The Kingdom of Friedonia released a statement denouncing the
attempted assassination. This caused a huge shock in the Union of Eastern
Nations.
Fuuga's supporters loudly crowed that, "The Kingdom of Friedonia has
recognized the legitimacy of our claims," and further stretched to claim,
"King Souma is our ally."
In response to this, the countries of the anti-Fuuga faction said, "King
Souma denounces the attempted assassination, but has not declared his
support for either side," and, "The Kingdom of Friedonia remains neutral."
Of these two claims, the anti-Fuuga faction's was closer to the truth. It
was a fact that Souma's statement did not directly support either faction.
However, the pro-Fuuga faction's claims had a greater effect.
Between "Souma is pro-Fuuga!" and "Souma does not necessarily
support Fuuga!", if we look at which of these claims is more powerfully
worded, it is obviously the former. Even if the interpretation is a stretch,
they have stated it definitively, making it easy to reach people.
The latter claim, "Souma does not necessarily support Fuuga!" leaves
Souma's intentions unclear. This is because they could not say, "Souma
does not support Fuuga." or "Souma is anti-Fuuga."
The result was something Souma had predicted. He had thought of
Machiavelli's words, "If you choose to remain neutral, you will fail most of
the time," firmly drilled into his head, so he had been hesitant to remain
neutral when it came to Fuuga. That was why he chose a method that
indirectly made it appear that he supported Fuuga. Souma was still wary of
him though.
At the same time, he sent a letter to Julius who, due to the Kingdom of
Lastania's alliance with the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, was forced
to remain neutral. It said, "If it becomes necessary, our country will shelter
you, so flee to the Kingdom of Friedonia with Princess Tia and everyone
else."
Hakuya the Black-robed Prime Minister warned against the dangers of
welcoming a former enemy like Julius, but it was strictly a warning. He
never thought that Souma would do something that would sadden Roroa the
way abandoning Julius and Princess Tia would. Hakuya believed that as
long as Julius cared for Princess Tia, he wouldn't get ambitious again, but
he needed to raise the complaint so that Souma would always keep the
possibility in the back of his head.
Releasing a statement denouncing the attempted assassination also
caused Duke Chima and the anti-Fuuga faction's attempts to recruit neutral
states to their cause to stagnate. While, ultimately, the anti-Fuuga faction
did grow to three times the size of the pro-Fuuga faction, they were not able
to gather any further allies. The Kingdom of Friedonia's actions were more
than enough to disappoint Mathew.
Mathew was in Wedan Castle in the Duchy of Chima griping to his
eldest son Hashim.
"King Souma didn't have to do that. If he wasn't going to side with
either of us, he should have just stayed quiet. I didn't expect him to
denounce us."
"Calm down, father," Hashim chided the grumbling Mathew. "The
Kingdom of Friedonia must have been uninterested in intervening in the
conflict all along. It's important that we've been able to confirm that King
Souma won't send reinforcements to Fuuga and will stay out of this fight."
"Well, yes, but..." Mathew still seemed unconvinced. "Of all the
children I sent abroad, the only ones to join the anti-Fuuga faction were
Nata in the Kingdom of Sharn, and Gauche who went to the Kingdom of
Gabi. The others are all either pro-Fuuga or neutral. What did I even send
my children abroad for?"
"Gauche's rash actions have brought harsh eyes down on the entire
House of Chima... However, although the state we sent him to has joined
the Fuuga faction, Nike has returned to us," Hashim said in an attempt to
pacify Mathew.
It was true that Mathew's fourth son, the beautiful boy who was a master
of the spear, Nike, had been dismissed from the country he had been sent to
when they joined the Fuuga faction. They must have been scared to shelter
a relative of Gauche, even if he was a relative of Fuuga's wife Mutsumi as
well.
"One powerful warrior returning to us will have no great effect on the
larger picture," Mathew said, slumping his shoulders and resting both hands
on his desk. "Our negotiations have grown the number of countries in the
anti-Fuuga faction. However, that doesn't mean that all of their people are
now opposed to Fuuga as well. There will be those that go to join the Fuuga
supporters, and others who divert supplies to them at all levels of society.
Even if we clamp down on it, they'll risk their lives to join him. It's like
dealing with zealots. Fuuga is practically the founder of a new religion
called Fuugaism."
"That must be Fuuga Haan's potential," Hashim said after a pause.
Mathew snorted.
"It's an abomination. The way things are, we cannot use our numbers to
strategically encircle him until he runs out of supplies. The longer we take,
the more countries will switch sides to join the pro-Fuuga faction... It seems
we truly have no choice but to end it all in one decisive battle."
Mathew stood up straight and walked towards the door.
"Fortunately, we have an overwhelming numerical advantage. Now, it's
simply a matter of how we invite Fuuga to the field of battle. It would be a
nuisance if he were to hole up inside the castle and force us to fight a battle
of attrition..." he mumbled to himself as he left the office.
Hashim let out an exasperated sigh as he watched Mathew go. Then,
once his father was gone, a slender and attractive young man entered to take
his place.
"Nike?"
"Brother. I passed by Father mumbling to himself in the hall," the fourth
son of the House of Chima said to Hashim, resting his spear against his
shoulder as he spoke. "He seems rather agitated."
"He is. Gauche's overeagerness must have messed up all his plans."
"And yet...you still plan to follow him when he acts like that?" Nike
asked, suspicion in his eyes.
"What do you mean...?"
"What I'm saying is that playing along with a gamble like this doesn't
suit you. The brother that I know doesn't take losing bets, or even ones with
even odds."
Hashim shrugged his shoulders at this.
"Who can say? Aren't you the same way?" Hashim replied, staring
straight into Nike's eyes. "Although, even if you were dismissed by your
master, I had expected you to go to Mutsumi instead. You like her more
than Father, don't you?"
This time, it was Nike's turn to shrug. "Well, yes, but...I had my own
reasons for coming. I'm here of my own will, okay?"
Hashim looked at Nike for a time, but Nike had always been aloof, and
Hashim couldn't read his thoughts. It might be more accurate to say that
Nike wouldn't allow him to. Hashim gave up.
"That is fine with me... As I wrote in my letter, so long as you refrain
from any rash actions."
"I understand, brother. I'll be going now," Nike responded and left the
office. As he walked through the halls of Wedan Castle, Nike sighed. He'd
sensed something unsettling about Hashim. Our brother has something in
mind...Big Sister Mutsumi.
Just as Hashim had said, Mutsumi was the only one in the House of
Chima that Nike felt any affinity towards. Up until Ichiha was born and
branded the talentless one, it had been Nike who'd been the brunt of Nata
and Gauche's bullying. Mutsumi was the only one to protect him then.
With time, once Nike awakened to his gift for the spear, and his abilities
grew, Nata and Gauche stopped saying anything about him. Instead, they
moved on to tormenting Ichiha. That was why Nike had no attachment to
the House of Chima. The reason he had returned here at all was because of
a request from Mutsumi. A secret entreaty that she had kept secret even
from her beloved husband Fuuga. Our house really is divided, huh...?
Mathew and the eight siblings were each acting towards their own ends.
Their hearts were so far apart that they each had to make their own
decisions. One result of that had been Gauche's attempt to assassinate
Fuuga. Even their youngest brother, Ichiha, had found a place for himself in
the Kingdom of Friedonia where he was growing in prominence.
I'm glad Ichiha went to the Kingdom. Mutsumi would have been
devastated if he'd been caught up in all this. Out of all his brothers and
sisters, in a way, Mutsumi was the only one who had tried to stay connected
to him. Nike wanted to respect those feelings, if nothing else.
◇ ◇ ◇
The anti-Fuuga states in the east of the Union of Eastern Nations were
the first to rise up. The main force that Fuuga was leading to retake the
Demon Lord's Domain was north of the Union of Eastern Nations. They
formed a wedge that separated that main force from Fuuga's base in
Malmkhitan. Fuuga had left half of his elite soldiers behind to defend his
home country. The anti-Fuuga faction believed that by keeping those elites
from rejoining the main force, they would be reducing Fuuga's strength of
arms.
In addition to this, the operational planner of the anti-Fuuga faction,
Mathew Chima, had closely studied the Elfriedenian-Amidonian War of
1546.
The (then provisional) King of Elfrieden, Souma Kazuya, had made a
show of attacking the capital city of the Principality, Van. This allowed him
to lure the Principality forces led by Sovereign Prince Gaius VIII to a
favorable battlefield where he destroyed them. Mathew decided to use these
events as a reference. By using Fuuga's homeland of the steppes as bait, he
would keep Fuuga from settling in for a siege, and instead settle things with
a short, decisive battle on favorable ground while they still had the
numerical advantage.
With Fuuga's supporters spread throughout every country, it was
effectively impossible for them to encircle Fuuga's company and cut off
their supplies. And the longer they took, the more nations would switch to
Fuuga's side. This demanded a swift and decisive victory in battle. In fact,
Mathew had already received reports that Fuuga's forces were marching
towards Malmkhitan. With the Kingdom of Sharn at their center, the forces
of the anti-Fuuga faction headed for the grain-producing region, the Sebal
Plains, where they had set up their defensive line. This region was part of
the Kingdom of Gabi.
It was as if a tiger was heading towards many layers of traps.
As the final confrontation with Fuuga drew near, inside Gabi Castle,
which looked down over the Sebal Plains, Mathew was in the room that had
been assigned to him, enjoying a drink alone. As he did, his fourth son,
Nike, came to visit him.
When Nike entered and saw the glass in Mathew's hand, he furrowed his
brow. "Father... Is this really the time to drink?"
"Now is exactly the time to drink. I've already made every move I can.
Now we simply wait to see which side the heavens favor. If all I'm doing is
waiting, what better way than with a drink?"
The calmness in Mathew's voice made Nike feel uneasy, and he
subconsciously clenched his fists. Mathew had seemed to suffer from
intense mood swings lately, but now he seemed awfully calm. Nike had
thought he would be showing more excitement or trepidation before the
battle with Fuuga. It didn't feel like he was using alcohol as an escape
either.
"The battle with Fuuga...with Mutsumi's husband is almost upon us.
Doesn't that make you feel anything?" Nike asked, his anger bleeding
through into his tone slightly.
And yet, Mathew didn't bat an eye.
"I've long since run out of such hesitation," Mathew said in a relaxed
tone as he looked at his glass of red wine. "Look back on the history of our
country—of our house. Here in this land where so many nations have been
born and then perished, why is it that our petty state has maintained its
independence using every means available to it? It was solely to keep our
line going. In order to maintain the House of Chima's independence, there
were even times when we had to fight against our own family. Only one
side needed to survive."
Mathew paused, taking another sip of his wine before continuing.
"We fought among ourselves, and after the war, the winners would plead
for the losers to be spared. If that was not granted, they were cast aside...
We stand on top of many such sacrifices. You and I both."
Hearing his father's words, Nike felt as if his feet were giving out from
underneath him. I'm intimidated? Me? By father? Nike was confident that,
in purely martial terms, he had surpassed his father long ago. In fact, if they
were to fight here, Nike would surely have won. Mathew wouldn't stand
even a remote chance of winning. Yet, in spite of that, and despite Mathew
not placing any particularly strong emphasis on his words, Nike was
overwhelmed by his speech.
"And now it's your turn to fight with my sister, you're saying?" Nike
somehow forced himself to ask. Even he thought he sounded like a petulant
child.
Mathew laughed scornfully at himself. "After Gauche's recklessness,
this became inevitable."
"And it's not your fault that he acted so recklessly, father?"
"In order to spread you all across many countries, as a means of
preserving our line, I talked up your gifts too much. Planting the seeds of
the arrogance that would destroy him was certainly my own failure."
You sound so detached from all this, Nike nearly said. But he didn't.
Regardless, Mathew seemed to be cognizant of his words here. Through
this conversation with his father, Nike had learned that this was how their
house had preserved their bloodline.
"If we win this battle, then even in the worst scenario, the House of
Chima will only lose Mutsumi," Mathew told the now silent Nike. "The
Kingdom of Remus, where Yomi is betrothed to the king, is part of the
Fuuga faction, but they are far from Fuuga's main force and Malmkhitan, so
they will focus on defending their own borders. They won't be directly
involved in this war. Even Mutsumi, provided she doesn't die in battle,
might be able to be saved after the war."
"Knowing Mutsumi, I think she'll follow Fuuga to the end, though..."
"That is her decision. If she chooses life, there are still ways to save
her."
"......"
"Conversely, if we are defeated here, I am the only one who must die."
"Wha?!" Nike's eyes widened in shock. Mathew, however, still spoke in
a relaxed tone.
"Lay all of the blame on me. If you say that you were only following my
orders, I am sure Mutsumi will plead for your life. It seems Hashim is well
regarded by Fuuga too. I'm sure he'll manage the House of Chima well."
"Father! What are you saying?! Do you not care for your own life?!"
Nike protested, and Mathew smiled a little.
"I do only as our family has for all this time. At the very least, our line
will live on."
Once he had said that, Mathew drained the rest of his wine.
"That man...will drag everything in. He'll destroy all the bonds our
house has created, swallowing us whole. If we ever side with him, the lives
of our entire clan will be in his grasp. As head of the House of Chima, I
couldn't bear that."
"Father..."
"If you think about it, Ichiha leaving for the Kingdom may have been
divine providence. Now, no matter how chaotic the Union of Eastern
Nations becomes, our blood will survive."
"Divine providence...? It's not like you to say that, Father."
He was supposed to be more calculating. To plan for every eventuality,
doing whatever was necessary to avoid the worst outcome, that was how
Mathew—how the House of Chima—was supposed to operate. It was
almost as if Mathew had decided that his own death wasn't the worst
outcome.
"No, father... Don't tell me you..." Nike started to say, but didn't finish.
Mathew chuckled.
"You may be right. So, Nike, my boy... Don't waste your life."
"I wish you had said that to me sooner, and in a different way..." Nike
turned to go, unable to face his father any longer. "Big Sister Mutsumi
probably understands how you feel better than any of us, father. That's
why...I didn't want the two of you to end up opposing each other."
"I see..."
"I don't need you to tell me not to throw away my life. I will
act...according to my own will."
With that said, Nike took his leave.
Alone in the room once more, Mathew poured himself a fresh glass, and
slowly sipped away at it.