Chapter 7: Promise

Morning, one week (eight days) after we returned to Parnam.

In the castle's governmental affairs office, all that could be heard was the

scratching of my pen and the shuffling of paper as Liscia passed documents to me. I

had been getting work done while in Van, but not only had the workload not

decreased after returning to Parnam, if anything it had grown.

Now that the system of three dukes had collapsed, I needed to reorganize the

army post-haste.

In order to build a relationship of equals with the Empire, I needed to increase

military expenditures to counter the threat of the Demon Lord's Domain. In other

words, to strengthen the military. That plan for strengthening the military was the

one I had spoken of during the ultimatum to the three dukes, the unification of the

armed forces.

When I looked at the history of the other world, an army's strength or weakness

depended heavily on its mobility. In other words, how fast it could get where it

needed to go, and whether it could deploy the needed firepower.

The reason we'd won a crushing victory over the Amidonian forces recently had

been that we'd been able to reach the battlefield before our opponents. Because we

had arrived a day ahead of the enemy, we had been able to fight the exhausted forces

of the principality with a well-rested Royal Army. Had we arrived simultaneously,

our exhaustion would have been roughly the same, and while the forces of the

principality would still have been outnumbered, they would have dug in and fought

harder. If that had happened, the fight would have been much more difficult for us.

In order to achieve that mobility we needed, it would be necessary to roll out a

transportation network, and, at the same time, eliminate the divisions between our

Army, Navy, and Air Force, to create a system that worked under a single command

structure to immediately move all of our forces. That system would be a unified

armed forces.

The Forbidden Army, Army, Navy, Air Force, and, lastly, the troops that were

nominally part of the Forbidden Army, but were the personal troops of the nobility,

would all be dismantled and reorganized as one force to be called the Elfrieden

Defense Force (EDF).

In organizing that EDF, I had to be cautious of resistance from each branch of the

military, but with the recent uprising, the Army and Air Force had lost their

influence. The temporary heads of each force, Glaive and Tolman, were both

cooperative, so they would pose no problem.

Furthermore, the Navy had sided with us and therefore had not lost their

influence, so by appointing their Admiral, Excel, as Supreme Commander of the EDF,

we could expect very little resistance. Excel wasn't keen on being enshrined as the

Supreme Commander, but I had made her accept the position under the condition

that it was just until Ludwin gained enough experience to handle the role.

That was enough for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, but the real headache was

going to be the nobles' forces.

They were part of the Forbidden Army, but the fact that command over them lay

with the various nobles made them hard to deal with.

In this world with wild beasts and monsters (though, before the appearance of

the Demon Lord's Domain, these had only existed in dungeons), thieves, pirates and

bandits, there needed to be a certain amount of policing power in every area.

That was why the landed nobility trained personal troops, which they were

obligated to use to maintain stability inside their fiefs.

However, in this country, the numbers they had were excessive. It was the effect

of the king-before-last's expansionist policies.

At that time, battlefield achievements had been the shortest route to glory and

advancement, so the nobility used to levy commoners from their fiefs to bolster the

ranks of their personal forces. Despite the fact that, while conscripting amateurs

might raise their manpower, if it led to a fall in productivity, it was pointless.

Eventually, when the former king, King Albert, hanged tack from his predecessor's

expansionist policies, the nobility still maintained their enlarged forces.

That was why, now, I was stuck with the task of dismantling their forces down to

the bare minimum required for policing. Those who had a primary trade outside of

soldiering would be given severance pay and released from service, while those who

sought to join the EDF would be able to undergo testing to enlist.

While the organization would be decided on by Excel, Glaive, Ludwin, and the

other military officials, they had looked over my proposal and found they had no

choice but to give it their stamp of approval.

While we worked, Liscia and I were silent. There was an awkwardness between

us.

...No, I was likely the only one feeling awkward. Liscia was acting the same as

always.

That day, even as I'd told her that Georg Carmine had committed suicide in his

cell, Liscia's expression hadn't changed in the least. Her face had been emotionless,

and my report had only elicited a quiet "I see..."

It wasn't that I thought she would lose her composure. It wasn't as if I thought

she would blame me for it. Liscia wasn't that kind of girl, and I was well aware of it.

But I hardly expected her to be able to go about her daily routine this way, like

everything was normal. I thought she would look at least a little distraught. There

was no way this wasn't painful for her, no way it wasn't heart-wrenching, but when I

saw Liscia acting like nothing had changed, I couldn't find the words to say to her.

It would have been easier if she'd lashed out at me a little...

"Why didn't you spare Duke Carmine?!"

...Yeah. No, that wouldn't have been any better.

Just imagining Liscia insulting and demeaning me was enough to depress me.

If she would just punch, and we could forget it all after that... But, no, the only one

that would make feel better was me. Honestly, what was I thinking? After running

my mouth like that to Georg, could I not even protect the heart of the girl closest to

me?

"Souma," she said.

"Huh? What?" I raised my head, and saw Liscia looking at me with her head

inclined to the side questioningly.

"Your pen's stopped, you know?" she asked.

"...Oh, sorry."

That's no good, I thought. I have to keep it together.

I went back to work. Right now, I have to focus on taking care of all the little tasks

in front of me.

While I worked with that thought in mind, there was a knock at the door. "Come

in," I said, and the head maid Serina entered.

"Pardon me," she said. "The preparations are complete, and your presence is

requested."

"Right."

We stopped working, and I donned my royal cape and headed towards the

audience chamber. Today was a day for rewarding those who had distinguished

themselves in the war with Amidonia.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Glaive Magna," I said. "Your loyalty was truly remarkable. In recognition of that

loyalty, I grant you Randel and its surrounding region to rule."

"Yes, sir," Glaive said. "It will be my pleasure."

"Very good. In addition, while this is only provisional, I also grant you some of the

powers Georg held as General of the Army. Until they are folded into the EDF, keep

them in good order."

"Yes, sir," he said. "I swear I will do my utmost to meet Your Majesty's

expectations."

In front of me as I rose from the throne, giving commendations in a grandiose

tone, Hal's old man, Glaive Magna, bowed deeply. We weren't broadcasting this, so I

wasn't keeping up with stiff formality, but there was a secretary in the corner

dutifully recording my every word, so I had to act kingly. That was to ensure that

future generations who read the records didn't look down on me, or so my

chamberlain Marx had sourly told me, but... honestly, I didn't really care what people

would think of me after I died.

In the war with the Principality of Amidonia, the Elfrieden Kingdom might not

have gained any territory, but we had secured hefty war reparations. Furthermore,

we had been able to collect ransoms from Zem for the return of their mercenaries,

and I'd been able to confiscate the corrupt nobles' land and assets. The

dismantlement of the Carmine and Vargas duchies had been decided on, too.

For all of those gains, there was little need to reward the troops. Most of the

troops mobilized had belonged to the Army and Air Force. They were under

suspicion of treason, and this had been a battle to clear them of that suspicion, so no

rewards needed to be paid.

Additionally, for those who had taken a wait-and-see approach to the conflict, the

nobles whose forces were part of the Forbidden Army, I didn't need to pay for any

rewards to them, as they hadn't participated. It meant they had missed out on a good

opportunity, but that was their problem, not mine.

The only ones who need to be rewarded were the Navy and my directlycontrolled forces in the Forbidden Army. Those of the nobility or knightly class in

either force would be given land, but that would come from the former fiefs of the

corrupt nobles and the dismantled Carmine and Vargas duchies. Those who were of

lower status would be given a cash bonus.

And so, today, I was to give personal rewards to those who had contributed the

most. It was standard to give titles in the peerage and land, but if they wanted

something else, they were welcome to negotiate for it. If it was within my power as

king, and a suitable reward for their efforts, it would be granted. If they wanted cash

or rare items in the possession of the royal family, that was fine.

Long ago, there had been a knight who'd used this system to request the right to

marry a princess he was in love with. There'd also been one who'd used it to request

a corrupt noble be brought to justice. This was a situation where you never knew

what crazy requests might come flying, so I opted not to air it over the Jewel Voice

Broadcast.

This time, the people to be rewarded were as follows:

The turncoat from the Army who had led them in the battle with Amidonia,

Glaive Magna.

The Lord of Altomura who had stalled for time and delayed the Amidonian

forces, Weist Garreau.

The commander of the marines who had, likewise, delayed the Amidonian forces

at the Valley of Goldoa, Juna Doma.

As well as the one who sent reinforcements during the battle outside Randel, the

chief of the dark elves who lived in the God-Protected Forest, Wodan Udgard. Sir

Wodan was Aisha's father.

Normally, the Admiral of the Navy, Excel Walter, would have been first in both

rank and in terms of her contributions. However, she was foregoing any recognition

of her achievements for herself in order to seek clemency for the two Varguses, so

she wouldn't be receiving a reward.

Also, before giving the aforementioned five their rewards, I formally gave Aisha,

who had been defending me as my self-declared bodyguard, the newly created post

of kochiji.

If I were to explain what that changed, it was that before she had been like a

mercenary I was paying out of my own pocket money, but now she was a proper

knight with a salary.

Incidentally, her title, kochiji, came from the a bit of wordplay on the nickname of

Cao Cao's bodyguard Xu Chu, read Kochi in Japanese. The original's name was

written "Tiger Fool" and meant "a fool who is strong like a tiger," so I chose to write

hers with the character for "Eastern Wind" instead.

...Not that there was much point in me obsessing over how it'd be written with

kanji in this world.

In addition to that appointment, I gave Aisha a gauntlet from the treasury in the

castle that was enchanted with a spell that reduced physical and magical damage (it

was called the Iron Wall Gauntlet, apparently). To be honest, I had wanted to give

her a shield, as it suited the image of her position better, but Aisha used a twohanded greatsword, so I'd opted for this instead.

Aisha held the gauntlet tight to her breast, stuttering and slurring her words

through her tears. "Ohh... Your Majesty... Th-Thank you sho much!"

...I'm glad to see she's happy and all, but isn't that a bit of an overreaction?

Everyone watched her with wry smiles.

"Weist," I said. "You served me well in distracting the Amidonians. Please,

continue to maintain stability in your lands as Lord of Altomura. Furthermore, when

the city of Venetinova is complete, I am sure I will place you in charge of managing

her."

"Yes, sir," he said. "Inadequate as I may be, I will serve you to my utmost."

After Glaive, I finished presenting Weist with his reward. It was decided that

Weist would take on the additional post of Lord of Venetinova, the coastal city that

was currently under construction. While his original fief had been in the

countryside, because it was in a crop-growing region with fertile land, he had

quickly gained influence. In the recent operation, he had played the important role

of portraying himself as a coward in front of Gaius and Julius. This was his reward.

Now, it was time to reward Wodan Udgard, Aisha's father who had sent

reinforcements to aid us in the battle outside Randel.

These were reinforcements neither Hakuya or I had anticipated. We had known

how powerful the dark elves were, but we'd assumed they were busy with

reconstruction after the landslide, and they weren't interested in affairs outside

their forest to begin with, so we had thought it would be pointless to send a request.

However, contrary to our expectations, Wodan and his people had dispatched troops

to aid us.

Apparently, when Aisha had been staying in the God-Protected Forest, she had

independently made the request on my behalf. From what Hal had told me of the

battle outside Randel, the corrupt nobles had brought out cannons and launched a

reckless attack. Without those reinforcements, our losses would have been much

greater. It was truly a happy miscalculation.

I walked over to Wodan, taking his hand as I thanked him. "You have my

gratitude. I thank you for sending reinforcement when you yourselves face such

difficult times."

"Think nothing of it," said Wodan. "We have only repaid our debt of gratitude.

When the disaster struck, the relief force that Your Majesty led reminded us that we

have ties to the outside world."

"I am glad to hear it," I said. "It shows me anew that this country was built with

many different races coming together. If you have a wish, you need only name it."

Wodan shook his head. "We already owe you more than we can ever repay. With

the steady supply of relief supplies you send, our warriors have already been amply

rewarded. I seek nothing further from you."

"Please, don't be so modest," I said. "Those reinforcements wouldn't have come

without you making the decision. If you'd like, we can plant trees around the GodProtected Forest to expand your territory."

"I am grateful for the offer, but the forest is fine as it is," he said.

Hmm... That leaves me in a conundrum, I thought. I wanted to show my gratitude

to Wodan somehow. However, no matter what I offered as a reward, Wodan

stubbornly refused to accept it.

"You truly have nothing you want?" I questioned.

When I asked him that, Wodan took on a pensive look. "...In that case, I have one

request for you, sire."

"Name it. If it is within my power, it will be yours."

"Then... would you take my daughter?"

"Father?!" Aisha yelped. She had been standing behind the throne, and she

sounded surprised.

His daughter... He means Aisha, right?

Wodan continued, smiling, "I see my little girl who never used to show an

interest in anything but fighting and food has grown into a fine woman. That change

came from her feelings for you, sire. Could I ask you to take her as your wife?"

"Sir Wodan is called Chief in the village in the God-Protected Forest, but he is

actually nobility with the God-Protected Forest as his domain," my chamberlain,

Marx, hastened to add. "You would be able to take his daughter Aisha as your second

primary queen."

Marx was handling things here today on behalf of Prime Minister Hakuya, who

was indisposed.

I have mentioned this in past, but in this kingdom queens were broadly

categorized into primaries and secondaries, and it was possible to have multiple of

each.

Originally, there had only been one primary queen and the rest had been either

secondary queens or concubines (mistresses) with no power, but one king a number

of generations ago had said, "I don't want to call these women I love concubines."

...He must have been a passionate man.

As a result, all of his secondary queens had been made primary queens. (The

original primary queen had been made First Queen, with the others called Second

Primary, Third Primary, and so on, to distinguish them.) And his concubines had

been promoted to secondary queens, a convention that continued to this day.

While I'm at it, let me explain the difference between a primary and secondary

queen.

To become a primary queen, the lady in question had to be of the knightly class,

the nobility, or higher. To make a woman of lower status a primary queen, she

would first have to be adopted into such a family. That process wasn't necessary for

a secondary queen.

The children born to a primary queen had the right of succession. The line of

succession was determined not by order of birth, but the children born to the First

Queen, the Second, and so on. In cases where there was a large gap in age, the

numbering of queens could be changed.

Conversely, while a woman of any class (even a slave or a prostitute) could

become a secondary queen, their children had no right of succession. However, they

were still royalty, and noble and knightly houses that wanted to form a blood

connection with the crown would try to marry their sons and daughters off to the

king's children from those queens. It was definitely one way of marrying into money.

While the position didn't come with any power, it also took less responsibility

than being a primary queen, and they were allowed to act freely, within limits. For

women of common birth who had no interest in power, this was often the position

they dreamed of.

But... making Aisha my second primary wife...

"Would you consider that a reward?" I asked.

"As a father, my feelings are complicated... but she seems to be hoping for it, and a

father always wants to grant his little girl's wishes," said Wodan. "Besides which,

with the people of the God-Protected Forest beginning to look to the outside world, I

think it would be valuable for them to see their chief's daughter marry into the royal

house. It wouldn't just create a bond between the royal house and the God-Protected

Forest, it would become symbolic of the bond between humans and dark elves, as

well."

Then it wasn't just for his daughter's sake. There were political considerations,

too.

Looking at it from my position, if I strengthened my ties with the God-Protected

Forest, I would probably have the elite archers who showed their might in the battle

outside Randel at my disposal.

No, even if I set that sort of pragmatic gain aside... Aisha was cute. If I had to ask

myself whether I'd want her as a wife or not... I did.

She might be a little too loyal to me, but it let her affection for me come across all

the more directly. Though it did feel a bit like I'd tamed her with food.

I couldn't expect much from her as a political operator, but Aisha had more than

sufficient martial prowess to compensate for that. She was the sort of woman who

would be reassuring to have at my side.

...But, is that really okay? I returned to the throne, looking at Liscia beside me.

I had told Liscia we were only temporarily engaged so that I could potentially get

out of it. But, now that the war with Amidonia was behind us, my thinking on the

matter had changed.

People had died because of my orders. I carried a weight of karma far too great to

ever return to ordinary life. I could no longer stop being king, or abandon this

country.

I felt the same about my relationship with Liscia. Since the day we'd first met, we

had overcome so much pain and hardship together. I couldn't break off our

betrothal, and I had no desire to. If Liscia would be my queen, I could accept being

king.

...But, that's a different issue entirely.

While I had resolved myself to be king, I still had reservations about taking more

than one queen. Liscia, Marx, and even Juna had repeatedly told me it was normal,

but as someone dragging along the moral views of modern Japan, I was hesitant.

...Yeah, it wasn't that I thought it was insincere to love more than one woman. I

wasn't that full of myself. But I thought giving an immediate answer here and now

wouldn't be fair to Liscia.

I'd feel like I was cheating on her...

While I was thinking that, Liscia looked at me. Seeing that I was at a loss for

words, Liscia said exasperatedly, "Souma, marry Aisha like you ought to."

"Like I ought to...? You're fine with that, Liscia?"

"I don't have the right to refuse, but Aisha and her father have already told you

it's fine, haven't they?" she said. "Actually, if you don't take her, that's probably going

to be the bigger headache."

"How so?" I asked.

Liscia stressed the practical aspects. "You're a king, Souma. There may be

situations where you're forced to marry the daughters of major nobles or princesses

from other countries as part of your internal or external diplomacy. In preparation

for that, I want the higher-ranked queens to be filled out with people I can trust."

"No... But... I mean..."

Seeing me still hesitating, Liscia sighed. "Souma, you're able to make decisions

when the country hangs in the balance, but when it comes to the women in your life,

you're so indecisive."

"Urkh..."

"Honestly... Aisha!" Liscia called.

"Y-Yes!" The dark elf jumped in surprise. Aisha had been standing in her

bodyguard position waiting anxiously as she watched things unfold.

Liscia leveled a finger at her. "I'm not giving up the position of First Queen, you

hear me? You're Second Queen, got it? If that's all right with you, it's all right with

me. In fact, I welcome it."

"Y-Yes! If it lets me be by His Majesty's side!" Aisha cried.

Liscia nodded and looked me straight in the eye as she said, "I've set everything

in place for you. Now... treat her right."

"...Right," I said slowly.

I dunno. I felt like I had been the future balance of power between the two of us

get decided right there.

Liscia had shown so much spirit. I couldn't keep pathetically waffling any longer.

I walked over to Aisha. Aisha, the fearless warrior of the battlefield, had eyes that

were trembling with uncertainty.

Oh, geez, don't look at me like that, I silently pleaded.

"Aisha," I said.

"Y-Yes!"

"So... will you marry me?"

She inhaled sharply. "Yes! It would be my pleasure!"

I refrained from any quips about how her response made her sound like a server

responding to orders at a Japanese-style pub. My face was burning with

embarrassment.

In among all the smiles, I could see Sir Wodan's face dripping with all the

complicated feelings of being a father.

I said to him, using not the tone I would usually use as king, but a tone used

towards those above you, "...This is how it turned out. I'll come to formally give you

my regards at a later date, Father."

"Yes," he said, smiling. "I will be waiting. Son."

Thus, Aisha became my second fiancée.

With a second primary queen chosen...

"Finally, that's one less burden on my mind," Marx said with an expression of

relief. Marx had felt a sense of crisis about the shortage of royals brought on by the

succession crisis after the reign of the king before the last one. That was why, with

my formal marriage to Liscia not having taken place yet, he was constantly

badgering me, "Get more wives, make more babies." He didn't even seem to care if

they were conceived out of wedlock.

That aside... what was I going to do with the kochiji title I'd come up with now? I

couldn't very well make one of my queens act like a personal bodyguard.

When I said that to Aisha, though...

"Leave it to me! Even if I become your wife, I will always protect you, sire!" Aisha

declared with a broad smile, so I ended up letting her keep it.

For me, I knew Aisha was tough, so I figured it was all good, but the previouslyelated Marx was immediately holding his head in his hands. I wanted to put the

Second Primary Queen he had finally managed to get into a position that was

synonymous with danger. I had to feel bad for the guy, only having new things to

worry about.

Juna watched all of this with a slightly lonely smile on her face, but none of us

realized it at the time.

...Juna. You...

With the exception of Excel.

With the very eventful reward for Wodan out of the way, it was finally Juna's

turn.

I offered her some words of commendation, then asked, "Is there anything you

want of me?"

Of course, I knew what Juna's response would be. She would likely ask that all of

her achievements be counted as her grandmother, Excel's. If Excel wanted to save

Castor and Carla, she needed to have as much merit to her name as possible. This

was the gentle Juna. I was sure she'd do it out of consideration for Excel.

Juna looked me straight in the eye and opened her mouth, "Your Majesty, I ask

that all of my..."

"May I have a word," Excel cut her off before she could finish speaking. "Forgive

my sudden interruption. I would like permission to speak."

"Hm? ...Granted," I said.

"Thank you." Excel bowed and began to speak slowly. "As you are aware, Your

Highness, Juna Doma is my granddaughter. However, Juna's father, my son, has been

married into the Doma family of merchants in Lagoon City. In other words, Juna is a

commoner."

I had heard that when Juna had disclosed her ties to Excel to me. However, why

was she bringing up Juna's low status now?

Excel continued. "I gave her a rank in the military because she is my

granddaughter, but that doesn't change the fact that Juna is the child of a common

family. She has no connection to the doings of any noble house."

"...What are you getting at, Duchess?" I asked.

Excel turned not to me, but to Juna. "I am sure you mean to use your

achievements for my benefit, but that will not be necessary."

"But, Grandmother..."

Excel silently shook her head. "It's fine. You have nothing to do with the House of

Vargas You mustn't use your achievements for people you've never met. Use them

for your own sake."

"Grandmother..."

"I can't sacrifice my granddaughter's happiness for the sake of my son-in-law and

my other granddaughter," said Excel. "You don't have to worry about us. You should

have your own wish granted."

As Excel turned her gentle gaze on her, Juna lowered her eyes and seemed to

struggle internally for a moment. When she finally raised her eyes, she stepped

forward and kneeled.

"Your Majesty. I have a request."

"...What might that be?" I asked.

"If it is at all possible, then like Aisha... I wish to continue singing at your side."

Could she mean... No, there was no doubt about it, Juna meant for me to take her

as my bride, too.

"Sire," Marx said gleefully, "if you take Juna Doma, it will be as a secondary queen.

If you wish to take her as a primary queen, you will need to have her adopted into a

noble or knightly family first."

He must have been more than happy to have another candidate for the position

of queen appear. When I looked to Liscia, she nodded, accepting it.

But...

"I'm sorry, that's not possible." I gave a clear refusal.

Liscia's eyes went wide, while Excel asked "Why...?" looking at me pleadingly.

Juna continued to look down at the floor, so I couldn't see her face.

The air in the room grew heavy, but... I hoped they'd wait to hear everything I

had to say.

"I can't do that now," I said. "You're the central pillar of Project Lorelei, the

project to create a music program using the Jewel Voice Broadcast. You are the

Prima Lorelei. You're popular with the people, too. What do you think would happen

if I announced you and I were getting engaged? There'd be riots."

When I said it that way, everyone seemed satisfied with that explanation. It was

fresh in their memories that the Congress of the People had sent petitions saying,

"Show more of Juna on the Jewel Voice Broadcast."

It was common for flame wars to break out on an idol's blog if she was

discovered to have a lover in my old world, but in the current situation, I worried

Parnam itself might get torched. The Kingdom would be burning with jealousy...

Yeah, not a funny joke.

That was why I said, "Could you wait, just for a little while?"

Juna gasped.

When Juna raised her face, I thought, Well, this is awkward, as I told her, "I need

your strength as the Prima Lorelei for producing our broadcast programs. That's

why, for now, I'm asking you to stay the people's songstress. When more

songstresses have gathered, and we have trained enough people that can keep the

program on course, I swear, I will take you then."

When I said that, Juna rubbed the tears from her eyes. "I'll wait longingly for that

day, sire."

When she spoke those words, she wore the smile of a pure, innocent young girl.