—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.