—1st month, 1553rd year, Continental Calendar—
"Hahhh!"
"Too soft!"
Two men were fighting with sword and spears on the deck of the island
carrier Hiryuu. One was the captain, Castor, and the other was the Red Oni:
commander of the Dratroopers, Halbert Magna.
As Halbert swung his two spears one after the other, Castor parried with
the sword he held in one hand, summoning flames in his other to slam into
Halbert. Sometimes Halbert dodged those flames. Other times he deflected
them as he looked for a chance to strike the decisive blow. Both combatants
used fire-type magic, but as a dragonewt, Castor's was more powerful.
Understanding the disadvantage he'd have in a long-range fight, Halbert
was desperate not to let Castor pull away from him.
Castor was a good enough warrior to fight on even terms with Aisha,
making him one of the best in the Kingdom. Nonetheless, Halbert was
holding his own, so there was no clear victor. Consequently, that meant that
Halbert was also among the best fighters in the Kingdom—the fruit of years
of hard training.
"""Woooooo!""" the crew of the Hiryuu and Halbert's subordinates
cheered as they watched from a distance. Their eyes were glued to this
battle between warriors which had been elevated to a higher dimension.
"Tch!" Sick of the stalemate, Castor spread his wings and took to the air.
He was looking to settle things with a magic attack from high above
Halbert, who couldn't fly without Ruby the red dragon.
However...
"Not gonna happen!" Halbert threw one of his twin-snake spears
skywards.
The spear sailed over Castor's head in an arch. As Castor and the
audience were thinking it missed, Halbert was running to the spot where it
would land.
"What?!" Castor cried out in surprise as a ring that passed over his head
was formed by the chain connecting the two spears.
Halbert then pulled on the spears to reel in the chain.
"Hi-yahhhh!"
"Argh!"
The shrinking chain wrapped itself around Castor's wings, throwing him
off-balance. Just as he was about to slam into the ground, he suddenly
recovered enough to land on all fours instead.
But as Castor raised his head, Halbert's spear was at his throat. Castor
glared up at Halbert as he stared down at him threateningly, but soon his
lips curled into a smile.
"You got me. I yield."
"""Yeahhhh!""" The spectators let out a throaty cheer as Castor
admitted defeat.
Halbert had finally scored a victory against Castor. Those who had seen
Halbert train and strive to improve since his early years celebrated his
victory as if it were their own.
"You've gotten strong, Halbert," Castor said, accepting Halbert's hand
as he was pulled to his feet. "The short-lived races grow fast. You were
nothing but a child to me just the other day."
"Don't measure me by the values of the long-lived races."
Long-lived races like the elves, dragonewts, and sea serpents had a
tendency to think about things continuously due to their longevity.
Consequently, their abilities developed at a more relaxed pace than those of
humans or beastmen. They were well-suited to specializing in something
and refining their ability to do it. But those with more normal lifespans
were used to thinking about time limits, and were able to achieve results in
a short time frame.
Castor put a hand on Halbert's shoulder. "But you managed to beat me, a
man with a century of experience. You can be prouder of that."
Halbert grinned and shook his head. "I've still got a ways to go. There's
a guy I want to beat."
After a pause, Castor asked, "Is it Fuuga Haan?"
"Yeah. If it comes to it, I must be able to defend my family and
country."
Halbert looked at the spears in his hands. He seemed pretty worked up,
but Castor simply shrugged.
"Didn't the king tell you to not shoulder everything yourself?"
"I'm a man. I don't want to act indulgent. I want to defend the people I
care about with my own hands."
"You're a real warrior. I'll give you that."
As they were praising the other's performance, two women worked their
way through the crowd of burly men and rushed to Halbert's side.
"Jeez! What do you think you're doing at a time like this?!" Ruby,
Halbert's second wife, berated them. "We have to be at the wedding in the
capital! You shouldn't be having one of your little sparring matches now!"
"Uh, well... We had time to spare, so I thought I'd have the captain give
me some lessons..." Halbert desperately tried to explain himself, but...
"There's no need for excuses, Lord Hal."
Looking good in her National Defense Force uniform, a beautiful lady
with an air of intelligence about her stood in front of Halbert. She was tall
and slim, with long legs, and the lower half of her uniform was hot-pants
length—not full pants like Liscia's—so it showed off her stunning legs
without reservation. Her brown skin and elf ears identified her as a dark elf.
"Urkh, Velza."
She was one of Tomoe's school friends at the Academy, and had joined
the National Defense Force after graduation. With backing from Halbert's
first wife Kaede, Velza was able to achieve her dream of serving under
Halbert.
Velza leveled a finger at him. "What do you mean, 'urkh'? That's an
awful thing to say to your cute subordinate."
"S-Sorry... But should you really be calling yourself cute?"
"I am cute though, aren't I? I'm quite popular in the military, you know?
Mainly with the women."
""Ah..."" Halbert and Ruby looked at Velza with pity.
Her short hair gave her a boyish look. Being tall on top of that, with
regular features, gave her the appearance of either a pretty boy in girls'
clothes or an elegant lady in menswear. For the members of the House of
Magna who had known Velza since she was little, they knew how her eyes
sparkled at the sight of tasty food, so they had a strong image of her as
acting like a girl her age.
Velza cleared her throat loudly. "More importantly, Lord Hal. We have
an invitation to His Majesty's wedding. I also received invitations from one
of the brides, Yuriga...erm, Lady Yuriga, and from Sir Ichiha who will be
announcing his engagement to Lady Tomoe. It would be inexcusable for us
to be late."
"Well, it's just a short flight for Ruby..."
"That doesn't mean you can leave Lady Kaede to take care of all the
preparations in the capital by herself, does it?! Little Bill—Halbert and
Kaede's son—must be waiting for you to come home too."
"Right..." Halbert hung his head as a younger woman berated him.
The brave warrior of moments before was nowhere to be seen now. The
onlookers chuckled at the scene until Halbert gave them a death glare that
sent them scattering.
Ruby, who had been watching this exchange, nodded in agreement.
"You've become so reliable, Velza."
"Uh, I'd rather you talk her down a bit."
"I don't want to. I'm with Velza on this..."
With that said, Ruby transformed into a great red dragon, stretching her
head towards Halbert and Velza and speaking directly inside their heads.
"Let's get going. Both of you, hop on, chop-chop."
"Y-Yeah."
"Got it."
Halbert and Velza both responded then climbed onto Ruby's back.
Velza sat in front of Halbert, tying herself to him securely with rope.
Normally, only a dragon's partner could ride them, but Velza was already
more or less guaranteed to marry Halbert, so they used the old "partner of
my partner" justification to sidestep that issue.
Once they were ready to go, Halbert saluted to Castor who was down
below them.
"So long, Captain. We're heading off now."
"Take care. I'll be going myself later."
Once Castor snapped off a navy-style salute, Ruby lifted off into the sky.
Having seen off the Magnas, Castor felt a strong desire to be with his
own family. Accela, Carla, Carl... They'd all be there for the wedding, so
he'd be able to see them again. Following the restoration of the House of
Carmine's honor, so too was the House of Vargas restored, and with it
permission to see his family. However, as he didn't like prying eyes, Castor
had decided not to return to the house for the time being.
Heh... It'll be good to see them, Castor thought as he gazed off in the
direction the Magnas had gone.
◇ ◇ ◇
—Late in the 1st month, 1553rd year, Continental Calendar — Royal
Capital Parnam—
It was a bright day with clear skies, though the snow that'd fallen the
other day still lingered on the rooftops.
The multi-wedding event centered around Souma, Maria, and Yuriga's
ceremony was underway in Parnam. Souma and his family would have
preferred to hold off on the wedding until spring, but in anticipation of
sudden moves by the Great Tiger Empire of Haan, they had decided to hold
the ceremony while they could.
Now, Souma's retainers were getting married all around the capital as
part of this event.
Tomoe's birth mother—Tomoko, and Inugami—the second-in-command
of the Black Cats, were one such couple. Attendees included Jirukoma,
Komain, and some friends of Tomoko's among the refugees who'd
relocated to the new port city of Venetinova, as well as the mystic wolves
involved in making Kikkoro-brand miso and soy sauce. Inugami's identity
was concealed, so none of his acquaintances were able to be in attendance.
However, he'd still received a small mountain of flowers and other gifts
from Kagetora and other well-wishers in the Black Cats.
Inugami wore a tuxedo but didn't remove his mask, making those
unfamiliar with his situation do a double take when they saw him. Tomoko
chuckled when she saw how awkward he felt about it.
"Congratulations! Father, Mother."
"Congratulations, both of you."
Tomoe's little brother Rou and her friend Lucy came to congratulate
them.
Rou had still been little when he first came to the Kingdom, but now he
was around ten years old. Having lost his biological father at a young age,
and lacking any real memories of him, he'd long since accepted the family's
protector Inugami as a father figure.
Lucy, meanwhile, was here on behalf of Tomoe. She had brought a
basket of expensive fruits as a gift.
"These're from Tomie. She says she'll come runnin' as soon as her
engagement's been announced."
"Oh, my! Thank you."
Tomoe was at the castle now to announce her engagement with Ichiha.
She'd have liked to be at her birth mother's wedding, but her engagement
was a matter of national importance, so Tomoko and Inugami had told her
not to worry about it.
Lucy snickered to herself. "I bet ya Tomie'll rush in here with her fiancé
in tow."
"Oh, my. Oh, my," Tomoko said with a soft smile while Inugami
groaned in chagrin.
"This should be the happiest day of my life, and I haven't a shred of
regret about my choices, but...it's a shame I won't be there to see the
honored little sister's engagement announced."
Lucy could only laugh politely at Inugami's heartfelt disappointment.
"Ah ha ha... You're sure hard done by, huh?"
"What do you mean?" Rou asked, tilting his head to the side adorably.
Lucy smiled wryly and said, "I mean, he's a pain in the butt to deal
with."
"Father, you're a pain in the butt!" Rou shouted, raising both hands with
all the innocence of a child. There was no malice behind his words.
"Gwah!"
Inugami was laid low, like a boxer KO'd after a critical hit. It was so
funny that everyone, Tomoko included, burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, at another wedding venue, Mio Carmine—daughter of
Georg, former General of the Army—was holding a ceremony with her
groom, Gatsby C. Carmine.
In attendance was Halbert's father Glaive (due to his connection with
Georg), Souma's personal trainer Owen, and other military members with
ties to Mio's father. On Colbert's side were his friend Julius and his wife
Tia, his coworkers in the Ministry of Finance, and the loreleis like Nanna
and Pamille whom he was always helping. It was probably unusual for the
bride and groom's guests to split so neatly into members of the military and
bureaucratic/cultural wings of the country.
"Okay, here it comes!"
"Whoa! Madam Mio?! You threw it too high!"
With the ceremony finished, Mio was so delighted to be bound to
Colbert as wife and husband that she threw the bouquet with all her might.
The women in attendance were aiming to catch the bouquet and get some of
that marital bliss for themselves. However, the bouquet flew so high into
the air that they decided its landing spot would be too dangerous to be in, so
they all scattered.
Julius palmed his face in exasperation before turning to Jirukoma's wife
Lauren, who was attending as Tia's bodyguard.
"Madam Lauren, would you please?"
"Yes, sir," Lauren replied before rushing to the landing point and
catching the bouquet. "I'm already married, so..."
She gently tossed the bouquet towards the other women. The one to
catch it was Pamille Carol of the childlike kobito race. Pamille looked
stunned for a moment before breaking into a grin as the other attendees
clapped. Mio was so grateful to Julius and Lauren for their quick response
that she bowed her head repeatedly.
There was a shadow watching the noisy wedding proceedings from a
distance—the commander of the Black Cats, Kagetora. He was absolutely
in no way connected to the bride whatsoever, but he gave a satisfied nod
when he saw Mio's big day being celebrated by so many of his friends and
acquaintances.
"You could watch from closer, not way out here, you know?"
"...!" Kagetora tensed at the sudden voice.
At some point, the late Georg's wife, Mio's mother, had appeared beside
him. The suddenness of her appearance would have put his covert
operatives to shame.
Kagetora looked at the pitch-black cape he was shrouded in.
"This cape has magic that is supposed to interfere with people's
perception of me..." he said quietly.
The wife chuckled. "I simply checked where you seemed most likely to
be. I believed you were not so heartless that you wouldn't come, yet you
couldn't bring yourself to come any closer. I surmised you would be
watching from the shadows, neither too near nor too far away."
"You amaze me..." Kagetora's expression twitched underneath the mask.
That was because he was ashamed of his immaturity, and awed by this
woman's prowess.
Mio noticed the two of them and waved, smiling broadly.
The perception impairing magic wasn't perfect. If someone was with
him and they noticed that person, they could see him too. Was it only her
mother Mio was waving at? Or perhaps...
The wife waved to Mio, whispering, "With Mio finding herself a good
man, that's one less worry our house needs to deal with."
"You speak as if there are others..."
"Yes. There's an especially large one still," the wife said to him with a
smile.
Kagetora looked away, unable to say anything in response.
◇ ◇ ◇
Also on that same day, Valois, the capital of the Euphoria Kingdom, was
in the middle of its own festivities. Queen Jeanne and Prime Minister
Hakuya were getting married.
Hakuya would be marrying into her family as royal consort, so his name
would be Hakuya Euphoria from this day forward.
Just as the ceremony was about to begin, Jeanne, who was wearing the
traditional Imperial wedding dress, smiled at Hakuya as he stood beside her.
"You look good in white too," she remarked.
"I'm having trouble calming down though."
The Black-Robed Prime Minister normally wore black clothes, as you
would expect from his sobriquet. But he obviously couldn't wear black to
his own wedding, so he was clad in a pure-white tuxedo.
Jeanne wrapped her arm around Hakuya's as he loomed awkwardly, then
rested her head on his shoulder.
"How many times have I dreamed of this day? I thought it would never
be more than a dream."
Hakuya gently put his hand over Jeanne's and said, "It was the same for
me. I've longed for the day I could be with you like this."
"Ah ha ha... But I never thought I'd be a queen when it happened!"
"I have to agree on that too."
As the two of them were laughing about it, Trill interjected, incensed by
this saccharine display. "Um... Could you two save that stuff for later? You
know, on your own time, when the ceremony is over and done with?"
That snapped the two of them back to their senses, and they quickly
pulled apart.
Trill cleared her throat loudly in an attempt to move on, then lifted up
the corners of her skirt and curtsied. "Congratulations. Big Sister Jeanne,
Big Brother Hakuya."
"Yeah. Thanks, Trill."
"Thank you, Lady Trill."
Once the two of them thanked her, Trill looked up and grinned.
"Big Brother, please take care of Big Sister for me."
"Yes. Of course I will."
"When she gets angry, do try to calm her down, will you?"
"Yes," he replied reflexively. After a moment, he muttered, "Hm?"
Trill cackled.
"From now on, when I cause a problem and Big Sister is giving me
trouble for it, I'll come running to you for protection. You'll protect your
darling little sister-in-law, won't you?"
"Trill!" Jeanne shouted, causing Trill to quickly hide behind Hakuya.
"Look, it's your move now, Big Brother."
"Hold on, Trill! It's not fair for you to use Sir Hakuya as a shield!"
"Good grief..." Hakuya groaned, caught between two of the Euphoria
sisters.
He'd had plenty of opportunities to see Souma getting run ragged by his
fiancées (now wives) when he was in the Kingdom of Friedonia. If he'd
known he would be facing this himself, he should have used his time in
Friedonia to learn how Souma handled family squabbles.
Hakuya was rather regretting the fact he hadn't done so now.
◇ ◇ ◇
The story now returns to Parnam in the Kingdom of Friedonia...
While a number of retainers were having their weddings in town,
Souma, Yuriga, and Maria were having their ceremony in the castle. The
audience chamber had been decorated for the occasion, and retainers like
Excel and Castor lined both sides of the red carpet that led from the
entrance up to the throne.
As the band played, Maria and Yuriga silently walked along that carpet
wrapped in wedding dresses. Maria's gait was elegant and confident, while
Yuriga's was stiff and tense. It was hard to blame her, given this was being
broadcast around the country.
King Souma and First Primary Queen Liscia were sitting on the thrones
they were walking towards. Next to them were Acting Prime Minister
Ichiha and future chamberlain Tomoe, who had just announced their
engagement to the public.
When she saw Tomoe chuckle at how tense she seemed, Yuriga pursed
her lips in irritation. That anger gave her the courage—false or not—to puff
up her chest with pride, and that helped her to loosen up.
Maria and Yuriga proceeded to where Souma was, then both dropped to
one knee. When they did, Souma and Liscia rose from their thrones.
Souma descended the steps to walk in front of them. Liscia first received
the two tiaras that would mark them as queens from Tomoe, then moved to
stand beside Souma.
Then Souma spoke.
"Madam Maria of the Euphoria Kingdom and Madam Yuriga Haan of
the Great Tiger Empire of Haan, I hereby welcome you as queens of this
country. Through this ceremony, I hope to forge an everlasting friendship
between our nations."
""Yes,"" Maria and Yuriga replied, bowing their heads in unison.
Souma took the tiaras from Liscia and placed them on their heads as
proof of their queenly status. During the first wedding with Liscia and the
others, they had kissed at this point, but that was skipped over this time.
That was because this ceremony's diplomatic significance was being
emphasized over it being a wedding. There was no telling how the Great
Tiger Empire might act in the future, so he was trying to be considerate of
the delicate position Yuriga might find herself in.
After the ceremony concluded, Souma and Maria stood side by side on
the balcony with the broadcast jewel. They put on a display that told the
assembled crowd and those watching the broadcast that a wedding had just
taken place, and that it would strengthen the coordination between the
Kingdom of Friedonia and the Euphoria Kingdom. Once they saw the
peaceful smile on Maria's face, those who loved and respected her in the
Euphoria Kingdom would feel at ease too.
"Oh, right, you worked as a lorelei too, didn't you, Maria?" Souma
asked in a quiet voice as he waved to the people. Maria cocked her head to
the side questioningly.
"Yes, I did. Why do you ask?"
"Well... I thought this when I married Juna too, but your male fans are
gonna hate me, huh? I can just imagine them making hundreds of straw
dolls right now..."
"Why would they do that?"
"They're used in a curse from my old world."
"Oh, that sort of thing," Maria said with a happy chuckle. "I suppose
whatever happens, happens. Try to accept it for what it is."
"You say that like it's not your problem..."
"Well, you are the one who stole me, the object of their affections."
With that, Maria pecked Souma on the cheek.
The crowd watching from below the balcony erupted in applause seeing
the newlyweds showing clear signs of affection. The jewel had caught all of
it too, and broadcast it to fountain plazas around both countries.
Souma was speechless for a moment. With a twitching smile on his face,
he said, "I think you just increased the number of straw dolls by fifty
percent."
Maria laughed out loud.
◇ ◇ ◇
While the Kingdom of Friedonia was in a celebratory mood, Zem City,
the capital of the Mercenary State, was on fire.
The mercenaries were cornered in the colosseum—assaulted by the
common people, wielding farming implements and kitchen knives in place
of proper weapons. Not even the mercenaries, who were confident in their
abilities, could stand in the face of these numbers. There were clearly some
experienced fighters in the mob too, so the mercenaries went down one
after another.
"It's time to change this country from the bottom up!"
"Show the oppressive mercenaries our wrath!"
"Emperor Fuuga Haan is with us!"
It had seemed might made right in this country, but the suppressed anger
of the populace exploded, causing them to rise in rebellion. However, it was
clear that the Great Tiger Empire of Haan—which is to say Fuuga's advisor
Hashim—was scheming in the shadows.
It all started with the Zemish mercenaries' unauthorized retreat during
the war with the Gran Chaos Empire.
Hashim denounced them after the conflict was over, and worked with
Moumei, who was acting as the Mercenary King, to prosecute them for
deserting. The mercenaries, who hated being restricted as a general rule,
pushed back against this and holed up in key cities in order to resist Fuuga's
forces. These people had lived by the strength of their arms all this time.
When the mercenaries dug their heels in to resist, it wasn't because they
intended to protect the country or land. If things went south, they probably
thought they'd be able to flee, possibly even out of the country to become
adventurers in the worst case.
But their ill-conceived plans would never work against the cold and
calculating Hashim, of course. There were sparks for conflict.
This country was founded by mercenaries. Strength was everything here,
but the weak and downtrodden existed, and they had their grievances with
the mercenaries. The former Mercenary King, Gimbal, had been a talented
monarch, and had managed his mercs in a way that kept the populace's
resentment from manifesting. After his defeat by Fuuga, Gimbal was
removed from the throne and went into retirement. This was when Hashim
began inciting the populace, who were in a weak position.
"The mercenaries boast of their strength and look down on the weak, but
see how they flee when the battle turns against them! People of Zem! How
long have you let these men oppress you?! With Fuuga Haan as your
protector, you must smash this country's system and let it be born anew!"
This powerful speech stirred up the common people. Hashim had made
the Great Tiger Empire's problem with the Zemish mercenaries a domestic
problem for Zem, leading to mercenaries and the people opposing each
other. Even after the mercenaries holed up inside key cities, the ones who
maintained them were the civilians—an overwhelmingly larger population.
The Zemish mercenaries found themselves assaulted by the people inside
the cities they were trying to hold.
The former king Gimbal, choosing not to side with the mercenaries who
had relied on him, was another factor.
The mercenaries had asked him to raise the flag of rebellion against the
Great Tiger Empire, but he refused, saying he was retired. He had always
ruled with policies that favored the people, so he had no reason to side with
mercenaries who only worked for their own self-interest.
Gimbal was now under the watchful eye of Moumei's agents and placed
under house arrest in his small cabin in the mountains, but it was essentially
a peaceful retirement. That was because Moumei respected Gimbal's
achievements, and arranged for him to be able to live without
inconvenience.
And now Zem City, the last bastion of the mercenaries, was about to be
liberated.
"Face our wrath of many years!"
"Eek! Stay away! Stay awaaay!"
Ironically, the location where the endless horde of commoners had
cornered the mercenaries was the colosseum that was the symbol of this
city itself. Here, in the place many had won acclaim and far more had been
disgraced as losers, the mercenaries fell one after another.
Naturally, Hashim didn't leave this entirely to the people. They had been
infiltrated by the Great Tiger Empire's elites and other rogue soldiers who
supported Fuuga in order to ensure the Zemish mercenaries were
annihilated.
In their agitated state, the people were brutal, ripping the fallen
mercenaries apart—to the point where it was hard to tell which parts had
belonged to whom anymore. When the people came to their senses, the
bodies would be buried in a cemetery near the colosseum, and a memorial
service held, but that was no consolation to the mercenaries.
Having lost the mercenaries who were central to their national defense,
the people turned to Fuuga Haan for protection. Fuuga accepted their
request, annexing the country and appointing Moumei as governor of the
Zem Region.
And so, Mercenary State Zem vanished from the map.
Meanwhile, there was another uproar underway in the Lunarian
Orthodox Papal State...
The hardliners—who in the name of Lunaria, had been executing
moderates for wanting to distance themselves from Fuuga—had now
fractured into two factions.
One side was the pope faction, who wanted Fuuga to be subordinate to
their religious authority. The other side was the saint faction, centered
around Anne. They believed that as the holy king, Fuuga's will was the will
of God, and they should serve him as they spread the word.
However, this rift was easily settled. That was because the saint's faction
had the military backing of the Great Tiger Empire. As soon as the conflict
began, the pope was taken into the Great Tiger Empire's custody.
In Chapter 6 of The Prince, Machiavelli said, "If Moses, Cyrus,
Theseus, and Romulus had been unarmed, they could not have enforced
their constitutions for long."
Machiavelli also noted that because Girolamo Savonarola—who incited
the people to drive the Medici out of Florence and ruled it for a time—
lacked arms of his own, he had no way to preserve himself once his
popularity failed, and so he was lost to the flames.
The pope's faction met the same fate as Savonarola.
The former pope was imprisoned, and eventually "died of undetermined
causes" at the hands of Hashim. Was it poison, or was he thrown to his
death? The remnants of his faction met the same fate as the moderates
before them. They were branded heretics and burned at the stake.
The people of the Orthodox Papal State watched quietly as the heretics
were burned in the town square. The populace was obedient to the church,
and that didn't change when the higher-ups were replaced by members of
the saint faction. Even if the old higher-ups who'd declared their new
masters as heretics were now tied to logs as they burned alive, the populace
had no doubt that the right thing was being done.
Anne quietly watched events unfold from on high. It was as if she were
burning the heretics into her memory. When the flames burned out and the
heretics were no more, all light had vanished from her eyes. The girl had
killed her heart in the name of her duty as saint.
And so, while the Orthodox Papal State would continue to exist as a
country, it would be ruled directly by the Great Tiger Kingdom. During the
gaudy banquet, the world was changing rapidly.