— 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..."