That night, Fuuga spoke in front of his generals.
"We don't have time to spare taking Red Dragon City," he said. "There
are a lot of real schemers in the Kingdom of Friedonia, and Souma is one of
them. If we give them time, there's a risk they'll come up with a plan we
can't see through. In order to prevent that, we must tear out his throat faster
than expected."
"So you're suggesting we leave Red Dragon City alone?" Gaten asked,
and Fuuga nodded.
"That's right. But we'll leave a force to make sure they don't hit us from
behind... Krahe."
"Yes, sir!" Krahe stepped forward as he was called.
"You fought the Kingdom's wyvern cavalry, right? Is it possible to stop
them?"
"Yes, sir! The equipment they use to accelerate midair is troublesome,
but I suspect it must also put considerable strain on the rider. It seems
unsuited to be used for long periods of time. If we hang in there and exhaust
our opponents, we may not achieve air superiority, but we can at least
prevent an attack from the rear. Please, allow me to take on the task."
Krahe's eyes were filled with determination. The way the Kingdom's air
force played with him that afternoon stirred up his pride as an air combat
specialist.
"Next time, I'll win for sure," he added.
Fuuga nodded. "Then we will entrust General Krahe with his aerial unit
as well as a force of ten thousand land troops. If the soldiers in Red Dragon
City try to give chase, defend us, and crush them."
"Yes, sir! As you command!"
And so it was decided that Krahe would stay at Red Dragon City while
Fuuga led the main force to Parnam himself. No cities were left between
here and the capital, so the showdown between the two leaders was on the
precipice.
Or so he thought, but then something even Souma hadn't anticipated
happened...
◇ ◇ ◇
I was in the governmental affairs office in Parnam Castle, doing desk
work again today, like always.
Even in wartime, paperwork never lets up. In fact, war created more
necessary paperwork, and I was having Liscia and Yuriga help me handle
what came my way. I'd entrusted matters of strategy and military command
to Strategist Julius, Commander-in-Chief Excel, and Ludwin's advisor
Kaede, so it wasn't an issue for us to focus on paperwork. But that didn't
mean we weren't concerned about the ongoing situation.
Even at this very moment, my people's blood was being shed. I prepared
and prepared, trying to make sure nothing I hadn't predicted would occur,
but it was nerve-wracking to work when I felt this uneasy. Especially now
that I didn't have the children to soothe me.
Aisha and Naden rushed into the room.
"Your Majesty. The Great Tiger Empire gave up after attacking Red
Dragon City for just one day!" Aisha reported. "They left behind only a
small force to keep our forces in check and are now heading towards
Parnam!"
"Julius and the others say they're ready to meet them in battle whenever
they need to," reported Naden.
They must have gotten messenger kuis from Serina, who was observing
from up in the sky.
I laid down my quill and thought, I see... So Fuuga and his people didn't
get fixated on capturing Red Dragon City, huh?
"This is close to our worst predictions. I thought they would wait and
see for at least two or three days," said Liscia.
"They give up too easily," Naden snorted. "The Great Tiger Empire's
troops have no backbone."
"No, I think they didn't want to let you buy time," Yuriga speculated. "I
couldn't tell you whether that's because of a suggestion by Advisor Hashim,
though, or if it was my brother's wild instincts."
It was just me, Liscia, Aisha, Naden, and Yuriga here, which meant that
all my wives remaining in the capital were gathered in one place.
"Things are running slow, but...it shouldn't be too much longer," I said
with a sigh, looking up to the kamidana shrine I had as a decoration in the
office. "Mao. How are the preparations?"
"It will still be a little longer."
"Whoa?!" Yuriga backed away as the image of Mao suddenly appeared
in the room and responded.
Liscia and the rest weren't surprised, but that was probably because of
how long they'd been around me. Yuriga had been in this country a long
time too, but it was only relatively recently that we could start letting her in
on everything. It'd be some time before she got used to it.
"What's your overall progress?"
"Around ninety percent. The materials have been gathered, so I believe
it should be finished today or tomorrow, but it will take even longer to
transport them to each location."
"We're really cutting it close..."
My shoulders slumped. I wanted to finish it before Fuuga attacked
Parnan, but that was looking to be difficult. I asked Mao to continue her
work, then asked her to leave (or disappear, rather, since she was a
projection).
I leaned back in my office chair and let out a long sigh.
"I wish they'd wasted time a little longer..."
"Red Dragon City is an important location we can't let fall. We defended
it tightly, but maybe we should have asked Carla and the others to fight a
more painful battle?" Liscia suggested.
I shook my head. "No. Neither Fuuga nor the Great Tiger Empire are
such easy opponents that we can defend against them while pulling our
punches. If we let down our guards even a little, Red Dragon City would
have fallen and horrible things might have happened."
"You're right..."
"With the pair of Sir Fuuga and Durga, it may be possible for him to
take the castle alone," Aisha murmured, crossing her arms.
Fuuga's ability to unleash lightning strikes on the level of a dragon,
paired with Durga's high mobility, was a dangerous combination. If a fort
wasn't adequately prepared, he'd easily smash through the gates himself. In
order to defend against his wild strength, the defenses had to be super tight
and able to make the enemy question if something had happened to Fuuga.
I rose from my chair and spoke to the other four. "Anyway, there isn't
any place where we can defend between Red Dragon City and Parnam.
Fuuga and his people will be approaching here in no time. I'm sure Excel is
already preparing to meet them in battle, but we should go too."
"Yes."
"Yes, sire!"
"Roger that!"
"Okay."
Liscia and the others all nodded. The time had finally come to face
Fuuga head-on. Or so I'd thought...
"What's the meaning of this?!"
After Fuuga and his men gave up on attacking Red Dragon City early,
we received reports they were on their way to Parnam the next day. After
hearing one report in particular, I stormed into the war room with Liscia and
Aisha in tow.
Julius was there with a grim expression while Excel hid hers behind a
fan, and Kaede looked around anxiously.
I strode over to Julius.
"There are no defensible cities between here and Red Dragon City! The
only thing left to do was to meet Fuuga in battle near Parnam! That's why
we agreed not to leave any troops in the castles and fortresses along the
Great Tiger Kingdom's path!"
"Yes...I suppose we did," Julius said, his expression unchanged as he
nodded.
Now that he'd admitted it, I got up in his face without even trying to
hide how livid I was.
"Then why are there units holding their positions?!"
In the report I'd received, there were units still remaining in the
abandoned fortresses and evacuated towns along the invasion route.
"Your Majesty... Please calm down," Excel interjected with a soothing
tone.
However, I couldn't settle down at this point.
"None of those cities or castles can withstand such a massive army!" I
exclaimed, seizing Julius by the front of his shirt. "If they hold out there
with their meager forces, they'll just be overwhelmed and crushed by the
enemy! You need to recall those units immediately!"
"I..." Julius paused. Looking me straight in the eyes, he finished,
"...cannot do that."
I'd been giving him a royal order. There shouldn't have been anything
strange about it, yet, unbelievably, he was refusing.
I blinked in surprise.
"Why not...?"
"Because they wished for it themselves," Julius answered, grinding his
back teeth.
"Themselves? Who is leading the remaining units?"
"General Owen Jabana and my own grandfather, General Herman
Neumann."
Old Man Owen and Old Man Herman?! They're only supposed to be
participating in this operation as individual commanders. Why are they
defending a place like that?!
I glared at Julius. "You said it was their own will, right? Do you know
something, Julius?"
"Yes... They called me aside to speak before this war began."
With a pained expression, Julius began to recount the story.
◇ ◇ ◇
"What is it you want to talk about, Grandfather Herman?"
One day, as war with the Great Tiger Empire neared, Julius visited
Herman's domain in the Amidonia Region.
The other day, he'd received a message saying, "I would like you to
come to my house without telling His Majesty or Roroa. It isn't an
emergency, but please do come as soon as possible."
Once Julius arrived at Herman's manor, the steward led him to the
sitting room. Another man—a mountain of rippling muscles—was also
present with Herman.
I've seen him around the castle before. Souma's personal trainer, Sir
Owen, I believe.
As Julius thought to himself, Herman spoke.
"Good of you to come, Julius. Well, have a seat," he said, indicating to
the sofa across from them.
Despite feeling suspicious, Julius sat down.
"Grandfather. Things are busy right now, but is there something you
need? With war about to break out with the Great Tiger Empire, I'm not
free at the moment..."
"I know. There's something I wanted to say about that war."
"There is?"
Seeing the suspicion on Julius's face, Herman and Owen both looked at
him with warm eyes.
Then, keeping his eyes on Julius, Herman said, "Julius. You're His
Majesty's strategist now, aren't you?"
"Hm...? I am. What of it?"
"Then do you understand His Majesty's weakness?"
Julius mulled over Herman's words. When asked the question, Julius
thought Souma had so many that it was hard to answer. But Herman and
Owen were waiting for him to respond, so Julius did.
"If we're talking about weaknesses... He has no martial abilities and
occasionally comes up with off-the-wall strategies but then has to leave the
details to his retainers. He doesn't stand out as a king and can't talk back to
his queens. He has so little fixation on his authority that he lets Halbert and
I talk to him casually. When it comes to personal charisma, he not only has
less than Fuuga or Queen Maria, he also loses to Head Kuu, Queen Shabon,
and Queen Sill too."
"A rather harsh assessment."
"But we, his subordinates, are more than able to make up for those
shortcomings. The true value of a ruler is not in his own talents but in the
quality and number of people serving him. On that singular point, Souma is
a ruler who outstrips even Fuuga or Queen Maria."
Julius's assessment of Souma was frank at this moment.
In terms of ability, Souma might have strange ideas stemming from
another world, but Julius felt he had the advantage over Souma in martial
arts or strategy. However, his reign had been short lived, while Souma's
appeared secure. The way Julius saw it, the main reason for this was
because, although there were differences in the respective power of their
countries and the situations they'd found themselves in, Souma had been
able to hire capable subordinates, evaluate them, and put them to work.
In the Principality of Amidonia, Julius had pushed away his capable
sister Roroa and his friend Colbert, surrounding himself only with
militaristic types like his father Gaius had. That narrowed his field of view,
and his reign collapsed not long after he inherited the seat of sovereign
prince. However, while in the Kingdom of Lastania, he was supported by
Tia and her parents, the king and queen, and blessed with trustworthy
comrades like Jirukoma and Lauren. By reconciling with Souma and Roroa,
he was able to protect the country from the demon wave.
The things that Julius had learned through his failures and frustrations
were things that Souma had been able to do all along. Julius believed that
was what qualified him to be king.
Herman gave Julius's answer a satisfied nod. "I'm sure you're right. As
your grandfather, I'm proud you've come to that point of view... But therein
lies the trap His Majesty falls into."
"What do you mean by that...?"
"His Majesty is able to hire capable subordinates and trust them to do
the tasks he sets them to. In short, that means he's a man who values his
subordinates... Too much, sometimes." Herman looked straight at Julius as
he continued. "That is His Majesty's greatest weakness. He cannot treat his
subordinates like pawns."
Julius gulped. He was as smart as Hakuya; that was why he knew what
Herman was getting at and why he was summoned here alone... Looking at
it in light of the country's current situation, he was able to find the answer.
"Sir Julius. You understand it too, right?" said Owen, who had remained
silent up until now. "The full details haven't made their way down to us, but
we can tell His Majesty, the Black-Robed Prime Minister, Duchess Walter,
and yourself have been working on a strategy for war with the Great Tiger
Empire. And I know you want to do whatever you can to buy time for that
plan."
"..."
"Now, if it's a matter of buying time, there is one way to do it. Have his
subordinates fight to the death and risk their lives by buying that time."
"Well, yes, but... That's not what Souma wants!"
"I'm sure it isn't." Owen nodded in agreement. "His Majesty cares for
his subordinates. With the high regard people hold for him, if he said, 'Die
for the country,' many would, but he's not the type who could say it. It's a
likable trait. However...if he is unable to buy enough time, and the
showdown with the Great Tiger Empire comes before his plan is ready, then
it may result in even greater sacrifices. And if it does, his subordinates will
be the ones to suffer."
"And so...you two are volunteering to be the sacrificial pawns?"
Julius shook his head. It was out of the question.
"You know that Souma would never allow it," he told them.
"Of course, we aren't planning to get permission. We will act at our own
discretion based on the situation we see in front of us. The soldiers and
subordinates we'll bring have been carefully chosen and volunteered to
come."
Owen put on a sardonic smile.
"There were more than I expected, you know. This battle with the Great
Tiger Empire... It will be a disaster if we lose, but even if we win, many of
us old soldiers will no longer have any place to shine. With the Great Tiger
Empire removed, nearly all the countries in the world are now our allies.
I'm sure His Majesty has thought about what's to come in the world after
this, but we don't have the stamina or life span left to follow him there.
When you get as old as we are, it's hard to change how you live. So, at the
very least, we would like to lay the foundation for young people's futures."
"But..."
Julius searched for a counterargument but couldn't put one into words.
He was the better debater, yet these two weren't speaking with logic but
with conviction. He couldn't think of anything he could say to convince
them.
"Grandfather Herman. You'll make Roroa sad. And Tia too."
What ended up coming out of Julius's mouth was a trite appeal to the
feelings of their family. The normally stern-faced Herman broke into a
smile at that.
"Just hearing you say that, I can go without any regrets."
"Don't be silly! Are you fine with that? Making your granddaughters
cry?"
"I'm speaking from the heart. I was able to see you and Roroa, the two
grandchildren that my daughter left me, reconcile and walk forward
together. On top of that, Roroa gave birth to Leon with His Majesty, and
you had Dius with Madam Tia. As a warrior, I never knew when I might
drop dead on a battlefield somewhere, yet I lived to see my greatgrandchildren. Could there be a more satisfying life than this?"
"His Majesty is like a grandson to me," Owen said, letting out a
boisterous laugh. "Because I'm the one who trained that weakling into a
man. The time I saw him ready to pick a fight with some thugs, I was
overcome with emotion. So for me, all of His Majesty's children are my
great-grandchildren."
Owen focused his gaze on Julius.
"Sir Julius," he continued. "We don't mean to cast our lives away for
nothing. If His Majesty's plan goes smoothly, we will quietly carry out his
orders. However...if we see there are delays and time must be bought, then
we will act of our own accord. I wanted you and Duchess Walter to know
that."
"Duchess Walter knows?!"
In light of the fact that word hadn't made it to Souma or Julius, Excel
must have chosen to maintain her silence in case what they were suggesting
proved necessary. It was against Souma's wishes, but Souma was the one
who made this country into a place where they each worked in their own
ways, distinct from what he intended, for the betterment of the nation.
Even if Souma got angry later, being able to act on their own initiative
was this country's strength. Julius had no choice but to give up on
persuading them, and his shoulders slumped.
"Here are two letters from me," Herman said. "If anything should
happen, give them to His Majesty and Roroa."
Owen handed him one of his own. "Mine is for His Majesty."
A pained look washed over Julius's face, but he eventually accepted the
letters and put them in his pocket. He could only hope that there wouldn't
come a time when he had to give them to their recipients.
◇ ◇ ◇
However, contrary to Julius's hopes, he gave those letters to me.
With quivering hands, I opened the envelope sealed in wax with the
crest of House Jabana and pulled out the letter inside. One-third of it was an
apology for acting without orders. He also requested not to blame Julius or
Excel, who'd only stayed quiet out of respect for his feelings and shared no
responsibility for his actions.
The remaining two-thirds were about his memories with me.
He talked about how he'd enjoyed training me as my personal educator
and sounding board; how happy he was to ride the bicycle that Roroa and I
used around the courtyard; how thrilled he'd been when my kids called him
Grampy Owen... It was a bit all over the place.
Around the time when my eyes got so dewy with tears that I couldn't
make out the letters anymore, I saw this at the bottom of the letter.
"I think that even if we hadn't rushed into this foolishness, you already
had a plan in the works that would beat the Great Tiger Empire. However, a
flawless victory is not necessarily the best one. It leads the victors to hubris
and leaves darkness in the hearts of the defeated. The knowledge that both
sides had losses makes the winner remain cautious and brings comfort to
the losers."
He finished with this line:
"Your Majesty... Please, do not forget this pain. It is my last lesson to
you."
"Old Man Owen..."
I handed that letter, wrinkled by how tight I'd held it, to Liscia and
Aisha. They covered their mouths once they'd read it and tried not to be
overwhelmed as the tears flowed.
We hadn't read Herman's letter yet. He probably had similar things to
say, and I wanted to read it together with Roroa when this battle was over.
Yes. Once the battle is over.
"Eek?!"
Kaede jumped in surprise as I looked at Julius, Excel, and my advisors...
My expression must've been pretty scary. I slapped myself once across the
face, and looked straight at Julius and the rest.
"I won't blame anyone right now. Owen and Herman wouldn't want
that. But I'm going to give you a piece of my mind! Once this war is won!"
"""Yes, sir!"""
Everyone answered me with a salute.
◇ ◇ ◇
Along the invasion route towards Parnam, an old fort and a fortress city
were burning.
In every city and castle the Great Tiger Empire's forces had come across
—with the exception of Red Dragon City—the defenders had either
surrendered without meaningful resistance or quickly left. At first, the
invaders expected things to be the same with these two, but it was clear that
the old fort was an impromptu fortification that had been hastily restored.
As for the city, it was small, and the residents had already left.
Once the defenders departed, the Empire's forces should only have
needed to leave some troops to defend them, and then the main force would
have pushed straight on towards the capital. However, after the bulk of the
enemy defenders left, a portion stayed behind, shutting themselves up
inside the bases. They numbered in the hundreds, so the Empire's forces
tried to convince them not to resist in vain, but these remnants were
stubborn and refused to listen. Because of that, Fuuga ordered the two bases
to be taken by force.
However, since his wild instincts told him there was something
unsettling about the two bases, he kept his best troops out of the fight,
instead letting the mercenaries and newcomers handle the assault. Everyone
assumed the battle would be finished in less than an hour, even if the small
enemy force holed themselves up behind these not particularly solid
fortifications. But the two bases put up a stubborn resistance.
There was a major difference in morale between the Kingdom's forces,
who were quite literally prepared to fight to the last man, and the Empire's,
who were confident of their victory but knew if they got hurt here they'd
lose the chance to distinguish themselves in the main battle. As a result,
they faced a harder fight than expected, and the Empire's forces were forced
to stop acting arrogant and get serious.
Then, just as the imperial forces managed to force their way into the
fortress...
Kaboom!!! Both bases went up in a pillar of flames and black smoke
almost simultaneously, sending tremors even as far as Fuuga's main camp.
The remnants had backed the bases full of explosives, and once they felt
that the end had come, they blew themselves up along with the swarming
imperial forces.
Fuuga shot to his feet as he saw the sky alight with flames.
"No way! They blew themselves up to take our forces with them?!"
"That certainly does appear to be the case..." Hashim's reply was calm,
but the expression was as if he'd just bitten into something unpleasant. "It's
rather unexpected...to see the Kingdom using their own soldiers as
sacrificial pawns. We will need to make haste in checking that none of the
other cities we fell have traps in them."
In preparing for this campaign, Fuuga's camp had thoroughly analyzed
the kind of ruler Souma was, along with Fuuga's own view of him as a
person. They concluded that Souma would prioritize minimizing casualties
and reducing the damage done by the conflict. Moves like throwing away
his men as sacrificial pawns, breaking dams to cause floods that also put a
burden on his people, and scorched earth tactics like destroying cities were
unlikely from him.
That'd held true until this point along the invasion route, and Souma had
kept making choices that preserved the people and their cities. However,
now he'd sacrificed his own men and destroyed a city. It was a wild move
—one that overturned all their presumptions and forced a reevaluation of
the entire strategy.
Fuuga and his people couldn't guess it was Souma's subordinates acting
on their own initiative. Once Hashim had hurried out of the main camp to
confirm things for himself, Mutsumi approached Fuuga.
"Do you think...this strategy was really Sir Souma's orders?"
"Yeah, no... Probably not. Souma hates this kind of stuff. It was
probably the soldiers who stayed behind in these bases making the
decisions for themselves."
"So the retainers went and acted on their own, risking their lives without
any commands from their ruler?" asked Mutsumi.
Fuuga crossed his arms and nodded.
"Yeah. I think it's a brilliant display of loyalty, and Souma drawing it out
of them shows he's doing a good job as king. Probably better than he thinks
too."
"I'm sure...he's regretting that right now."
Soum being a good ruler to his retainers had resulted in their deaths.
When he hears of this, he would be filled with sadness and regret.
However, for these two, Souma was someone they needed to defeat in
order to accomplish their ambitions. They held no personal enmity towards
him because he was also looking after Yuriga and Ichiha. Fuuga and
Mutsumi felt bad for the suffering that Souma would no doubt go through
after this.
Because the Great Tiger Empire was forced to double-check the cities
that submitted to them for any sign of traps, they were delayed for two
days.
◇ ◇ ◇
Fuuga Haan was the favored child of this era.
Perhaps, in the same way that people refer to the period during which
Napoleon performed his incredible feats as the "Napoleonic Era," this
would be called the "Fuuga Haanic Era." It was a time of dreams and
adventure when one great man's grand ambition shook the entire continent.
As hinted many times before, the only way to defeat Fuuga—the one
protected by this era—would be to change the times themselves.
No matter how much he lost to Xiang Ji (Xiang Yu), Liu Bang tried
relentlessly until he finally turned things around and emerged victorious.
Even though a third of all the battles ended in defeat or a tie, Nobunaga
almost managed to unite the country under him.
During times of national crisis, France produced great people like
Bertrand du Guesclin, Jeanne d'Arc, and Arthur de Richemont during the
Hundred Years War. Until the era decides such people have served their
purpose, they seem immortal, rising up again and again. That is because the
people supporting them want these great people to keep fighting, and will
approve of their actions no matter how cruel they may be.
That's why defeating Fuuga wouldn't be enough to put out the fire. Even
if he was fed a bitter defeat and forced to withdraw, his supporters would
still demand a rematch. With their voices pushing him onward, Fuuga
would start another world war. That wouldn't change even if he was cut
down in this battle. In fact, that might be an even worse outcome.
With Fuuga dead, leaving only the people enraptured by his ambition,
how would they act? First, they would resent me and my country, start a
war for revenge, and maybe resort to terrorism or guerrilla tactics. Also,
without Fuuga, they couldn't maintain such a vast domain and would likely
fracture into competing states. The northern part of the continent would be
laid to waste. Refugees would rush in from the north, and we'd be back to
the same place we were when the Demon Lord's Domain was expanding.
The only way to stop it would be to launch an intervention, but as I
already mentioned, they would resent us. A Maritime Alliance intervention
would generate resistance, and it would take a long time to subjugate them.
For these reasons, in this war, we were pushing forward a plan that would
bring an end not so much to Fuuga personally, but to this era supporting
him.
On this night, Liscia and I were in the governmental affairs office,
listening as Mao reported that the set-up that gave our plan the final push it
needed was complete.
"All tasks are complete, Master Souma."
"Oh, yeah? So we made it in time then..." I murmured to myself, half
relieved, half full of chagrin.
I was grateful to have the plan ready before my direct showdown with
Fuuga. But what had bought us this time was Owen, Herman, and the other
volunteers risking their lives. If only it'd been finished two days sooner.
The two old men's faces flashed through my mind. As I remembered
them, anger and hatred for Fuuga coursed through me. If only he hadn't
started this stupid war for his dreams and ambitions. I wanted to really let
loose on him. Despite considering the drawbacks of killing Fuuga in this
war, even though I understood it logically, it was hard to deny my emotions.
"Souma..." Liscia spoke softly as she put her hand on my shoulder.
"Huh?!" I snapped back to my senses and turned to see her with a slight
smile.
"The look on your face was getting scary. I don't think Owen or Herman
would have wanted that," she chided me.
"Yeah, you're right..." I said, nodding meekly. We weren't in a situation
where I needed to go into king mode yet.
I took a deep breath to calm myself, then turned to Mao.
"Thank you for your assistance, Mao. And sorry. Normally, you're not
supposed to get involved in a battle between people, but I made you push
yourself."
Mao smiled at my apology and shook her head. "No. This matter had
nothing to do with the war, so don't be concerned... If anything, I'm
frustrated that this is all that I could do. I hear you had losses because of
how long production took on my end."
"No, you've all handled it well. Better than I could have expected. I
really am grateful. Thanks, Mao."
"And I thank you too, Madam Mao," Liscia joined in.
"May Landians and Seadians find a future you can work towards
together," Mao said, smiling.
With that wish, her image vanished. Everything was all set up now.
"Liscia, how is deployment going?"
"It's all done. The military and everyone else are in position and ready to
fend off the Great Tiger Empire's forces at any time. But the enemy has
been marching slower since the delay they incurred, so I'm told that we
don't expect them to arrive until after tomorrow morning."
Knowing Fuuga, I thought it was possible he would charge in recklessly
once he checked his rear, but it didn't seem to be happening. This was
probably thanks to Owen and Herman risking their lives to stake him down.
Once he got the impression that my forces included guys who would
defy me in order to launch suicide attacks, caution would be mandated.
Sighing, I looked at Liscia.
"The final battle's tomorrow then."
"Yes. Everything will be decided tomorrow... Are you feeling tense?"
"Well, yeah. But not as tense as when we fought the Principality of
Amidonia. We have more people on our side than back then, and none of
our allies are at risk of betraying us. Unlike before, when we blindly grasp
for solutions, everyone has coalesced around one idea, and we're pretty
calm."
"Yes... Things were a mess back then."
In the Amidonian War, we found ourselves caught at the intersection of
so many people's intentions—me, Gaius and Julius, Georg, Castor, Roroa,
the corrupt nobles who rebelled, the fence-sitting nobles who I later
executed, and finally Albert and Elisha.
Looking back on it now, it's amazing I was able to stay calm. Compared
to back then, everyone is now concentrated on one goal: "Protect the
country from Fuuga and his men."
It wasn't just something we were feeling in this country. The Republic,
the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Kingdom, secretly the Dragon
Knight Kingdom, Star Dragon Mountain Range, and the Seadians felt it too.
It was no wonder I could stay so much calmer this time... Not that I didn't
have some misgivings.
"Although, my intentions haven't changed from what they were then,"
Liscia said before leaning in close, pressing her lips against mine.
I responded in kind as we each explored the soft sensation. Liscia
blushed, smiling as she brushed her hair back behind her ear with one hand.
"Then, now, and forever more... I will walk by your side, Souma."
"You know...I don't think you were quite so forward back then."
"I was waiting for you to make a move on me at the time."
"Well, sorry," I said teasingly, then stood up and hugged Liscia tight.
She was surprised, but her body relaxed, and she entrusted herself to me.
"You too, Souma... You've gotten more proactive, wouldn't you say?"
"Well, yeah, I have more experience under my belt now, after all."
"Hee hee, of course you do. You have so many cute wives," she said,
putting on a menacing smile.
"That smile's scary! Whoa, don't jab me in the ribs."
After playing around like that for a bit, Liscia gently pushed me away.
"With all that experience, you know, right? Whose side should you be
by? I think...she's hurting more than any of us right now. So go be with
her."
Seeing the look of sincerity on Liscia's face, I nodded.
I visited Yuriga's room, with Aisha guarding the door.
Because of Yuriga's position with the decisive battle approaching, I had
Aisha stay with her as bodyguard and watcher. Yuriga was cooperating with
us, but someone who didn't understand that might try to get in touch with
her with bad intentions, and she needed someone to watch her so that she
didn't get overcome by her sense of responsibility and do something
desperate.
If Tomoe were still in the castle, I would've had her support Yuriga, but
if anything happened to Tomoe in the conflict, that would be a huge blow
not just to the Kingdom but to mankind as a whole. It would also leave
Yuriga with a deep emotional scar, so having Tomoe evacuate along with
Ichiha was the right move.
"How is Yuriga?" I asked Aisha.
"Calm," she answered, glancing at the door. "We were just talking
normally up until the evening."
"I see... Thanks for looking after her, Aisha."
"No. I've been worried about Yuriga too... But despite the strong face
she's been putting on, I am sure she must have her own thoughts about
what's happening. Your Majesty, please take care of Yuriga..."
"I know."
I knocked lightly on the door before entering Yuriga's room. She was
sitting on the bed facing me, holding a fluffy pillow in front of her face.
Was she trying to be some kind of monster—the pillow-face woman?
"What're you doing...?"
"I can't possibly face you, so I'm covering my face," Yuriga said, her
voice somewhat muffled by the pillow.
Erm... This isn't the reaction I expected. I was thinking about how to
comfort her if she was depressed, crying, or hiding her feelings to put on a
strong face like Maria had when she was Empress. But...I wasn't expecting
to meet her in the guise of a pillow-faced woman.
I sat on a chair next to the bed as I considered what to do. Yuriga
continued to bury her face in the pillow's soft confines.
"Huh? We're seriously going to talk with that pillow in between us?"
"Well, I have no right to look you in the face."
Yuriga was still saying the same thing.
"I heard...about Sir Owen and Sir Herman..." she continued. "I'd been
prepared for this kind of thing to happen if you and my brother fought... But
not for people whose names I knew to be among those who died."
"It's nothing for you to feel bad about... Though, I guess saying that
doesn't help."
"You're right. It doesn't. It's a bit much to ask me not to feel something
about it," Yuriga said through the pillow.
What kind of look did she have on her face?
"Do you mind if I sit next to you...?"
I couldn't tell whether it was better to leave her alone or be by her side.
"Go ahead," she answered, patting the spot beside her on the bed.
Even as she patted the bed with one hand, her other arm still kept her
face covered. It was a surreal sight, but I sat down next to her.
"What should you do when there's nothing you can do?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know if I can explain it very well. There's all these emotions
swirling inside of me...but I can't do a thing about them... I can't handle any
of it... What should I do at a time like that? Have you ever felt the same
way in your time as king, Souma?"
"Yeah... Multiple times," I told her honestly. "After a war, or after
executing my enemies... When my orders necessitated the ending of
people's lives, I always felt conflicted about it, and it would keep me up at
night. In my case, I had Liscia and the others to comfort me. Pathetic as that
sounds, it's reassuring to have someone at my side."
"I see..."
"But I think it's the same for everyone. After Maria made the decision
that split her country, she cried like a child. That's why I stayed by her side
the whole time like Liscia and the others did for me."
"The Maria did that? I can't even imagine..."
"I spoiled her so rotten that, by the end of it, she had turned into a
kitten."
"What does that even mean?" she asked, stifling a small laugh.
Maybe I'd lightened her mood a bit.
"Well, I want you to not push yourself and let us spoil you... Or rather, if
you act too sullen, we'll spoil you whether you like it or not."
"Huh?! I don't even get a say in it?"
"If even one member of the family looks gloomy, all of us worry."
"Even if it's me?"
"You did marry into the family, Missus."
"My position's been so delicate that we've all been so reserved around
each other, so it just hasn't sunk in yet."
Having said that, Yuriga moved a little closer, letting our shoulders
touch.
As we sat side-by-side, she asked me through the pillow, "Okay, if I ask
you to comfort me... How are you going to do it?"
"How about something like this...?"
"Whuh... Mmph!"
I hugged her close and pushed my face against the pillow from the other
side. If it weren't in the way, we'd have been kissing.
Yuriga seemed surprised for a moment, but then the tension melted out
of her shoulders.
After a little longer in that position, I said, "Well...what do you think?"
When I asked that with my face pressed into the pillow, Yuriga moved
away slowly, lowering the pillow. Her exposed face was redder than a
boiled octopus.
I could see the traces of tears in the corners of her eyes, which were
dewy even now, but she still had the presence of mind to glare up at me.
After some time, she finally answered my question.
"It'd be better without the pillow..."
And so we did it again, without the pillow this time.