Chapter 2: The Casts of Two Nations

—9th Month, 1,546th Year, Continental Calendar — Princely Capital Van.

The city of Van, in the princely capital of the Principality of Amidonia, was

surrounded by high castle walls, and its architecture was without stylistic excess or

ornamentation. Put in a flattering light, it could have been called austere and rugged.

Termed less favorably, it was dull and monotonous. The unrefined scenery of this

town closely resembled the people who inhabited it.

This country, which had lost land in a war with Elfrieden two reigns ago, had

made revenge on that kingdom a national policy. What they valued above all else

was the warrior ethos. Of their men, they demanded austerity. Of their women, they

demanded servility to those men, as well as a feminine modesty. Because of that,

there were no men laughing in the streets and no women promenading in

fashionable outfits.

That was the nature of the "quiet city" Van, but recently there was a strange

giddiness in the air. It had started when their neighboring country, the enemy

Kingdom of Elfrieden, had gone through a sudden change of leadership.

In the 1,546th year of the Continental Calendar, King Albert of Elfrieden had

abdicated his throne.

Albert, the now-former king, had been a mediocre individual, but owing to his

gentle nature, he had been respected by his vassals and the people. However, also

owing to this gentleness, he had not implemented the drastic policies that would

have rooted out the corruption of wicked vassals. Thanks to this and a variety of

other, overlapping causes, the kingdom had fallen into a slow decline.

This Albert had turned over his throne to a hero said to have been summoned

from another world.

The hero was apparently named Souma Kazuya.

At the same time as Albert had entrusted the throne to Souma, he had also

arranged for the betrothal of his only daughter Liscia to the new king, ensuring

Souma's hold on power. This Souma, who the throne had been turned over to, had

yet to be formally crowned, but he was, in effect, the king, and had embarked on a

series of political reforms.

With this sudden change of kings, there had been those who had suspected

usurpation at first, but, with the support of Liscia, he had righted the wrongs of his

vassals, gathered new personnel, improved the food security situation during a time

of shortages, and installed a domestic transportation network to boost shipping

capacity. With the steady implementation of these policies and more, Souma was

gathering the support of the people. For a hero he was rather plain, but as a king, he

was a superb. That was the people's appraisal of him.

However, Souma's reign was not to be smooth sailing in all aspects.

First, the three dukes who controlled the land, air, and sea forces of Elfrieden

(there was also a force other than these, the Forbidden Army, which served the king

directly) had still not sworn loyalty to Souma.

The lion beastman who was General of the Army, Georg Carmine.

The sea serpent who was Admiral of the Navy, Excel Walter.

The dragonewt who was General of the Air Force, Castor Vargas.

Ever since the change of kings, these three had taken their armies and secluded

themselves in their own territories.

Because this was all taking place in another country, their exact intentions

remained unknown, but it was clear that their relations with Souma were strained.

In particular, there were rumors that the general of the army, Georg Carmine, had

been gathering forces in his territory, making his position in opposition to Souma

clear.

In addition, the nobles who had been investigated by Souma for corruption were

pushing back against him.

Those engaged in serious wrongdoing had been stripped of their titles and had

their lands and assets seized. Those whose crimes were even more severe were to

be jailed or otherwise punished.

The corrupt nobles were not happy about this and had attempted to take their

assets and flee the country. However, the borders had already been sealed, and, with

no other alternative, they had gathered under Georg Carmine, who was in open

opposition to Souma.

Thus, with the discord between Souma and the three dukes rising to the surface,

the citizens of Amidonia were in high spirits. There were plausible rumors that King

Souma had begun to raise troops to subjugate the three dukes who would not step

back from their rebellious position. The kingdom was experiencing a conflict

between the king and his vassals.

This was a situation that had the Principality of Amidonia watering at the mouth.

It looked like an unparalleled chance to pursue their national goals, to "reclaim our

stolen land" and "take revenge against that kingdom."

Because of that, among not only the soldiers but the general populace as well, the

overwhelming consensus was that: "Now is the time to invade the kingdom!"

In this militaristic state, the army came first and the lives of the people second.

Priority was given to the military when funding was handed out, meaning that the

people did not become more prosperous. Of course, there must have been

discontent from this, but the people were taught that "all of our suffering is the fault

of the Elfrieden Kingdom, who stole our land."

Rather than direct their anger towards the politicians or the army, instead they

directed it at the Kingdom of Elfrieden. No matter how badly they were

misgoverned, it was always that kingdom's fault. From a statesman's perspective,

there could be no situation that was more ideal.

Furthermore, this belief that "that kingdom is responsible for our difficult lives"

led naturally to a belief that "our lives will become better if we can defeat the

kingdom." That was precisely why, given this seemingly-ideal opportunity, there

was growing momentum to invade the kingdom.

Having caught wind of that momentum, bold words could be heard on every

street corner.

"Finally, the time has come for us to fight that kingdom!"

"That's right! We will bide our time no longer!"

"The brave and manly Lord Gaius will never lose to that whelp!"

"A war, huh..."

While many people were spoiling for a fight, there were also those who felt

uncertain about the war that seemed to be drawing closer. They feared that they

themselves, their homes, or their families might get caught up in it.

However, right now, the public sentiment in this country wouldn't allow them to

voice those worries. They had no choice but to suppress their anxiety, entrusting

themselves to the flow.

One person silently watched the people from the shadows of an alleyway.

This person was wearing an ochre robe, the hood covering their head entirely, so

it was not possible to see their expression. However, they were of slight build and

stood less than 160 cm tall. The person sighed at the way the people of the city were

acting, and then walked off at a brisk pace.

The person was heading towards a shop. From the goods in the show window, it

seemed to sell men's apparel. The sign out front read "The Silver Deer."

The person entered the shop, and the moment they drew back their hood, two

braided twintails appeared. The hood had been hiding the adorable face of a young

girl.

Next, a middle-aged man with graying hair who was dressed like a bartender

emerged from the back. This man had a gentlemanly demeanor and upon seeing the

young girl, he greeted her with a "Welcome back."

"What did you think, Lady Roroa?" he added. "How did things look in town?"

"There ain't no two ways about it, Sebastian... it's terrible," the girl said.

The girl who addressed the owner of this store in merchant slang (a fake Kansai

dialect) was the first princess of Amidonia, Roroa Amidonia.

"Nearly everyone's lookin' forward to the comin' war," she continued. "They're

thinkin' this King Souma is young and can't keep his people in line. They haven't

even thought that my old man could possibly lose."

"Lord Gaius is strong and manly, after all," the store owner said.

"He just looks rugged, that's all," said the princess. "Even if he is strong, that's just

one man."

Even though they were father and daughter, Roroa was merciless in her criticism.

Between Roroa, who had great economic sense and wanted to use the money she

had earned to rebuild the country, and Gaius, the militarist who wanted to pour the

funds into military hardware, there was a wide divide in their ways of thinking.

It was sad to see such a gulf between parent and child, but Roroa, as the first

princess of this country, found herself in a position where she had to do more than

simply lament that fact. As one who stood above others, she had to take action to

prepare herself for any eventuality.

Perhaps out of consideration, Sebastian asked in a friendly tone, "Well then, Lady

Roroa, how do you read this Souma character?"

"I dunno," she said. "The things I'm hearin', they aren't his personal

accomplishments, they're the accomplishments of his subordinates. That's why he's

so hard to figure out. He does seem like a king who's good at listenin' to his vassals,

though."

With those words, Roroa put her hands on her hips and groaned.

"If we're startin' a war with someone we can't get a good read on, that's

dangerous. That doesn't change just because the king and the three dukes ain't

gettin' along. Whether it's territory, or power, or population, the kingdom's got us

beat in all three. And, of course, there's the number of soldiers they can field, too.

We've got ourselves a lot of mineral resources, so the quality of our equipment's

good, but... that's about all we've got goin' for us."

With Roroa giving that pessimistic assessment, Sebastian asked, "...Lady Roroa,

do you believe this country will lose?"

"I told ya, I dunno," she said. "War's not my area of expertise. Still, though, what I

do know is that if we lose, it's gonna be real bad for us. It ain't just the kingdom that

we've gotta worry about. There's that irritatin' theocracy to our north, the Papal

State of Lunaria, and then there's the Turgis Republic, who're lookin' for any opening

to advance north. We've got an alliance with the Mercenary State of Zem to our west,

but I'm not sure they'll be much help for us if we end up on the back foot."

The Papal State of Lunaria was the headquarters of Lunarian Orthodoxy, a

religion which stood, next to Mother Dragon worship, as one of the two largest faiths

on this continent. That country was ruled by the Lunarian Orthodox Pope, who was

both a temporal and religious authority, and they had a system of values that was

markedly different from other countries. There were many followers of Lunarian

Orthodoxy in the Principality of Amidonia, and with some agitation, it was possible

the state could topple their principality.

The Turgis Republic to the south was a land of frigid cold. During the long winter,

their lands were buried in snow and their seas locked with ice. Because of that, in

their quest for unfrozen land and warm water ports, they were always keeping an

eager eye on the north for any opportunity to expand.

The Mercenary State of Zem was a unique country. They professed eternal

neutrality, yet obtained mutual security guarantees by dispatching their

mercenaries to every nation. They had dispatched mercenaries to the principality as

well as all the rest, but... mercenaries were motivated by profit. If their country ever

found itself at a disadvantage, there was no way to know how seriously the

mercenaries would take the fighting.

If the worst should happen, and they were to lose, how would these three

countries react?

That was what worried Roroa.

"The sentiment that's taken hold in this country right now is the worst," Roroa

said with a sigh. "There ain't nobody thinkin' about what'll happen if we lose. Even

though, in the worst case scenario, we could be invaded by three of our neighbors at

once."

She thought it over, then said:

"That's why I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. Even if it means partin' ways with

my old man, I have to be ready if things go south..."

As she said that, she flashed Sebastian a big smile.

"So, there ya have it, Sebastian. Help a gal out, will ya?"

"...I suppose I'll have to, won't I?" Sebastian said with a shrug, as if trying to sound

very put-upon. That was the appearance he projected, but he had already resolved

himself to throw his lot in with this girl. Sometimes Roroa's actions betrayed her

youth, but she had a certain charm that drew people to her.

Sometimes, I think it's a pity she was born a woman... he thought.

Had Roroa been able to take the throne, might this country have become a more

comfortable place to live in? Sebastian couldn't help but wonder.

As for Roroa herself, she had already moved on to thinking about the next thing.

"Well, now that that's settled, we're still short of hands," she said. "I'd like to

spend a little more time looking for collaborators, I think."

"...And you have your eye on someone in particular?" Sebastian asked, having

sensed something in the way Roroa spoke, and she gave him a mischievous laugh in

return.

Some days later...

At his castle in the princely capital, Van, the Sovereign Prince of Amidonia, Gaius

VIII, had gathered the principal military commanders of this country in the audience

hall. Gaius rose from the throne, addressing the assembled commanders.

"The time is come! Let us gather our forces on the southern border with

Elfrieden!"

That was the declaration that opened the war with the Elfrieden Kingdom.

Gaius had received reports that the gulf between Souma Kazuya and one of the

three dukes, Georg Carmine, had become unbridgeable, and that it was only a matter

of time before the two clashed. Soon enough, the kingdom would be thrown into

chaos. In that chaos, they would take back the lands stolen from them fifty years ago.

"At the same time as Georg launches his rebellion, we will begin our invasion of

Elfrieden!" he announced. "Our target is the grain-producing region in the south!

Now is the time to take back the lands stolen from our forefathers!"

"""Hurrah!""" The gathered commanders let out a cheer.

Finally, the time had come to take revenge for their past losses against the

kingdom. These commanders, who were military men to the core, couldn't help but

feel their blood boiling and seething inside them. In that environment...

"Please, wait, Your Highness!"

...a single man spoke out in opposition, walking forward to kneel before his

sovereign.

It was the young Minister of Finance, Gatsby Colbert.

With his rare sense for economics, he had been entrusted with the post of

Minister of Finance despite only being a young man in his mid-twenties.

While Roroa's talent lay in spending money to get the economy moving, Colbert

specialized in eliminating wasteful spending and freeing up funds that way. While

they took different approaches, these two worked together to cut what needed

cutting and to spend where spending was needed. They were the ones who were

just barely keeping this country's economy from tumbling over the brink.

"Oh, it's you, Colbert." Gaius turned a stern eye on him. He was clearly displeased.

When Gaius, a man who even generals who had survived many battles feared to

anger, turned that gaze on Colbert, a mere bureaucrat, Colbert began to tremble.

Still, he worked up the courage to offer his advice.

"I say this with all due respect, sire," he managed. "Please, reconsider invading

Elfrieden! The people of our nation are suffering from a food crisis and a poor

economy! If we start a war now, our people will starve!"

"I know that," the king snapped. "That's why seizing the grain-producing region is

so urgent."

"Wars require a vast expenditure on the part of the state!" Colbert protested. "If

you have that much leeway in the budget, you ought to be able to import food from

abroad! Rather than fight a war we don't know if we will win or lose, and which,

even if we do win, we don't have any guarantee our efforts will pay off, isn't this the

time when we should build our strength and..."

"Silence!" Gaius roared.

He walked over to the bureaucrat and kicked him hard enough to send the man

flying.

"Urkh..."

As he looked down at Colbert sprawled out on the floor, Gaius had a look of rage

on his face.

"You domestic affairs ministers always say the same thing! Work on domestic

affairs, now's not the time for this, that's all I ever hear! Look where that's gotten us!

It's plain to see how exhausted our country is! Yet, in contrast to us, that kingdom,

despite stagnating somewhat under the fool who was their last king, have begun to

rebound with this new king coming to the throne!"

"Th-That's because... the new king, Souma, has been working to enrich his

country..."

"You're still saying that?!"

Gaius kicked Colbert across the floor once again.

Perhaps he had gotten a cut in his mouth, because there was blood streaming

from the corner of Colbert's lips. Even so, Colbert didn't stop speaking.

"Your Highness... The total manpower of Amidonia's army is around half that of

Elfrieden's army. This is just... just too reckless a plan!"

"I know that without some lowly civil servant telling me so!" the king roared.

"That's precisely why now, with the king and the three dukes in conflict, we have an

opportunity!"

"Even so, there's no telling how long that will last," Colbert protested.

"Bwahaha! There's no need for concern. The Georg Carmine will be launching the

rebellion. That young pup of a king will have no easy time subjugating him, I'm sure.

Civil wars drag on for a long time. It will be the same even if Georg wins. If a traitor

rises to the top, there's no way the country will stand united!"

Colbert bit his lip in frustration. Is that the reason His Highness is acting so

boldly?!

Because it was Georg Carmine, one of the three dukes, and the one who was

famous for being a fierce general, who was raising the flag of rebellion against

Souma, that was likely pushing Gaius to act.

The truth was, there was no guarantee that an opportunity like this would ever

come along again. Gaius was already 50 years old, by no means a young man. He

didn't want to let this ideal chance pass by while he was still fit to stand at the head

of an army and give orders.

However... It's too optimistic to think that way! Colbert thought stubbornly.

"Please, listen to me, Your Highness!" he burst out. "If you invade Elfrieden, our

country will be exposed to criticism from all of the other countries! We've signed the

Empire's Declaration of Mankind's Common Front Against the Demon Race!"

"...The Mankind Declaration, is it?" Here, for the first time, Gaius had a strained

look.

Led by the Gran Chaos Empire, the Declaration of Mankind's Common Front

Against the Demon Race (also known as the Mankind Declaration) referred to a

declaration and resultant international treaty backed by the largest, most powerful

empire on the continent. It stated that, in light of the expansion of the Demon Lord's

Domain, all conflicts between mankind were to cease. And, in order to prevent the

monsters and demons from advancing any further south, all of mankind were to

work as one and cooperate.

The essentials of the Mankind Declaration were given in these three articles:

First, the acquisition of territory by force between the nations of mankind would

be deemed inadmissible.

Second, the right of all peoples to equality and self-determination would be

respected.

Third, countries that were distant from the Demon Lord's Domain would provide

support to those nations which were adjacent to it and were acting as a defensive

wall.

The second of these had been adopted to protect minority races in each country.

Given that the acquisition of territory by force was inadmissible, some countries

might have otherwise expelled or oppressed their minority races to try to seize their

wealth for themselves. It was an extra provision that had been added in caution

against that.

Furthermore, though not explicitly outlined in the text, if any country violated

these three articles, the Empire, as leader of the pact, would intervene militarily.

To put it simply, this Mankind Declaration was a security treaty in which

countries gave up the right to invade other nations in exchange for protection from

the Empire.

Colbert pleaded: "If we invade Elfrieden, we may be inviting an intervention by

the Empire! Sire, I beg of you, please, reconsider!"

"You cur!" Gaius brought his hand to the hilt of the sword hanging at his hip.

Just as everyone present was sure the man was about to be slain, someone

slipped between Gaius and Colbert.

"Sir Colbert, there should be no worry of that."

The one who had interposed himself between the two of them was the crown

prince, Julius Amidonia. His cold eyes, which betrayed no emotion, were fixed on

Colbert. "That is because Elfrieden has not signed the Mankind Declaration."

"Julius... sir," Colbert said, "that's a specious argument! We would be taking

protection under the Mankind Declaration, while at the same time attacking a

country that has not yet ratified it. If we do that, it would be like kicking mud in the

face of the Empire!"

"However, in diplomacy, only the treaties that have been signed are important,"

Julius said coldly. "This has all been brought about by the stubborn foolishness of

Elfrieden in not supporting the sublime ideals of the Empire. Surely the Empire can

find no fault with us for it."

"But..."

"Enough!" Gaius withdrew his hand from his sword's hilt, turning to address the

gathered commanders. "I hereby dismiss Colbert from his position as Minister of

Finance."

"Sire!" Colbert cried.

"Colbert, I am placing you under house arrest for the time being," the king

snapped. "You are to watch from the sidelines. Watch as we reclaim the land of our

forefathers."

With those words, Gaius led his commanders out of the audience hall without

sparing so much as another glance at Colbert. Colbert stayed there for a time, biting

his lip, but eventually he punched the carpet in anger, rising to his feet and

confronting Julius, who had remained behind.

"Julius! Is this really... really the only path?!" he shouted.

Colbert spoke more freely, unlike when he had stood before Gaius. Partially

because they were around the same age, despite their positions as crown prince and

vassal, Julius and Colbert were close enough to be called friends.

In a cold tone, Julius said to Colbert, "He's right that it's a once-in-a-lifetime

chance. In addition to Georg Carmine, there are many nobles who have secret ties to

our country. If we coordinate with them, we should be able to slice off some land in

the south for ourselves."

"But, if we lose, it could mean the death of our country," Colbert said.

"However, on the other hand, if we miss this chance, we may never be able to

regain our territory. If, as you've said, the new king is working to enrich his country,

doesn't that mean the gap will only widen if we let this chance slip by?"

It was clear that Julius looked at the situation through calmer, more rational eyes

than Gaius. Even so, his decision remained unchanged.

"It is the long-held wish of the Princely House of Amidonia to reclaim the lands

we have lost and to exact our revenge," Julius continued. "No, it's not only the

Princely House: the soldiers and the people hold that wish, as well."

"That's..."

That's because you've shown them no other option! Colbert wanted to say that,

but... he couldn't. To do so would be to overstep his bounds as a vassal.

As Colbert cast his eyes downwards, at a loss for words, Julius placed a hand on

his shoulder.

"Please, just stay quiet for now, Colbert. I rate your abilities quite highly. For my

own sake, as the one who will someday rule this land, I would rather not lose you to

Father's short temper."

"Julius..."

Colbert looked at him with clinging eyes, but Julius didn't return the emotion.

Some hours later, as the dejected Colbert dragged his feet through the corridors

of the princely castle, a young girl with an adorable face poked her head out from

behind one of the marble pillars.

"Hey there, Mr. Colbert. What are you lookin' so glum for?"

"Princess?! Um, that's, well..."

The one who had stepped out from behind the pillar was Roroa Amidonia, the

first princess of this country. Colbert panicked a little as he realized he'd let Roroa

see him feeling down.

Roroa had had a good sense for economics from a young age and, as she'd grown

up, she'd come to hang around with the owners of large businesses and the

bureaucrats of the Finance Ministry increasingly often. For Colbert, who was

Minister of Finance, Roroa was a compatriot who understood the ins and out of the

economy. She was also something akin to a needy little sister.

"Lookin' at that face... you tried to talk some sense into my old man for me, didn't

ya?" Roroa asked apologetically, looking at the bruises on Colbert's face.

"Huh? Ah, no... These are, uh..."

"No need to hide it," she said. "Sorry about my idiot father. Good grief... If he's

pushin' away vassals who're tryin' to give him solid advice, he's leadin' this country

straight down the road to ruin. Honestly, what is he thinkin'?"

While saying things others would have been too terrified to, Roroa made a big

show of how angry she was. Colbert was satisfied just to see Roroa looking like that

on his behalf.

"Thank you, princess," he said. "I'll be fine."

"You will? Well then, get yourself ready."

"Huh...? Get myself ready for what?"

Unable to keep up with this sudden turn in the conversation, Colbert blinked

repeatedly.

Roroa waved her hand at him with a laugh. "The old man just gave ya all the free

time in the world, so you've got nothin' to do, right? Well, maybe you can help me

out with what I'm doin', then. I've already talked to all the bureaucrats who seemed

amenable to it, but I could still use more people to help, after all."

"Huh? Um, princess? Just what are you planning to do?"

"That's obvious," she said. "We're all gonna disappear together. Sebastian's

movin' forward with the plans, but for now I think we'll go stay with Uncle Herman

in Nelva."

"Huh? Whaaaaaa?!" he exclaimed.

Roroa grabbed him by the sleeve and walked off quickly, dragging Colbert behind

her.

Some days later, at the same time as Gaius VIII and Julius departed from Van,

there was an incident where Princess Roroa and a number of bureaucrats vanished.

It was an incident that ought to have caused a big stir, but it was craftily covered

up by Roroa, and neither Gaius or Julius ever noticed it.

◇ ◇ ◇

It was the Royal Capital Parnam, late September, the 1,546th year of the

Continental Calendar, in the royal palace of the Elfrieden Kingdom, Parnam Castle.

In the governmental affairs office, I was listening to reports from Poncho and

Tomoe.

First, I heard from Poncho.

Until just the other day, his title had been Minister of State for the Food Crisis, but

with that issue now resolved, I had made him the Minister of Agriculture and

Forestry. In addition to agriculture, forestry, and management of military provisions,

I also had him overseeing the construction of terraced rice fields and other projects

that would establish new crops in this country.

By the way, the reason he was not also in charge of fisheries was that this country

did not manage fishing rights. The various fishermen's guilds each had their own

zones, to a degree, but all that the country did was receive taxes from the guilds in

exchange for protecting their rights.

Eventually, I wanted to set up something for that, but it would likely have to wait

until I had the navy under my control. In order for the country to guarantee the

rights of fishermen, we were going to need something like a Maritime Safety Agency.

If we tried to force obligations onto the fishermen without any protections, they

wouldn't obediently go along with that.

It looks like I'd gotten off-topic, huh?

I asked Poncho a question. "How are things going with the supplies (military

provisions and cavalry horse fodder) that I asked you about?"

"All right. Somehow I managed to procure them, but..." Poncho sounded awfully

non-committal, especially considering he was saying he'd managed to get the

supplies ready.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

"No... I was just worried whether these numbers were correct," Poncho said,

wiping the sweat from his brow. "The supply totals you requested could easily

support the Forbidden Army for over a month, you see... It wasn't easy to gather

them, so if the numbers were in error, it will mean we've taken massive losses, yes."

Ah, that made sense. When he looked at the numbers I could currently mobilize

from the Forbidden Army, he worried that the amount of supplies was too high.

There were only around 10,000 men, after all.

"It's not a problem," I said. "We do actually need all those supplies. In fact, you

could even say that this massive stock of supplies is what will decide whether we

win or lose."

"I-It is?" he stammered. "...It's a good thing that we had such an abundant harvest

this year. If you had asked me last year or before that, I wouldn't have been able to

gather this quantity."

"Yeah," I said. "Though this is the fruit of everyone's hard work. Of course, that

means it's thanks to you, too, Poncho."

"Y-You are too kind, yes!" Poncho, humbled by the sudden praise, stood up so

straight, it looked he might bend over backwards.

I gave a wry laugh at his behavior, then shifted my gaze to Tomoe. "How have

things been on your end, Tomoe?" I asked.

"R-Right. I think I have another five rhinosauruses that will help us."

Because Tomoe was gifted with the ability to understand animals and monsters, I

had sent her to "recruit" some of the giant lizards, rhinosauruses, that we used

during our mission to provide relief to the God-Protected Forest.

Their ability to haul cargo, as I had seen during the road construction, was truly

amazing. I wanted to increase the number of them held by the Forbidden Army, but

because they were living creatures, it took quite some time to train a rhinosaurus.

Still, if we tried to deploy them without substantial training, if the worst were to

happen and they went berserk, their bodies were huge. They could do a lot of

damage.

That made this a job for Tomoe, who could understand the languages of all living

creatures. Tomoe could listen to requests from the rhinosauruses.

Mind you, it seemed rhinosauruses weren't all that smart (maybe on the same

level as stegosauruses, which they say had brains the size of a chicken egg?), so their

requests usually amounted to "tasty food" and "a place to breed safely."

In order to accomplish that, I had ended up creating a rhinosaurus preserve in

the kingdom, but it was a small price to pay for a long-distance, high-speed means of

shipping, roughly equivalent to a train, that would be loyal and require no training.

"M-Madam Tomoe's ability truly is incredible, yes," Poncho said.

"It sure is," I agreed. "I'm glad I was able to take her under my protection before

she fell into the hands of some other country."

"Y-You're flattering me." Tomoe turned a bright red and looked down in

embarrassment.

The doors to the governmental affairs office opened, and Liscia walked in.

"Souma..."

There's something troubled in her expression, I thought. ...I'm a little worried.

"...Poncho, Tomoe," I said. "Could I ask you to leave us alone for a moment?"

"Y-Yes, you can, yes."

"O-Okay, Big Brother..."

With a bow, they headed out of the governmental affairs office, leaving me and

Liscia alone in the room.

We were both silent for a moment, but then I rose from my seat and moved over

to the bed in the corner. Then, sitting down on the bed, I motioned for Liscia to come

over to my side.

Liscia sat down next to me, like I'd asked. Sitting on my own bed, a beautiful girl

at my side, this should have been a lovely situation, but the atmosphere was heavy

and oppressive.

"...You came because you needed to talk about something, right?" I asked Liscia,

unable to bear the silence any longer.

Liscia seemed to resolve herself and began to speak, the words coming out

slowly. "In the castle town... there are rumors that you're raising an army against the

three dukes."

I said nothing.

"They say a clash with Duke Carmine is inevitable." Liscia turned to face me. Her

eyes were quivering with uncertainty.

...I could hardly blame her. For Liscia, I was her king and fiancé, while General

Georg Carmine had been her superior during her time in the army, and she

respected him. If the two of us came into conflict, Liscia would feel like she was

being crushed from both sides. In order to avoid that, I knew she had sent a number

of letters to Georg, who was secluding himself in his own territory, asking that he

meet with me.

"Is... Is there nothing else you can do?" she stammered.

When she asked me that with those quivering eyes, I wanted to say something,

but...

Unable to find the words, I could only nod in silence.

Seeing my reaction, Liscia murmured, "Right... Of course..."

With just those words, she faced forward and her shoulders slumped.

It was frustrating. Having to take this route, even though I knew it would hurt

Liscia. This had gone far enough that neither Georg or I could back down. In that

case... At the very least...

"...Liscia."

"...What?"

"I want you to tell me about Georg Carmine," I said.

"?!"

Liscia raised her face and looked at me.

"...Why now, when it's this late?"

"I want to know what kind of person the man I'm going to fight is," I said. "Now

that I think about it, I've never met the guy, after all."

Liscia was silent for a moment. She seemed a little bewildered, but in time, she

began to talk.

"Duke Carmine... Georg Carmine is a warrior of unprecedented ability. He's a

burly lion-headed beastman, and while he has no small amount of personal ability in

combat, they say it's when you put him in charge of an army that he shows his true

value. He is a great general, able to handle himself in a field of battle, or as the

attacker or defender in a siege. When he led the vanguard during a retreating battle

under the man who was king before my father, I hear that he managed to take the

head of the enemy commander, even in that losing battle."

"That's pretty amazing, huh..." I said.

You're doing well if you can just keep ally losses to a minimum during a retreat,

but to go and deal a blow to the enemy, as well—that was like something a famous

general from the Warring States Period would have done. It reminded me of the

young Shingen Takeda, who had run ahead of his father Nobutora's retreating army

to seize a castle in a surprise attack.

"You're darn right it's amazing," she said. "Not only did he have the leadership to

keep up the morale of a defeated army, but it was also a feat he couldn't have pulled

off without the perception to locate a spot where they could meet the enemy

efficiently."

There was a slight pride in Liscia's voice as she spoke. She really... did respect

him, huh.

"When my father took the throne, this country changed the way it expanded," she

continued. "With my father, who was, for better or for worse, an ordinary king ruling

this country, we ought to have been an easy target for nearby countries."

"You're awfully harsh, even though he's your own father," I commented.

"Well, it's the truth. Still, that never happened. Because Duke Carmine always

kept a keen eye on the west, neither Amidonia or Turgis tried to lay a hand on us.

Despite being the greatest warrior of his generation, he had no ambition and served

my father loyally. ...No, that's not it. Rather than it being for my father's sake, Duke

Carmine just had a pure love for this country."

"Why for this country?" I asked.

"Don't you know?" she asked. "There are still countries in this world that

discriminate against other races. The Empire holds up the values of racial equality

now, but there is still discrimination against nonhumans in some regions. There are

also places where it's the other way around; in the northwest, there's a high elf

island country that promotes a policy of high elf supremacy, and it's humans who

are looked down on there."

It looked like those sorts of problems that you find everywhere existed in this

world, too.

"But, in this country, we don't have that sort of discrimination," she continued.

"Even if it exists, there's no outlet for it. The races that were against that sort of

discrimination to begin with gathered under the first king and cooperated to make

this country prosperous, so that they wouldn't have to live under the yoke of anyone

else. That is what this country is like... and Duke Carmine loved it more than

anyone."

There, Liscia paused for a moment before continuing to speak.

"In his personal life, Duke Carmine is a man who knows how to be polite. He had

a close relationship to my father that was more than just professional, and he often

offered my father advice. He even cared for me like his own daughter. As for myself...

I loved Duke Carmine."

I was silent.

She continued, "When I went to the Officer's Academy because I wanted to

become a soldier, he was opposed to it at first. He said it was unbecoming of a

princess. But, in the end, he let me have my way. Mind you, once I graduated from

the academy, I was placed at his command, and was only used to encourage the

troops."

Well, yeah... He couldn't have used the princess, a blood relative of the king, as

one of his subordinates. Even Georg, as impressive a man as he was, must have had a

lot of trouble dealing with Liscia's tomboyishness.

"So, he was like a second father to you, huh?" I asked.

When I said that, Liscia hung her head in sadness. "Yeah... He was a wonderful

man. So why did he..."

Liscia started to say something, but stopped, shaking her head.

"I don't know exactly what Duke Carmine was thinking... But perhaps, it may

have been because he was a warrior."

"Because he was a warrior?" I asked.

"Duke Carmine is over fifty," she said. "A beastman's lifespan is no different from

a human's. Were he just a general, he would still have many years left to grow, but as

a warrior, it's all downhill from here. I think, maybe, that's why he's trying to do

something big for his country right now."

"...Even if that means becoming a traitor?" I asked.

"If he thought that would benefit this country, Duke Carmine would do it."

There was a degree of trust in those words that I couldn't help but envy a little.

I spoke up. "Tomorrow... I will hold a conference with the three dukes over the

Jewel Voice Broadcast."

There were four Jewel Voice Broadcast jewels in this country. Three of them

were held by the three dukes. Using those jewels, we would hold something like a

video conference. There, I would issue a final ultimatum to the three dukes that they

were to submit to me as my vassals. I would have to fight anyone who refused. And,

regardless of what the other two did, there was zero chance that Georg would

comply.

"Liscia, if this is hard on you..." I began.

"I'm going to attend," she said.

She wouldn't even let me say she didn't have to.

Liscia put on a smile clouded with sadness. "I know. Duke Carmine has already

made his choice. He can't turn back now."

"Liscia..." I said.

"I want to watch to the end, because I know that. I want to see how that man lives

his life." Liscia looked straight into my eyes.

Really... I had no words for her. So, to do the least I could do, I hugged her tightly

around the shoulders. She was trembling a little.

I tilted Liscia's head onto my shoulder.

Even though I was the king, I couldn't do anything more for her, and I was angry

at myself for that.

◇ ◇ ◇

—The same day, in Red Dragon City.

"Damn it... What the hell is going on?!"

In Red Dragon City, located in the north of the Elfrieden Kingdom, the

commander of the air force, Castor Vargas, was at his desk, holding his head in his

hands.

Red Dragon City was the central city of the Vargas Duchy, and also where Castor's

castle was located.

It was built at a slight elevation on a portion of the mountain that had been

cleared. This might have seemed a poor location for a central city, given the

inconvenience of transporting goods to it, but for the Vargas Duchy, the ones who

held the kingdom's air force, it gave them the convenience of having access to

transport wyverns in addition to combat ones.

Each could carry as much as a cable car loaded with supplies, and there were

bus-like vehicles carried by four wyverns that went to each city, so the remoteness

of the site didn't matter that much.

Also, because the castle of the General of the Air Force was located in Red Dragon

City, the city's defenses were hardened.

While the location already made it like a mountain castle, it was also surrounded

by high walls. While the mountain slopes kept away battering rams (vehicles with a

massive stake meant for breaking through gates) or scaling ladders (these came on

vehicles built like fire trucks, which provided a foothold for getting over the castle

walls), the high walls would defend against any attacks by infantry or cavalry.

The only means of attack that might have been effective was an assault from the

air with wyverns, but this was the Vargas family's specialty, so it was fair to call it an

impregnable fortress.

Furthermore, Castor, the current ruler of the city, was an excellent commander.

Even though Castor was not so good at the intricacies of politics, he displayed an

unmatched strength on the battlefield. In the last hundred years of war for the

Elfrieden Kingdom, he had always stood at the head of the wyvern unit, mowing

down foreign enemies as their vanguard commander.

He had made a lot of errors due to not thinking things through well enough, but

his broadminded nature, his hot-blooded personality, and his incredible strength

had lent him a charisma that charmed his subordinates. If we were to compare him

to Zhang Fei in Chinese history, or Masanori Fukushima in Japanese history, that

might make it easier to understand.

Because he was that kind of person, he left management of the city entirely to his

wife, Accela, who was Admiral Excel's daughter, as well as to Tolman, the man who

was his second in command in the air force and also the steward of his house.

No good could come from a poor manager butting into administrative decisions,

so this was probably for the best. Castor knew that running around the battlefield

suited him far better than managing a city.

Now Castor, the man who was ill-suited to thinking, was wracking his brains over

what to do for once.

"Tolman! Has Duke Carmine still not said anything?!" he exclaimed.

"...Not as of yet," the man in gentlemanly attire standing across from him

answered, continuing to stand upright as he did so. This was the man entrusted with

administrative control of Red Dragon City, the steward of the House of Vargas,

Tolman.

Castor banged his hands down on the desk. "The king's ultimatum comes

tomorrow! What is he contriving by not sending us any word before that?!"

Tolman said nothing.

The people were all talking about a confrontation between the new king and the

three dukes, but that didn't mean the three dukes were all in agreement. Army

General Georg Carmine had made his opposition to the king clear, but Navy Admiral

Excel Walter took a more negative view of fighting the king. Finally, for Castor... He

was showing a position of opposition to the king, but was wavering on that stance

internally.

General Georg was his comrade in arms, and he respected him as a warrior.

Because Georg was the one raising the flag of rebellion, Castor had assumed he had

thought it through, and he had even pushed back against his mother-in-law Excel to

side with Georg in opposing the king. In other words, while it was true that Castor

had been suspicious when there had been the sudden change of kings, he had left the

decision of whether or not he would oppose the new king to someone else.

Castor's own emotional immaturity had been one of the causes for this.

Dragonewts like Castor were a race that was longer lived than either humans or

beastmen. The speed of emotional development tended to be inversely proportional

to how long a race lived. Because of that, though Castor had lived for over a hundred

years, his mental age was around thirty, and he treated the fifty-year-old Georg as an

elder.

However, though he had sent a number of letters to Georg asking him what their

next course of action should be, he had received no response.

"There's got to be something wrong here!" Castor exclaimed. "If he was going to

make peace with the king now, he never would have acted against him to begin with.

On the other hand, if he intends to fight the king, he should be desperate for our air

force to help him. So why isn't he telling us anything? Does he mean to fight the king

with just the army?"

Tolman pondered. "The one thing I can think of is... Could he have been 'driven

mad by ambition,' like Duchess Walter suggested? Master, even if you distrust the

new king Souma, you wouldn't want to harm the former king Albert, his wife Elisha,

and even Princess Liscia, would you?"

Harm the royal family.

When Tolman spoke those words, Castor cried out in a loud voice, "Of course not!

Duke Carmine himself said, 'Once King Souma is removed, I will have King Albert

take the throne once more, and we will support him'!"

"And what if that were a lie?" Tolman asked. "Could it be that, in truth, he wishes

to take the throne for himself? If that is the case, you and Duchess Walter will surely

be his next enemies. In preparation for when that happens, could he not be trying to

settle things with just his own forces, so as to keep the two of you from gaining

influence after the war ends? So that he can abolish both your houses after the war?"

"That's absurd!" Castor burst out. "There's no way Duke Carmine would ever

think of doing that!"

Castor denied it, but as would be expected from one entrusted as the steward of

his house, Tolman had the ability to calmly analyze things. This was the conclusion

Tolman had come to, setting aside appeals to emotion and looking purely at the

interests of those involved.

However, because Castor knew Georg well, he couldn't accept that argument.

"There isn't a warrior who cares more for this country than Duke Carmine!"

Castor protested. "He could never harm the royal family..."

"However, was it not because of her doubts about Duke Carmine that Duchess

Walter parted ways with him?" Tolman asked. "Even going so far as to take the

mistress and Young Master Carl back home with her?"

"..."

Fearing Castor's wife Accela and their young, eldest son Carl would be held

collectively responsible, Excel had demanded that he divorce Accela, and she was

now sheltering them at the House of Walter. At the very least, they would not be

caught up in the showdown between Georg and Souma that was no doubt coming.

That offered Castor some small comfort, at least.

Castor rested his elbows on the desk, covering his eyes with his hands. "...I just

can't imagine that Duke Carmine would be driven mad by ambition."

"Master..." Tolman began.

"I'm sorry, but could you leave me alone for a moment?"

"...As you wish."

With a bow, Tolman left the office.

Left alone in the room, Castor leaned all the way back in his chair, staring up at

the ceiling. And then...

"Carla," he said quietly. "You're there, aren't you?"

The window behind Castor opened, and a girl with red wings came in with an

embarrassed look on her face. With long red hair the same color as her wings, this

beautiful girl who looked to be around eighteen was Castor's only daughter, Carla. In

contrast to her pretty girl look, she had the courage and combat sense to lead an air

force unit into battle.

"So you noticed me," she said.

"You'll need to hide your presence better than that. The sound of your wings

when you landed on the balcony gave you away."

"But that's not sensing my presence." Carla shrugged her shoulders. Then she

pulled a bundle of letters from her pocket.

Because he was talking to his daughter, Castor was taking a less formal tone.

"What are those?"

"From Liscia," she said. "Liscia sent a number of them, asking us to make peace

with King Souma."

Carla considered Liscia a friend. They had gotten to know one another after

Liscia had joined the army. Because both had serious personalities, and both had

enlisted in the military despite being women of high birth, they had a lot in common,

and had become fast friends.

However, because Carla was even more serious than Liscia... or, to put it in less

favorable terms, she was a bit hard-headed... when Liscia had gotten engaged to King

Souma, Carla had suspected coercion, and she had become hostile towards Souma.

Because of that, even when her mother and brother had gone to the Walter house,

she had remained here by herself with her father Castor.

However, at this point, Carla was beginning to have a change of heart. "I can feel

Liscia's passion in these letters. It's not coming from someone who was coerced into

a betrothal she doesn't want. Also, in her letters, Liscia cautioned to 'Beware Duke

Carmine as he is now.' ...We may have been the ones who were mistaken."

"...I see," Castor said. "So Princess Liscia feels the same way, does she?"

Castor's shoulders slumped. Then, as if making up his mind, his head rose.

"Carla... It's not too late. Go be with Accela. I'm the only one who needs to go

along with Duke Carmine."

As a father, he must have wanted to avoid getting her caught up in something he

was doing out of friendship. However, Carla shook her head, her mind already made

up.

"I don't even know how I'm supposed to show my face to Liscia after all this," she

said. "Besides, you still believe Duke Carmine has put some thought into this, don't

you, Father? In that case, let's see our position through to the end. Even if Duke

Carmine is defeated and we become traitors, if you fall at his side, having believed in

your friendship, I doubt the people would laugh at you for that."

"But... then you'd..."

"I was born into a military family," Carla told him. "I am prepared. Oh, don't

worry, we have Carl, so at least the house and our bloodline will remain. That's why,

as members of the House of Vargas, we will leave behind a record of distinguished

military service."

"...I see."

Learning of Carla's determination, Castor made his own decision. He would

believe in Georg Carmine to the end, and he was ready to fall for that.

To that end, he did not call up the air force units stationed around the Vargas

Duchy. This was done out of consideration, so that even if he came into conflict with

the king after the ultimatum tomorrow, he would fight with only his own personal

forces in Red Dragon City, and would not drag the rest of the air force into the

conflict.

◇ ◇ ◇

—At night, the same day, in a certain location.

"I see... Those two have resolved themselves to do it, then."

When she learned of Castor and Carla's movements from the spies she had sent

to Red Dragon City, Navy Admiral Excel Walter's beautiful face took on a look of

sorrow, and she let out a sigh.

This antlered beauty who, despite having lived for five hundred years, looked no

older than twenty-five, stood at the window in her dark room, staring out at the

night sky. Even the clothes she wore seemed to weigh her down now.

Tonight it was cloudy, and she could barely see any stars.

"Castor is prepared to martyr himself for his friendship with Georg," Excel said

sadly. "And Carla is prepared to follow him to the end as he does it. Fools though

they are, I cannot bring myself to deny the validity of their choices entirely."

Excel closed her eyes slowly, bringing a hand to her ample bosom which was

apparent even through her kimono-like outfit.

What was she to think, having learned of her son-in-law and granddaughter's

determination?

Some time passed before she opened her eyes once more, turning her back to the

window and walking away.

"If anything, this only gives me more reason to do as I must."

Even if that meant treading on their determination...