Before Fuuga Haan began his invasion of the Kingdom of Friedonia,
Souma was having the people of towns and villages along the Great Tiger
Empire's invasion route evacuate south of Parnam. He had more leeway to
prepare this time than in the Amidonian War, so he didn't need to take
drastic measures like inventing the Flame Pierrots to burn villages and drive
them out for their own good. He could complete the evacuation just by
spreading word of what was coming.
This was done because the great minds of the Kingdom agreed that, win
or lose, the fighting would go no further than Parnam. Some people wanted
to stand and fight in the places of their birth, but the priority was evacuating
noncombatants like children, women who didn't serve in the military, and
the elderly.
The same was done in Parnam itself. Souma had Poncho take over for
Weist as the lord of Venetinova, now the Kingdom's second largest city.
This allowed the gourmet to evacuate there along with Ginger, Genia, and
the other noncombatants and their families. Poncho had been Souma's
magistrate in Venetinova once upon a time. But when the title was
originally handed out, it was decided that giving such a key city to a relative
newcomer like Poncho would result in major pushback. Instead, it had gone
to Weist, who had long served under Excel. However, with his efforts in the
food crisis and war logistics, Poncho now had a distinguished career behind
him, and it was safe to appoint him Lord of Venetinova.
The city was also home to many former refugees who looked up to his
second wife, Komain, so he wouldn't have trouble ruling it. As for Weist,
he was rewarded for his service by expanding his previous domain,
Altomura.
Meanwhile, Souma was arranging for a certain someone to leave the
capital...
◇ ◇ ◇
"Roroa. I want you to move to Venetinova with the children tomorrow."
That night, I was alone in my room with Roroa, who was in her pajamas
when I broached the topic. She looked at me like a child who'd just been
slapped across the face for no good reason; it was a mix of shock,
frustration, and sadness.
Still, she ground her back teeth as she tried to feign calm.
"You're sure...I can't be here...?"
"Yes..." I said. "There are things I want you to do in Venetinova. If
anything were to happen to us...you're the only one I can count on to take
care of things after that."
"Take care of things if somethin' happens to you? Do ya realize how
awful you're bein', askin' me to do that? I'd have to live on, takin' care of
the kids all by myself, y'know? With the shame of bein' royalty from a
country that no longer exists..."
"Sorry..."
"Don't go apologizin'!" Roroa shouted, bringing her fist down on my
chest.
It made a loud thump, but the punch of a frail woman like her didn't hurt
all that much. Roroa bit her lip in frustration as she realized that.
"There's nothin' more frustratin' than not havin' the strength to fight.
Even Big Sis Juna, the lorelei, can go into battle...but when it comes to me,
there ain't a thing I can do in times like this..."
"Don't say that. It's thanks to you that our coffers are so full. That lets us
face the war at our best. And I think that, Fuuga or no Fuuga, we're more
likely to come through this without losing than not."
"It's that last bit that's worryin' me." Roroa took a step backwards and
looked straight at me. "What're ya gonna do with Yuriga and Big Sis Mari?
Neither of them can fight either, right?"
"I have to consider Yuriga's wishes, and I want her on hand to negotiate
with Fuuga if necessary. As for Maria, she's already away from the capital,
doing her own thing. Besides...they married me only recently, so there are
no children yet. If I'm going to trust someone with all of our children, then
she has to be one of their mothers herself—which means you, Roroa. I want
you to look after Leon and the other kids."
"It ain't fair, sayin' it like that..." Roroa lowered her eyes sadly for a
time before looking up once more. "I had a feelin' this was comin' ever
since we figured out Fuuga was gonna attack. I've done everythin' I can at
this point, and there ain't much left I can do."
"Roroa..."
"So count on me!"
Roroa struck a pose like a model, putting her right hand on the back of
her neck and her left hand on her hip with a coquettish giggle. It was the
same pose she'd struck the day we first met.
"If anythin' happens to you, Darlin', then this here Amidonian beauty's
gonna use all her skill and feminine wiles to kiss up to the big shots in
Fuuga's court, and protect our children."
She said it jokingly, but...I had no doubt she'd do exactly that. This was
the girl who'd had the pluck to marry me, her father's killer, in order to
protect the people of Amidonia. If it were to defend our kids, she could
suppress her anger and hatred to marry the man responsible for my demise.
No matter how she felt about it herself...
Seeing that I couldn't say anything in response, Roroa realized how I
must be feeling and dove into my arms.
"What? You hate the idea that much, huh? Sure, Fuuga ain't as
hardheaded as my old man, but he wouldn't let me have all this fun makin'
money and spendin' it. You know you're the only one for me, Darlin'. Now,
if you do somethin' to let go of your cute wife and let 'er fall into the hands
of another man, I'm gonna hold it against you for the rest of my life and
beyond."
"Yeah...I know." I gave her a firm nod.
Roroa wrapped her arms around my neck. Her face came closer, and our
lips pressed together. After a long kiss, she grinned at me.
"I'm really countin' on ya, Darlin'. Ya better come for me."
"Yeah. Count on it."
"Hee hee! Well, I don't need to be headin' off until tomorrow, right?"
Roroa pressed herself tight against me, whispering in my ear. "How 'bout
you try knockin' me up once more. Just to be sure. There's no tellin' if
we'll conceive tonight, but...well, if we do, I'll take my profits where I can
get 'em."
She whispered seductive words to me with a shy smile.
◇ ◇ ◇
Elsewhere in the castle, Tomoe, Ichiha, and Yuriga were saying their
good-byes too.
Yuriga would remain in the capital while Tomoe and Ichiha, as
important noncombatant figures, would leave for Venetinova tomorrow
with Roroa.
"You're...staying, aren't you, Yuriga?" Tomoe asked, a pained look on
her face.
Yuriga shrugged. "Yes, I am. I need to see the showdown between my
brother and Souma through to the end. As a sister...and as a wife."
"Um...I probably shouldn't ask if you're okay, right?"
"Right. I've already come to terms with it." Yuriga put her hands on her
hips and grinned. "You're off to Venetinova, yeah? Well, you two look after
each other as future husband and wife, you hear?"
"It's hard to feel that way..."
"Well, you'd better start. My husband and his gang of trusted
companions are all ready to go, so I'm sure we'll be able to meet up and
smile together again in no time. Even if this country loses, I swear I'll
protect you two. You're both important to this world, and I'll make sure my
brother understands that any harm that comes to you is a loss to everyone."
"You sound like you could pull it off, but I'd rather you not find yourself
in a position where you'd need to do that for us," Ichiha said with a sigh.
In his capacity as Hakuya's stand-in, Ichiha was in charge of political
strategy, so there wasn't much for him to do once war broke out. Julius and
Kaede were handling military strategy, and he could give his political
directives from the rear, so it was decided that he would evacuate with
Tomoe.
Yuriga gave Ichiha a light jab in the chest. "Don't you worry about me.
Keep an eye on your fiancée. Knowing her, she's bound to say, 'I'm going
to stay too!' and hide herself somewhere in Parnam."
"Well...you have a point there," Ichiha replied with a wry smile,
knowing just how surprisingly active of a personality Tomoe had.
"Come on..." Tomoe puffed her cheeks up indignantly. "I don't want to
hear that from you, Yuriga, after you had us stow away on the ship to the
Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago."
There was an awkward pause, followed by Yuriga saying, "...I don't
remember anything that happened that long ago."
"It's only been a few years."
"Shut up, you little kid!" Yuriga pinched Tomoe's cheeks. The two had
been doing this ever since their school days. It triggered a feeling of
loneliness that brought tears to both of their eyes as they smiled.
"Do you think...we'll be able to do stupid stuff like this and laugh about
it together again?" Tomoe asked with a smile.
"Oh, we'll be able to laugh," Yuriga answered with a slight grin of her
own. "For sure. And Lucy and Velza will be there to laugh with us too."
"That sounds good. I'd love to relax and munch on snacks with
everyone again," Ichiha said, and they both nodded.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next day, Liscia, Yuriga, and I said our good-byes and then watched
as the wyvern gondola carrying Roroa, Tomoe, and Ichiha took off from the
inner courtyard.
"We'll...see them again, right?" Liscia asked, slightly worried. I laughed
it off.
"Oh, please. Don't talk in a way that'll set off event flags like that. We
just have to keep working quietly to prepare to meet Fuuga's attack and
defend the home they'll be returning to."
"Yes, you're right... Are you okay, Yuriga?" Liscia asked with a hint of
concern, but Yuriga shook her head.
"I'm prepared for what's coming. We have to stop this..."
Stop this, huh? I clapped my hands when I heard the determination in
her voice.
"Okay, let's give him the welcome a great man deserves. If we're going
to end his era, we need to prepare to make the times change."
There was no turning back now. We walked forward with our eyes on
the future.