not stop her. Because that is my conviction.”

“...I see.” Kagetora smiled a little beneath the stern face of his mask. “Living in a family like that must be quite difficult for you.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. But we’re family. I may have given up, but I still love them.”

“...You’ve been an incredible mother, and an impeccable wife to a couple of unsophisticated fools.” With that, Kagetora placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “Now then, my lady, please, take care of yourself.”

“Yes. I know you’re a complete and total stranger, but nonetheless, please take care of yourself, too. I’ll be looking forward to the day when we coincidentally meet again.”

Without turning back, the two walked off in opposite directions.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Mio, that was splendid,” I called out to her as the massive crowd in the Colosseum looked on. She was in the arena, taking a knee, and bowing her head. “Raise your head. You are the victor.”

“...Y-Yes, sir.” She raised her face, but, as might have been expected, she seemed really intimidated. Her face was a mix of awkwardness and confusion.

The audience were so excited they didn’t seem to notice it, but that clearly was not the face of the victor. Well, I’m sure she has a lot on her mind about this. I decided not to worry about her as I carried on talking.

“As promised, when I return to my country, I will carry out a new investigation into the motivations of Georg Carmine. To that end, I would like to invite you to come, as well. Would that be acceptable?”

“Y-Yes, sir! I don’t mind!” Mio immediately accepted. That was settled then.

Next... I guess I needed to do something to appeal to the people of Zem, too.

“Obviously, you have already cut all familial ties with Georg, so no matter what the result of the investigation, I guarantee you here and now that I will not seek your life, or to harm you in any other way! Let every person here be my witness!”

The Colosseum roared with applause. All spoils go to the victor. It’s only natural they be praised. If I were to do something to harm the victor, the people of this country would not be happy about it. I made clear that wouldn’t happen, while also making it a fait accompli that we would be taking Mio home with us.

As the winner of the Great Martial Arts Tournament, Mio was a card that Zem wouldn’t want to let go of. However, in the face of this impassioned crowd, Gimbal would probably not be able to get in the way of her returning home.

I returned to my seat and looked at Gimbal. “You heard how things turned out. Is there any issue with me taking the winner of the tournament home with me?”

“...The people seem satisfied with that, so I have no objection.” Gimbal shrugged with a wry smile. “There is no cup or throne associated with this tournament. In a way, you could say that the throne I am sitting on might be, but I haven’t faced a challenger in many years now.”

Gimbal rubbed the armrests of his throne.

“What needs to be prioritized, over anything else, is the national belief that, ‘Those who are strong will have their wish granted.’ That’s why, no matter what, I want to make Mio’s wish come true now.”

“Leave that to me. I won’t mistreat her.”

“That should be fine, then. Well, if someone from your country were to win, and then continue to stay in the country, it might lead to undue speculation down the line. If you want to collect her, that’s convenient for me... or so I’ll choose to tell myself.”

“Thank you, Sir Gimbal.”

It looked like Gimbal hadn’t had any clue what Mio was up to, either. Judging by her words and actions, she didn’t harbor a grudge against the Kingdom, so if he kept someone like her close at hand, he would always have to be wary she might be a spy. If you thought about the trouble that involved, he might have been relieved to have a nuisance taken off his hands.

“The House of Carmine is taken care of now, right?” Naden asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah. The House of Carmine is.”

Having been able to handle the Mio situation first, I slapped my cheeks in order to refocus myself. Now... tomorrow’s going to be where things get serious. There was one other reason I had accepted Gimbal’s invitation.

Though I had been unsure if it was okay to leave Mio alone, the matter that was coming up tomorrow was an issue that directly impacted the future of our country. I’m sure that she’ll be coming soon enough, so I need to keep on top of my game, I thought as the crowd’s cheers continued.

Chapter 7: First Meeting

That night, there was a feast held in the great hall of Blanc Zem Castle in honor of the victor.

If you hear the words “feast” and “castle” in the same sentence, you might imagine something more gaudy, but Zem was not known to stand on ceremony. When it came time to honor the winner of their national tournament, it turned into a raucous celebration with drinking and singing.

Souma, his wives, and Gimbal each gave an address at the beginning of the event, and then quickly retired. This was at the urging of Gimbal, because if the drunken mercenaries were rude to Souma and the other foreign guests of honor, it could cause a diplomatic incident. He was probably telling them, “I can’t handle you guys, so just do whatever you want on your own.”

“Ungh... Hic.” In the middle of that raucous celebration, Mio was red-faced and vomiting.

As the center of attention at tonight’s function, the guests came to hear a word from Mio, and, at the same time, pour her a new glass of alcohol to have a toast. Mio knew she had a high tolerance for alcohol, but after this many drinks, even she was a little unsteady on her feet.

“Whoa, there.” As she stumbled, someone got under her to hold her up. “Are you all right, Madam Mio?”

“Sir... Colbert?” she mumbled.

“Your face is bright red. Are you sure you haven’t had too much to drink?”

“Ungh... It’s ’cause everyone makes me drink a toast with them...” As she spoke, Mio felt something welling up inside her chest. “Urgh... Blech!”

“Whoa! Madam Mio, hold yourself together!” Lending Mio a shoulder, Colbert took her out onto the terrace to get some fresh air. He gently stroked her back as she held onto the railing and puked over the edge.

“I’m sorry... for letting you see me like—urgh!”

“You don’t have to force yourself to speak, okay?”

After a little while like that, Mio calmed down.

“I really am sorry. I’ve caused some trouble for you.”

“No... Ah! I know this comes a bit late, but congratulations on your victory.”

Mio gave him an embarrassed laugh. “Ahaha... Thanks.”

“After what His Majesty said, I’m sure you’ll get the new investigation into Duke Carmine that you were hoping for. He won’t treat the House of Carmine badly, either.”

Seeing the genuine smile on Colbert’s face, Mio gave him a troubled smile of her own. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Huh? Aren’t you happy?”

“Ah... Um... I’m happy, yes, but... I kind of figured some things out, and I’m feeling better after letting out all that pent up frustration...”

“Eh?”

“No, I’m just talking to myself,” Mio explained to him with a wry smile on her face. “But, more importantly, Sir Colbert, will you be going back to the Kingdom right away? I’m sure I’ll be joining you, but I need to bring my mother, too, so I need to prepare.”

“Oh, no, I’m sure I’ll be going home as soon as tomorrow, but His Majesty and the others intend to stay in Zem a while longer.”

“Huh? They do?”

“Yes, well... They have other business to attend to...”

Colbert was being evasive about something. Mio cocked her head to the side. “Something other than the Great Martial Arts Tournament? What could that be...?”

“If you’re curious, will you join us?” The two turned towards the sudden voice that came from beside them. There stood a tall, smart-looking man dressed all in black.

“Sir Hakuya. You’d arrived?” Colbert was taken aback by his sudden appearance.

“Yes, just now. I’ve already reported to His Majesty.”

“Hakuya... The Kingdom of Friedonia’s ‘Black-robed Prime Minister,’ huh?”

Hakuya nodded and bowed his head slightly to Mio. “I appear to have been eavesdropping. I’m sorry. I came to speak to Sir Colbert, and happened to hear the two of you talking. It is an honor to meet you, Madam Mio. I am Hakuya Kwonmin, and I serve His Majesty in my capacity as Prime Minister.”

“Oh! Nice to meet you. I-I am Mio Carmine,” she stammered.

Hakuya gave her a weak smile. “I have been hearing about you. Congratulations on your victory.”

“Th-Thank you.”

“In regards to the House of Carmine, once we return to the Kingdom, I will perform a sincere reevaluation of the situation. ...If it were possible, I would however have liked to consult with His Majesty in advance of any decision on the matter.”

Hakuya let out an exhausted sigh.

Mio asked him, “Um, when you asked if I would join you, what did you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. I was asking if you would join us in our other business, Madam Mio. I heard from His Majesty that you hold no hostility towards His Majesty or the Kingdom, correct?”

“Oh, yeah. I have no real axe to grind.”

“Then there’s no issue.” Hakuya nodded. “I want to bring a small but elite set of guards tomorrow. If you have the martial prowess to win a tournament, I think you should be more than up to the task. Besides, if anything should happen to His Majesty and the others, I won’t be able to carry out the new investigation into Sir Georg, so I expect you will do a good job of defending them.”

“R-Right...”

“You can leave your mother to Sir Colbert, I’m sure. How about we have her return to the Kingdom in advance, while you stay with us?”

“O-Okay. I have no problem with that...” Mio blinked, unable to grasp the situation. “Um, so what exactly is this business?”

“A meeting with... a very important person,” he said, his expression very serious. “Tomorrow, here in Zem, there will be a meeting that decides the future of the country. That is why not just His Majesty, but I too, am here.”

“I see...”

Just what had she gotten herself into? Mio’s head was a confused mess.

◇ ◇ ◇

The following day, we left Zem City and flew through the air.

“You could have ridden on my back.” Naden telepathically griped at me.

Because there were things we needed to talk about, I didn’t ride on Naden’s back this time, instead joining everyone in the gondola that she was carrying in her ryuu form. Naden had given me an unhappy look about it, but this time I didn’t really have much choice.

Inside the gondola were me, Aisha, Owen, and Hakuya who had joined us in place of Colbert. Colbert took the wyvern gondola we had used on the way here back with Mio’s mother—which was to say Georg’s wife—and they headed back to the Kingdom before the rest of us.

The remaining guards were with us as well, but Mio seemed a little out of place among them. She had apparently joined us at Hakuya’s request. I knew what her intentions were, and I had no reason to view her as a threat now that we had promised a new investigation into Georg, but it was still a bold move, bringing her like this.

By the way, on the matter of that new investigation, Hakuya had thoroughly chewed me out last night for making that decision.

“Honestly... That may have been the right choice this time, but a single misstep and it could have harmed national interest. I do wish you would consult me in advance. Now listen, sire, you really do need to...”

It was lecture time with Hakuya for a little while after that. Once I had heard everything he had to say, I told him, “I do think this stuff through.”

I had learned from Liscia’s sermons that when someone is on your case, it’s more effective to wait until they’re done before you explain yourself.

“Georg was especially respected by people in the military. Even now that he’s a traitor, there are probably people looking around, suspecting he might have had some reason, right?”

“Well... yes.”

“I thought it was a good opportunity to extinguish that discord within the country. If Mio will just cooperate, we can give them a beautified version of the story that is incredibly close to the truth.”

There were two points that were preventing us from making Georg’s plan public.

Firstly, Georg had sent Glaive to inform me about the plan in advance. Because people died as a result of the plan, I would end up agitating their bereaved relatives. There were people like Carla’s family who joined the rebellion and martyred themselves for their friendship with Georg, too, after all.

Secondly, we took the mercenaries hired by the corrupt nobles captive, and used them to collect the nobles’ secret wealth in the form of ransom money. If Zem found out about that, it would cause a lot of trouble. Because, from their perspective, they would have been deceived by Georg and me. It could well turn into a diplomatic incident. Conversely, if we could just keep those two points under wraps, we could do as we liked about the rest.

When I explained that, Hakuya sighed, “It could lower the people’s opinion of you, because you let a good vassal die.”

“That will pass. Georg deceived everyone, and, because of my youth and inexperience, he was able to make me dance on his strings. If Mio will say the right things to back up the story, we can make the public view it that way. From there, if we just pump up Georg’s reputation, the things we make public won’t hurt me that much.”

“I see... It’s not that you were blind, but that Duke Carmine was simply too good for you? ...You’re quite the schemer, huh?” Hakuya let out a sigh filled with a little admiration and a whole lot of exasperation. “If Duke Carmine were listening, I’m sure he’d want to disagree.”

“Well, you know, dead men tell no tales.”

“It’s all in how you say a thing...”

After that exchange, I was able to force Hakuya to accept it. Though we’d only move on it once we were back in the Kingdom. Until then, we had to focus on what lay ahead of us.

“Um, where is this gondola going? We seem to be heading in the opposite direction of the Kingdom of Friedonia...” Mio asked, unable to bear being in the dark about the current situation any longer.

It was true we were heading west, not east towards the Kingdom.

“Because of the other reason we came to Zem.”

“...I hear you’re meeting someone important.”

“That’s right. This is a very important negotiation that will affect how we act going forward. That’s why, well, I’ll have to ask you to forgive me for not heading straight home. I promise we’ll launch the new investigation into your father as soon as we’re back.”

“Th-That’s not a problem, but... um, is it okay for me to come to such an important place?”

I smiled wryly as Mio seemed to break out in a cold sweat. She had looked so strong and brave fighting Kagetora, but she was as timid as timid could be when you took her out of her element and brought her to a place for negotiating like this. She was so cool you might fall in love with her when she was doing what she specialized in, but kind of a disappointment when it came to anything else.

“Reminds me of a certain someone...” I muttered.

“...Um, sire? Why do you look at me when you say that?” Aisha gave me an accusatory glance, and I looked away to try and hide what I’d been thinking.

“W-Well, it’s an important negotiation, but that’s a job for me and Hakuya to handle. Nothing bad will happen to you for joining us, so relax.”

“On the other hand, in your case, sire, failure can not be tolerated,” Hakuya told me that with a dispassionate look on his face.

“I know... We don’t have much time left, after all.”

As the air in the gondola grew heavier, Mio looked around restlessly, not sure what she should do. As they were talking...

“Souma, we’re here. It’s that place that looks like a house, right?”

...Naden’s voice echoed inside my head.

I looked down from the gondola’s windows, and there was a mansion on top of one of Zem’s mountains. It looked like a Canadian log house, made using lots of logs. That was apparently the King of Zem’s mountain villa for getting away from the summer heat.

As I looked down at the villa, I spotted a luxurious gondola meant to be carried by a wyvern parked nearby. “...They’re already here, huh?”

“Sire, we must hurry, too.”

“I know. Naden, set us down next to that gondola.”

“Roger that.”

Naden made a smooth descent and landed next to the luxurious gondola. When Naden took on her human form and we got out of the gondola, a number of people immediately came out from the villa.

“Hee hee.”

The person at the head of the group stood in front of us, then chuckled. Like always... especially now that I was meeting her in the flesh, I was overwhelmed by her beauty. I thought I was used to seeing it, too... Of course, if it was just about simple beauty, my own wives were no less beautiful than she was. Liscia, Aisha, and Juna were all beauties, and Roroa and Naden were cute.

However, in her case, the air around her was different. She had natural charisma. The charm that always drew people to her. Fuuga had something like it, too, but in his case, it mostly arose from his ridiculous martial abilities. Her presence exuded purely from her human charm.

She extended her right hand to me. I took her hand, placing my left hand on top of it, and she reached out and placed her left hand on top of mine. We exchanged a firm, two-handed handshake.

With a smile, she said, “I’m finally able to meet you, Sir Souma.”

“Yes. I’m happy to be able to talk with you in person, Madam Maria.”

Though, strangely enough, it didn’t feel that way, this was my first meeting (not counting the Jewel Voice Broadcast) with Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos Empire.

◇ ◇ ◇

Another reason I’d accepted Gimbal’s invitation was that he proposed a meeting between myself and Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire from within Zem’s borders. His goal in inviting me to the Great Martial Arts Tournament was likely to show off the strength of his mercenaries, and either convince us to reenter the mercenary contract with them, or, failing that, to secure a treaty of mutual non-aggression. Between encountering Mio personally and this chance to meet the Empress, Gimbal drove a hard bargain.

That said, we had amicable relations with the Empire, but our alliance was fundamentally a secret one. The trade brought about by the medical pact between the Kingdom, the Empire, and the Republic of Turgis must have been visible even to those outside the three countries. Only members of the highest echelons of our two nations knew that we were in constant communication using the Jewel Voice Broadcast, though. If information leaked and third parties discovered we had such a close relationship with either the Empire or the Republic, there was the risk they would become wary of us. For example, if Fuuga learned about it, that would cause quite a stir.

Upon hearing the news of an apparent joint relationship between the Empire and our kingdom, he may be desperate enough to build a power base that outstripped our own; enriching his country’s resources, and strengthening their military were also not outside the realm of possibility. He would likely pursue his ambitions with greater intensity, and even less heed for the consequences of his actions.

Because we had kept things secret to prevent that, neither of us had been able to head to the other person’s country for talks. However, since this was proposed by a third-party, we were keen to take advantage of the opportunity. Because Zem was sandwiched between our two countries, it was probable that they made the offer in order to gauge the risk of being caught in a conflict between us. They likely wanted to bring Maria and me together so that they could use the atmosphere of the meeting as an indicator of whether our countries were on amicable terms or not.

I was willingly going along with this narrative, however. With everything in mind, by agreeing to come to Zem, I would knock down three birds with one stone. And, as for Gimbal, my assurance that we won’t be hostile towards them—assuming they are truly neutral—probably has satisfied his end goal, for the most part. He truly was more than just a capable warrior, but also a crafty king.

I found a familiar face in the group of people behind Maria who had come out to greet us. I extended my hand to her next. “It’s been too long, Madam Jeanne.”

“It has. You seem well, King Souma.”

This was Maria’s little sister and general, Jeanne.

Jeanne shook my hand, then turned to Hakuya. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you, too, Sir Hakuya. It’s a pleasure.”

“The pleasure is all mine. I am glad to see that you seem well, Madam Jeanne.”

“We see each other’s faces during our regular scheduled talks, but this feels kind of strange.”

“Heh, it does, doesn’t it?”

Jeanne was grinning broadly, and even Hakuya’s stony face had a hint of a smile on it.

Those two were getting along as well as ever. I’d heard that, as they were both run ragged at the whims of their respective rulers, they had formed something they called the “Association of the Victims of Slothful Masters.” Their membership, by the way, may have expanded now to include Colbert, who was run ragged by Roroa, and Leporina, who had the same experience with Kuu.

Maria clapped her hands. “Oh, right, Sir Souma. In addition to Jeanne, I’ve brought some capable commanders from our country to provide security at this conference. Let me introduce them to you. Gunther, Krahe. Please, come this way.”

““Yes, ma’am!””

Two men in impressive suits of armor stepped forward. The one in yellow armor was your stereotypical macho man. His stern face was built similarly to Owen or Herman, and had a crew cut and a goatee. He looked to be in his thirties or forties, but was definitely the type who appeared older than their actual age.

He pursed his lips, crossing his arms behind his back like a military man would, tilting his head so that his goatee stuck out, and making no attempt to make eye contact.

The other man wore blue armor, and gave off the opposite impression. He was a slim but strong man, like Julius. This guy was around thirty, maybe. He had long hair, and was wearing a little makeup, so he had a face reminiscent of a member in a visual-kei rock band.

The long-haired man looked at me with a broad grin. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I’d never felt someone’s eyes cling to me quite like this, and it made me shiver a bit.

Indicating to each of them with the palms of her hands, Maria continued, “Let me introduce them. The big one is Gunther Lyle, and the slim one is Krahe Laval. These two, as well as Jeanne, have managed the Empire’s military for me, since that’s not something I’m not good at.”

“...I’m Gunther,” the big man said suddenly. He felt a little intimidating, but I didn’t detect any hostility there. He was likely quiet by nature. Looking at the way Maria’s expression hadn’t changed a bit, this was apparently just how he always was. Krahe, on the other hand...

“Well, well, it is an honor to meet you, King Souma. My name is Krahe Laval. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I don’t mind if you want to call me ‘Lavie.’ Oh, you won’t? How rude of me to suggest it. But I truly am pleased to make your acquaintance. Yes. I never lie.”

Even if he was using up Gunther’s share of talking time, too, the man was too garrulous. He approached with a friendly smile, grasped my hand with both of his own, and shook it vigorously.

Shocked by his forwardness, I looked to Maria and the others, struggling to figure out how I should respond. Maria gave me a slightly troubled smile while Jeanne pressed her palm against her forehead.

“Not again...” she mumbled.

This was apparently business as usual here, too.

“Erm... You have some unique personnel in the Empire too, I see,” I said, giving a strained smile.

Maria responded with a business smile of her own. “They are both loyal and reliable commanders.”

That probably meant they were capable, so their personality was second priority. Our country had some of those, too. (Like the super sadistic head maid Serina, or Genia the Overscientist.)

Krahe went on babbling, “Still, to think I would be present when the Saint of the East and the Hero of the West meet. I am beyond delighted. This will be another page in the book of legends. Once the two of you crush the Demon Lord’s Domain, hand in hand, this day will be spoken of forever. Ohh, you’re marvelous, Your Imperial Majesty. Truly, you are a saint.”

The look of ecstasy on Krahe’s face made it seem like he might burst into poetry or song. He came off as a bit of a freak which began to weird me out.

“Lady Maria, you are a heavenly vision of beauty descended to—Ow!”

“You talk too much, fool!” Jeanne dropped a fist on top of his head to shut him up.

Grabbing his head, she forced him to bow. “Ow! Madam Jeanne, that hurts! I said that hurts...!”

“I’m sorry, please ignore Sir Krahe. He’s a highly impressionable individual, and with the way he worships my sister as a saint, he’s like a young maiden with her head full of dreams.”

“...The Empire has some really interesting people,” I joked.

“It’s a big country, after all.” Maria chuckled. “Of course there are all kinds. The Kingdom is the same way, right?”

She was looking at my queens and retainers behind me. Yeah... She has a point.

“Ahh, let me introduce them, Madam Maria,” I said, walking over to them. “These are my wives, Aisha and Naden.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Aisha Udgard Elfrieden.”

“Naden Delal Souma.”

These two hadn’t sat in on our Jewel Voice Broadcast conferences, so this was Maria’s first time meeting them. Because the broadcasts were held in secret, aside from the rare exception of people like Ginger and Sandria, there were few people who she had met.

“I’ve heard of the two of you from Souma. You’re both adorable.” Maria smiled at both of them.

“This is that singing, dancing empress... She’s pretty normal, huh?” Naden said quietly to herself as she looked at Maria.

Come to think of it, Naden had been watching broadcast programs from the Empire while she was in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Incidentally, the simple receiver she had been using was in the castle now.

I didn’t want to be thought of as engaging in spying, thus leaving a bad impression, so I’d told Maria we had a receiver that could view the Empire’s broadcasts. Since they used separate jewels for public broadcasts and important communications like us, she said it wasn’t an issue. In fact, she wanted a receiver that could view broadcasts from the Kingdom in return, so we sent her one.

When Juna saw Maria singing and dancing, she’d said, “What natural charisma... It’s frightening how gifted she is,” which got her competitive spirit all fired up. I felt lucky to have caught a glimpse of her determination to always win.

“You’re amazing. I think this is the first time I’ve seen a woman who’s stronger than Jeanne.” Maria poked around Aisha’s physique as she stood rigid and upright.

“Y-You flatter me.”

Maria had a gentle demeanor, and could interact with anyone quite naturally. She was good at closing the distance between her and other people, so I could see why the people of the Empire loved her. If this came to her naturally, she was a born enchantress. It wasn’t just Krahe; she could probably make any man dance around in the palm of her hand.

“Th-The Empress? Seriously?” Hearing a strange tone of voice, and I turned around to see Mio was frozen stiff, her eyes blinking rapidly. She’d just come along as told, and now the head of the superpower to the west was standing in front of her. No doubt her mind was still trying to process all of what was going on.

Owen gave Mio a slap on the back. “Ah! Sir Owen?”

“I know how you feel, but relax. When you live in the Kingdom, these sorts of ridiculous things happen all the time. It’ll be easier on you if you get used to it early.”

“...What happened to the Kingdom after I left?”

Ouch, that hurt. Nothing bad happened to it. Probably.

“Sister, it’s about time,” Jeanne urged.

“Hee hee, yes, it is.” Maria looked at me. “It won’t do for us to stand here, talking all day. Let’s go inside. I’ve heard in advance that you have something of great importance to discuss, after all.”

“Yes. As such, I would like to limit the number of people who attend the talks. Will that be acceptable? We’ll each have one assistant inside the room, and one guard outside.”

“I understand. I’d like Jeanne to join me. Gunther will stand guard.”

“Then Hakuya will join me, and Aisha will be the other guard.”

We ordered the others to watch the surrounding area.

Lavie... Er, no, Krahe, who was left out, said, “Why must I be left out of this historic conference? I’m very sad. I mean, silly Gunther is just a taciturn ox of a man, isn’t he? I’m begging you, let me be by your side, too. Please, please, please, please, please.”

He cried and begged desperately, but Maria and Jeanne both just waved it off.

Following that, Maria pointed at Naden. “I’ve heard the raven-haired Madam Naden is a dragon from the Star Dragon Mountain Range.”

“Huh? Why are we talking about me now?!” Naden’s eyes widened at the sudden change in topic to her.

I thought I noticed a flash in Krahe’s eye then. Maria continued, “I’ve heard she’s a particularly unique type of dragon called a ‘ryuu,’ too. Aren’t you curious how Naden met Souma, who is not one of the dragon knights of Nothung, and built a bond strong enough it led them to form a contract?”

“...Certainly!”

Whoa... In order to distract Krahe from the conference, she’d brought up Naden’s heritage, and was trying to shove him off onto her. That was an empress for you. What a harsh move.

“Why don’t you ask her about it while we’re having the conference?”

“Ohhh, I most definitely will!” Krahe rushed over to Naden, put his hands together in front of him, and bowed his head. “Please, please, tell me about it!”

“Whoa, you’re too close! Souma, can I shock this guy?!”

“Uh, no, he’s kind of a foreign general...”

“We don’t mind. If he gets too rude, please, punish him,” Jeanne said with a smile.

“I can?!”

She gave permission awfully easily. Is this really all right? Naden sent sparks flying through her black hair to intimidate him, but it seemed Krahe didn’t mind at all, as he kept getting closer.

“Ohh, the hero’s dragon partner wreaths herself in lightning? How mystical and divine! Ahh, I’m fascinated to learn how you and Souma met. What was the story? Please, tell me! Now, now, now!”

“Gyah! Stay! Away! From! Meeee!”

I dunno. If he was able to go this far without batting an eye, I almost had to be impressed. Ah! I might just have the word to describe Krahe... He was a romanticist—to an unhealthy degree—that was what Krahe was.

“Sorry, Naden. It’d be a pain if he interrupted the conference, so can you keep him occupied for us?”

“Wait! Why me?!”

“Please. I promise I’ll make it up to you later.” I put my hands together, as if in prayer, as I asked her.

“Murgh...” Naden groaned. “...I’m going to make sure you make it up to me.”

“Yeah, I swear I will.”

“Okay, I get it. I’ll chat with him, but just for a little while.”

It looked like I’d talked her into it. Naden would handle Krahe, so we decided to quickly go inside the villa and get the conference going.

Chapter 8: Direct Conference

The site of our conference was the living room of the villa. There were two couches, and Maria and I sat across from one another in them with our respective assistants sitting next to us. Near the door was Gunther, and by the window on the opposite side of the room stood Aisha, guarding the room, and making sure there were no eavesdroppers. It felt like too much security for a conference between two friendly nations, but because we were in the territory of a third country, it was inevitable.

“This is a valuable opportunity to meet in person. There is something I would like to take this chance to discuss with your country,” I said, cutting right to the point.

“Something you want to discuss... You say?” Maria’s brow furrowed and she cocked her head to the side. “Is it something you couldn’t have said over the broadcast?”

“It’s not that I couldn’t have, but there are emotions, the feeling of the room—factors that can’t be transmitted over the air. In order to accurately convey those things, I felt it really was best that we meet in person. If I poorly communicate what I want to talk about here, I believe it could form a crack between our two nations.”

“...Let’s hear it,” Maria said, looking at me with probing eyes.

I took that to mean she wanted to hear what I had to say, first. I looked into her eyes, and gave it to her straight, “In the near future, I expect that my country will be sending a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union.”

Maria quietly closed her eyes, while Jeanne cried out in surprise, “Wha?!”

The Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union was a group of states in the sea east of the Kingdom. Though they had a shared leader, each island had a strong sense of independence, and their own political systems, so they weren’t unified.

Jeanne slammed her hands down on the table and glared at me. “Do you mean to fight another war among humans, at this late date?! You experienced the demon wave for yourself! In these times, when mankind doesn’t unite as one—”

“Jeanne,” Maria called out to her, and Jeanne fell silent.

Maria’s expression had not changed, and she hadn’t spoken especially loudly, but behind her single word, I felt the weight of a person who carried a great nation on her shoulders. It made me sit up straight and pay attention, too.

“For now, let’s hear all of what Sir Souma has to say.”

“...Thank you. Hakuya, the map.”

“Yes, sir.”

I pointed at the map Hakuya spread out and explained, “Our nation shares a sea border with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, and the relationship between us is currently strained by issues surrounding the fishing industry. Ships from their region are coming in large numbers to fish in the waters near us, and they regularly cause trouble with our fishermen.”

Maria nodded. “I’ve heard the situation. But is there no way you can clamp down on it peacefully?”

“It’s impossible. There are armed ships in their fishing fleets, and they interfere when we try to stop them. They seem to be skilled, so they’re likely part of the Archipelago Union’s regular forces. In other words...”

“...The state is behind the illegal fishing?”

I nodded in response. “If we don’t strike at the root of the problem, all we’re doing is playing whack-a-mole. That is why we will send a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, deal with the matter, and secure the safety of our fishermen.”

“A fleet... Do you mean to open hostilities at sea?”

“The Archipelago Union is not a signatory to the Mankind Declaration, the same as us. I do not believe the Empire needs to protect them.”

“I see...” Maria stared at me. There was no anger, sadness, suspicion, or anything like that. It was like she was staring into the core of my being. That stare is hard to deal with... Though I tried to pretend I was perfectly fine, there was a sweat beading up in my hands.

“...Do you have any questions?”

Maria remained silent, as if she were thinking about something. I had expected to be criticized, or at least questioned when I told her we were sending a fleet to the Archipelago Union, so this silence was unexpectedly awkward. I felt even more like I was sleeping on a bed of needles than I might have if she’d called me out for it.

It seemed the silence was just as unbearable for Jeanne, and she spoke up. “Sir Hakuya! Was this your plan?!”

“...It did not originate with me, but I have considered it in depth with His Majesty.”

“You’re in agreement with it, then. Why...?”

“Jeanne...” Maria cut her off again. “After negotiating with Sir Hakuya over the Jewel Voice Broadcast, you must know what kind of person he is, right?”

“Yes... But, right now, I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.”

“At times like that, you look at the other person’s face.”

Their face? I touched my own. Was it that strange?

When she saw my reaction, Maria chuckled. “If they have something to hide, it will show on their face—whether they’re trying to act agreeable so as not to offend us, trying to deceive us, or getting tense as they think their plot will be discovered... Right? In your eyes, does Sir Hakuya’s face look any different from how it usually does when the two of you are negotiating?”

“...No. I think it was the same.”

“Sir Souma’s face felt the same way to me.” Maria looked straight at my face. “To make it simple, you’ve got some reason you’re doing this, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“Can you tell me what that is here?”

“I cannot.” I looked straight back into Maria’s eyes as I spoke. “It’s not that I don’t trust the two of you, but if the information leaks, everything I have done to prepare will go to waste. I absolutely must avoid that.”

If she could tell when people had something they were hiding through their eyes, I wanted her to see through me.

“I swear it is nothing that will disappoint our sworn friends,” I assured her.

“Then let me trust the word of my sworn friend.”

Maria’s response came more easily than I expected.

“Sister...”

“However, do not forget that if you do anything to betray that trust, I will be forced to rescind our secret alliance, the medical pact, the research agreement, and our cooperative stance towards you to a blank slate.”

Though she was bold enough to trust us, she didn’t forget to make her stance clear. She truly was a woman who was carrying a great nation. I had nowhere near her capacity.

“I will take that to heart,” I said. “Because I do not want to fight you.”

“I feel the same. So... If you went out of your way to tell us something that you knew might upset us, you must have some reason, right?”

Detecting the certainty in Maria’s words, I gave up and nodded. “Yes. There is something I want the Empire to help us with.”

“If you want to attack the Archipelago Union with a pincer attack from the east and west, I can’t do that, you know?”

“I wouldn’t ask for any such thing. I’d like the Empire to act as a mediator of peace.”

“Peace...?” Maria had a difficult look on her face again. I had already told her I was sending a fleet, but now I was asking for her to mediate peace, the exact opposite course of action, so I couldn’t blame her for being suspicious. “Is it safe to assume you mean with the Nine-Headed Dragon King?”

“No. It seems the Nine-Headed Dragon King is already gathering a fleet of his own. I don’t think we can negotiate with him. Therefore, though this will be a lot of work, I’d like the Empire to persuade the rulers of each island of the risks of fighting us. I want you to tell them, ‘If the Kingdom decides to fight, they will likely bring all of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago under their dominion. That’s why you should avoid conflict,’ and stir up their sense of danger.”

“Ah! ...That’s not likely to avert conflict.” The look in Maria’s eyes became sharper. “Historically, that country was founded by those who came together after being chased off the continent for some reason. The rebellious spirit is deeply rooted in the people, and they epitomize the saying, ‘If you would be made the butt-end of a spear, become the cutting edge of a dagger instead.’”

That was a saying from this world. In my old world, we would have said, “Choose to be the mouth of a chicken, rather than become the tail of an ox.” It means it’s better to be at the head of a smaller group, rather than a follower of a large one.

Maria continued, “When we called on them to join the Mankind Declaration, not a single island responded. If I tell them, ‘Your enemies are strong, so avoid fighting,’ in this case, it would actually rile them up more. If that happens... Ah?!”

Maria’s eyes went wide.

“No, don’t tell me that’s what you’re aiming for?!”

It seemed Maria had an accurate grasp of my intentions. Is she gonna get mad? I thought, but instead she thought about it even more. That was unexpected, and I looked to Hakuya. He seemed bewildered, too. Jeanne, meanwhile, was looking back and forth, from Maria to the two of us.

I waited quietly for Maria to speak, and eventually she slowly opened her mouth. “...It’s vague, but I believe I’m beginning to see what it is that you’re trying to do.”

“Huh?”

This time, it was my turn to be surprised. No way... That was all it took for her to figure out our plan?

“We’re always gathering information on other nations, too.” As I remained speechless, Maria smiled at me. “We have some amount of information on the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, and I could detect no lie in anything you’ve said. If I compare what we know about that country with what you’ve said, Sir Souma, I am able to get a vague idea of what you want to do.”

“I see...”

What an incredible person. It seemed like she’d more or less figured out our goal, even if not perfectly. I don’t know how many times I’d thought this now, but she was just too amazing. Not only did she have natural charisma, she was incredibly wise, too.

Maria clapped her hands. “I understand. The Empire will offer the Kingdom our full cooperation on this matter.”

“S-Sister?! Is it all right to decide on the spot like that?!” Jeanne protested, but Maria seemed unconcerned.

“If my prediction is right, it’s something that will be meaningful for the Empire, as well. But I think we’ll have to agree that you owe us one, right?” she said, smiling playfully.

I slumped my shoulders, all malice sucked out of me. “...Consider us in your debt. I’ll find some occasion to repay the favor.”

“Hee hee, don’t forget you said that.”

With that, things were sorted out with the Empire. Ultimately, Maria showed us she was on a much higher level than we were, but there was no denying we’d managed to secure the Empire’s cooperation. That made this whole trip worthwhile.

Now we can send a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union without reservation. I was still surprised by Maria’s sagacity, but it still felt like a load off my shoulders.

With the most important discussion out of the way, we moved our negotiations to a number of other topics. This was an extension of the things we usually discussed over the broadcast, so it ended without issue, and so did my first direct meeting with Maria.

Afterward, we were to have a friendly get-together using this villa. If we were to leave and try to return to our own countries now, it would mean traveling by night, so the plan was that we would stay here overnight, and then head home in the morning. The food for the get-together was made by chefs from both the Kingdom and the Empire, using ingredients provided by this country. Each side tested it for poison, too.

If anything were to happen to Maria or me, that would elevate the risk of Zem being attacked from both sides, so I didn’t expect them to pull something, but we still took safety precautions just in case. It made me painfully aware of how difficult it was for the heads of two nations to meet.

Also, in regards to who the chefs from the Kingdom were, we weren’t going to be able to properly protect any more VIPs than we already were, which meant that Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Poncho, and his pregnant wives Serina and Komain, couldn’t be here. In their place, we brought the staff who worked at the Ishizuka restaurant.

“““W-We will serve you with wholehearted devotion!”””

When tasked with making food that the Empress of the great land to the west would eat, they were petrified, but... it looked like they would still give it their all.

“Oh, gosh. The outside is crispy, but the inside is juicy.” I could tell by looking at the beaming smile on Maria’s face as she stuffed her cheeks with tatsuta chicken that she was enjoying it.

Because we had limited space this time, we had gone with a buffet format where people would stand and eat. People from both countries were talking to each other about whatever they liked.

“Munch, munch. Was the Kingdom’s food always this good?”

“We do have a bunch of picky gourmets in our house, after all.”

Mio and Naden were chatting. Naden, aren’t you forgetting yourself there?

“Sir Gunther! I daresay, those are some fine muscles you have there!”

“...You, too, Sir Owen.”

“Ohohoho, Sir Gunther, you’re acting uncharacteristically shy.”

The commanders, Owen, Gunther, and Krahe, seemed to be getting on well, too, and the get-together continued with that relaxed atmosphere. Compared to the times when I was invited to late-night parties by the nobles, the lack of anyone coming up to me, rubbing their hands together with a fake smile plastered on their face, was a huge relief.

When Maria and I were talking, even our subordinates would hesitate to approach. Perhaps because of that, Maria was able to savor her meal to the fullest.

“You’ve taught us the recipes, but authentic cuisine really is different. Even the scent of the soy sauce you use is better than our country’s.”

“Well, that must be the fruit of the mystic wolf race’s daily struggle to improve their methods.”

“It’s so delicious my fork won’t stop.” Maria grinned as she scarfed down the food.

Somehow, I suddenly felt a sense of kinship with her. Jeanne said she was a bit of a disappointment in her private life, but to think she was this kind of easygoing woman... While I was thinking that, Aisha came along and offered Maria a dish.

“Madam Maria, this stew is delicious, too.”

“Oh, my, Madam Aisha, is that true? I’ll have to try it.”

For some reason, she was hitting it off with our dark elf glutton just as well.

“Um, Madam Maria? If you go too crazy, won’t Madam Jeanne get mad at you again?” I asked out of concern, but Maria just chuckled in amusement.

“It’s fine. Jeanne is in another room sulking right now.”

“Ahh... Is that so?”

Hakuya and I hadn’t talked much about our intentions with sending a fleet out towards the archipelago, and though Maria seemed to have it figured out, she didn’t talk about it. In fact, she probably kept quiet to help preserve secrecy around the matter. Seemingly out of the loop on this, Jeanne became very sulky. Obviously, she wasn’t going to openly sulk during a friendly get-together with another nation.

“I’m sorry. I’m feeling a little under the weather, so I’ll have to ask you to let me excuse myself.” She had made that excuse, then withdrawn to another room. But, in her sister Maria’s eyes, it was clear that she was feeling down because she had been left out.

Maria bowed her head. “I’m sorry—for leaving Hakuya to take care of Jeanne.”

“Don’t worry about it. Hakuya’s not good with these sorts of lively events to begin with, so he may have just been looking for an excuse to escape.”

“Do you think so?” Maria cocked her head to the side inquisitively.

“Yeah. And besides...” I trailed off, before telling her my jerkish opinion on the matter. “I think that smugly unmarried guy could stand to be swung around at a woman’s whim every once in a while.”

◇ ◇ ◇

“...Hmph.” In another room, Jeanne turned her head to the side peevishly.

Hakuya was standing nearby with a slightly troubled look on his face. Despite having a brilliant mind for politics and strategy, he was still a single man who had spent his entire life as a bookworm before coming to serve at the castle. There weren’t many chances to interact with women, so naturally he had little clue how to mollify one when they were in a sour mood.

If this was going to come up, I should have paid more attention to how His Majesty interacts with his queens... Souma and his queens got along well, but they got into little spats all the time. Liscia might get mad at him for his indelicacy some times, while Souma might sulk about his wives banding together and disregarding his opinion other times.

To give an example, they had just recently had an argument over the future direction of Cian and Kazuha’s education. Though, everyone who overheard them just got exasperated, because it was way too early to be talking about it, anyway. However, those arguments were just a little friendly tussling between husband and wives, and if they left each other alone, they were ready to make up in no time. In Souma’s native world, it was apparently said that, “Even a dog would turn up his nose at a fight between a husband and wife.”

Hakuya had no desire to get involved in another family’s marital disputes, so he did his best to stay out of it. Now, he was seriously regretting not having paid attention to how Souma calmed his wives down when they got mad at him.

“Um... Madam Jeanne?”

“...What is it, Sir Hakuya?”

It looked like she was at least willing to respond.

“Um... Are you mad?”

“I’m not mad... I’m indignant.”

“I do apologize. But we can’t speak when we don’t know who might be listening. We had no intention of leaving you out of the—”

“That’s not it.” Jeanne cut off Hakuya’s explanation and turned to face him. “The one I’m indignant at is myself, for being so useless.”

Jeanne crossed her arms over her chest, and cast her eyes downward, looking sad.

“For as long as my sister upholds her ideals, the Kingdom will walk alongside the Empire... It was King Souma who said that, and now he’s talking about invading the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. That on its own should have been enough to make her furrow her brow, yet, for some reason, my sister accepted his request.”

“That’s because... No...” Hakuya was about to say something, but stopped himself.

“It appeared as if you and King Souma had become totally different people, and my sister had cast aside her ideals... I have no idea what all of you were thinking.”

Jeanne shook her head.

“But what I do understand is that all of you have something that you’re thinking about. It’s just a matter of me not knowing the situation. That’s... intensely frustrating. Especially when my sister was able to correctly discern your intentions from only a few small hints.”

Hakuya let out a small sigh. “Madam Maria is a smart woman. We hadn’t anticipated her seeing through us like that, either. Even if it made relations tense for a while, so long as Maria continued to act like her usual self, that would have been fine. But, having more or less figured out what we were up to, Maria promised to cooperate. It’s terrifying just how perceptive she is.”

“My sister is too easygoing in her personal life, but she’s a very smart person.” Jeanne smiled weakly. “That’s why we rely on her. Too much. When I see Sister constantly shouldering the burden of being empress, I want to be there to help her, but... if only I had more strength.”

Unable to find the words to say, Hakuya gave her an empathetic look.

“I’m sorry. For whining to you like this.”

“No, I understand.”

They were both in the position of having to support the leader of their nation. Souma was exceptionally good at delegating tasks to those who had the capability to do them. He had gathered so many people they called him a personnel maniac, and that meant they were able to pursue policies in a variety of different directions. The downside was that it was harder for him to do his work as king outside, and he looked rather plain to the people, but if the state was well-run, the people weren’t going to complain about that.

But... What if?

What if Souma had possessed Maria’s ability and charisma? If he could do everything on his own, wouldn’t he have done so, and pushed forward on his policies instead of recruiting personnel? Because it was faster that way? Solving issues all on his own would have earned him more popularity, and led to greater expectations for him. The more he lived up to people’s hopes, the greater those hopes would become...

I see... Madam Jeanne is... It must have felt irritating, watching a sister like that. Maria was such a genius that Jeanne couldn’t even say, “I wish you would rely on me more.”

“Watching my sister perform as a lorelei in addition to her political duties, it made me think. Isn’t this closer to what my sister really wants to do?” There was a pain in Jeanne’s voice. “The failure of the combined offensive of the forces of mankind led by the Empire, and the death of the last emperor... Sister ascended the throne in a time when the people were gloomy and dejected. She told me, ‘I want to make the people smile.’ That was what motivated her to bring the Empire together once more, and give them the hope that was the Mankind Declaration.”

“...I think that’s incredible.”

“Sister only wanted everyone to smile! Perhaps... Perhaps she didn’t even want to be empress. She seems so full of life when she’s singing and dancing, and the people love to see it. Honestly, I wish I could let her do nothing but that, but... it’s not an option.”

There was nothing Hakuya could say in response to the sadness in Jeanne’s voice. As a foreign national, he had little flexibility, and as a high ranking member of the Kingdom, he couldn’t speak carelessly. If there was one thing he could do, it was quietly listen as Jeanne vented.

Suddenly, Jeanne slapped her own cheeks.

“Madam Jeanne?!”

“I can’t keep acting gloomy like this.” Then, she gave the surprised Hakuya a smile. “Not when I’ve been blessed with an opportunity to talk to you, Sir Hakuya. I’m wasting time.”

“...I don’t mind.”

“Well, I do! Let’s drink the night away!”

“Ah! I don’t hold my drinks that well...”

“Ohh, that’s right, huh?” Jeanne grinned. “It’s okay. If you get wasted, I’ll tend to you.”

“I can’t let a VIP from another country see me in that sort of wretched state...”

“Oh, what’s the harm? Let loose every once in a while.”

“No, what I’m saying is...”

“Come on, now that that’s decided, let’s go get some food and drinks from the party.”

Jeanne took Hakuya’s hand and started to walk off with firm steps, dragging him along. Hakuya had an uncharacteristically bewildered look on his face. Well... this is better than her looking depressed like before.

Seeing the happy look on Jeanne’s face, he prepared himself to keep her company the whole night through.

◇ ◇ ◇

Not long after that, a bewildered Hakuya and happy Jeanne came into the room. Jeanne was pulling Hakuya along by the sleeve. It looked like she was feeling better now.

“It seems like your sister’s in a better mood.”

Maria had also noticed them, and was smiling softly. “Speaking of little sisters, is Trill doing well?”

“Yeah. A little too well. She’s hard at work on developing the drill with Genia. I actually wanted to bring her along, but she firmly refused...”

I thought it would be a good chance for the three sisters to get together, but...

“Not a chance! If I were to meet my sisters now, I’d surely receive an extended lecture about not interfering with Big Sister Genia’s married life! Big Sister Jeanne is so strict, I might even be taken back to the Empire! I absolutely refuse to accompany you!”

...Trill wasn’t having it.

Granted, I couldn’t be too firm with her given her own status. I had Jeanne’s permission to be strict with Trill, but I wouldn’t have wanted to upset her and delay the drill development project as a result. That was why I was letting her do as she pleased, within reason. If things got out of hand, I’d have her sisters scold her, though.

Maria chuckled. “That’s so like her. Always free-spirited. I envy her a little.”

“Speaking of free spirits... Everyone here is acting pretty free-spirited, huh?”

I looked around, and people from the Kingdom and Empire were mingling in quite a chaotic scene. Naden was passionately regaling Krahe with the story of how the two of us met. Her face was a little red, and her eyes were unfocused. She looked tipsy.

“So, like I was saying, Souma, he told me I had individuality. It... made me really happy.”

“Oho, I see, I see. That is a wonderful way to have met. Here, have another drink.”

“...Hic.”

It looked like Krahe had wheedled her into telling him everything. Well, him knowing how the two of us met wasn’t going to cause any problems. There were guards nearby, so if it sounded like she might divulge anything that ought to be kept secret, they’d probably stop her. But Naden... if she still remembered this when she sobered up, she was going to be writhing in shame, wasn’t she?

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the room, Mio was knocking back a stiff drink.

“Urgh... What am I even doing here...?”

“M-Madam Mio? Aren’t you drinking a little too much?” Owen commented, attempting to stop her.

Mio shouted, “You think I could get through this without drinking?!” and helped herself to another. “I was surprised enough that the Elfrieden Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia had been unified, but we’re on friendly terms with the Empire now, too...? What happened to the Kingdom while I was away? I feel like a traveler coming back home after a decade, and shocked by how everything’s changed... Hic.”

“A lot happened. Oh, geez, you’re drinking too much. If you’re hungover, the gondola ride is just going to be that much harder on you, you know?”

Though Owen was trying to calm her down, she wasn’t listening to him.

Hrm... If it was going to be like this, maybe I should have brought Colbert and her mother, too... Mio’s mother didn’t seem like the type to be intimidated by this type of thing. Before parting ways with Colbert, I’d had the opportunity to speak with her briefly.

When I asked her what she thought about Georg, she’d said, “This is the path that tactless man chose. No matter what others think of him for it, I’m sure it was the best choice he could have made. As his wife, I can only believe in him, and accept it.” What a strong woman. I doubt the sight of her daughter drowning her confusion with alcohol would have fazed her.

Looking around closer, I found our bodyguards Aisha and Gunther glaring at one another.

“.........”

“.........” (Munch, munch.)

Gunther stared Aisha down, standing upright and unmoving, while Aisha was returning the stare, but held a plate with a variety of dishes on it, and munched on them as she glared back at Gunther. Seriously, what was I looking at here?

“Um... Why is Gunther glaring at Aisha?” I asked Maria.

“Oh, I’m sorry. That stern look on Gunther’s face is normal for him. He likely wanted to speak to his fellow bodyguard, but couldn’t find the words, and their eyes happened to meet, so he couldn’t look away... I suppose?”

“He’s shy, even though he looks like that?!”

When we first met, I thought he must not have a good impression of me, but was he actually just feeling tense? When I thought of it that way, the rough old man started to look kind of cute.

Maria chuckled. “Everyone looks like they’re having fun.”

“...Yeah, they do.”

“By the way, Sir Souma? I’d like to talk alone for a little while,” she said in a mischievous tone.

Taken aback by her sudden invitation, I panicked a little. “Alone...? That’s not good. We’re both leaders, you know?”

“Madam Aisha and Gunther should still be able to see us on the balcony over there, so I don’t think it should be a problem?”

“That’s... fine, then.”

We told Aisha and Gunther we wanted to talk alone, so we’d like them to guard us from a distance, and then headed out to the balcony. I was afraid of getting sniped out here, but there were members of the Black Cats positioned around the villa, so it was probably fine.

Maria’s shoulders trembled a little. “It’s a little chilly outside, huh?”

“Well, it is autumn, and we are in the mountains, after all.”

She was right about it being chilly, but I couldn’t even tell how many layers that dress she was wearing had, and I was dressed pretty heavily myself, so it was tolerable. Decidedly, we stayed out on the balcony.

Maria was the first to open her mouth, “Now, in regard to the dispatch of a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union...”

“...I can’t reveal any more to you at the moment, you know?”

“I won’t be asking. What I’m about to say is in regards to the favor we’re owed. You did say you would pay us back someday, didn’t you?” she said, a mischievous smile on her face.

“Wait a sec. Um... If you ask for anything too unreasonable, it’s going to be a problem.”

“Hee hee, the agreement we made was a verbal one, not committed to paper. It only counted as a favor to you because you believe that we’ll follow through on it. So, I’d like you to make me a verbal promise, too.”

“Return the favor with a promise?”

“Yes. If, at some point in the future...”

What Maria said to me after that, despite the calmness in her voice when she said it, made me doubt my own ears.

“Huh?!” I looked at her, eyes wide.

Maria just... smiled.

These must have been Maria’s true feelings, which even Jeanne didn’t know. Even after I listened to everything she said, I couldn’t say anything for a while.

After a silence that felt especially long, I finally managed to reply, “Don’t say anything so ominous...”

Maria chuckled. “It’s important to be prepared. So, how about it? This is a verbal agreement, not committed to paper, but can I ask you to do it?”

“I...”

This... wasn’t something I could just nod and agree to so easily. If what Maria had just spoken about came to pass, I would have to gather Hakuya and my closest retainers and debate the matter for days. But only if it truly happened. For now, it was only one future possibility. If I told them I wanted to debate the matter now, they would tell me I was worrying too much.

I, myself, couldn’t believe it was going to happen, after all. Oh... That’s why it’s a verbal agreement. This way, she’d be happy if I did as I promised, but I couldn’t be faulted for not doing it. It was the same as when I asked her for a favor. Still, Maria and I both believed that if the other promised something, they would follow through. She must have spoken about it because she trusted me. In case the time should ever come.

“...I understand.” I looked Maria in the eye and nodded. “If that sort of situation arises, the Kingdom will act as you wish.”

Maria gave me the biggest smile she had yet today in response. The way she looked as she gently lifted the hem of her skirt in the moonlight was entrancingly beautiful.

Then, in a gentle voice, she said, “I believe you, Sir Souma.”

◇ ◇ ◇

The next day, we each returned to our own countries. Gimbal, King of Zem, came to visit in the morning, so he, Maria, and I were bidding one another farewell.

“Sir Gimbal. I thank you, in my capacity as empress, for providing us a place to talk like this.”

“I thank you on behalf of the Kingdom, too. We were able to have a fruitful meeting as a result.”

As Maria and I both thanked him, Gimbal shook his head. “If the Kingdom and Empire are on good terms, we won’t be caught in the middle of your wars. Well, assuming you two don’t happily invade us together, that is.”

He’d said that jokingly, but a lot of truth is said in jest. Gimbal wanted to avoid us being so hostile to one another that his country became the battlefield for our wars, but he didn’t want us to be so close that we decided to invade him together either. That’s why he provided a place for us to meet, doing both of us a favor, while letting him probe what our relationship was like. He was a seriously tricky one to deal with.

Maria and I both replied with plastered-on smiles.

“Like I said before, if you remain genuinely neutral, the Kingdom will not start any trouble with you.”

“Hee hee, the Empire won’t be breaking the Mankind Declaration when we were the ones who issued it to begin with.”

Gimbal replied with an equally fake smile. “Ha ha ha, that’s reassuring to hear. If you wish to use this place for conferences in the future, just say the word, and I’ll lend it to you anytime.”

“Thank you for that.”

“We’re grateful for it, Sir Gimbal.”

We all shook hands as our retainers looked on. It was a theatrical way of showing we had a relationship of trust, but that sort of display was important, too.

And so, we each returned to our own countries.

Chapter 9: Before a Loyal Retainer’s Grave

On the way home from Zem, I rode on Naden’s back at some points, and also joined people in the gondola to chat. This was just a quick foreign excursion, so it had only been about a week since we left the Kingdom.

I had Naden fly to the castle and set the gondola down in the courtyard, as per usual. As the guards saluted our arrival, and everyone stretched the travel stiffness off, Liscia and Juna came out of the castle carrying Cian and Kazuha. Roroa was behind them, too.

Liscia gave Kazuha (I couldn’t see her face from this distance, so I figured it out from her Machapin baby outfit) to Roroa, and rushed over to my side. Oh... Having a wife to welcome me home is nice... As I held out my arms, ready to catch Liscia in them, she ran straight past me and hugged Mio.

“P-Princess... Is that you?”

“...I’m a queen now, though,” Liscia gently told Mio, who was staring at her in astonishment. “Oh, and I’m sorry. We made your family go through so much trouble for us.”

“No... Just hearing those words makes it all feel like it was worth it, somehow.” Mio returned Liscia’s hug.

The two former students of Georg finally met, and their eyes were wet with tears as they hugged. I liked how Liscia could be so considerate of people, and it was a moving scene, but I felt a little sad that she had prioritized Mio over me. I’m so petty, and I hate myself for it...

“What’re you lookin’ so sad for, huh? We’re right here, too, ain’t we?”

“Look, Cian, Kazuha, it’s Dad.”

Roroa and Juna took Cian and Kazuha’s tiny little hands and pressed them to my face. The kids cooed, as if trying to console me. Y-You guys...

“I’m home, everyone!” I was so moved, I hugged the four of them tight.

“You’re really makin’ a big deal of it when you were only gone for a week, Darlin’.”

“Hee hee, welcome home, Darling.”

Roroa and Juna smiled at my overreaction.

As I was enjoying the first time I was able to spend with family in a week, Hakuya, who had walked up behind me at some point, loudly cleared his throat. “Sire, I’m sorry to interrupt the happy family moment, but let us address the matter of Madam Mio immediately. If we spend too much time on it, it risks impacting our later plans.”

“...Okay.”

I had promised, so I was ready to get right to work on restoring Georg’s honor. I wouldn’t go back on my word when I had said something publicly. Georg’s honor would definitely be restored. But... Whether that’s something Georg himself wanted is another matter.

◇ ◇ ◇

One autumn night a month later... An announcement from the castle came through on Chris Tachyon’s news program.

“We will now make an announcement regarding the new investigation into the insurrection led by former General of the Army Georg Carmine.”

According to the news, the reason for reinvestigating the issue was that Georg’s daughter Mio had won the martial arts tournament in Zem, and gained the opportunity to speak directly with King Souma, who was in attendance. She had emotionally requested that King Souma open a new investigation into Georg’s rebellion. To make a direct appeal to the king like that could easily have been seen as an affront, but King Souma saw how Mio had been willing to cut her way through Zem’s powerful warriors to have him hear her wish, and decided to launch the investigation when she provided new evidence in the form of a journal Georg had kept during the rebellion. It seemed there had been an actual investigation performed during this past month.

The people of Friedonia (especially those in the Elfrieden Kingdom) were not sure what to make of Georg Carmine’s rebellion. Because the man himself had committed suicide in prison without ever saying a word, and his closest associates chose to follow him into death, there was no one left who could speak to how things had turned out the way they did. The castle’s announcement at the time that “Georg started an insurrection, so we put it down” had been very plain. That’s why the people of the Kingdom’s opinions on the matter were largely based on speculation.

If we were to summarize how they saw things having happened, it looked like this:

Georg was suspicious of the sudden transfer of power from the former king, King Albert, to King Souma. Due to that distrust, he closed himself off inside his domain, and ignored Liscia when she tried to persuade him to speak with King Souma. On top of that, he sheltered nobles who King Souma had accused of corruption inside his domain. It wasn’t clear if those nobles put him up to it, or if he was using them instead, but he led the Army in a revolt. It was possible that, in his old age, he had grown ambitious, and wanted to become king himself.

That was the people’s script for the rebellion; which was why the current appraisal of him was that of a once-loyal warrior who had grown arrogant and rebelled in his old age. However, that was when Mio appeared with Georg’s journal.

“This is something that must be kept secret, but I take up my pen now because I want you, my family, to know the truth.”

The diary that began with this passage depicted a Georg who was completely different from the one people had spoken of up until this point.

If we were to summarize the depiction of Georg in the diary she had, it was as follows:

Georg was always loyal to the royal family of Elfrieden. He viewed Princess Liscia not only as the daughter of his liege, but as if she were his own daughter, too. He also understood that the young man King Albert had chosen to marry Princess Liscia was fit to be a king. However, there were those among the Kingdom’s nobility who fattened themselves through corruption, and even those who collaborated with the Principality of Amidonia, and they could not accept the way that Souma pursued them for their corruption, and tried to improve the country.

Georg sensed an impending rebellion by these nobles, and an invasion by the Principality of Amidonia, so he brought the corrupt nobles together, and led the rebellion himself, so that he could root out the corrupt nobles by losing to Souma. At the same time, Georg shut off the corrupt nobles’s collaboration with Amidonia. If, during that war, the Amidonians had invaded through the Carmine Duchy instead, and worked together with the corrupt nobles, the war might have dragged on for a long time. Because he was cautious of that, Georg worked to keep them from collaborating with the Principality of Amidonia.

As a result, the Principality of Amidonia instead hoped that King Souma and the nobles would knock each other out, and invaded through the south because they couldn’t coordinate things with the forces of the corrupt nobles. Then, when the Anti-Air Repeating Bolt Throwers on the walls of the castle in Randel fell, Georg surrendered, and was successfully taken captive along with the corrupt nobles. He was satisfied with the result, but there was just one thing wrong. He felt guilty for the people of the House of Vargas, who had joined the insurrection out of loyalty to their friendship with him.

The journal ended on the day Georg surrendered and was captured.

At the end of the journal, it said, “In order to keep Liscia from being sad, this must be kept secret. When you finish reading this, please, burn it.” However, when Mio learned of her father’s tragic resolve, she could not bring herself to do so. Though it was against Georg’s last will, she had won the martial arts tournament in Zem to redeem her father’s honor.

Souma read that diary, and immediately ordered a new investigation into Georg. When he did, it became clear that accounts from those who fought in the Army as part of the rebellion, and those who fought against them in the Forbidden Army, were consistent with the contents of the diary.

The soldiers who fought in the Army back then reflected on their experiences.

“Despite having a force that was larger than the Forbidden Army, Duke Carmine only surrounded the fortress where they were holed up, and didn’t actively try to attack them. Because Duke Carmine, who was known for his intense attacks, was acting so passive, the soldiers couldn’t muster the will to fight.”

“The only ones who were motivated were the forces led by the corrupt nobles.”

Meanwhile, the soldiers on the side of the forbidden army said...

“It was only the corrupt nobles’ forces that actively tried to attack us during that siege battle.”

“They were the ones who brought out the cannon to attack us, while the Army’s units only attacked from a distance. I remember feeling let down when Georg surrendered the moment His Majesty arrived with the Air Force.”

The Forbidden Army and Army were fighting each other as enemies, but both sides had this understanding of events. And this was recorded in the diary.

“When His Majesty (Souma) comes with the Air Force, I will immediately surrender, and, to aid in having the corrupt nobles captured with me, I’d like to wear down their forces first. In order to limit the casualties among the soldiers I have dragged into this rebellion with me, I will remain passive, only launching enough sporadic attacks to satisfy the corrupt nobles.”

...This was consistent with that understanding, too.

By comparing this diary with the accounts of those who actually experienced the war, it became clear that its contents were highly believable. There were those who suspected it was a fabrication, made by Mio to rebuild the House of Carmine. An appraiser compared the writing to letters from Georg that were stored in the castle, and came to the conclusion that it was unmistakably written in Georg’s hand.

Later, historians viewed the timing of the diary’s appearance as “too convenient,” and suspected it might actually be a forgery, but a new analysis of the writing came back showing it was a match for Georg’s. Because of this, it was concluded that this was unmistakably Georg’s own handwritten diary. It came to be called The Loyal Retainer’s Diary, and was kept in the museum in Parnam.

With the veracity of the diary believed to be high, through its publication, Georg’s reputation changed greatly from an “arrogant traitor” to a “patriotic warrior who deceived both his enemies and his allies.” However, it was still a fact that he had started a rebellion, and there were still living relatives of those who had died in the Army and Forbidden Army as a result of it, so it would take some time for Georg’s reputation to recover completely.

◇ ◇ ◇

One day, when the Kingdom was abuzz with the results of the new investigation into Georg, Souma and Liscia appeared to the people in a broadcast, holding Cian and Kazuha as they stood before Georg’s grave. The location was a hill overlooking the Carmine Duchy.

The broadcast explained that the new ruler of Randel, Glaive Magna, had said, “I know he committed treason, but it wouldn’t sit right to throw my former master’s body away,” and received Souma’s permission to bury his body here. Their key subordinates were lined up behind Souma and Liscia, and among them was Mio Carmine. There was a large man in black armor next to Mio who drew attention, but perhaps the location of the broadcast jewel had been chosen poorly, because his face was out of frame.

Queen Liscia handed her child to the dragonewt maid who was nearby, and in return took a bouquet of flowers which she placed on Georg’s headstone. Then, once Liscia returned, it was King Souma’s turn to hand the child he was holding to her, and to walk in front of the grave.

“Can you see our children, Duke Carmine?” Souma knelt there, and placed his hands on the headstone as he bowed his head. “They are the ‘future’ that you risked your life to defend. I know I was too immature to see through to your true intentions, but please—keep watching over the kingdom you loved from the afterlife.”

As he said that, King Souma lowered his head, and his shoulders quivered. His face was out of view, but was he crying, perhaps?

One person watching said, “It’s like he’s trying desperately not to laugh.”

If so, it must have been a laugh of self-derision. Perhaps he wanted to laugh at his own ineptness for not being able to discern his retainer’s true intention. However, the people did not blame King Souma for failing to understand Georg. It was soon after he had been given the throne, and he was still young, not even twenty at the time.

The older, more experienced Georg was to be praised for pulling off the deception, but no one moved to condemn Souma’s failure to catch it. That was visible in the expression on Mio’s face as she watched King Souma from behind, too. Was she humbled to have the king show her father such respect? There was an incredibly awkward look on her face, as if she were sleeping on a bed of needles, throughout the whole broadcast. The large man in black armor beside her was clutching his cape. He looked as if he was trembling, too, but maybe this was just people’s imagination.

Souma rose, then stood in front of Mio. “Here, Georg Carmine’s honor has been restored. You, his daughter, are to inherit the House of Carmine, and rebuild it.”

“Y-Yes, sir!” Mio knelt, and put her hands together.

King Souma nodded. “However, though he had his reasons, it does not change the fact that he committed treason. Therefore, while I cannot return all of your former lands, I will give you your old home, Randel, and the lands surrounding it as your domain. The present owner, Glaive Magna, was happy to accept this.”

“I-I’m grateful, yes!”

As Mio bowed her head once more, King Souma placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Mio Carmine. I want you to show the same loyalty to this country that your father once did.”

“By your will!”

The House of Carmine was restored. That news excited the whole kingdom.

◇ ◇ ◇

Once I had made sure we were no longer broadcasting, I dropped the pensive look and relaxed.

“I’d say that’s everything settled.”

“Good work, Souma. I think that was pretty believable,” Liscia congratulated me on a job well done.

“Um, I’m sorry to make you do all this for me!” Mio bowed even deeper than before, so low it looked like her forehead might touch the ground. I slapped her on the shoulder.

“I’d been meaning to restore Georg’s honor at some point anyway, so don’t sweat it. Besides, you helped me dress up the facts in a pretty convenient way.”

We kept the fact that Georg had sent Glaive to notify us in advance, and that he had used the Zemish mercenaries to make the corrupt nobles spend the money they had squirreled away, only to get it back, a secret. If those things got out, it would hurt the country. Obviously, I’d told Mio what had really happened to that staged revolution, but she wouldn’t go public with it. For that reason, if I could just get her to accept the outcome of the new investigation, I could handle anything else.

“Sire. Take the princess.”

“Ah, thank you.” I took Kazuha from Carla. “Oh, right. Now that Georg’s honor has been restored, there are more people who look at the House of Vargas in a more sympathetic light. Considering the extenuating circumstances, I could release you from slavery now, you know?”

Hearing this, Carla shook her head with a wry smile and said, “Not yet. I have a role in making sure you don’t go off the rails, and I’ve gotten used to being a maid lately. I worry about Prince Cian and Princess Kazuha, too. I don’t mind if you wait until Prince Cian takes the throne to release me.”

She laughed after she said that. Well... if she’s fine with it, I guess it’s okay.

I looked at Kagetora, who was standing next to Mio. “What do you think? Would the late Duke Carmine have been satisfied with this result?”

Kagetora just stared vacantly into the sky, giving no answer.

End of Chapter Story: The Quiet Island, and the Tranquil Kingdom

— One night in the 12th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

Bonk!

“Ow...! What?”

I had been asleep until mere moments ago, when something bonked me on the head and forcefully stirred me from my slumber. Though the sky I could see out the window was beginning to brighten, it was still dark. It’s probably around five in the morning... I thought; then I noticed my body felt heavy for some reason. I was being held down so hard I couldn’t roll over.

Moving just my head, I looked down toward my chest, and the reason why was immediately apparent.

“...Wait, again...?”

“Zzz...”

Naden was sleeping on top of me, completely naked. I wasn’t wearing any clothes, either. Last night had been Naden’s turn, so we’d both fallen asleep in this state after, um... a whole lot of passionate lovemaking.

I put my hand on Naden’s back as she lay between me and the blankets, breathing softly. Her smooth skin was a little cool to the touch. I don’t know if it was because she was a ryuu, but Naden’s temperature was generally on the low side. It wasn’t to the same degree as a cold-blooded animal, but if I hugged her while I was sleeping in the summertime, she was comfortably cool. By that same token, when I did that, my own body heat felt sweltering to her, and she complained if I hugged her too long.

In winter, on the other hand, Naden would snuggle up to me. Because she had a low body temperature, when she was alone, it took quite a while for her blankets to warm up. Normally, she handled that using the heater I had made for her, but when we slept together, she’d press her skin right up against mine.

When she pressed up to me, sometimes, like right now, she would end up climbing on top of me. Due to her petiteness, she easily fit right on top of me. I was actually a little cold now, but if we fooled around a bit, the blankets would warm up, and it wasn’t an issue. If I could say there was one problem, it was that when we were like this, with Naden nuzzling her cheek against my chest, her horns hit my face sometimes. She was at least wearing the horn covers (like mittens for her horns) I had sewn for her, but it still was a bit of a shock whenever she hit me with them.

“Nngh...” Naden raised her head, and rubbed her eyes. When our eyes eventually met, she cocked her head to the side. “Souma? You’re awake? Is it morning already?”

“It’s still before dawn.”

“Oh, yeah...? Well, I’m going back to sleep, then. Haah...”

“I’m all for that, but can you get off me first?”

“No way.”

Shot down instantly. Oh, well.

I went back to sleep once more with Naden staying where she was. When we first started sleeping like this, I had dreams where I was being crushed flat by a rhinosaurus, but now... I was already pretty crushed. I hope... these peaceful days... can last fore... ver... Zzz...

◇ ◇ ◇

One day, about a month after Georg Carmine’s reputation was restored...

I was in the governmental affairs office receiving a report from Hakuya about the effects of it. “The new information of Duke Carmine was a little confusing to the people, but no one is making any noise about it anymore. The almost excessive glorification of him, and the fact that Madam Mio made a new pledge of loyalty to you, has led the majority to believe this is what he would have wanted.”

“Well, it would be weird for outsiders to hold it against me when his own daughter doesn’t.”

Even if some other nation tried to set her against me and sow discord, Mio herself had no intention of doing anything, so it wouldn’t even create a spark.

Hakuya continued, “The honor of men in the Army like Sir Beowulf, who joined Duke Carmine’s farce of a rebellion, and died along with him, has been restored as well. Though, as part of the rebellion, those who had families, like Sir Glaive, left the Army of their own volition—or were forced to—so hardly any of those who died had kin left behind.”

“It means he took those steps in advance. Well, even if their houses aren’t restored, as long as their honor is, they would probably be satisfied with that.”

“Yes. I’m sure Inuga—Ah, pardon me. I nearly started talking about someone who definitely has nothing to do with the subject we’re discussing.” Hakuya cleared his throat in a deliberate manner.

I smiled wryly and said, “That’s true. You really shouldn’t bring up people who have absolutely no connection to what we’re talking about.”

“I’ll be more careful in the future. Oh! Speaking of Madam Mio, there is just one issue.”

“With Mio? What?”

“It seems she’s having trouble managing her domain.”

“Ahh...”

With the restoration of Georg’s honor, Mio had been reinstated as a middle-ranked knight and given Randel and the surrounding area as her domain. Because all knights belong to the National Defense Force, Mio would be working in them, and would entrust management of her domain to a magistrate during that time. However, because the Kingdom was always short on capable hands, it wasn’t easy to come by a talented magistrate.

Fortunately, the National Land Defense Force’s base was near Randel, so Mio didn’t have to travel far. It seemed she had been managing things there herself for some time, but Mio was a warrior to her core, and suddenly being tasked with political duties had proved too much for her. It wasn’t long before her brain overheated. Those who had once managed the House of Carmine had returned to her side, and Glaive of the House of Magna was watching over her as a neighbor, but that didn’t solve the fundamental problem.

Hakuya shrugged. “Madam Mio has sent us a letter requesting we introduce her to someone who is good at administrative tasks, and has a head for numbers. ‘If possible, I would like to marry someone who can do mathematics, and have him manage the House of Carmine,’ she says.”

“In a way, you have to respect that.”

“The calculations must have been really hard for her.”

“But a husband, huh...” I rested my head on the palm of my hand. “I’m sure there are a lot of knights and nobles who would want to form marital ties with the reborn House of Carmine. If she puts out a call, I have no doubt she’ll find any number of candidates to be her husband. But, given the importance of her house, I wouldn’t want her getting engaged to anyone strange. In some ways, it’s even more important than with Poncho.”

“Should we have Madam Serina scrutinize the candidates again?”

“In this case, Serina’s the same gender as Mio, and she’s already Poncho’s wife, so she wouldn’t obstruct the process, but... that’s not a fundamental solution to the problem. The core issue is a shortage of talented people.”

Someone who was single, gifted at administrative tasks, strong at math, and who I could accept marrying into the House of Carmine... Hakuya said he had no intention of marrying just yet, and there just weren’t that many other... Hold on a second.

“Isn’t there someone who comes to mind?”

“...There is. We have just the person for it.” Hakuya seemed to have come up with the same idea as me, and he nodded. “If you read the criteria in this letter closely, it seems like she’s requesting a specific person, too.”

“Yeah, it does. The castle isn’t a marriage consultancy service, though...” That said, we still called in the person in question.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and a young man with short hair walked in. “Your Majesty, did you require something of me?”

“Hey, thanks for all your hard work, Colbert.”

The young man who entered the room was our Minister of Finance, Gatsby Colbert.

“I’ll cut straight to the chase, Colbert. Would you help the House of Carmine with their administrative tasks for a while? It would mean commuting between the capital and Randel, though.”

“By the House of Carmine, you mean... Madam Mio’s house, right? The one that was just reestablished.”

“Yes. Mio is more of a warrior, and I hear she’s been struggling with the finances. You’re an old acquaintance of hers, so why don’t you go help her out for a while?”

“Yes, sire! If that is your command, I will obey.” Colbert put his hands together in front of him and bowed his head. “But while I’m away, please take care of Lady Roroa...”

“I know. I’ll keep a close eye on her.”

The man was a model Minister of Finance who never forgot to impress the importance of these on me.

Once he had bowed and left, Hakuya asked me, “Was it all right not to tell him she was looking for a husband?”

“I can’t be sure how serious Mio is about that just from reading a letter. It could be her griping about having to deal with the numbers, and bringing it up would just make Colbert unduly cautious.”

“You have a point there.”

“I know, right? You know how it goes, eh?” I said with a suggestive smile. “Let’s let the young couple work it out between themselves.”

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, around that same time... To the east of the Kingdom of Friedonia, in the United Kingdom of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago (called the Archipelago Union for short), in a port town that belonged to the Archipelago Union, a young man had a frown on his face.

The tall and lanky man, whose hair was tied in a ponytail, had white fox ears on his head, making it clear that he was a member of the mystic fox race like Kaede. From the Nine-Headed Dragon katana he wore at his hip, you could also tell he was a “mononofu,” a job roughly equivalent to that of a knight in the Kingdom of Friedonia.

The mononofu with white fox ears looked at the town and sighed. It seems the situation is serious...

This island, like the other islands of the Archipelago Union, had a prosperous fishing industry, and the ports were always bustling. The islanders lived, and died, by the sea. It bore them a great bounty, but when the waters were rough, it would take their lives without mercy. Because they were in constant danger, they lived every day to the fullest.

That was why, at this time of day, the fishermen who had come back from their early morning fishing were in the pubs, singing sea shanties... Or they would have been, but...

Now there were few people in the port town, and it was silent, without a sea shanty to be heard.

Many of the shops on what should have been a busy shopping street were shuttered, and there were few products on display at the ones that were open. There was a man on the side of the road who had drunk himself into a stupor, lying down with no vitality in his face.

The mononofu with white fox ears peered into an open fishmonger’s business.

“Hello there, Chief. What can I help you with?” A beastman fishmonger who had the face of a tanuki called out to him while rubbing his hands together.

He called the man chief because he was the island chief, a position held by one person on each island of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. By the same token, they called the chief of the largest island the Nine-Headed Dragon King.

The mononofu with white fox ears was the island chief of a small island.

He saw that despite the small number of fish on display, they were all awfully expensive. Fish that would have been sold in bulk before were being sold individually and at close to double the price.

“That’s expensive...” he muttered.

The tanuki-faced fishmonger crossed his arms in indignation. “Well, what else would you have me do? The fishermen traveled a long way, close to the continent in the west, and risked their lives for these fish, you know? The cost of stocking them has gone up, so if I don’t sell them for this much, I won’t be able to make a living.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean it that way,” he said, bowing his head. “We mononofu defend the people. I felt like I was being forced to see how my own powerlessness has made them suffer... If I offended you, I apologize.”

“Oh, no. Please, raise your head. It’s not your fault, Chief,” the fishmonger said, slightly panicked.

The mononofu with white fox ears purchased a number of fish and had the owner wrap them.

“What’s going to happen to this country...?” The tanuki-faced beastman suddenly mumbled. “The taxes keep going up, even though we can’t catch fish, and I hear we’re about to get into a fight with the Kingdom of Friedonia to the west. The Empire in the east has been telling the chiefs of all the islands that, ‘The Kingdom will be coming to invade soon,’ haven’t they?”

“Yeah...”

It was true that envoys from the Gran Chaos Empire had been visiting the chiefs of each island recently. It seemed every island had seen them at least once, and even the chief of a small island like this one had received a visit.

The fishmonger got a far-off look in his eyes as he spoke, “It sounds like the Nine-Headed Dragon King is scrapping for a fight, too. What are we supposed to do if there’s a war when we’re in this state...?”

The mononofu with white fox ears had no answer, so he simply bowed, and then left the store.

His home was situated on the island’s high ground. Though it was called a house, because of the history of conflict between the islands, each island chief’s residence was like a fortress. They were built on top of stone fortifications and surrounded by white-painted walls. There was a building on the low ground, and another on the high ground. The island chief generally lived in the “second house,” on the high ground, but carried out his political duties in the “first house” on the low ground. This was all built on the highest point on the island, so the gate of the second house had a view of the bustling port, and the blue sea beyond it.

As he returned from the fishmonger, he noticed someone was waiting for him by the gate.

“Lady Shabon...”

The person was a young girl wearing the outfit of a court lady with its frilly sleeves and hem. She was maybe eighteen years old.

The girl had airy, emerald-green hair, but what was truly distinctive about her was the fish-like fins that she had where a human would have had ears. Her slim arms also had translucent fin-like growths attached to them like sleeves. Her kind were known as mermaids, and they were especially common in the Archipelago Union.

“I have returned, Lady Shabon.” The mononofu with white fox ears called out to the mermaid girl, and stood next to her.

The girl he called Shabon turned her somewhat sleepy-looking eyes towards him. “Welcome home, Kishun. How were things in port?”

“...Unfortunately, they have only worsened.” Kishun showed Shabon the fish he had purchased. “Even fish like these are now traded at five times their former price. The situation is serious. This country has problems already, but the taxes still rise, and war looms with the Kingdom of Friedonia to the west. The people cannot have even a shred of hope.”

“When you cannot have hope... cannot imagine a bright future... that is the hardest.” Shabon gazed down on the port town below with a tragic look on her face. “It’s like this everywhere in this country. It is like the will to live has been stolen from the people along with their fish. We live with the sea, are raised by the sea, and die with the sea. That has been the pride of our people, and it makes this situation all the more intolerable.”

“Lady Shabon...”

“And... The situation continues to worsen.” The sadness in her voice was palpable.

Kishun struggled to respond. “The... The fishmonger asked me if war with the Kingdom of Friedonia would really come.”

“It seems there are envoys from the Gran Chaos Empire visiting every island as we speak...” Shabon trailed off. “They say things like ‘The Kingdom is preparing their forces to bring the whole of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago under their control.’ and ‘That’s why you should join the Mankind Declaration, and come under the Empire’s protection.’”

Unable to find the words to say, Kishun remained silent.

Looking down, she continued, “Because the chiefs are fiercely independent, they would rather go to war with the Kingdom than accept the Empire’s protection. And Father, the king of our islands... intends to do just that.”

“To do that at a time like this... The island chiefs and King Souma are both terrible.” Kishun clutched his fists in frustration as he spoke. “I had heard he was a wise king. A hero summoned from another world who had saved the Union of Eastern Nations from the demon wave, but...”

But Shabon silently shook her head. “I am sure the Kingdom has its own justifications. Because our fishermen have been fishing near the Kingdom, there have been conflicts with their fishermen, and Father has been having the military intervene in those clashes. He must have thought war was the only way to resolve it now.”

“But if they would just consider our situation...”

“That is supposed to be Father’s job. It’s too much to ask that they consider our situation when we’ve done nothing to communicate it to them, wouldn’t you say?”

“Still! The way things are going...”

“...Yes, at this rate, it will go quite badly.”

Shabon began to sing in a clear voice.

When the great darkness appears, the sea beasts will vanish.

As the great fish disappear, few fish will remain.

When the sea falls silent.

With man and beast gone, none will tell the tale again.

It was a song handed down since ancient times in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. A majority thought it to be no more than a scary story just a few years ago, but now most of the people believed it to be the truth.

Shabon had a tragic look on her face. “We can say that we have entered the ‘silent seas’ phase now. If we consider what comes next... there is no time for delay.”

“Lady Shabon...”

“Kishun, I have come to a decision. I will go to the Kingdom of Friedonia.” Shabon looked towards the sea, determination showing on her face. “If I can save the people of this country, I don’t care what happens to me...”

Intermission 1: The Lioness Seeks Her Prey

— 1st month, 1549th year, Continental Calendar — Randel, Carmine Domain —

“Hey, Sir Bee,” Mio called out.

In the governmental affairs office in Randel, Mio and the Kingdom of Friedonia’s Minister of Finance, Colbert, were staring down piles of paperwork. Though he was called Colbert by Souma and Roroa, who found his surname easier to say, his given name was actually Gatsby, and Bee was a nickname Mio had come up based on that.

“...What is it, Madam Mio?” Colbert replied with a small sigh.

Mio clapped her hands together in front of her face. “Please. Marry me!”

“I don’t want to.”

“An instant reply?! You couldn’t pretend to think about it a little longer?!”

“If you keep asking repeatedly, I’m going to get fed up with it.”

If it came purely from affection, Colbert wouldn’t have dismissed it so callously. She was doing it in large part to escape from the work laid out in front of them, though, so it was hard to blame him for not being more delicate about it.

◇ ◇ ◇

It all started back when Souma returned from Mercenary State Zem. He ordered a new investigation into Georg Carmine, who was seen as a traitor. The result of the investigation was that there emerged a possibility that Georg’s revolt had been a scheme to have the corrupt nobles swept away along with him, and it was highly likely that was what happened.

No matter what his reasons, the fact of his betrayal remained, and he couldn’t be declared not guilty. But, if his actions emerged from a pure sense of self-sacrificing loyalty, there was some room for leniency. Georg’s honor was restored, and his family, who he had cut ties with to protect them from joint responsibility, were allowed to return to the country. And so, though she couldn’t be given all of the former Carmine lands, the site of his former castle Randel and the lands surrounding it were passed to Georg’s daughter, Mio.

However, now that Mio had inherited the House of Carmine, she immediately got tripped up by something.

“I can’t manage a domain!”

As she sat sprawled across her desk in the governmental affairs office, the new lady was clutching her head. This was typical of those who were more martially inclined. Mio was a muscle head, and when she was pressed on not having learned the skills to manage Georg’s domain...

“I-I’ll take a husband who’s gifted in administrative tasks if I have to!”

She tried to dodge the issue.

Mio was a fairly capable warrior, but she had no skill whatsoever as an administrator, so even Georg had silently accepted the inevitability of it. But now, she was paying the price for neglecting her studies. When she first returned to Randel, Georg’s former subordinate Glaive Magna, along with others from the House of Magna, had helped her carry out her administrative tasks. However, the House of Magna had their own domain, too, and couldn’t keep helping Mio forever, so once the work that had piled up was sorted, they pulled out.

Also, though many members of the knightly class tasked managing their domain to a magistrate, because Souma had added the management of their lands to the criteria considered in promotions and demotions, the knights had begun competing over administrators, leading to a lack of talented ones available. Feeling pressured by the situation, Mio had gone running to the castle for help.

“We’re short of hands, and there’s no one to hire!” Mio asked with such urgency it seemed like she might get down on her knees and perform a kowtow. “Can’t you send someone?!”

She would welcome a husband who was a good administrator—to stay true to what she had told her father that day. Once it came to that, there was a face that flitted through Mio’s mind.

It belonged to Minister of Finance Colbert, whom she had met one day on a bridge on the border with the Principality of Amidonia, and then again in Zem. The Minister of Finance’s administrative prowess was impressive, and, despite being a bureaucrat, he’d had the guts to speak his mind to people like her father Georg and Prince Gaius who even the warriors feared. Her father had even said he was a promising young man.

From what she’d heard, Colbert was still single, too.

When she spoke to him in Zem, she had learned more about his mild disposition, and his sincerity, too. If someone like him would be willing to come marry her, Mio would be happy about it, and the House of Carmine would be secure, too. That’s why, when she made her request to the king, she had inserted a little of her own selfish desires, too.

“If possible, I would like to marry someone who can do mathematics, and have him manage the House of Carmine!”

Souma knew that she and Colbert were old acquaintances, so she figured he would probably know who she meant. And he did. Souma and his people didn’t want the House of Carmine, which they had gone to such trouble to reestablish, to immediately collapse. He and Hakuya talked it over and decided to send Colbert to assist her.

And so, Colbert came to Mio in Randel.

“It’s been a long time, Madam Mio. Since Zem, right?”

“Urgh... Sir Colbert, I’m glad you came.” There were tears in her eyes as she took his hand. Her incredible emotion was a little off-putting for Colbert.

“My... The pile of work never gets any smaller...”

“I-I get that. Let’s start on it immediately.”

This was how Colbert, in addition to his role as Minister of Finance (which basically entailed keeping an eye on Roroa’s financial policies) and as a manager of sorts for the loreleis, ended up as an assistant to Mio, traveling back and forth between the capital and Randel. Because he had the misfortune of being a man who took all his work seriously, another job had fallen into his lap.

Though, looking at Souma, who did the work of several people by manipulating multiple consciousnesses; Hakuya, who assisted Souma, and also negotiated with the Empire; and Poncho, who was, for a time, both the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry and the magistrate of Venetinova, everyone else in the Kingdom’s upper echelons of power had it more or less the same, so it was hard for him to complain.

Regardless, Colbert was helping Mio with her duties, but... One day, while they were working, Colbert carelessly mentioned he was single. Mio already knew this, of course, but now he’d given her cause to talk about it.

In that moment, the lioness’s eyes shone.

“Hey, Sir Colbert.”

“...What is it?” Colbert responded without looking away from the paperwork.

“I want you to marry me.”

“...Okay?”

As Colbert looked up, doubting his own ears, there was a look of glee on her face. “Oh! You’re accepting?!”

“No... No, no, no! That was not an ‘affirmative’ okay, it was an, ‘I don’t understand what you just said,’ okay!”

“You don’t? I just proposed to you, right?”

“No, that’s not the issue! How can you ask me that so lightly?!”

Mio cocked her head to the side and looked at him, perplexed. “Did you want it to sound more weighty? Like, marry me, or I’m going to die?”

“That’s too heavy! And no, that’s not what I meant!”

“Are you the eldest son, by the way?”

“Huh? No, I’m the third son...”

“Good! Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to take my family name!”

“It’s a big problem!” Colbert pressed his hand against his forehead. “For starters, we’ve only met a few times when I was in Amidonia, and then again while we were in Zem. I can count the number of times we’ve met on my fingers. Why would that suddenly lead to us getting married...?”

“In noble and knightly houses, it’s not that uncommon for the bride and groom not to meet until the day they get married, is it?”

“That’s when the families have already sorted things out!”

“You say that, but I can’t stand that sort of roundabout method. Besides, when you have your prey in your sights, you want to take them down then and there, right? You can think about whether to boil or bake them once you’ve already caught them.”

“What an aggressive way of thinking! It’s a weird analogy, too!”

Realizing she was not the kind of woman who could be persuaded with reason, Colbert’s head started to hurt. He sensed that, like Roroa, once Mio had made up her mind, she would go through with things no matter how she was rebuked. If he got involved with a woman like this, she’d run him ragged for the rest of his life. How did it turn out like this?!

And so the difficulties (?) of Colbert began.

◇ ◇ ◇

Time passed, and we return to the story after Mio’s umpteenth proposal had just been shot down by Colbert. The callous dismissal made her purse her lips.

“What’s wrong with me? I’m a devoted woman, you know? ...I’ll do everything other than administrative work.”

“Please, don’t remove the one thing I want you to work at from the list.” Colbert continued looking at the documents without further reply, causing Mio to puff up her cheeks.

Here she was, confessing her feelings, and this guy didn’t feel a thing. This was an affront to her as a woman. Mio put her hand to her face and struck a model-like pose that came off as awkward, probably due to its unfamiliarity to her. “T-They say I’m a beauty, like my mother, and I think I’ve got a pretty good figure. I stick out in all the right places, you know? My three sizes are...”

“You don’t have to say! ...Hahh,” Colbert sighed and began rubbing his own shoulders. “I am aware that you’re beautiful. If you would become a lorelei, I think you’d be an immediate sensation.”

“Oh, I’m a terrible singer. My voice is loud, but I can’t carry a tune. I was the rare exception that those rule-obsessed totalitarians at the officers’ school allowed to lip-sync when we were singing the school song.”

“...You’d be popular if you’d just keep your mouth shut.”

“That correction just makes me sad. But you’re complimenting my looks, right? I don’t come from a bad lineage either, so why won’t you accept my proposal?”

“Because. We. Are. Still. Working!” Colbert emphasized every word of that.

Mio gave him a blank look. “You’re going to accept my proposal when the work is done?”

“No... Once the work is done, you won’t need me anymore, right?”

“As if. Even once this work is done, more work will come in. I’m back in the army, but I haven’t even shown my face at the training grounds in some time.” Mio let out a deep sigh, resting her head on her palm, and her elbow on the desk. “I’m losing my edge... I really do need a reliable husband—someone I can leave the domain to entirely.”

“Once this backlog is cleared, someone other than me should be able to manage it.”

“You’re the one for me, Sir Bee!” Mio opined, standing up with vigor. Colbert jumped a little, intimidated by her passion. She continued, “I can tell you’re a talented bureaucrat, too, Sir Bee. But if you ask me how talented, I couldn’t say. It’s frustrating, but in my current state, I have no aptitude for bureaucratic work, and I lack the frame of reference to judge it. But, as a warrior, I can sense that you’ve got guts in a way that the other bureaucrats don’t.”

“Guts... you say?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Mio nodded. “If you think something is wrong, even if the person you’re dealing with is overwhelmingly stronger than you, you have the courage to speak up. You’ve got spine. Even though you don’t look all that strong. Though, I can feel that from His Majesty, and the Prime Minister, too. Granted, your personality is likely to put you at loggerheads with stubborn militarists.”

Mio’s words reminded Colbert of his experience of trying to warn Gaius off of invading the Kingdom without considering the needs of his people, and being kicked for his efforts, so he couldn’t say anything in response.

Mio exhaled as she sat back down. “Now that Mother is gone, too, I want someone reliable, like you, Sir Bee, to stay with me. That’s my honest wish.”

“Your Mother? ...Huh? I heard that Sir Georg’s wife returned to the Kingdom along with you, but... come to think of it, I haven’t met her yet, have I?”

In the time since he had come to Randel, Colbert hadn’t seen the late Georg’s wife once. Normally, she should have been the first person he greeted. Because he’d instantly been brought in to help with the mountain of paperwork, it had slipped his mind.

“Where is she now?”

“Hm? Parnam Castle, why?”

“Huh? The castle? Does that mean...”

She’s a hostage, thought Colbert. Though Georg’s honor had been restored, the Carmine domain had been considerably reduced in size. He thought perhaps Souma was keeping Mio’s mother hostage so that she couldn’t oppose him if she resented him for that. That might have been the right decision for a ruler to make. However, when he saw Mio’s unguarded personality, he couldn’t help but feel like that was overthinking things.

“...You’re misunderstanding, aren’t you?” Having picked up on it from the look in his eyes, Mio said, “It’s nothing like what you’re thinking. Actually, Mother was the one who asked to go to the castle. His Majesty only granted Mother’s wish.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah, if I remember, she’s looking after the children of the castle’s workers at something she called ‘daycare’ now. She said in her letters that it’s a lot of fun.”

“Well, that’s good... But why?”

“Probably because it’s easier to meet at the castle...” Mio said awkwardly.

Colbert cock his head to the side. “Easier to meet? With who?”

“Oh, forget that. I’m just talking to myself.” Mio shook her head, then let out a sigh. “Obviously, I asked Mother to help with the bureaucratic work, but, you know...”

She sighed again as she thought back to it. When she asked, her mother had said... “This is your time now, do something about it on your own. The domain is smaller and easier to manage now, so handle it however you like. Struggle, fail, and each time you do, grow as a person, and as a ruler.”

“...It’s a mother’s job to be both cruel and kind, huh?”

Mio smiled wryly. “It really is. I never realized it when Father was around, but Mother was no less stubborn than he was.”

“They were a couple that resembled each other? Since you’ve inherited their blood, I think you must have an aptitude for being a lady, too, Madam Mio,” he said, encouraging her.

Mio leaned in. “Are you ready to marry into my family now?!”

“We’re back to that?!”

Mio grinned as she watched Colbert panic. “I’d recommend it. If you treat me right, you can have as many concubines as you like, and I won’t get upset.”

“I don’t need that... Looking at Sir Poncho, it seems like a lot of trouble.”

That was what Colbert sincerely thought after he saw how much weight Poncho lost for a while after marrying his two beautiful wives. Poncho’s weight was on the rebound now that the two of them were pregnant, but that was an even greater demonstration of why he’d ended up so thin to begin with.

Mio cocked her head to the side and gave him a blank look. “You look after the loreleis, too, right? Aren’t you close with any of them?”

“No way would I lay a hand on any of the loreleis. I don’t want to make enemies of the whole country.”

“...I wonder if His Majesty sneezed just now.”

“Ohh, no. Obviously, I’m not criticizing His Majesty! Madam Juna was with him since before the concept of what a lorelei is even took form.”

“Ah ha ha, I know that.” Mio laughed at him, as Colbert turned red with embarrassment.

He’s fun to tease, thought Mio.

“But maybe one of those loreleis is genuinely head over heels for you, Sir Bee? You’re a kind, older man, and reliable, too. They aren’t used to having men around, so I’d expect you to catch their attention, you know?”

“Th-That can’t be right... I-I mean, these are loreleis, you know?”

“You could take one of them after they retire, couldn’t you?”

“I can’t imagine anyone would want that...”

“I don’t mind. So just relax, and marry into my family.”

“Augh! Enough of this! Please, do your work!” Colbert cried out in embarrassment.

It seemed their lively times working together would continue for a while.

Intermission 2: Research Girls’s Party (The Plan to Improve Mechadra)

It happened while Souma and the others were in Mercenary State Zem.

Genia the Overscientist, Merula the high elf, Taru the Turgish blacksmith, and Trill the Empire’s Drill Princess were having tea at the log house inside Genia’s dungeon laboratory. These were the four key figures of the Drill Research Project, which was a joint enterprise between the Kingdom, Empire, and Republic, but they were on break now.

Suddenly, Trill spoke. “Big Sister Genia, let’s put a drill on Mechadra!”

“...What’s this, all of a sudden?” Genia looked at her dubiously.

Trill pointed out the window to where Mechadra towered over them. “We have such a splendid mechanical dragon, but its only means of attack is to throw itself at the enemy! How dull! We should give it weapons! And a drill!”

“I get where you’re coming from.” Genia set her teacup down on its saucer. “I built it to research the construction of a living creature’s body, so though it’s fully mobile, I didn’t build it to be moved. But when I learned about the king’s power to move things, I thought I could make it stronger, and cooler.”

“That’s a surprise. With you, I would have expected the moment that thought occurred to you, you would already be attaching armaments to it,” said Merula, the one who had been dealing with her the longest.

It was true, normally Genia would have. Forcing her husband, Ludwin, to cover the necessary costs.

Genia smiled wryly. “You’re not wrong, but you see, Mechadra has a lot of restrictions... This is a good opportunity, so I guess I’ll walk you through them.”

Genia stood in front of a movable blackboard and picked up a piece of chalk, then began writing out the restrictions on Mechadra. The other three watched the scene unfold. These four were engineers, researchers, and craftspeople—they were highly curious, in other words. They used stories about research to spice up their tea parties rather than stories about love.

Genia pointed to one of the items she had begun to write down. “First, we have to consider the Star Dragon Mountain Range. The king tells me we’ve been told to do what we like with the bones, but there’s limits to that. To make this quick, we can’t do anything that would offend them. Like, no using it in wars against other people.”

“I wasn’t really suggesting we arm it to so it could be used as a weapon!” Trill asserted.

Taru, who had been listening quietly, cocked her head to the side. “Then why add weapons?”

“Because they make it cooler!”

“...You sound like Master Kuu,” Taru muttered in exasperation. Taru had, despite doubting the practicality of it, added a small drill to Kuu’s cudgel.

“I don’t really get it either,” Merula mumbled.

“You don’t? I understand how Young Miss Trill feels, though.”

Merula and Genia had a difference of opinion. Even among the research girls, there was a split between the romanticists (Genia & Trill) and the pragmatists (Merula & Taru).

Genia continued, “Out of consideration for the Star Dragon Mountain Range, in addition to limiting how we use it, we should probably not alter the original form. Adding wheels to the hands and feet, or swapping around parts to make it more humanoid, and so on.”

“I think all of that sounds cool. Can we not do it?” Trill asked with a blank look on her face.

“Try putting yourself in their position.” Genia shrugged. “How would you feel if we were to swap your hands and feet for wheels, or tear your body apart to make it more like another creature?”

“...That makes for quite a bizarre image, doesn’t it?”

“It does indeed. That’s why we shouldn’t change its shape to be too different from a dragon’s.”

Now that everyone had accepted that, Genia moved on, “Now, the biggest issue is with Mechadra’s structure. I already mentioned this, but Mechadra wasn’t built to be controlled. People can’t ride it like a battleship, and even if they could, they couldn’t do anything with it.”

Genia put a blueprint of Mechadra up on the backboard. Looking at it, the basic frame was made with dragon bones, but the muscles were made using metal and monster parts.

“This really isn’t a setup you can just move around, huh?” Taru said quietly.

“Yeah. The only thing that can do that is the king’s ability, Living Poltergeists.”

Genia wrote “Living Poltergeists” on the blackboard.

“Let’s review what we know about the king’s ability. It’s able to move things about at will. But all it can do is move them, nothing more complicated than that. For example, he could make this chalk write on the board, but...” Genia snapped the long piece of chalk in half. “He can’t break the chalk he’s manipulating in half like this. Fundamentally, all it does is move objects. However, there is one thing that lets him ignore that restriction somewhat.”

Genia touched the blueprint of Mechadra.

“That’s the fact that Mechadra is modeled on a living creature. This applies to the king’s roly-poly mannequins, and the Factory Arm, too. If they’re modeled on living beings, he can control them in complex ways, almost as if they were alive.”

“He can only move inanimate material, but if that material is in a form that resembles a living being, he can control it like it was alive... Is that correct?” Trill asked.

Genia nodded in response. “That’s right. But even in that case, he can’t snap them in half like this chalk, or cause them to break.”

“Where does that difference come from?”

“His mental image... perhaps?” Merula was the one to answer Trill’s question. “When we demonstrated the connection between work songs and the power of magic, we talked about how a mental image could change the power of magic, so maybe that’s involved in the case of Living Poltergeists, too. If he’s able to control things that are modeled on living creatures as if they were alive, maybe it’s a matter of whether or not Sir Souma can imagine the way they would move?”

“I see. That hypothesis sounds like it could be right.” Genia crossed her arms and groaned as she thought. “I’d like to investigate that theory at some point in future, but the issue right now is that, even with the king’s ability, he can’t make it move in any greater way than a dragon itself could.”

“Hm? Whatever do you mean by that?”

“Even if we were to attach a drill like you wanted to, Trill, the king’s ability wouldn’t be able to make it spin.”

“No way!”

Genia confronted a shocked Trill with the cruel truth. “Because, though the drill is a physical object, the way it moves isn’t organic.”

However, Trill was not so quick to give up. “I know! We can handle just the spinning mechanically. If we install the equipment to spin it like a normal drill, it doesn’t matter if King Souma’s ability can spin it or not.”

“In that case, the issue would be switching it on and off. He can’t push an on/off switch with Living Poltergeists, and we can’t put a crew aboard to push the button.”

“Urgh... No...” Trill’s shoulders slumped.

Genia crossed her arms and sighed, “It’s not just drills—firearms like cannons are no good, either. If it were a battleship, we could have a crew load the shells, but Mechadra wasn’t built to carry a crew and let them do things. An anti-air repeating bolt thrower would be plagued by the switch issue, too.”

“Wouldn’t putting blades on the arms work?” Merula raised her hand to suggest.

“Yeah, that would be manageable.” Genia nodded. “If they’re weapons that Mechadra could use itself, it could probably use them, too. Though, I feel like there’s not much difference between slashing with its claws and slashing with a sword.”

“...The important thing is if Mechadra itself would be able to use it,” Taru mumbled with a pensive look on her face. “In that case, if we made it so that Mechadra could press the switch, wouldn’t it be possible? Instead of building it into Mechadra, make something like an external suit of armor.”

“Ohh, that might actually work.”

Genia pondered Taru’s proposal.

“Anything like a cannon that requires loading wouldn’t work. Even if we pre-loaded it, if it was only good for one shot, it would be a lot of effort for next to nothing. Well, if we were going to make it so Mechadra could operate it itself, it would have to be able to do it with those big hands. They’re not going to be able to handle delicate work. If we could clear that prerequisite, though, it’s possible.”

“In that case, I’ve thought of a number of ideas for equipme—” Taru started, only to be cut off by Trill.

“First, the drill! Taru, do you think we can load it with one?”

“...It would depend on where. If it’s going to control it with that massive body, it would probably have to be big.”

“That raises the issue of weight, too,” Genia added. “In the case of a drill, we need to load the revolving apparatus, and the equipment that stores the energy for spinning it, too. The larger the blade, the heavier it gets.”

“If it gets too big, it will be hard to walk around with, too.”

“Urgh...!” Trill grumbled, disheartened by the logistics. “I-If it can’t carry it, then what about... a tail, maybe? Or we could attach it to the stomach?”

“...I think either of those would end up in the way.”

“There’s no space inside the stomach for it, so it would have to be sticking out constantly.”

“Nooo...” Trill slumped to the ground. “I want to see Mechadra use a giant drill. With that huge body, it would smash opponents with a strike that can pulverize mountains in a single blow. Wouldn’t that be a great big dream?”

“Well, I can kind of understand the feeling.” Genia awkwardly scratched her cheek. “But we’re engineers. Not dreamers. We need to make what we realistically can with what we currently have available to us.”

“Big Sister Genia...”

“Now, let’s start thinking about equipment it would be possible for us to create.”

“...Okay.”

From there, the conversation’s focus shifted to Taru and her ideas for equipment. A number of things were proposed, and, just as they were coming up with something they could do...

“Hey, I had an idea,” Merula said.

“What is it, Merumeru?”

“Don’t call me Merumeru... King Souma’s ability makes it move like the creature, not exactly the same as the creature would, right? I mean, he’s able to move puppets and mannequins, which I’m not sure we can really count as people.”

“...I seem to recall that’s right.” Genia stroked her chin.

Merula continued, “In that case, he’d move Mechadra like a dragon, but not exactly the same as a dragon would, right? It has wings, but can’t fly, for one thing, so maybe it moves less like a dragon, and more like a person in a kigurumi suit?”

“Hm... And?”

Merula puffed her chest up with pride. “We’ve been thinking of Mechadra as half-dragon, half-machine. That’s why we thought of weapons as extra equipment, but if it moves like a person, we have more freedom. Our ideas so far were like putting a suit of armor on someone. But people can hold weapons in their hands, too.”

“I see. We were too fixated on the idea of dragons and machines, huh?”

If instead of installing equipment on the body it could be held in the hands; that provided room for more different types of armaments.

Trill’s eyes sparkled. “Th-Then we could give it a drill, too?!”

“Yes, it might be possible if it was a weapon it held with both hands,” Genia agreed.

“Huzzah!”

“But.” Genia pointed a finger at the elated Trill. “Now the issue is how it will carry it. If it’s holding it all the time, it’ll get in the way. With both hands occupied, it won’t be able to fight hand-to-hand.”

“Urgh!”

“Ideally, we’d want a system that could deliver it to Mechadra.” Genia crossed her arms and groaned.

Trill, Merula, and Taru all thought about it. They all racked their brains, but no one could come up with a good idea. While they were...

“Hey, Taru. You here?”

“Master Kuu? And Leporina?”

“Hello, Taru.”

Kuu and Leporina from the Republic came to visit Genia’s log house.

“What’s up?” Taru asked.

“Ookyakya. I thought I’d call on you and we could head back home together. With Bro off in Zem now, I’ve got free time. Why don’t the three of us eat together tonight?”

“...But I’m still working.” Though she said that, Taru didn’t look at all unhappy about this development. Seeing the look on Taru’s face, Kuu grinned.

“We’ll wait for you to finish. What are you up to now?” Kuu looked at the blueprint of Mechadra posted on the blackboard. “That huge machine dragon, huh?”

“We were thinking about adding armor to it.”

“Heh, well, isn’t that interesting.” Kuu looked at it, nodding thoughtfully, but soon let out a sigh. “But, you know, for me, rather than Mechadra, I’d like you to make that ship that breaks ice as it goes that Souma was talking about.”

“The icebreaker... right? The ship with a drill on it.”

“Yeah. With our frozen seas, the Republic definitely needs them.”

“It’s okay. Sir Souma already put in a request for us to develop that.”

While the Republic team was talking about that...

Genia, who had been listening to them, got a thoughtful look on her face. “A ship with a drill on it, huh?”

“Big Sister Genia?”

“It doesn’t have to be a ship, but it might be worthwhile to develop a way for the drill to move around on its own. If it could get to Mechadra on its own, and then Mechadra could use it...”

“Oh! That could work, Big Sister!”

With what sounded like an actionable plan emerging, Trill’s eyes sparkled.

With a wry smile, Genia said, “The added armor that Taru proposed, and a self-propelling drill. Let’s put together a plan to improve Mechadra with a focus on those two elements.”

“Okay!”

And so, Mechadra began to undergo improvements at the hands of its enthusiastic engineering team. It would still be a little while before Souma and the others found out about it.

Prologue to the Next Chapter: Law of the Sea

On a small island in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, there was a portly beastman named Zudai standing near the bay. He, like so many of the other islanders, made his living as a fisherman. Zudai’s family had always fished, and despite his lack of learning, he could throw a net further than just about anyone on the island. However, he hadn’t been out to fish in some time—there was nothing of real value to catch.

It had gotten so bad that if you caught a small fish, you were doing well. But now that it was highly dangerous to go out to sea, there was no hope of getting results that merited taking the risk. Because of that, the fishermen spent their days at home with dead eyes full of depression. Zudai was the same. He couldn’t take the boat out, so he’d cast a net near the rocks close to his home, hoping for some small fish at least. And every morning, when he went to check his nets, his shoulders slumped with disappointment.

On this day, too, he had walked over to the rocks where he had cast his net, scratching his belly as he went. Zudai pulled in the net, rubbing his eyes as he did. All he had caught were small fish the size of a finger, and small crabs. Another day of no fish worth mentioning... As he sighed in disappointment, a thought occurred to him, What? It’s awfully dark today... His house stood with the sea to its east, and normally when he came to the beach at this time of day, the morning sun made it blindingly bright. Looking up to see the clear blue sky, only to realize there was no sun in sight.

Mmmm... Hm? Nnnngh?! As Zudai’s mind woke from its still half-drowsy state, he was able to register how abnormal the situation around him was. It was bizarrely dark. There was no way this place should be so dark at this time of day. Realizing that, he looked to where the sun ought to be rising... Wha?! There was something huge in the sea where there should have been nothing.

Because the sun was behind it, the backlighting made the object look black, but it seemed to be a massive island. Zudai couldn’t believe his eyes. There was no way that a place that had been empty sea yesterday could have spontaneously produced an island overnight. That’s no island. But what is it, then...?! I-It can’t be...! The conclusion Zudai came to terrified him. He got goosebumps, and broke into a cold sweat. His mind had only frozen up for a few seconds, but to him, it felt like hours.

“Ah!” Suddenly he snapped back to his senses, and shot towards his home like a bullet. G-Gotta run away! Gotta run away!

But... it was too late; there was nowhere to run to.

The island-like object let out an ear-piercing explosion, likely waking up everyone on the island. The sound of the thing that would take all their lives—the sound that started a tragedy.

On this day, one of the islands in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago became a desert isle.

◇ ◇ ◇

— In the beginning of the 1st month, 1549th year, Continental Calendar — the sea near Lagoon City —

It was a time when the celebratory atmosphere of the new year hadn’t quite ended yet. There was a vessel patrolling the waters near Lagoon City—a domain overseen by now Commander-in-Chief Excel Walter. It was an orthodox cruiser by the standard of the Kingdom’s National Naval Defense Force, pulled by a single sea dragon. And on its deck was Castor, Captain of the island carrier Hiryuu, and Tolman, the General of the National Air Defense Force.

As rumors spread that war would soon begin with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union over the fishing industry, Tolman had come to discuss the composition of the wyvern knights aboard the Hiryuu, as well as to visit Castor, who was his former master. Souma intended to deploy the Hiryuu, which was still his secret weapon, in the battle against the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. That on its own showed how serious Souma viewed the coming encounter.

Once their meeting was over, Castor borrowed a cruiser and took Tolman on a ride around the waters near Lagoon City, under the pretext of patrolling. As he leaned against the railing, Castor asked, “How about it, Tolman? Cutting through the wind on a ship is nice, too, huh?”

“Ha ha ha, it is, yes. It’s refreshing in a different way than riding on a wyvern,” Tolman said with a laugh as he was buffeted by the sea breeze. “I see the ship can go quite fast, too. There’s the sound of the waves, and the smell of the sea... We don’t have any of that in the sky.”

“Once you get used to it, it’s hard to get away. Life on land feels like it’s missing something.”

“You’re a real man of the sea now, aren’t you? Are you aboard the Hiryuu all the time lately?”

“No, lately I’ve been clamping down on illegal vessels with this cruiser.” Castor touched the brim of his captain’s hat as he looked out at the sea spray. “Our liege’s plan didn’t just come out of nowhere. We’ve just been waiting to put it into motion, and keeping a keen eye on things to stop it from escalating to armed confrontation before then.”

Tolman looked to the east, stroked his goatee and asked, “Have the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s fishing vessels been very active?”

“Yeah. They come in groups to fish near our country. They drive off any of our ships that approach them, too.”

In this world, there were no international maritime borders, like “200 nautical miles from the coast.” However, by tradition, the seas near a country were believed to belong to them, and if ships from another state wandered in, they couldn’t complain if their vessels were seized, or sunk without question. Ships from the Archipelago were deliberately flouting this tradition.

“When we receive word from our fishermen, we send out a warship, but if we try to catch the fishing stragglers, there are armed ships that get in the way. Then, once the fishing ships have fled, the armed ones pull out, too.”

“...Is there fighting?” Tolman asked.

“No, the armed vessels are primarily just there to keep us in check.” Castor shrugged. “Their ships are light, made of wood and reinforced with metal. They’re pulled by horned doldons (dolphin or whale-like creatures with a single horn), which move fast, even if they don’t have the power of a sea dragon. Anyway, the point is that their ships are fast. If they focus on running away, it’s hard to land an attack on them.”

“I suppose that’s to be expected from the ships of a maritime state...” Tolman groaned.

“If it did come to a fight, they’d hit us with pirate-like tactics. They’d come in fast and hurl explosives, or perform a boarding action. With our old fleet, even if we had the numbers, it would have been a tough fight,” Castor said, as a grin appeared on his face.

“But now we have the Hiryuu, huh?”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s not like they couldn’t counter it by loading anti-air repeating bolt throwers on their ships, but there’s no way they can beat it upon their first encounter. Though even after that, we’re refining our methods day and night. We’ve got plans for dealing with whatever countermeasures the other side comes up with.”

“The idea of a carrier is amazing, isn’t it?”

“It’s a terrifying weapon that will upend all our thinking about how naval battles are fought.” Castor gave a small smile, masking the pride he felt within. He was the captain of that carrier. It felt like his own child was being complimented whenever someone understood its magnitude.

Tolman smiled wryly at the way his former master was acting. “I can see that His Majesty was working on something incredible... Hm?”

Suddenly, Tolman noticed something in the corner of his eye. He had been looking at the horizon for a while now, but an object had just appeared on it.

As Tolman suddenly shaded his eyes with one hand and looked off into the distance, Castor cocked his head to the side. “What’s up, Tolman?”

“...I see a ship.”

“A ship?”

Castor took a look for himself using the binoculars hanging from his neck. When he did, he could see a ship heading towards them from the east. He couldn’t see it clearly yet, but it seemed larger than a fishing vessel. Once it got even closer, he was able to tell that it was probably a warship. There weren’t supposed to be any other ships of the National Naval Defense Force in these waters today. The other sailors must have noticed it too, because there was suddenly a lot of noise on deck.

“That’s not one of ours! It looks like a Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago ship!” the sailor up in the crow’s nest shouted.

On closer inspection, Castor could see it was built of wood with metal plates bolted on to raise its defense. But why just one ship? This has never happened before, he thought as he returned to the bridge and gave orders to the sailors. There were no fishing ships around for it to be defending, and it wasn’t one of the usual armed ones, either. So why was it coming at them alone? What were they planning to do, coming so close to the Kingdom?

If they tried to launch a raid on the Kingdom with just one vessel, they would be found by a patrol ship, like they just had been. Castor had already relayed information about them back to Lagoon City by messenger kui. Reinforcement would be coming in no time. Are they really planning to pick a fight with the Kingdom’s fleet using a single ship?

“Just in case, be ready to open fire immediately!”

Castor’s second-in-command shouted the order into the speaking tube, “Yes, sir! All hands, prepare to fire the cannons!”

Because they didn’t know what the other ship was up to, Castor changed course, placing his ship at a diagonal to the other ship’s heading, and prepared to open fire. They were getting closer and closer. Soon they would be in firing range. Is there no avoiding a battle now?

“Ready...” Castor began.

Just as he was about to give the order to fire in order to preempt the other ship, the sailor up in the crow’s nest voice came in through the speaking tube, “The enemy ship has cut loose the creature that was pulling them!”

“Huh?!” Castor cried out in surprise.

Cutting free the creature that was pulling your ship meant losing all propulsion. That meant they could no longer come towards them, or run away. Why would they do something so foolhardy now?

As Castor remained dumbfounded, the lookout continued, “The enemy ship has raised a distress flag!”

“Now it’s a distress flag?” Castor scratched his head. “They do it now...? Augh, damn it!”

Tolman, who was unable to grasp the situation, simply looked at Castor with a dazed expression.

After some time, Castor made up his mind and spoke, “...We have no choice. All hands, we’re going to rescue that ship.”

“Huh? You’re helping them?” Tolman asked, and Castor scratched his head.

“They’ve raised a distress flag. We have to help them.”

“Isn’t it blatantly suspicious? Couldn’t it be a trap?”

“Tolman... there’s this thing called the Law of the Sea that all sailors have to obey,” Castor said, sounding unamused. “Flags, smoke signals, special cannonballs... There are a number of ways to signal that your ship is in distress. But any ship that sees a distress signal is obligated to provide help, no matter what country the other is from, and no matter what kind of position they themselves are in... Even if their countries are at war.”

Anyone who falls into the sea has their life at risk. It was a place where, when the unexpected occurred, everyone came to help each other. Guaranteeing to aid others in times of crisis also guaranteed that they would help you in an emergency, too. This was the creed of the sea.

“Was there an international treaty like that?”

“No, it’s not something countries decided—it’s a custom that sailors came up with themselves. But if people find out we ignored it, we’ll receive pushback from sailors from every country. That includes our own, too. If they all strike, the flow of goods will be disrupted, and we won’t be able to get fish anymore.”

“I see... But aren’t there people who would abuse distress signals—such as a pirate ship looking to ambush another?”

Castor shook his head. “They’d be turned away from ports in every country if they did that. It’s only acceptable to ignore a distress signal from a ship you’ve already entered hostilities with. There’s a moral code we have to follow out here at sea. If you can’t do the bare minimum of respecting a distress signal, whether you’re a fishing ship, a warship, or a pirate ship, you’re not going to be able to continue operating out here.”

“I see... so that’s how it works,” Tolman said, acting convinced.

Castor’s ship approached the distressed one and pulled up alongside her. They laid ladders between the two vessels, and the Kingdom’s sailors boarded the other.

They were greeted by a young man and woman. One was a beautiful mermaid girl; the other was a young beastman man with white fox ears who carried a Nine-Headed Dragon katana at his waist.

“We will not resist. Please, lower your weapons.”

When the marines surrounded them, the young man laid his sword down on the deck, and raised his hands in surrender. The mermaid girl did the same. They were transferred to Castor’s ship without incident, and the Kingdom’s sailors began searching for other potential passengers.

Tolman asked, “Who do you suppose these people are?”

“Like I’d know. We’ll have to ask them.” Castor spat out in response.

As he looked at their two new passengers from where he stood on the bridge, he noticed the quality of the clothes they wore, and got a look on his face like he’d bitten into something unpleasant. These were clearly people of some significant status. Uninvited guests at a time like this... What kind of trouble have we come across here? Castor let out a little sigh as he anticipated the headache to come.

Chapter 1: Uninvited Guests

The calendar year had changed to 1549, and I welcomed the new year as the official king of the country. Today, Liscia’s room was filled with energetic voices again.

“Hey, Cian, Kazuha, come here,” I called to Cian and Kazuha from outside their wooden playpen.

“Squee! Daada, daada!”

“...Daa.”

The two of them came up to the fence and used it to pull themselves to their feet. The boisterous voice belonged to Kazuha, and the relaxed one to Cian.

Kazuha immediately let go and toddled for a few steps before falling over. It was an impressive fall, but I was making her wear a backpack with a cushion (made by yours truly) that made sure she wouldn’t strike her head when she fell. She laid there, flailing her arms and legs like a turtle flipped on its back.

Cian, meanwhile, tried to let go of the fence like Kazuha had, but kept getting scared and immediately grabbed it again. Once he finally managed to take a step, he instantly had his hands on the ground. Then he crawled over to Kazuha and put his hands on her body to help him stand up.

He’s using his sister as a stepping stone? (He was not actually stepping on her.)

Once he got up, Cian turned to me, and spread his arms as if he was saying, “Hug!” but one of Kazuha’s boisterous legs knocked him off his feet, and sent him tumbling onto his back like her. Cian was wearing the same backpack as Kazuha, of course. Now there were two babies on their backs, flailing around excitedly.

“““Th-They’re so cuuuute!”””

Aisha, Roroa, and Naden squealed together.

The trio was so charmed by the baby duo that I could practically see the heart marks in their eyes.

“Sheesh... What are they saying such an obvious thing for?” I commented.

“How can you say that with a straight face, Souma?” Liscia gave me an exasperated look with her hands on her hips. Next to her, Juna had a small smile on her face.

“I mean, come on, it’s a fact that the kids are cute!” I tried to make my case.

“I know how you feel, but... aren’t you being too much of a doting parent?”

“Now, now, Lady Liscia. It’s a fact that they’re cute.” Juna took the children by their little hands and helped them up.

The way they sat there like little teddy bears was just so cute... I hated that there was no such thing as photography in this world. It was beyond cruel that I couldn’t leave a record of these adorable children’s growth.

“The children are getting bigger and bigger,” Aisha said happily.

The other day, Cian and Kazuha both turned one year old without ever getting seriously sick. They were both still small, but compared to when they were first born, they had certainly gotten bigger. Now that I was a parent, I had learned what a joy it was to see your children reach a birthday. It felt so many times more emotional than my own birthdays ever had.

“Maa! Maa!”

“Maa...”

Cian and Kazuha raised their hands, as if begging us for hugs.

“Oh, ya want a hug, huh? C’mere, Kazuha.”

“Okay, I’ll hug Cian, then.”

Roroa and Naden picked up and hugged Kazuha and Cian.

By the way, though they couldn’t speak actual words yet, they had started using their voices to express their intentions. When they called me, they said, “Daa,” and when they were calling Liscia, they said, “Maa.” I thought “Maa” was probably supposed to be “mama,” but it seemed to mean women in general for them.

Maybe that was because the other four got carried away with saying things like, “Mama’s here,” when they were playing with the children. Liscia’s response to that was, “But I’m the one who gives them milk...” and she’d puff her cheeks up. I think Aisha and the others apologized afterwards. Now that I thought about it, there was one other person who the children treated differently.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in,” Liscia said.

“Pardon me.” Carla entered wearing her maid dress and bowed her head.

When the children saw her...

“Cawla!”

“Cawla...”

...the children said happily.

Though it was a bit slurred, you could tell they were saying Carla. In fact, the first name our children learned wasn’t mine or Liscia, but hers. It seemed the two of them loved Carla. She had been with them constantly, even when they were still in the womb. And she’d also been at Liscia’s side since they were born, caring for them, and this was the result. Well, it was to be expected, but still... I was jealous.

“To think they’d learn your name before the person who gives them milk...” Liscia’s cheeks puffed up again.

With all our jealous eyes focused on her, Carla coughed to try and hide how awkward it felt, then said, “Master... I have a message from the Prime Minister asking that you come to the governmental affairs office.”

“...Oh, it’s that time already, huh? I wanted to play with them a little longer, too...”

“Just do your job, Your Majesty,” Liscia said sharply as I was looking at the children, still loath to leave.

Urgh... I guess I have no choice. I had to do my job for the children’s sake, too. Cian, Kazuha, Dad’s gonna work hard.

“Hurry up and go.”

“Yes, ma’am...”

Liscia practically ran me out of the room.

I closed the door behind me, then slapped my cheeks to get myself in the right mindset. Okay, King Mode activated. Time to switch gears.

◇ ◇ ◇

When I reached the office Hakuya, Tomoe, and Ichiha were already there waiting. If the two of them were here, that meant that the thing I had asked for was ready.

When I sat down in my chair, Ichiha somewhat timidly approached and presented me with a bundle of papers. “Y-Your Majesty, I brought what you asked for.”

“Thanks, kid.” When I took it, Ichiha got a troubled look on his face. “Hm? Is something wrong?”

“Umm, I’m one of your retainers, so could you not call me ‘kid’?” he said hesitantly.

Huh? ...Oh! Right, right! I clapped my hands, as if I had just remembered. Tomoe smiled wryly, and Hakuya pressed a hand to his forehead and shook his head.

“Sorry, Ichiha.”

Though we were treating Ichiha as an exchange student from the Duchy of Chima, he had recently accepted an offer to become my retainer.

The method of identifying monsters by their parts which he was studying would also be useful in studying demons when we inevitably met them. That’s why I wanted to combine his abilities with Tomoe’s, since she could talk to demons. But it was still a top-level secret that Tomoe had talked to a demon before. If this information leaked to another country, we’d be looking at instant instability. In order to prevent that, only I, my family, and a select few among the upper echelons were informed of it. Naturally, a foreign exchange student like Ichiha couldn’t be told.

I needed Tomoe and Ichiha to work in lockstep to study the demons. In order to be able to reveal Tomoe’s ability, Ichiha needed to be my retainer, not just a foreign exchange student, and to be prepared to live in this country for life. When Hakuya, Tomoe, and I tried inviting him to serve this country after graduating from the Royal Academy, Ichiha was quick to agree.

“I wouldn’t mind that. With my sister no longer there, I have no lingering affection for the Duchy of Chima. I want to live here, in this country where people have accepted me for who I am,” Ichiha had said with a smile.

With that agreement firmly in place, Ichiha was told Tomoe’s secret. I had made her tell him about it herself. Tomoe seemed unsure what he was going to think, and Ichiha was tense because I had told him we were going to reveal classified information that he absolutely must not divulge.

“N-Nice weather today...”

“Y-Yeah, it is, huh?”

They had a rather awkward, but comical, exchange. I felt like we were at an arranged marriage meeting.

Anyway, I addressed Ichiha, who was now my retainer, “Ahem... Now, Ichiha. Let’s see what you have for me.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

I looked through the bundle of papers Ichiha had given me. I had asked him to produce a document regarding something specific.

“...I see, this is well-done. Every page is full of information. This should prove to be very useful,” I said with a nod.

“Tomoe and the Monster Research Society people helped, too.”

“Hakuya, have this copied and distributed to the relevant people immediately.”

“Understood.”

“Well done, Ichiha and Tomoe. You may leave now,” I said to Tomoe and Ichiha after handing Hakuya the bundle of paper.

“Yes, sir.”

“We’ll be going now then, Big Brother.”

Once I saw that they had left the room, I turned to Hakuya. “It looks like preparations to send the fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago are moving forward smoothly.”

“Yes. Because we’ve prepared for a long time, with careful planning.” Hakuya replied with a cool expression.

I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair. “Careful planning... huh?”

“Hm? Is there something that bothers you?”

“When you plan things out in advance, something unexpected always happens, right? During the war with Amidonia, I made Castor mistrust me and he rebelled. Then, when it was over, Roroa came along and upended everything. All these things happened that we never saw coming.”

“...That’s true.”

I rested my head on the palm of my hand and looked out the window. I had bitter memories of the unexpected events that happened in the war with Amidonia.

“Here’s hoping something unexpected doesn’t happen again.”

“...Don’t say something so ominous.” Hakuya let out an exasperated sigh.

And so—though I’m not sure if this conversation tripped some flag and led to it—a few days later, Castor sent two “unexpected people” to us from Lagoon City.

◇ ◇ ◇

The two people that Castor had taken into custody had asked for an audience with me, the king, so he sent them here by wyvern gondola. When I received the report, I hurried to the audience chamber with Hakuya and Aisha. It would have been better if we’d been told in advance, but all of the messenger kuis were being pushed to their limit in preparing the fleet, and this was deemed urgent, so he only sent a wyvern knight ahead to notify us. Because of that, there wasn’t much time between being informed and their arrival. This was like finding out you had won an award when it already arrived in the mail.

“Hakuya, about the report Castor sent us... Do you think it’s true?” I asked as we hurried to the audience chamber, having already changed into my formal uniform.

Hakuya, who was also walking quickly, nodded. “Yes. They also provided something to prove their identity. I don’t think there’s any doubt.”

“I see. Damn! Why now, of all times...?”

“Tell me about it.” Hakuya had a gloomy look on his face.

We had been working steadily towards a plan that we had refined and refined. Now, just when the fleet was almost ready to leave port, this sort of irregular event came our way, so I couldn’t blame him for looking that way. If these people were who the report stated, one mistake in how we handled them could make all that preparation meaningless. No matter what, that had to be avoided.

“Nothing could be more trouble than this. Do you think the Nine-Headed Dragon King has a hand in it?”

“I wouldn’t know, sire. You’ll have to ask them yourself.”

“Geez... Aisha.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know what’s going to happen. Be careful.”

“Yes, sir! Leave your defense to me.” Aisha thumped her chest with one hand, the other firmly gripping the hilt of the sword at her hip (which was not her greatsword, because it was too unwieldy to use indoors).

I caught my breath in the next room, and then the two of us entered the audience chamber. I looked at the bottom of the steps as I walked to the throne, and the two individuals mentioned in the report were kneeling there, heads bowed.

Once I had sat down, I spoke to them, “It’s got to be hard talking in that position. I’d like you both to raise your heads.”

“...Understood.”

“Yes, sir.”

The two of them stood up and raised their heads. One was wearing a frilly outfit that was reminiscent of an ancient Chinese court lady. She was a charming young girl with distinctive wavy emerald green hair. There was something like a fish’s fin on her ear, so it was clear at a glance that she wasn’t a human. Looking closer, what seemed like a dangling sleeve at her elbow was actually a thin, transparent fin, too. According to the report, she was a mermaid, and they were common in the Archipelago. Though her lower half wasn’t that of a fish, I understood why she was called that based on her appearance.

The other one was a tall, thin beastman with white fox ears. He wore hakama pants, and though he had been disarmed for this audience, with a Nine-Headed Dragon katana at his side, he would have looked just like a samurai. His face had the same intelligent pretty-boy look as Hakuya and Julius, so if I made him dress up as an onmyouji exorcist like Abe no Seimei instead, he’d look the part. If someone told me he was an emissary of Inari the fox god of the harvest, I’d believe them.

What caught my attention as I looked at the two of them was their expressions.

The young man was doing everything he could to keep a serious look on his face that betrayed no emotion. This was the most common expression during an audience with the king. Even if he bore me ill will, showing it here would only hurt him, after all. As for the other one, the mermaid girl... I should just come right out and say it.

Her eyes were dead. No, I’m not making a joke about her having dead fish eyes because she’s a mermaid, or anything like that. There was no life in her eyes, and though I’m sure she was pale to begin with, her pallor wasn’t good, either. If she was trying to hide her emotions with a serious face like the young man was, her feelings were dripping out.

Tragic resignation—she felt so cornered that she was trying to give up on everything.

If I met someone with this expression on the way to the forest around Mt. Fuji, or perhaps a tall cliff, I’d feel the need to stop them and say, “Don’t do anything hasty.” But here she was, standing before me. Even as she felt that way, there was a reason this was occurring.

“Sir Souma A. Elfrieden, king of Elfrieden and Amidonia.” The mermaid girl put her hands together in front of her and bowed her head. “First, it is an honor to meet you. I am Shabon, daughter of Nine-Headed Dragon King, Shana, who rules the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. The man with me is an island lord of the Archipelago Union, Sir Kishun, who has accompanied me as my guard.”

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Kishun.” Having been introduced, the young man with white fox ears bowed his head.

The United Kingdom of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago—a union state situated in the sea east of us. The name came from a legend that a Nine-Headed Dragon had once gone on a rampage there. The interesting thing about that was that my weird translation ability was rendering the “dragon” in that name with the same kanji as an eastern dragon—a ryuu, not a western one. I guess it was something like Yamato no Orochi, not King Gidora, that went wild there, huh?

Was that just a legend? Or was it a monster? Or perhaps one of the Old Ones that the Mother Dragon, Madam Tiamat, had mentioned? It wasn’t clear.

Though it was similar to the Union of Eastern Nations in that it was an amalgamation of island states, this place had a much longer history. Remnants of royal families who had been run off the continent; oppressed minority races; people driven out after losing in political struggles; and criminals—this country was founded by people left with no place to go on the mainland. Maybe because of that, there weren’t as many members of the major races, like humans, there.

The sea serpent race that Excel belonged to had once owned an island in the archipelago, but lost it due to war, political strife, or calamity, and came back to the continent where they settled in Lagoon City. There were apparently a lot of unusual races like that in the islands. They had a history of races with nowhere to go but their one island fighting over territory at sea, and constantly warring to preserve their islands’ independence.

I don’t know if it was because their country formed that way, but they were violent by nature, and every island was fiercely independent. I guess you could say they were rebellious spirits?

Now, the head of the largest island, Nine-Headed Dragon Island, was accepted as the overall chief of the Archipelago Union, but the chiefs of each of the other islands governed individually. If their king was a shogun, the island chiefs would have been his daimyos. If the Nine-Headed Dragon King tried to step in and dictate how an island should be ruled, the islanders would resist it.

You may wonder why the Nine-Headed Dragon King was considered to be the chief of the Archipelago Union, but it was in order to oppose foreign forces. Back in the time when the Gran Chaos Empire had more steam behind it, there was a sense that they might manage to unify the continent. If the Empire were to invade the Archipelago, no individual island could take them on. Because of that, the King of Nine-Headed Dragon Island, which had the largest population, brought the islands together to form the Archipelago Union, and created a system that would let them overcome the divisions between the islands to fight as one.

The formation of this union was an exception for the fiercely independent people of this country. Conversely, if not for the threat of foreign invasion, the islands would never have fought together.

In the time since the Union was formed, the islands had mostly stopped fighting each other, and a prosperous system of trade developed, but they were still strongly rooted in their customs (which I think it’s fair to say were bad customs).

Let’s take this story back to the present now.

The daughter of this Nine-Headed Dragon King was Shabon, who now stood before me, and her bodyguard was Kishun. In their country, it was customary to address people by full name, as if the two names were one. Also, like in Japan and China, the family name came before the given name. So, in this example, Shabon’s name was actually Sha Bon.

These two had shown up with no forewarning. I had nothing but a bad feeling about this.

“I am indeed King Souma A. Elfrieden of Friedonia. Let us get right to the point, Madam Shabon. Why is it that you have come to my country without any advance notice? You were taken into custody by one of our patrol ships, too. This could easily spark a diplomatic incident.”

Shabon deeply bowed her head. “I apologize for our many transgressions. Please, forgive us. I simply had to meet with you, Sir Souma. I would very much like for you to listen to what I have to say to you.”

“Listen... you say?” What could she have to say to me now, at a time like this? “You are, of course, aware of the tensions that exist between my country and yours, correct?”

“Of course.” Shabon raised her head and nodded.

“Is King Shana involved in this?”

“...No. Father has nothing to do with it. I am here of my own volition.”

“So you’re acting on your own, then...?”

Ahh, damn it. That confirmed this was trouble. Even as I clicked my tongue internally, I looked at Hakuya who was standing beside me, and he had a look of exasperation on his face, too. Aisha, meanwhile, was staring Kishun down with a look that said, “If you intend to harm His Majesty, you’ll not get off unscathed,” and she was totally ignoring the conversation.

I asked Shabon a question, “Do you understand the current situation, Madam Shabon?”

“Yes. And that war approaches,” Shabon answered with lifeless eyes. “Our country’s ships have been fishing illegally in your waters, threatening the livelihood of your own fishermen. And those illegal fishing ships are officially guarded by Father’s... the Nine-Headed Dragon King’s fleet. Even though you have repeatedly sent letters protesting it.”

She paused. But before I could respond, she continued.

“And in order to break out of this deadlock, you have decided to make war on our country, right? There are emissaries from the Empire urging all of our island chiefs to join the Mankind Declaration, but the fiercely independent chiefs won’t choose to do that. In fact, if a foreign threat is coming, they will work with the Nine-Headed Dragon King to meet it. In the near future... there will be a great war at sea to decide which of our countries is greater, I’m sure.”

Well, that was more or less the answer I expected.

“If you know all that, then why are you here?” I said with a sigh.

Shabon looked straight at me, eyes still lifeless, and said, “Please, use me as your ‘tool.’”

Prologue: Storm -enemy attack-

That night, an island in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago was assaulted by an intense storm. Though not as strong as a typhoon, the island was still pounded by heavy wind and rain. The island folk took shelter in their wooden houses, listening to the sound of the buildings creaking under the strain of the wind and the rain beating on their doors. It was a sleepless night filled with worrying their homes might collapse.

“Daddy, I’m scared...”

A family of two parents and two children were huddled together. Holding his youngest tight, the man who was master of the house said, “It’ll take more’n this wind to blow our house away.”

“Come now, don’t be scared. Go to sleep,” said the children’s mother, trying to put them to bed, and then it happened.

Whoosh... Thud! Ker-crack! Wind howled, and a sound like a violent crash shook the island. Almost like the impact from being shelled by a warship.

“Wh-What was that sound just now?” Even the man was scared by that impact. “That weren’t no natural sound.”

“Dear, you don’t think it’s... that, do you?”

The blood drained from the man’s face at his wife’s question, and he hugged his children tighter, unable to respond. This family’s battle against terror would last until dawn.

The rain and wind let up as morning approached. With the quiet breaking their sense of tension, the man and his family fell asleep. Later, as the light streamed in, the man woke and went outside to find skies so clear that yesterday’s storm seemed like it was all a lie.

As he was still feeling relieved to have made it through the night, he noticed there was a disturbance down by the shore. Hurrying to the beach where people were, he found other islanders gathered together, murmuring among themselves.

“Did somethin’ happen?”

As the man approached, one of the other men who were already there turned around. “Oh, did somethin’ ever. Take a gander at this.”

He was pointing at a large hunk of stone, which was more than twice the height of a grown man, sticking straight up out of the beach. The man cocked his head to the side as he looked at it.

“There weren’t nothin’ like this here yesterday, right?”

“Mm-hm. Mm-hm. There’re chunks scattered all over, too.”

Looking around, he could see more pieces made of the same kind of rock lying around on top of the sand. What was more, the ornamentation on them made it clear that they weren’t just hunks of stone. They were clearly man-made.

The man felt like he recognized this hunk of rock.

“Could this be... a stone bridge?” he asked.

Looking amongst the rubble, he could make out what appeared to be remnants of an arch structure.

“Mm-hm.” The other man nodded. “We was all sayin’ it looks like a stone bridge.”

“But there weren’t nothin’ like a stone bridge on this island, right?”

“There weren’t. A little island like ours never needed a big, impressive bridge. A wooden one’s been good enough.”

“Well, what’s this stone bridge doin’ here, then?”

“We dunno. That’s why we was all talkin’ about it.”

If this were just an ordinary boulder, they might have imagined it being brought by the storm or a landslide, but what were they to make of a stone bridge, something they didn’t have on this island, stabbing into their beach?

The islanders all cocked their heads to the side in confusion.

“This is terrible! Terrible!” a young man ran over shouting.

“Oh, what’s terrible now? You’ve gone right pale,” the man asked him.

The young man caught his breath, then explained, “They say... ‘it’ appeared on the neighboring island, last night.”

“““?!”””

Immediately the air grew tense, and the islanders pale. People in the archipelago were so terrified of this dreadful being that just saying the word ‘it’ was enough to send fear down their spines. Had he said it was the neighboring island? Was that the slightly larger island, visible from this one?

In the dead of night, during the storm, it appeared close to this island. If things had gone just a little differently, they might have been attacked instead.

The young man said, “Things are a real mess over there. They say it leveled half the island.”

“No way...”

“What’re we gonna do...?”

The islanders seemed dejected.

“H-Hey...” the man, who was still looking at the bridge, said. Everyone turned to look at him. He pointed at the bridge. “Isn’t this the bridge from the neighboring island?”

““.........””

It can’t be... said no one. They started to think it looked like the bridge on the neighboring island. But still. Even if the other island was only a stone’s throw away, what was their bridge doing stabbing into this island’s beach?

“Now that I think of it, there was this wooshin’ sound, and a loud impact durin’ the storm last night,” the man said, recalling the night before.

When they thought about what his account meant... they all shuddered as one.

“You’re not tellin’ me it threw it?”

“This huge thing, over the sea?”

“No, no... I can’t believe it...”

However, none of them could completely deny it.

Chapter 1: Wrath -anger-

Meanwhile, around that same time, in the Kingdom of Friedonia, a girl who looked like a mermaid princess, and a young man who looked like a samurai with white fox ears, were bowing before Souma.

The girl was Shabon, daughter of King Shana, who ruled the hostile state known as the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, while the young man with the white fox ears was her bodyguard, Kishun.

Souma couldn’t believe what Shabon had just said to him.

“Please, use me as your ‘tool.’”

Whaa? My tool? he thought. For a moment, he didn’t even understand the words. He was doing his best not to let it show, but internally, he was confused. Normal girls don’t tell you to use them as your tools, right? She probably wasn’t some kind of total masochist, and even if she was, she wouldn’t be asking him for it with such lifeless eyes.

It was a problematic statement from a girl in the troublesome position of being the daughter of the Nine-Headed Dragon King. What was he supposed to do about this?

He glanced at Hakuya, who looked back at him with a serious look on his face.

“I sympathize with what you must be feeling, but please restrain yourself for now.” was what his eyes said.

I exhaled, trying to calm myself, then rested my elbow on the armrest of my throne to look intimidating as I asked Shabon, “...What is that supposed to mean?”

“I mean it literally. You may use me however you please,” Shabon answered, placing her hand over her heart. “My existence should be of use to you who are about to fight my father... to fight the Nine-Headed Dragon King. When you declare war, when you conquer him, and when you need to administrate the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago after the war, I will provide you the justification you need. I will act however you request. If you do not wish to become an invader, please, put my head on a pike. You can say that I came to you for assistance to fight the Nine-Headed Dragon King.”

I stared at her, my mind trying to assess what she just said.

“If you wish for the Nine-Headed Dragon King’s throne, I will marry you. In that event, my body... will be yours to do with as you will. It will be a political marriage, but... if you wish to use me as your concubine, then...”

“...What is this nonsense?”

No, seriously... What was this girl even saying? Not only had she suddenly come to the country that was about to fight hers, but she was talking about tools, justifications, political marriages, and concubines. I didn’t get it... Well, no, there were other girls who had said similar things to me before: Roroa, and Saint Mary of the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State.

But Roroa hadn’t had this tragic air about her, and even the doll-like Mary had been doing it for her beliefs and her duty. They didn’t have a look on their faces like they had given up on everything like Shabon here did.

“From what I’m hearing, it sounds like you approve of our country invading yours. I had expected you were here to make a direct appeal to me to stop the war, but that’s not the case, is it?”

Shabon shook her head sadly. “I am well aware that war is inevitable at this point. Because you all must have put a considerable amount of work into preparing for the battles to come.”

“...What made you think that?”

“The actions of the Gran Chaos Empire,” Shabon stated clearly with sadness in her eyes. “Recently, we have received frequent envoys from the Empire. When they meet our island chiefs, they say, ‘It won’t be long before the Kingdom sends a fleet to this country,’ and press us to sign the Mankind Declaration.”

...But I know all that. We were the ones who’d asked them to do it, after all. Well, it sounded like Maria had kept her word. But I put my hand on my chin and looked thoughtful to hide the fact that I was thinking about that.

“The Empire, you say... And? Are there islands that have agreed to that?”

“No. The island chiefs are ill-tempered and fiercely independent. They will not submit to anyone. The more the Empire tries to impress upon them the danger of the Kingdom, the more they unify to resist you without Imperial assistance. They have been sending boats to the Nine-Headed Dragon King.”

All according to plan so far, huh? I thought, but...

“However, I believe there is some sort of plot at work.” Shabon lowered her eyes and shook her head. “The Empire is sending their envoys to every island that might have an island chief, regardless of size. An island’s size is reflective of its population, and therefore its military power. Even if the chief of a small island wanted to sign the Mankind Declaration, it’s simply not possible if the chief of a larger nearby island is against it. Because there is the risk of them being attacked. Basically, attempting to persuade smaller islands when they cannot persuade the bigger ones is doomed to failure.”

Ah, so some islands are small enough that they are ruled by another island’s chief?

“Despite this, the Empire is sending envoys to every island chief at the same time. Why would they do something that they must know is futile...? In my view, they aim not to have us join the Mankind Declaration, but to inflame a sense of crisis about the Kingdom, and gather all the Archipelago’s forces under the Nine-Headed Dragon King. And yet, there is no benefit to the Empire in doing that. If anyone has something to gain, it’s either the king, who gains more forces, or... Sir Souma. It is your kingdom,” Shabon said, looking straight at me. “The Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago has many small islands and straits, and an abundance of places to hide soldiers and warships. Even if you were to defeat the king in the first battle at sea, if the remaining forces went into hiding, it would take time to subjugate them.”

“I see... And?”

“From your perspective, you want to catch as many of the soldiers and ships in the first battle, and destroy them. Perhaps you had the Empire help inflame a sense of crisis, in order to gather as many of our forces under the king as possible. Because you are confident in your ability to defeat the amassed forces. Am I wrong?”

“...Hmm.”

I was genuinely impressed. It looked like this princess wasn’t just some Pollyanna who had stupidly come to visit a country that hers would soon be at war with. I couldn’t give her anywhere close to full marks for the answer, but she had managed to discern some of our intentions.

But... that made this make even less sense.

“If we assume your deduction is correct, I’m a villain seeking to ensnare the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago in my trap. Why would you ask a man like that to use you as his tool?”

“Because... This is the last way I can think of to protect my people. I’ve seen how the people of the islands have suffered all this time.” Shabon clasped her hands in front of her chest as if she was praying. “The poor catch and inability to send the boats out, the way the Nine-Headed Dragon King raised taxes, the shadow of impending war with the Kingdom... All these things have sent the people into depression; particularly the lack of fish catches and inability to send boats out. Our connection to the sea is so deep that they say we live with the sea, and our souls return to the sea in death. Now, we find ourselves cut off from it. Most of us spend our days not filled with anger or sorrow, but emptiness.”

The grip of Shabon’s interlocked fingers tightened, as though she were trying to restrain herself.

“I have no power. I warned my father repeatedly, as his daughter, to at the very least avoid war with the Kingdom, but he would not hear me out. I believe my father... the Nine-Headed Dragon King is heading in a progressively worse direction. However, I lack the power to stop him, or to save the people from their suffering.”

“...And that’s why you came to me?”

“Yes.”

I see... If I compared what I knew of the situation inside the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago with Shabon’s statements, I could get a vague sense of what she was trying to accomplish. She probably had no ulterior motives. She had told me everything. She had come to seek salvation... Not for herself, but for the people of her country. For that, she was willing to become my tool. She was prepared to be a sacrifice.

This really is... troublesome. Even as I was thinking that, Shabon continued with her plea.

“I believe one of your wives is the former Princess of Amidonia.”

Huh? Why bring Roroa up?

“I have heard that after making Lady Roroa your fianceé, you took care of the lives of the people in the former Principality of Amidonia. If my life alone is enough to quell your wrath towards the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union... I will offer myself up to you, just as Lady Roroa once did.”

“...Eh?”

“So, please... I do not care what happens to me. I would like you to take care of the people—my people...”

What did this girl just say? Just like... Roroa?

“Don’t you dare make light of my wife,” I bellowed.

Shabon shuddered at my words. Even I was surprised by how much anger there was in my voice. Anger... Yeah, I was really pissed.

Normally, I wouldn’t let my emotions show during an audience like this, but it had caught me by surprise, and I wasn’t able to control myself. Hakuya, Aisha, and Kishun all stared at me wide-eyed. The silence in the room was oppressive.

“S-Sorry! I apologize if I said something to offend you!” Unable to bear the silence, Shabon took a knee and bowed her head. Kishun followed his master’s example and did likewise.

Augh... Damn it! This wasn’t an environment conducive to talking anymore. I mean, I hadn’t fully suppressed my anger yet, either.

“Madam Shabon.”

“Y-Yes.”

“Return to your country,” I said, rising from my throne. When Shabon looked up, her face was filled with despair, as if the ground had just crumbled beneath her.

“N-No... Sir Souma—”

“We have nothing more to discuss. You should return to your country.”

Interrupting Shabon as she tried to continue, I turned around to make clear this talk was at an end, and walked out of the audience chamber.

“Please, see these two out of the castle,” Hakuya ordered the guards, then came after us, too. When he caught up to us in the hallway, he immediately protested, “Sire, it is completely unacceptable for you to become so emotional during an audience with a foreign dignitary like that.”

“...Sorry. The blood rushed to my head when I thought she was insulting Roroa,” I stopped walking and apologized. I knew I had blown up way too easily back there.

It probably had something to do with my exhaustion and Shabon’s lack of malice. If she held some ill-will towards us, then no matter how much my blood was boiling, I would never have let it show. Even if I was thinking, I swear I’ll get you for that later.

But Shabon had no malice, she had simply misunderstood. That made it all the more galling.

Hakuya sighed and shrugged. “...Though, I can’t imagine the result would have changed considerably even if you hadn’t gotten angry.”

“Well, it wasn’t a proposition we could possibly accept.”

“Still, there are better ways to express that.”

“I already acknowledged I was wrong, okay? So, what do you think?” I asked Hakuya. “Will those two go back to their country quietly?”

“It would make things less troublesome if they would, but... I doubt it.”

“Go figure... From the look on her face, she must feel pretty cornered. I just hope what happened doesn’t push her to do anything weird...”

Like ending her own life, or making that beastman with the white fox ears commit seppuku to atone for his master’s indiscretion... If something like that happened, it could impede our plans.

“Hakuya, you have the Black Cats watching them, right?”

“Two of them, at all times. If they try to do anything strange, they’ll be stopped. I will speak to them personally and smooth things over in regards to your anger, too.”

“...Sorry.”

“It’s my job as prime minister to support you, sire. I know you must be tired from the ongoing preparations. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off?”

“Yeah... I think I’ll do that.” With that, I was finally able to smile. “I think it was Roroa’s turn tonight. Maybe I’ll burn off this frustration by spoiling her rotten.”

“Ohh... Sire, it’s my turn tomorrow night! Give me some of that, too!”

While Aisha and I were talking about that...

“...As you please,” Hakuya said, sounding absolutely done with us, and then left.

Incidentally, Roroa heard I got mad on her behalf and was really happy about it that night. She said, “Thanks, Darlin’,” and really let me pamper her.

◇ ◇ ◇

“How could I have been so foolish...?”

Shabon was lying on her side in bed, her eyes filled with tears, in a high-class room she was occupying in Parnam’s castle town. The teardrops streamed sideways across her face to stain the clean white sheets.

Having been rushed out of the castle by the guards, Shabon and Kishun slumped their shoulders and returned to the inn they were staying at. This lodging had been arranged for them by the Kingdom. They had come to the capital in secret, so that the Nine-Headed Dragon King wouldn’t find out, and requested an audience with Souma. Because it would be bad if outsiders discovered they were in this country, they were assigned this inn, which was well-equipped to preserve the secret, as a place to stay.

“I absolutely had to make the negotiations a success... In order to avoid the worst possible outcome... That is what I came to this country for, but... my careless remark angered Sir Souma... Honestly, I am such a fool, and so powerless... I...”

Shabon pounded the bed as she sobbed. How vexing and mortifying her own powerlessness must have felt. Kishun watched Princess Shabon with a pained look in his eyes.

“Lady Shabon... If this is too painful for you, should we return to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago?”

“...Ngh, we cannot do that.” She looked up at him with her tearstained face. “There is not a moment left to lose. We came here to prevent the worst outcome, after all.”

“In that case, all we can do is meet with King Souma and speak with him once more.”

“Do you... think he will be willing to meet us?”

“That will likely depend on how angry he is. Do you understand why King Souma was angry, Lady Shabon?” Kishun asked, and Shabon shook her head limply.

“It embarrasses me to admit it, but I do not know why he was so angered. I know that I said something inappropriate, and it was in reference to Lady Roroa.”

“I have heard that after the war with the Principality of Amidonia, Queen Roroa betrothed herself to Sir Souma along with her country in order to protect her people. This is just a rumor, but they also say King Souma is lustful, and invaded the Principality out of his desire for her. Though, from the way he reacted, I suspect that rumor is nothing but meaningless gossip.”

“...I must have shown too little understanding of his feelings. The Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago is a secluded country. I let the rumors I heard lead me astray. And that angered Sir Souma... I am truly... a fool.”

Shabon lowered her face and clenched the sheets tightly. Seeing her look so weak, Kishun felt driven to do something, anything to help.

“...I will head to Parnam Castle, and seek another audience with King Souma, no matter what it takes. Lady Shabon, please wait here.”

“Kishun!” Hearing the resolve in his voice, Shabon shot to her feet and grabbed him by the clothing. “You’re not going to risk your life, are you? You can’t die for me!”

“If I could show our contrition through my death, and so grant your wish, I would do it. However, I doubt that would quell Sir Souma’s anger. If anything, it would worsen your position. I can only make a sincere request that he hear us.”

“Kishun...”

“I... know your resolve, Lady Shabon.” Kishun placed his hand on Shabon’s, which quivered with unease. “And I have sworn to protect you. I will bring you before King Souma again, without fail.”

With that, Kishun left Shabon’s room. All Shabon could do was clasp her hands in front of her chest and pray.

◇ ◇ ◇

Kishun left the inn and headed towards Parnam Castle once more, but as Shabon’s attendant who had come to the country in secret with her, he obviously had no contacts in the Kingdom. That left him with nothing to do but throw himself on the mercy of Souma and his retainers.

He sat down on the side of the road and pressed his hand to the ground, bowing his head towards the direction of the castle. He stopped in that position, as if frozen solid. The people going to the castle glanced at him as they went by, but Kishun did not move in the slightest. Obviously, if a suspicious individual was near the gates, the guards couldn’t just leave him alone. First, they would speak to him gently, and if that failed, they would resort to force. The guards approached Kishun to tell him to remove himself.

“If you have business in the castle, you are to submit a request, and then leave for the day. You may return if permission is granted.”

However, Kishun did not listen.

“I come out of a desire to apologize to His Majesty! Please! Please allow me to see him just once! I am resolved to stay here until the day that I am allowed to!”

He could say that, but it was the guards’ job to protect the gates. Normally, someone like this would be removed, no questions asked, but the guards apparently had orders from above. One of them went inside the castle to check, and returned some time later with another person.

That person bowed his head and spoke to Kishun, “This is not going to do anything to improve his impression of you.”

“...Prime Minister.”

Kishun looked up to see Hakuya, the Black-robed Prime Minister. Kishun promptly slammed his palms on the ground again, and lowered his forehead to the dirt.

“I wish to profusely apologize for the offense Lady Shabon has caused! Lady Shabon also feels shame for her carelessness! If you wish us to take responsibility for what we did, let me offer up my head! So, please... allow her just one more opportunity to speak with Sir Souma!” Kishun pleaded desperately.

“Taking your head would be of no benefit to us, you realize,” Hakuya said with a sigh. “Besides, do you even understand why His Majesty was so upset?”

“Well...”

“An apology is meaningless if it’s only surface level,” Hakuya told him quietly. However, Kishun was not going to back down.

“Despite that, Lady Shabon’s resolve is genuine. She truly is prepared to offer herself to Sir Souma to protect the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago and its people,” Kishun pleaded sincerely, clutching the dirt with his hands.

It was probably true. Hakuya shook his head in dismay.

“That spirit of self-sacrifice... may be beautiful. However, I think self-sacrifice on the part of one who stands above others can also, at the same time, be a dereliction of duty. I would also say that is the definitive difference between Her Majesty, Queen Roroa, and Madam Shabon.”

“Huh?! What do you mean...?”

As Kishun remained on his knees, pleading to learn more, Hakuya said quietly, “...There are too many eyes here. Please, come to my room first.”

“I will. Thank you very much.”

The two of them relocated to Hakuya’s room.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Please, try it.”

“Oh, how kind of you... I will.”

Hakuya offered tea, and Kishun politely accepted it. Hakuya took a seat, and once he had relaxed a moment, said, “Now, as to what I was saying before...” and began to explain.

“I believe it’s fair to say that both of them have put their lives on the line for their country. However, it looks to me as if Madam Shabon is in no position to do anything about the situation, and is merely clinging to His Majesty. To put it briefly, she has given up on solving the problem herself. Could we not say that she has run away from her responsibility as the daughter of the Nine-Headed Dragon King?”

“...!”

Kishun wanted to shout “You’re wrong!” but the words would not come out. That was because he thought, If I change my perspective, I can see how it might look that way. He hung his head limply, gazing down at the ripples on the tea in his cup.

Hakuya continued in an admonishing tone.

“Roroa, on the other hand, was incredible. The Kingdom had won the war with the Principality of Amidonia, and held an overwhelming advantage. Yet, despite that, Roroa used her own connections to drive her political opponent and brother, Julius, out of the country, and requested the complete annexation of the Principality.”

“That’s... incredible leadership. It’s as if she were commanding an army.”

“Yes. The Kingdom was attempting to absorb Van, the Principality’s capital, without violating the Mankind Declaration at the time, so we were in no position to reject her request. If we refused, we would be condemned for the inconsistency with how we’d handled the annexation of Van. Her Majesty, Queen Roroa, appeared before Sir Souma just after the complete annexation of the Principality. To ask His Majesty to take her as his queen.”

There was a bitter smile on Hakuya’s face as he remembered it.

“...She sure got us. If he had refused at that point, the people of the recently acquired Principality were sure to get violent. She upended the game board. The Kingdom, which had been set to profit at the Principality’s expense, instead had to guarantee their protection. His Majesty himself said, ‘I thought I’d beaten the Principality, but then, at the very end, I lost to Roroa.’”

Hakuya set down his cup and looked Kishun in the eye.

“That is the difference between Queen Roroa and Madam Shabon. Madam Shabon gave up on everything. Queen Roroa did the opposite. She risked her life to win. Yet Madam Shabon said, ‘just as Lady Roroa once did.’ His Majesty cares deeply for his family. Madam Shabon’s words felt like an insult to Roroa, who defeated the Kingdom all on her own. That was what got him so angry.”

Once he heard everything Hakuya had to say, Kishun clenched his teacup.

“Don’t you dare make light of my wife.”

He had come to learn what had made Souma so upset. It was true, Shabon and Roroa’s resolve had been different. He couldn’t blame him for being angry when she equated the two.

Seeing Kishun completely deflated, Hakuya told him, “His Majesty said, ‘If Shabon will not return to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, I am prepared to meet her just once more tomorrow.’”

“...?!” Kishun looked up in surprise, and Hakuya stared straight back into his eyes.

“He also said, ‘If she comes to the meeting without the proper resolve again, I will have her deported this time.’ Please, impress what I just told you upon Madam Shabon.”

“...Yes, sir! It will be my pleasure!” Kishun bowed repeatedly, and then the guards led him out of the castle.

Having seen Kishun off outside the door to his room, Hakuya sighed.

I can’t see them packing up and going home quietly. It’s troublesome, but we may need to rework our plans to take Madam Shabon and Sir Kishun into consideration...

This was going to take a lot of contemplation. Hakuya felt daunted by what was to come.

Chapter 2: Cause -unknown-

The next day, having made the decision to start over on talks with Shabon, nearly the exact same group of people were gathered in the audience hall as the day before. If there was one difference, it was that Liscia was sitting in the queen’s throne beside mine. I chose not to have her participate last time because we didn’t know what our guests’ intentions were, but now that we knew for sure that Shabon and Kishun had no hostile intent, I wanted her present. Carla was watching the children.

Liscia’s presence seemed to have deflated Shabon even more than she had been before. That was likely because of what she had said about me using her as my tool, and that if I wanted the crown of the Nine-Headed Dragon King, she would marry me. Those statements ran the risk of upsetting Liscia, and if she offended the first primary queen who managed the household, it wasn’t hard to imagine the difficult life that might await her here even if I did marry her.

Liscia smiled at Shabon. That was probably her way of trying to say, “You don’t have to be so scared,” but Shabon seemed even more frightened when she saw it... What a headache.

Anyway, with everyone present, the meeting began with Shabon bowing her head apologetically.

“Kishun relayed the Prime Minister’s words to me, and I have learned just how inappropriate what I said was, and why it displeased Sir Souma. Such ignorance brings shame on me. I am terribly sorry.”

“No, I let my anger get the best of me and was too harsh, Madam Shabon. I’m sorry, too,” I apologized for my short temper. With that settled, we decided to continue the discussion that got interrupted the day before.

“Now... Madam Shabon, you said you were prepared to be my tool; is that still the case?”

“Yes. That is why I came.”

No change of heart, huh? It wasn’t the kind of thing where she could just say, “Yeah, no, let’s forget I ever said that...” and the two of them must have had considerable resolve to come all this way, so that probably should have been obvious.

So... that left the problem of how to handle her.

“I heard about your offer from Souma... I mean His Majesty, but are you sure you’re okay with that?” Liscia asked, looking at Shabon with concern.

The sudden question made Shabon jump a little, but she still looked up at Liscia from the bottom of the stairs and timidly nodded her head. “...Yes. Because this is the only way I have left to save my people.”

“I can understand, as a fellow royal, how you could put your people before your own feelings. What first got me interested in His Majesty... my husband was that he had greater potential as a ruler compared to me or my father, and I thought he would be good for the country. Then, as we supported each other through difficult times, we were drawn to one another. It did start as a political engagement, but I think of my marriage with Souma as one for love. I’m sure the other queens feel the same.”

Liscia looked over to Aisha, who gave a big nod. ...It’s kind of embarrassing hearing them fawn over me like this.

Shabon looked a little bewildered. “Is... that how it was?”

“Yes. But from the look I see on your face, I can’t imagine you being able to build a relationship like ours.”

“Huh?!”

Liscia’s rejection made the eyes of everyone in the room, including mine, go wide.

Ignoring our surprise, Liscia continued, “Political marriages are a fact of life for royalty. However, Madam Shabon, the sense of woe in your expression is palpable. I understand you must feel strained by the current situation, but if you come to us as a bride like this, you’ll only cause the people of the Kingdom, as well as your own, to feel uneasy. Even if it is a political marriage, with all thought of romance set aside, the people involved need to be smiling—so that everyone knows it is a happy marriage.”

Shabon lowered her eyes unable to find the words to respond.

“I can sense your woe even though you wear that fake smile on your face. Who do you think would be happy to marry someone with an expression like that? ...There’s no happiness to be had there. Not for His Majesty, not for the children born to a loveless couple, not for the people of our two countries... and, most of all, not for you yourself... Just sadness for everyone involved.”

“...Still!” Shabon clutched her own front collar as she shouted. “Still, this is the only way I have! I am the only payment I can offer you in exchange for saving the people of the archipelago! I know I’m the daughter of the Nine-Headed Dragon King, but when I’m working in defiance of my father, all I have is... my own body...”

She struggled to get those last words out. I’m sure that she felt cornered, and this was a decision she had come to after struggling considerably. But like Liscia said, her methods would leave too many people unhappy.

“Hey, Madam Shabon?”

“...What is it?”

“Is there not more to your story? I find there is something amiss with your words.”

Shabon’s shoulders quivered at my inquiry.

“During our meeting yesterday, you said this multiple times: What’s causing the people in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s suffering is ‘The poor catch and inability to send the boats out.’ Now, that makes it sound like the poor catch is what’s keeping them from sending the boats out, but... that can’t be right.”

In the world I came from, there were fishermen who couldn’t take their boats out because coming back empty-handed meant they couldn’t afford to pay for gasoline. But in this world, the fishermen either used sea creatures to pull their boats, or rowed them by hand. In other words, the poor catch couldn’t lead to a situation where they couldn’t take the boats out. You’d think whether there was anything to catch or not, they should be able to take the boats out anytime they want.

When we talk about a poor catch, we’re talking about not being able to catch much of anything while fishing. If the boats couldn’t go out at all, they couldn’t fish, so there was no catch to be poor. Now, is that just Shabon misspeaking...? Probably not.

“If what you’ve told me is true, here’s what it means: There is a poor catch, and you are unable to take out the boats, and these things are both happening at the same time.”

“......”

“Hakuya, show me the minutes from yesterday’s talks.”

“Yes, sire.” Hakuya bowed, then presented me with a sheet of paper. On it was my conversation with Shabon yesterday. Though it was an unofficial meeting, we still kept records. I accepted the piece of paper and looked over it.

“Here’s what you said. ‘The poor catch and inability to send the boats out, the way the Nine-Headed Dragon King raised taxes, the shadow of impending war with the Kingdom... All these things have sent the people into depression.’ You could interpret those words as you seeking my help to end the Nine-Headed Dragon King’s tyranny. However, it’s hard to imagine he’s responsible for all of what you say. The poor catch is a natural phenomenon, and it would be impossible for him to prevent people across the entire archipelago from being able to take their boats out.”

I paused for a moment to let it sink in.

“If, as you say, the people of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago live as one with the sea and hate to be separated from it, they would resist if anyone tried to keep them from taking their boats out. Each of the islands has a lot of independence to begin with, so there’s no way the island chiefs would obey. On top of that, there’s also the situation with boats coming into the Kingdom’s waters. They seem to come with military escorts.” I took a deep breath and then, resting my chin on my palm, told Shabon my conclusion. “If I consider all of this, there must be something going on in the archipelago that means ordinary people can’t take their ships out. ...Or am I wrong?”

Shabon bowed her head deeply. “Your keen insight is most impressive. It is exactly as you say, Sir Souma.”

She sounded impressed. Keen insight, huh? She was praising me for it, but it wasn’t true. I acted like I had inferred that from what she said, but I already knew about the situation. However, if I told her that, it was possible they would search for the source of my information, and that was likely to affect my plans, so I acted like I just figured it out. I had already told the other people on our side, too.

Making sure not to let those thoughts show on my face, I said, “Madam Shabon, isn’t it time you told me? What it is you’re really asking me to do.”

“...Very well.” Shabon raised her face, and looked directly into my eyes. “There is, indeed, something we have not yet told you, Sir Souma, but we did not mean to hide it. I intended to tell you if you accepted me... But before we talked about this, I needed to know just how set this country was on going to war with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. If you changed your plans based on what I’m about to tell you... everything would be in vain.”

“...Let’s hear it.”

I more or less knew the situation the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago was in. So, I knew what she was saying was correct.

“Thank you,” Shabon bowed, and then quietly spoke a name. “Ooyamizuchi.”

In that moment, there was clear hostility in Shabon’s eyes.

“Though that is simply the name we have given it, it is the cause of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s troubles.”

◇ ◇ ◇

It all started before Sir Souma was entrusted with the throne. The first changes appeared in the sea.

One day, the number of large sea creatures in the waters around the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago dropped. Everything from the docile sea dragons, treasured for their utility in pulling warships, to large carnivores like megalodons (supermassive sharks) and giant squid that were the enemies of fishermen out at sea gradually disappeared. It is common when a predator experiences explosive growth in its population for their prey to rapidly decline. However, in the case of this phenomenon, there was no growth noted in any kind of animal.

No, all that happened was that the number of large sea creatures vastly decreased. There was no sign of other conceivable causes like a red tide or undersea volcano eruption, so the reasons for it were a complete mystery. Then, after less than half a year, the large sea creatures vanished from the open sea, too. However, at this point, the islanders were still taking an optimistic view of the situation, because they were still able to catch fish.

Anyone who’s been fishing long enough knows there are times when catches are good, and when they’re bad. No matter how poor it was, though, if they just sat and waited, the fish always came back. The large sea creatures would only be gone temporarily... or so they thought. In fact, some of the fishermen welcomed these developments, because it was safer to fish without the dangerous carnivores around... Unbeknownst to them that the threat which had struck the large sea creatures would eventually come for them, too.

...The next change appeared in the fish.

They stopped being able to catch large ones. The fishermen were perplexed to find when they pulled in their nets, all they would catch were small fry. That was around when the incidents of fishermen who went out to the open sea vanishing started. At first, they thought it was an accident, or they had been captured after entering another island’s “turf.” However, on the day after a storm, the remains of a ship washed ashore and blew away any remaining optimism.

It was a large mercantile vessel, but it had been broken in half. Signs pointed to it not being the result of an accident or battle. The ship didn’t seem to have any collision damage or been bombarded, but had been crushed with incredible force. Once they saw damage that couldn’t have been caused by people, the islanders began to sense the existence of something out at sea. From then on, ships sent out from the archipelago caught small fry, and among them some would disappear, so the fishermen could no longer go out to sea.

That is why I spoke of the poor catch and the inability to take the boats out separately. Then, after more than a dozen ships were lost, a single survivor appeared. The man was a thief who had smuggled himself aboard a trade ship, hiding inside a large barrel to steal its cargo. When the ship went down, the man heard the screams of the crew from inside the barrel, and the sounds of the ship being destroyed.

Eventually, realizing his barrel had landed in the water, he opened the lid to see... Something the size of an island devouring the crew.

◇ ◇ ◇

“That is the first record of a person from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago encountering Ooyamizuchi,” Shabon concluded, lowering her eyes sadly. “There have been more sightings since then. The name ‘Ooyamizuchi’ comes from an ancient legend handed down in the islands. I am told it means ‘great dark god,’ or perhaps, ‘the serpent with eight large heads’...”

Okay... So, it was either Oo-yami-zuchi (big darkness god) or Oo-ya-mizuchi (big eight water serpent), huh?

I put my hand on my chin and asked Shabon, “You said a serpent with eight heads, but is this Ooyamizuchi really shaped like that?”

“There are reports that say so. But in most cases, they have only seen a silhouette in the fog. It is much too large to understand the whole form up close, so no report has had a full and clear understanding of its full form. Some say it is, ‘Like a long-necked sea dragon,’ while others say it is, ‘Like a many-headed serpent with long necks.’ The only thing we know for certain is that it is, ‘Massive enough to be confused for an island.’”

“A creature the size of an island... huh?”

In my old world, we’d have called something like that a kaiju. What Shabon was saying matched the information we’d already gathered. We had been aware there was something big and unknown in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, but could only speculate as to its form. I’d had Ichiha, our monster specialist, draw a number of sketches based on the rumors and then apply his monster identification system to them, but...

“You’re suggesting that the disappearance of fish and large sea creatures is this Ooyamizuchi’s fault, too?” I asked, and she nodded.

“Yes. It has the power to break ships in half. For Ooyamizuchi, the large sea creatures must have been a way to sate its appetite. It either consumed most of them, or they fled its range. We think that is why we stopped seeing large sea creatures in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.”

“That makes sense... So, once the large sea creatures were gone, it turned to fish, and then even fishermen, huh?”

From what I was hearing, it was much larger than Naden or Ruby in their dragon forms. Maybe it was even as large as Madam Tiamat in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. If so, I could see how it might eat all of the large sea creatures to extinction.

Then a pained look came over Shabon’s face. “With a being like that out at sea, the people cannot take their boats out, and cannot fish. That is painful for our country... Probably more than you in the Kingdom would imagine.”

“Do you mean not being able to fish is causing a food crisis?” Liscia asked, but Shabon shook her head.

“No. Though we do not have an abundance of food, no one is starving just yet. We grow grain and vegetables on land, and have chickens and their eggs, too. We can also catch small fish and seashells in the shallows.”

“Huh? Then what is so painful for you?”

“Our hearts.” Shabon placed both hands over her chest. “The people of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago are blessed with the sea’s bounty, play in the waters, and our souls are said to return there when we die. That is how close our bond with the ocean is. For most of us, when we wake up in the morning, the first thing we see when we go outside is the sea. From their earliest days, children play in the water near their houses, and learn to swim there. Once they’re a little older, they take little boats out to go play on other islands. Many of the islands in the archipelago are close to each other, and the sea between them looks more like a river.”

Shabon’s descriptive scenes of her homeland with the peaceful sea and islands called a song to mind. It was called The Bride of the Seto Inland Sea, which my grandmother used to hum.

“The islanders take their boats out on joyous occasions like weddings, and at sorrowful times like funerals. The boat that carries the bride is decorated lavishly and circles the island where the shrine is rightward between morning and noon. Conversely, the boats that carry the dead are lit with lanterns and circle the island leftward by night. We share life and death with our boats. That is the way of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.”

“Hmm...”

It was interesting hearing about other cultures like this. Though I couldn’t think of one, there was probably a culture back in the world I came from that did something similar.

Then Shabon lowered her eyes with sadness.

“Despite that... Because of Ooyamizuchi, it is difficult to take the boats out, and we cannot fish. When we do go out to sea, we need to bring a military escort or to simply pray we are not attacked. The sea has been stolen from us. To the islanders, this situation is like...”

“...Like they can’t breathe?” I offered, but Shabon shook her head.

“No, I cannot say it is that serious. However, if I were to make an analogy... perhaps it is like when the rain continues for days, and you cannot see the sun. You look up to the sky, and slump your shoulders, saying, ‘Oh, I suppose I will not be seeing the sun today, either...’ That has continued for years now.”

“I can see how that would be... maddening, yeah.”

It might be better than no rain at all, and too much sunlight could be annoying, too, but never being able to see the sun through the clouds would be depressing. I could sort of understand... To think being unable to go out to sea was this important to those of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.

“Is that why your people are coming all this way to fish?”

I hadn’t understood why the islanders would cross the dangerous waters full of large sea creatures to fish near the Kingdom, but now that she told me the significance of taking the boats out, and of fishing in their culture, I got it. There were no reports of anyone from the Kingdom encountering this Ooyamizuchi yet. I didn’t get the sense that the Empire had received these sorts of reports when I was talking to Maria, either. That had to mean Ooyamizuchi’s territory was in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, and it wasn’t leaving it. That was why the islanders had come to safer waters near the Kingdom to fish.

In more distant waters, there was no Ooyamizuchi to attack them, but there could be large sea creatures. There was also the possibility of being arrested by the National Naval Defense Force for fishing illegally in our waters. They came despite those risks. That was just how significant fishing was to them.

“Because the Nine-Headed Dragon King knows that, he provided armed ships for their protection, you’re saying?”

“I believe that is the case, yes.”

“I see...”

Taking the ships out meant enough to the Nine-Headed Dragon King that he was even willing to have them fish illegally?

“Well, I still can’t approve of the current situation... So, when you said that you wanted me to use you as my tool before, was that supposed to be to oppose Ooyamizuchi?”

“Yes,” Shabon nodded. “If the Kingdom aims to bring the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago under its dominion, Ooyamizuchi will inevitably be a problem for you. One that I expect you will have to deal with in the not so distant future, Sir Souma. ...Even now, my Father stubbornly refuses to abandon his hostile stance against the Kingdom. If war is unavoidable, I hope to at least work with you to end it quickly, put the people at ease, and then use the power of the Kingdom to slay Ooyamizuchi...”

“Isn’t that all a bit convenient for you? Did you never consider that I might use you to dominate the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, and then just leave Ooyamizuchi alone?”

“I had heard you took good care of Lady Roroa and the people of Amidonia, so I believed you would not tyrannize an occupied territory like that.”

“...Should I be happy you have such a high opinion of me?”

“Though, even if I could not be certain of that, it was also true that this was the only way I could get the Kingdom’s military to take action...”

“You seem to have some awfully big expectations of Souma and the Kingdom’s fleet, Madam Shabon.” This time it was Liscia’s turn to ask a question. “Couldn’t you handle it with just the archipelago’s military? I’ve been led to believe that the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union is supposed to be a significant naval power.”

“If we could bring all of our forces to bear against it... perhaps. However, even now at this late date, the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago is still unable to come together,” Shabon put her hands together in front of her chest as she made her plea. “The islands are fiercely independent. For each of them, their island’s problems are theirs, other islands’ problems are not, and they are loath to intervene. Ooyamizuchi is an incredible threat, but is not an invader that threatens the islands’ independence. That is why even the Nine-Headed Dragon King could not bring all of the islands together.”

Which was why Shabon gave up on their ability to address the problem, and was prepared to offer herself and her country to me in exchange for the Kingdom’s military putting down Ooyamizuchi. So that, at the very least, the people of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago would be preserved. It was a pessimistic approach, and she had a sense of woe about her, but she’d had some degree of resolve when she crossed the seas to come here.

I scratched my head awkwardly as I addressed her. “Madam Shabon.”

“Yes.”

“I can tell you right now, the decision you’re making will lead to regrets later.”

“...I came prepared for that,” Shabon said, bowing deeply.

She really is troublesome. I glanced at Liscia and Hakuya. They both just nodded. That had to mean they were leaving the decision to me.

“I understand. If you’re that insistent, then I’ll cooperate with you.”

“Th-Thank you so much!”

“But I’ll only be using you for political ends. Not as my wife or concubine.”

“That’s...!” Shabon looked bewildered.

She had to know how strong my attachment to my family was by now; that was why she wanted to enter the family structure, even if it was as a concubine. Even if it meant giving her body to a man she didn’t love. She thought that would guarantee the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago islanders’ protection. But I wouldn’t allow it.

I raised my hand, stopping Shabon from saying any more. “I promise you that, ultimately, I will fight Ooyamizuchi. However, until then, you are to obey all of our commands. Is that acceptable to you?”

“...Understood.” Shabon lowered her head. I nodded, then looked at Kishun.

“Now, Kishun, was it? Seeing that you have accompanied Madam Shabon, can I assume you are all right with me using you and your island, as well?”

When I asked that, Kishun knelt, and put his hands together in front of him, above his head. “I have always been prepared to give my life for Lady Shabon. If she says she will serve you, then my life and land are yours to do with as you see fit.”

He came prepared for that then, huh? This was how I gained the princess of an enemy country, and her servant, two pieces that were going to be a little awkward to use.

Chapter 3: Preparation -policy-

Once Shabon and Kishun were sent back to their inn, Liscia, Hakuya, and I headed for the castle’s strategy room. When we arrived, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, Excel; her second-in-command, Ludwin; the general of the National Land Defense Force, Hal’s father Glaive; and finally Castor, the captain of the island-type carrier Hiryuu, were there. The highest authorities in the Kingdom’s National Defense Force had gathered.

I put up a hand to stop them as they were about to stand and greet us, then took a seat myself.

“Sorry. Did we keep you waiting?” I asked.

Playing with her fan, “No, no,” Excel shook her head, “I’m sure it couldn’t be helped, considering our unexpected guest. You have my sympathies.”

“Ahaha... It’s true, I didn’t expect Princess Shabon.” I could only laugh weakly. “This despite thinking I was preparing for every eventuality, and eliminating all risks to the plan. Why is there always some unexpected trouble that comes along...?”

“That’s just how people are. Not everyone will act the way you think they will. We each have our own feelings, interests, and beliefs. What we place the most importance on among them differs, so of course there will be people who don’t do what we hope they will. Isn’t that right, Castor?”

“...Please, don’t make me answer that, Duchess Walter.”

Excel gave him a mischievous smile, and Castor looked like he had just bitten into something unpleasant. During Georg Carmine’s farcical rebellion, Castor had opposed us, prepared to martyr himself for his friend Georg, despite Excel’s attempts to persuade him not to. Well, that was partially our fault for keeping him in the dark, so he wasn’t alone in his responsibility for that.

Excel snapped her folding fan shut. “Now, sire, what will happen to our plan?”

“It will need some fine-tuning, I’m sure, but the overall outline won’t change.” I looked to Excel and Castor as I spoke. “Excel will act as the commander-in-chief of the fleet dispatched to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago and will ride aboard the Albert II. You will also take command in the expected naval battle, so I’m counting on you there.”

“Understood.”

“Captain Castor will manage the island-type carrier Hiryuu.”

“Ohh, it’s finally being deployed in battle, huh?” Castor said excitedly, and I nodded.

“Because I don’t think we can afford to hold back. The second and third carriers, Souryuu and Unryuu, weren’t ready in time, unfortunately.”

“I can’t wait. What equipment should we load on the wyverns?”

“We’ll load them with the Little Susumu Mark V Light (a Maxwell-type propulsion device), but we aren’t anticipating an air-to-air battle. Don’t use them if you don’t have to.”

“Understood!”

I nodded to the two of them, then turned to Glaive next. Since he was a general in the army, he wouldn’t be involved in a naval battle like this one. I had him come here because I had another mission for him.

“Glaive. Your son Halbert and his wife Ruby will be aboard the Hiryuu, but I want you to take a force north, and guard the border with the Union of Eastern Nations.”

“The Union of Eastern Nations... You’re sure? Not the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago?”

Glaive seemed dubious, but I gave him a big nod.

“The reports from Julius and the Black Cats indicate something fishy is going on there. Mainly involving Fuuga Haan of Malmkhitan.”

“By Fuuga Haan, you mean the one who took back a portion of the Demon Lord’s Domain?”

“The very same. Because of that accomplishment, his fame inside the Union of Eastern Nations seems to have risen massively...”

On top of being an amalgamation of many medium to small states, the Union of Eastern Nations was also a complicated mess of marriages and alliances. There had been no way for any of them to grow larger before now, but... then Malmkhitan, led by Fuuga, appeared. He welcomed the refugees back into the land he reclaimed from the Demon Lord’s Domain. In turn, the refugees tried to rebuild their villages, towns, and countries, but it proved impossible for them to counter the threats of the Demon Lord’s Domain alone. In their situation, they couldn’t declare independence, and had no choice but to turn to the man who had reclaimed their territory for protection.

Basically, Fuuga had gained the countries and people whose land he reclaimed along with the territory. Because of that, Malmkhitan was now the largest country inside the Union of Eastern Nations. When people inside the union saw how Malmkhitan had grown, they were excited. Perhaps they could be the country to break out of their defensive posture, and confront the threat of the Demon Lord’s Domain. Maybe the Union of Eastern Nations could become the equal of the Kingdom in the south, or the Empire in the west? There were apparently more and more people inside the Union of Eastern Nations who thought that way.

“Those of the union found their hope in Fuuga; believing he might shatter the status quo, and open up a new world for them.”

“And... What do you think?” Liscia asked, but I could only shrug.

“If you’re asking whether I think that’s bad or good... I don’t know. For people like us on the outside, it may just look like they’re projecting their ideals onto him, but they may feel differently. I doubt it bothers Fuuga. Because they’re all praying for his rise. With the people lifting him up, he’ll feel like the times are pushing him to act, and may eventually start to think his actions are the will of Heaven. And so, a great man is born.”

“Now that you mention it, the Lunarian Orthodox saint said, ‘Living the way others want you to is wonderful, and something to be proud of’... or something like that.”

“Oh... She did, yeah. I’m impressed you remember, given how long ago it was.”

“Well, that was the day we, um... You know...” Liscia trailed off at the end there.

Oh! Come to think of it, that was our first night together. The reason I was even able to cross the line with Liscia was seeing Mary acting as a saint. Personally, I thought I wanted to be a person, and to be loved as a person. But I doubt Fuuga even worries about which he is.

“So, is this man, Fuuga, the one acting suspiciously?” Glaive asked, a serious expression on his face.

“Oh, no, no.” I waved my hand back and forth. “What’s suspicious is the people around him. Hakuya, explain, please.”

“As you wish. According to reports from Sir Kagetora of the Black Cats and Sir Julius of the Kingdom of Lastania, there are more and more people inside the Union of Eastern Nations who view Sir Fuuga as dangerous. Let us call them the anti-Fuuga faction.”

“Hm? But wasn’t His Majesty just saying that people there view him as some sort of great man?”

“Yes,” Hakuya nodded in agreement. “It’s true that Sir Fuuga is seen as a great man by some in the Union of Eastern Nations. However, that is exactly what’s earned him the ire of some of the kings and lords who belong to the union. Retaking territory from the Demon Lord’s Domain is an incredible feat, and all the credit has gone to Fuuga. They can’t be happy to know that their own subjects love, fear, and respect Fuuga even more than their own rulers.”

“It’s a case of, ‘The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.’ I guess that’s true in any world...”

“Is that a proverb from your world, sire? I think it’s quite apt,” Hakuya said, sounding impressed, and then moved on. “Most likely, from here on the Union of Eastern Nations will be divided between those who support Sir Fuuga, and those who oppose him. The opposition will use the historical connections they have built between countries and drag many states into a war to contain him.”

“I guess that’s going to be his ultimate test, huh...?”

“Yes. Conversely, if Sir Fuuga wants to declare his supremacy, the current state of the Union of Eastern Nations, with its intricate web of marriages and interests, must be irritating to him. You could say these two factions are destined to collide in the not so distant future.”

“Who has the upper hand?” Liscia asked, but Hakuya shook his head.

“I couldn’t say. It’s fifty-fifty. In terms of numbers, the kings and lords should hold the advantage due to their ability to pull in more allies, but Sir Fuuga should have the fame and momentum he’ll need to overcome that disadvantage now.”

“So either side could win, you’re saying? Do you agree, Souma?”

“Well... It will be troublesome no matter which side wins, but Fuuga’s the one I don’t want to fight. He’s got the vigor to kick reason to the curb. So, if we’re going to prepare for the worst possible outcome, we should work under the assumption Fuuga will win.”

“Will you assist the anti-Fuuga faction, sire?” Excel asked.

“Nah. I’m not going to do that,” I replied, firmly rejecting the idea. “Making an enemy of Fuuga is making an enemy of the people who idolize him. Hero worship is like religion. In the same way that we’d have to watch out for a rebellion by followers of Lunarian Orthodoxy if we picked a fight with the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, if we’re hostile to Fuuga, we’ll have to be cautious of his worshipers, too. It’s one thing if he invades us, but if we act against him before he’s shown us any hostility, we’ll be condemned for getting in the way of a great man, and trying to rub out the hope of mankind. If we do that, we’ll have trouble ruling our own country.”

“You’re right... That does sound troublesome. Even the difference in power between our countries doesn’t seem like it would help there.”

“I know, right? Until people can clearly see that Fuuga is a threat to this country, we won’t take action against him, and we can’t. We have his little sister Yuriga here as well. We have to act wary, but friendly.”

Liscia frowned. “Souma. If things in the Union of Eastern Nations get nasty, will the Kingdom of Lastania be all right?”

She must have been worried for Roroa’s brother, Julius, who was in the Union of Eastern Nations.

“Julius knows the dangers of opposing Fuuga. He probably won’t join the anti-Fuuga faction. If things get dicey, I’ve told him to take Princess Tia and her folks, and flee here to the Kingdom.”

“I, for one, am anxious about letting Sir Julius return to the Kingdom,” Hakuya raised his objections. It was a reasonable opinion, but I decided to be selfish here.

“If he cares about Princess Tia, Julius won’t harbor any ambitions towards us.”

“...I understand. If you say so, sire.”

“Sorry. Oh, but we’ve gotten pretty far off track. So, anyway, Glaive, you guard the northern border.”

“Yes, sire. Consider it done.” Glaive put his hands together in front of him and bowed his head. That was more or less all of the orders.

Now it was just a question of what I was going to do until the fleet set out.

“You’re goin’ to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union?!” Roroa shouted incredulously.

That was the immediate reaction I got once I gathered my five wives, Tomoe, and Ichiha in the governmental affairs office.

Liscia apparently was in agreement with Roroa. She looked worried.

“I know you, Souma, so I’ll assume you haven’t gone insane, but you are going to explain why, right?”

“Of course,” I replied with a nod. “Everyone here understands the situation in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, right?” I asked, looking at each of them, and everyone nodded.

Everyone here knew about the unidentified massive creature attacking the archipelago, and why people from there had been fishing illegally in our waters. I was careful with keeping our plans a secret, so only a select few were privileged with this information. Not even Hal and Ruby, who were scheduled to be aboard the Hiryuu, had been told yet. Ludwin’s assistant Kaede was on maternity leave, so there was no way for the two of them to find out through her this time. The vast majority of our soldiers believed that they would only be facing the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union’s fleet.

“To be frank, it sounds like the unidentified massive creature—I believe they call it Ooyamizuchi—is going to be more trouble than the Archipelago Union’s fleet. We’ll be setting sail in roughly a week. I want to gather what information I can on the creature before then.”

“And that’s why you’re going to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, Souma?”

“Yeah. Because there’s a sea between us, it’s hard to get information from them. Looking at Shabon’s actions, it seems like they have trouble gaining information on us, too, though. Take a look at this.” I spread out a rough map of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago on the desk. “These two islands that are the closest to the one we used as a dock when building the Hiryuu are the domain of Kishun, who came here as Shabon’s bodyguard. They’re also the closest to National Naval Defense Force HQ in Lagoon City. Negotiations have opened up these islands for our use.”

The two islands, one large and one small, ruled by Kishun were collectively known as the Twin Islands. The larger was known as Big Island, and the smaller as Little Island, though people from outside the islands called them Big Twin Island and Little Twin Island. These two islands were close enough together that you could swim between them, so Kishun’s mansion was on Big Island.

“We’ll use the ship Shabon and Kishun came in to travel to Big Island in secret. Because there’s a risk of someone seeing us if we use one of the Kingdom’s ships or with Naden. I don’t want it known that I’m staying there. I intend to use Kishun’s mansion as a base of operations and gather information on Ooyamizuchi. To that end, I’d like to ask Tomoe and Ichiha to come with me.”

“Us as well?”

“I-If that’s your order, I’ll follow it...”

They both seemed bewildered.

I was asking them to follow me to a country that we had deteriorating relations with, so I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t want to bring two children into such a dangerous place if I didn’t have to, but I absolutely needed their abilities to investigate Ooyamizuchi. Tomoe’s ability might let her understand Ooyamizuchi’s thoughts. Ichiha might use his monster identification system to identify Ooyamizuchi’s parts and come up with a valid method of attacking it. He had already come up with a number of potential compositions, and with more information, they would only get more precise.

Excel was formulating a plan based on them right now.

“However, you would be sneaking into a country that we have deteriorating relations with, would you not? Then there is also this monster being to consider. Is it not dangerous?” Aisha looked concerned, but I stuck to my guns.

“If I decide it’s getting too dangerous, we can hop on Naden’s back and come home. I don’t have to care if anyone sees me once we’re high-tailing it out of there. You can cross the sea without the Hiryuu, right, Naden?”

“Sure. Just leave it to me.” Naden thumped her chest with one hand proudly. I nodded.

“That’s why I intend to go with a small group, so it’s easy for Naden to carry us in an emergency. I’d like Naden, Tomoe, and Ichiha to come with me—with Aisha and Juna, who knows a lot about the sea, as my bodyguards.”

“Yes, sire. Understood.”

“...Me, too?”

Aisha instantly accepted it, but Juna took a little longer to respond.

“Huh? Is there something bothering you?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I understand. I’ll go there to protect you.”

“I’m gettin’ jealous of all of ya. I always get stuck holdin’ down the fort at times like this.” Roroa pouted, but I had another task in mind for her.

“I’d like you to stay in the capital and keep in contact with Julius in the Kingdom of Lastania.”

“With my brother?”

“There’s something fishy going on inside the Union of Eastern Nations. It feels like the Fuuga and anti-Fuuga factions are about to collide. I’ve asked Glaive to lead a portion of the National Land Defense Force to the border for now, but depending on the situation, they may need to take action.”

“...You’re sayin’ my brother and Big Sis might be in trouble?”

“I’ve told him to take the Lastanian royal family and run if things get too dicey. If it does come to that, having you on hand to deal with it is the best way to make sure things work out.”

Julius was difficult enough for our country to deal with as is, after all. There were sure to be people wary of letting him into the country. In order to keep those voices in check, it was best to have Roroa, the third primary queen, mediate.

“Okay.” Roroa nodded, seeming to understand. “I’ve gotta do what I can for my Big Sis. I’ll keep in close contact with my brother.”

“By all means. And let me know if anything happens. Depending on the situation, I can come right back.”

“Roger that.”

“Hey, that’s my—wait, isn’t everyone stealing my favorite line too often?!” Naden objected. It was just too easy to use, you know?

“But without you in the castle, I won’t have any work to do,” Liscia said, bringing a finger to her lips thoughtfully.

Recently, Liscia had been acting as my assistant while Carla, one of the other maids, or occasionally Lady Elisha was looking after Cian and Kazuha for us. If I wasn’t in the castle, she had no one to assist, and that left her with a lot of nothing to do. I think it would be fine for her to kick back and relax, but diligent as she was, Liscia couldn’t stand to have too much free time. But that said, I couldn’t take her with me.

Cian and Kazuha were still only one year old, so we couldn’t take our eyes off them. It wasn’t possible for both me and Liscia to leave their side for days at a time, and there was no way I was taking them to the dangerous Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.

“Do you want to take the kids to your father’s domain, maybe?”

“That would be nice, too, but... Can’t I go to the island where the Hiryuu has its dock? With the children.”

“What? To that island?”

“I was thinking it would be good to let the children experience the roar of the sea and see how big it is.”

“Uh, I don’t think it’s the season for swimming.”

It was still only January, and— Hey, wait, they’re still babies, so they can’t swim at all, huh? Besides, in a world with massive sea creatures like this one, the idea of swimming wasn’t all that widespread. It was probably only the people who lived by the water’s edge who could swim freely whenever they liked. I know Parnam is inland, and it would be good to let them feel the immensity of the sea from a young age. But still...

“Since it’s the closest island to the Twin Islands, it’s also close to Ooyamizuchi’s range, you know? I know there’s a lot of open sea between us, but we can’t rule out the possibility of that thing coming to our shores, so I’m worried about you and the children being there.”

Hearing my explanation, Liscia sighed in exasperation. “What are you talking about? That island is where the fleet you’re sending to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago is gathering, right? Even if the monster did come, the National Naval Defense Force would give it a violent welcome.”

“Well... Yes, that’s true, but...”

“If it gets dangerous, I can run away in a wyvern gondola. Besides, when you go to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, you’ll be taking a broadcast jewel with you to keep in touch with the fleet, right? You’ll have to send back the information you gather, after all.”

“...You understand me well.”

“I’m your wife. Besides, if I’m on the island, you’ll be able to see the children’s faces when you make your regular reports.”

“Urgh... Oh, geez, fine. I give, I give,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. “You can go to the island. But be careful, will you?”

“I know. Make sure you come home safely, too, Souma. The children will be waiting.”

“Of course I will.”

With that, our policy was decided. Okay, let’s go to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.

Chapter 4: Going Ahead -leading force-

“Mmm, the sea breeze feels great... is something I could have said if this was summer.”

“It sure is cold, isn’t it? We’re still in the first month of the year, after all.”

We were aboard Kishun’s ship, with Juna and me standing close together, looking out over the vast open sea. Whew, it sure is cold. Despite clear skies, the sea breeze was strong, and freezing.

Naden, never one for the cold, was cooped up in her cabin, wrapped in a blanket. This wasn’t as chilly as the Republic of Turgis, but it was still too harsh for her. When a concerned Tomoe went to check on her, Naden dragged her under the blankets to use as a living hot water bottle. Not sure what else I could do, I was going to dispatch Aisha to rescue Tomoe, but she had been laid low by seasickness. Having lived in the God-Protected Forest for most of her life, she had never experienced a swaying ship like this before. Ichiha was looking after her now.

But still... It was cold. Maybe I should have brought a real hot water bottle. The rest of us might not have had it as bad as Naden, but not many people were going to want to spend long out on the deck in this chill air. For me and Juna, staying inside the whole time was too boring, so we had popped out for a brief look. We fully intended to head back in after a little while.

I stretched, hoping to loosen up my body which was a little stuff from the cold.

“Ungh... I think it has been a while since I was last on a ship,” I said with a sigh.

“Haven’t you visited the Hiryuu a number of times?”

“That’s more of an island or a base; it doesn’t feel like a ship. Are you accustomed to traveling by boat like this? You were raised in a port town, correct?”

“I did, but... Darling, we’re alone right now, you know?” Juna whispered, and I jumped a little.

Now that she mentioned it, I remembered we’d agreed to be a little more relaxed and less formal with each other when we were alone.

“Sorry about that... Juna.”

“Hee hee. Don’t worry about it, Darling.” Juna smiled with satisfaction and pressed up close to me. It was a bit embarrassing.

“...Uh, anyway, I was surprised Kishun’s ship was an occidental one.”

“Occidental?”

“Ohh, just a thing from my world.”

Because Kishun dressed in a manner I associated with Japan, I had imagined an atakebune, the large warships used by the Japanese military in the 16th and 17th century, or perhaps the ironclad variant of them, the tekkosen, so I was surprised to find that his ship looked a lot like a carrack. It had been designed to be pulled by sea creatures, so the front section wasn’t as pointy as a galleon’s. There were also iron plates covering all the important parts to protect against firearms. In a way, you could have called this ship an ironclad.

Well, I’d heard the atakebune was unsuited to the open sea, so maybe it was inevitable his ship would be shaped like this. The reports said they did have some that resembled kohayabune, the small warships used by the Japanese military in the same period, so maybe it was just a matter of using the right ship for the right task.

Because this ship resembled a carrack, it had sails, but they were folded now because we were being tugged by a sea dragon. It was pretty surreal seeing a sailing ship with its sails furled up, being dragged by a creature that looked like a plesiosaur like an ox might pull a cart.

“If it’s going to be pulled by a sea dragon, why even have sails to begin with?”

“They’re for when there’s trouble with the sea creatures,” Juna explained in response to my question. “If they’re no longer able to pull as a result of an accident or battle, then the ship can’t move without sails or oars as a backup. That’s why they have sails. It also costs a lot to feed sea creatures, so some trips are done using just the wind and currents.”

“I get it... But by that logic, what’s an iron battleship like the Albert supposed to do? When there’s a battle at sea, the sea creatures might get hurt, right? Wouldn’t a warship without a propulsion device like the Little Susumu Mark V be stuck when that happened?”

“There is equipment to raise sails on warships like the Albert, too, you know?”

“Huh? There is?”

Because the Albert had been modified to transport things and fire cannons on land during the battle with Castor, I didn’t have a full grasp of what it was like before.

“That’s only for emergencies,” Juna added. “They’re not fast, and you’re drifting at the mercy of the wind. Normally, warships don’t sail alone, so they’ll be towed by the surviving ships once the battle ends. Whether those ships are friend or foe, however, will depend on how the battle went, though.”

They’ll be rescued if it’s the former, or captured if it’s the latter, huh?

Just then, a voice called out to me, “So this is where you were, Sir Souma.”

I turned towards the direction I’d heard it to find Shabon and Kishun approaching.

“That outfit... really suits you. Anyone who sees it would think you were from Yaeda Island.”

“It’s not bad, hearing that from one of the locals.”

Because I was going incognito, I was wearing my Kitakaze Kozou-esque outfit with the conical straw hat and traveler’s cape for the first time in a while. I had used this occasionally after I heard my hair color and facial features resembled those of the people in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, but to elaborate a little further, a race of black-haired humans was the second or third most common in the region, and there were a lot of them on Yaeda Island, which had a large human population.

Hakuya has black hair, so maybe he could trace his roots back to Yaeda Island, too?

As I was thinking that, Shabon hesitantly asked, “Um... Is there anything inconveniencing you, perhaps?”

“Nah, I’m pretty comfortable. It’s nice to travel aboard a ship every now and again,” I said, smiling at the worried-looking Shabon.

Her expression relaxed a bit. “I am glad to hear that.”

“I guess if I had one thing on my mind, it’s the sea creatures pulling this ship. I hear that the creatures pulling your ship when you came (horned doldons, which resembled dolphins) ran away, so we’re using sea dragons from the Kingdom. Won’t people in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago find that suspicious?”

“It should be all right. We use sea dragons to pull large ships in the archipelago, too, after all,” Kishun explained. I guess it was all right then.

“So, how much further is it to your island?”

“We can already see the mountains of Nine-Headed Dragon Island—the largest island of the archipelago, and the one ruled by the king—which is even more distant than the Twin Islands, so I expect they should come into view soon. ...Ah, I just spotted them now, in fact,” he said pointing forward.

When I looked in the direction of his finger and I could see something sticking up out of the sea. It seemed to grow as the ship approached, eventually taking the form of two islands. That’s the Twin Islands, huh?

“When I look at them like this, we’re pretty close to the island where the Nine-Headed Dragon King is, huh?”

“No, sire,” Kishun shook his head. “The mountains of Nine-Headed Dragon Island are quite large, so while it may appear that way, in reality, they are still quite far away. It would still take more than an hour by boat.”

“I know it can be hard to tell the distance between islands. There was a young man from a race especially gifted at swimming who boasted, ‘I could swim to that island.’ He tried to, but was surprised to find that it was further away than he thought, and drowned... or so the old story goes,” Shabon added.

Hmm, that’s a neat story, I thought. It was common for the old stories people passed down to reflect taboos and lessons, as was the case with old man Urup’s tsunami legend. That story probably had a factual basis. Maybe they handed down the story because someone actually drowned like that? To prevent anyone repeating his mistake.

“Ah!” Kishun exclaimed, breaking my train of thought.

“What’s up?”

“Now that we can see the islands, please, be careful.”

“Come again? ...Wait, woah?!”

The ship heaved. Then... Slam! There was the sound of something striking the keel of the ship.

“What was that?! Did we hit a rock?!”

“It’s nothing to worry about. The intense tidal currents around here mean that when the ship cuts across the waves, the bottom of the ship strikes the surface of the sea, producing a loud noise. There is nothing actually being hit here.”

“Is that how it works?” I asked Juna despite myself, and she nodded.

“Yes. It’s something that happens when you go over a certain speed in places where the tide is fast.”

“I-I see. I’m relieved to hear that—”

Slam! Ker-slam!

“—is what I’d like to say, but there’s no way I can feel relieved hearing that sound.”

“...Yeah.”

Some wooden planks were all that separated us from a watery grave. I felt like I was experiencing the terrible power of the sea first hand.

“Okay, now that we are riding the tide, it shouldn’t be long before we reach the islands,” Kishun said, as if trying to reassure us. I was feeling awfully eager to get back on dry land now, so I just hoped he was right.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Ohh, it’s Lord Kishun!”

“Everyone, Lord Kishun has returned!”

“Lady Shabon is with him!”

Once the ship arrived in port, the islanders greeted us with enthusiasm. Those who saw the ship arrive called in others, and in no time the harbor was full of people. It looked like the people of this island truly loved Kishun and Princess Shabon.

I subtly approached Kishun. “The islanders don’t know you’re under our command, right?” I asked in a whisper.

“That is correct. You are free to use this island as you see fit, but that is solely by my will. The islanders know nothing of it, and are simply obeying their chief.”

So, basically, if they were criticized for siding with the Kingdom later, all the responsibility would fall on Kishun. He was making sure that, should the worst happen, he could offer up his own head, and the islanders wouldn’t be punished. I respected his resolve.

A gangplank was lowered from the ship, and we were able to stand on dry land for the first time in far too long.

“Ohh... Even now that I am back on land, it still feels like it’s swaying underneath me.”

“...I just want to get indoors quickly.”

Seasick Aisha and cold-averse Naden both looked unenthused by their current situation.

I worried if my two strongest fighters could play their roles as bodyguards in their current state, but well, if it came to it, I was sure they’d be fine. They’d do a bang-up job of it.

Meanwhile, Tomoe and Ichiha seemed to be full of energy.

“Lookie, lookie, Ichiha. The houses are packed in tight.”

“You’re right. The alleyways are so narrow.”

“It’s common to see houses built like this on islands,” Juna, in educational program mode, explained to the curious pair. “Because they have limited space to build, they’re forced to pack things in tightly. The narrow alleyways form a maze, so they can be fun to explore.”

“““Wowwww,””” the kids and I beamed, impressed by the sight.

This was something that occurred to me when we visited the Republic of Turgis too, but it was interesting to see how the landscape shaped the culture and lifestyle of its inhabitants.

An older, muscular man with beast ears wearing a twisted headband, a happi coat, and loose-fitting pants walked up to Kishun. Judging by his tail, is he a tanuki beastman?

The tanuki guy asked Kishun, “So, Island Chief, how did it go?”

“Yeah. I was able to get fish from the Kingdom safely,” he replied.

So, the story was that Kishun had gone to the Kingdom to negotiate with knights and nobles whose domains were on the coast in order to get his hands on fish. Because of that, Kishun’s ship was loaded with fish caught in the Kingdom... The smell had done nothing to help Aisha’s seasickness, though.

The tanuki man slapped his bulging abdominal muscles. “That’s excellent.”

“Yeah. I’d like to ask you to begin unloading immediately. Take the sea dragons around to the bay, too, if you would. We don’t want Ooyamizuchi sniffing them out.”

“Leave it t’us! Hey, you louts! We’re unloading the ship!”

“““Right!”””

With that, a group of men wearing the same happi coat as the man boarded the ship. I was surprised to see that the only things they wore other than those coats were a loincloth and socks. It was the middle of winter and here they were working half-naked.

“Aren’t they cold...?”

“Of course we are. That’s why we’re wearing happi coats, isn’t it?” the tanuki guy, having heard me mumbling to myself, said with a hearty laugh.

No, I couldn’t see wearing a happi coat without even doing up the front doing much to ward off the cold... and hold on, reading into what the guy just said, did they not even wear happi coats when it wasn’t cold? Were they really a group of buff macho men in loincloths? I bet they make an imposing sight in the middle of the summer heat...

While I was thinking about that and watching them unload the ship, one of the macho men called out to the tanuki man, “Hey, boss! There’s something weird in the luggage?”

“Oh, what is it?”

The men carried out a wooden box which was just large enough that an adult would still struggle to fit inside it.

“There’s no label, and it felt strange carrying it.”

“Hmm... Any idea what it is, Island Chief?”

“No, I don’t remember a box like this...” Kishun said, looking to me for an answer.

We all shook our heads. I didn’t remember bringing anything like this aboard.

“Well, once we pry it open, we’ll know what’s up.”

The tanuki guy opened the lid of the wooden box, and...

“““Whaa?!””” we all cried out in surprise.

Inside the box was a twintailed girl with wings like a crane’s.

““Why’s Yuriga here?!”” Tomoe and I cried out in unison, but...

“Urgh... Blech...” Yuriga just vomited, her face pale.

“...So, what exactly are you doing here?” I asked after Yuriga had recovered.

She puffed up her cheeks and said, “When I heard Tomoe and Ichiha were both taking time off from the Academy, I wondered where they were going. They wouldn’t tell me a thing when I asked. So, I stowed away in the luggage on the gondola to find out... I never expected to be loaded onto a ship. To think I spent all this time cramped up in a cargo room that stank of fish... Ulp...”

Yuriga gagged, probably feeling sick again, and Tomoe patted her on the back.

“What did you eat and drink?” I asked.

“...I borrowed some fruits and water from the cargo. I intend to pay for them later.”

“Sheesh. If it was so bad in there, you could have come out and shown yourself, you know?”

“I could never! I found myself on the ship before I knew it! A total stowaway! I’ve heard that stowaways are usually fed to large sea creatures. I was pretty sure you people were aboard the ship, too, but I couldn’t be certain. I couldn’t come out until I was positive that it was safe... Though, that meant I ended up half-delirious with seasickness.” Yuriga shuddered as she remembered her time aboard.

Well, if she was stuck in a tiny space that smelled of raw fish, fighting her fear of being caught, as well as seasickness, I couldn’t blame her for feeling unwell.

The tanuki guy looked down at Yuriga. “You’re right. Anyone nervy enough to stowaway aboard a ship deserves to be megalodon chow.”

His tone was threatening. I’ll bet that the reason Yuriga just got even paler wasn’t just because of seasickness. Oh, but she was, technically, a princess from another country, so I didn’t want him frightening her too much. If anything happened to Yuriga, Fuuga would be an absolute nightmare to deal with.

Kishun bopped the tanuki man on the head with his sheathed katana.

“You’re a grown man. Don’t intimidate a child like that.”

“Oww...! No, boss. I’m telling you, you’ve gotta teach brats like this a good lesson.”

“This is my ship, so it is not your place to get angry. She is a friend of my guests, so I will not do anything to punish her.”

“G-Guests, you say?”

The tanuki guy looked at me. I tipped my conical hat to him.

“I’m a merchant who trades in the ports of the Kingdom of Friedonia. I helped with the purchase of the fish, and Sir Kishun invited me to come stay on this island as thanks.”

“The Kingdom of Friedonia? You’re not a Yaeda Islander?”

“I am by blood. I’m told my great grandfather came to the Kingdom from there.”

That was a lie, of course, but I couldn’t let who I really was come out, so I needed a backstory. I grabbed Yuriga by the head and forced her to bow, then lowered my own head, too.

“I’m sorry. I should have kept a closer eye on her. I’ll be sure to give my little sister an earful later.”

“Wait, little sis—”

“Yuriga! When you apologize, do it properly!”

“I-I’m sorry.”

Once we had both apologized, the tanuki man awkwardly scratched his cheek. “Oh, no, if she knows she did wrong, it’s fine. I wasn’t being as mature as I should have, either.”

“It helps a lot to hear you say that,” I said.

“Still, for siblings, you don’t look much alike.”

“We’re half celestials. My little sister takes after our mother.”

“...You’ve got a complicated family, huh? Well, be a good brother and take care of your little sister.”

“Yeah. I will,” I replied with a small wave.

...Whew, it looks like I managed to get through that. Once the tanuki guy had returned to work, I crouched down in front of Yuriga and looked her in the eye.

“Yuriga,” I whispered.

When she heard her name, her shoulders tensed. It seemed she was trying to defend her actions, but she couldn’t find the words, and ultimately just deflated.

“Um... I’m sorry,” she replied, also whispering, then let out a sigh. I might not have been very good at this sort of thing, but I needed to tell her off.

“...If even one thing had gone wrong, this could have turned into something major. That risked an international incident, obviously, but it put you in danger, too. I hear seamen can be a rowdy bunch. If they’d caught you when we weren’t around or you’d been loaded onto a different ship... there’s no telling what they might have done to you.”

Yuriga hung her head in defeat. Part of that had to come from the way the tanuki man had intimidated her. She could act tough, but she was still just fourteen years old—or in my world, she’d only be in her second year of middle school.

I rested a hand on her discouraged head. “Well, I can see you’re reflecting on your actions, so I won’t press the issue any further, but don’t ever do this again. Also, report what happened to Fuuga yourself.”

“Yes...”

Giving Yuriga a pat on the head when she nodded, I turned to Kishun and said, “Sorry for the trouble. Could you show us to the mansion now?”

“Very well.”

And so, we followed Kishun.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Whoa, the alleys really are narrow, Ichiha.”

Tomoe and Ichiha, who were following Souma and the others through the alleyways of the Twin Islands, were surprised how close together the houses were. They were packed so tightly that, even in the middle of the day, the alleys were a bit dark.

“The gaps are so small that two adults couldn’t stand side-by-side. There’s nothing like this in the Duchy of Chima or the Kingdom of Friedonia.” Ichiha gulped at what he was seeing.

“It’d be real bad if there was a fire, huh? The walls look like they’re made of wood, too.”

“Maybe they’re made of wood so they can be rebuilt quickly when there is a fire? The houses are rather simple... But that makes me worry about burglars instead. Even the doors are wooden.”

“I think they’ll be fine on a small island like this, right? They all must know each other here.”

“That makes sense. With the houses so densely packed, it’s easy to notice something’s wrong in the neighbor’s house.”

Seeing the new surroundings of the island, Tomoe and Ichiha discussed what life must be like here. This was something instilled into them by their teacher, Hakuya.

“When you look at the scenery of another country, you can see how the people of that land live. Things and culture are born of necessity. The way people build their houses, for example, tells us quite faithfully how they live. If you wish to expand your perspective of the outside world, you can start by closely observing those details.”

They did as they were taught, and imagined the lives of the islanders as they looked around. Whenever the things the islanders did matched their imaginations, Tomoe and Ichiha felt giddy, like they had solved a puzzle.

“This is like one of those games where you find the matching pictures, huh, Ichiha?”

“You’re right. Though, I’m not sure we should be having so much fun when we’re here on official business.”

“Hey, what do you think, Yuriga?” Tomoe asked, turning to the silent Yuriga.

“......”

“Yuriga?”

But Yuriga was present in body only. Her mind had clearly wandered off someplace else.

“Is she still feeling bothered by the way Big Brother and the old tanuki man got angry at her?” Now worried, Tomoe leaned in and looked at Yuriga’s face. “You okay, Yuriga?”

“Huh?! Uh, what?”

Yuriga’s head snapped up as she suddenly returned to reality. It looked like she hadn’t been listening.

Tomoe looked at her with concern. “You were quiet all this time, so I got worried. Is what happened earlier still bothering you?”

“Not really... I was thinking about it, though.”

“About what?”

“Is your brother, um... always like that when he scolds someone?” Yuriga asked Tomoe awkwardly. “You know, the way he spoke to me and then bowed his head to the people I inconvenienced together with me. Like that, I mean.”

“Hrm... He has scolded me before. I’ve never done anything that would require bowing my head and apologizing, but I think if I did, Big Brother would bow his head with me just like he did for you.”

“I see...” Yuriga replied, before lapsing back into thought.

Seeing this, Tomoe cocked her head to the side and asked, “Hasn’t Fuuga ever scolded you?”

“Of course he has! You’ve even seen him drop a fist on my head, haven’t you?”

“Ah, I do remember that...” Tomoe said, recalling a similar event from when they were in the Union of Eastern States.

“If it were my brother, I would have gotten hit, I’m sure.” Yuriga sighed. “And I doubt he’d have bowed his head to a common laborer, either. I’d have received ample punishment, so the other side would leave it at that... That’s how it would probably go.”

“Ah...”

I can see it, thought Tomoe. That was definitely what Fuuga would do—punish her then insist she be forgiven. The other side would be forced to accept it. In exchange for a headache, Yuriga would gain forgiveness.

Yuriga sighed again. “My head always hurts after my brother drops his fist on it. But when Sir Souma scolded me, and I bowed my head with him... there was no physical pain, but...”

She seemed to be struggling for the words, but Tomoe understood.

“Your heart hurt?”

“...Something like that. This is actually harder on me.”

Because of what she’d done, someone who had nothing to do with it was forced to apologize with her. That ‘hit’ pretty hard. Even if someone didn’t feel bad about what they’d done, they’d still feel a sense of guilt. Because, at her core, Yuriga was a serious person, which only amplified the result.

“Is this what Sir Souma means by a difference in values?” Yuriga asked, rubbing her head in the spot Souma had touched earlier during the apology.

“Murgh...” Tomoe got a little grumpy and pinched Yuriga’s cheeks.

“Hey... Shtop it! What are you doing?!” Yuriga exclaimed, batting her hands away.

Tomoe snorted angrily, “Big Brother is my big brother. I won’t let you have him.”

“He’s only your honorary brother! Besides, it’s not like I want him anyway! The strong and cool Fuuga is the only big brother for me!”

“My big brother is cool, too!”

The two glared at the other. Hesitantly, Ichiha put himself in the middle between them.

“Hey now, you two, don’t fight here. If we’re separated from the others and get lost, we’ll be scolded again, you know?”

““Ah!””

The mention of being scolded by Souma snapped both Tomoe and Yuriga back to their senses.

“Uh, oh! They’ve already gotten away from us a little.”

“Because you’re a slowpoke, Yuriga.”

“Don’t make this my fault, you little kid! You were talking, too!”

“Come on, you two! I said this isn’t the time to fight!”

“Oh, right, you did. Anyway, let’s run!” Yuriga said, looking at Tomoe and Ichiha.

““Roger!”” Tomoe and Ichiha snapped a salute, and then the three took off running.

They ran as hard as they could and managed to catch up before the adults noticed they had been lagging behind.

Souma turned around, only to see the exhausted looks on their faces. “Hm? What’s up, you three? You’re out of breath.”

“I-It’s nothing, Big Brother.”

“Eh?” Souma cocked his head to the side in confusion, then turned to face forward. The three quietly sighed in relief.

“Whew... I’m glad we made it,” Tomoe said.

“I-It was tough with the incline here, huh? Even though it’s winter, I still worked up a sweat.”

“Geez, and whose fault is that, Yuriga?”

“Yours, too, I’d say, Tomoe.”

“Huff... Huff...” Ichiha was too winded to mediate in their squabbling.

Tomoe smiled wryly, then glanced at Yuriga. We just got to the Twin Islands, and things already feel hectic... she thought.

“...What? What’re you staring for?”

“No reason.”

But if Yuriga’s got her spirit back... Well, I guess that’s okay. Tomoe chuckled as she thought about it.

Chapter 5: Encounter -enemy-

Passing through the narrow alleyway and onto the path that leads to the plateau, white walls could be seen constructed on top of the cliff face. I presumed this to be Kishun’s mansion. Now that I got a look at it, I could see semblances of a Japanese-style castle, like one of the ones from the early-to-mid Sengoku period that didn’t have a tower.

Tomoe blinked repeatedly as she looked up at the building. “The walls are a lot lower than the ones at the castle in the Kingdom, huh?”

“It’s because they don’t have to protect the surrounding town, too. Being built so far up the plateau makes it hard to shell it, so they’re probably high enough,” Ichiha explained.

“But what if wyvern cavalry attack?” Tomoe asked, cocking her head to the side. “I don’t see anything like an anti-air repeating bolt thrower.”

“They have that covered, too. Because there are no wyverns living in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago,” Ichiha said, pointing towards the sea. “Wyverns hate flying out so far that they can’t see land. Eventually, their wings will get tired and without some place to settle down, they’ll eventually crash into the sea. Thanks to the high mountains, the islands of the archipelago look closer together than they actually are. It’s tough to fly from island to island on a wyvern, so there was never enough benefit to bring them in from the mainland and breed them here.”

“Right...” Yuriga groaned.

“That was amazing, Ichiha,” Tomoe said, clapping her hands. “You made that really easy to understand.”

Ichiha smiled shyly at the praise.

The kids have a healthy desire to learn, I thought as we passed through the gate at the top of the stone steps. They must be steadily absorbing all sorts of new information from the foreign scenery around them. That’s a good trend.

Once Kishun led us into the mansion, the servants turned and bowed their heads at our arrival. It looked like it had been explained to them that we were guests.

“This way, please,” Kishun said, leading us to a large tatami room.

The building had shouji screens and fusuma panels, making it feel very Japanese. Because the garden was nearby, it felt less like the banquet hall at an inn and more like a dojo.

“This room should be big and easy to use. I have already had the materials that we prepared brought to this room. Please, use the things and people in this mansion as you see fit.”

“P-Please, give me your orders as well,” Princess Shabon added, bowing her head along with Kishun. It seemed like they were doing everything they could for us. That just showed how serious the two of them were about this.

Looking around the room, there were piles of papers. Those had to be the materials Kishun had mentioned.

I nodded, then quickly began giving directions to everyone, “Okay. Let’s get right to work. Ichiha and I will look through the information on Ooyamizuchi. Juna, I’d like you to assist us.”

“Understood.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Juna and Ichiha saluted.

I issued directions to the others, “Princess Shabon and Kishun, I’ll have you help classify the materials you’ve got gathered here. You were saying we could ‘use the servants,’ but I’d rather not let a large number of people come into contact with important information. Would you two help us instead?”

“Very well. Give the word, and it will be done.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Shabon and Kishun accepted my request.

“Okay. Aisha... are you recovering?” I asked.

Aisha thumped her chest, despite looking a little sickly. “Yes. The world is still shaking a little, but that should not pose a problem.”

“You don’t need to strain yourself, but... if you can manage it, please stand guard inside this room.”

“Yes, sire! Understood.”

“Tomoe and Yuriga, you can just do whatever. This is a good opportunity for you, so go see the island. Naden, watch over them for me.”

“Roger that.”

“Um, Big Brother? I was hoping to help, too, you know?” Tomoe said.

I beckoned her closer, then, plopping my hand down on her head, I whispered in one of her little wolf ears, “I’ll be needing your ability eventually. But I don’t think it’s time for you to do anything just yet. Until it is, I want you to keep an eye on Yuriga and keep her from doing anything crazy.”

“Yuriga?”

“Yeah. Look at the way she stowed on board. She’s like a bundle of potential energy. If we leave her bored and without someone to chat with, there’s no telling what nonsense she might pull.”

“...I see. That makes sense.” Tomoe snapped a salute as if to say “Leave it to me!”

Tomoe can get up to her own antics sometimes, too, though. Well, with Naden protecting them, they won’t be in any danger. Once Tomoe went back over to Yuriga, who was giving us a suspicious “What are those two talking about?” look, I clapped my hands.

“Okay, everyone, I’m counting on you.”

“These materials were brought to us by the spies that the princess and I sent out, and include witness reports of Ooyamizuchi as well as materials on the Archipelago Union fleet,” Kishun explained, indicating the mountain of papers on the table in front me.

I should have known the locals would be able to gather a lot of information. Though we had sent in the Black Cats, we couldn’t send many of them because this place was quite far away and across the sea. Because of that, they had limited ability to gather intel, and it often arrived late.

“I’m grateful for this. Now, diving right in, I’d like Princess Shabon and Kishun to categorize these materials. Divide them into information about Ooyamizuchi and everything else, then bring just the Ooyamizuchi materials to us.”

When I said that, Shabon’s eyes widened in shock. “Does that mean... the information on the Nine-Headed Dragon King and the fleet do not matter to you?”

...Ahh, I guess I phrased that poorly. I could see why that might make it sound like I was taking the Nine-Headed Dragon King and the Archipelago Union’s fleet lightly. Though they had parted ways with them, she and Kishun had come to us out of a desire to help the islanders, so it was natural that they would still feel some affection for their country. It must have been unpleasant to see me seemingly disregard them.

“Sorry. That’s not how I meant it. I don’t know much about navies and battles at sea, so I want to focus my attention on Ooyamizuchi. Pass the materials on the Nine-Headed Dragon King and the fleet to Aisha, if you would. She’ll send the information to our expert back in the Kingdom (Excel), who will come up with effective countermeasures.”

“O-Oh, I see... Excuse me,” Shabon said, bowing her head apologetically.

That seemed to have satisfied her, so I immediately moved on to examining the task at hand.

Juna and I took the materials that Shabon and Kishun had classified for us and further divided them into witness testimony and damage reports before passing them to Ichiha. He then analyzed the information and narrowed down the creature’s possible forms.

“Th-This is...! Oh, my...” Princess Shabon, who was sorting through papers, suddenly cried out.

I turned to see what was up, and Princess Shabon came over, a pained look on her face as she handed me a single document. I accepted the papers and looked over them.

“A whole island, destroyed, huh...? That’s awful,” I muttered despite myself.

The document was a damage report from a few days ago. Dozens of people and their livestock had vanished from a single island overnight. Judging by the destruction and the “scraps” left behind, it had been determined that Ooyamizuchi must have been responsible. Looking at the date, Shabon and Kishun would have been in the Kingdom when it occurred. In other words, the damage had continued to spread while they were away.

Images of the hellish scene outside the walls of Lastania flashed through my memory. Things like that could happen anywhere in this world. I would need to keep that in mind at all times. For now, though, I had to figure out how to deal with Ooyamizuchi.

“Based on the witness reports, we’re assuming that Ooyamizuchi is a single creature. If it was able to devour all those people in one night, it must be pretty huge, right?” Ichiha asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah. There’re some discrepancies in the testimony, but it seems to be the size of a small island. Its body must be over 30 meters high.”

“About as long as Naden in her ryuu form if you stretched her out, then.”

“...I know it’s inappropriate, but it’s a bit funny to imagine that,” Juna said with a wry smile. We were using Naden like a ruler, after all.

“Hey, Ichiha, if it’s 30 meters tall, it’s got to be even longer than that, right?”

“Correct. We have reports of people who saw it crawling like a turtle. If we think of it that way, it might be two-to-three times as long.”

“At that size, it’s a real kaiju...”

I mean, I had seen a number of creatures you could call “kaiju,” including Naden and dragons like Ruby, as well as rhinosauruses and sea dragons, but this Ooyamizuchi was massive even when compared to them. The only one that didn’t lose in a competition of size was Mother Dragon, but she didn’t insert herself in the affairs of mankind when they didn’t involve dragons, so she wasn’t going to be helping us. We had to take care of our own problems.

“What do we know about its form? There were reports of it being a many-headed snake, too, right?”

When I asked that, Ichiha looked through the documents, cocking his head to the side a little.

“That’s not clear. Many of these statements say that they weren’t able to make out its form clearly through the fog at a distance. Though, many do mention seeing something long and serpentine.”

“At a distance, huh...? Do we have any up-close witness reports?” I said, digging through the pile, and Ichiha groaned.

“The only ones who’ve seen it up close are the victims. They’ve all been injured, traumatized, or...”

“...Digested by now?”

“Though, we can’t be sure it has a digestive tract like normal creatures.”

Not much hope of getting information there, huh? I was thinking, when...

“Oh, sire. How about this?” Juna said, presenting me with a piece of paper. “It looks like a written report from the sole survivor of an attack by Ooyamizuchi. Despite surviving, they were badly injured and had to be moved to another island for treatment. They appear to have been in a fairly unstable state of mind, so we can’t be sure how accurate their testimony is, though.”

“Let me see?” Ichiha took the paper and looked over it.

— The Testimony of a Fisherman —

It was a snake. The head of a snake. Stretching out from the fog. We hid in the boathouse, but this huge, long snake tore the roof open, and picked Raishi* up with its mouth. We were terrified, just terrified... Couldn’t do anything but watch.

Moments pass, and then there’s this sickening thud... We look out and there’s Raishi, split clean in two—his upper half and lower half.

We were confused, and all ran off in different directions.

I don’t remember where I ran, or how... but I tripped over something, took a tumble... and must have lost consciousness, because when I came to, it was morning. I clutched my aching head, and... and went searching for my buddies, but... I didn’t find them.

I went back to the boathouse and Raishi’s body was gone, too. Even though his blood was still there...

Where did everyone go?! Where... Where...

* Addendum: One of the other fishermen

◇ ◇ ◇

“That was intense...”

Ichiha had gone pale as he read through it. Because they had written down his words verbatim, the narrator’s feelings were palpable.

“...But there’s one thing that catches my interest.” Ichiha managed to force himself to say after taking a moment to recover.

“Hm? What’s that?”

“The way the one man was split into his upper and lower halves. Just before this, the witness stated the man had been lifted up by a snake.”

“Yeah. It did say that.”

“If a snake with the power to tear the roof off of a building and jaws powerful enough to bite through a person were to do so, what do you think would happen to that person’s body?”

“It’d bite them in half, right?” I asked.

“Sire. Are you aware of how snakes eat?”

“What are you... Ah! They swallow things whole!”

I had seen a snake eating on some nature program a long time ago, so I recalled this image of them swallowing their prey whole. Having a man be cut in half definitely seemed strange here, then.

Ichiha nodded. “I’m questioning the statement that it was a snake. Even if we assume it was some kind of toothed snake, if it bit down on him from above, his upper body should have remained inside its mouth. Only the lower half should have fallen to the ground. Also, if it bit down on his torso, considering its size, the severed arms and legs should have fallen down separately.”

“It shouldn’t have split him so cleanly in two... Is what you’re saying?”

Ichiha nodded in agreement. “It’s almost like he was cut with a sharp blade. That’s not something that happens when you’re bitten.”

“So, is it a mistake to say it was a snake?”

“I can’t say that much, but... It may have been something that just looked like one.”

“Right...” I laid down the paper and let out a sigh. “Still, even someone who saw it up close couldn’t clearly grasp what it looks like, huh? The fog around it must be pretty dense. Does it ever appear under clear skies?”

This was like something out of an old tokusatsu film. I hear that back when CG wasn’t so well developed, they used a lot of scenes set at night to hide the rough spots in the techniques they used. That’s what this felt like.

“Fog... Thick fog... And it’s always there?” Ichiha looked like he was thinking about something. “With so many of these accounts mentioning fog... it’s possible that it’s not naturally occurring. Could it be that Ooyamizuchi is producing the fog itself somehow?”

“The fog? To hide itself?”

“No, that can’t be it. From what these reports show, there’s no record of a serious battle against Ooyamizuchi. Isn’t that right, Princess Shabon?” Ichiha asked her, Shabon nodded.

“Yes. Ooyamizuchi moves through the sea and is hard for a ship to follow. We cannot even fight it properly. Not that I am convinced we could win if we could...” Shabon ground her teeth in frustration.

Ichiha continued speaking, “If there’s no record of battles, then that means Ooyamizuchi doesn’t see mankind as a threat. We’re probably no more than prey that crawls on the ground. There’s no point to hiding from an opponent you’re not scared of, is there?”

“That’s true. But then what is it making fog for?”

“Could it be that, because it is a creature of the sea, there are some limitations to its ability to operate on land? To give you an example... if you leave a giant octopus on land, it’ll dry out eventually, right? Maybe it’s the same for Ooyamizuchi, and its body dries out quickly on land, slowing its movements. And that’s why it makes fog, to help maintain its moisture... maybe?”

That made sense. If you dried out a sea cucumber, it shrank down to a small portion of its original size. Though, it got big again quickly when you put it back in the water...

“A creature that produces fog? It doesn’t seem like a whale’s spout, though... Oh! Come to think of it, there was a legend of a large shellfish monster called a ‘shen’ that produced mirages...”

“A shellfish that produces fog, you say...? I’ll try drawing it,” Ichiha said, then went to work using the charcoal and drawing board he had brought with him.

He was trying to draw Ooyamizuchi using the fragmentary information we had been able to piece together. Ichiha was the foremost expert in monsterology. I was sure he’d produce something even more accurate than he had been able to back in the Kingdom.

Juna and I hurriedly got him all the materials he needed.

◇ ◇ ◇

While Souma and his people were examining the information on Ooyamizuchi, Shabon and Kishun were sorting through the materials that had been haphazardly piled up. As they separated the information by category, Shabon let out a little sigh.

“...Lady Shabon?” Kishun asked when he noticed, and Shabon shook her head.

“I apologize. I was thinking.”

“Is something bothering you?”

“Ah... Yes. Sir Souma seems to view the information on Ooyamizuchi as important, but he left the information on Father and the fleet to his subordinate. I know he said he is not familiar with the navy, but I find it surprising that he would not even be remotely interested...”

“You think he takes the Nine-Headed Dragon King too lightly, then?”

Shabon nodded. “I am grateful that he sees Ooyamizuchi as a threat and is working on a method of dealing with it. However, my father is the stalwart ruler of an archipelago full of ruffians. I cannot imagine he can beat him without taking it seriously.”

“Does Sir Souma have absolute confidence in his ability to defeat the Nine-Headed Dragon King? Like a weapon we could never imagine here in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago?”

“He might. However, if he lets his guard down, I worry he may get tripped up. Knowing my father, I am well aware of how fearsome an opponent he can be.” She looked at Souma and sighed. “Still, all I can do now is believe in Sir Souma. Because I have already parted ways with my father... Because this is the path I chose...”

“Lady Shabon...” Kishun said, concern in his voice. Shabon slapped her cheeks.

“I need to do everything I can, too. For it to be as easy as possible for Sir Souma’s subordinates to come up with a plan.”

“Yes, my lady... Ah! Come to think of it.”

“Hm? What is it, Kishun?”

“There was one thing that caught my attention while we were going through the materials here.”

“Something that caught your attention?”

“Yes. A report on the military equipment of Nine-Headed Dragon Island.”

Kishun handed a piece of paper to Princess Shabon to look over. It was a report on the Nine-Headed Dragon King’s expenditures on military equipment to prepare for the battle with the Kingdom’s fleet. Shabon cocked her head to the side.

“My father’s confrontational stance remains unchanged then. What about it?”

“His expenditures are lower than I expected. You’ll recall that the king raised taxes ‘to prepare for the coming invasion by the Kingdom.’ He ought to be able to spend more than this.”

“Really?... That is strange.”

If what Kishun was pointing to was true, then most of the funds that had been gathered through taxes weren’t going to the military.

“Lady Shabon. Was the Nine-Headed Dragon King the type to waste money?”

“Never! Father was a militarist who would not hesitate to spend on equipment, but he never wasted money on anything else. Instead of luxuries, he would always choose to have one more boat for his fleet.”

“In that case, where in the world is the money going...?”

“...I am not sure.” Shabon’s eyes quivered with unease as she looked in the direction of Nine-Headed Dragon Island. “What is happening in this country that we do not know about...?”

Kishun had no response to Shabon’s question.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, around that same time, Naden, Tomoe, and Yuriga were looking around Kishun’s mansion. They examined everything from the hanging scrolls in the alcoves to foreign furniture with great interest.

“Hey, check this out. The head on this tiger ornament bobbles.” Yuriga pointed out. Tomoe leaned in for a closer look.

“You’re right... That’s pretty neat, huh?”

Naden, wrapped in a thick coat, shivered as she watched them. The coat was from The Silver Deer. Normally, Naden was fine with an outfit made of her own transformed scales, but that couldn’t warm her up on its own, so she was wearing some extra layers.

“Urgh... So cold... This mansion is too drafty. Ohh, I want to go back to the brazier in Souma’s room.”

“A-Are you okay, Naden?” Tomoe asked, sounding worried, and Naden hugged her tight.

“Wahh?!”

“...So warm. Children have such delightfully high body temperatures.”

“You look like a kid, too, you know?” Yuriga said in exasperation as Naden used Tomoe to warm herself.

“Hey now, Yuriga! Naden’s a queen!”

“I don’t mind. I know I’m the least regal of all the queens. The people of Parnam keep treating me like a normal girl, too,” Naden said with a wry smile as she patted Tomoe’s head.

Even now that she was a queen, Naden still went into town when she had free time. The female shopkeepers adored her and would ask her to go buy things for them or to sing lullabies for their children.

“I’m a queen you know!” ...she would protest, but Naden always did those favors for them, so they kept relying on her. If you did a popularity poll for the queens, but limited it to just Parnam, the nobles and knights would go for Liscia, but the overwhelmingly larger vote of the common people would probably be split between Naden and Juna. If you limited that further to just female voters, Naden had a definite lead. They rewarded her with products from their shops, so she was always bringing fresh produce home and delighting Souma with her home cooking.

“That’s why I won’t complain about the disrespect... But in exchange...”

“Huh?! Eek?!”

Naden circled around behind Yuriga and grabbed her from behind.

“Warm me up with your wings for a bit.”

“Wha?! Whoa, don’t go feeling up my wings! They’re sensitive!”

“Ohhh. I love your plumage.” (Touchy, touchy.)

“N-No... Stop...! Ahhh!”

Maybe because of the cold, Naden was getting excessively touchy.

“Wh-What’s this exciting scene? Maybe it’s a good thing Ichiha’s not here.” Tomoe blushed as she watched Naden accost Yuriga.

Once they had play wrestled for a little while, Naden must have warmed up a bit and let Yuriga go. Finally set free, Yuriga glared resentfully at Tomoe.

“Don’t just watch! Help me!”

“Oh, I couldn’t do thaaaat. I mean, look, I don’t even have wings.”

“You’ve got a wolf’s tail, don’t you? Look, Naden, wouldn’t it feel so warm if you could cuddle this kid’s fluffy tail?”

“...Hey, you’re right.”

As Naden stared at her with the eyes of a predator, Tomoe instinctively covered her tail with her hands.

“U-Um, we should really move on to the next place. The servants were saying the warehouse is full of interesting stuff.” Tomoe urged the other two to move along, trying to get the subject off of her tail.

The warehouse they came to in the corner of the garden had white walls and a tiled roof. If Souma were there, he would have described it as, “The kind of place an evil magistrate in a period piece would stash gold coins to later be stolen by the virtuous thieves.”

Kishun had already given them permission to go inside, so the door was open wide. When the three went in, the air smelled faintly of mold, and a variety of objects were stored there, seemingly at random.

“Is this... a tool for farming? It looks pretty old.”

“Yuriga, there’s a throwing net for fishing over here.”

“Is that a taxidermied giant boar...? It’s smaller than the ones in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. Did they catch it in the mountains here? Oh, and those jawbones come from a shark, right?”

It looked like this warehouse was where they stored things that were no longer in use. There were various tools used for farming, fishing, and hunting, as well as trophies made from what they had caught.

“...Huh?”

Something in the storehouse caught Tomoe’s eye.

“Woah?! What’s this? It’s cute.”

“What are you on about? Wait, what is this?”

“A dog... No, a wolf?”

Yuriga and Naden came over to look at what Tomoe had come across. It was an object maybe 30 centimeters long, resembling a wolf, and it was fixed to a wooden base. The mouth had a round opening in it, leading into a cylindrical hole.

Curious, Yuriga tried to pick it up.

“Ngh...! It’s heavier than it looks.”

It seemed to be made of iron and weighed on Yuriga’s slender arms. Tomoe would have struggled to even lift it.

Looking at the iron wolf, Tomoe cocked her head to the side. “Hmm. From the shape of it, it looks like a cannon, but...”

“Aren’t cannons a little bigger than this?”

“Maybe it’s a little cannon?”

While Tomoe and Yuriga were struggling to figure out what it was...

“Wouldn’t it be faster to just ask someone who knows?”

““Ah!””

Naden casually hoisted the iron wolf with one hand. Being a ryuu, she was strong even in human form. Tomoe and Yuriga gaped at her. With it in Naden’s hands, the three of them headed off back to Souma and the others.

When they got back, Souma and Juna were taking a break, drinking tea that Shabon had prepared for them, while Ichiha drew a picture based on the information they had put together.

“Do you have a moment, Big Brother?”

“Hm? What’s up, Tomoe?”

“We found this thing in the warehouse.”

She showed Souma and the others the iron wolf they had brought.

“Is this... a cannon?” Juna looked at it, mystified. “We use cannons in the navy, but this one is awfully small. It has a caliber of 60 millimeters... and wouldn’t hold much powder, so it couldn’t punch through a ship’s hull. Though, here in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, they use wooden ships with iron plates bolted on, so if you targeted the wood, I think this would still be effective.”

Tomoe was impressed by Juna’s explanation.

Meanwhile, Souma was thinking, The animal looks like a komainu lion-dog, but could this be a Crouching Tiger Cannon? He remembered the Chinese units in a civilization simulation game he had played in the world he had come from using weapons like these.

“That is a lion-dog cannon,” Kishun said. “As Madam Juna explained, it is a gunpowder weapon used in naval battles. Because they are not very heavy, we can load them onto even our smallest boats, and then take advantage of their speed to target the enemy’s weak points.”

“I see... Expect a maritime nation to have interesting weapons.” Souma crossed his arms and groaned with approval.

It’s somewhere between a cannon and a rifle, I guess. We couldn’t use rifles because the low mass of the bullets meant they couldn’t be enchanted, but this sort of hand cannon might be usable... It’d be heavy, and difficult to maneuver with, but maybe I’ll have the military research it when I get back to the Kingdom.

While Souma was thinking about that...

“Souma... Er, I mean, sire! I’m finished drawing!”

Ichiha came over and spread out his drawing on the table. Everyone crowded in to look, then gulped.

“Is this Ooyamizuchi?” Tomoe murmured despite herself.

This was still only an imaginative sketch, but it had the power to convince all of us that this must be what the creature looked like.

◇ ◇ ◇

With the sun setting in the evening, you could see a faint red line along the mountain ridge. We were in the garden with a campfire and a massive pot that made me think of an imoni-kai hot pot party in Yamagata.

“Now, dig in everyone.” The tanuki guy standing in front of the pot said, offering a bowl with one hand while the other held a ladle.

I was told that the locals used the excess bits that were left over when they prepared the fish from the kingdom for preservation, and combined those with local vegetables to make soup, which was being offered right now. With warm food in hand, we went up onto the veranda to eat.

“Whew... That really warms you up.”

“Hee hee, it certainly does. It’s such a comforting flavor.”

Juna and I smacked our lips with satisfaction.

Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago cuisine was apparently quite close to that of the world I came from, including its use of miso. The root vegetables steeped in fish broth and miso were really delicious. Close to the pot, Aisha and Naden were indulging themselves with delight.

“This feels similar to His Majesty’s cooking. Oh! I’d like another bowl, please!”

“The taste of our husband’s cooking, huh? I’ll have another bowl of that, too!”

So, it’s not the taste of their mother’s cooking, huh? Well, not having any memories of my own mom, it tasted like my grandma’s cooking to me. Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga seemed desperate to show they could eat just as much as the other two gluttons.

“This familiar miso flavor is delicious. It goes well with the umami of the fish.”

“Oh, that’s right. You’re also from the north, aren’t you? We have similar dishes in Malmkhitan.”

“Same as in the Duchy of Chima. It’s fascinating to learn that the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union has a culture around food that’s similar to the Union of Eastern Nations. Did a group with that culture migrate from one to the other, maybe...?”

As Ichiha pondered that, Tomoe smiled and poked him in the cheek.

“Come on, Ichiha. If you keep thinking about it, Aisha and Naden will eat it all, you know?”

“Oh! Time to eat, then... Ow! That’s hot!”

It looked like the food had been too hot for his hurried attempts to eat it. Ichiha stuck his tongue out and fanned it with his hand. Tomoe watched with concern.

“A-Are you okay, Ichiha? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have rushed you.”

“N-No, I just wasn’t careful enough...”

“What are you two doing?” Yuriga asked with a sigh. “Geez. Here, have some water.”

“S-Sorry...” Ichiha accepted a ladle full of water and gulped it down.

Things seemed to be fine, so there wasn’t any need for the adults to get involved. As we watched the three kids being adorable, there were voices somewhere off in the distance. I perked up my ears to listen, and it turned out to be a song.

We take our boat on the mother sea.

To the waves rich with fish and life.

Under the seabird’s eye there treasure be.

If we’re too slow, the big’un will strike.

Pull in the nets! Heave, ho! Heave, ho!

Let the port hear our song of triumph.

“This is...”

“A sea shanty. The islanders must be singing it,” Kishun replied in response to my murmuring. “I am sure they must be celebrating in port today for the first time in far too long.”

Kishun had come by holding a bottle of sake in his hands; behind him was Shabon with cups. Kishun sat next to me and Shabon took a seat next to Juna, putting themselves between the two of us before passing out the cups.

“This is dragon sake, made with Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago rice,” Kishun explained, pouring the drink into my cup. It smelled exactly like Japanese sake.

“For you, too, ma’am.” Shabon tried to offer Juna the dragon wine, too, but...

“I’m sorry. Could I ask for tea instead?” she politely refused it. Juna could hold her liquor pretty well, but she must have thought it best that we didn’t both end up inebriated at the same time.

I clinked my cup against Kishun’s and took a drink... Yeah, this really does seem like sake.

I had left Japan before I reached the drinking age, so the only Japanese alcohol I had experienced was the cooking alcohol mirin, but I felt like this had to be the same as Japanese sake.

“How do you like it? Does our country’s sake suit your tastes?” Kishun asked and I nodded in response.

“Yeah, I think it’s good. It pairs well with the rich flavors of the soup.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

And so we drank, listening to our noisy companions and the sea shanties from port. From what I could see here, it was hard to imagine there was a monster called Ooyamizuchi out in the waters, and we were about to fight an intense battle against it. In more peaceful times... I might have been able to enjoy drinking with Shabon and Kishun more—together with Liscia and Roroa, who we’d left behind in the Kingdom.

“This really is good booze.”

I swallowed the drink along with those bitter feelings.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Halfway through that night, an alarm bell began ringing.

“It’s here! It’s here!”

“Men, hurry to the island chief! Women and children, don’t go outside!”

Hearing the hubbub, we rushed to our feet in the large room where we had been taking a nap.

Looking at Souma, Kishun said, “Sir Souma. Head to the watchtower. You will be able to see it from there.”

“Got it.”

Following his suggestion, we hurried to the mansion’s watchtower. I squinted at the sea and could make out a massive object moving near the Twin Islands at a relaxed pace.

“Use this, Your Majesty,” Aisha said, offering me a telescope.

“Thanks.”

I brought it up to my eye and peered into the distance. Fortunately, the moon was bright that night, and the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the sea gave me a full picture of the creature.

Looking away from the telescope, I asked Shabon, “Is that Ooyamizuchi?”

“Most likely. It is difficult to imagine any other creature being so massive,” she confirmed with a nod.

I passed the telescope to Ichiha. “I knew we could count on you,” I told him. “It looks exactly like your drawing.”

Based on the fragmentary witness reports, Ichiha had come up with a sketch. It looked similar to a sea dragon from its head down to its neck, with a bivalve shell on its back, and thick, octopus-like tentacles for arms with crustacean-like pincers on the end. The key point here was the theory that the reports of a “many-headed snake” came from misidentification of the tentacles and pincers. The accounts of victims being cut in two didn’t indicate being bitten by something with the head of a snake, but rather were the result of being snipped in half by pincers the witnesses mistook for heads.

In addition, the supposition that, “It might be releasing mist to keep its body moist,” led to the idea that some part of its body might be a mollusk. The reports of it being “like a little island,” and me telling him, “there’s a legend that mirages are created by a bivalve-like monster,” led him to depict it as having a bivalve shell on its back. There were some parts that only matched by pure chance, but to be able to draw it so accurately based on what little info we had showed what a genius Ichiha was. They say innocent children always see the truth, after all...

“I’m glad you’re here, Ichiha.”

“Y-You flatter me,” Ichiha said humbly as he looked through the telescope.

I plopped my hand down on top of his head.

“Take pride in it. Thanks to you, we can prepare countermeasures.”

“Huh?! Okay!” Ichiha responded enthusiastically.

I hope repeated successes like this can help the shy kid develop a sense of confidence, I thought. If it did, he would grow into the sort of person who could help lead our country in the future.

The other members of the group took turns with the telescope, each of them gulping when they saw it.

“It doesn’t seem to be putting out mist now,” Aisha muttered.

“That’s likely because it doesn’t plan to attack,” Ichiha replied. “Maybe we should think of the mist as something it emits right before it goes ashore to catch prey?”

I asked him the most important question: “It won’t come ashore on the Twin Islands, then?”

“That’s right. Considering how unalert it appears, I think it’s ‘just passing through.’ Though, if any small island or boat were to cross its path, I’m sure it would still be a disaster.”

“It’s big, after all. Bigger than even the largest ships the Kingdom has.”

“Even in my ryuu form, I’m nothing next to that.”

Juna and Naden let out sighs of awe. You could tell, even from a distance, that it was massive. Like something out of a kaiju movie. It just had to be what we’re up against, eh?

~~~~~~~~!

There was a sound like the wind rushing between the buildings, only amplified several times. Was this Ooyamizuchi’s cry?

I backed away a little, then whispered in Tomoe’s ear, “Can you tell what Ooyamizuchi is thinking, Tomoe?”

“I could only pick up a little, but...” Tomoe whispered back. “It’s looking for an ‘enemy’ and ‘food’... is what it sounded like.”

“An ‘enemy,’ and ‘food’?” I whispered back, and Tomoe nodded.

“It seems like they’re one and the same to Ooyamizuchi. Big enemies are big food, and will make it even bigger... It’s a little different from the feeling of starvation the lizardmen from the Kingdom of Lastania had. It’s like this is what Ooyamizuchi lives for... Or so I understand.”

Devouring enemies to grow... Was that what it did every day? This was definitely different from the lizardmen and their starvation. If anything, it made me think of a battle junkie, obsessed with proving their existence by defeating powerful rivals.

When I passed what she’d told me on to Ichiha, he got a pensive look on his face. “Maybe... This is a monster that grew up in a closed space like a dungeon, eating other monsters to survive? Normally, once it grew to a certain degree, it would leave the dungeon on its own, but for some reason... like perhaps because the dungeon was underwater, it was forced to keep feeding on other monsters...”

“So the monsters fed on each other, and this Ooyamizuchi was the last one left? I could see why that would make it see enemies and food as the same thing... I guess.”

Though this was just speculation from Ichiha, it was just like the ancient Chinese practice of creating gu: they stuffed a bunch of disgusting creatures in a pot, and the last survivor was used as a tool in black magic. If that was how Ooyamizuchi came to be, that meant it was a voracious eater, emerging as the most powerful thing inside the dungeon it came from.

Ichiha frowned and said, “If the creature was born inside a dungeon it couldn’t escape from, then normally it would have died inside it. But if the dungeon was destroyed, or maybe Ooyamizuchi happened to gain an ability that let it escape... Whatever it was, I believe this is an incredibly rare case of such a monster appearing on the surface.”

“...That makes sense, yeah.”

I had witnessed first-hand what sort of mess an undiscovered dungeon can cause back in the Republic of Turgis, but there was no telling when a monster like this might appear.

~~~~~~~~!

Feeling Ooyamizuchi’s cry resound deep in my gut, I became newly aware of the dangers lurking in this world.

Chapter 6: Into Battle -fleet-

It had been a day and a half since we saw Ooyamizuchi. I was standing in front of the broadcast jewel we had brought to Kishun’s mansion. Projected on the simplified receiver placed slightly ahead of me was an image of Liscia, currently at the secret arsenal on an island near Lagoon City. We had one of our regular calls scheduled for today.

“How are Cian and Kazuha, Liscia? I’d like to see their faces,” I asked her, but she told me I was out of luck with a shrug.

“They’re napping now. Carla’s looking after them.”

“That’s too bad. Here I was, thinking I’d get to see their faces after far too long.”

“You only left the Kingdom a week ago, didn’t you?”

“For a father, that’s too long. What if they forget my face?”

“You’re overprotective... I’m starting to wish you’d hurry up and have babies with everyone else, too. It’d be better to have your attention divided across a lot more children,” Liscia said, sounding a little fed up with me. I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“So, you were going to show them the sea, right? How did they react?”

“They didn’t really get it yet. They weren’t particularly excited or scared.”

“Well, they’re only a year old, after all.”

“If they could walk a little better, and we weren’t in the middle of winter, I’d have let them play in a tidal pool, but... I think that’s probably too dangerous, so we just looked at it from a distance while I held them.”

“That makes sense. When they’re older, I’d like to go beachcombing as a family.”

“Hee hee, that might be nice. But we need the sea to be safe for that, right?” she said with a smile. Seconds later, her face became serious and she asked, “...You saw Ooyamizuchi, correct? How did it look?”

“Huge... Incredibly... huge.”

For a moment, I considered making light of the situation so as not to scare Liscia, but she’d already seen the reports, so that wouldn’t work. I decided to be honest.

“It was akin to a moving island, just like the witnesses said. It makes me shudder to think something that massive could appear closer to the Kingdom.”

“I read the reports. That thing is way bigger than Naden or Ruby, right? ...Can you beat it?”

“We have to—for the sake of securing safety out at sea. Fortunately, thanks to Ichiha’s analysis, it should be easy to come up with countermeasures. I’ve already sent his conclusions to the relevant parties, so I’m sure they’ll think of something that will work. We’ve got him going through witness reports to figure out Ooyamizuchi’s route now, too.”

“Sounds like you’re going to hit it with everything you’ve got. But aren’t you too focused on Ooyamizuchi? What about the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s fleet?”

“That’s Excel’s job. I’ll leave it to the experts.”

“That’s so like you... but it must be frustrating not being able to do anything about it yourself.”

I could hear Liscia was itching to get involved, too. If the children were a little bigger, she’d have been on a ship immediately.

I gave this gutsy mom a wry smile and said, “Look after the kids, okay? Liscia.”

“...Okay. Take care, Souma.”

And with that, we terminated the call.

◇ ◇ ◇

Some days later, I decided to gather my companions in the living room and explain what was going to happen.

“Excel’s sent us an outline of the plan,” I said, unfurling the map we had been sent.

“Wh-What is this sea chart?!”

“Even the currents are indicated here. How does the Kingdom have a chart like this...?”

Shabon and Kishun’s eyes widened in shock when they saw it.

The chart only showed a portion of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, but with enough careful detail to show the course from the Kingdom to Nine-Headed Dragon Island.

With a wry smile, I told the two of them, “It means you’re not our only source of information inside the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.”

““.........””

They were at a loss for words, which was expected, really, since us having a sea chart like this proved we had other informants.

I ignored them and went on, “The Kingdom’s fleet, which is gathered at Lagoon City, will head southwards, making a close pass east of the Parent and Child Islands before setting course for the port on the west side of Nine-Headed Dragon Island.”

The Parent and Child Islands, south of Lagoon City, were a pair of two islands, much like the Twin Islands. Child Island was about the same size as the Twin Islands, but Parent Island was much larger. This served as the origin for its name.

Next, I pointed to the sea between Child Island and Nine-Headed Dragon Island. “Here is where Excel expects our fleet to face the archipelago’s fleet.”

“Huh?! You mean to fight there?!” Kishun cried out in surprise, having come back to his senses. Continuing his thought he said, “It is certainly true that this is the most direct course to the port on the west side of Nine-Headed Dragon Island, but the area between Child Island and Nine-Headed Dragon Island is filled with many small uninhabited landmasses. That will make it difficult for the Kingdom to deploy its fleet, which I can only assume contains many large warships, while the smaller boats used by the archipelago will be able to move around more easily... The Nine-Headed Dragon King may even be eagerly lying in wait.”

Due to his weak position, he couldn’t voice his opinion too strongly, but it sounded like Kishun wanted us to reconsider. Shabon looked at him uneasily.

I shrugged my shoulders at the two of them, saying, “But it’s still the shortest route, right? Excel must have chosen this course because she determined that even if the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s fleet is waiting for her there, she can handle them. As king, all I can do is trust my Commander-in-Chief.”

“Are you certain you are not underestimating the Nine-Headed Dragon King and the archipelago’s fleet?”

“You say that, but are you sure you’re not underestimating my fleet?” I asked Kishun, who had a look on his face like he’d just bitten into something unpleasant.

He seemed ready to press the issue, but Shabon tugged on his sleeve and shook her head silently. In a quiet voice, she said, “Let us believe in them, Kishun. We have placed our bets on Sir Souma and his people.”

“Lady Shabon... I... I understand.” Kishun backed down.

With that settled, I told everyone, “We’ve finished gathering information. Now it’s time to meet up with the fleet.”

◇ ◇ ◇

Around the same time...

In the main room of Nine-Headed Dragon King Shana’s mansion on Nine-Headed Dragon Island, the chiefs of the largest islands had gathered to prepare for an invasion by the Kingdom of Friedonia. They sat around a map of the archipelago that had been unfurled on the wooden floor—with frowns across all their faces.

“To think the Kingdom would attack when we’re already menaced by Ooyamizuchi...”

“He strikes when we’re at our weakest. The King of Friedonia is a cowardly scoundrel.”

“He must have been awfully upset about our people fishing in the sea near the Kingdom.”

“The fishermen are desperate. For those who live with the sea, not being able to go out to fish is like not being alive at all.”

“It’s a little much to ask him to understand that, though...”

As they each voiced their own opinions...

The man seated at the head of the group, listening in silence until now, said, “People, that’s hardly what we should be discussing now.”

This was the ruler of the islands, Nine-Headed Dragon King Shana. He belonged to the race of mermen, the same as Shabon, but unlike her, he had a body that radiated strength, a topknot, and a stern expression. The picture of a warrior.

Hearing the grave tones in the ruler of the rowdy Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s voice, the island chiefs fell very quiet. King Shana looked to each of them before speaking.

“Our spies report that the Kingdom’s fleet has already set sail. They’ll be arriving within the week to invade us.”

“What do you think their goal is? To take some island or another?” a young island chief asked, but King Shana shook his head.

“Hardly. They can’t possibly want to hold land where Ooyamizuchi resides. It would be difficult for them to rule this region when we’re so far from the Kingdom, and so different culturally. Their more likely objective is to deal a blow to our fleet. We have been using it to support our fishermen in waters near the Kingdom, after all. Without escorts, it will be impossible for them to go out that far.”

“Damn it! They mean to trap our fishermen here—where that monster is running rampant?”

A swarthy island chief who was a mountain of muscle punched the floor. The other island chiefs nodded.

“If only Ooyamizuchi would move into the Kingdom’s waters.”

“You said it. Why does it stay here?”

“Why don’t we ask the Kingdom for help slaying Ooyamizuchi? If we could just get rid of it, the fish would return, and then we wouldn’t have to squabble over who can fish where, you know?” one of the young island chiefs said, but an elderly island chief shook his head.

“Not possible. We’re not even united on what should be done about Ooyamizuchi ourselves. If not for this ‘foreign threat,’ there wouldn’t even be this many island chiefs gathered here.”

The independent spirit of each of the islands in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago was the result of a long history of conflict over who would rule the waves. Because of that, without any sort of impending foreign invasion, the islands would never fight as one. Though Ooyamizuchi was a threat, it was not an invader, so each island prepared for it independently, leading to none of them joining forces to resolve the issue. That was one of the reasons Shabon had gone to plead for the Kingdom to slay it.

“We can come together against the Kingdom, but not against a single beast. Could you ask someone to fight with us when we act like this?”

“We’ve already provoked the Kingdom’s ire, too...”

“That doesn’t mean we can just let them invade us!”

“Indeed. If they come, then we must crush them. We’ll show them the power of our maritime nation.”

That earned an enthusiastic, “Yeah!” from the militaristic island chiefs, but then a one-eyed island chief with an impressive physique and magnificent black beard spoke, “Hmm, I respect your enthusiasm, at least.”

His name was Shima Katsunaga. He was chief of Yaezu Island, the second or third largest of the islands in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. He was also the mononofu warrior who was renowned as the greatest military man in the archipelago’s history.

“However, we are the defenders. Not knowing where the enemy will strike, we are forced to move second. Don’t you think you’re all underestimating the Kingdom a little?”

“I would not have expected to hear such words from ‘the greatest military man in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago,’” one chief scoffed. “Do you suggest we would lose a battle at sea?”

“The Kingdom’s navy has the masterful Excel Walter. They even say she leads their entire military now. I can’t imagine she would start a fight she had no chance of winning. If she’s coming despite knowing our advantage at sea... does that not mean that the Kingdom has a chance?”

The island chiefs gulped at what Katsunaga said, but one young island chief dispelled their fears with his energetic voice.

“Their new king has fought a land war before, but he shouldn’t have any experience with fighting at sea. Doesn’t this just mean that Excel couldn’t stop the callow hothead?”

“...Entirely possible. But that may not be the case. In war, you always have to consider the worst-case scenario,” Katsunaga replied gravely.

The young island chief had no counter to his words.

King Shana spoke once more, “We know the course the Kingdom will take,” he said, pointing to the map with his fan. “Their fleet will almost certainly pass between the Parent and Child Islands and Nine-Headed Dragon Island, attempting to take the port on the west side of Nine-Headed Dragon Island.”

He had declared this so confidently that Katsunaga furrowed his brow.

“How can you be so certain?”

“The currents of our archipelago are swift and complicated, easily sweeping iron ships away. There are many reefs, too. We can navigate them with our many years of experience living here, but outsiders from the Kingdom can’t possibly do the same. That forces them to take a known course.”

“Known? You’re saying that the Kingdom knows a safe course?” Katsunaga asked, and King Shana gave him a big nod.

“Yes. The course I just mentioned was one I intentionally leaked to them, after all.”

“What?!” Katsunaga exclaimed, and then all of the other island chiefs began grumbling. King Shana had leaked what might be called the greatest of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s secrets, its sea routes, to the Kingdom.

King Shana raised a hand to silence them. “I’ve only taught them a course here, to Nine-Headed Dragon Island. Not to any of the other islands. I’m sure they believe an insider leaked this information to them.”

“...I see. And you’re suggesting we could ambush them in an area that works to our advantage?” Katsunaga pointed out.

“That’s right,” King Shana declared, slapping his knee. “The battle will be joined over the rocky reefs between Nine-Headed Dragon Island and Child Island. It will be hard for them to deploy many large ships because of the many small islands there, and our more maneuverable fleet will have an advantage. We’ll aim to pull the Kingdom’s fleet in and eliminate them in a decisive battle.”

“““Ohhh!”””

The island chiefs let out a cry of admiration, having heard King Shana’s careful plans for the coming battle.

“If we know the enemy’s course, then how about we lay mines in the area around the reefs?” a young island chief suggested, but King Shana shook his head.

“Our mines can destroy wooden ships like the ones we use, but they lack the power to have any real effect on iron ships pulled by sea dragons. Even setting that aside, I expect they’ll send out scouts. We risk them changing course if they learn we’re ready and waiting.”

“I see... You’ve got a point there.”

“If we can lure them in, they’re as good as ours. If we send in fire ships (unmanned ships loaded with a large quantity of gunpowder that collides with, and explodes against, enemy vessels) from upstream to kill their sea dragons, their fleet will be stranded.”

“Hmm... It could work,” Katsunaga gave an approving grunt. With the greatest mononofu in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago satisfied, the rest were convinced of victory.

King Shana stood up and said to them, “We have the terrain on our side! Now let’s teach them a lesson for underestimating us!”

“““Yeah!”””

The island chiefs rose, crossing their arms in front of them.

They each left separately to prepare for war, leaving only King Shana and Katsunaga in the room. Now that they were alone, Katsunaga let out a sigh.

“I didn’t say it in front of the others, but isn’t this uncharacteristically rushed for you?”

“...I am confident of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s victory.”

“Well, I’ve known you for a long time. I know quite well you’re a hard man to fight, and a reliable ally.” Katsunaga put a hand on his shoulder, then spun his arm around. “I know you don’t fight battles you can’t win, too. You have some other plan in the works, don’t you?”

“Do I now?”

“Ha ha ha, I knew you wouldn’t tell me. I’m a warrior, not a diplomat, after all. I can only trust in you, my king, and fight my hardest.”

“...I’ll be counting on the strength of Yaezu Island’s mononofu.”

“And you’ll have it,” Katsunaga said, then left.

Now that King Shana was left on his own, a servant came in to deliver a message.

“Lord Shana. Word has come in that everything has been prepared on Ikatsuru Island.”

“Yes. Very good, then.”

“Um, shouldn’t you have told the other island chiefs?”

King Shana smirked. “They say that to fool your enemies, you must fool your friends first. The ultimate victory will belong to us.”

“Yes, sire... and what would you have us do about Lady Shabon?”

The servant’s question wiped King Shana’s smile from his face, and he turned away from the man and replied, “Let her go. She’s a grown woman now. She takes responsibility for her own decisions.”

“...Yes, sire!”

The moment of confrontation drew closer by the hour.

◇ ◇ ◇

The weather was fine and the waves calm as thirty Friedonian warships sailed across the sea. The sunlight reflecting off the water onto the steel ships gave them a dull shine. Of this fleet, one was markedly larger than the others. The Albert II, a similar model to the ship used against Red Dragon City, would serve as the flagship carrying Excel and me in the coming battle.

Naden had carried us back to the Kingdom. After dropping off the three kids in Lagoon City, we changed into our uniforms and met up with the ships. Excel, Castor, and the marines greeted us as Naden set down the gondola on the deck of the Albert II.

Folding up her fan, Excel smiled and said, “Welcome to your fleet, Your Majesty.”

“Yeah. It’s quite a sight seeing so many ships together like this,” I responded, looking around and taking it all in. It appealed to my masculine soul seeing them all sailing aside the Albert II. The group even included the island-type carrier Hiryuu.

I turned to the Hiryuu’s captain, Castor, and asked, “I thought I put you in charge of the Hiryuu? Is it all right for you to be here?”

Castor stood up straight and replied, “My XO is handling it now. I wanted to be here to see you.”

“Oh, yeah? The Hiryuu is going to be the star of this battle. I’m looking forward to seeing your work.”

“Yes, sir. I will give my all to meet your expectations, Your Majesty.” With that said, Castor saluted me, then returned to the Hiryuu.

It felt a bit stiff, but formalities were important. Turning to Excel, I asked, “Have you explained the reasons for this deployment to the marines?”

“I’ve handed written commands to each captain. They’re under strict orders to open them when you give the command to go into battle, sire. The marines will hear the details from them, I’m sure,” Excel said then gave me an elegant bow. “However, before we go into battle, I would like you to make a speech yourself. It would help to reconfirm our objectives, and to improve morale.”

“...Got it.”

A speech, huh...? I thought. I’ve given so many now, but I still can’t get used to it. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Shabon and Kishun, who we had brought with us, were staring at something in wide-eyed disbelief.

“What is that, Kishun? That ship, the size of an island...”

“...I do not know. But Sir Souma seems to have absolute confidence in his fleet. If that island-like ship is not the product of mere playfulness and whimsy, then what secret power does it harbor...?”

“I find it startling that it moves without sea dragons to pull it, too. How...?”

They were apparently surprised by the Hiryuu. Not having any concept of what an aircraft carrier was, they couldn’t hope to understand why it was shaped the way that it was. It ought to scare the Nine-Headed Dragon King’s fleet senseless.

Next, they pointed to another ship.

“That ship is big, too. Though it does not appear to be armed.”

“A transport ship, perhaps? It looks like it could carry tens of thousands of men.”

They were pointing at a ship that looked like a massive tanker. Like Kishun had guessed, that was a newly constructed transport ship. It was dubbed the King Souma.

Yep... It was named after me. I’d said before, “I don’t want my name on a warship. If you have to name a ship after me, make it a transport vessel.” And so the engineers had done just that—slapping my name on a new model of transport ship. From now on, transport ships of that model would be referred to as Souma-class transport ships. Seriously? Well, there was no fixing it now... Incidentally, the King Souma used a Little Susumu Mark V, and could sail without sea dragons to pull it. A transport ship had plenty of value even during peacetime, so we had prioritized funding and equipment for the project.

As I was thinking about that, the jewel for the Jewel Voice Broadcast was brought up on deck. Excel raised her hands up high and began gathering a great amount of water from the sea to create a massive ball above the Albert II.

“It’s a little different from using freshwater, but... it’ll do.”

This was the same sort of ball of water as she had shown off at Altomura during the war with the Principality. Once she had finished creating it, Excel, who was sweating profusely, said, “Go on, sire. This takes a lot out of me, so please keep it brief.”

“Got it.”

I stood in front of the broadcast jewel, swishing my cape, and thrusting my fist into the air.

“This is an announcement for the soldiers of the National Naval Defense Force. We will now head to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.”

My voice emanated from the ball of water above so that the entire fleet could hear it.

“We have but one mission—to bring stability to the seas. That is because safe waters are required for the people who live on the coast to be able to fish, and for stable trade with other countries. This must be done to protect the nation’s development and the people’s livelihoods. To that end, there are two targets we must deal with.”

Raising my arm, I gestured my hand up with my index raised.

“The first is the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s fleet. We will subjugate this fleet which has aided and abetted illegal fishing in our country’s waters, and secure safety for our country’s merchant vessels,” I said before raising my second finger. “The other target is Ooyamizuchi, said to be rampaging around the archipelago. The creature has been strictly their problem up until now, but we have no guarantee that it will not appear in our own waters as well.”

Curling my fingers into a fist, I then thrust it forward.

“I have shared the information we have on this Ooyamizuchi with you. It’s a creature far more massive than any rhinosaurus or dragon. I’d like to designate it not as a ‘monster’... but as a ‘kaiju.’ If a kaiju like this ever attacked our kingdom, there’s no telling how much damage it might cause. In fact, there are even islands in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago that saw their population completely wiped out by the creature.”

There were murmurs from the marines as my words reached them. Though they had been given information on Ooyamizuchi, this report of the actual damage it could cause must have made them tense. I kept speaking.

“Ooyamizuchi is more dangerous than the archipelago’s fleet. In some ways, we ought to prioritize slaying the beast over defeating them. Hear me now! The goal of this expedition is not to invade the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago! Our mission is to eliminate the threat of Ooyamizuchi, make the illegal fishing ships leave the Kingdom’s waters, and bring stability to the sea! Who can call our actions unjust?! I call upon all of you to lend me your power, and serve our country!”

As I raised my fist into the air, a war cry went up from the marines on each ship. I gave Excel the signal, and she dispelled the ball of water. The image of me projected in it vanished, and the light shining through the mist it left behind made a rainbow.

“I think that was a good speech, Your Majesty,” Juna said as she came over to me. I just shook my head quietly.

“...No matter how many I give, I can never get used to it.”

“Hee hee, that’s not true at all.”

As we were talking and smiling, Shabon and Kishun came over.

“Um... Sir Souma...”

“What is it, Madam Shabon?” I asked.

Shabon looked at me with eyes full of resolve. “Was it true what you said just now, that ‘invading the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’ is not your goal here?”

She had broken ties with the Nine-Headed Dragon King and came to work with me in order to bring down Ooyamizuchi. Slaying Ooyamizuchi was in line with her hopes, but she must not have known what to make of my denial to invade the islands. Our targets were Ooyamizuchi and the fleet led by the Nine-Headed Dragon King, and we wouldn’t be laying a hand on the people of the archipelago, which is exactly what she was hoping for. Though, it must have made her uneasy, wondering if such a thing were really possible.

With a serious look on my face, I told her, “There was no lie in what I said. I’d like for you to believe that.”

“...Understood,” Shabon said, then quietly withdrew.

Well, that was my preparation complete. Now... it’s just a matter of timing.

I glared at the sea ahead of us.

◇ ◇ ◇

If you were to ask future historians what naval battle had left the greatest impression on them, the Battle of the Parent and Child Islands fought by King Souma and King Shana was guaranteed to come up. This battle, which went by many other names, was anything but normal.

Chapter 7: Naval Battle -aircraft carrier-

—One day in the 2nd month, 1549th year, Continental Calendar.

A fleet belonging to the Kingdom of Friedonia, under the command of Souma A. Elfrieden, confronted a fleet belonging to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union off the coast of the Parent and Child Islands in a region of the sea dotted with islets.

This battle was unusual from the outset. In a large naval battle, it’s normal to attempt to beat the enemy to favorable ground. However, the fleet commanded by Souma slowed down just before entering the area where the battle was expected to occur. Under the common sense of naval tactics, this was unthinkable. Moving slowly increased the risk that the enemy’s scouts would discover the fleet, and give them time to prepare. Despite that, for some reason, the naval expert Excel had accepted Souma’s direction to slow down, which made the marines participating in the operation feel very uneasy.

At this moment, there were five people gathered in the captain’s room aboard the Albert II: Souma, Aisha, Juna, Naden, and Excel, enjoying a spot of tea. Shabon and Kishun had excused themselves from the room, unable to bear the out-of-place sense of relaxation.

“Hee hee, Madam Shabon, Sir Kishun, and the marines are all on edge,” Excel said between graceful sips of her tea. “Well, we are going at this slow speed right before entering an area where we expect to meet the enemy, after all. I’d be more surprised if they were going on as normal.”

Souma put down his own cup and nodded. “I don’t blame them. This will all come down to a single gambit. The timing’s going to be important. We can’t afford to arrive earlier than we planned for. There haven’t been any reports yet, right?”

“None at all,” Excel replied.

“Even someone like me who knows the plan can’t help but feel on edge,” Aisha sighed, having been listening to us. “How should I put this? It’s like I don’t know what to stress over...”

“This is more than just a matter of beating the enemy, really,” Naden said, agreeing with her.

Juna smiled wryly and tried to calm them down. “There’s really nothing we can do about it. Though it will be more difficult than winning, we can expect to see commensurate results. We have to pull this off no matter what.”

“Juna’s right. I know this feels like walking a tightrope, but we need to endure it for now in order to achieve the best possible outcome,” Souma said, and everyone nodded.

Then, as the fleet entered the island-littered area between Child Island and Nine-Headed Dragon Island, the archipelago’s fleet was finally sighted up ahead. It was here that Souma once again did something unbelievable: The Kingdom’s fleet came to a complete stop while in visual range of the enemy fleet.

With the battleship Albert II slightly ahead of the rest, they created a giant ball of water and projected Souma’s image on it.

“This is a message for the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union’s fleet.”

Incredibly, even moments before the battle was to be joined, he was using the Jewel Voice Broadcast to call out to the enemy. The giant image of Souma addressed the opposing naval force.

“I am King Souma A. Elfrieden of the United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia. Here and now, I issue my ultimatum to the Nine-Headed Dragon King, as well as your fleet. You should have received a message telling you to communicate with me in the same manner. Show yourself, Sir Shana, the Nine-Headed Dragon King!”

Normally, no one would play along with this... And yet, on the other side, a ship larger than the others came forward, manifested a ball of water directly above it, and projected the image of a great merman. The Nine-Headed Dragon King’s daughter, Shabon, stared wide-eyed at the image from the deck of the Albert II.

“No way?!”

The projection was that of Nine-Headed Dragon King Shana himself. Incidentally, though the Kingdom’s water ball was sustained with Excel’s magic power alone, the Archipelago Union’s required more than ten water mages working together to barely manage to pull off the same feat.

When she saw her father projected on that water ball, Shabon covered her mouth, unable to process what she was seeing.

“I thought it was absurd for Souma to call out the enemy fleet at this point, but Father actually answered... What in the world is going on here...?”

“...I do not understand. Why would they both do this?” Kishun, who was standing close to her, murmured.

The majority of the sailors in both fleets likely felt the same way. But the two kings carried on their conversation with no regard for anyone else.

“O King Shana. In my position as king, I have repeatedly warned you to cease illegally fishing in the waters near the Kingdom. Despite that, you people have refused to heed my words, and have even sent armed ships to support the criminals. It has come to the point where no more can be tolerated. In the name of peace for my people and at sea, I have come to strike down you and your fleet. If you do not desire that outcome, I encourage you to surrender quickly!”

Souma opened up with a demand that his opponent surrender. That must have shocked the sailors on both sides.

Shana didn’t hesitate for a moment before replying, “My people find themselves in a situation where they must cross the hazardous seas in order to fish in distant waters. You people arrest them and make no attempt to understand their plight. We simply sent out warships to protect our own people. We’ve done nothing to justify this sort of invasion!”

When Shana finished, Souma countered, “I have no intention of invading! If you say you won’t stop the illegal fishing, then we will fight until I rule the waves. That is what we’ve come prepared to do.”

“I won’t trust those words from someone who comes with a fleet!”

“I no longer seek your trust!”

The sailors gulped as they watched the two argue.

Souma continued, “We are well aware of the state of your country, and the damage caused by the great sea creature Ooyamizuchi.”

“If you would invade us knowing that, then the Kingdom of Friedonia is no better than a burglar who strikes when his target’s house is on fire!”

“I have no intention of doing any such thing! If Ooyamizuchi troubles you, then you have all the more reason to submit to me! The Kingdom’s fleet will put down the creature in your place!”

“Do not try to trick me with sweet words! If I lend you a sea route, you’ll seize an island! How do you expect me to believe that if I let your fleet pass you won’t move to occupy one of our own? We can slay Ooyamizuchi without your help!”

The two of them traded a few more arguments after that. Shabon clutched her head as she watched.

“A naval war of words? I am not even sure what I’m seeing anymore. What in the world are Sir Souma and my father thinking?!”

“That is the question, isn’t it? Why, it’s almost as if... Hm?”

“What is it, Kishun?” Shabon asked, tilting her head.

Kishun stroked his chin as he thought through his answer. “I was thinking it was as if they were stalling for time...”

“Stalling for time? Who is, and why?”

“Both of them, in fact. Though, I could not tell you why just yet...”

Even as Shabon and Kishun were talking about it, Souma and the Nine-Headed Dragon King continued their war of words. However, it seemed to be coming to an end.

Souma shook his head. “This is going nowhere. It would seem we have no choice but to settle this in battle.”

“I see an odd ship that looks like an island, but you had best not think a fleet that is all appearances is going to be able to defeat a fleet of men who live for the sea.”

“...You’ll see for yourself whether this fleet is ‘all appearances.’”

The two of them vanished, and both fleets prepared for battle. It would be Shana who made the first move.

“Loose half the fire ships towards the Kingdom’s fleet,” the Nine-Headed Dragon King ordered.

His subordinates questioned the command.

“Already?! We’re still a long way from the Kingdom’s fleet...”

“Indeed. Would it not be better to wait until they were closer?”

The king shook his head at his hesitant commanders. “I know I just said it was all appearances, but that island ship in the middle of their fleet concerns me. I want to send unmanned fire ships against them in order to learn what that weapon can do.”

“I see. Understood.”

And so a large number of ships laden with explosives were set adrift from the main fleet. The currents and the wind in the fire ships’ sails would carry them towards the Kingdom’s side. Castor, who was watching their approach from the bridge of the island-type carrier Hiryuu, adjusted his captain’s hat and steeled himself. If everything goes as the written orders said, then these are most likely...

Taking his cue from Commander-in-Chief Excel, Castor immediately gave the order, “Those are probably fire ships. Give the order for the wyvern cavalry team to sortie! I want them to bomb every last one of them!”

“Yes, sir! Wyvern cavalry team, all knights, take off! I repeat, all knights, take off!” the XO shouted through the speaking tube. The order went to the wyvern cavalry team, who had been waiting impatiently for it to arrive.

“Okay, people, let’s go!”

The sole dragon knight in the group, Halbert, got on Ruby the dragon’s back and ordered the wyvern cavalry to follow him. When they saw the wyverns lift off from the island-type carrier one after another, the officers in the Archipelago Union’s fleet started shouting.

“Wyverns at sea?!”

“Absurd! Wyverns hate the sea!”

“But they are clearly using wyvern cavalry!”

As chaos enveloped the island fleet, Halbert and his wyvern cavalry descended upon the fire ships and dropped their explosive barrels while maintaining enough distance not to be caught in the resulting blast.

Booooooooom! The explosive barrels triggered the fire ships, causing a massive explosion at sea. Because they had been drifting along in a line, the flames created a wall of fire dividing the two naval fleets.

Souma stared straight ahead with a stern look on his face.

“Whew, that was one hell of an explosion, huh?” one of the young wyvern riders excitedly said to Halbert. “But the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s fleet have to be scared stupid about now, right? Couldn’t we take down that fleet by ourselves?”

“...Don’t underestimate the enemy,” Halbert told the young wyvern rider, a calm look on his face. “They know these waters like the back of their hands. There are a lot of islands and a lot of places to hide. If we rush in recklessly, the Hiryuu could be ambushed. We have to remain cautious.”

“Y-Yes, sir! I’m sorry!”

Halbert smiled at the apologizing wyvern rider. “Don’t worry, as long as you get it. Okay, we’re heading back closer to the Hiryuu!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

With that, Halbert and the wyvern cavalry team returned to the Hiryuu. Along the way, Ruby chuckled in a voice that only Halbert could hear.

“...What is it, Ruby?”

“Hee hee, you learned everything you just said from Kaede, right?”

“H-Hey, you’re not supposed to say that.”

It was true, though. The words Halbert had just used had originally been said to him by Kaede, who was away on maternity leave.

Halbert awkwardly scratched his cheek. “Uh... Don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Ehe. Well, a wife has to make her husband look good, after all.”

Seeing Ruby enjoy herself at his benefit, Halbert was reminded that he was no match for either of his wives.

◇ ◇ ◇

By the time Halbert and his men had returned to the Hiryuu, the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s fleet was in total disarray.

“This is ridiculous! How can the Kingdom be using wyverns?!”

“It’s impossible! I’ve never heard of an aerial bombing at sea before!”

“Well, it can’t be impossible! They just burned our fire ships to nothing!”

“This is bad! If they come at us, we have no way to fight back!”

Having witnessed the power of a carrier for the first time, the sailors from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, regardless of their rank, were losing their heads. The commanders had no idea what commands to give, and the sailors ran around willy-nilly, unable to wait for orders.

“Shouldn’t we retreat?”

“No, if anything, we should rush in and turn this into a chaotic melee. They won’t be able to bomb us then.”

“We should bring out all the hidden ships, too.”

“But there’s still been no orders!”

“Damn it! What’s taking the brass so long?!”

While things devolved into chaos without a policy in place, King Shana’s ship was swamped with messages from the commanders of each of his fleets. However, Shana effectively ignored them with, “You are not to go in until the wall of fire clears.”

As for what Shana himself was doing at the time, he was staring at one tiny island.

“Your Majesty...”

“Endure.”

One of his worried subordinates tried to talk to him, but Shana silenced him with a stern look.

“We must endure. Until the tides change.”

“...Yes, sir.”

The other man lowered his eyes, and Shana continued impatiently staring at that one point.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, in the Kingdom’s fleet, Souma was feeling irritated, too. He was sitting in his chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest.

“...Excel.”

“Not yet,” she replied before he could ask the question. “This is a time for patience, sire.”

“I know, but... This feels a little clumsy.”

“...I know,” Excel said, eyeing the fall of fire with concern. “Once those flames burn out, we’ll have to resolve ourselves to do it.”

“There’ll be no other choice, then...” Souma trailed off.

Juna, who was standing next to Souma, placed her hand on top of his. “Let’s believe, sire. In the gift you discovered.”

Her smile made Souma’s heart feel a little lighter. Noticing that, Excel covered her mouth with her fan and smiled. She must have been thinking men were so simple. She was right.

Not long after, the wall of fire burned out. Now the two fleets, Kingdom and Archipelago Union, each prepared to make their next move.

—Then it happened.

“Report! There is a smoke signal rising from a nearby island!” The voice of one young marine who had been watching the surrounding area came echoing into the bridge through the speaking tube.

Souma stood at once and used the tube to double-check with the marine. “Can you decipher it?!”

“Yes, sir. It’s the international signal for distress.”

“Okay. Excel!”

“I know,” she said, standing up.

Around the same time, over in the Archipelago Union fleet, Shana saw the smoke and rose, too. Then, in unison, they uttered the exact same words.

““Send this message to all ships! ‘Stop all ships!’ I repeat! ‘Stop all ships.’””

There was some confusion in both fleets, who were on the verge of colliding, as their commanders gave them the order to stop, but stop they did. Then, some time after, balls of water appeared above each flagship, and Souma and Shana were projected on them.

“Did you see the smoke signal, King of Friedonia?” King Shana asked.

“I did. That’s a distress signal, right?” Souma answered. “Do you know the reason for that signal, Nine-Headed Dragon King?”

“I do. When an island in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago is assaulted by Ooyamizuchi, we use smoke signals to alert other islands of the danger. Which means...”

“There’s an island being attacked by Ooyamizuchi right now, correct?”

Seeing the two kings, who were at each other’s throats moments before, suddenly began exchanging information about Ooyamizuchi left the soldiers in both fleets agog. Then the image of Souma looked straight at the image of Shana as it pointed towards the island.

“Okay, Nine-Headed Dragon King. There’s a distress signal rising over there. What are you going to do?” Souma said as the soldiers on both sides looked on. “Flags, smoke signals, special cannonballs... ‘Any ship that sees a distress signal is obligated to provide help, no matter what country the other is from, and no matter what kind of position they themselves are in.’ ...Was that it? Even if their countries are at war.”

“Of course. That is the Law of the Sea which binds all of us,” Shana replied, crossing his muscular arms.

It was the ironclad rule that said sailors needed to help one another when unexpected events happened at sea. Guaranteeing to aid others in times of crisis also guaranteed that they would help you in an emergency, too. People who ignored a distress signal would be turned away from ports in every country.

Shana spoke, “However, the law states that you can ignore a distress signal from someone you have entered hostilities with.”

“Hmm. I could certainly interpret this as a signal that you sent,” Souma said with a shrug. “By the way, have we entered hostilities?”

“...No, I don’t believe we have. Our ships simply drifted away by accident,” Shana replied, also shrugging. Souma nodded.

“Sounds about right. And we simply burned some drifting ships that were blocking our course.”

“Then I don’t think you can say we’ve entered hostilities.”

“In that case, I guess I can’t ignore the distress signal, huh? It’s the Law of the Sea.”

“...You have my gratitude. King of Friedonia.”

This was when the soldiers in both fleets started to figure out what was going on. That the enemy they were meant to fight wasn’t the fleet in front of them. As well, the soldiers of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago had a strong sense of one thing: These two kings had played them.

However, this realization did not create any resentment. That was because the kings’ goal was to unite and slay Ooyamizuchi, something that they themselves had longed to do. And so, Souma and Shana spoke.

“In accordance with the Law of the Sea, we will now cooperate with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s fleet...”

“In accordance with the Law of the Sea, we will now cooperate with the Kingdom of Friedonia’s fleet...”

““...and go to slay Ooyamizuchi!””

As the two of them said that in unison, a cheer went up from both fleets.

◇ ◇ ◇

In later years, this naval battle would come to be known by many names, but the most common of them was the Battle of the Farce. Incidentally, historians of the Elfrieden Region don’t even count this battle among the wars that Souma fought.

Chapter 8: Meeting the Enemy -monster-

While the Kingdom’s fleet and Archipelago Union’s fleet were staring each other down across a wall of flames, far away in her office in Valois, the capital of the Gran Chaos Empire, Empress Maria was standing by the window, looking outside.

Jeanne, the Little Sister General, called to her, “Sister. Is it around time for the Kingdom’s and the Archipelago Union’s fleets to be facing one another?”

“Hee hee, yes, it is. I’m sure everyone will be quite surprised by the result.”

Hearing her response, Jeanne clutched her temples and let out a sigh. “It surprised me, too, during that meeting. I never thought I’d ever hear you support King Souma sending a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. The idea of you endorsing an invasion was unfathomable.”

“Oh, I don’t recall Sir Souma or I ever mentioning an ‘invasion’ or anything of the sort, you know?” Maria gave a mischievous chuckle, irking Jeanne a little.

“That’s certainly true, but... he said that if he didn’t strike at the root of the illegal fishing problem, he’d just be playing whack-a-mole, didn’t he? From the way he was talking, isn’t it natural to assume he was referring to the Archipelago Union’s fleet as the ‘root of the problem’?”

“We received information that the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago was troubled by attacks by a massive sea creature... I believe they call it ‘Ooyamizuchi’ there. Because it prevents the islands’ fishermen from catching fish, or even taking their boats out in the nearby waters—forcing them to go out to regions where they aren’t welcome—I think you may be right.”

“You’re saying that King Souma was after Ooyamizuchi from the beginning, then?”

“Yes, and so was Nine-Headed Dragon King Shana.” Maria placed her silk-gloved hand on the windowsill. “That’s why he came to us to help broker peace, too. In order to bring the fleets of the fiercely independent island chiefs together, there needed to be an external threat. He believed that even if they didn’t unite in the face of Ooyamizuchi, they would have to if they sensed an imminent invasion by the Kingdom’s fleet. Our calls for peace must have helped drum up a sense of urgency, which led to them working together.”

“...And you cooperated because you understood all that, Sister.”

Jeanne let out a sigh that was half admiration, half exasperation, and Maria smiled happily.

“Oh, I hadn’t seen through all of it. This is what we get for believing in the sincerity of our ally.”

“I think a large part of what makes you so incredible is your ability to find the people you ought to trust, and to believe in them so earnestly.”

“My, you’re certainly heaping on the praise today,” Maria said teasingly, and Jeanne blushed.

“N-Not really. I always have a great deal of respect for you. It’s just that you have a tendency to slack off, and then I’m forced to nag...”

“Hee hee, sorry about that.” Suddenly, Maria’s smile vanished. “However, the real trouble is yet to come. Ooyamizuchi is such a threat that Sir Souma and Sir Shana each felt the need to bring the might of two nations to bear against it, after all.”

“Ah...! You have a point. It’s a threat to us as well. It would have been better if we could have helped, too.”

“That wasn’t an option, I’m afraid. If we’d mobilized our forces, the island chiefs caught in the middle between us would grow unduly cautious. If we couldn’t coordinate our actions when the time came to actually fight together, it would defeat the purpose.”

“Then we have no choice but to leave it to Sir Souma and his people, I suppose,” Jeanne said, sounding frustrated, and Maria smiled.

“Let us believe in the victory of our allies.”

◇ ◇ ◇

Around the time that the Kingdom’s and Archipelago Union’s fleets had joined up and moved into action under the direction of Shana, Shabon and Kishun came to visit us on the bridge.

“Sir Souma...” Shabon said, a pained look on her face.

Seeing her expression, I told Excel, “We’re stepping out for a while. Look after things in the meantime.”

“Understood, sire.”

Having left Excel in charge, I headed to the captain’s quarters with everyone else. Juna and I sat on a sofa in the reception room while Shabon and Kishun sat across from us, with Aisha and Naden standing inside and outside the door to keep anyone from listening in.

The moment we sat down, Shabon was the first to speak, “You were connected to my father, were you not, Sir Souma?”

Given the confidence in the way she said that, it was safe to assume she already knew what was up to some degree. When I nodded, she looked shocked.

“...Since when?”

“Since long before the two of you even arrived in my Kingdom. It was a little after we caught one of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s armed ships, so that would put it just before my coronation ceremony, I guess.”

“That long ago...”

We had been able to find out about Ooyamizuchi and the predicament the archipelago was in from the crew of the ship that Castor captured. Back then, I still had no idea what the Nine-Headed Dragon King’s intentions were, but a little after that, I received an unofficial emissary from Shana.

“I thought he would be demanding the return of his armed ship, but instead, his messenger delivered an apology for the illegal fishing of his countrymen, and payment for our losses. That’s when he brought this plan to us as well.”

“...My father paid compensation for your losses? Truly?”

“Yeah. That’s likely what the tax hike you mentioned went to. And the Kingdom used that money to compensate our own fishermen who had been harmed. To make this quick, Sir Shana was paying the Kingdom to let your people continue fishing illegally.”

Well, when you consider that he was paying for it, I’m not sure it was fair to call it “illegal” anymore. Once we started receiving the money, the Kingdom’s patrol ships shifted to a policy of allowing them to fish for whatever seemed like a reasonable amount of time before driving the foreign boats off—though, only the brass were in on it.

Shabon stared at me in wide-eyed disbelief.

“Why would father do things in such a roundabout manner?”

“I’m sure it was Sir Shana’s last resort. The fishermen of the archipelago attach special significance to going out to sea to fish, so it would be humiliating for them to ask another country to let them do it, right? That would have made their lowered spirits, from the ongoing Ooyamizuchi problem, sink into an even worse place. Also, if he was going to request our assistance in slaying the kaiju, he needed to make sure it wasn’t opposed by fishermen inside the Kingdom. This was the way he chose to thread that needle.”

Having explained all this, I sighed and shrugged my shoulders.

“I think you already understand the rest, right, Madam Shabon? In order to bring together the fleets of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago—which wouldn’t unite without a foreign threat—we set the Kingdom up as a fictitious enemy and agitated the island chiefs. Once all the ships were gathered in that region of the sea, we sent up a smoke signal and used the Law of the Sea, which no seaman can ignore, to bring everyone together.”

“It was all calculated... Then why do you suppose Father would not tell me about it?”

“He probably didn’t want to get you involved. Right now, the soldiers of the Archipelago Union’s fleet are excited by the fact that their enemies have just become allies, but once they calm down, some of them are going to feel that Sir Shana played them. In order to mollify those people, I suspect that Sir Shana likely plans to abdicate the throne once this battle is over.”

“Father...” Shabon lowered her eyes in sadness.

Kishun leaned closer and said, “Then why did you not tell Lady Shabon that?!”

“As if I could. The plan was in motion since before the two of you came to me. I had to take Sir Shana’s intentions into account, even if that meant Madam Shabon would be saddened as a result.”

“But still... this is... It is simply too cruel, is it not?” Kishun protested.

“...I did warn you, you know? I said you were guaranteed to regret it.” I looked him straight in the eyes. “I knew because it was a regret that we had experienced ourselves.”

“You had, Sir Souma?”

“Yeah. I can’t go into details, but I know how Madam Shabon feels now. When I think of a certain man’s incredible sacrifice... even if it was all for our benefit, I can’t help but lament it. I still question if there really wasn’t another way. Though, I’m sure the man himself would tell me to let these conflicted feelings spur me onward... I don’t know whether that’s in kindness or in scorn,” I said, thinking back to Liscia’s tears that day.

Kishun fell silent. He must have sensed that I was speaking nothing but the truth.

Hearing this, Shabon spoke up, “You were aware of Ooyamizuchi before I told you, and already working on countermeasures. Does that mean everything I did was in vain?” There was a pathetic look on her face.

“That’s not true,” I replied, shaking my head. “Your independent actions let me and my retainers get into the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago ahead of time. That allowed us to gather information on Ooyamizuchi, refine our understanding considerably, and improve our plans. That’s not something Sir Shana could have done with the restrictions he faced. I think your direct appeal to me will be important in helping to justify everything after the battle is over, too. You definitely were able to support Sir Shana.”

“I was... helping my father?” Shabon blinked, and I gave her a firm nod.

“This all happened because of everyone trying to bring about the best result they could. And now...”

“We just have to put down Ooyamizuchi, and make that best result a reality, yes?” Shabon concluded, some strength having returned to her eyes.

The way she could accept things and move on spoke well of her as the princess of a nation. Shana’s determination, Shabon’s sadness, and all the victims of that creature... We had to slay Ooyamizuchi to make sure it wasn’t all in vain.

We steeled ourselves for what was to come.

◇ ◇ ◇

A little earlier, around the time when the Kingdom’s and Archipelago Union’s fleets came into visual range of one another, a group of men on nearby Ikatsuru Island wearing happi coats and loincloths were busy at work. They were dressed like fishermen, but were actually soldiers from Nine-Headed Dragon Island. From the air, Ikatsuru looked like a crescent moon, and there was an inlet on the inside of the crescent. The men unloaded cargo from a ship in that inlet, and loaded it onto a cart, then carried it inland.

“Aww, damn it, this place reeks,” the human man pushing the cart grumbled.

Like he said, the usually uninhabited Ikatsuru Island currently had a bizarre smell to it.

The wolf-faced beastman beside him grimaced. “You’ve got it easy. It’s really tough on those of us with sensitive noses.”

“Come on, this is pretty bad for us, too. I’m never gonna get it out of my clothes.”

“The wife’s gonna give me hell when I get back...”

“Hey, less chatter, more work,” their merman mononofu overseer cautioned them. But they both complained.

“The stench of fish and blood is driving us crazy here!”

“It’s a depressing sight, you know?”

The two of them were looking at the little mountain that was the source of the unpleasant smell: a mountain of fish. This was more than what could be caught in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s waters at this time, which meant it had to have been brought in from another country. The fish was surrounded by a pool of blood from freshly slaughtered livestock, all of which permeated into the ungodly stench surrounding them.

“It’s such a waste... These fish could have fed so many people.”

“You must know what this operation is for,” the mononofu chided the man. “If we ate them, nothing would change. However, by using them here, we can solve the problem and change our fortunes. After this, we’ll catch far more fish in the long run.”

“...That’s true. If we can solve the problem, that is.”

As the two conversed, the watchtower up on high ground began to pound on the wooden alarm bell.

“The fog’s come out!”

“The fog’s come out!”

“The fog’s come out!”

Three men shouted one after another, as if playing a game of telephone.

“...It’s finally here, huh?”

The mononofu looked in the direction of the sea.

“Raise the smoke signal at once! Send a message from island to island for Lord Shana! Everyone else, retreat at once! We’ll abandon the ship in the inlet and escape in the boats on the opposite side of the island!” he ordered immediately. As the men ran around hurriedly, the mononofu glared into the fog and said, “Keep on coming. This is where you meet your end.”

◇ ◇ ◇

This was the hardest problem when it came to slaying Ooyamizuchi: It was an amphibious creature. Dealing with it on land was one thing, but if it dove underwater, the forces of mankind could do nothing to it. Magic was less effective at sea, and with the gunpowder available in this world, even if we built depth charges, they probably wouldn’t be able to hurt it. There were no submarines or heat-seeking torpedoes in this world, either.

Because of this, King Shana had sought to lure Ooyamizuchi ashore, then rapidly eliminate it with the combined might of the Kingdom’s and Archipelago Union’s navies.

To be specific: he piled a ton of bait on Ikatsuru Island, which was along Ooyamizuchi’s route, and then used both fleets to surround the island. Then, with the creature trapped in a shallow inlet, they would attack until it was dead.

“The time has finally come,” Excel said with a pensive look on her face. She, Juna, and I were watching the Kingdom’s and Archipelago Union’s fleets cruise together from the deck of the Albert II.

“Indeed. The timing only just barely worked out. I was sweating for a moment there...”

“Hee hee, I’m sure you were, but the boy you discovered is really something. Sir Ichiha, was it? He predicted Ooyamizuchi’s actions perfectly. I’ll look forward to seeing what he does in the future.”

“You said it. Now if only he had a little more confidence in himself... Then he’d make a reliable big brother figure for Cian and Kazuha.”

If I was going to name an MVP for this operation, it would have to be Ichiha. He managed to come up with an effective plan of attack after reviewing the intel and seeing the creature, then also worked out its route, which allowed us to settle on Ikatsuru Island as the location for the operation. This was all possible because we were able to come to the islands in advance, so you could say that Shabon and Kishun’s efforts had some importance, too.

As I was thinking about that, Excel stopped smiling and said, “But, sire, the real battle starts here. We can’t afford to fail.”

“...I know. If we do, then everything will have been in vain. There’s no hope of negotiating with this enemy. It’s a kaiju. We have to fight until either it’s dead, or we are.”

“Um... you keep calling Ooyamizuchi a ‘kaiju,’ right, sire?” Juna, who was standing next to me, asked with an uneasy look on her face. “Can we beat a kaiju?”

“Well... I feel like back in the world I came from, or at least my country specifically, most of the kaiju that appeared in our stories were immune to human weapons,” I said, thinking back to all the kaiju movies I had watched. “That had to be because in my country the kaiju usually symbolized God, nature, or a natural disaster. Like, humanity is tiny next to the immensity of nature. Oh, and some were symbolic of the sins of the civilization that created them.”

Pollution, weapons of mass destruction, genetic manipulation... just to name a few. I think the kaiju that came out of that country were a projection of people’s sense of guilt for those negative products of civilization. While monster movies from other countries tended to end with the creature yielding to the power of human civilization, that country’s kaiju were so strong they couldn’t be defeated without the power of the giant of light... and they were sad, too. I feel like, to them, kaiju were something that “should not be defeated.”

Because they believed the sins of civilization could not be erased, but... I shook my head.

“The people of this world didn’t create Ooyamizuchi. It’s not their sin. That’s why I believe we can overcome it.”

When I said that, Juna replied, “Yes,” with a smile.

◇ ◇ ◇

Up out of the sea, a mountainous form crawled onto Ikatsuru Island. Its head had a mixture of the features of both a dragon and sea dragon, while its back was a massive bivalve shell resembling a giant clam. Underneath it, eight thick tentacles covered in a crustacean carapace wriggled like an octopus’s as it slid forward.

Ooyamizuchi.

The kaiju (or at least that’s what Souma called it) that had been tormenting the people of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. Wrapped in the mist that came from the bivalve shell on its back, Ooyamizuchi crawled across the island on long, writhing tentacles. Due to its incredible weight, there were earthquake-like tremors each time one of those tentacles struck the ground. Ooyamizuchi had been drawn to this island by the intense stench of the bait left here.

The creature pressed forward, mowing down any tree that got in the way as it went. Once it reached roughly the center of the island, Ooyamizuchi spotted the bait—a mountain of fish and livestock that had been bled out. There had been no large creatures in this area of late, so this was hardly going to be enough to sate Ooyamizuchi’s appetite, but it was still a feast. It stretched its head out to tear into the mountain of fish. Then, using the crustacean pincers on the end of its tentacles, it lobbed one of the livestock into its mouth.

It had taken some time for it to get ashore due to the nature of its body, but it was less than five minutes before it had consumed all of the bait. With its feeding frenzy finished, Ooyamizuchi noticed a presence approaching the island. Many “blood-like scents” were coming towards it.

Ooyamizuchi couldn’t have known it was the smell of iron, but it could tell instinctively that the things were a threat to it. With a rumbling turn, Ooyamizuchi headed back the way it had come, but by the time the kaiju had reached the shallows, the Kingdom and Archipelago Union’s fleets had encircled Ikatsuru Island. In the middle of that fleet, the captain of the Hiryuu, Castor, couldn’t help but let out a sigh of admiration when he saw how gigantic Ooyamizuchi was.

“What is that thing? It’s beyond massive.”

“It really is. Rhinosauruses look small and cute in comparison,” his XO agreed in an exasperated tone. “I shudder to think there’s a beast like that out at sea. It’s going to take no small amount of naval might to deal with it.”

“I can see why my lord and the Nine-Headed Dragon King wanted to work together. I doubt any country’s navy has records of battling a creature like that before.”

“Slaying a monster of that size is the stuff of legends,” the XO said with complete seriousness and Castor smiled wryly.

“Legends, huh? Well, good. They’ll be telling tales of our battle for a long time to come.”

“...They certainly will. I’d rather it not be with us as the losers.”

“Naturally. Being the commander of a defeated army once was enough for me. So... we’re gonna win this.”

Castor adjusted his captain’s hat, and gave the order.

“This is a message for all ships! The operation to slay Ooyamizuchi starts now!”

Chapter 9: Duel -total war-

Meanwhile, Ichiha and Tomoe were standing on the beach of the faraway island in the Kingdom that housed a secret arsenal.

“If Ooyamizuchi’s route is as I predicted, His Majesty and the others could be fighting it right now... I hope my prediction was right... Please let it be right.”

“Geez, don’t look so glum.” Tomoe pinched Ichiha’s cheek as he was gradually losing confidence. “You’re the foremost expert on monsterology, and everyone worked together to put together the plan. It’s sure to work. You need to believe in yourself and everyone else more.”

“Tomoe...”

“Big Brother will definitely win. I bet Yuriga’s frustrated she can’t watch,” Tomoe said with a chuckle.

Unlike Tomoe and Ichiha, who had been given time off from the Royal Academy at Souma’s request, Yuriga was a stowaway on their voyage, and had been sent straight back to Parnam when they all returned. She was probably buried under a pile of extra homework as a penalty for skipping school right now.

Imagining Yuriga going through that, Ichiha felt some of the tension drain out of his shoulders.

“Yeah... You’re right. They can definitely take out Ooyamizuchi.”

“Yep!”

And so, the two of them prayed for Souma and the others’ success.

◇ ◇ ◇

Castor thrust his arm forward and ordered, “All hands, prepare for battle! The Hiryuu will now enter phase one of the operation. Our first task is to blow away that meddlesome fog. Send the wyvern cavalry team back out with explosive barrels! Their target is Ooyamizuchi and the area around it!”

“Roger! All hands, prepare for battle! Wyvern cavalry team, head out with bombing equipment! Your target is Ooyamizuchi and its immediate surroundings! I repeat! Your target is Ooyamizuchi and its immediate surroundings! Wyvern cavalry team, head out with bombing equipment!”

Halbert and the others heard the XO’s voice through the speaking tube.

“Okay, men! Let’s do this!”

“““Yeah!”””

The wyvern cavalry team led by Halbert and Ruby took off carrying explosive barrels. They flew in formation as the two fleets watched, heading straight towards Ikatsuru Island.

Ooyamizuchi noticed the incoming fliers, too.

Telepathically, Ruby asked Halbert, “That thing has a dragon-y face. Do you think it can breathe fire?”

“The brass say, ‘probably not.’ A creature needs a certain kind of torso to breathe fire. But, apparently, that thing has an aquatic body,” Halbert explained, mentally reviewing the briefing.

“Then it doesn’t have any attacks that can reach the sky?”

“Dunno... It’s shaped weird, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it has some unexpected way of attacking us.”

That’s when Ooyamizuchi began stretching its head towards the wyvern cavalry team, for some reason.

Noticing it, Halbert got a bad feeling and immediately ordered, “Circle around to the left!”

Following his command, the formation tried to divert to the left, but as they did, Ooyamizuchi opened its mouth and emitted a high-pitched shriek, sending the right side of the wyvern cavalry team flying backwards, as if they had been blown away. A fifth of the team dropped in an instant.

The tailspinning wyverns showed no sign of external injuries, and Halbert could see the riders who had been thrown from their mounts.

“Captain! The right wing is down!” one wyvern rider shouted at Halbert, but Halbert didn’t stop.

“Continue the operation! They’ve all got parachutes!”

He looked down to see the men’s parachutes opening one after another. With that confirmed, Halbert held up his spear and barked orders. Obviously, even if they did land safely, it was in the winter sea down below. If help came too slowly, their lives could still be at risk. However, Halbert and his men couldn’t afford to stop for them.

“Leave rescuing them to the guys down below! We’re going in! We can’t afford to let this operation stumble in the very first stage!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

The wyvern cavalry headed towards Ooyamizuchi once more.

In a quiet voice, Halbert asked Ruby, “That attack just now, what do you think it was?”

“Extra large-scale wind magic... No, perhaps it was a shot of compressed air. If I were to give it a name, I’d call it an ‘air cannon.’”

“I don’t care what you call it... It’s bad news that it can do it.”

“But it must take a lot of time to suck that much air in.”

“So we should bomb it before it can get off another shot?”

While they were having that conversation, the wyvern cavalry team reached Ikatsuru Island where Ooyamizuchi was.

“Okay, drop your barrels! Our mission is to blow away the obscuring mist! There’s no need to take risks trying to hit Ooyamizuchi!”

Following Halbert’s orders, the wyvern cavalry team dropped their explosive barrels one after another. The explosives whooshed downwards, detonating close to the ground. This gave rise to a chain of massive fires across the island, replacing the mist with black smoke.

~~~~~~~~~~!!

That must have surprised Ooyamizuchi, because it let out an ear-piercing shriek. The wyvern riders all covered their ears, trying to block it out, but Ruby and the wyverns were unable to and staggered from the aural assault.

When the beast finally finished roaring, Halbert asked, “You okay?! Ruby!”

“S-Somehow... My head is pounding, though...”

“Damn it...! The mist looks like it’s clearing...”

Determining that they had achieved the minimum they needed for their mission to be considered a success, Halbert issued new orders, “Men, once you’ve dropped your payload, withdraw at top speed! Don’t worry about formation! Stay spread out so we don’t all get hit by that air cannon. Withdraw to the Hiryuu for now!”

“““Roger!”””

The wyvern cavalry unit scattered, heading for the carrier. Halbert waited until he could see Ooyamizuchi through the flames, then did the same.

“You think those explosions did some damage?” Ruby asked him telepathically as they pulled out, but Halbert shook his head.

“...It looks like the shell on its back, and the carapace covering its tentacles, are incredibly hard. I doubt a gunpowder explosion could do anything to it. Our mission was just to clear the mist anyway.”

“What a monster.”

“Coming from a dragon like you? That means somethin’. I’m starting to see what that ‘kaiju’ word Souma was using means.”

“...But we’re not going to lose.”

“Damn straight!” Halbert said with a sharp glint in his eye, holding his two spears at the ready. “We’re backing off now, but I swear we’ll get it next time!”

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, on the flagship of the Archipelago Union’s fleet, the Dragon King, Nine-Headed Dragon King Shana watched Ikatsuru Island burn with his arms crossed. The form of Ooyamizuchi had emerged from the rising smoke. It was so gigantic that he could make out all the details even at this distance.

You finally show yourself... he thought.

One of his subordinates came to deliver a report.

“The Kingdom’s wyvern cavalry team has succeeded in clearing the mist!” he said. “However, it seems that some unknown attack knocked a number of them from their mounts.”

“The ones who fell slowly, huh? The Kingdom has some odd equipment...” Shana sounded impressed, but immediately ordered, “Send out a fast boat! Have the ones who fell into the water rescued at once! They’ll not last long in the winter sea. Save as many of our comrades as you can!”

“Yes, sir!”

As the man ran off to do his bidding, another subordinate raced in as if to take his place.

“Reporting! The Kingdom’s fleet sends a message: ‘Moving to stage two of the operation’!”

“Okay. We will now move to stage two. Stop Ooyamizuchi when it tries to escape from the island. Send a message to all ships! Loose all remaining fire ships at Ooyamizuchi!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

At Shana’s command, the fire ships that had been conserved during the battle between the two nation’s fleets were sent towards Ooyamizuchi. Fire ships were a weapon that took only a small crew to control, and once they were set on their course, the currents could do the rest, so the men could abandon ship.

Recognizing the two fleets surrounding the island as enemies, Ooyamizuchi began heading out to sea to fight back. The timing worked out so that a large number of fire ships rushed into the shallows that were the entrance and exit to the island just as the creature was trying to leave.

Snap! Crack, crack...

The tentacles smashed a number of the incoming vessels, but there were more than its eight legs could hope to sink. Soon there was a pile of fire ships built up from the base of Ooyamizuchi’s neck to its chest. That’s when the fire ships, rigged with the same sort of fuse as the explosive barrels, went off.

Booooooooooom!

There was an even larger explosion than the last one, and Ooyamizuchi’s head was knocked back. The fire ships had a greater amount of explosives in them than the barrels, and the explosion struck the creature’s exposed front—it wasn’t going to get away unharmed this time.

“It’s working! It’s working!”

“I can’t believe the Ooyamizuchi’s hurt...”

“Suffer our wrath! This is for all our friends you devoured!”

The incredible sight had the soldiers of the Archipelago Union’s fleet roaring.

The subordinates near Shana were ecstatic, too.

“Your Majesty, do you think this might just work?!”

“...If this was enough to stop it, we wouldn’t have had to turn to the Kingdom for help.”

“Huh?!”

~~~~~~~~~~!!

Ooyamizuchi’s face emerged from the explosion, and it roared so loud the air shook, as if it was warning them the battle had just begun.

◇ ◇ ◇

When Ooyamizuchi’s face emerged from the flames, I was alongside my wives and Excel watching from the bridge of the Albert II. I’d already thought this when I saw it in the mist, but damn that thing was huge. It has an overwhelming presence, like I’d expect from a kaiju.

Excel, who was next to me, said, “Sire, we will now begin the third stage of the operation.”

“Have the men who fell into the sea been rescued?” I asked, snapping back to my senses, and Excel nodded.

“We’re sending out rescue ships. The Archipelago Union has sent out their fastest boats as well, so we can count on them to handle it. Our fleet will now advance and tighten the encirclement. Is that acceptable?”

“...Got it. Get started.”

“Understood.” Raising her voice, Excel ordered, “This is a message for all ships! Close to a fixed distance, then turn in sequence!”

The Kingdom’s fleet began moving to follow her directive. They spread out in an arc to seal off the inlet, and once in position, they turned their broadsides towards Ooyamizuchi. They did this in order to focus the fleet’s firepower.

Once reports came in that the fleet had all reached the fixed distance, Excel gave the next order.

“All ships, open fire!”

“Roger. Main cannon, open fire!”

Juna, who was serving as the XO, shouted into the speaking tube, and then there was a blast I could feel resounding in my stomach. The Albert II had begun firing.

This was the start of a bombardment by the Kingdom’s entire fleet. The shells they were using weren’t the explosive type, but the armor-piercing type that were used to smash through walls in siege battles. Ichiha’s analysis had suggested that Ooyamizuchi’s carapace would be unfazed by mere gunpowder explosions. Because there was no explosion on impact, I could only hear the sound of the cannons firing, but Ooyamizuchi was undoubtedly being pummeled with huge masses of metal.

~~~~~~~~~~!!

The kaiju howled, which showed it was working.

“All ships, keep firing, and don’t let up. Sire, the target was that shell on its back, right?” Excel checked with me after directing the fleet to continue the bombardment. I nodded.

“That shell on its back is the hardest part of Ooyamizuchi, but we expect that means that the vital organs necessary to keep it alive are inside there. No matter how much we damage the tentacles, there’s the risk that they can grow back like a lizard’s tail, so Ichiha said we should prioritize destroying the shell.”

“That makes sense. Hee hee, you’ve really found yourself a good recruit.”

“Yeah, you can say that again.”

Then Aisha raised her voice, “Sire! Ooyamizuchi seems to be doing something!”

Taking a look, I noticed Ooyamizuchi’s tentacles writhing. Moments later, something came flying towards us at an incredible speed. Is that a tree? No, maybe a boulder? There were a number of trees and boulders coming at us. It looked like Ooyamizuchi was picking up anything it could get a tentacle on and hurling it towards us.

“Can we evade?!” Excel asked.

“No! We’ll just have to pray it doesn’t hit us!” came the helmsman’s panicked response.

Splash! Splash! It probably wasn’t taking careful aim. The vast majority of the trees and boulders either fell short of our ships, or went off in the completely wrong direction. However, perhaps because the fleet was arrayed so as to block the inlet, some of it did strike the deck, and there was smoke rising from a number of the ships.

Throwing whatever came to hand was common for kaiju from the Showa Era, but it looked stupid, and seemed ineffective. Now that I was on the receiving end of it, though, I was finding out just how awful it was. There’s a lot of pure mass being thrown our way at incredible speeds, after all.

Even Excel, as amazing as she was, grimaced in the face of this assault.

“...Sire, will you move to one of the ships in the rear?”

“I don’t think we have time for that. Aisha, get out on deck and cut down anything that looks like it’s going to hit this ship for me.”

“Yes, sir! Understood!” Aisha rushed out on deck carrying her greatsword.

Wind magic was weakened at sea, so I was a little worried knowing that Aisha couldn’t use her Sonic Wind at its usual power. Still, we couldn’t let up on the assault just so I could evacuate. Now was the time to be aggressive. We’ve got to fire until the guns melt... or so I was thinking, but...

“Reporting! It’s about Ooyamizuchi!” one of the marines shouted.

“What is it now?!” Excel demanded.

“It’s turned its mouth towards our fleet and opened wide!” the marine answered.

I looked, and Ooyamizuchi had extended its head towards the fleet, its maw gaping. I felt a cold sweat drip down my back... If this was one of those kaiju movies I watched back in the world I came from, that would be the sign an incredible attack was coming. Don’t flinch. Ichiha’s analysis said it shouldn’t be able to use fire attacks.

Was the attack that blew away some of the wyvern riders coming? From sea level, it had looked like a sudden blast of wind, but while wyvern cavalry were easily affected by the gusts, was it going to be able to hit iron warships with a wind attack?

“...Here it comes!”

Bwiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!

It wasn’t wind that Ooyamizuchi spewed at us; it was a thick pillar of water accompanied by a sound akin to a jet engine firing. It had likely taken in seawater, compressed it, then spat it back out.

A shot of water like something fired out of a gigantic pressure washer struck the fleet sideways. The massive Albert II heaved. I instinctively grabbed onto the railing and put my hand around Juna’s waist to support her as she lost her balance.

“Are you all right, Juna?”

“Th-Thank you. I got careless.”

“...I wish you’d have supported me, too. Have a care for your mother-in-law, would you?” said Excel, who had fallen flat on her backside.

I didn’t have time to remind her she was actually my grandmother-in-law.

Looking around the bridge, there were other marines that had fallen over or had their chairs knocked over. If this ship were wooden, it would have been blasted to wood chips. I had thought of it as a pressure washer, but at this size and power, it functioned as a ranged attack.

“Get me a situation report!” Excel shouted into the speaking tube.

“O-Our ship and the carrier Hiryuu are undamaged! However, a number of cruisers were knocked over by that attack! It’s only a matter of time before they sink!” came the reply from the lookout, his voice filled with urgency.

There had been a lot of power behind that jet of water. The spray it kicked up was still raining down on us like a squall. If it had scored a direct hit, even this iron ship might have flipped over.

I made up my mind and told Excel, “I’m heading out with Naden to rescue them.”

“Sire?! That’s way too dangerous!”

“Since Naden can swim through the sky and sea, maybe she can put those ships back upright with brute force.”

The overturned ships might have lost any further utility to the operation, but if they were turned upright again, we wouldn’t need to worry about them sinking. Even if they couldn’t be completely flipped back, even a little assistance ought to make escaping from them easier.

Turning to Naden, I asked her, “Can you do it?”

“They look heavy, but I guess I’ll have to, huh?” Naden spun her arms around as she spoke. She looked more than ready to give it a shot.

“I’m only needed here when there’re political decisions to make. If I’m just a figurehead, let me go out there and help people. Naden will be with me, so I’ll be safe even if I fall into the sea.”

Excel seemed to think about it for just a moment, but immediately came to a decision.

“It puts you in danger, but you’re already in danger here. We’re short of rescuers, too, so, please, help us.”

“Roger that!”

“Okay. Once we’re done with the rescue, Naden and I will rise up into the sky. Juna, I’ll let you decide how to handle that. Keep an eye on the situation, and deploy it if necessary.”

When I said that, Juna put a hand to her breast and bowed her head to me.

“Understood. Please, take care.”

“You, too, Juna.”

I jumped off the bridge and dove into the sea with Naden in her ryuu form.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Captain! A black ryuu presumed to be Queen Naden has taken off from the Albert II!”

“We have a message from Duchess Walter! His Majesty is heading to rescue the capsized ships!”

“It’s so bad we even need the king to come out and help...?” Castor whispered to himself without meaning to.

Seconds later, another subordinate came and spoke, “Reporting! There seems to be activity from the Archipelago Union’s fleet!”

This took Castor by surprise and he looked to the east. “What happened?!”

“They’re sailing in formation as they pass beside us! They are rapidly closing the distance with Ooyamizuchi, and appear to be attempting close quarters combat!”

“Wha?! That’s sooner than planned, isn’t it?!”

The operation had called for the Kingdom’s fleet to bombard Ooyamizuchi until the carapace covering it was thoroughly destroyed. Then, once the enemy was robbed of its defenses, the Archipelago Union’s fleet, with their superior capacity for close-quarters combat, would charge in and quickly finish it off. However, Ooyamizuchi’s carapace hadn’t been pulverized yet. It was much too soon for them to be acting.

“This is likely because they saw the water jet attack. Unlike our warships, most of theirs are made of wood. If that burst of water hit them, they wouldn’t last a second.”

“Because their ships are lightly armored... specialized for mobility.”

“Yes. That country’s gunpowder weapons also have a short range, so they don’t stand a chance in a long-range shootout. Maybe they want to get in before there’s a second shot? If they get in close, then even if the boats are destroyed, they can still go ashore to fight.”

Castor ground his teeth as he listened to his subordinate’s analysis.

“He accepted his ships sinking as inevitable? I can see how determined the Nine-Headed Dragon King is.” Castor corrected his posture and ordered, “Send this message to Duchess Walter. I’m requesting she support the Archipelago Union’s fleet.”

“Yes, sir!”

“We’re sending the wyvern cavalry team out again! This time, their mission is to distract and confuse Ooyamizuchi! Fly around and attack it! Don’t give it time to attack the Archipelago Union’s fleet!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Castor’s orders were relayed to Halbert and the wyvern riders, who were standing by in the air above the Hiryuu, using mirrors to reflect light. That was the signal for another attack.

Meanwhile, the most fierce commander in all of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, Shima Katsunaga, was aboard the lead ship of the Archipelago Union’s fleet.

As he stood at the bow, glaring at Ooyamizuchi, one of his nearby associates asked, “Aren’t we heading in too early? I was only told just before we headed out, but weren’t we supposed to approach Ooyamizuchi after its carapace was destroyed?”

“The enemy has long-range attacks, too, so we’ve been left with little choice in the matter. You must have seen the jet of water it spat flip over the Kingdom’s ships, right?” Shima said in a gruff voice, his thick, burly arms crossed in front of him. “That attack would reduce our ships to splinters. That must be why the Nine-Headed Dragon King intends to approach while the creature is still distracted by the Kingdom’s bombardment. While our ships have superior mobility, they lack when it comes to firepower and range.”

“I see...”

“Heh, but what does it matter? If we let the Kingdom’s bombardment do all the work, that would be a black mark on our reputation as mononofu of the sea. After everything that beast has put us through, we need to settle things with it ourselves. If we don’t, the souls of the comrades it’s eaten will never be able to move on.”

“Yes, sir. I agree entirely.”

Shima drew the Nine-Headed Dragon odachi that hung at his hip.

“The Nine-Headed Dragon King’s played me for a fool, but still, what a feast this is he’s presented me with. A chance to face the hated Ooyamizuchi head-on. Men, find your courage and rise to the challenge! This battle will be told for generations to come!” Shima raised his odachi into the air.

“““Yeahhhh!””” the men cheered in response, and stomped their feet on the deck. Similar voices and noises could be heard from all the ships around them.

Every ship must have been trying to raise their morale and rouse the courage to fight the gigantic enemy before them.

Shima thrust his odachi straight forward and ordered, “Listen up! When we approach the beast, we take care of those meddlesome tentacles first! Target the spot where they meet with the torso! That’s where they’re softest and their movement is slowest! Slip past the beast’s attacks and get in close, then focus your attacks there!”

“““Yeahhhh!”””

In the middle of the crew’s raucous cheering, the associate from before stood next to Shima.

“My lord... Is that method of fighting Ooyamizuchi based on information from the Kingdom, too?”

“I reckon it is. They do say they have the foremost expert in the study of monsterology, after all.”

“After seeing that great island-sized ship full of wyverns, the Kingdom seems so far beyond our understanding. I’m truly glad we didn’t have to fight them here.”

The man spoke with a mix of admiration and awe, but Shima responded with a wry smile.

“Well, they’re a reliable ally now, so we’ll leave that matter be. We must focus on the enemy in front of us first.”

“Yes, sir. But its tentacles move so freely. It won’t be easy to get close.”

“And yet we must—no matter how many ships are sunk in the process.”

Just then, another lookout reported, “Sir! The Kingdom’s fleet has ceased its bombardment! The wyverns are flying in this direction again, too!”

Looking out, they could see the wyvern cavalry team flying over the Archipelago Union’s fleet towards Ooyamizuchi. This time, they didn’t seem to be carrying explosive barrels. They were led by a red dragon, much larger than any wyvern. The team of wyverns closed the distance to reach Ooyamizuchi in no time, and circled around the beast while scorching its tentacles with fire attacks. The creature’s carapace seemed to be preventing any significant damage, but Ooyamizuchi swung its tentacles around in irritation, like a cow trying to swat a fly with its tail.

Some of the wyvern riders were struck down, but the others still continued evading the tentacles and attacking. Seeing this, Shima had a realization.

“It looks like the Kingdom’s fleet is supporting our attack.”

The Kingdom’s wyvern cavalry team was drawing Ooyamizuchi’s attention so that the Archipelago Union’s fleet could get closer.

“How reliable. We’ll have to match their spirit.”

“Yes, sir!”

The Archipelago Union’s fleet began closing in on Ooyamizuchi. It was only once they got so near that they were reminded how utterly massive the beast was. He seemed dwarfed next to it, but Shima lifted his odachi up high and gave orders.

“All hands, open fire! Fire the lion-dog cannons—hit it with everything we’ve got! Fire, fire, fire!”

The approaching ships began unloading on Ooyamizuchi one after another. The cannons along their broadsides spewed fire, and the lion-dog cannons mounted on their decks kept shooting fist-sized hunks of lead into the sensitive point where the tentacles were connected to the body.

It was then that Ooyamizuchi finally realized that it wasn’t just wyverns around it, and swung down a tentacle to snap a large ship in half. Shima’s ship lurched with the waves and sea spray kicked up by the attack.

“Urgh! Don’t falter! Send out the ram ships!”

With that, about eight medium-sized ships with pointed bows rushed forward. These ships specialized in ramming their sharp bows into the enemy. Tugged by horned doldons, the ram ship rapidly rushed towards Ooyamizuchi’s tentacle roots. Once they got up to speed, the horned doldons were cut free to escape, leaving just the ships to collide with the enemy.

The lower part of Ooyamizuchi’s tentacles was similar to an octopus’s, and the ram ships cut deep into the roots of them. In human terms, it would be like if someone stabbed a pencil into your shoulder. It wasn’t going to be lethal, but if there were enough of them, it was going to hurt like hell.

~~~~~~~~~~!!

Ooyamizuchi roared, flailing its tentacles about. The rampaging appendages grazed the ship Shima was on, snapping its mast. Despite this, Shima and his men kept pressing the attack. It wasn’t just gunpowder weapons. There were some who fired bows, other slinging magic, and when the tentacles got close enough they even used spears and katanas. Anyway, the all-out assault continued.

The scene looked like a swarm of ants clinging to a cow’s tail, hoping to defeat it. But in the same way that army ants can strip larger creatures down to nothing but bones, eventually, one of the tentacles fell limply and ceased to move. However, the soldiers had no time to be jubilant. They had merely neutralized one of the eight. Looking back up at the remaining seven, they gulped.

Even the ferocious Shima himself was exhausted and starting to get a little worried.

“This absolute piece of shit... It’s a genuine monster. Ugh, I’m starting to hate this.”

Suddenly, they heard a sound from the Kingdom’s fleet.

We take our boat on the mother sea.

To the waves rich with fish and life.

It was a woman’s voice, singing a fishing song from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.

Under the seabird’s eye there treasure be.

If we’re too slow, the big’un will strike.

Pull in the nets! Heave, ho! Heave, ho!

Let the port hear our song of triumph.

As he listened to that beautiful, powerful voice, Shima looked at Ooyamizuchi again. He would never find a bigger target than this. Finding such a large catch should have been an unparalleled joy for a man of the sea.

The fire returned to the exhausted men’s eyes.

“What man of the sea would hesitate in the face of such a great catch?! Come on, men! Let’s get back to fishing!”

“““Yeahhhh!”””

On Shima’s order, the men rallied to challenge Ooyamizuchi once more.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Heave, ho! Heave, ho! Let the port hear our song of triumph.”

On the deck of the Albert II, the cat-eared lorelei, Nanna, was singing the fishing song of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, her homeland, in front of a broadcast jewel. There couldn’t have been a better choice to sing this song that would raise both the morale and magic power of the Archipelago Union’s fleet. Nanna’s family had drifted to a fishing village in the Kingdom eight years ago and taken up residence there, so she had been singing this song for the men of the sea there since she was just a little girl.

Eight years ago would be before Ooyamizuchi’s rampage began, so she had come to the Kingdom before the fish catch in the archipelago became so poor. Because they had always seen a lot of small scale conflicts between the islands, her family was probably driven out during one of them—though she was likely too young to remember. To Nanna, the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago was just a place where she was apparently born, and she had no strong feelings for or against it. She was here because she felt it was only fair that she returned the favor to King Souma and Queen Juna, who had done so much for her, and besides, she liked singing the song anyway.

Hearing her innocent voice, free of any sort of darkness, Excel, who was raising a ball of water into the air to spread Nanna’s voice, let out a sigh. “Is it youth that lets her see her homeland without getting sentimental about it?”

Having drifted to the Kingdom from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago herself, albeit several centuries earlier, Excel’s feelings about it were complicated. This was a country that had driven out the sea serpent race, and she couldn’t help but think about that while fighting alongside them. Juna, overhearing her, shrugged her shoulders.

“You’re always trying to act youthful, aren’t you? Despite your age.”

“...When did you learn to talk like that?” Excel gave her a reproachful look.

“I am His Majesty’s first secondary queen, after all,” was Juna’s nonchalant reply.

When Nanna finished her song, Juna took the next turn, and then Nanna again. Excel smiled wryly, wiping the sweat from her brow.

“Goodness me. It takes a lot out of you performing magic like this out at sea, you know?”

“...Sorry, but please continue. We’re at the operation’s most vital point.”

“I know that,” she replied, refocusing herself.

Suddenly, Aisha came rushing over from the bow of the ship. “Ooyamizuchi is on the move! It seems to be heading forward!”

Now that she mentioned it, Ooyamizuchi’s body did look a little bigger than it had before. It must have been slowly advancing towards the Kingdom’s fleet which was massed around the way out of the island.

“That’s not good. It’s trying to flee out to sea,” Excel said contemptuously.

Ooyamizuchi didn’t seem all that intelligent, but it must have figured out that fighting on land wasn’t to its advantage—either that, or its survival instincts kicked in. If it dove underwater, there were limited options for attacking from the surface, and Ooyamizuchi would be free to attack or flee as it pleased. This needed to be prevented from happening at all costs.

“Send a message to all ships! Begin closing distance and tighten the net! Stop Ooyamizuchi’s advance! Lay down fire on Ooyamizuchi’s path, too! That’s only to intimidate—you don’t need to hit! Whatever you do, do not hit the Archipelago Union ships that are fighting!”

“Yes, ma’am!” One of the marines ran off to relay Excel’s orders.

Juna rushed to Excel’s side and said, “Grandmother, let’s send out that. It should slow it down.”

Excel’s brow furrowed. “By that, you mean... That ship?! Wouldn’t His Majesty have to make that call?”

As Excel thought about it, Juna closed in, bringing one hand to her own chest.

“When His Majesty headed out with Naden, he left responsibility for that with me. He said if I decide it needs to be deployed, I could.”

Excel suddenly seemed to remember that exchange and nodded her head.

“...Right, he did, didn’t he? But will His Majesty be able to coordinate with it properly?”

“If we send the ship out, I’m sure he’ll notice. I believe we can trust him to handle the rest.”

“...All right.” Excel firmly nodded, smiling to Juna. “His Majesty entrusted the ship to you. You give the order.”

“Okay!”

Juna stretched her arm out in front of her and ordered, “Send a message to all ships! The transport ship King Souma will now begin advancing towards Ooyamizuchi. Please, tell all the other ships to make way!”

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, at that same time, Souma and Naden were busily working to turn the capsized ships upright. Naden wrapped herself around the ones that were sinking, like a scene in an old kaiju movie (though, twice around was all she could manage at her length), letting out a psychic, “Hahhhhhh!” as she forced them back into the correct position.

As the ships gushed water from everywhere, sailors who had failed to escape came crawling out. It was hard to know if everyone was all right, but Naden was feeling relieved to see that she had been able to be of at least some help.

Emerging from the water once more, Naden heard a sputtering from her back. She hurriedly turned her head around to look. “A-Are you okay, Souma?”

“S-Somehow...”

He had been riding on her back as she worked both above and below water to rescue the ships. His pact with her as a dragon knight protected him from the cold of the winter sea, and he wouldn’t be thrown from her back, but he still couldn’t breathe underwater. It didn’t change the fact that the water that got into his mouth was unpleasantly salty, either.

“At times like this, I wish I had gills like Princess Shabon...”

“Sorry to put you through that, but I don’t think wishing for things that you’ll never have is going to help,” she replied, raising her head to look around. “...Though, I think I’ve got all the ships flipped back over now.”

“W-Well, anyway, as long as the ships are floating, it should be easier for people to escape... and to rescue the ones who fell into the sea, too...”

“But what if the section of the ship they’re trapped in is filled with water and they can’t get out...?”

“This is all we can do from outside. We have to trust in them to handle the rest,” Souma said, looking down below. The soldiers on the deck of the ships that had been set upright were shouting words of gratitude and waving their hats. The two were relieved to think they had at least been able to save some small number of lives.

Naden asked Souma, “What now? Do you want to go back to the Albert II?”

“Yeah, I think that... Hm?”

An image flashed through Souma’s mind.

“What’s wrong?” Naden asked, tilting her head to the side.

Souma closed his eyes and covered both his ears with his hands, trying to focus his mind. He was trying to get a grasp of the situation using the consciousness he had left inside that thing using Living Poltergeists.

After some time, Souma slowly opened his eyes.

“It really is moving... Did Juna move the transport ship? ...Does that mean Ooyamizuchi is on the move?”

“On the move...? Ah! Ooyamizuchi is moving! It might be trying to escape from the island!” Naden shouted, having spotted it in the distance. Souma clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“It’s trying to escape out to sea, huh? As if we’d let it get away.” Souma adjusted his sitting posture on Naden’s back. “Naden, get me into the airspace above Ooyamizuchi!”

“Roger that!”

Souma and Naden danced up into the sky together.

◇ ◇ ◇

The Kingdom’s wyvern cavalry team and the Archipelago Union’s fleet were still fighting hard in the area around Ooyamizuchi where Souma and Naden were headed. For its part, Ooyamizuchi was using its tentacles to slap down wyvern riders or wrap around and break warships. Each swing let out a low whistling sound, and at this very moment, another wyvern rider was about to be smacked down.

“Wahhhh!”

About to be hit with the force of a truck, the wyvern rider sensed his coming death, letting go of the reins, and covering his head. There was a loud slapping sound, but for some reason, the anticipated impact hadn’t arrived. Hesitantly opening his eyes, the wyvern rider saw a red dragon interposed between him and Ooyamizuchi, blocking the tentacle.

From the dragon’s back, Halbert shouted at the dazed wyvern rider, “Use this chance to recover!”

“C-Captain?! Thank you!”

Once he saw the man had gotten himself back together and withdrawn, Halbert asked, “Ruby, you okay?”

“Th-This is no big deal!” Ruby replied, squeezing the tentacle with both of her front legs, and throwing in a bite for good measure. “One of these tentacles is about the size of Naden! After all the times I’ve tussled with her, a hit like that is nothing to me!”

“You sound confident, but don’t be reckless! There’s only one of Young Miss Naden, but there’s more tentacles where that one came from.”

“Oh, I know that quite... well!”

Ruby let go of the tentacle she had seized as another one came at them from behind. Just after she did, the new tentacle slammed into the spot she had been holding. The sound of two carapaces striking each other was incredible. It was a hard enough impact that some of it was stripped away, so if Ruby had been caught between them, it might well have broken some bones. As for Halbert, he’d have been crushed flat as a pancake.

A cold sweat ran down both their backs.

“Damn it! Those tentacles are way too much trouble!” Halbert complained.

“But if we don’t do something about them, that thing is going to keep fleeing!”

Even now, Ooyamizuchi was sliding along on its tentacles. It moved slowly for its gargantuan size, but was still making steady progress towards the deep sea. The Kingdom’s fleet was laying down suppressive fire along its path, but it didn’t seem to be terribly effective. At this rate, Ooyamizuchi was going to get away.

Halbert slapped his own thigh. “Damn it all! Isn’t there some way to stop it?!”

“...Huh?! Hal! Look at that!”

Halbert looked up in response, and saw one ship, larger than the others, closing in on Ooyamizuchi.

“That’s... the Souma-class transport ship? Don’t tell me they’re planning to ram it?!”

“It’s certainly big enough to have an impact, but I doubt it would slow it down much. Do you suppose they would really throw away a new ship just for that?”

“What is that thing transporting, anyway? I thought it would be a unit from the army to fight on the island, or supplies, but maybe it’s not.”

“Explosives, perhaps? Like the fire ships the Archipelago Union was using.”

“Nah, gunpowder has the power to blow up a barrel or wooden ship, but not an iron ship. All it would do is start a fire on board.”

As they were talking about it, the King Souma stopped a few hundred meters in front of Ooyamizuchi, then a hatch on the deck slowly opened. Once it was finished, something jumped out and landed in the sea with a big splash. Everyone stopped for a moment, unsure of what had just happened.

As Halbert, Ruby, the wyvern cavalry team, and the soldiers of the Archipelago Union’s fleet turned in the direction of the splash, a massive object rose from the sea, scattering water everywhere.

“Wh-What the hell is that?!”

“Another monster?! Nobody told us there’d be something like that!”

The soldiers of the Archipelago Union’s fleet went into a panic at the appearance of a second monster. The soldiers of the Kingdom, on the other hand, stared in disbelief, unable to accept the reality of what they were witnessing. The massive object stood in Ooyamizuchi’s way, its surface shining silver in the sun. It had the silhouette of a dragon, the mightiest creature on land, yet its body was entirely made of machinery.

“M-Mechadraaa?!” Halbert, the first to come to his senses, shouted incredulously.

It was Silvan’s massive mechanical dragon partner that appeared in the Kingdom’s broadcast program Overman Silvan. Standing on its hind legs, Mechadra let out a roar, then raced towards Ooyamizuchi, kicking up waves behind it.

Chapter 10: Mechanical Dragon -final battle-

The dragon skeleton that had been used as a base to create Mechadra came from a specimen much larger than Ruby, and it was designed for bipedal, not quadrupedal, movement (like Mecha Go**illa), so the mechanical dragon looked way larger than Ruby. On top of that, Mechadra was armed to the teeth today. The added mass from those parts made its movement more weighty than usual, but Mechadra stood in Ooyamizuchi’s way, putting the creature’s head in a firm lock.

In terms of size, it was like the difference between a boar and a Shiba Inu, but this was the same Mechadra that had the power to casually toss aside a rhinosaurus on Overman Silvan. Ooyamizuchi’s forward movement was obviously slowing.

“Mechadra has made contact with the enemy, Grandmother!” Juna, who was watching from the Albert II, said to Excel. “Let’s send out the other boat. We need to get it to Mechadra.”

“That weird boat, you mean? Okay.”

“Yes. Send a message to all ships! We are sending a ship through from the rear! Please, clear its path!”

With Excel’s permission, Juna gave the order through the speaking tube. Once she was finished, Excel placed a hand on Juna’s shoulder.

“We’ve deployed everything we have at our disposal now.”

“...Yes. Everything is out on the table now,” Juna nodded, laying her own hand on top of Excel’s. “This really is our last trump card.”

◇ ◇ ◇

~~~~~~~~~!!

Ooyamizuchi howled. It bashed Mechadra with its tentacles, trying to get the mechanical dragon off of it, but Mechadra didn’t let go of the beast’s neck. Instead, it fought back with its iron bite. Soldiers from the Kingdom and Archipelago Union watched with bated breath as they witnessed the sudden battle between sea beast and mechanical creature unfold.

“A-Awesome! Damn, that silvery dragon is cool!!”

“What is this...? Is this reality I’m seeing...?”

“Ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha...”

Some cheered, some stood there in disbelief, and some simply laughed dryly—their brains unable to keep up with what was going on in front of their eyes. There were a variety of reactions, but the men didn’t have time to just stop thinking forever.

“Huh?! Keep your hands moving! Resume the attack!”

“Find some way to finish the beast off while that silver dragon is stalling it!”

The commanders on the Archipelago Union’s side were shouting. When he saw the Archipelago Union’s fleet had resumed the attack, Halbert gave orders to the wyvern cavalry team.

“We’re going to start attacking again, too! But, while I’m pretty sure you know this, that silver dragon, Mechadra... is on our side! Make sure you don’t hit it!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Mechadra and the Archipelago Union’s fleet handled the up-close attacks while the wyvern cavalry team ran distraction, as well as launching flame attacks, and the Kingdom’s fleet provided supporting fire. No matter how great Ooyamizuchi was, it was still getting hurt by this focused attack, and a number of its tentacles no longer moved.

Ruby decided it was her time to shine, and spewed her flames at full force to burn a tentacle right off.

“How’d you like that?!”

“Don’t let your guard down, Ruby! There’s another tentacle coming!”

“Augh! It’s just one after another!”

Ruby prepared to intercept the incoming tentacle, but there was a tearing sound as a flash of blue light pierced through it. The appendage flopped around, convulsing, before ultimately collapsing into the sea. Halbert and Ruby looked up in the direction the light had come from, only to see Naden with Souma on her back, floating in the air as pale blue sparks of electricity shot off of her.

“Souma?! What’re you doing on the front line?! It’s dangerous here!” Halbert shouted after having Ruby fly next to Souma and Naden.

“I didn’t have much choice,” Souma countered, pointing at Mechadra. “Mechadra’s neck is long, and the field of view is shaky, so it’s hard to see the surrounding area with just the consciousness I’ve transferred to it. It’s a lot easier to control if I’m somewhere that gives me a top-down perspective.”

“But you’re here without a guard. You’re gonna get your wives mad at you again, you know?”

“I’ve gotten used to that... Anyway, Hal, I had a question for you,” Souma said with a serious look on his face. “Was there anywhere that Ooyamizuchi’s shell seemed like it was weakening?”

“Weakening? You mean, like, somewhere it’s damaged?”

“If I’m remembering correctly, I think the Kingdom’s bombardment ruptured Ooyamizuchi’s shell on the opposite side from the one we’re looking at—that would be the right-hand side from Ooyamizuchi’s perspective. It’s shallow, and I doubt it caused any internal damage, though,” Ruby chimed in.

“Okay,” Souma replied, closing his eyes to focus. Halbert was shocked.

“H-Hey. What do you think you’re closing your eyes for?”

“I’m going to use Mechadra’s extra equipment on that rupture to bust that shell open.”

“Extra equipment?”

“Sorry. I need to focus, so support me, would you?”

Down below, Mechadra put some distance between itself and Ooyamizuchi, kicking up waves as it circled around to the left side of Ooyamizuchi. Despite being slapped around by the writhing tentacles, Mechadra forced its way through them to get closer and pressed up against the side of the beast. Its head was moving around a lot, presumably to look for the rupture that Ruby had mentioned.

“...Found it! Here’s the spot!” Souma declared, his eyes still closed. Then Mechadra reached out with its right arm (front leg), and placed its hand near the rupture. As Halbert and the others watched, wondering what it was trying to do, the mechanical dragon placed its left hand on its extended right arm (front leg).

“Um, if I remember this right... I think this is how I do it... Okay!” Souma’s eyes snapped open, and he shouted, “Gooooo—”

Kaboom! The roar of the blast covered up Souma’s shout. It sounded like an explosion, a metallic noise, and a crushing noise all overlapping, and Halbert couldn’t help but cover his ears.

~~~~~~~~~!!

It howled as it twisted around. Is Ooyamizuchi in pain?

“Wh-What was that noise just now?!”

“Here, have another! Take thiiiis!”

Souma shouted without stopping to answer Halbert’s question, and Mechadra reached out with its left arm (front leg) this time, and placed its hand on the same spot. Then, after it held its left arm with its right hand, and did something to manipulate it, there was another explosion. Ooyamizuchi groaned as it writhed about, swinging its long, thick neck to hammer Mechadra, causing it to stumble backwards from the impact.

Noticing something sharp protruding from Mechadra’s arms, Halbert asked, “What are those iron stake things?”

“They’re the first piece of extra equipment we devised specifically for fighting Ooyamizuchi—a gunpowder-fired pile driver,” Souma responded.

Allow me to explain...

Because dragon bones were used in its construction, for diplomatic reasons, there had been limits placed on the military use of Mechadra, but thinking that the mechanical dragon would be an effective tool against a giant monster, Souma had enlisted Genia, the Overscientist, and Trill, the Drill Princess of the Empire, to produce some powered-up parts for it.

However, while Souma’s ability, Living Poltergeists, allowed him to move dolls or puppets as if they were the living creatures, he wasn’t able to manipulate the internal parts separately. To give a human analogy, it was like how you can move your body, but you can’t freely control your internal organs. Even if they put a cannon on Mechadra, he wouldn’t be able to fire it, or load it internally. Those sorts of armaments had to be attached externally, so that Mechadra could manipulate them itself.

One of the pieces of extra equipment they had come up with was the pile driver. The explosive force of gunpowder was used to fire a massive metal stake, creating a close-range weapon that could be used for single penetrating attacks. They were installed in both Mechadra’s arms, and required the opposite arm to push a button to fire them. Also, because Mechadra couldn’t rearm the pile driver itself, it was a weapon that could only be used once per sortie, for a total of two times, counting both arms.

It was a tough weapon to use, but it was like firing a cannon at point-blank range, so it was incredibly powerful. From the look of it, the small rupture had expanded after taking two shots from the pile drivers. A little more, and it would break through to the inside.

“Just a little more! If she’s sent out Mechadra, that means...” Souma turned to look at the sea behind him.

There was a boat coming towards Mechadra, cutting through the water like a knife, yet there was no sea creature pulling it. Instead, two conical objects were attached to the front, spinning as they parted the waves. That’s Juna for you. Her timing is impeccable.

“What is that?” Halbert asked Souma, blinking.

“It’s an icebreaker—a ship that breaks the ice in front of it as it moves forward. The product of Kuu’s wishes, and Trill’s tenacity.”

The Kingdom, Empire, and Republic had been working together to develop a drill. By applying its rotational mechanism in two places, they were able to devise a prototype for an icebreaker with drills attached to the front to smash through ice, and a propeller on the back to provide thrust. It was like the Garinko from Souma’s old world, only with the drills sticking out of the front.

“Hal, I just need a moment, so draw Ooyamizuchi’s attention!”

“R-Right. Got it. Okay, you louts, let’s do this!”

Halbert led the wyvern cavalry team to attack Ooyamizuchi.

During that time, Souma had Mechadra retreat and head towards the icebreaker. Once it got close, Mechadra lowered itself to the point it was hidden beneath the surface of the water, then the icebreaker rode on top of it. The crew rushed out of the ship and quickly moved to get it fixed in place, as Souma and Naden watched from afar.

“I never would have guessed we’d be installing a drill on it...”

“I know that dragon is dead, but I’m sure they never thought they’d end up like that, either...”

We both had to take our hats off to Trill’s tenacity. When she had first seen Mechadra in the dungeon workshop, she had been excited by the size of it.

Then, because Mechadra was created by Genia, who she loved and respected, Trill decided she wanted to add her own creation—the drill—to it. Naturally, because there were limits to what we could do to Mechadra in light of our relationship with the Star Dragon Mountain Range, Genia had been hesitant, but Trill kept on asking. In the end, Genia apparently got on board with the idea, too, and they started thinking of ways to load it with a drill.

When Souma asked them for additional equipment to fight Ooyamizuchi with, they had already come up with the plan of attaching the icebreaker to it. Because the icebreaker was still a prototype, it couldn’t travel far, but the duo of deviant scientists went and redesigned it as a piece of add-on equipment for Mechadra.

Once the crew had installed the icebreaker on Mechadra’s back, they turned the drills on and abandoned ship, then they gave the all-clear signal to Souma and the others. When he saw it, Souma raised his right hand to the heavens and made Mechadra stand up.

“Okay, this is the piece of equipment that Trill’s willfulness got us! Let’s see it put a hole in that big old shell!”

Mechadra walked towards Ooyamizuchi with heavy steps, carrying the drills on its back. Then, circling around to Ooyamizuchi’s side as the beast was distracted by the wyvern cavalry team, the mechanical dragon lowered its head and stuck its shoulder out like a rugby player, then slammed the spinning drills into the rupture in Ooyamizuchi’s shell.

An instant later, there was a mechanical whine, and a chipping sound that was like nothing before.

~~~~~~~~~!!

Ooyamizuchi thrashed around, crying out in anguish. Shards of its broken shell fell into the sea with loud splashes. Its shell was steadily being chipped away.

“...Is this going to work?” Souma whispered to himself.

Soon enough, the spinning of the drill gradually slowed and then came to a complete stop. Because it was a weapon that had been thrown together in a hurry with no time for a field test, it must have broken down due to the hardness of Ooyamizuchi’s shell.

Then Ooyamizuchi bit onto Mechadra’s head, and pulled. That threw Mechadra off-balance, and it tumbled into the sea with a huge splash.

“Damn it! We were almost there!” Souma slapped his knee in frustration.

“Look, Souma! There’s a big break in its shell, and you can see the meat inside!” Naden said, pointing to the rupture with her snout.

Looking, Souma could see there was a large hole in the shell, and the creature’s flesh was visible through it. It wasn’t a fatal wound, but Mechadra’s attack had come just short of finishing Ooyamizuchi.

Halbert brought Ruby up alongside Souma and Naden.

“You were saying its most vital parts are inside the shell, right? Let’s focus our attack there and finish it for good this time!”

“...Yeah, that makes sense, Hal.” Souma decided to change gears. “Let’s focus our firepower. I’ll bring Mechadra around to Ooyamizuchi’s left side and keep the beast from moving, so you lead the wyvern cavalry team to attack that exposed section. As for Excel... if she’s been watching this through a telescope, she should focus her attacks on that spot, too.”

“Gotcha. What are the two of you going to do? Head back to the Albert II?” Halbert asked, but Souma shook his head.

“Nah. From here, it’ll be faster to head straight to the Dragon King rather than back to the Albert II. Naden and I will go to the Nine-Headed Dragon King and ask him to attack that exposed section as well. Give us some of your wyvern cavalry as an escort.”

“All right... Be careful, you hear? Your kids are still young.”

“Right back at you. You don’t want to die before seeing your own kid’s face, right?”

Having blown off some of the tension with that lighthearted banter, Souma and Halbert each flew off in their own direction to carry out their next tasks.

◇ ◇ ◇

The battle with Ooyamizuchi was finally entering its final stages.

Mechadra held Ooyamizuchi in place while the Kingdom’s fleet fired their cannons; the Archipelago Union shot their lion-dog cannons, bows, and magic; and the wyvern cavalry team unleashed their fire attacks at the rupture in the shell, all of them opening the wound further. It was a general offensive.

The rupture was bleeding constantly. Its once thrashing tentacles had lost their vigor, proof that Ooyamizuchi was steadily weakening.

“Hmm. This must be our chance.”

With the tentacles’ strength gone, it was now possible for the soldiers to climb Ooyamizuchi. Shima Katsunaga, the fierce commander of the Archipelago Union’s forces, held his odachi up high and gave orders.

“Enough with the tentacles! Now we strike at the main body! After me!”

“““Yeahhhhh!”””

On Shima’s orders, the men of the sea jumped onto Ooyamizuchi’s body. Those with a high level of jumping ability bounded up the shell, while those without used grappling hooks to climb. This style of fighting was a specialty of the Archipelago Union’s soldiers, who had used these sorts of pirate-like tactics when boarding enemy ships.

The ferocious warriors of the Archipelago Union climbed over one another, like besiegers competing to be the first over the wall as they scaled Ooyamizuchi’s back. Seeing this, the Kingdom’s fleet stopped firing, and sent out the Marine Corps. The wyvern cavalry team supported the climbing team while also launching their own attacks against the rupture.

Having reached the top first, Shima headed for the rupture and swung his odachi. It caused a slight wound, but was deflected with a clang.

“A blade won’t do the job, then...? Hey. You brought a metal rod, right?”

“...Yes, sir! Here it is.”

Shima took the metal rod that it had taken two of his subordinates to carry all this way, and wound up before swinging it into the shell with all his might.

“Hahhhhhh!”

There was a resounding crack. Ooyamizuchi’s shell gave way under the force of an attack that left his hands numb. A huge chunk came off and fell into the sea. Shima wiped the sweat from his brow as he watched it drop.

“Whew... Ga, ha, ha! I knew this would be more effective,” he said with a laugh.

Then a spear of fire flew down from the sky to strike the center of the rupture some tens of meters away. The moment it hit, the spear of fire burst, gouging the flesh, and causing a spurt of bodily fluids. That one attack made Ooyamizuchi writhe in anguish once more, and it felt like an earthquake to Shima and his men. When the shaking subsided, they looked up into the sky and saw a young man with red hair who was riding a red dragon with a spear in his hands.

“...That looks even more effective,” Shima mumbled to himself, his jaw hanging open.

Meanwhile, Halbert was holding a standard throwing spear with a sour look on his face.

“Fuuga could’ve finished it in one blow...”

“Don’t whine!” Ruby chided him. “Finishing this thing off comes first right now!”

After telling Halbert off, she launched an extra-large fireball at Ooyamizuchi’s open wound. The flames scorched flesh, deepening the injury.

The fierce assault continued from there, and the rupture was expanded until it was a fatal wound. The deeper they went, the less it felt like they were slaying a monster, and the more it was like they were digging holes in a cave made of flesh, but their efforts were finally about to be rewarded.

◇ ◇ ◇

~~~~~~~~~!!

When the soldiers of the Archipelago Union set off the explosive barrels placed inside its body, there was a gout of blood larger than any before, and Ooyamizuchi’s head fell into the sea. The beast was still twitching, but it no longer had the strength left to resist. It was only a matter of time until it died.

I was with Naden, who had returned to her human form, watching from the flagship of the Archipelago Union’s fleet, the Dragon King.

“It’s done now, right?”

“Yeah... It’s over.” I nodded. Then, letting out a big sigh, I said, “I dunno, this feels sadder than I expected it to.”

I was talking to Nine-Headed Dragon King Shana, who was standing next to me.

“I know that countless civilians were lost to that kaiju, and there were casualties in this battle, too, but... I just don’t know how to describe how it makes me feel watching it die like this. Though, I do have a sense of accomplishment, and relief, now that this incident is finally resolved.”

“...That must be what it’s like to watch as a living being dies. That thing was eating people to live. We destroyed it to live. It was for the sake of survival. There’s no good or evil in that.”

King Shana pulled what looked like a set of prayer beads from his pocket and rubbed them between his hands as he faced Ooyamizuchi. Is he praying for the creature as it dies?

The Archipelago Union was like a mix of Japan in the Edo Period and China under the Tang Dynasty, so maybe it had a similar religious perspective to the country I used to live in. This was my first time meeting King Shana in person, but despite the stern face, he seemed to understand sentimentality.

“...I’ll pray, too. Wouldn’t want to get cursed by that thing.”

I put my hands together, and Shana chuckled.

“You have a point. Let’s build a small shrine on that island and perform rites there once every year. With that, we can quell Ooyamizuchi’s violent spirit, and give comfort to the souls of those who died in battle.”

“...I’ll put up the funds to build it, so could you erect a monument to the people from the Kingdom who died, too?”

“Of course.”

A shrine... huh? When I heard the word, a thought occurred to me about the name “Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.” It came from a creature like a sea serpent that had nine heads and lived in these islands long ago, which people had come to worship as a god. Ooyamizuchi had a head like a sea dragon, as well as eight tentacles with crab-like pincers on the end. Those tentacles with crab pincers on them had looked like great serpents through the fog. Basically, depending on how you looked at it, it might have appeared to have nine heads. If Ooyamizuchi had appeared in the distant past, and the people mistook it for a sea serpent with nine heads, then this country’s name could’ve come from...

Once I thought that far, I shook my head to dispel the idea. This was just a supposition on my part, and trying to connect Ooyamizuchi to the Nine-Headed Dragon they worshiped as a god would not be taken well by the people in this country. If it had existed before, could there be a second, or a third... It wouldn’t be funny if there was.

“...It looks like it’s over.” King Shana said.

The collapsed Ooyamizuchi had finally stopped moving. Having confirmed the death of the target, the men who had climbed up onto its back cheered, and linked arms to sing the fishing song. The sun was starting to go down. Hearing the fishing song at the end of the long day we had just been through left me feeling lonely, somehow.

In the middle of all that, I clapped my hands against my cheeks.

“...It’s too early to relax. We haven’t finished cleaning up yet.”

“We can’t very well just leave that thing there, after all,” King Shana said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “If you leave something that big to rot, there’s no telling what effect it might have on the surrounding area. We need to dismantle it quickly.”

Back in my old world, when I was watching a program that showed shocking videos, one of them was of a dead whale on the beach that had been left for too long, allowing gas to build up inside it, that exploded when they tried to dismantle it. If we left a massive pile of meat like that to decompose, who knew what kind of gasses it might produce? It could sicken people, and pollute the sea. It needed to be rendered harmless as soon as possible, and preferably in a way that it could be put to good use.

“I have a specialist on this stuff.”

“Souma!” Naden shouted, pointing towards the Kingdom’s fleet.

I looked in the direction she was pointing, and there was a massive ball of water above the Albert II again. Excel must have made it for a broadcast. The image of a paunchy man was reflected in the aqueous sphere.

Coughing to clear his throat, the man said, “Erm... C-Can everyone hear me...? Th-This is the Kingdom of Friedonia’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta, yes.”

Chapter 11: Big Pot -banquet-

“First, let me congratulate you on slaying Ooyamizuchi, yes. This victory was possible thanks to the cooperation between Their Majesties, and by extension, our two countries. However, the situation has not been fully resolved yet—there can’t be peace in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago unless we deal with the remains of Ooyamizuchi, post-haste.”

In his hands, Poncho held Ichiha’s drawing of Ooyamizuchi. He pointed to it as he continued explaining the dangers of leaving Ooyamizuchi’s body untouched.

“Now that the fearsome beast is defeated, what remains is a mound of meat. Meat rots. If we leave it be, it will bring about insects which will be fed on by wild animals. As it decomposes, it will release a terrible stench, and become host to various illnesses. Should that rotting meat come into contact with the water, it will contaminate it. There is also the case of dragon remains, which reports have indicated can become a skull dragon if left alone, too.”

The soldiers who had been elated, thinking the battle was over, listened to him in sober silence. This situation wasn’t fully resolved yet.

“As I’m sure you can infer, we must dispose of Ooyamizuchi’s remains as soon as possible. I know you must all be exhausted, but I’d like for you to start work immediately. This is His Majesty Souma’s wish as well, yes.”

Soldiers from both sides slumped their shoulders as they heard they were about to be assigned clean-up duty. Everyone was exhausted from the intense battle they had just fought, so the response was expected. Announcing that there would be physical labor post-combat wouldn’t up morale.

Poncho broke into a cold sweat as he continued with a smile. “I know how you must be feeling, yes. But, everyone, this is good news! The foremost expert in monsterology, Sir Ichiha Chima, has investigated the various parts of Ooyamizuchi’s body, and everything but the shell and carapace is made of edible materials. I hear they’re quite delicious, too, yes.”

Hearing the word “delicious,” the soldiers perked up. After such an intense battle, they were all famished. With the potential of eating well, self-interest took over, and the remains in front of them suddenly began to look like a giant pile of treasure.

“I’ll explain how to dismantle it now. I know you must all be tired, but please take care of it for us, yes.”

Once the projected Poncho bowed his head, a water ball was created over the Dragon King, and Shana and Souma’s images appeared in it. They each gave the order to their own camps.

“You heard him. We’re men of the sea here in the Archipelago Union. We give thanks to the mother sea, wasting nothing of the fish we catch or the beasts we hunt. That is our way of life!”

“We’ve come this far, so let’s see this through to the end. Once the missing have been accounted for and the wounded are treated, follow Poncho’s directions, and get to work on it!”

With both kings having given the order, everyone got themselves worked back up with a half-desperate, “Yeahhhh!”

What had started as a farcical fleet battle developed into a monster hunt, and now it was time for Cooking with Kaiju. Simultaneously, it was also the beginning of the longest period of work for the soldiers of both nations.

◇ ◇ ◇

“First, please take off the head and tentacles. They’ll be in the way of dismantling the body until they’re removed, which will make this inefficient, so I’d like you to divide yourselves into one team for the head, eight for the tentacles, and one for the body, yes,” Poncho said, relaying directions through the simple receiver to her.

Hearing this, Excel shouted through the microphone on the Albert II, “He says he wants the head and tentacles removed!”

It took considerable effort from the caster to maintain the water ball, so they had switched to this method of corresponding. Now, the soldiers of both countries were desperately hacking at the roots of Ooyamizuchi’s tentacles with their swords.

“Hahhhhhhh!” Aisha swung with an ear-splitting shriek, and her slash created a big trough in the root of the tentacle. However, though the feelers were five meters across at the tips, they were twice that at the base, and even Aisha couldn’t cut through that in a single slice.

On one of the other tentacles, there were multiple men working together to dig a hole in it. They filled the gap with gunpowder, then blasted it before digging another hole to repeat the process. It was slow work. Even if they managed to sever it that way, they still had a tentacle that was as long as Naden’s ryuu body to contend with. It needed to be broken up, and have the carapace pulled off.

Realizing this wasn’t a one-or-two day job, the soldiers started to feel fed up with it.

Wiping the sweat from her brow after she finished severing a tentacle, Aisha sighed, and said, “...Whew. I think I’ll take a little break.”

Noticing her, Souma called out, “Oh, hey, good work over there, Aisha.”

There were more than ten big pots sitting atop stoves, and Souma and Juna were busy stirring one of them.

“Siiiire, I’m hungryyyy,” Aisha whined.

“Gotcha. What flavor do you want?”

“I’d like a heaping bowl flavored with miso.”

“...You know, if you eat too much, you’ll get sick of it. We’re going to be having the same sort of thing for days.”

“That is but a secondary concern. For now, I just want to get something in my belly.”

Souma winced a little at the hungry look in Aisha’s eyes. “Ah ha ha... Right. Juna, give her a heaping bowl with miso flavor.”

“Coming up!”

Juna scooped some of the contents of the pot into a wooden bowl and handed it to Aisha, who then went and sat down on the beach and started devouring it.

Once her appetite was somewhat sated, between mouthfuls of food, Aisha asked Souma, “Mmph... It tastes good, but what part is this?”

“Right now, we’re stewing the scraps that came off during the dismantling process,” Souma explained, taking a seat next to Aisha. “This is from the tentacles and head.”

At the moment, they were collecting and boiling parts removed from the octopus-like tentacles and sea-dragon-like head. It was being stewed in these pots together with local produce from the Archipelago Union, or vegetables and rice brought from the Kingdom.

The soldiers continued with the butchering process until they were exhausted. When they got hungry, they took breaks to eat. Once they were full, they went back to work. Rinse and repeat. In order to keep it from getting too boring, they switched up what parts they were using, and flavored the soup with miso, soy sauce, and other things from the Kingdom. Because there weren’t enough cooks, Souma was also helping.

“We’re using the scraps now, but the tentacles and meat can largely be dried and preserved. In a little while, we’ll mostly be cooking the organs. Poncho says they should be tasty, too, though.”

“But Ooyamizuchi ate people, right?” Juna interjected, sitting down next to Souma. “Is it still safe to eat?”

“Yeah. That’s why we’re incinerating the oral and digestive organs. I like tongue and tripe when I go for yakiniku, though...”

“Tongue? Tripe?”

“Ahh, you can disregard that. Just talking about my old world. Anyway, I considered extracting oil from the parts we couldn’t eat, but considering they’re at least partially made up of digested humans... I decided cremating them seemed appropriate.”

“I can see why...”

While they were talking, Halbert came over with Naden and Ruby in tow.

“Souma, looks like we’re up,” Naden said. “They want you to move Mechadra.”

“...Right. Well, I’ll be going then, I guess.”

“Oh! Sire. I’ll go with you, then...” Aisha proposed, quickly getting to her feet.

“You’ve worked hard enough, don’t you think? You should rest a little longer.”

Getting up himself, Souma dissuaded Aisha from coming along as his bodyguard and then left with the other three.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Now, when it comes to the body, I expect the shell will get in the way.”

“With a living mollusk, you can boil or fry it to get the shell to open up, but according to Ichiha’s analysis, that thing isn’t designed to open. I expect it’ll take considerable effort to force it.”

“That’s why we’ll start by laying Ooyamizuchi’s body on its side, and removing the bottom of the shell, the part that’s like a turtle’s plastron. The plastron and the fleshy parts that the tentacles were growing out of should be cuttable. I believe Mechadra and the dragons should be large enough to handle the task.

“Once that’s done, please scoop out all the organs, yes.”

Following Poncho’s directions, I was riding on Naden’s head—because I couldn’t see in front of me when she stood on her hind legs if I was on her back—and Halbert was on Ruby. Simultaneously, I was also calling and controlling Mechadra, so there were now a ryuu, a dragon, and a mechanical dragon lined up and approaching Ooyamizuchi. It was quite a sight to behold.

“Poncho was saying he wanted us to knock it onto its side, but that’s going to be pretty tough,” I grumbled, and Hal nodded.

“This thing’s like a mountain. But we’ve still gotta do it, right?”

“Geez. We’re the ones doing the real work here.”

“I certainly hope you’ll be doing something to make this up to me later.”

Naden and Ruby were both complaining.

“I’m moving Mechadra, and the sea dragons will help pull as well, okay, Naden?”

“I know that, but where’s the harm in letting me grumble a bit?”

There were chains stretching from Ooyamizuchi’s back out towards the water where the sea dragons that had been pulling warships before were bound to the other end. When we pushed, they would pull from the other side.

Looking down, I spotted a soldier below waving flags at us. “Seems like it’s all clear down there. Okay, let’s get started.”

“Roger that.”

““Yes, sir!””

Naden, Ruby, and Mechadra placed their front legs against the now headless and tentacle-less Ooyamizuchi’s shell.

“Ready... Go!”

Ooyamizuchi’s body lurched as the three put their weight against it. At the same time, the sea dragons in the water started pulling.

“Ready, go!” Thud.

“Heave, ho!” Thud.

“Give it some oomph!” Thud.

“Once more!” Thud.

As I was shouting orders, the body slowly began to tilt.

“Huh?! It’s falling doooown!” I knew they had checked that there was no one in the way, but I shouted just to make sure.

Soon there was a great thud, and Ooyamizuchi’s body fell onto its side, kicking up seawater and sand. In that instant, the soldiers started clapping and cheering for no well-explained reason. They were probably excited to see this gargantuan object keeling over. Maybe it was like when you watched a video of a massive volcanic eruption, and you couldn’t help but say, “Whoa, that was awesome.”

Okay, now the plastron-like part was exposed. We followed Poncho’s instructions to remove it. It was massive, and it would take forever to do it the same way as we had the tentacles, so instead, Naden and the others would tear into the fleshy parts with their claws and then pull it off. This was where Mechadra’s claws, which had been sharpened into a blade-like shape, came in handy. They were even more efficient than Naden’s at tearing through flesh.

“Mechadra was supposedly going to be tough to use, but it sure is coming in handy now, huh?” Naden commented, half out of exasperation. You can say that again, I thought in response.

With the plastron removed, they tore apart the soft flesh inside, and pulled out the internal organs. It felt a bit harsh to make Naden and Ruby handle this part, so I decided to have Mechadra do it. That thing sure was useful for dealing with gargantuan creatures. However, Mechadra had my own consciousness inside it, and I felt sickened, like I was constantly looking at gore pics. I needed to take a number of breaks as I worked, so it took a long time. Regardless, I finished pulling out every organ I could.

I slumped to the ground and sat there due to the psychological toll. Naden looked at me with concern.

“You okay, Souma?”

“...This may have been the most exhausting part of this whole battle.”

“You should rest. Come on, stand up.”

Naden helped me back to the area where the others were. I considered that the grotesque sight I had just witnessed would put me off from looking at meat for a while, but my head and body needed the nutrition, so I dug into a bowl of Ooyamizuchi soup.

“Mmm! Juna, what part did you use for this?”

“We’re prioritizing the non-digestive organs. I’m told that was the heart.”

“Heart, huh? ...Damn, that’s good,” I said begrudgingly. I couldn’t beat my appetite.

This was how we carried on. We would work, eat, then work and eat some more—doing each in turn until, three days and three nights later, Ooyamizuchi’s remains had been fully dismantled. By that point, I was so sick of seeing organ parts that I never wanted to see them again. With the exception of some samples kept for research purposes, Ooyamizuchi’s meat was processed for consumption; its scales, bones, and carapace were processed for use as construction materials, and the organs were either eaten or had their oil extracted.

Once all the work was done, the Kingdom and Archipelago Union held a banquet to celebrate the slaying of Ooyamizuchi and amicable relations between the two countries. However, with a whole lot of organ meat left to consume, the menu was still more offal soup. This time, though, there was alcohol served as well, so there was minimal complaining from the soldiers.

Halbert and Ruby were taking part in the feast, too, sitting around a bonfire on Ikatsuru Island. They were joined by Shima Katsunaga and his group.

“Hey, you drinkin’ there, Red?” Shima asked as he vigorously slapped Halbert on the back.

“Ow...! Hold back a little, would you?”

Shima must have been inebriated already, because he shook it off with a hearty laugh, his face a bright shade of red.

“I was watching the exploits of the red dragon and her knight from down on the ground! I never would have guessed you two were such a young couple!”

“...We were watching, too. We saw how manly the men of the Archipelago Union are.”

“Ga ha ha! I’ll bet, I’ll bet! Go on, have another drink!”

“Fine, fine...”

“Hey, now. Don’t drink too much, okay?” Ruby warned as Halbert and Shima clacked their glasses together. “If you go wild while I’m watching you, I won’t know what to say to Kaede.”

“I-I know that, all right?”

“Ga ha ha! What, Red? Your wives got you whipped! If you call yourself a man, you’ve gotta have the balls to tell ’em, ‘Shut up and follow me!’”

Shima followed that comment up with a hearty laugh.

“Halbert. Don’t go and take what he just said seriously,” came a voice.

Turning to see who the sudden interjection came from, Castor had come over, cup of sake in hand.

“Mind if I join you?”

“S-Sure! Go ahead.”

Castor sat in the space Halbert moved to open up for him, then stared hard at Shima.

“Strong words have strong emotions hiding behind them. Many of the guys who’ll tell you they’re not afraid of their wives are more frightened than anyone. I saw my fair share of that in the Air Force.”

“...Hmph! What makes you say that?”

Shima puffed his chest up, but Castor just silently pointed behind him.

“Your men are smiling, you know?”

“Whaa?! Ya louts!”

Shima turned around, his face still flushed red, but his men hurriedly shook their heads in denial. Realizing from their reaction that they had not, in fact, been smiling, Shima realized he’d fallen for the trap.

“Looks like I was right,” Castor said with a smug look.

“Tch...”

“Don’t glare now. I just recognized someone with the same smell as me,” Castor said in a self-mocking tone. He used to be the master of the house, or at least a little closer to it, but ever since Accela went to live with Excel, he hadn’t been able to stand up to his wife at all.

Having more or less picked up on this, Shima scratched his nose, embarrassed. Were Souma around, he’d have thought, If an illusionist were to show these guys the thing that scared them the most, I bet it’d be their wives.

The men who were brave except when it came to confronting their wives all hit it off, and Castor and Shima shared a large number of drinks. Having been freed from the pressure, Halbert breathed a sigh of relief and turned his head to Ruby, who was next to him.

“Geez... These Archipelago Union guys are nice and all, but they let way too loose, don’t you think, Ruby?”

“Yeah. But doesn’t this sort of atmosphere suit you, Hal?”

“Ha ha ha, well, yeah... But when it gets like this, Souma gets dragged into it, and... Oh, wait, Souma and all of them aren’t here now, huh?”

When he said that, Halbert looked out towards the Albert II. Ruby nodded.

“Yes. Naden and the others are on the ship having a get-together with the members from the House of Sha.”

“A get-together... Right.” Halbert downed the rest of his glass. “I bet they’re not going to be having an easy-going time, feasting and drinking like us?”

Chapter 12: Negotiations -ocean league-

The wardroom aboard the Albert II had a large carpet and was decorated with paintings. It looked like an expensive restaurant. The only thing missing was the chandeliers. Because it was a battleship, thus prone to shaking, the room’s lighting was all done with lamps.

Juna, Excel, and I were there representing the Kingdom, sitting across a long table from Nine-Headed Dragon King Shana, one man who was presumably a close associate of his, and his daughter Princess Shabon, who were representing the Archipelago Union. By the way, though Shana and Shabon had been able to meet again here on the ship, they had both frozen, unsure what to say, when they saw one another.

The daughter hadn’t understood her father’s resolve, and the father had tried to keep his daughter from getting involved, only for that to backfire. It resulted in them going into the battle in different camps. There was a lot to unpack there.

“Father...” Shabon managed to force herself to speak in this awkward situation.

However, Shana waved a hand to silence her, and shook his head.

“I’m sorry... There are things I must tell you, and I am sure you have much to say as well. However, for the people’s sake, I want to prioritize talks with Sir Souma for now. I promise to make time for you later.”

“...Yes.” Shabon backed down, perhaps understanding how her father felt.

I was grateful to them for postponing it, too. I couldn’t butt into a foreign nation’s affairs, especially not when it was between a father and his daughter, after all.

Behind us stood our bodyguards Aisha and Naden, while Kishun was behind King Shana. There was no hostility here, no need to brace for potential violence, but the air in the room was still a little charged. To give you an analogy, it was like the tension in the air before someone gave an important presentation—even the glasses in front of us were all filled with water, not wine.

“Okay, let’s get started,” I said, and everyone nodded.

We had explained to the soldiers outside that this was a friendly get-together, but we were actually discussing what would happen after the battle. Even in light of the circumstances, our fleets had been only a half-step away from going to battle. If someone had gotten hasty during my farcical war of words with King Shana... I was frightened to think what might have happened.

People were in an amicable mood in the wake of a shared battle against a common enemy, having sweated together during the clean-up work, and having eaten from the same pots, but if we charted the wrong course from here, things could get tense again.

“Let me start by asking how you want to resolve this, Sir Shana.”

“I will take all the blame, and give Shabon all the credit.”

Shabon’s eyes widened. I asked a direct question, and Shana gave me a straight answer.

“Father?! What are you...?”

“You are saying you will take responsibility for creating tension with the Kingdom, and bringing us to the brink of war, while Madam Shabon gets the credit for our successful joint front against Ooyamizuchi?” I asked.

Shana nodded silently. So, that basically meant...

“By taking responsibility, do you mean to abdicate yourself and have Madam Shabon assume the throne, then?”

“No! Father should not have to abdicate! Not when I was unable to accomplish anything!” Shabon covered her face with her hands.

“That’s not it. This was the plan all along,” Shana explained in a calm voice, placing his hands on Shabon’s shoulders. “I meant to finish this without you knowing anything, but you acted on your own ideas, for the good of the country, and made contact with Sir Souma. That made it easier for Sir Souma to bring the Kingdom’s fleet to our land, which enabled us to fight as one. Our people will have a more positive attitude towards the Kingdom now than what my own script would have produced. I’ve put you through a lot.”

“Father...” Shabon raised her face, only to see Shana smiling at her.

It was true that the original reason for me sending out the Kingdom’s fleet was going to be “to slap down the Archipelago Union’s fleet for constantly defending illegal fishing vessels.” Even if we used the Law of the Sea to force us into a joint front, that justification was going to leave behind hard feelings. Because Shabon came to me, though, we could rewrite the script to say that “the King of Friedonia came at the request of Princess Shabon.”

Excel snapped her folding fan shut.

“Then how does this sound for our shared script? ‘In order to save the people of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, Princess Shabon risked life and limb to beg King Souma to dispatch his fleet. Inspired by her resolve, King Souma happily agreed to send troops. However, when the Kingdom’s fleet arrived upon the archipelago islands, they were mistaken for invaders. They nearly ended up fighting the Archipelago Union’s fleet, but after a coincidental distress signal, both fleets followed the Law of the Sea and fought together to eliminate Ooyamizuchi.’ ...I think that should be about right.”

“Yeah...”

If we made this a tale that glorified Shabon, the people would have an easier time accepting it, and it would help to justify her reign later. Some of the soldiers who took part in the operation might think there was something fishy about the story, but while we had massaged the timeline, more than half of what we would be telling them was true. Since this version of events didn’t humiliate the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, no one was likely to object to it.

Seeing the way Excel came up with a satisfying answer so quickly, you could really see that with age comes wisdom.

“Sire, were you thinking something strange just now?”

“...Perish the thought.” I averted my eyes from the intense smile on Excel’s face.

“Me, ascend the Nine-Headed Dragon throne...? Am I even qualified to do that?” Shabon said, hanging her head.

Having been in a similar situation, it hurt how bad I knew how she felt.

“Madam Shabon, you came to the kingdom to stop Sir Shana and to fight against Ooyamizuchi, correct? Weren’t you prepared to shoulder the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago in his place in doing that?”

“I was then, but... I failed to see Father’s true intentions...”

“I had my throne handed off to me by the former king, too, so I can understand how you feel. Even if it feels like a burden, if you don’t keep walking, the things left behind by the people before you will all go to waste. You must inherit all of that, and carry it forward.”

“Inherit, and carry it forward... That is what I must do, then.” Shabon raised her face, seeming to have found her resolve. Shana regarded her with satisfaction.

For now, at least, we had a common story we could tell. Now it was time to negotiate.

“Now then, the Kingdom worked with your country to fight Ooyamizuchi. With the exception of research samples, Ooyamizuchi’s components are to be considered property of the Archipelago Union, and used to aid in the reconstruction. That makes it look like the Kingdom is running a charity here. I know there’s the argument that if we left Ooyamizuchi to rot, it would cause harm to our country, too, but we took casualties. I’m at risk of looking like I stuck our necks out just to do a good deed. I’d like to avoid that.”

I came straight out and explained it to Shabon, who had a dubious look on her face.

“...Is there something you are trying to say?”

“I’m saying I want some kind of profit for the Kingdom. If I can show there was good cause for helping the Archipelago Union, it will be easier to persuade the soldiers and my people, and in turn aid in building friendly relations between our two countries.”

“Profit, is it? My country doesn’t have much in the way of financial leeway, though...”

“I won’t ask for money, of course, that would only harm people’s opinions of the Kingdom here. Instead, I want you to accept a few of our requests. Though, I do believe I already brought one of them up with you before, didn’t I, Sir Shana?”

I looked at him, and Shana nodded.

“You wanted to formalize the Law of the Sea and form a maritime alliance based on it, correct?”

“That’s right,” I said with a big nod. “When we were resolving this matter, we brought up the Law of the Sea to force the two fleets to work together. Right now, however, what we call the ‘Law of the Sea’ is just an oral contract. It may seem ironclad to the men of the sea, but for everyone else, it’s easily broken. I’d like it formalized as an international treaty.”

The Law of the Sea was merely customary. If someone didn’t care about their reputation, they could break it easily. I wanted to make it a formal treaty between the Kingdom and the Archipelago Union in order to prevent that. Once we had concluded one such agreement, we could use it as a precedent to convince other countries to recognize it as international law. The Empire and Republic would join in, at least.

“The other reason that both fleets were able to form a joint front was that you and I, the heads of both countries, were present. How would it have played out if it was just our commanders? They would have had to contact us to confirm what to do, and it would have taken even longer. We have to assume that ships from both countries will run into incidents we won’t know about, and I want to have agreements in place for how to handle them.”

“I see. I understand that now, but what do you mean by a ‘maritime alliance’?”

When Shabon asked that, I weaved my fingers together and leaned in a bit closer.

“I intend to expand the maritime trade between our countries in future. Obviously, the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago will want to take advantage of this improvement in relations to trade, too. Sir Shana, based on your development of the lion-dog cannon and other gunpowder weapons for use at sea, does your country produce a large amount of saltpeter, perhaps?”

“Indeed. The southern islands can produce high-quality saltpeter.”

“From my country’s perspective, that saltpeter, as well as your high-quality rice and local specialties such as swords, are appealing. Is there anything from the continent you would want to trade them for?”

“There is. In particular, I’ve heard there are some impressive advances in medical technologies on the continent. Having been self-sufficient with our islands all this time, things from the continent all seem stunning to us.”

Because this country was founded by those driven off the mainland, xenophobia had deep roots here—much like in the dark elves’ society around the time I took the throne. Glancing at Aisha beside me, I thought, Now, those dark elves are reliable comrades.

In order to expand our maritime trade, I was going to have to build a similar relationship with the Archipelago Union.

“If there is anything you want from the continent, let my country act as your go-between. We will need to work out the details of tariffs and such later, but if merchant fleets can travel freely between our two countries, I think we can expect not only major economic advances, but cultural ones, too.”

I pointed towards the beach where Ooyamizuchi’s bones still lay.

“However, one thing this incident brought to light is that creatures like that can appear in this world. I hear that Ooyamizuchi prevented the Archipelago Union from sending their ships out. That’s a deathblow for commerce. It’s not just creatures, though. I imagine major storms, piracy, or interference and sabotage by other countries could also harm trade.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. I continued.

“If we’re going to promote maritime trade, we need to secure safety along the trade routes. That’s what the maritime alliance is for. In the event that a ship from a member country encounters one of the threats I just named, the navies of each member country would move quickly to assist them... No, in the case of human-caused interference, the maritime alliance would secure the trade routes so that it doesn’t happen in the first place.”

The ideal would be trade that doesn’t require escort ships, but it was a little early for that in this world. There were giant creatures other than Ooyamizuchi on the high seas, after all. It would be one thing if they had something like a sonar that could detect hazardous creatures approaching, but they didn’t. Still, if we could eliminate human interference, that had to make trading easier than it was now.

“If the Archipelago Union will participate in this alliance, I would like to bring the Republic of Turgis into it as well. Their blacksmiths are top rate. Looking at the Nine-Headed Dragon Katana, I can see that the archipelago’s smithies are highly advanced, too. Wouldn’t bringing two nations with a dedication to craftsmanship together help make new techniques bloom?”

“Hmm. That would be wonderful, but... my country has no diplomatic relations with the Republic. That place becomes inaccessible when the seas freeze in winter, after all. Would they really agree to it?”

“The Kingdom will act as your intermediary, of course. We have connections there, you see.”

I hadn’t told Kuu anything about this strategy because of how much had to be kept secret about it, but if I explained the situation, knowing him, he’d bite at anything that looked interesting. Well, even if he’s hesitant, I’ll just have to show him the profit in it, and then persuade him...

Shana crossed his arms and arched his back. “I can see the profit in it for my country, but here in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, each island chief has their own territory they control at sea. We would need to get them all to agree.”

“I have to leave it to you to handle that, but don’t you think you can use the current situation?”

I turned towards the beach. You could hear the raucous good time they were having from here.

“Having just fought together to overcome a powerful enemy, the soldiers probably feel a stronger sense of common purpose than ever before. Furthermore, the appearance of Ooyamizuchi must have demonstrated the importance of overcoming the boundaries between the islands in order to fight together.”

“Indeed, if we take advantage of the current climate, we likely can find the will to unify, but if that is to happen, it’s all the more reason I should step down now. Shabon is beloved by the people of the islands and has worked on their behalf; she will make a more fitting sovereign for the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.”

“Father... I understand,” Shabon said, clasping both hands together in front of her chest. “I will protect the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s islands and their bond to the Kingdom with my life.”

It looked like Shabon had made up her mind.

She turned to look straight at me and said, “With that decided, I have something to ask of you, Sir Souma.”

“Hm? What’s that?”

“For one as young as myself to rule the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, I am sure I will require more than just my father’s assistance. In order to make this alliance a reality, I would like to have your support, as well, Sir Souma.”

“Hmm... What exactly do you want from me?”

“To form familial relations by means of a marriage.”

My eyes widened at her words. Marriage... Are we back to the beginning again?

“Won’t you be assuming the role of Nine-Headed Dragon Queen?”

“Yes. I will not be the one marrying, of course.”

With that, Shabon smiled.

“Once I become the Nine-Headed Dragon Queen, I intend to have a child. It is my hope to deepen the ties between our countries by having that child marry one of yours, Sir Souma. I believe you had a son and a daughter. If my child is a girl, I wish to send her to you as a bride for your prince, and if my child is a boy, I would like to welcome your princess into our family as his wife.”

Marriages for Cian and Kazuha?! I mentally exclaimed. They’re still just infants!

We weren’t the only ones taken aback by this, Shana and Kishun seemed dumbstruck, too. Excel was the only one who seemed to be thinking, Oh, my, now this is interesting, as she hid a smile behind her fan.

It took me a while to recover, but once I did, I told Shabon, “...It’s clearly a bit early for that. I can’t just decide on my own.”

Whoops, in my confusion, I just blurted out what I was thinking. Still, even though I had dodged giving her an immediate answer, Shabon said, “Yes,” still smiling as she nodded. “For now, that is fine. The child has not even been born yet. However, just the knowledge that the two of us have discussed the matter will provide me with support.”

“...Ha ha ha, you’re really something, you know that?” I was honestly impressed.

When she was down on her luck, I had seen her as a tragic princess, but she had this tough and nervy side to her, too. No, maybe she grew through coming into contact with all the different people and intentions involved in this incident. Whichever it was, she might make a surprisingly good ruler.

I cleared my throat loudly, trying to change gears. “Now, Sir Shana, may I assume you will seriously consider the maritime alliance?”

“Yes. You may.”

“Now, as for the Kingdom’s other request, we would like an island.”

“An island... you say?” Shana furrowed his brow. “I may be the king of the archipelago, but I am only free to do what I please with Nine-Headed Dragon Island and the small islands around it. I do not have any authority to cede another island chief’s island.”

“Yes, of course. The island I am requesting does not belong to you, yet, but it is one of the islands close to yours. I believe that we should be able to negotiate the matter here.”

“...What island is it?” Shana asked, and I looked at Kishun, who was standing behind them.

“I would like to have Little Island, of the Twin Islands, which Sir Kishun rules.”

Little Twin Island was the island opposite Big Twin Island where we had stayed.

During our stay on Big Island, I had heard rumors that there were military ships moored on Little Island, and that in the event that the islands were attacked by a force too big to defend Big Island against, they could still hold out on Little Island. They said that because it was smaller, fewer troops could land there, making it easier to defend.

Shana had a dubious look on his face. “Little Twin Island? You want that tiny thing?”

“Yes. It’s close to Nine-Headed Dragon Island, and along the route to Lagoon City, so I couldn’t ask for a better place to put a supply depot. In the interest of securing the sea lanes, and encouraging trade, I’d like to establish a base and permanently station a portion of the Kingdom’s fleet there.”

“A permanent station for the Kingdom’s fleet? That would be...”

Just as Shana started to frown, Shabon slammed her hands on the table and rose to her feet.

“Hold on a moment! The Twin Islands’ chief is Kishun. Even if you are the Nine-Headed Dragon King, it is unacceptable for you to make a deal involving someone else’s island! Can you not take one of the islands attached to Nine-Headed Dragon Island instead?!”

“...Please, calm down, Madam Shabon,” I said to pacify Shabon, who was getting a little worked up. “That would be fine as far as the Kingdom is concerned. Our goal is stable sea lanes and trade.”

“In that case...”

“But what are you planning to do after this, Kishun?” I asked.

Kishun got a difficult expression on his face. Shabon turned around, and then blinked when she saw it.

“Kishun?”

“.........”

Kishun didn’t answer her, just looked down, clenching his fists. That had to be because he knew what was coming. Shabon, meanwhile, seemed unaware.

With a sigh, I said, “Madam Shabon, you will become the Nine-Headed Dragon Queen. Once you are, you will be based out of Nine-Headed Dragon Island, limiting your ability to move around as freely as you did before. You understand that, right?”

“...Yes. I am prepared for that.”

“If Kishun carries on as the island chief of the Twin Islands, he won’t be able to meet with you as easily or as frequently as before. Kishun’s job is to rule the Twin Islands, and to protect the people who live on them, but he is also the man who accompanied you on what anyone would have had to conclude was a reckless journey to the Kingdom. He must have strong feelings for you indeed, wouldn’t you say?”

I didn’t know whether those feelings were of loyalty or love, but when Shabon angered me before, it was Kishun who came and did a sit-in at the castle in an attempt to fix things. You know, now that I think about it, he could have been cut down by the guards for that, huh? Everything he did, he did for Shabon.

Blinking at what I had just said, Shabon looked at Kishun again.

“I was just thinking that when Kishun sees you struggling as the Nine-Headed Dragon Queen, he wouldn’t be able to leave you alone... and that maybe, he might leave his island unattended. Or am I wrong?”

“Well... I do want to support Lady Shabon, but the islanders rely on me as their chief. I couldn’t abandon them...” he replied, a pained expression on his face.

“Then why not appoint a relative as a magistrate? That is what the chiefs of many of the small islands do when they come to Nine-Headed Dragon Island,” Shana suggested, but Kishun shook his head weakly.

“I have no relatives... and I couldn’t leave the job to an outsider...”

“Hm... In that case, would I do?”

“Huh? You, sire?”

Shana rose and put a hand on Kishun’s shoulder.

“I know very well how dedicated you are to Shabon. If a mononofu like you were at her side to support her, as her father, that would bring me unexpected happiness. I am sure you would make a fine husband.”

“F-Father!”

“No... I am undeserving of such kind words.”

“If possible, I would like for you to keep supporting Shabon. As I will be abdicating my throne, I would be in the way if I were to stay too close to her. Why not entrust your people to me as your magistrate? Though, from your point of view, we would be trading where we rule.”

When Shana said that, Kishun took a knee and placed his hands together above his head.

“Yes. You, I could trust, Lord Shana. I intend to give everything I have for Princess Shabon from now on.”

“Father... Kishun...” Shabon’s eyes were watering. It looked like the group from the Archipelago Union had come to a decision.

Once they had all returned to their original positions, I coughed politely to try and get back to the discussion at hand.

“Now then, about Little Twin Island...”

“I will leave the decision to His Majesty,” Kishun said, and Shana nodded.

“Very well. In light of the great assistance that your country has provided us on this occasion, I do believe we can accept your request,” Shana spoke. “However, were the people to see this as one of the islands of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago being ‘taken,’ the other island chiefs will likely resist it. Our people detest outside interference, you see. That is the problem here.”

It was true. The people of this country were like the samurai of long ago who would fight to protect a single piece of land that they relied on for their livelihood. Even if it was just a small island, they wouldn’t be able to accept any of the land they had fought to protect falling into the hands of an outsider. ...But, well, I had anticipated this reaction.

“Then why don’t we set it up so that we’ve exchanged bases?”

“...Exchanged them?”

“Yes. Juna, get us a map.”

“Here, sire.”

Juna unfurled the map we’d prepared before on the table in front of us. Then, as everyone looked at it, I pointed to a spot a little east of Venetinova along the coast.

“It’s small, but there’s a military port here. How about we ‘loan’ it to you as compensation for you ‘loaning’ the base on Little Twin Island to us? Basically, it’s an exchange of naval bases. Naturally, the same terms would apply here, and we would allow you to permanently station a fleet under the flag of the Nine-Headed Dragon King or Queen at the port. I’m sure you’ll be wanting supply depots for your trading goods, too.”

“Hmm, I think that would satisfy the island chiefs, but... Is this what you want? You realize we would be stationing our warships inside the Kingdom.”

“If it’s just at this one port, then this sort of exchange of bases will require a certain degree of friendly relations between the two countries. If either side betrays the others’ trust, these bases will have to be abandoned immediately, I’m sure. If you truly understand the importance of maritime trade, you will see why we must never betray one another. I intend to make this same proposal to the Republic.”

“...I see. This is tied into the maritime alliance and strengthening of relations you were talking about before, then.”

Shana crossed his arms, grunting, and then looked at me.

“It’s an easy plan to buy into, with no losses for us. I appreciate that you take our situation into consideration, but... it also lets me see just how carefully this has all been planned out. If we set aside the matter of exactly which island you chose, the general outline isn’t something you came up with yesterday. Have you been planning to ask me for this as payment ever since I first came to you about fighting together?”

“...I’ll leave that to your imagination.”

Well, it was actually something else that led me to think of this maritime alliance, but I didn’t need to bring that up here.

Sighing, Shana said, “Your country makes for a more fearsome opponent than I had imagined.”

“I don’t think that’s true, though? We honor our alliances.”

“That’s what makes the idea of making an enemy of you frightening,” Shana said, then looked to Shabon. “What do you say, Shabon? This is a man you will have to deal with from now on.”

“I would like to trust him... I doubt Sir Souma will betray us as long as we do not betray him.”

“Hmm... Then join hands with him.”

“Yes.”

With that, Shabon stood up. I rose, too, and we each extended our right hands.

“In the interest of my own country’s development, I will take this alliance under serious consideration, King Souma.”

“I will be waiting for a positive response, Queen Shabon.”

We exchanged a firm handshake.

The details still need to be ironed out, so the alliance couldn’t be concluded here and now, but it was good enough for the interim that we had shared our intentions to strengthen ties in future.

Addressing everyone, I said, “And with that... I think it’s time for some long overdue celebration. With all due apologies to the soldiers on the beach, we’ll be serving something other than offal dishes here on this ship.”

“Ga ha ha! Good. I was getting tired of offal soup, you know,” Shana said with a hearty laugh.

...Yeah, I am seriously sick of offal soup.

“I could eat endless amounts of anything His Majesty makes,” Aisha beamed.

“I’m sure you could, Aisha, but I want fish.”

“I miss raw fruits and vegetables.”

Aisha, Naden, and even Shabon were chatting about that. Meanwhile...

“For me, I think it’s all about liquor,” Excel said. “I’d like to try all sorts of dishes to see what pairs better with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s sake, and what is better with the Kingdom’s wine.”

“Allow me to prepare the archipelago’s finest sake for you.”

“Ga ha ha! Nine-Headed Dragon sake goes well with meat or fish!”

Excel, Kishun, and Shana were talking about that. They were cleanly split into the food team and liquor team. I decided to strike up a conversation with Juna, who was watching from the sidelines.

“Which are you looking forward to more, the liquor or the food?”

“Well... considering I can’t drink right now, I suppose I’d have to say the food.”

“Hm? Now that I think of it, you weren’t drinking when we were at the Twin Islands, either, right? There’s no need to be on edge now, so why not relax with the rest of us?”

Juna hurriedly shook her head. “Oh, no, that’s not it! I’m abstaining right now.”

“Huh? I thought you could hold your liquor, though.”

“I can, but... Dr. Hilde has told me to stop right now.” As she said that, Juna covered her belly in embarrassment.

The mention of Dr. Hilde, covering her belly, and Juna’s bashful expression all told me the reason she couldn’t drink right now.

“Eh...? Erm, when did you find out?”

“I guess it was a little before we came to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.”

“Wh-Why did you keep quiet all this time...?”

“Because if I told you, you would never have let me come, right?” Juna chuckled to herself as she explained. “My condition was stable, and I didn’t want to pass up a chance to be of use.”

I clutched my head, not even sure what to say. There were so many emotions swirling through my mind, and I didn’t know where to begin. So, for now, I decided to express the biggest of them...

“Aww, yeahhhhhh!”

Everyone was shocked by my sudden outburst, but I paid them no mind as I cried out in glee and scooped Juna up into my arms.

Oh, Cian and Kazuha, waiting back in the Kingdom. You’re going to be a big brother and sister soon.

Epilogue: Return -I’m back-

“...My head hurts.”

“Yeesh, what are you even doing over there?”

It was the morning after our celebration banquet, and I was nursing a hangover while Liscia regarded me with exasperation. I was using the jewel aboard the Hiryuu to talk with her while she was currently at the Kingdom’s secret arsenal. Between the twin joys of having slain Ooyamizuchi and finding out Juna was pregnant, I had gotten excited, let loose, and drunk a little too much. I must have passed out somewhere along the way...

When I came to my senses, I was in bed still wearing my military uniform, with Aisha and Naden, who must have carried me there, both hugging me. They’d clearly had their share of drink as well, and were sound asleep. Juna had apparently taken leave early on when the party got hectic. A good call.

When I told Liscia about Juna’s pregnancy, her response was, “Of course...”

“You knew about it, Liscia?”

“I had an inkling. Based on the changes in her behavior, I thought that she might be.”

“I didn’t have the slightest idea... Makes me feel like I’ve got a long way to go as a husband, and a father.”

“Well, I think that’s just the gap in experience here.” Liscia puffed her chest up with pride and smiled.

Yeah, I can’t beat that, I thought, then replied, “But... Oh, I never told Juna this, but maybe I shouldn’t have let her come. I get chills thinking about what might have happened to her.”

“I understand the feeling, but even if I knew, I couldn’t have stopped her.”

“Why not?”

“Because if I were in her position, I’d have hidden it so I could go with you, too. Yeah... If I hadn’t been in poor health when you went to the Republic, I can pretty much guarantee I’d have been accompanying you there. I was worried, you know?”

“You have so little faith in me... I had Aisha and the others there to protect me, you know?”

I smiled wryly, and Liscia chuckled.

“It’s pretty irritating, being the only one left behind where it’s safe, too. Besides, once her belly grows a little more, she won’t be able to move around so freely, so it’s only natural she would want to do as much as she can now.”

“...Fair enough. I appreciate the sentiment, but it still worries me.”

“Hee hee, hurry back home, okay? I want to see your face again, in person.”

“Ha ha ha, we’ll all head home when things are cleaned up... Oh, right. Could I get you to call Kuu to Lagoon City? You can probably get in touch with him faster from there.” I said, and Liscia’s expression grew serious in response.

“This is about that maritime alliance, right?”

“Yeah. I want it settled before the generally friendly atmosphere brought on by us having fought together fades. The sooner it’s finalized, the better.”

“I get it. You seem to be in an awful hurry, though.” At this point, Liscia seemed to realize something, and brought her hand to her mouth. “Hold on... Could this be the real reason you dispatched troops?”

“...What makes you think that?”

“I was just thinking that a maritime alliance and exchanging bases seemed weak as compensation for the support you gave them. Since you didn’t ask for something concrete like an island or money, I’m assuming whatever you really wanted was hidden in what you asked for. Well, that’s just intuition born from how long I’ve known you.”

“You really get me there.” I gave up, and shrugged in resignation. My wife’s pretty sharp, huh?

“It’s true that my main motivation for cooperating was to secure this maritime alliance. It wasn’t a purely humanitarian measure; I had also calculated that if I could ingratiate the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago to me, I could make the alliance happen.”

“You really thought that far ahead... So, it’s that big of a deal, then?”

“Obviously, since it will affect the Kingdom’s future.”

“I-It’s that important?” Liscia asked dubiously, and I nodded.

“I’ve already told Hakuya and Excel this, but the Kingdom will be working to boost its maritime trade and naval prowess going forward. In my world, we called it sea power.”

“‘Sea power’... I don’t really get it. I was in the Army, after all.”

“Well, when you’re a continental power, most of your battlefields and trade routes are going to be on land.”

I couldn’t blame Liscia for thinking the way she did. In the Kingdom, the Navy’s role had been to prepare to deal with incursions or an outright invasion by the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. Their main enemy, the Principality of Amidonia, shared a land border with them, and when it came to the Republic of Turgis, which had made attempts to expand northward in the past, their seas froze over so they didn’t have a proper navy.

Because of that, they thought the important battles were fought on land, and didn’t really understand the importance of naval prowess. That seemed to be true of other countries as well. Despite their great size, the Gran Chaos Empire didn’t have a thriving navy. Land power over sea power—that was the common view on this continent. Fuuga, who lived on the steppes, thought the same way, which was exactly why I was focusing on it.

“Freedom to navigate the seas is tied directly to a state’s strength. Think about it. Our country has an island-type carrier. If nothing obstructs its navigation, we can bombard any place on the coast at our leisure. On top of that, if we use the Roroa Maru, we can even send troops across the frozen sea.”

“When you put it that way, yeah, I can see it. So we’re a real threat to other countries now, too, huh?” Liscia let out an impressed grunt.

I nodded. “Obviously, just because we can do something doesn’t mean we’re going to declare a whole bunch of wars and make enemies. I don’t want to be designated as an enemy of mankind.”

“You’re damn right you don’t.”

“Besides, there’s also economic reasons to do it. Though, if we increase our sea power like this, it’ll be hard for anyone to really grasp the results. That’s why we’ll be able to do it quietly, without alerting other nations. I suspect only a maritime nation like the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union would properly understand the threat.”

The Spirit Kingdom of Garlan was an island nation, too, but they were so xenophobic they had closed off their country. It’d be fine. They didn’t seem to get much in the way of information from outside anyway.

Suddenly, Liscia clapped her hands together. “I get it. That’s why you brought them into the alliance. If the countries that would understand the threat are our allies, it’s harder for them to see us as a danger.”

“You’ve got it—and if we can move freely through their waters, it’ll be even easier to coordinate with the Empire. It means we can move supplies and people back and forth.”

I hadn’t brought this up before since the opportunity hadn’t arisen, but this world was probably a globe, the same as Earth. Because the Empire was west of us by land, they could also be reached by crossing the sea east of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. The people in this world, with their ability to fly on wyverns, likely realized this at an early stage. The curvature of the horizon would be visible from the air, after all.

The reason I only say probably, though, is that despite the world having been transited from east to west, the same had not been done from north to south. The continent of ice that I had seen south of the Republic of Turgis was unconfirmed territory, so it wasn’t included on maps, and we knew even less about the far north.

When I consider that the north of the continent had been a desert, where the Demon Lord’s Domain first appeared, our continent seemed like it was in the southern hemisphere. That’s why, for the people of this world, they apparently thought it was shaped like a map rolled up so the east and west sides touched, almost like a cylinder. There were still a lot of things I didn’t know about this world. Thinking about it was aggravating my hangover, so I tapped my temples and let out a sigh.

“...It sounds like Fuuga’s been steadily expanding up north.”

“The guy you’re cautious of, right?”

“Yeah. It sounds like there’s resistance forming against him, too. I expect the pro- and anti-Fuuga camps will collide in the not-so-distant future. The result of that conflict could shake the continent. We need to be prepared for it.”

“I see... Do you expect Fuuga will win?” Liscia asked, and I shrugged.

“That, I don’t know. Well, it’s true I can’t imagine him losing. The thing is, the least desirable result for our country would be if Fuuga were to win, and then become a heroic figure that people invest their hopes and dreams in. If that happens, it’s guaranteed to send sparks flying in the neighboring countries, too.”

“I’ve never met this Fuuga, but... he seems scary. We’ll have to do everything we can to protect our country. For the children’s sake.”

“Yeah. For Cian, Kazuha, and all the children yet to be born.”

Liscia and I nodded at one another. Then Liscia smiled at me.

“All of that aside, do come back in one piece, okay?”

“Yeah. It may be a bit of a flashy return, though.”

“...Are you plotting something again?”

“Heheh, just you wait and see.” I smirked as Liscia gave me a look of exasperation.

◇ ◇ ◇

— 15th day, 2nd month, 1549th year, Continental Calendar

“Sire, it’s almost time,” Juna, who was standing by my side, told me, and I nodded.

“Okay... Well then, get started!” I shouted, holding my right hand up so that people on the bridge could see. When I did that, bugles sounded and flag signals were sent from the front and back of the ship. Soon after, it was followed by countless bugles sounding on all sides.

I looked out over the combined Kingdom and Archipelago Union fleets; there were a total of more than sixty warships. They all flew the flags of both the Kingdom of Friedonia and the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union side-by-side. When the bugles stopped, the ship in front of us fired a blank artillery round—that was the signal for both fleets to move.

The Albert II began slowly advancing. I put my hand on Juna’s lower back so she wouldn’t fall over.

“Thank you, sire,” she said, smiling faintly.

“No problem. I wish you’d stay inside where it’s warm, though.”

“I don’t want to. You don’t see a major performance like this every day, after all,” Juna replied, looking around. “I’ve never seen such a large fleet. It’s breathtaking.”

The fleets of both countries sailed in formation.

“This plan was just something I came up with on the spur of the moment, but they’re managing to coordinate.”

“Of course they are. Both countries’ fleets are well trained.”

“We’ve got Excel to thank for that on the Kingdom’s side. We’ll have a great naval review thanks to her.”

This was the idea I had come up with: a naval review—basically a military parade for the fleets—with the Kingdom’s and Archipelago Union’s fleets.

The two fleets would sail close to the islands together, and:

1) Declare the threat of Ooyamizuchi was gone.

2) Explain it was the work of the Kingdom and Archipelago Union working together.

3) Show that the Kingdom and Archipelago Union had formed a maritime alliance.

4) Demonstrate that relations between the two countries were good.

Each island had already received messenger kuis relating all of this information, but seeing the two fleets moving in tandem would make them understand. While it had been to help unify the people inside the Archipelago Union, our country had been set up as a virtual enemy of theirs, so just seeing that we now had “cordial relations” in print wasn’t going to be terribly convincing. Seeing is believing, they say.

In order to heighten the believability of it, the Hiryuu led the procession with its escort ships. The skull of Ooyamizuchi, with the lower jaw removed, was displayed on deck. Because all of the meat had been removed from the skull to prevent decomposition, and the Hiryuu had been modeled on an island, it made for quite a surreal sight.

“Depending on your perspective, it might have looked like a new type of monster,” I mentioned, and Juna chuckled.

“Seen from above, I’m sure you’re right, but from below, it’s obviously a ship.”

These actions were being taken to show the islanders that Ooyamizuchi was slain and the threat was now gone, but I had complicated emotions about it. I felt like I was parading through the street with someone’s head on a pike—though, usually you’d parade the prisoners before they were executed. It reminded me of the skull chalice made by Oda Nobunaga. I wouldn’t want to be cursed, so I was going to offer my respects with Sir Shana once this naval review was finished.

“Anyway, once this is done, we can finally return to the Kingdom.”

“Yeah...”

After this, the two fleets would travel around the archipelago, then head to the Kingdom. After that, they’d go from Lagoon City to Venetinova to notify people that the fighting had come to an end. Finally, the fleet would disperse at Venetinova, and they would return to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.

“...I’ll have to talk to Liscia about the children when we get back.”

I hadn’t mentioned it during the call, but I needed to explain Princess Shabon’s betrothal offer for Cian and Kazuha to Liscia. It wasn’t decided yet, but as members of the royal family, there was no avoiding talk of marriage to other royals, so Liscia would understand. Though, honestly, I didn’t want to do anything that would make her the slightest bit sad.

Juna placed her hand gently on top of my own. “Now that I’m pregnant with a child of my own, I can understand how you feel about family better than I did before, sire.”

“Juna...”

“It remains to be seen if Madam Shabon’s daughter will come to marry Cian, or you’ll send Kazuha to marry her son, but it’s vital that we keep positive relations between our countries so that the marriage doesn’t become a source of sorrow. Conversely, so long as our relations stay good, their marriage can’t end up too bad.”

“You certainly have a point there...”

If relations between the countries were amicable, then whether we were receiving a bride or sending one out, both countries would take good care of them. Also, if the marriage was against the involved parties’ intentions, then if relations were good, it would be easy to break the betrothal. So, basically...

“It’s up to us to make it work.”

“Right. You’ll have to do your best for the children, Father.”

I gave a big nod in response to Juna’s soft smile, and looked out to sea.

Midword

Thank you for purchasing the thirteenth volume of The Great Kaiju Sea War: Ooyamizuchi vs. Mechadra... erm, I mean Realist Hero. This is Dojyomaru whose favorite Mothra song is the Cosmos version from VS Series.

This volume features the island carrier Hiryuu’s first deployment, and a fleet battle... or not, because we immediately shift to kaiju slaying. I think the tastes of the author, who has watched every Godzilla and Gamera movie, both Showa and Heisei, are on full display here. No, but seriously, out of all the volumes so far, this was the one I had the most fun putting together.

In writing this volume, I tried to evoke the feeling of the first film in a kaiju movie series. Because it’s the first one, the characters have no idea what attacks the enemy is going to use.

For instance, in Gamera, the Giant Monster, when Gamera flips over, the scientists say that a turtle can’t get up off its back, but then it takes flight by spinning around, and they’re shocked. That’s why even though Souma and the gang could predict Ooyamizuchi couldn’t spit fire, they were caught by surprise by it firing blasts of compressed air and pressurized water.

People also talk about the importance of building up to the kaiju’s appearance. First, you show just a part of its body, then the aftermath of destruction, and let the characters discuss their theories about the creature to stir up expectations about what kind of creature it is. Though, since the audience has seen the movie poster, or the trailers, they already know... (Except in cases like VS Mecha Godzilla, where the design changed between the poster and the film.)

I love how they wreck famous tourist destinations to show off the kaiju’s power without showing off its true form. In the case of this novel, that was the stone bridge. I put in a number of other elements reminiscent of kaiju movies, too. If you’re a fan of them, maybe you’ll read it with a smile.

Now then, I give my thanks to the artist Fuyuyuki, to Mr. Satoshi Ueda of the manga adaptation, to my editor, to the designers, to the proofreaders, to the people involved with the anime version, and to all of you who now hold this book in your hands.

This has been Dojyomaru.

After Story 1: Victorious Return -welcome back-

In a classroom at the Royal Academy in Parnam...

“I’m beat,” Yuriga groaned, collapsing on top of the desk.

Having been deported and sent back to the Royal Academy before the battle with Ooyamizuchi, Yuriga was subjected to two hours of supplementary lessons with her professor as punishment for having skipped class. In addition, though the eight-day week normally included two days off school, she was forced to come in on her days off to study.

“That woman with the glasses is merciless. She even made me write a letter of apology.”

“Ha ha, you’re lookin’ mighty tired there,” Lucy said with a wry grin as Yuriga grumbled to herself.

Lucy, the girl who was like a miniature Roroa, took a bottle filled with all sorts of colorful round things out of her bag.

“Well, you’ve been workin’ hard. Here, want a candy?”

“Give me one. I really need something sweet right now.”

Yuriga opened her mouth like a baby bird, and Lucy hurled the candy in. At the same time, their friend, the dark elf girl Velza, let out a sigh.

“You’re too sweet, Lucy. Yuriga needs to reflect on her actions more.”

“I-I have been, okay? I even wrote that letter.”

“Of course you have. I’m saying you need to reflect more. Now listen here,” Velza thrust a finger towards Yuriga. “They only took issue with your absence, but you also stowed away and illegally entered another country, right? Normally, that would be a major incident.”

“Urkh...”

“I doubt that any other student has ever come so close to sparking an international incident before. The school has to be strict with you. Normally, you’d be expelled. I’m sure the only reason you’ve been let off with just supplementary lessons is because His Majesty is showing you mercy.”

“Well... Yeah.”

The fact was, the only reason her stowing away aboard the ship and illegally entering the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago didn’t also lead to trouble was because it had actually been covered up by Souma and his people. If Yuriga, who Fuuga had entrusted them with, got expelled from school, it might escalate to a dispute between nations. Velza and the others knew the details because Yuriga had told them, but the school itself remained in the dark about it.

“You should be more aware of how much trouble you caused for everyone.”

“...I’m reflecting on it, okay? Sir Souma got really mad,” Yuriga said, dejectedly this time.

It seemed she really did understand the severity of her actions. There was an oppressive silence in the room... Then, Lucy broke it by lobbing a candy in Velza’s mouth, too.

“Mmph... It’s sweet.”

“They’re our newest product. Made with ginger and honey, so they’re good for your throat, too. Anyway, Yuriga seems contrite, so how about lettin’ it go for now?”

“...Very well. I’m sorry. I was taking my frustration out on her.”

“Frustration?”

“If I’m being honest... I wanted to go to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, too.” Velza said, looking slightly deflated.

Yuriga blinked. “You did? Why?”

“Um... Ooyamizuchi, was it? Someone important to me was taking part in the mission to slay that creature. I’m well aware that my presence wouldn’t have helped at all, but... I was worried...”

“Oh! Is this about that Hal guy you like, Velie?” Lucy asked, looking excited.

During the recent costume event, they had seen how fannish Velza acted in front of Halbert. It was easy to see she had feelings for him.

“You sly dog.” Lucy playfully elbowed her in the ribs. “You’re attractive, and I hear that ya get all sorts of offers from the sons of knights and noblemen, but ya shoot them all down, sayin’ you’ve already got someone in mind.”

“Urgh... People talk about that...?”

“Ya must really be head over heels for him, huh?”

“Oh, absolutely. He’s so strong and cool.” Velza clasped her hands together in front of her chest, imagining Hal’s image as she spoke. “He holds a spear in each hand, wreathing them in flames, as he fearlessly takes on hordes of enemies. That horned headband must remind his foes of his sobriquet. It’s fitting for the ‘Red Oni’ who rides his red dragon partner into battle.”

“O-Okay...?” Lucy seemed a little weirded out as Velza waxed poetic about her intended. Granted, Lucy would have sounded pretty much the same if you got her talking about Roroa...

“He’s so strong, and yet usually so gentle. When I go to play with him on my days off, he takes the time to dote on me... Though, only as if I were his little sister.”

Suddenly, Velza seemed depressed. She was prone to intense mood swings where her intended was involved. The gap between this and the usual cool-head Velza made Lucy snicker.

“You’re a real maiden at heart, y’know that, Velie? Here, have another candy.”

“Nom, nom.”

Hal the Red Oni, huh...? As she listened, Yuriga was reminded of events not too long ago. “He was definitely a strong, brave warrior. His red dragon was tough, too.”

“Oh, have you witnessed Hal fighting, Yuriga?”

“Yeah, when the Union of Eastern Nations was facing the demon wave. He was definitely strong.”

“Wasn’t he though?”

For some reason, Velza puffed up her chest, her nostrils flaring with pride. Her attitude rubbed Yuriga, who had a competitive streak, the wrong way.

“Well, be that as it may, my brother is strong—wha?!”

Yuriga was about to launch into one of her usual boasts about her brother, like she always did around Tomoe, but the flash of sheer murderous intent that came her way from Velza stopped her in her tracks.

What?! This is kind of scary, you know?! Yuriga screamed internally. Instinctively sensing it was dangerous to carry on with this topic, she said, “I-I think my brother is strong, too, but Halbert is a good fighter. Yeah...”

“Ah. Heheh, of course he is,” Velza smiled, carrying on as if nothing had happened.

Yuriga turned to Lucy, who seemed as taken aback as she was, and whispered in the girl’s ear, “I’ve heard that the second primary queen, Madam Aisha, has a tendency to lose her composure when King Souma is involved, too. Tomoe told me about it, but... I’d forgotten.”

“...They say love can make a person blind. That’s gotta be it.”

As the two of them were receiving a lesson in just how terrifying a dark elf in love could be, a familiar face came by.

“Oh, there you are, Yuriga.”

“...Huh? Tomoe?”

Tomoe rushed over to them. She wasn’t in her uniform, but instead wore one of Souma’s handmade outfits.

Yuriga cocked her head to the side and asked, “What’s up? Weren’t you off school today?”

“I came to pick you up. I figured your supplementary lessons would be ending around now,” she explained and extended a hand to Yuriga.

“To pick me up?”

“Yeah. I thought you’d want to see what happened afterwards, even if it was just the final result.”

“Afterwards? The result? What are you even talking about?”

“It’s okay. I made sure to get permission from Big Sister and the school. Come on, let’s go.”

Tomoe took Yuriga by the hand without waiting for a response.

“Huh? Wait a second!” Yuriga protested.

“See you later, Lu, Vel.” With a bid farewell, Tomoe dragged Yuriga out of the classroom.

“...Our friends sure are free spirits, huh?”

“...They sure are.”

Lucy and Velza watched in surprise as the pair left them behind in the classroom.

◇ ◇ ◇

The following morning, the wyvern gondola carrying the kids had lifted off from Parnam in the evening, and after a number of stops to rest at cities along the way, arrived near Lagoon City.

“We’re almost at Lagoon City, you two.”

“Nnghhhh, we’re there?”

Shaken awake by Ichiha, Yuriga, who had been sleeping in the gondola, let out a big yawn.

“Mmph... Looks like it. Yeah,” Tomoe replied as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

It had been a long flight, so they had all been napping. Then... Bang!

“Eek!”

“Tomoe?!”

It looked like the gondola had set down. The impact had made Tomoe fall into Ichiha’s arms.

“A-Are you okay?”

“Th-Thanks, Ichiha.”

Yuriga watched the two of them with exasperation.

“What’re you doing? You’re as slow as ever.”

“Murgh... That’s not true.”

“Come on, stop fighting, and let’s get out of the gondola, you two,” Ichiha urged.

As the kids stepped outside, the sea breeze tickled their noses. The gondola had been set down on a beach next to Lagoon City. Disembarking from the gondola, they realized they weren’t the first to arrive. Surrounding them were guards, well-dressed noblemen; a woman in a red military uniform and a dragonewt in a maid dress were there, too, each holding a baby.

“Oh! Liscia. It looks like Tomoe and the other children are here,” Carla said, nodding her head towards the gondola.

“You’re right. I’m glad they made it.”

Liscia and Carla waved to them, and the trio rushed over.

“Big Sister! Is the ship here?!”

“Not yet. I think it should be coming into sight soon, though.” Liscia said, and Tomoe’s shoulders relaxed.

“The ship...? Oh, I get it now,” Yuriga commented. “This is the day Sir Souma returns, huh?”

Souma had been away with the Kingdom’s fleet on an expedition to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. News had already spread that the kaiju Ooyamizuchi, which had been attacking the Archipelago Union, was recently put down by a combined assault by the Kingdom and Archipelago Union’s fleets. However, cleaning up after the battle—which primarily involved butchering Ooyamizuchi’s remains—had dragged on, keeping Souma from returning. Today he was coming back.

When Tomoe talked about “what happened afterwards,” she had been referring to the battle in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. Yuriga had been able to see Ooyamizuchi, but was deported before the battle itself, so she was curious what had happened next.

Tomoe blinked repeatedly. “Huh? Didn’t I say?”

“No, you did not! Not one thing I would have wanted to know!” Yuriga exclaimed before pulling on Tomoe’s cheeks.

“Shtop, thah hursh!” Tomoe protested.

Liscia watched the two kids go at it with a little laugh. “I see you two are getting along, Yuriga.”

“Huh?! Y-Yes. We are, Queen Liscia... Your Majesty,” Yuriga replied tensely after unhanding Tomoe.

“Just Liscia is fine. You’re a princess yourself, aren’t you?”

“I... don’t think I can do that.”

“...Does being around me make you tense? Am I that intimidating?” Liscia cocked her head to the side questioningly, and Yuriga vigorously shook her head in denial.

“N-No... I feel a certain similarity to you, Lady Liscia. It’s like you can see right through me. How should I put this...? I don’t have an older sister, but I feel like a little sister when I’m in front of you... I guess?”

Liscia had been a tomboyish princess like Yuriga, and they shared some personality traits, like a stubborn streak that was ameliorated by flexible thinking. Sharing a lot in common put Yuriga somewhat on edge.

Tomoe, who was watching this exchange, puffed up her cheeks angrily. “Big Sister is my big sister!”

“I-I wasn’t saying I want to become her little sister.”

“Oh, why don’t you? I’ll bet Father would be delighted to have another daughter,” Liscia said, smiling.

“P-Please, don’t tease me!”

They say women are noisy, and this is why. Ichiha, who, being a man, felt he couldn’t keep up with the conversation, was gazing out towards the sea. He saw something rise above the horizon and pointed it out.

Yuriga squinted in its direction. “Is that a mountain? No, an island?”

“Heheh, that’s the island-type carrier Hiryuu. Souma and the others are back,” Liscia told Yuriga.

Once the thing that rose above the horizon approached, Yuriga was able to tell it was a ship shaped like an island. This was her first time seeing the Hiryuu, and she was dumbfounded by the shape of it. The other warships surrounding the Hiryuu came into view, too. The splendor of the ships gave off a feeling of a “grand fleet.” Some of them were iron ships pulled by sea dragons, while others were wood reinforced with iron and pulled by horned doldons. They varied in size, so it was like a trade fair for nautical vessels. Looking at the flags, some flew the standard of the Kingdom of Friedonia, while others carried that of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. Based on the number of ships, almost all of both countries’ fleets must have been gathered here.

Yuriga stared intently at the sight before her. Her mind was a whirling vortex of question marks right now.

The grand fleet she was seeing in front of her was something that Yuriga, as the only one who hadn’t been told about the series of events that unfolded in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, could not understand. First of all, it had been her understanding that relations between the two countries had been stormy. She had witnessed the threat known as Ooyamizuchi, but believed the diplomatic situation was a powder keg. That was why she assumed the reason Souma had sent in the fleet was not just to slay Ooyamizuchi, but to destroy the Archipelago Union’s fleet, and gain control of the sea. But now, before her very eyes, the Kingdom and Archipelago Union’s fleets were sailing together like they were long-standing allies. Yuriga was confused.

What? How did things end up like this? she thought. It was like being presented with a math problem, and then shown just the solution. The answer was one she didn’t expect, too. Yuriga had no idea what kind of arithmetic could lead to the result she was seeing. And... What in the world is that?

Yuriga looked at the island-type carrier Hiryuu in the middle of the group leading the fleet. This was her first time seeing it. Why did they build a giant battleship shaped like an island? How is it moving without any creatures pulling it? As questions that Liscia and everyone else had long since learned the answers to popped into her head, the biggest thing was...

“What’s with those bones?”

There was a massive skull occupying the very front of the Hiryuu. The carrier looked strange enough already with its island-like shape, but this only made it seem weirder.

“I don’t know what to say... It looks like some new kind of monster.”

“It’s like the Great Island-type Kaiju, Hiryuu.”

Even Liscia and Tomoe, who knew Souma well, were a bit dumbfounded by the gargantuan skull on top of the Hiryuu. Ichiha, a specialist in the monster identification system, however, knew exactly what Souma’s intentions were.

“That’s Ooyamizuchi’s skull,” he said. “It’s massive, but its shape is a match with the type sea dragons have. He likely mounted it there to show Ooyamizuchi was slain successfully.”

“I knew that, but... it’s bound to spark weird rumors,” Liscia slumped her shoulders in exasperation.

There had been plenty of strange rumors, like “the kigurumi adventurer” (Little Musashibo), and “the great black shadow that descends on the castle at night” (Naden), thanks to Souma and those involved with him. Liscia always gave Souma a lecture when it happened, but this great island-type kaiju might give rise to another one. It had kaiju-like fins on it, too.

“Your father just can’t help himself, can he...?” Liscia smiled wryly and said to Kazuha, who was reaching out and cooing happily. Looking beside her, she noticed Yuriga was clutching her head. “What’s wrong, Yuriga?”

“...I don’t know how I’m supposed to report what I’m seeing to my brother.”

“Hm? We haven’t put any limits on your ability to send letters, have we?” Liscia said, giving her a blank look.

No one had forbidden Yuriga from contacting Fuuga. They kept her away from places with classified information, and had decided that letting Fuuga see the Kingdom through her eyes would act as a check against him without making him feel threatened. The reason she was being allowed to see the Hiryuu, which had been concealed from her until now, was because it stopped being a secret when it was deployed into battle in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. Even if they didn’t show it to Yuriga here, Fuuga would eventually hear rumors, so they decided it was better to let her see it properly and give an accurate report. That way things wouldn’t get unduly exaggerated.

Yuriga let out a little sigh. “I know that, but... I don’t feel like I can explain this...”

Would Fuuga be able to properly understand it when the person who was standing right here couldn’t? The same could be asked about the two fleets moving together. It seemed likely that there was some kind of complex negotiation beyond Souma and his people just fighting and winning that led to this situation. Would Fuuga and the steppe state Malmkhitan, who had repeatedly subjugated their enemies, be able to fight and defeat an opponent who had other options?

I can’t imagine my brother losing to King Souma, but... I feel like it would be better not to fight this country. I don’t know if I can convey that, but I need to caution him...

That was what Yuriga, who was a wiser, more flexible thinker than Fuuga, resolved to do.

After Story 2: Waves -new chapter-

— End of the 2nd month, 1549th year, Continental Calendar — Imperial Capital, Valois

Empress Maria Euphoria was standing in front of a Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel. The simple receiver placed nearby showed the image of King Souma A. Elfrieden of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

“King Souma, first, allow me to congratulate you,” Maria said, lowering her head slightly to him. “I hear you put down a great monster in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. I bow my head to you.”

“No, no, it was only possible with the Empire’s assistance. Thanks to you spreading word of the danger posed by the Kingdom, the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago’s islands unified, and we were able to pull them into a final showdown with Ooyamizuchi. You have my gratitude,” Souma said, bowing his head.

Maria smiled. “Jeanne was sulking about that, you know? She said things like ‘If they were sending their fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago to slay a monster, I wish they would have told me so,’ and ‘I look like a fool for suggesting they were going to invade.’”

During the negotiations in Zem, unlike her sister Maria, Jeanne had been furious about her inability to discern Souma’s intentions from the limited information available. Though, her anger had been directed more at herself than at Souma and his party. Obviously, the reason things turned out that way wasn’t because Jeanne was lacking, but because Maria was just that incredible.

“There was just... no way I could have told you at that point. I needed to set the Kingdom up as a potential enemy. If the information leaked, all of the preparation that the Nine-Headed Dragon King and I did would have been for nothing. In that sense, I’m really grateful that you picked up on what was happening.”

“Hee hee, do you think I was able to show my dignity as the big sister? I know Jeanne sulked about it at the time, though. If I recall, Sir Hakuya had to console her, didn’t he?”

“In that case, I’ll tell Hakuya to let Madam Jeanne air her complaints to him again in the future.”

“Please do.”

Maria decided to move on and change the topic.

“Setting that all aside, I want to hear about this Ooyamizuchi that attacked the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. They say it was as big as a mountain. It sounds almost like a monster out of the storybooks. What was it like in reality? I’d love to hear.”

“Ah, ha ha... That’s true, huh? Ooyamizuchi was...”

Maria’s eyes shone like those of a little girl asking to be read a picture book. Smiling wryly, Souma described what he had seen of Ooyamizuchi, and related the story of how it confounded the Kingdom and Archipelago Union’s fleets in battle. Maria listened intently with childlike reactions of awe as she heard how the creature shot water from its mouth to capsize several ships, and slapped ships and wyvern cavalry down with its writhing tentacles.

“Whew.” Maria put her hand to her cheeks and exhaled. “It’s a big world out there. I never imagined there was a creature like that. Dangerous and gargantuan... I believe your word for them was ‘kaiju,’ Sir Souma? I know this must have all been a lot of trouble for you, but I wish I could have seen it before it was slain.”

“...I can relate. It felt like I was witnessing one of the wonders of this world. I think Ichiha will be compiling an illustrated report for the encyclopedia soon, so I’ll have it sent to you when it’s finished.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it.” Maria smiled happily. Seeing her like this, she was like a cheerful woman you might find anywhere. Though, beauty like hers was anything but commonplace. “While we’re on the subject, our informants tell me that you used an island-like ship, and controlled a mechanical dragon. I’d love to see those as well.”

Maria brought these things up like it was a casual extension of the previous conversation, but Souma stiffened the moment he heard her. Hiryuu and Mechadra, eh? he thought. Those were weapons the Kingdom didn’t want to fully open up about yet. Having used them as bombastically as he had, he’d been prepared for other countries to find out about them in time, but counted on the Empire—or Maria, rather—to be on top of gathering intelligence.

Souma slumped his shoulders in resignation. “...Those are still secret. They’re our tiger cubs, you could say.”

“Oh, you raise tigers, Sir Souma?”

“No, Fuuga’s the one with a tiger. It’s a figure of speech from the world I came from... It means a secret weapon.”

“A secret weapon, hm? Sounds exciting. It certainly has our navy feeling antsy, though.”

“Antsy... you say?” Souma asked, and Maria let out a faint laugh.

“You used wyvern cavalry at sea, didn’t you? Now, I’m no expert on naval combat, but judging by how the navy is panicking, I have to assume it’s revolutionary. They’ve been busily coming up with countermeasures like, ‘We must load anti-air repeating bolt throwers on all our ships at once!’”

Against a crazy weapon like an island-type carrier, that was likely the only thing they could do at the moment.

“They would think that, huh...?” Souma replied, awkwardly scratching his cheek. “Well, if they do come up with countermeasures, we’ll just counter their countermeasures.”

“I’m sure you will. I can believe the Kingdom won’t suddenly invade my country, but the people who serve me don’t have that luxury. If working on countermeasures helps put them at ease, I think that’s fine.”

“Yes. I don’t intend to use them to invade other countries, obviously, but I think our country needs to have its military equipment prepared so that we can respond to the predicted change in the situation up north.”

“...This is about Sir Fuuga Haan, right?” Maria stopped smiling and looked at Souma. He nodded.

“He’s been increasing the territory under his control by steadily carving land off the Demon Lord’s Domain. He lets the refugees return, while also becoming their protector. More and more people have been praising him for his great accomplishments.”

“I am aware. I have a number of my retainers urging me to retake land from the Demon Lord’s Domain as well. They worry that Sir Fuuga’s actions will shake people’s impression of me as a saint, and that it would be terrible if that happened.”

“...I sense you’re not enthusiastic about this.”

“The Empire is already too large for me to manage,” Maria said with a slight laugh at her own expense. “It would only be more territory I couldn’t oversee.”

“I understand the feeling, but... will that satisfy your retainers?”

Unlike in the Kingdom, where there were many talented personnel working to support the country, Maria’s charisma was a major factor in how the Gran Chaos Empire controlled its vast domain. Her retainers must have been concerned that some of that charisma might fade. That’s why it won’t be easy to convince them... Souma thought.

Maria lowered her eyes and quietly replied, “If I can’t satisfy them, then it just means I was never that special.”

Souma didn’t know what to say. Maybe it was the weight of what she carried on her shoulders, but Maria had an air of enlightenment about her that belied her age.

Then, as if to wipe all the doom and gloom away, Maria clapped her hands. “Come to think of it, I heard something about you forming a maritime alliance with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union.”

“...You do hear a lot of things. I plan to bring it to the Republic, too.”

“Oh, goodness, and you’re not going to offer it to my country?” Maria said mischievously, and Souma shrugged his shoulders.

“You’re saying that knowing the Empire can’t join, right? If we were to add the chief signatory of the Mankind Declaration to the maritime alliance, it would be thought of as a practical extension of the Declaration. In order to keep our strong ties a secret, we can’t let the Empire join, yet.”

“Not yet... you say. I expected that, but it’s still unfortunate. If possible, I would have liked for you to become the leader of all the nations of mankind, Sir Souma.”

“...Please, don’t push the Empire’s load off onto me.” Souma sighed, then looked at Maria with a serious expression. “The maritime alliance was organized to be a different framework from the Mankind Declaration, which is primarily based on land. If we let them think of it as another faction in opposition to the Empire, then third nations won’t be as wary.”

“Yes. I understand that.”

“Besides, even if we’re in different factions, I think the Kingdom and Empire can still work together when we need to, and wield considerable power.”

“That’s true. I suppose it’s all the more reason I need to maintain the Mankind Declaration.” Maria nodded to herself.

“What is the scale of the Mankind Declaration at this point?” Souma asked her. “I know we’re partially at fault for this, but... I suspect you lost some members after we annexed the Principality of Amidonia. Has that affected your influence in any way?”

“Hee hee, you don’t need to be concerned. It’s true that with the Principality of Amidonia’s withdrawal, the Declaration’s membership was reduced to my country and its two vassals, Mercenary State Zem, and a number of countries in the Union of Eastern Nations,” Maria said without sounding concerned. “However, during the demon wave, you sent reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations ‘at the request of the Empire.’ That was interpreted as the Kingdom of Friedonia recognizing the validity of the Mankind Declaration even if you won’t join it yourselves. It’s helped guarantee my position as the leader of the alliance.”

“...I see. I’m glad to have been of service, then.”

“Yes, I’m glad, too.”

Then we both laughed.

Once she was done, Maria said, “But with two large camps having formed like this, it’s likely to confuse the countries that belong to neither of our factions. I don’t expect it to affect the Spirit Kingdom of Garlan or the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom because of their closed-off nature, but there’s the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, the countries in the Union of Eastern Nations that aren’t part of the Mankind Declaration, and...”

“And Malmkhitan, which is expanding its influence under Fuuga.” Souma finished her thought.

“Yes. It will shake those countries.”

Which would they side with? Or would they side with neither? If they wanted to stay independent of both, they would need to build up the strength to make that possible. They would shake under the influence of many crossed intentions.

Souma let out a little sigh. “That us remaining cautious of Fuuga’s actions and preparing ourselves might be what stimulates him to act... is awfully ironic.”

Maria silently nodded in agreement.

◇ ◇ ◇

At the same time, in a dry region of the north...

On this day, the forces of Malmkhitan led by Fuuga had retaken a walled city. The city had prospered thanks to an oasis that sat in the center. The walls were a little on the low side, so they may have served less to protect against attackers and more to keep out sandstorms on windy days. Fuuga and his men had swept away the monsters infesting the city in no time. The battle to retake it had been less of a siege and more of an extermination of some monsters that wandered into the abandoned houses.

As Fuuga had predicted, it seemed the demons who had broken the combined power of mankind were only deep inside the Demon Lord’s Domain. His forces had already retaken a number of cities and villages of this scale before now. They would settle the refugees that wanted to remain in the towns and villages, then, after securing their supply lines to the Union of Eastern Nations, would head for the next settlement to repeat the process. This resulted in a rather relaxed march.

Though they had taken back land that was part of the Demon Lord’s Domain, they didn’t so much control the territory as points inside it, connected by supply lines. These cities and villages were in no state to support themselves yet, and Fuuga and his men had to use some of their own numbers to guard the supply lines, so they were under the protection of Malmkhitan. The highly mobile temsbock cavalry were vital to supporting these supply lines. Because of all of this, you could see the recaptured cities and villages as being effectively under Fuuga’s control.

“...Whew.”

Fuuga was sitting on the edge of the walls of one such recaptured city, looking at the evening sky. By now, they would no doubt be preparing a feast near the oasis to celebrate retaking the city. Fuuga was the leading actor in the reconquest, but he found himself exhausted with constantly being surrounded by people lately. He didn’t see his comrades as a nuisance, but sometimes he wanted a quiet place where he could relax on his own.

“Is this where you’ve been, Lord Fuuga?”

“...Oh, it’s you, Mutsumi,” he replied to her.

“It worries your followers when you wander off like this,” Mutsumi complained as she sat next to him, and Fuuga scratched his head.

“Even I want some time to myself.”

“Oh, my. Should I have left you alone then?”

“You’re different. Having you at my side helps me relax... Mind if I borrow your thigh?”

“Go ahead.”

Fuuga removed his helmet and lay down, resting his head on Mutsumi’s thigh.

“It’s pretty tough living up to other people’s expectations, huh?”

“Because you always go beyond what anyone imagines, Lord Fuuga. It must be difficult, seeing how large their expectations grow.”

“...Could you talk normal when we’re alone?”

“Oh, are you sure? I quite enjoy acting like a virtuous wife.” Mutsumi stroked Fuuga’s slightly spiky hair with a chuckle.

When his followers couldn’t see them, Mutsumi spoke more casually with Fuuga. She was an important figure who he could just be himself with.

“Your followers respectfully refer to me as ‘My Lady.’ They bow when I pass, too. It makes me feel like I’ve become the queen of some great country.”

“That’s bound to happen eventually.”

“You sure are confident. That’s one of your strong points, though.”

“I’m more than just talk. Malmkhitan is growing bigger by the day.” Fuuga pulled a book from the bag sitting next to them. “...Well, it’s a bit upsetting that what’s supporting Malmkhitan’s control is this book that Souma sent us. It makes me feel like I owe him.”

“The Monster Encyclopedia, right?”

The book Fuuga was holding was co-authored by Mutsumi’s younger brother Ichiha Chima, and Prime Minister Hakuya of the Kingdom of Friedonia. Souma and Maria suspected that demons and monsters were different. Because of that, Souma had made the contents of this encyclopedia public, and was working to spread it so that countries neighboring the Demon Lord’s Domain wouldn’t conflate the two when they made contact with them. In particular, he’d sent a copy to the Gran Chaos Empire, Malmkhitan, and the Kingdom of Lastania where Julius was.

Fuuga grunted as he flipped through the Monster Encyclopedia. “It sure is well put together, though. With this book, we don’t have to just rely on supply lines to the cities we’ve retaken; we’re also able to collect edible meat and usable components from the monsters we kill.”

Because this was the Demon Lord’s Domain, it was swarming with monsters that needed to be hunted to protect the supply lines. Thanks to being able to obtain food and components, merchants who wanted monster components sent adventurers along the supply lines, and it was providing a precious source of resources and funding to restore the recaptured cities to their former lifestyles. Basically, it was no exaggeration to say that Fuuga’s territory was being supported by the encyclopedia.

“I was surprised to hear this thing was written by that little brother of yours who Souma took back with him.”

“Me, too. I thought he saw things differently from other people, but not even I, his sister, suspected he had a gift like this. Hee hee, Father must be beside himself with frustration right about now.”

Souma had made the Monster Encyclopedia public to accomplish a larger goal, but he could have made a fortune selling the information it contained piecemeal. In other words, Ichiha, who many had assumed was the only one of the siblings with no talent, had in fact been a golden goose. Duke Chima would be mortified to know he’d let it get away—even if he’d never have discovered the boy’s gift himself.

“Even once he graduates, I doubt Ichiha will return to the Duchy of Chima. I’m sure he’ll be happier that way, too.”

When she said that, Fuuga roared with laughter.

“I’ll give the kid a warm welcome if he comes to us. Though, if he’s with someone who’ll publish this information instead of hiding it, then that’s good enough. But still... Souma’s eye for people is scary.” Fuuga’s smile vanished and his expression grew serious. “It’s like he sees things I can’t.”

“That’s true. As a sister, I’m grateful to him for accurately assessing Ichiha’s value.”

“Hey now, you’re my wife, okay?”

“Yes, but I’m also Ichiha’s sister.”

“Sigh... Yeah, I just get the feeling me and Souma aren’t gonna get along.”

In the same way that Souma was wary of Fuuga, Fuuga was cautious of something he found inscrutable about Souma.

“...Just the other day, I got a report from Yuriga on what Souma’s been up to.”

“And what has he been doing?”

“Apparently, he sent a fleet to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago,” Fuuga replied.

Mutsumi blinked. “You mean the Kingdom went to war with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago?”

“Nah, that’s not it. It sounds like the reason he sent the fleet was so they could cooperate with the Archipelago Union to slay some massive monster. She says it was the size of a mountain.”

“...To slay a monster? It wasn’t a war, then.”

“Yeah. The Kingdom didn’t seize so much as a single island. You think a guy like him’d work for free like that? Then there was that ‘island-like ship’ and ‘mechanical dragon’ in Yuriga’s report, too. She didn’t see the mechanical dragon herself, but there were rumors. Honestly... I don’t get any of this.”

Fuuga let out a big yawn.

“Malmkhitan is a steppe country. I’d never seen the sea until just recently. I thought that was fine. My goal was to make Malmkhitan strong enough to become the dominant power on this continent, that’s why I didn’t take an interest in the world beyond, but... if Souma is actively going out to sea, that got my attention. Well, not that it makes a difference. We don’t know anything about the sea. I’m not interested, either.”

As Souma had hoped, Fuuga didn’t place much importance on naval activity. He might think it was suspicious that Souma was striking out to sea, but the countries of the continent were connected by land, so he figured a superior army would let him dominate the continent.

Fuuga reached towards the sky, forming his hand into a fist, and said, “I believe the ones who can run around this land the best will rule this era. That’s why I’ll use all my strength to run as far as I can.”

“Yes. That’s why everyone follows you. Myself included, of course.”

“Damn straight! ...But, well, let me rest a bit for now, would you?”

And so, with his head resting on Mutsumi’s thigh, Fuuga closed his eyes.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Naden Delal

Chapter 1: What You Get out of Louts and Scissors Depends on How You Use Them

Chapter 2: Time Begins to Move

Chapter 3: The Narrowing Distance Between the Two

Chapter 4: The Naden That Naden Never Knew
Chapter 5: Even if this Love was Prearranged
Chapter 6: The Plains of Grief
Chapter 7: The Storm
Epilogue 1: A Dance With You

Prologue: The Hawks and Wolves of the Northern Plains

Chapter 1: The Road to the North
Chapter 2: For the Future
Chapter 3: Assignment of Personnel

Chapter 4: Defending the Walls of Lasta Castle

Chapter 5: Reunion with an Old Foe
Chapter 6: The Reality Here and Now
Chapter 7: Cooked and Ready to Serve
Chapter 8: The Liberation of Lasta
Chapter 9: Help Arrives

Chapter 10: Everyone’s Night Before the Final Battle

Chapter 11: The Dabicon Is Burning
Chapter 12: The Victory Banquet
Epilogue: The Friedonian Military, Eastward
Prologue: Tora and Tiger
Chapter 1: Meeting in the Sky
Chapter 2: The Fuuga That Halbert Saw
Chapter 3: A Little Adventure and a Meeting
Chapter 4: Finale

Chapter 5: Idioms Change in Meaning

- Elfrieden Historical Idiom Lessons: Number 6

- “To Gain the Youngest Brother of House Chima”

Chapter 6: A Troublesome Present
Chapter 7: The State of Various Countries
Epilogue 1: Family
Epilogue 2: Welcome Home
Prologue: The Countdown to Marriage
Chapter 1: The Red Oni is Blue
Chapter 2: Ginger Wipes It All Away
Chapter 3: Falling
Chapter 4: Heart Piercing
Chapter 5: The Black Tiger’s Delivery

Chapter 6: A Wedding Present That Was Worth a Fortune

Chapter 7: Time to Face One Another
Chapter 8: Before the Ceremony
Final Chapter: The Wedding Ceremony
Prologue: The Night Before New Days
Chapter 1: Let’s Go To School
Chapter 2: The East and West Real Song Battle

Chapter 2.5: An Unexpected Evolution and Possibility

Chapter 3: Symposium
Chapter 4: Exchange of Opinions
Chapter 5: March of the Bon Parade
Epilogue: Intentions
Chapter 1: The Lion’s Daughter
Chapter 2: Invitation
Chapter 3: Mercenary State Zem
Chapter 4: Mio
Chapter 5: The Great Martial Arts Tournament
Chapter 6: Crossing Swords
Chapter 7: First Meeting
Chapter 8: Direct Conference
Chapter 9: Before a Loyal Retainer’s Grave

End of Chapter Story: The Quiet Island, and the Tranquil Kingdom

Intermission 1: The Lioness Seeks Her Prey

Intermission 2: Research Girls’s Party (The Plan to Improve Mechadra)

Prologue to the Next Chapter: Law of the Sea
Chapter 1: Uninvited Guests
Prologue: Storm -enemy attack-
Chapter 1: Wrath -anger-
Chapter 2: Cause -unknown-
Chapter 3: Preparation -policy-
Chapter 4: Going Ahead -leading force-
Chapter 5: Encounter -enemy-
Chapter 6: Into Battle -fleet-
Chapter 7: Naval Battle -aircraft carrier-
Chapter 8: Meeting the Enemy -monster-
Chapter 9: Duel -total war-
Chapter 10: Mechanical Dragon -final battle-
Chapter 11: Big Pot -banquet-
Chapter 12: Negotiations -ocean league-
Epilogue: Return -I’m back-
Midword

After Story 1: Victorious Return -welcome back-

After Story 2: Waves -new chapter-