Chapter 7: Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree

—1st Day, 10th Month, 1,546th Year, Continental Calendar — Red Dragon City.

It was the morning following the battle where wyverns had flown through the

skies and battleship cannons had roared.

Liscia and I were eating breakfast with Castor's daughter Carla in the

governmental affairs office at Red Dragon Castle.

Aisha stood behind the exhausted Carla, her hand ready on the hilt of her great

sword, as if to say, "If you make any suspicious moves, I am prepared to cut you

down at any time."

It occurred to me that Aisha was still my "self-proclaimed bodyguard." Given her

accomplishments in the battle for Red Dragon City, I thought it might not be a bad

idea to formally create a title like Captain of the King's Personal Guard for her.

...Well, it could wait until after the war.

Having captured Castor Vargas and taken control of the Air Force, we were

staying in Red Dragon City while we waited for the Air Force to gather. Right now,

Hakuya, who had arrived after the battle, and Tolman must have been busy calling

up those who had yet to respond and organizing those who had already gathered.

I'd had Castor shipped back to the capital along with a number of rebellious

wyvern cavalry.

They would have only gotten in the way if we had brought them all with us, and

Castor was wearing the slave collar. That collar had a spell attached that would

make it tighten if he did anything untoward, and in the worst case would decapitate

him. As long as he wore that slave collar, no one would try to seize him during the

transfer.

Incidentally, Castor's daughter Carla was the only one I'd had stay here, and I was

keeping her close at hand. That was because I figured having a visible hostage would

help to nip any unwanted resistance from the Air Force in the bud. I had a slave

collar on her, too, and Aisha was keeping a watchful eye on her from behind, so she

probably wouldn't be able to do anything she shouldn't.

I didn't know if it was because of that, but her violent temperament from

yesterday was all but gone, and Carla was resolutely silent. To make up for her

taciturn friend, Liscia was being even more talkative than usual.

"Carla may not look it, but she's actually the caring type," she said. "She has a lot

of integrity, so no matter how much she dislikes something, she'll always help out

when she's asked. I think she's a great girl."

I said nothing.

Everything she said was all about selling me on Carla's virtues. She had been

talking about nothing but Carla's many charms as a woman for a while now.

We were sitting in the office of the man who had been the enemy commander

until yesterday, eating boxed meals we had brought from Parnam (this having been

enemy territory up until yesterday, I was being careful not to get poisoned), while

my fiancée and future primary queen recommended that I take the daughter of an

enemy general, who was now wearing a slave collar and sitting next to us, as a

secondary queen. It was quite a bizarre scene.

By the way, to explain the difference between primary and secondary queens, in

this country primary queens were those whose children had the right of succession,

while those who did not were known as secondary queens.

It was possible to have any number of primary or secondary queens (ranking

within the two categories would be expressed as 1st X Queen, 2nd X Queen... and so

on), however, in order to become a primary queen, a woman had to be born to the

gentry, nobility, or higher.

Conversely, any person of any class could become a secondary queen. If one

didn't care about appearances, even a slave could be made into a secondary queen.

"O-Oh, and you know what?" Liscia went on. "When Carla strips down, she's got a

killer body. Maybe you can't tell when she has armor on, but she's way more stacked

than I am. Dragonewts are long-lived, too, so she'll always be young."

"What are you saying, Liscia?!" Carla suddenly burst out.

It seemed that once Liscia started spilling the details on her proportions, even

Carla wasn't going to be able to stay quiet. And yet, Liscia snapped back at her, even

angrier than Carla was.

"Carla, just be quiet! Hey, Souma, Carla's an attractive woman..."

"...Liscia," I said that in a somewhat stern tone, making Liscia inhale sharply and

then go quiet. When I saw that worried look on her face... it hurt my heart. I didn't

want to make her look like that. I scratched the back of my head vigorously. "Liscia, I

can see what you're thinking. But have you properly considered the risks?"

She went silent.

No primary queen would ask her king to take a secondary queen. Yet Liscia, the

1st Primary Queen, was eagerly suggesting that I take Carla as my secondary queen,

because she was trying with all her heart to save her.

The officers and soldiers of the Air Force who had followed Castor were under

suspicion of participating in the rebellion, regardless of whether they had taken part

in the battle or not. But of course it wouldn't be possible to punish all of them as

rebels, and so, formally, I was going to have to treat them as "having only acted

under the orders of the General of the Air Force, Castor, and a number of high

ranking officers," under the condition that they come under the command of the

Forbidden Army.

Because of that, Castor would have to bear responsibility.

As Castor's daughter, and having taken part in the fighting herself, it was seen as

a certainty that Carla would face the same judgment as her father when the war was

over. As things stood, their execution seemed inevitable.

Because Liscia thought that, she was trying to push Carla into the royal harem.

In this country, the king had a lot of power. In principle, there was supposed to be

an independent judiciary, but if the king exercised his powers, it was possible to

shield a criminal from prosecution. Liscia was trying to convince me to like Carla so

that I would work to keep her from going on trial. But that... was not something that

should be done lightly.

"Where might is master, justice is servant," I said. "If a king doesn't uphold the

law, the people the law protects will lose their respect for that king. If we don't act

logically, we ourselves will pay the price for it later. You must understand that, right,

Liscia?"

"Well, yes... But..."

Of course, I was sure Liscia knew that. Still, she couldn't let her friend go without

saying something. Honestly... being a king was such an unpleasant role.

"Still, I..." Liscia began.

"Liscia, there's no need to beg for my life," Carla said as Liscia was still searching

for the words. "You sent letters again and again, asking us to pledge our allegiance,

yet we chose to refuse. I followed my father knowing this could happen if we lost.

I'm only getting what I deserve. I consider myself to be a warrior. Now that it has

come to this, I will not regret losing my life."

Carla seemed to have already come to terms with her fate. I felt like I could

understand why she and Liscia were so close. Her personality was similar to Liscia's,

earnest and stubbornly unyielding once she made up her mind. That was why all I

could do was sigh.

"I wish you had directed that determination into something that wouldn't make

Liscia sad."

"There's nothing I can say in response to that," Carla said. She added in a

discourteous tone, "Don't you dare... Urkh!"

"Carla?!" Liscia cried.

In the middle of her sentence, Carla groaned in pain. The slave collar had

tightened. It looked like this item wouldn't tolerate any disrespect towards the

master. It seemed pretty harsh.

Some seconds later, once she was released from the pain, Carla turned to Liscia,

who was looking at her with concern, and said, "I-I'm fine." Then, looking back to me,

she bowed her head. "True, I wasn't as polite as I could have been. Let me rephrase

that. King Souma, I ask that you not sadden Liscia the way I have."

"...I know," I said.

As we were talking, Hakuya and Tolman entered the office. Tolman stood before

me, giving a military-style salute before beginning his report.

"Your Majesty, we have finished calling up the Air Force."

"Good," I said. "Well, then... let's get going."

I rose from my seat and gave everyone their orders.

"Hakuya, I'll have you handle the cleanup here. Also, use this place's jewel to get

in contact with Excel while she's staring down the Amidonians in Altomura. Tell her

she only needs to hold out until this evening."

"By your will," Hakuya bowed.

"Tolman, lead a unit from the Air Force to bomb Randel in the Carmine Duchy," I

continued. "However, your only targets should be the anti-air repeating bolt

throwers on the castle walls and Randel Castle itself. Don't you dare drop even a

single gunpowder barrel on the people's houses! If anyone is found to have killed a

civilian, I'll see to it that they will face punishment after the war. Do I make myself

clear?"

"Yes, sir! I understand!" he said firmly.

"Liscia and Aisha, come with me," I added. "We'll join up with Ludwin and his

group."

"Okay," said Liscia.

"Understood, sire," Aisha agreed.

Good. After giving orders to the others, I turned to look at Carla.

"Carla, you come with us, too."

"I can't have that much value to you as a prisoner at this point," Carla said.

"Please, just throw me in a cell somewhere,"

She seemed to have no strength remaining, but I shook my head in silence.

"You should see how this ends. See just whose strings you were dancing to."

"Huh?" She looked startled. "What are you talking about? Nobody was making us

dance..."

"Oh, no, you were dancing," I said. "After all, we were, too."

"What?" Carla asked, giving me a dubious look, to which I responded with a sigh.

"It's not like we have a complete grasp of the scenario. Still, if we play our roles in

it out to the end, I think we'll start to see. We'll see just who it was that wrote the

script for this battle."

◇ ◇ ◇

—The same day, a few hours later, in the city of Randel in the Carmine Duchy.

There was a relaxed atmosphere on the castle walls surrounding Randel, the

central city of the Carmine Duchy. The Army and Forbidden Army were engaged in

hostilities, but that battle was being fought entirely at the fortress the Forbidden

Army had built near Randel.

Because of that, there wasn't so much as one arrow flying over the walls of

Randel.

"Sure is boring..." one of the Army soldiers muttered to himself.

One of his fellow soldiers happened to overhear and looked at him with a frown.

"Hey, we're at war with the Forbidden Army right now, you know."

"That's what they tell us, but... all the fighting's going on over by that fortress,

isn't it?" he complained. "Is there any point in us being on guard here?"

When he said that, another of his comrades laughed heartily and said, "What's

wrong with boring? Would you rather be on the front line against the Forbidden

Army?"

"I-I never said that."

"If anything, I'll bet the guys on the front line wish they could trade places with

us," the other soldier continued. "If they resist the Forbidden Army, suddenly they'll

be being called rebels and part of a rebel army. On top of that, I hear there are a

number of Army soldiers being led by Sir Glaive Magna, who parted ways with Duke

Carmine, mixed in with the enemy. Who would want to fight against men they once

ate from the same pot as?"

"You've got that right," another soldier said, joining in on the grumbling. "I've

heard talk that the Amidonians are on the move down south, too. What are the king

and Duke Carmine thinking?"

"When you look at it that way, nothing beats guarding the castle walls," the

second soldier said.

"...You could be right," the soldier who had been complaining at first said, starting

to sound convinced. That was when it happened.

"Hey, look at the sky in the east! Something's coming!" someone shouted.

Hearing that, they all turned to look at the eastern sky.

When they narrowed their eyes, it was true, they could see what looked like a

swarm of mosquitoes in the sky to the east. For a moment, they thought it might be a

flock of birds, but there were too many. There had to be close to a thousand of them.

As the swarm closed in, they realized it was the Air Force's wyvern cavalry.

As soon as that became clear, a wave of relief washed over the soldiers.

"...Good. Duke Vargas is our ally."

"The Air Force is coming to support us!"

"If they are, then the battle's already over. That fortress of theirs will fall easily

under aerial bombardment."

Everyone nodded sagely in agreement.

...Yes, the end of this battle was most certainly near. However, that end was to be

precisely the opposite of what those soldiers expected.

The Air Force passed over the fortress built outside Randel where the Forbidden

Army were holed up, then dropped barrels filled with gunpowder on the anti-air

repeating bolt throwers on the walls of Randel.

◇ ◇ ◇

The wyvern cavalry flew over the walls of Randel. Their leader Tolman looked

down as an explosion rang out, flames flew around, and black smoke rose. Their

targets, the anti-air repeating bolt throwers, had been blasted away without a trace,

along with chunks of the wall where they had once been.

The gunpowder barrels used by the Air Force were similar in design to the fire

arrows pirates had used during the Sengoku Period to sink enemy ships. To explain

it quickly, they were like firework shells.

The time it took for them to explode could be adjusted with the length of the oilsoaked rope used as a fuse. Once the fuse was lit and the bomb dropped, it would go

off after the set amount of time. They weren't like incendiary bombs, which explode

with the force of the impact, but the Air Force could adjust their fuse length based on

the altitude they would be dropped from, so they could be used in a similar manner.

Incidentally, because the gunpowder from those barrels that failed and impacted

the ground would scatter, then be set off by the gunpowder barrels that succeeded,

the extent of the damage inevitably grew.

How many Army soldiers have died in that blast now... No! Tolman shook his head,

forcing down the depressing feelings that were welling up inside him. I will not ask

for forgiveness. This is for my master and the princess.

In order to lighten the situation Castor and Carla would both surely find

themselves in after the war, he needed the Air Force to achieve as much as possible

here. As if trying to raise his own morale, Tolman shouted orders to the rest of the

Air Force.

"The bolt throwers have fallen silent! We will now begin the bombardment of

Randel Castle! Do not, under any circumstances, allow your bombs to fall on

residential blocks! By the pride of our Air Force, we cannot allow any more needless

deaths!"

"""Yeahhhhh!"""

The men and officers cheered in response to Tolman's words.

And so, a formation of wyvern cavalry began the aerial bombardment of Georg

Carmine's castle in the center of Randel.

◇ ◇ ◇

—At the same time, outside Randel.

It was around the time that the wyvern cavalry being led by Tolman began their

bombardment of Randel's castle walls.

A wyvern carrying a gondola containing Liscia, Aisha, the captive Carla, and

myself descended to the fortress where Ludwin and the others were holding out. It

was dangerous to land at a fortress that was under attack, but the Army had

withdrawn in surprise when the bombardment at Randel had begun. Thanks to that,

we had been able to enter the fortress quite easily.

When we stepped out of the wyvern's gondola, Ludwin, Hal, and Kaede were

there to greet us. While they all showed signs of exhaustion, I was relieved to see

they were completely unharmed. While they had only been defending themselves

against a siege for a day and a half, I knew unexpected accidents could always occur.

I bumped fists with Hal. "I brought the Air Force, just as planned."

"Well, we held out against the Army for you, just as planned," he said.

We both proudly boasted about what we'd accomplished.

"It was only a day and a half," I said. "If you hadn't been able to hold out that long,

I wouldn't know what to do with you."

"You idiot," he snorted. "The enemy even brought out cannons, you know? If the

dark elves hadn't come to support us, we might have taken serious losses."

"I see... I'll have to reward those reinforcements after the war," I said. "Anyway,

I'm glad to see you're doing fine."

"You, too, Souma," he said. "You're weak, so don't push yourself too hard."

"And you, Hal, you're strong, but you never think. I worry you'll charge in blindly

and get yourself killed."

For some reason Hal and I went from crowing about our own achievements to

pointing out each other's faults.

Liscia, Alicia, and Kaede watched us, rolling their eyes.

"What're those two doing?" Liscia muttered.

"Well, perhaps you could call that a kind of manly friendship?" Aisha suggested.

"It's just Hal's burning sense of rivalry towards His Majesty, you know," said

Kaede.

The girls just said whatever they wanted to about us. Carla was the only one who

didn't know what our relationship was like, so she just stood there blinking.

"That man... He's a little too friendly with the king, isn't he?" she asked.

"Officer Halbert has been given permission to treat him like a friend. Basically,

he's the same as us," Liscia explained to her.

Then Ludwin knelt before me and gave his report. "Sire, we have successfully

constructed and defended the fortress, as ordered."

"You have served me admirably," I said. "I will see to it that you and your troops

are duly rewarded for your effort after the war."

He addressed me in a formal tone, so I responded in kind. Seeing me suddenly

shift into that self-important tone, Hal and the others grinned, but I did my best to

ignore it. Time was precious right now.

"Ludwin, get the troops together and prepare to move out," I ordered.

"Yes, sir! Then, are we attacking Randel?"

"No... The battle here is already over."

"Huh? What do you..."

"I have a report!" The next moment, a soldier of the Forbidden Army was rushing

up to us.

He looked incredibly flustered. He came at us so fast that Aisha and Ludwin both

nearly drew their swords.

The soldier practically threw himself to the ground in prostration before me,

then raised his voice to say, "The white flag has risen over Randel! O-Our forces are

victorious!"

◇ ◇ ◇

Slightly before that, there was an uproar in Georg Carmine's castle over the

sudden surprise attack. There were many different rumors flying back and forth in

the castle.

Had Castor Vargas betrayed them?

Had the king and Castor Vargas been colluding behind the scenes?

No, wasn't the one who had plotted all this, in fact, Excel Walter, that capable

woman and veteran of many battles?

...That was how it went, with various theories bandied about, but no one guessed

the truth: that Souma had pulled a trick that had let him defeat the Air Force in a

single day.

The ones who made the most noise about these events were the ones who had

exhausted their personal troops in the battle against the fortress yesterday and who

had been removed from the front line today, the corrupt nobles who had been

resting in Randel Castle. As soon as they found out that the large explosion had been

due to an aerial bombardment by the Air Force, they rushed to the governmental

affairs office, where Georg Carmine was doing the work of governing despite the

ongoing situation.

"Duke Carmine! What are you doing, taking things so easily during this crisis?!"

one of them exclaimed.

"The Air Force has betrayed us! We must come up with a plan of action at once!"

"Give us your orders, please! What are we to do?"

As the nobles worked themselves into a frenzy and shouted all manner of verbal

abuse at him, Georg's wolf-headed lieutenant, Beowulf, who was here at this very

moment to report on the bombing, furrowed his brow in anger. He was about to

draw the sword at his hip to respond to the affront, but...

"Beowulf," Georg addressed him.

"Yes, sir!" He stood at attention.

Georg asked him in a calm tone, "What is the extent of the damage from the aerial

bombardment just now?"

"Sir," he said. "The bombardment on the castle only blasted away a portion of the

roof and towers. Fortunately, there were few casualties. However, we've lost every

one of the anti-air repeating bolt throwers on the castle walls. The soldiers assigned

to guard the walls are in a state of panic and confusion."

"I see..."

Georg showed no sign of a change in his expression at Beowulf's report, but the

nobles who were listening went ghastly pale. The loss of the anti-air repeating bolt

throwers meant the loss of any ability to oppose the wyvern cavalry. The Army now

had no means to stop the Air Force's bombardment. In other words, even if they

attempted to hold out inside the castle, they would be one-sidedly bombed to death.

Georg stroked the beard that had merged with his mane. "In short, everyone in

this castle is now their hostage."

"Yes, sir. That would appear to be the case."

When he heard Beowulf's response, the corners of Georg's mouth rose as he said,

"Then this battle is our loss."

He accepted his defeat so easily that the corrupt nobles did not understand what

he had said for a moment.

They had lost.

The moment they managed to process that, their faces all turned red or blue and

they rounded on Georg.

"Wh-What are you saying, Duke Carmine?! We've not lost yet!"

"Indeed! The army is still practically unharmed! There is ample opportunity to

turn things around!"

"If we have no anti-air repeating bolt throwers, we need only retreat to a city that

has them! Let's plan our comeback and face the king and the Forbidden Army there!"

"...You would have me abandon Randel?" Georg said with a tone of exasperation

as he looked at the nobles who were saying they would resist to the last. "What is a

ruler if he casts aside his subjects? If a lord flees and deserts his people, surely the

people of another city will never accept him."

"What are you saying?!" one of the nobles exclaimed. "Subjects are those who

have no choice but to obey the victor! Even if they're discontented for a time, so long

as you win in the end, they will yield to you on their own!"

"Indeed! Platitudes are only worth something if we live! First, we must think of a

way to survive!" another cried.

As he listened to the nobles who, even now, were only concerned with their own

well-being, Georg let out a sigh.

"In the end, the only ones you fear for are yourselves. Ah, but now I recall, you

people were like that from the beginning. Honestly... in the short time since we last

fought a foreign enemy, I never would have expected our roots to rot so badly. As I

thought, in order for the new buds to flourish, first the rotting leaves and branches

must be cleared away."

"Duke Carmine? What are you saying...?"

The nobles were bewildered by the sudden change in Georg's demeanor.

Georg paid them no heed, ordering his lieutenant, "Beowulf. Do it as we planned."

"...Yes, sir," Beowulf said.

When Beowulf raised his right hand, suddenly soldiers rushed into the room,

swords drawn, and surrounded the nobles. With twenty to thirty soldiers holding

them at sword point, the nobles who were unable to move finally realized they'd

been deceived by Georg. They were stripped of their weapons and forced into slave

collars one after another.

"What is the meaning of this, Duke Carmine?!" one of them exclaimed.

"You wouldn't, Duke Carmine! Do you mean to turn over our heads to beg the

king to spare your own?!" another one screamed.

"Th-This isn't fair!" a third one shouted.

"Curse you! This is dirty, Georg Carmine!"

When he heard the nobles still talking like that, Georg sighed once more in

disappointment. "I take offense at the suggestion that I am anything like you people.

...Take them away."

The bound nobles were led out of the room by the soldiers.

Some tried to resist, but having already been forced into slave collars, their

master Beowulf merely willed for the collars to constrict, knocking them

unconscious.

Even once the door was closed and they were out of sight, they could still be

heard cursing Georg foully from the corridor. After a little while, those voices faded

and at last Georg returned to his seat. Then, exhaling deeply, he asked Beowulf a

question.

"What has become of their personal troops and the Zemish mercenaries?"

"Sir, they are being detained by our forces as we speak."

Hearing Beowulf's response, Georg nodded in satisfaction. Then, as if casting off

the stern mask he had worn all this time, a gentle smile came to his face.

"I have done as I sought to. Now, I have no regrets in this world."

In contrast to Georg, who looked bright and cheerful, Beowulf bore a look of

agony.

When he thought of what he had to do now, it must have weighed on him heavily.

Georg understood how Beowulf felt, so he gave the order as calmly as he could.

"Now then, Beowulf. Could I ask that you do the same for me?"

"...Yes, sir." He showed a moment's hesitation, but Beowulf wrapped a slave collar

around Georg's neck, as well.

Even though he was receiving a death collar that would force him into absolute

subservience to his new master, Georg wore a calm expression, like he might when

asking his wife to adjust the fancy bow-tie he intended to wear to a wedding

reception. With the slave collar wrapped around his neck, Georg now gave his final

order as General of the Army.

"Dispatch a messenger to deliver our surrender to the Forbidden Army and place

yourself at His Majesty's command. All of the men and officers, with the exception of

the corrupt nobles and their troops, acted only under my orders. I bear

responsibility for all their crimes. From here on... I leave things to you and Glaive. Do

I make myself understood?"

"...Yes, sir. I will do so at once." Beowulf saluted him and left the room.

After watching him go, Georg opened the bottom drawer of the office desk.

Inside was a bottle of wine from the year Princess Liscia had been born. It had

been given to him by the former king, Albert, with the request, "No matter what

should happen, I want you to protect my daughter." He had held onto it dearly ever

since that day.

After Liscia's graduation from the officers' academy, during the time when he had

kept her at his side, he had often told her, "On the day of your wedding, I intend to

drink myself into a stupor with this wine" with a laugh.

Her marriage... huh, he thought. Not being able to see the princess on her wedding

day is my one regret, but if I think of this as the greatest wedding gift anyone could

offer, it doesn't feel so bad. As for this wine... I will have to ask someone to see that it

makes its way to that young king. Though, as he is the man who stole the princess from

me, I am somewhat loath to do it.

With a self-mocking laugh, he imagined Souma and Liscia standing next to each

other on their wedding day.

Will the king himself enter this castle, I wonder? I would dearly like to meet him in

person and to talk just once.

That was Georg's wish, but what came instead was a messenger.

"Reporting! King Souma did not enter Randel and has already departed leading

the Forbidden Army to the west!"

...was what his report said.

Then, right after that, he also reported that orders had arrived saying, "Once the

army is reorganized under Beowulf and Glaive Magna, they are to follow after the

Forbidden Army at once."

When he received that report, Georg's eyes went wide for a moment.

"If you are to be a great tree blocking my path, I will step over you."

He recalled Souma's face when the young king had said those words. And so,

Georg understood at once. "Gya ha ha! I see, so that was it! The king was looking to

land a big fish of his own!"

Suddenly understanding everything, he let out a hearty laugh.

"I see! I've been used as a stepping stone! Was this the king's plan? Or was it the

Black-robed Prime Minister? Regardless, it was brilliant, young ones! This is the

dawn of a new generation! My time has now ended. Now, my king, my princess!

Hand in hand, step over this old tree and be on your way! Glory to the new buds, and

glory to Elfrieden!"

As he witnessed the end of his own era, Georg blessed it with all his heart.

"Sacrifice the Plum Tree to Preserve the Peach Tree."

That was the stratagem that Georg had followed, achieving the greater victory by

sacrificing himself.

◇ ◇ ◇

Let's sort out the details of the battle up until this point.

First, this series of battles began when the three dukes opposed the former king's

abdication, choosing not to swear loyalty to me. Ever since I had been given the

throne, the three dukes had been secluding themselves in their duchies along with

the armies they controlled.

The three dukes had been uncooperative during the period when I was gathering

personnel and desperately trying to get this country back on its feet. Then, a number

of nobles that I was having investigated for corruption as part of my reconstruction

of the economy fled. When they took refuge in Carmine's Duchy, that was one event

that pushed us into a more definite state of opposition.

Then, when I had issued an ultimatum the other day, things had finally developed

to the point where the king and the three dukes were in open conflict.

However, one of the three dukes, Admiral of the Navy, Excel Walter, swore her

loyalty to me when issued the ultimatum. This prevented the Forbidden Army and

the Navy from coming into conflict.

After that, Georg, who rejected my ultimatum, and Castor, who was prepared to

martyr himself for his friendship with Georg, raised the flag of rebellion against me.

This was what had caused this current war... Well, anyway, that was the scenario

that not only my people, but also the Principality of Amidonia believed.

—However, this scenario only appeared that way on the surface. The true state of

affairs was completely different.

First, people thought that Excel had sworn her loyalty to me when I issued the

ultimatum, but, in fact, she had done so before that. Excel had sent her

granddaughter Juna to be at my side in order to judge whether I had what it took to

be king. When she received reports back from Juna saying that I did, she swore her

loyalty to me and we used Juna as an intermediary between us.

However, in order to monitor Georg, who had been making some disquieting

moves, as well as to attempt to persuade Castor, we concealed that fact, and she

continued to work alongside the other two dukes for a time.

Next, the reason this conflict had broken out was also different.

The plan Hakuya and I had been working on was something entirely different,

and we hadn't been thinking about subjugating the three dukes at all.

When Liscia told me what sort of person Georg was, I thought he was the kind of

guy who would listen to reason. Even with Castor, I knew he had a short temper, but

if Excel and Georg both worked to persuade him, I had thought he would reluctantly

comply.

However, because Georg sheltered the corrupt nobles, my plans were all thrown

off course.

That said, neither Hakuya nor I had seen the corrupt nobles as being of any great

consequence. They had already been driven from their positions. If we sealed the

border and could just seize their assets, I didn't care where they went after that.

However, Georg kept those nobles close at hand, adding their forces to his own.

At first, when I'd seen he was acting so differently from what Liscia had told me

about him, I had been indignant.

That was when Glaive Magna, who said he had left the Army, had appeared

before me.

◇ ◇ ◇

Technically, he had come to me in order to apologize for Hal's rudeness in town,

but even if not for that, I'm sure he would have appeared before us. Glaive had been

entrusted with a certain secret mission by Georg.

Once he finished apologizing for Hal's impropriety, he began by saying, "Now

then, sire. I realize this is incredibly rude, but I have come to tell you something."

When I asked him what it was, he said, "Well... it is something best not heard by

many people..." and he asked me to clear the room.

I had Liscia, Aisha, Hakuya, Hal, and Kaede remain, and dismissed everyone else.

Once I did that, Glaive finally began to speak about Georg's plan.

"Duke Carmine intends to gather all of the corrupt nobles in one place, launch a

rebellion with them, then have Your Majesty put it down."

This was to catch all of the corrupt nobles in one fell swoop, because they would

be dangerous if left lurking around. Georg took a position of clear opposition to me,

drawing these destabilizing elements to himself like moths to a flame.

Then he had Glaive and his people, the ones he trusted the most in the Army,

break away due to "distrust over his having sheltered corrupt nobles." They would

join the Forbidden Army so that there would be people left who could reorganize the

Army after the war. After that, he would reject an ultimatum from me, and once the

destabilizing elements had gathered, he would take things onto the battlefield. His

plan was to have the nobles captured along with him.

The Army were powerful enemies with 40,000 troops, but if the Forbidden Army,

Air Force, and Navy all worked together, they could easily put them down.

In fact, even in this recent battle with the Army, all it took was destroying their

anti-air repeating bolt throwers with a surprise attack by the Air Force to set the

stage for a surrender. Then, at the same time as he surrendered, Georg's retainers

would detain the nobles and their personal armies, which included Zemish

mercenaries.

That was Georg's plan.

When I heard the plan from Glaive, I found myself shouting in anger without

intending to. "What the hell?! Who ever asked him to do that?!"

"Your anger is understandable, but... this was Duke Carmine's own idea." Even as

Glaive bowed his head, it seemed he had no intent of yielding.

"Why would he do that?! The corrupt nobles have already been dismissed. We've

already seized their assets, too. Just let those cockroaches go!" I shouted.

"If you ask Duke Carmine, he feels that's being naive." Glaive raised his voice in

anger, but then controlled himself. As a retainer, he couldn't get into a shouting

match with his king.

When I saw that, I cooled my head, too. "...What's naive about it?"

"Sire, when grain rots, the rot spreads to nearby grain. The problem with nobles

is their wide connections. In order to preserve their influence, they repeatedly

marry off their daughters to create new relatives. Most likely, if you only put them

on trial for something minor like corruption, other houses will intervene to prevent

it. Furthermore, even if they lose their own houses, it's possible they will all seek

protection from another house where they have relatives. As such, it is necessary to

knock them down all the way to being traitors against the state."

I fell silent.

I understood what Glaive wanted to say.

In order to bring judgment upon those corrupt nobles with all their ties, I would

have to make them commit a crime that would cause their families to be held

accountable. Then, fearing that they might be caught up in it as well, the other nobles

would cut ties with them of their own accord.

It sounded like it made sense. It sounded like it, but...

"...Do we really need to go that far?"

"Yes," he said. "There is one more reason."

"What, there's still more...?"

"You say you've seized their assets, sire, but you've only taken what was visible,"

he said. "These shady sorts have money and influence in places where people won't

notice. In fact, the nobles who've already come to the Carmine Duchy have been

using that dark money to hire Zemish mercenaries. I believe this is proof you have

yet to take everything from them."

When he pointed that out, I pressed my palm to my forehead.

Of course. I had been staring at ledgers and deluding myself into thinking that I

knew where the funds had gone from that alone. It had slipped my mind that it was

possible to accumulate wealth in ways that wouldn't show up on the books.

When I looked to Hakuya, he had a similar expression on his face.

For me, who never had anything to do with nobles before this, and for Hakuya,

who had been a recluse until just recently, we hadn't fully appreciated how

scheming nobles could be.

At times like this, I was reminded that I still lacked enough capable people.

"Does Georg intend to make the nobles use up that dark money?" I asked. "Even if

he does, the money will just go to Zem for sending the mercenaries..."

That was when I realized the way to shake down Zem and reclaim the funds that

flowed into their coffers.

"Ransom money!"

"Yes," Glaive said. "At the same time as we capture the corrupt nobles, we will

also capture all the Zemish mercenaries they hire."

Like in Japan during the Sengoku Period, there was a system in place for soldiers

who were taken prisoner to be released in exchange for a ransom. Ransoms went up

depending on a person's status, and if no one would pay the ransom, that captive

would be sold as a slave. In most cases, those of low status would be released in

large groups when their country paid a lump sum, but those of greater status would

have their ransoms paid by the members of their house. There had been many

instances where a house with limited ability to pay fell to ruin as a result.

"Georg intends to have the nobles use their dark money to hire mercenaries from

Zem, and then he'll recoup the money from Zem by making them pay ransom for

their captured mercenaries?" I asked.

"That is correct."

The mercenaries Zem sent wouldn't be anyone of high status, but the amount

they would have to pay as a lump sum would be considerable.

Honestly... it was a well thought out plan. That made this all the more irritating.

"Why do I have to waste a man who can think things through this well?" I

protested bitterly. "I'm already short-staffed as it is, so if he's that determined to

help, he should just help me normally!"

"Please understand, sire," Glaive said, looking me straight in the eye. "Duke

Carmine has entrusted you with the future."

I gulped. "...How could he believe in me so strongly? We've never even met

before."

"That, I do not know. When you meet Duke Carmine for yourself, I suggest you

ask him."

I fell silent.

◇ ◇ ◇

At that time, there had been no answer, but later, when issuing the ultimatum, I

had tried to subtly ask Georg what his motivations were.

"What is it that drove you to this?"

To my question, Georg had answered, "My pride as a warrior."

He'd continued, "Being more than fifty years of age, my body will only grow

weaker from here, but now I have been given the greatest of opportunities. I will

decide the fate of Elfrieden with my own talents. Once in his lifetime, it is every

warrior's wish to accomplish something that will be remembered by later

generations."

Depending how you interpreted them, those words sounded like something an

usurper setting out on the gamble of a lifetime might say. However, the fact of the

matter was, he had been declaring that he was ready to give his life for this country.

To decide the fate of Elfrieden with his own talents and to accomplish something

that would be remembered by later generations... That was why he'd had to destroy

the corrupt nobles, even if he had to sacrifice himself to do it.

I didn't know if those words were the truth. However, I could tell that his resolve

was unshakable. Liscia's steadfastness may have come from this man, her teacher.

Let's get back on topic.

The information brought to us by Glaive had been tucked away inside the hearts

of all those present. There had been six people present: myself, Liscia, Hakuya, Aisha,

Kaede, and Hal. If word of this had leaked out by some chance, the whole plan could

have come undone.

That was why we couldn't communicate this plan to Excel, who was already

cooperating with us, or even to Ludwin, the commander-in-chief of the Forbidden

Army. Because of that, Excel remained suspicious of Georg, and there was another

miscalculation made.

Castor's rebellion.

Because the plan had advanced in absolute secrecy, Castor harbored doubts

about me, and so his Air Force ended up siding with Georg. For us, and for Georg,

this event was completely outside our predictions. No matter how simple Castor

might be, it hadn't occurred to me that he would side with Georg when Georg was

acting in such a blatantly suspicious manner.

I had never once thought that he would take only one hundred of his personal

troops and throw his lot in with Georg, ready to martyr himself for their friendship.

Thanks to that, the battle at Red Dragon City had been a completely ad-libbed

etude, one not found in Georg's script. While it was fine, since we'd won, it was a

situation that could have turned the entire script into improv theater.

Perhaps Excel might have been able to foresee that Castor would act like this.

However, because we'd been keeping Georg's plan a secret from Excel, there had

been no way to consult her. Looking at the results, my failure to use the people I had

available to me had caused the situation to become confused, so I probably had a lot

to reflect on here.

Well, it was a battle with many twists and turns, but somehow I think we

managed to play Georg's script out to the end. Finally, the curtain could fall on the

stage for Georg's script.

Now, this was where it would start. Finally, we could get to the main event.

Hakuya and I would be the scriptwriters for this new stage about to start. We

took the long route to get here because of Georg, but, finally, we were now able to

raise the curtains on our stage.

"Now, let the subjugation begin."

That was what I had declared.

Subjugation is a word used to describe putting down a revolt in one's own

country, but, more broadly, it can also refer to the suppression of a hostile foreign

power.

Here, I would like you to remember one thing. Amidonia was invading from the

southwest because of their correspondence with Georg, and it had been timed to

coincide with his rising up.

However, Georg himself was only focused on domestic matters.

Of course, that meant he was never connected to Amidonia to begin with. Now

then, who, I wonder, was it that assumed Georg's name and sent those letters to

Gaius VIII?

—Now, let the true subjugation begin.