Some days later...
At his castle in the princely capital, Van, the Sovereign Prince of Amidonia, Gaius
VIII, had gathered the principal military commanders of this country in the audience
hall. Gaius rose from the throne, addressing the assembled commanders.
"The time is come! Let us gather our forces on the southern border with
Elfrieden!"
That was the declaration that opened the war with the Elfrieden Kingdom.
Gaius had received reports that the gulf between Souma Kazuya and one of the
three dukes, Georg Carmine, had become unbridgeable, and that it was only a matter
of time before the two clashed. Soon enough, the kingdom would be thrown into
chaos. In that chaos, they would take back the lands stolen from them fifty years ago.
"At the same time as Georg launches his rebellion, we will begin our invasion of
Elfrieden!" he announced. "Our target is the grain-producing region in the south!
Now is the time to take back the lands stolen from our forefathers!"
"""Hurrah!""" The gathered commanders let out a cheer.
Finally, the time had come to take revenge for their past losses against the
kingdom. These commanders, who were military men to the core, couldn't help but
feel their blood boiling and seething inside them. In that environment...
"Please, wait, Your Highness!"
...a single man spoke out in opposition, walking forward to kneel before his
sovereign.
It was the young Minister of Finance, Gatsby Colbert.
With his rare sense for economics, he had been entrusted with the post of
Minister of Finance despite only being a young man in his mid-twenties.
While Roroa's talent lay in spending money to get the economy moving, Colbert
specialized in eliminating wasteful spending and freeing up funds that way. While
they took different approaches, these two worked together to cut what needed
cutting and to spend where spending was needed. They were the ones who were
just barely keeping this country's economy from tumbling over the brink.
"Oh, it's you, Colbert." Gaius turned a stern eye on him. He was clearly displeased.
When Gaius, a man who even generals who had survived many battles feared to
anger, turned that gaze on Colbert, a mere bureaucrat, Colbert began to tremble.
Still, he worked up the courage to offer his advice.
"I say this with all due respect, sire," he managed. "Please, reconsider invading
Elfrieden! The people of our nation are suffering from a food crisis and a poor
economy! If we start a war now, our people will starve!"
"I know that," the king snapped. "That's why seizing the grain-producing region is
so urgent."
"Wars require a vast expenditure on the part of the state!" Colbert protested. "If
you have that much leeway in the budget, you ought to be able to import food from
abroad! Rather than fight a war we don't know if we will win or lose, and which,
even if we do win, we don't have any guarantee our efforts will pay off, isn't this the
time when we should build our strength and..."
"Silence!" Gaius roared.
He walked over to the bureaucrat and kicked him hard enough to send the man
flying.
"Urkh..."
As he looked down at Colbert sprawled out on the floor, Gaius had a look of rage
on his face.
"You domestic affairs ministers always say the same thing! Work on domestic
affairs, now's not the time for this, that's all I ever hear! Look where that's gotten us!
It's plain to see how exhausted our country is! Yet, in contrast to us, that kingdom,
despite stagnating somewhat under the fool who was their last king, have begun to
rebound with this new king coming to the throne!"
"Th-That's because... the new king, Souma, has been working to enrich his
country..."
"You're still saying that?!"
Gaius kicked Colbert across the floor once again.
Perhaps he had gotten a cut in his mouth, because there was blood streaming
from the corner of Colbert's lips. Even so, Colbert didn't stop speaking.
"Your Highness... The total manpower of Amidonia's army is around half that of
Elfrieden's army. This is just... just too reckless a plan!"
"I know that without some lowly civil servant telling me so!" the king roared.
"That's precisely why now, with the king and the three dukes in conflict, we have an
opportunity!"
"Even so, there's no telling how long that will last," Colbert protested.
"Bwahaha! There's no need for concern. The Georg Carmine will be launching the
rebellion. That young pup of a king will have no easy time subjugating him, I'm sure.
Civil wars drag on for a long time. It will be the same even if Georg wins. If a traitor
rises to the top, there's no way the country will stand united!"
Colbert bit his lip in frustration. Is that the reason His Highness is acting so
boldly?!
Because it was Georg Carmine, one of the three dukes, and the one who was
famous for being a fierce general, who was raising the flag of rebellion against
Souma, that was likely pushing Gaius to act.
The truth was, there was no guarantee that an opportunity like this would ever
come along again. Gaius was already 50 years old, by no means a young man. He
didn't want to let this ideal chance pass by while he was still fit to stand at the head
of an army and give orders.
However... It's too optimistic to think that way! Colbert thought stubbornly.
"Please, listen to me, Your Highness!" he burst out. "If you invade Elfrieden, our
country will be exposed to criticism from all of the other countries! We've signed the
Empire's Declaration of Mankind's Common Front Against the Demon Race!"
"...The Mankind Declaration, is it?" Here, for the first time, Gaius had a strained
look.
Led by the Gran Chaos Empire, the Declaration of Mankind's Common Front
Against the Demon Race (also known as the Mankind Declaration) referred to a
declaration and resultant international treaty backed by the largest, most powerful
empire on the continent. It stated that, in light of the expansion of the Demon Lord's
Domain, all conflicts between mankind were to cease. And, in order to prevent the
monsters and demons from advancing any further south, all of mankind were to
work as one and cooperate.
The essentials of the Mankind Declaration were given in these three articles:
First, the acquisition of territory by force between the nations of mankind would
be deemed inadmissible.
Second, the right of all peoples to equality and self-determination would be
respected.
Third, countries that were distant from the Demon Lord's Domain would provide
support to those nations which were adjacent to it and were acting as a defensive
wall.
The second of these had been adopted to protect minority races in each country.
Given that the acquisition of territory by force was inadmissible, some countries
might have otherwise expelled or oppressed their minority races to try to seize their
wealth for themselves. It was an extra provision that had been added in caution
against that.
Furthermore, though not explicitly outlined in the text, if any country violated
these three articles, the Empire, as leader of the pact, would intervene militarily.
To put it simply, this Mankind Declaration was a security treaty in which
countries gave up the right to invade other nations in exchange for protection from
the Empire.
Colbert pleaded: "If we invade Elfrieden, we may be inviting an intervention by
the Empire! Sire, I beg of you, please, reconsider!"
"You cur!" Gaius brought his hand to the hilt of the sword hanging at his hip.
Just as everyone present was sure the man was about to be slain, someone
slipped between Gaius and Colbert.
"Sir Colbert, there should be no worry of that."
The one who had interposed himself between the two of them was the crown
prince, Julius Amidonia. His cold eyes, which betrayed no emotion, were fixed on
Colbert. "That is because Elfrieden has not signed the Mankind Declaration."
"Julius... sir," Colbert said, "that's a specious argument! We would be taking
protection under the Mankind Declaration, while at the same time attacking a
country that has not yet ratified it. If we do that, it would be like kicking mud in the
face of the Empire!"
"However, in diplomacy, only the treaties that have been signed are important,"
Julius said coldly. "This has all been brought about by the stubborn foolishness of
Elfrieden in not supporting the sublime ideals of the Empire. Surely the Empire can
find no fault with us for it."
"But..."
"Enough!" Gaius withdrew his hand from his sword's hilt, turning to address the
gathered commanders. "I hereby dismiss Colbert from his position as Minister of
Finance."
"Sire!" Colbert cried.
"Colbert, I am placing you under house arrest for the time being," the king
snapped. "You are to watch from the sidelines. Watch as we reclaim the land of our
forefathers."
With those words, Gaius led his commanders out of the audience hall without
sparing so much as another glance at Colbert. Colbert stayed there for a time, biting
his lip, but eventually he punched the carpet in anger, rising to his feet and
confronting Julius, who had remained behind.
"Julius! Is this really... really the only path?!" he shouted.
Colbert spoke more freely, unlike when he had stood before Gaius. Partially
because they were around the same age, despite their positions as crown prince and
vassal, Julius and Colbert were close enough to be called friends.
In a cold tone, Julius said to Colbert, "He's right that it's a once-in-a-lifetime
chance. In addition to Georg Carmine, there are many nobles who have secret ties to
our country. If we coordinate with them, we should be able to slice off some land in
the south for ourselves."
"But, if we lose, it could mean the death of our country," Colbert said.
"However, on the other hand, if we miss this chance, we may never be able to
regain our territory. If, as you've said, the new king is working to enrich his country,
doesn't that mean the gap will only widen if we let this chance slip by?"
It was clear that Julius looked at the situation through calmer, more rational eyes
than Gaius. Even so, his decision remained unchanged.
"It is the long-held wish of the Princely House of Amidonia to reclaim the lands
we have lost and to exact our revenge," Julius continued. "No, it's not only the
Princely House: the soldiers and the people hold that wish, as well."
"That's..."
That's because you've shown them no other option! Colbert wanted to say that,
but... he couldn't. To do so would be to overstep his bounds as a vassal.
As Colbert cast his eyes downwards, at a loss for words, Julius placed a hand on
his shoulder.
"Please, just stay quiet for now, Colbert. I rate your abilities quite highly. For my
own sake, as the one who will someday rule this land, I would rather not lose you to
Father's short temper."
"Julius..."
Colbert looked at him with clinging eyes, but Julius didn't return the emotion.
Some hours later, as the dejected Colbert dragged his feet through the corridors
of the princely castle, a young girl with an adorable face poked her head out from
behind one of the marble pillars.
"Hey there, Mr. Colbert. What are you lookin' so glum for?"
"Princess?! Um, that's, well..."
The one who had stepped out from behind the pillar was Roroa Amidonia, the
first princess of this country. Colbert panicked a little as he realized he'd let Roroa
see him feeling down.
Roroa had had a good sense for economics from a young age and, as she'd grown
up, she'd come to hang around with the owners of large businesses and the
bureaucrats of the Finance Ministry increasingly often. For Colbert, who was
Minister of Finance, Roroa was a compatriot who understood the ins and out of the
economy. She was also something akin to a needy little sister.
"Lookin' at that face... you tried to talk some sense into my old man for me, didn't
ya?" Roroa asked apologetically, looking at the bruises on Colbert's face.
"Huh? Ah, no... These are, uh..."
"No need to hide it," she said. "Sorry about my idiot father. Good grief... If he's
pushin' away vassals who're tryin' to give him solid advice, he's leadin' this country
straight down the road to ruin. Honestly, what is he thinkin'?"
While saying things others would have been too terrified to, Roroa made a big
show of how angry she was. Colbert was satisfied just to see Roroa looking like that
on his behalf.
"Thank you, princess," he said. "I'll be fine."
"You will? Well then, get yourself ready."
"Huh...? Get myself ready for what?"
Unable to keep up with this sudden turn in the conversation, Colbert blinked
repeatedly.
Roroa waved her hand at him with a laugh. "The old man just gave ya all the free
time in the world, so you've got nothin' to do, right? Well, maybe you can help me
out with what I'm doin', then. I've already talked to all the bureaucrats who seemed
amenable to it, but I could still use more people to help, after all."
"Huh? Um, princess? Just what are you planning to do?"
"That's obvious," she said. "We're all gonna disappear together. Sebastian's
movin' forward with the plans, but for now I think we'll go stay with Uncle Herman
in Nelva."
"Huh? Whaaaaaa?!" he exclaimed.
Roroa grabbed him by the sleeve and walked off quickly, dragging Colbert behind
her