Chapter 9: The Final Battle

It seems that in later years, many dramatizations of this era have depicted Souma

Kazuya as a wise and courageous ruler. They depict him as a ruler who took to the

battlefield, as slaying many powerful opponents in single combat, as having

confounded enemy armies with his ingenuity, and as having brought happiness to

the people with his excellent policies.

However, the historians dispute that appraisal of him.

To begin with, in all his life, Souma only fought enough foreign wars to be

counted on one hand. He had very few opportunities to show that sort of military

prowess. Nearly all of the achievements he is remembered for were actually

accomplished by those who served under him.

As for the ingenuity that let him toy with his enemies, there is no proof that he

came up with any of those ideas himself. In the era in which he lived, there were

many people, foremost among them being the prime minister, Hakuya, who were

masters of such ingenuity, so Souma may only have been implementing the best

plans offered by such people.

Certainly, he had many excellent policies, but it is questionable whether he led all

of his people to happiness.

From time to time, there were signs that Souma's position caused him suffering.

If all of his policies had been having their intended effects, he likely wouldn't have

suffered so. Thus, Souma's abilities were not so great as the dramatizations depict.

That was the consensus reached by historians.

...However.

Even with that said, there are few who claim Souma was not a great ruler.

Another point of consensus among historians is that "Souma was good at

gathering people and using them well." Souma had no great abilities himself, but he

was a genius in how he placed capable people where they were needed, and could

deploy the necessary number of troops to where they were required.

The event that first spread Souma's name across the continent, his victory in the

war with the Principality of Amidonia, was largely a result of this gift. He had a firm

grasp of what he was and was not capable of, and was able to delegate the things he

couldn't do himself to others.

It could be that this is the most important quality for a ruler.

◇ ◇ ◇

"They're more stubborn than I expected..."

As I watched the battle develop from the main camp of the Elfrieden Kingdom's

army, I was surprised by how good a fight the forces of the principality of Amidonia

were putting up.

It was 55,000 kingdom soldiers in high spirits vs. 25,000 exhausted principality

soldiers. The outcome should have been apparent to anyone, but the forces of the

principality were holding out well. No, maybe it was that our forces weren't fully

able to attack.

First, the kingdom's and principality's wyverns were dogfighting in the skies

above. Because they hadn't been hit by the ambush at Goldoa Valley, the Principality

of Amidonia's wyvern unit was the most energetic unit in the principality's army.

There were fewer than 500 knights, but if they stayed on the defensive, even the

Elfrieden Wyvern Cavalry, who boasted twice their numbers, would struggle to

attack them. If we could seize air supremacy, that would decide the outcome of the

battle, but it didn't look like that would happen for a while.

In the end, the battle had been left for the forces on the ground to decide.

The kingdom's army had deployed in the crane wing formation. In the center was

the Royal Guard led by Ludwin, plus a total of 20,000 troops, including 10,000 from

the troops that reported directly to me in the Forbidden Army and 10,000 from the

Army. In the left wing there were roughly 15,000 Army troops led by Glaive (Halbert

and Kaede were in this unit as well). Lastly, in the right wing there was a force of

roughly 15,000 troops led by Liscia which consisted of Army troops and auxiliaries

from the dark elf village.

I wanted Liscia to stay in the main camp, but she said, "This is the final battle. Let

me do what I can, too," and forced me to let her have her way.

Partly because she was currently the only person who could still keep the

confused forces of the Army together, I hesitantly accepted it.

She had been something like an idol during her time with the Army, after all.

Thanks to Georg's training, there was also no issue with her ability to command

troops. I made the decision figuring that she would meet little resistance.

I did, at least, send Aisha with her as a bodyguard, though. She was a princess,

after all, and I didn't want her being too reckless.

Anyway, since I was in the main camp, to the rear of the central force led by

Ludwin, the only person I had to talk to was Carla, who I was keeping close at hand

as a hostage.

While Carla was a hostage, her hands and feet weren't bound with chains. She

was wearing a slave collar, so it would strangle her the moment she attempted to

flee or harm her master. It was supposedly safe leaving her like this. It seemed to me

that if she just seized a sword from one of the guards or stabbed me with those

sharp claws of hers, she could kill me pretty easily, but... I guess that was just how

the collar worked. Then again, Carla didn't seem to have any intention of harming

me anymore.

I tried talking to her. "So, what do you think? I thought they'd break more easily."

"...No one goes to war wanting to lose," she said. "They'll desperately try to avoid

defeat."

"Yeah, I guess they would."

Maybe Carla had gotten bored just standing by my side, because she responded

surprisingly easily. As a former commander of the Air Force, she must have had a

better grasp of the situation than I did.

They're being stubborn because of their inferior numbers, huh. That could be a little

troublesome, I thought.

"Our left and right wings, which is to say the units under Liscia and Glaive, don't

look like they're moving that much," I said. "If they were a bit more proactive about

encircling them, don't you think they could wipe them out?"

"...If you think that, why not send a messenger on a fast horse with that order?"

asked Carla.

With the tone she used, it was like she was asking "Is that your final answer?" It

made me stop to think about it a little. However, I couldn't come to any conclusions.

"...I don't know," I said. "My knowledge of war is purely theoretical, so Liscia

should know far more about commanding troops than I do. Rather than open my

mouth when I shouldn't, I'd better leave the decision-making to those in the field."

Carla laughed a little. "Ha ha ha. That's probably a good idea."

It looked like that was the right answer.

"Carla, do you know the reason?" I asked. "Care to fill me in?"

"It's the number of troops the enemy has," she said.

"The number of troops?"

Carla pointed towards the battlefield. "I only know what I've heard from listening

in, but those are the 30,000 troops that laid siege to Altomura, right? They were

ambushed while they were withdrawing, too."

"Yeah, that's right."

"It doesn't look like their numbers have decreased that much, considering all

that's happened."

"Hm? Now that you mention it..."

With such a large force, it was hard to tell anything at a glance, but they looked to

be about half the size of our own force, which had 55,000 troops. I guessed they had

around 25,000 troops.

It was true that, considering that they'd been ambushed by Juna's marines in

Goldoa Valley, it didn't look like they had taken many losses.

"Did the ambush not achieve anything?" I wondered.

"No, from what I see on the battlefield, there are varying levels of morale in the

different units of the principality's army. They likely made up the troops they lost to

the ambush by taking in conscripts from cities along their route here. That would be

why some of them appear to have low morale."

"I see..."

Countries in this world generally had standing armies.

In a world where there are giant animals that, from a person back on Earth's

perspective, might as well be monsters running rampant, it was necessary to have

troops that could be mobilized at any time. In Elfrieden, the Army, Navy, Air Force

and the troops that were under my direct control in the Forbidden Army were

standing troops. Of course, in times of need, levies could be raised from the common

people. In our case, most of the personal armies of nobles other than the three dukes

were made up of levied troops.

After the war, I planned to create a unified army which would incorporate the

various nobles' forces as well, but I intended to release the people from military

service and have them return to their towns. Right now, raising productivity was a

more urgent concern than a decline in military power.

Naturally, the army the principality used to invade us would also be made up of a

combination of standing troops and levied troops. They must have raised all the

levies they could by now.

So, after the ambush, the levies they'd raised must have come from those they

couldn't have conscripted before.

For instance, they might be the elderly, the feeble, or even adventurers who had

happened to be in their domain. (The adventurers' guild offered a contract that

allowed countries to conscript all adventurers who were in their territory in a time

of crisis. In return, the country needed to pay a fixed sum to the guild every month,

so I had already terminated that contract.)

Carla was pointing out that they couldn't have high morale if that was the case.

"If you leave people like that alone, they'll eventually break on their own," she

said. "On the other hand, if you encircled them, it would risk causing them to unite as

one. That's why both Liscia and Glaive are waiting for them to break ranks and flee."

"I see," I said. "So I was right to let my field commanders make the decision."

I realized that, in a situation like this, rather than pretending to know what I was

doing and making pronouncements from on high, it was better to trust the people in

the field and leave it to them. I had capable people out there, after all.

"I'm just a figurehead, so I should stay back in the main camp, twiddling my

thumbs," I said.

"I think that's a problem in its own way..." said Carla. "You are the king, aren't

you?"

"There's only work for a king before and after the war," I said. "Other than that,

well... If it comes to it, maybe I can offer up my own head and beg them to spare the

lives of my troops and commanders."

When I said that, Carla's eyes went wide. She looked at me as if she was seeing

something completely unbelievable.

Huh? Why was she looking at me like that?

"Did I say something strange?" I asked.

"You... Aren't you afraid to die?" Carla demanded.

What was she talking about?

"Of course I'm scared to die. I'm not suicidal."

"Still, just now, you said you'd offer your head up if it came to that, didn't you?"

she asked. "Have you already accepted that?"

"Huh? Ah... I guess I did. That's weird..."

Carla was right. Now that she mentioned it... it was weird.

Why had I said I'd offer my head up like it was completely natural?

I knew it was something expected of a king. Power was concentrated in my hands

as the representative of this country, so I had to bear just as much responsibility.

That was what it meant to be king.

But why did it feel "natural" for me to do it?

I mean, I'd always been... a bit of a coward, hadn't I? I valued my life, didn't I? I'd

taken the throne and worked so hard at internal affairs in order to avoid being

handed over to the Empire, hadn't I?

—When had I stopped holding my life dear?

Carla looked at me anxiously. "A-Are you all right? Are you feeling unwell?"

I was silent.

Unwell... that's not quite right. Broken...

There was something broken about me as a person.

Yeah. That made a strange amount of sense.

Only now that it had been pointed out did I notice that my current mental state

was messed up.

I felt that I had been taking life too lightly. My own life, and the lives of others.

That was how I was able to do simple arithmetic with people's lives. I had been

subtracting the lives saved from the lives lost, and choosing any option where the

sum was a positive number.

As if I were a system that handled that sort of computation.

That was when the words I'd once said to Liscia crossed my mind.

"Even if I don't want to do it, I have to. Because I'm the king now."

Oh... I see. So that's how it is...

"At some point, I became a king..." I murmured.

"What's this all of a sudden? You've been a king all this time."

Carla didn't seem to understand what I was saying, but it made sense to me now.

"I was just going along with events as they happened," I said. "At some point...

without noticing it myself, I began to act as a system of the state which we call a

'king.' ...By telling myself it was part of my programming, I became able to always

choose the 'best' option."

"System? Programming? Hey, what are you even talking about?!" Carla shouted.

All I could do was give a self-deprecating laugh. "Carla, I may be a 'fake.'"

"Wha?!"

"After all... If I can't get into the role of king, I can't send soldiers off to the

battlefield," I said.

I was a coward. I didn't want to be hurt or killed myself. I didn't want to see

others hurt or killed, either.

For someone like me to go to war as a king, I had to fully embrace my role as a

system of the state.

By telling myself this was what a king did, I had been able to suppress my own

will and do what needed to be done. If I hadn't... I felt like I'd have been crushed

under the weight of all the lives that might be lost because of my decisions. When I

saw how far I had taken that, I could only laugh scornfully at myself.

"Man... I can't laugh at the former king now, huh," I said. "If I had a viable

replacement, I'd want to give up right now."

"...What good can come from letting me hear you in a moment of weakness like

this?" she asked incredulously.

"You've got it backwards," I said. "Do you think I could let Liscia and the others

hear me talk like this?"

For Liscia, who'd told me she wanted me to be king; for Aisha, who served me as

king; and for Juna, Hakuya, Poncho, Tomoe, and all the rest, I could never let them

hear me like this. Especially since Liscia, being the serious person she was, seemed

to feel responsible for the fact that her father had pushed the throne onto me.

"Because you've fought against me, I'm able to let you hear," I said.

"...That doesn't make me happy at all."

Then it happened. It happened as we were talking. I noticed there had been a

change on the battlefield.

◇ ◇ ◇

On that battlefield, where a pitched battle was still being fought, the principality's

army suddenly began to crumble.

Members of the force that had fought hard to resist the attacks of the

numerically-superior army of the kingdom up until this point began to flee. The first

to run were those who had been hurriedly pressed into service in the time between

when the force had left Goldoa Valley and their arrival at the plains.

The Principality of Amidonia had mandatory military service for all men once

they reached a certain age, so they were combat trained, but these were people who

ordinarily lived as civilians. If they were suddenly sent into a disadvantageous

battle, their morale wasn't going to be great.

Eventually, soldiers started fleeing towards the southern side where the

encirclement wasn't yet complete.

The Amidonians cut down fleeing soldiers in an attempt to keep the others

fighting, but there were close to 10,000 of these levied troops, so it was little help.

However, the more of them that tried to flee, the more their lines were thrown

into disorder, and that ended up disturbing their ability to function as a unit.

Elfrieden did not miss this chance to attack.

"Hal, it's time, you know!" Kaede shouted.

"I've been waiting for this!" he called back. "Let go get 'em, you louts!"

"""Yeahhhhh!"""

In the left wing of the kingdom's army, Halbert charged forward with his troops

to complete their encirclement of the enemy. In this battle, Halbert was leading

somewhere between ten to twenty men from the Army and fighting as a platoon

commander under Kaede's command. He rode no horse, spinning his two halberds

around and knocking his confused enemies flying. The Amidonian general noticed

what was happening and shouted from up on horseback. "Don't let them encircle us!

Use indirect fire to stop the enemy's left wing!"

In the next moment, a hail of arrows and magic flew from the principality's army

towards Halbert and his unit.

"Earth Wall!" Kaede shouted.

This summoned a wall of earth that was nearly one hundred meters long and

three meters high which narrowly saved Halbert's unit.

That must have surprised the forces of the principality. There couldn't have been

more than five mages on the entire continent who could conjure such an impressive

wall of earth in an instant. Kaede may have had a timid personality, but she was a

genius when it came to her quick thinking and earth magic.

Halbert pressed his back up against the wall of earth for cover, then gave an

order to his men who were doing the same. "We can't let Kaede hog all the glory!

We're going for some payback!"

"""Yeah!"""

This time it was Halbert and his platoon firing arrows and magic over the earth

wall at the principality's army. Halbert threw one of the fire spears he had shown off

in the battle near Randel against the Zemish mercenaries.

The principality's forces were on an attack footing, so they were unable to

prepare themselves in time. They were shot full of arrows or scorched, and their

formation was thrown into chaos.

Seeing this chance, Halbert leapt out. "Now's our chance, while they're in

disarray! Charge in!"

Meanwhile, in the disorderly chaos of the principality's forces, their general was

trying to restore calm. "Men, don't fall into disarray! If we break ranks, we'll give the

enemy exactly what they want!"

He frantically tried to encourage his troops, but the chaos showed no signs of

abating. Growing impatient, the general rode up to one of his panicking soldiers and

suddenly lopped the man's head off.

"Shut up! If you'll not calm yourselves, I'll behead you like I did this fool!" he

bellowed.

"No, you shut up," a voice said.

"What?!" the general shouted.

By the time the general noticed him, it was already too late. Halbert was in front

of him with his arms crossed.

When Halbert uncrossed his arms, the blades of his two halberds acted like a pair

of scissors, catching the general's torso and cutting him into pieces.

The upper torso of the now ex-general thudded to the ground.

The sight of blood spurting from the still-standing, headless horse and the now

torso-less rider in its saddle robbed the soldiers of their will to fight in an instant.

Halbert flicked the clotted blood away from his two halberds with a flash, and

then he roared, "Forbidden Army Officer Halbert Magna has slain an enemy general!

Now, which of you wants to die next?!"

With blood dripping from the halberds in each of his hands, he must have looked

like some horrific monster.

Today, Halbert was fired up to compete with Souma and Kaede, who were both

around the same age as him. Souma had assembled this massive army, while Kaede

was supporting Ludwin with her strategic ingenuity.

I'm not gonna let them get any further ahead of me! That was the feeling that

drove Halbert now.

When they saw Halbert with such intensity, the Amidonian soldiers reacted as if

they'd run into an ogre in the darkness. They scrambled to retreat, thinking, There's

no way we can fight that thing!

One soldier of the principality, who saw Halbert at this time and narrowly

survived the battle, later told the story like this:

"Back then, I was sure I would die. He was still a young man, but even fierce,

veteran warriors didn't want to face him. When I later heard that was 'Hal the Red

Ogre,' it made a strange amount of sense. Honestly... I'm amazed I survived..."

It would be fair to say that for "Hal the Red Ogre," who would in later years be

used in stories as a representative of Souma's followers, his legend began with this

battle.

His style of standing at the front, leading his subordinates forward in a charge,

would remain unchanged even when he was given command of a full army. Souma

would warn him time and again that it wasn't how a leader should behave, but

Halbert would say, "This way suits me better," and never listen.

In fact, because he would always manage to survive, and to get results, Souma

wouldn't be able to say anything more than that. It would end up causing Kaede a

great deal of worry, but that is a story for another time.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Hahhhhhhhhh!"

Meanwhile, in the right wing of the kingdom's army, Liscia let out a battle cry.

While acting as the commander of the right wing, she also rode around on

horseback herself, moving up quite close to the front line.

Each time Liscia thrust her rapier out towards the enemy, blades of ice formed in

the air and tore apart the Amidonian soldiers. Her form as she did so made her look

like a valkyrie. It even had a certain beauty.

But on the other hand, Liscia seemed to be acting in haste, as if the blood had

rushed to her head. She gave the impression of having lost her calm.

Of course, if she stood out so much, the enemy were going to target her.

"Don't falter! Surround her and take her head!" an enemy unit commander

ordered.

Enemy soldiers swarmed towards Liscia.

No matter how incredibly brave Liscia was, she was at a numerical disadvantage.

If she let herself be surrounded by spearmen, she wouldn't be able to break away

using the horse's superior mobility.

The enemy's spears closed in on Liscia. Then, "Princess! Why, yoooou! Get away

from her!"

Arriving just in the nick of time, Aisha knocked away the enemy soldiers

swarming around her with a full swing of her great sword.

Aisha had been assigned to guard Liscia, but her great sword wasn't meant to be

swung around on horseback, and she had fallen behind because she was on foot.

Once Aisha had wiped out the nearby enemies with a slash of her great sword

and a blast of wind, she ran up beside Liscia's horse with tears in her eyes.

"Princess, please, don't be so recklesssssss!"

"...Sorry," Liscia said. "I lost my head there."

Seeing Aisha's pleading, tearful eyes brought Liscia to her senses. She put her

hand on Aisha's head, which was at thigh-level for her because she was on a horse.

"But I have to be a little reckless," Liscia said. "Because... I want to end this war

quickly."

"Princess?" Aisha tilted her head to the side, confused by the worried look on

Liscia's face.

While the forces of the principality were showing some stubbornness, the battle

was going in Elfrieden's favor. Soldiers were already starting to flee from the

Amidonian side, so if the kingdom's forces slowly encircled them, it wouldn't be long

before they emerged victorious. There was no need to rush that victory.

However, Liscia turned to Aisha with a pained look on her face. "Hey, Aisha. What

do you think of the way Souma's been lately?"

"What do you mean?" Aisha asked.

"He seems... like he's pushing himself too hard, don't you think?"

"Well... yes, I think you're right."

Even to Aisha's eyes, as one who offered her unwavering loyalty to Souma, his

expression lately had been frightening. No... she wasn't frightened of him, she was

frightened for him.

There was something fragile about him.

Of course, considering they were in the middle of a war now, it would have been

just as worrying to see a stupid grin on their ruler's face. Still, she couldn't help but

feel Souma was straining himself to act like a king. Aisha wanted Souma to be

smiling.

"Once this war ends... do you suppose His Majesty will smile again?" Aisha asked.

Liscia's eyes widened for a moment, then she smiled broadly. "We'll make it so he

can smile."

"Ah! Right you are!" Aisha raised her head, getting back into a fighting stance

with her great sword, then stood in front of Liscia. "However, princess, please, stand

back. If anything were to happen to you, His Majesty could never smile again."

"...Right," Liscia said. "I'll try to show more prudence."

"Leave the fighting to me!" Aisha cried.

"No, that I can't do. Aisha, you do know that if anything were to happen to you,

Souma would never smile again, right?"

"...Do you think so?" Aisha asked.

"I do."

"You do?"

The two looked at one another and smiled. Then, a moment later, they wore the

faces of warriors.

"Then, princess, let us both take care of our lives."

"Yes," Liscia agreed. "Let's end this agonizing war together."

The two of them rushed across the battlefield.

◇ ◇ ◇

The battle between the armies of Elfrieden and Amidonia had reached a turning

point.

In the center of the principality's army, which was slowly being encircled, the

Sovereign Prince of Amidonia, Gaius VIII, had a grim look on his face.

His initial plan to ambush the kingdom's army as they encircled Van, then catch

them in a pincer attack with the garrison troops, had gone up in flames. The forces of

the kingdom hadn't laid siege to Van. Instead they had waited on the plains for the

main force of his army to arrive.

The principality's army had been exhausted from marching and from the ambush

at Goldoa Valley, and they then had had to go into battle against the well-rested

army of the kingdom, which had had nearly twice as many soldiers.

The kingdom's army hadn't been aiming for the capital city Van, but for the main

force of the principality's army, or to be even more specific, for Gaius VIII's head.

That was a fact that made Gaius VIII gnash his teeth.

The forces of the principality had fought well at first, but they were exhausted,

and their quality had been watered down with fresh conscripts, so they couldn't

have hoped to hold out for long. Soldiers had already started to flee, and there was

no hope of regrouping.

At this point, Gaius made up his mind and called Julius back from commanding on

the front line.

When he returned to the main camp, Julius stood before Gaius filled with anger.

"Father! What have you suddenly called me back here for?! You know if I leave the

front line, Elfrieden may push through it!"

"...Julius." Gaius spoke to Julius with a thoroughly calm demeanor. "Withdraw

from this battlefield."

"Wh-What are you saying? The war has only just begun..." Julius stammered.

"We've lost this war," Gaius said to his bewildered son in a self-mocking tone.

"The soldiers of my army are strong. They'll not be found lacking compared to the

kingdom's. However, in their exhausted state after our long march, it will be

impossible for us to overturn the difference in power between our forces. I will buy

time, so you cut a bloody swathe out of here while their encirclement is yet

incomplete and escape by yourself."

Gaius had accepted defeat.

When he realized that fact, Julius felt his legs begin to give out underneath him.

However, if he considered what Gaius was saying, he couldn't let himself collapse

here.

"No... If anyone should do that, it's you, Father!" Julius cried. "I will be the one to

buy time!"

"That is not possible," said Gaius.

"Why not?!"

"Because Elfrieden is aiming to take my head."

Having chosen this as the place he would die, Gaius VIII's mind was now more

clear than it had ever been before. It let him see Souma and Hakuya's aim.

"I am a constant irritant to Elfrieden," said Gaius. "Many of the nobles in their

country are beholden to us. By striking me down, they must hope to remove that

threat."

Julius fell silent.

"What's more, I am the flag bearer of the anti-kingdom faction in the

principality," Gaius went on. "The reason we can take a hard-line position against

the kingdom is that the hard-liners have been keeping the moderates down. But, if I

were to vanish, the moderates in the principality would gain momentum."

The difference in power between the Principality of Amidonia and the Elfrieden

Kingdom was clear. Be it territory, population, number of soldiers, or prosperity,

they lost in all respects.

On top of that, Amidonia shared borders with the Orthodox Papal State of

Lunaria, a theocracy to the north which had its own unique set of values; the

Republic of Turgis to the south, with its policy of northward expansionism; and the

mercenary state Zem, the neutral state that would dispatch troops anywhere for the

right price, to the west. There was no telling when those who were weak of heart

might cozy up to one of these other states in an attempt at self-preservation.

That was why, in order to keep Amidonia as Amidonia, Gaius had needed to keep

a lid on such things. Now Elfrieden was trying to remove him.

Julius's eyes went wide. "No... You mean to say Souma plotted all of this solely to

take your head, Father?! He even used his own land as bait?!"

"Be careful, Julius," said Gaius. "This new king is nothing like Albert."

Gaius no longer underestimated Souma because of his youth.

He continued, "That is why Elfrieden will never let me escape. If I attempt to

retreat, they will pursue me to the very depths of hell. Their only goal is to slay me,

after all."

Julius said nothing.

"That is why I will remain here, to show them the pride of Amidonia," Gaius

finished.

"Then I will stay with you!" Julius cried.

"You mustn't! If we lose you, too, what will become of the principality?!"

"We have Roroa," Julius said.

"Hmph... She's not good enough." Even though he was speaking about his own

daughter, Gaius spat the words out with distaste. "It takes a venomous snake to lead

Amidonia. A venomous snake that will one day sink its fangs into the kingdom and

strike her dead. Roroa may have the blood of a cunning snake, but she lacks venom."

Even as Julius trembled with fear at the madness his father was starting to

display, he asked, "Father, what is this 'venom' you speak of?"

"The burning desire for revenge against Elfrieden," snapped Gaius. "Even while

surrounded by powerful states, our Principality of Amidonia has maintained her

independence, developed her unproductive land, endured through hunger, dug

mines under harsh conditions, and preserved herself as a state solely because of our

drive for revenge against the kingdom. Our hatred for the kingdom which stole our

fertile lands from us has driven us to become ever stronger, ever more prosperous.

...Unfortunately, Roroa may have a gift for finance, but she lacks that drive for

revenge. The only one who has at least somewhat inherited my venom, Julius, is

you."

With those words, Gaius rose from his seat and placed his hands on Julius'

shoulders.

"That is why you must survive. You are the only one who can carry on my desire

for revenge and keep Amidonia as she ought to be."

"Father..." Julius was bewildered.

Did that venomous blood flow in his veins? Certainly, Julius saw the kingdom as

his sworn enemy. However, could he burn with the same passion he saw in Gaius?

While Julius was still nonplussed, Gaius said to him, "At this point, we can't afford

to worry about being made into a puppet state. You should seek the Empire's aid. If

you do, it should at least prevent the kingdom's annexation of Amidonia."

"But... Like you were saying before, will the Empire forgive us for going against

the Mankind Declaration?" asked Julius.

"Lay all of the blame for that on me," said Gaius. "The vengeful fiend of Amidonia

refused to heed even his own son's warnings and plotted to invade the kingdom

against the Empire's wishes. That is all there is to it."

Julius gulped. Gaius didn't only intend to die here, he meant to take all of the ill

repute for their actions onto himself. Even Julius, who was known for his coldness

and composure, felt his heart stirred by that. Though, at the same time, there was an

anger towards the kingdom in his eyes.

When he saw those eyes, Gaius nodded in satisfaction, then pushed Julius away

from him. "Go, Julius. You must never let the soul of Amidonia be erased."

"...Forgive me." Julius saluted, then turned on his heel and departed.

Even after watching his back until he was out of sight, Gaius stood there for a

while. He took a deep breath, and his expression changed.

He no longer felt haste or indecision. He drew the sword at his hip with the stern

expression of a warrior.

"Now, all that is left is to do my duty as a warrior and show them the spirit of

Amidonia."

◇ ◇ ◇

"...That looks like it could be bad," Carla, who was standing at my side, suddenly

said.

The principality's army was already showing decisive signs of defeat, with no

shortage of soldiers fleeing or surrendering. The soldiers near the main camp who

were still resisting were completely surrounded. It felt like all that was left was to

wait for them to be eliminated.

What about that could possibly look bad?

"What's the problem?" Souma asked.

"There's no sign of Gaius VIII fleeing," Carla replied. "He's chosen to die here."

"I have no intent of letting him escape, so isn't that convenient?"

"...The cowardly have fled, the weak have fallen, and, as a result, the elite are

gathering around Gaius as he continues to resist," she said. "If they were to form a

suicide squad, no ordinary man would be able to stop them. Especially since, once an

army's victory is assured, its soldiers hold their lives all the more dear."

When I looked at the battlefield after she pointed that out, I saw 40,000 soldiers

from my own army seemingly unable to eliminate the enemy's main force, which

must have already been reduced to less than 500 troops. No matter how many tens

of thousands of soldiers we had, only around three people at most could attack any

soldier at one point in time. If they were clustered together, that number was even

lower.

To say nothing of the fact that the enemy had accepted their deaths and were

now fearless while, as the victors, our people held their lives all the more dear.

There would be no rewards or glory if they died. That was why they couldn't

press the attack.

A cold chill ran down my spine. I knew historical examples of this.

For instance, in the Siege of Osaka, Yukimura Sanada had led 3,000 men into a

suicide attack which had broken through Tadanao Matsudaira's army of 13,000 and

nearly reached their supreme commander, Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Another example had been in China, after the Battle of Gaixia, when a pursuing

force of several thousand men sent out by the victorious Liu Bang had been defeated

multiple times by the defeated Xiang Yu and twenty-eight of his retainers.

When there was too great a difference in will to fight, the difference in number of

soldiers lost all meaning. An army without the will to fight could never win, no

matter how great its numbers.

...I'll bet that force is going to come straight for my head.

Honestly... I was scared. Sun Tzu had said never to fight a suicide squad.

However, even so, I couldn't let Gaius get away from here. If I did, all our

sacrifices would have been in vain.

But... if, by some chance... if the worst were to happen...

"Listen, Carla," I turned and spoke to Carla.

"What?"

"...We need to talk."

◇ ◇ ◇

"Seek only the head of the enemy king, Souma Kazuya!" Gaius VIII shouted from

up on horseback.

Gaius had gathered the five hundred knights who were his most elite retainers

around him. He was about to carry out a suicide charge towards Elfrieden's main

camp. The area around him was crowded with tens of thousands of enemies. It

would be a road to death filled with enemy soldiers, one from which he would never

return.

Even if they were successful in striking Souma down, it would only mean that the

king fell at the hands of common soldiers. However, their grudge against Elfrieden,

which had been passed from father to son for the past fifty years, had seeped into

the very marrow of his retainers' bones. They would not falter.

"Let us show Elfrieden the spirit and valor of the Amidonian people!" Gaius

shouted.

"""Yeahhhhhhh!"""

Hearing that war cry from his retainers, Gaius pointed his sword towards the

center of the kingdom's army and swung it down. "Chaaaaarge!"

The nearly five hundred knights of his elite cavalry raced towards the center of

the kingdom's army.

They put any soldier in their path to the sword, crushing both enemy and stillresisting ally alike under their hooves as they advanced with the force of a

windstorm. They were like a flame shining one last time before it was extinguished.

That was why they shone all the more powerfully.

"Gaius VIII?! Has he gone mad?!" Ludwin, who was defending the center, looked

at that rampaging group from up on his white horse with a look of obvious distaste.

This sort of reckless charge was nothing less than suicide.

Well, it probably is suicide, he realized. Now that they've accepted their overall loss,

they're looking for a place to die. Honestly, I'd rather not have to play along with that...

Ludwin put on the helmet which he had taken off, hoisting his cavalry lance

skywards. He shouted to the knights of the Royal Guard behind him, "His Majesty is

behind us! We are this kingdom's shield! In the name of the Royal Guard, we will

stop that group even if it costs us our lives!"

"""Yeahhhhh!"""

"Let's go!" Ludwin called.

The nearly two thousand knights of the Royal Guard under Ludwin rushed

forward. It didn't take long for them to slam into the front of Gaius' five hundred

retainers.

When they collided, roughly half of Gaius' retainers were blown away in an

instant. Nearly as many of the Royal Guard were knocked flying as well, but

considering that they had had the numerical advantage to begin with, it could be

said that they had taken less serious losses. From there, it devolved into a melee

with the sound of hooves echoing.

In that jumble of friend and foe, Ludwin searched for Gaius. "I've found you,

Gaius!"

The man who appeared to be Gaius was in a group of knights charging intently

towards the main camp, and he wore a magnificent cloak. When the man in the cloak

saw Ludwin, he pointed his drawn sword towards him.

"You! Who are you?!" the man shouted.

"I am Captain of the Royal Guard, Ludwin Arcs."

"Hmph, an ornamental unit from the capital, is it?"

"Say what you will! Once we strike you down, this war will be over!" Ludwin

spurred his favorite horse forward. When he did, the retainers surrounding the man

in the cloak split off in different directions, as if they had signaled one another to do

so.

Gaius's retainers have abandoned him?!

Ludwin thought their behavior was strange for a moment, but right now he

needed to focus on the man in front of him. It seemed to be all the man in the cloak

could do just to parry Ludwin's lance thrusts with his sword.

"Guh... You fight well, considering your unit only exists to look pretty," grunted

the man.

"No matter where he puts me on display, my lance exists to pierce His Majesty's

enemies!" Ludwin declared.

Ludwin knocked the sword that was swung at him aside with his lance, thrusting

with all his might at the man's now-undefended torso. His lance struck true,

impaling the man and piercing through his cloak.

The man spat blood and hung his head, but he was smiling. "Well done...

However, it means nothing..."

"What?"

Then, the man raised his face and shouted, "Your Highness! Make our greatest

wish come true...!"

Looking at the expiring man, Ludwin was shocked.

When he thought about it, he'd had no idea what the face of the ruler of a country

they had no diplomatic contact with looked like. For instance, if Gaius had just had

one of his retainers wear his cloak, Ludwin would mistake that person for him.

What if Gaius was one of those knights who had scattered in different directions

before...?!

Ludwin inhaled sharply, then shouted, "His Majesty!"

When Ludwin turned around, he saw a lone knight charging towards the main

camp.

◇ ◇ ◇

"I have a report! There is an enemy knight bearing down on this main camp at

incredible speed!" a soldier shouted, rushing into the main camp.

It was just as I was finishing making my request to Carla.

...Thank goodness, I thought. It looks like I made it in time.

Carla's eyes were wide in surprise, and she gnashed her teeth and glared at me.

"Is that... an order?"

"No, I don't think it needs to be," I said. "I'm sure you'll accomplish it whether I

make it an order or not."

I went to touch Carla's slave collar, but she batted my hand away.

Immediately, Carla groaned in pain. She had struck her master while wearing a

slave collar, so of course she did.

"Urgh... Don't be ridiculous..." Carla said, glaring at me even as she was in agony.

"Carla?! What are you doing?" I asked.

"Don't be ridiculous! I could never listen to that request!" Carla flew into a rage,

as if the constricting collar meant nothing to her.

"No, I'm just saying that if the worst should happen..." I said.

"Agh! Enough! Don't talk back to me! Just give me the order to 'kill him'!" Carla

shouted, pointing in the direction the enemy knight was coming from. "Because of

this slave collar, I can't leave your side without permission! Just give me permission

already! I'll deal with him!"

"...You're willing to fight for me?" I asked.

I couldn't believe it, but Carla gave an indignant "Hmph!"

"I'm not doing it for you," she said. "I'm only doing it because I don't want Liscia

to see you with that face."

What face? What sort of face was I making right now?

Was it a scary face? Was it full of grief? Was it pitiful?

As I touched my own face, trying to figure it out, Carla stomped her feet

indignantly and demanded it again.

"I told you, give me the order! For Liscia's sake, tell me to 'kill him'!"

"...I'll allow it," I said at last. If she said it was for Liscia, I could probably trust her.

"Please, Carla. Kill that knight and end this war."

"Understood!"

With those words, Carla bowed her head and then took one long sword from

each of the two nearby guards. Then she spread her wings and took flight.

She floated in midair for a little while as she searched for her target, then she

dove like a falcon that had found its prey and flew to the south.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Carla... I'll transfer my ownership of you as a slave to Liscia."

That was what Souma had suddenly said to Carla.

Certainly, it was possible for a slave collar to transfer its ownership to another if

its master willed it. However, if he did that, Carla would be able to harm Souma. So

why was it that he had suddenly said that?

When Carla had asked him, Souma had pointed towards the incoming suicide

squad.

"That suicide squad is targeting me. Even in the worst scenario, they'll burn out

after they've taken my head. It should be easy to wipe them out at that point. So, I

have a request. If I fall in this battle, tell Liscia, 'I give the throne to you.' Well... It's

my last will."

"Your last will? Are you joking?"

When she'd asked him that, Souma's face had taken on a serious expression, and

he'd said:

"I'm dead serious. I'm the king, so I have to consider the worst case scenario. I'd

feel bad for pushing things off on her with the job only half-done, but, well, if we can

just take down Gaius, Van will fall easily enough. If she does what Hakuya tells her

from there, everything will be fine."

After saying that, Souma had smiled.

When she saw him smile... Carla realized she had misunderstood something.

The king was the most powerful person in the country, so she'd thought he could

control everything. Looking at things as a warrior who served the king, that was

what she had come to see a king as.

That was why Carla had thought Souma had usurped the throne.

She'd thought he had been seduced by that tremendous power, deceiving the

kindhearted king Albert into giving it to him, and that he had forced Liscia into an

unwanted engagement, trying to use her to cement his power. While she had later

found out from Liscia's letters that she was wrong, she had still harbored those

doubts in some corner of her heart. That was why she followed Castor to the bitter

end when he chose to die for his friendship with Georg.

Had Souma truly not been seduced by that power and authority? Even as she

stood as a prisoner at his side, Carla had been pondering that question.

However... with his words earlier, it had become clear to her.

"Carla, I may be a 'fake.'"

"After all... If I can't get into the role of king, I can't send soldiers off to the

battlefield."

He had to get into the role. That was proof that he was aware he wasn't a king.

Souma never wanted to be king...

If he'd had a carefree attitude and had been able to ignore the responsibility that

came with that power, he might have become king without worrying too much about

it. However, for one who understood that responsibility, power was nothing but a

burden. Souma was managing to bear that burden by playing a role.

The things she thought he had stolen had in fact been forced onto him by others.

By Sir Albert, the former king, by Liscia, by his vassals, by the people of this country,

he's been forced to bear every kind of burden, Carla thought. When I heard Souma

speaking so easily about his own death, I thought he might be feeling sick, but... I was

wrong. If there's something wrong with him, it's not his body, it's his mind.

Souma's mind was slowly being eaten away at by the pressure.

Liscia sensed that. That's why she's been trying so earnestly, so gallantly, to support

Souma.

Carla realized it now, but it was too late.

It's too late... Yes, far too late...

She was already a criminal awaiting judgment. Even if she fought for Souma now,

nothing would come of it.

Even so, when she saw Souma trying to leave the throne and his last will to Liscia

when his own life was in peril, Carla couldn't simply leave him be. If Souma died

here, Liscia would be sad.

My blind stubbornness has already brought Liscia enough grief. I won't let Liscia be

sad anymore!

Carla readied her two swords.

"That is why I will slay you!" she shouted at the general on horseback who was

rushing towards the main camp alone.

"What?!" the man screamed.

Carla glided down, throwing her full momentum into a downward swing with the

swords in both her hands. She planned to end it in an instant with that surprise

attack.

However, the enemy general blocked with two swords of his own. She thought

she had caught him off guard, but he must have been a very capable warrior.

Carla bent her body into an V-shape, using her remaining momentum to land a

kick on his open torso.

"Urgh..."

The enemy general was thrown from his horse, tumbling across the ground.

However, he immediately rose to his feet, readying his sword and glaring towards

Carla.

"You... You're a dragonewt, aren't you?" he demanded.

"I suppose you must be a well-known general," she responded. "I am Carla,

daughter of Castor Vargas."

"Castor? Didn't he rebel against the king?"

"...Yeah. That would be why I'm in this pitiful state," Carla said, pointing to the

slave collar around her neck.

When the enemy general saw it, he roared, "Then step aside! My only target here

is to take Souma's head!"

"Sadly, I can't let you do that anymore," she said.

"Isn't Souma supposed to be your enemy, too?!"

"He was, but he's also the man my best friend loves. I can't let you kill him."

"You make no sense! Very well, then you can die with him!" The enemy general

swung at Carla.

Carla crossed her swords to block, but that powerful blow forced her to take a

knee.

"What?! Was that really a human's power?!" she gasped.

To make a dragonewt, far more powerful than a human, take a knee... It was hard

to believe that this general was human.

"While you in the kingdom have sat on your laurels, we have polished our magic

and martial prowess!" the man shouted.

"...I see. Earth magic, huh."

As mentioned when reinforcements came from the Dark Elf village, Earth magic

manipulated gravity. He must have increased the power of his slash by making the

tip of his blade heavier at the moment of impact.

The enemy shouted as he tried to crush Carla. "Our royal family's long-held wish

is to take revenge on Elfrieden! For that, we have polished our fangs and sharpened

our claws! I will accomplish the wish of three generations of our royal family here

and now!"

"I see... So you're Gaius, are you?" she asked.

Having discerned the enemy general's true identity, Carla turned his heavy blade

aside with a smooth motion of her right-hand sword, then used her left-hand sword

for a diagonal upwards slash. Just when she almost had him, Gaius leapt backwards.

Carla pointed her blade towards Gaius. "If you're the sovereign prince... shouldn't

you worry about your people before your revenge?"

"Hmph!" Gaius spat. "I would be in a sad state if I let myself think like the

weaklings of Elfrieden's royal family. In the Principality of Amidonia, a king is one

who can use his strength of will and arms to keep the people in check!"

"...Right," said Carla. "When I look at you, Albert starts to look like a great ruler by

comparison."

He may not have been especially good or bad, but Albert's reign had at least been

peaceful. Gaius had started a war because he cared more about his own desire for

revenge than how his people lived. She could never accept a man like that as a king.

"I wouldn't want Souma to become a king like you..." she muttered.

"Hmph, I don't need my enemies to love me... Hah!" Gaius suddenly shoved his

hand to the ground.

In an instant, spikes began to rise out of the ground around Carla. The thorns

growing out of the ground rushed towards her.

Carla avoided a direct hit, but because the ground around her had as many spikes

growing out of it as a hedgehog, her wings were caught and she was unable to move.

In a strange coincidence, Carla found herself captured by the same tactic Liscia had

used to catch Castor.

"Dammit!" she shouted, trying hastily to get free.

"Now you will pay for blocking my path," said Gaius. He thrust his sword out

towards her.

Carla shut her eyes tight despite herself. Thud... She heard the sound of

something being stabbed.

...However, there was no pain. When Carla hesitantly opened her eyes, there was

a roly-poly something or other right in front of her. It was round, big, and white.

When she looked closer, it was a doll big enough for a person to get inside. That rolypoly doll had gotten between Carla and Gaius, blocking Gaius's sword with its body.

""Wha...?!""

Both Carla and Gaius's eyes went wide at the doll's sudden appearance.

Then...

"Get away, Carla!"

Carla snapped back to her senses when she heard the voice that called out to her.

She cut herself free from the ground that was binding her and escaped. When she

regained her balance and looked to the source of the voice, Carla's eyes went wide

once again.

"You... are you Souma Kazuya?!" Gaius shouted.

It seemed Gaius had figured it out, too.

By the time they noticed him, Souma Kazuya was standing around twenty meters

away from them. There were four dolls of the same design as the one that had

protected Carla floating around him in midair. It was a large-sized Little Musashibo

doll that had protected Carla, while the ones deployed around Souma were mediumsized.

"You idiot! What are you doing out here?!" Carla landed next to Souma and

scolded him.

Souma shrugged and said, "This guy's the only one left. Our allies will gather here

soon enough. So I decided, rather than wait back in camp, I'd kill time out here

fighting alongside you."

"If you die, Liscia will be sad, and you know that!" she screamed.

"Yeah. That's why I came here," he said. "To live. It's better if we concentrate our

power. Rather than both of us fighting him alone, the odds of us surviving are better

if we cooperate from the beginning."

With that said, Souma swung his arm out in front of him. When he did, two of the

medium-sized Little Musashibo dolls that were carrying crossbows fired at Gaius.

The bolts shot straight at Gaius, but Gaius kicked the large Little Musashibo doll

that had been in his way to the ground and cut the two bolts out of the air.

This time, it was Souma's turn to be dumbstruck. "You can defend against that?"

"Be careful," Carla cautioned. "That man is very powerful."

With that word of caution, Souma braced himself for what was to come.

"Souma Kazuya!" Gaius howled, a sharp glint in his eye. "I will defeat you and

destroy the kingdom."

"...I hate to break this to you, but I'm pretty sure the kingdom won't be destroyed

even if you do kill me." Despite the fact that Gaius scared him, Souma had a big grin

on his face. "I've gathered talented people. I've laid out a transportation network,

I've reworked the city infrastructure, and I've laid all the groundwork for prosperity.

Even if I were to die, I'm sure someone could take over and run things just fine."

"Then I will erase all of that!" Gaius stretched out his arm. In that instant, a stone

shot at them from the ground.

""I won't let you!"" Souma and Carla shouted in unison.

First, two medium-sized Little Musashibo dolls carrying shields moved up to

block that attack. At the same time, Carla circled around to the side of Gaius and took

a swing at him.

Gaius blocked that attack with his sword, then kicked Carla to get her away from

him and covered his body with his cloak to protect himself from two more arrows

that Souma fired. In this world where magic could be attached to things, even a cloak

was a viable piece of armor.

"Damn. I know he's a king, but he's way too strong..." Souma grumbled.

"He's trained himself very differently from the way you do, I'm sure... Hahh!"

Carla spat fire in Gaius's direction.

"Urkh." Gaius blocked the flames with another swish of his cloak. Then he

launched another stone.

Souma blocked the attack with one of his doll's shields, but he could tell it was

slowly breaking it. At this rate, they weren't even going to buy him time.

...Then, something occurred to Souma.

"Move!" he shouted.

Souma had the fallen large-size Little Musashibo doll stand up and attack Gaius.

Gaius shouted "You pest!" and cut it down, but he'd only cut the top half, so the

large-sized Little Musashibo doll wrapped its arms around Gaius.

"What?!" Gaius shouted.

"Now, Carla! Burn the doll!"

"Huh?! Why..."

"Just do it! Hurry!"

"F-Fine!"

With no clue why she was doing it, Carla spat flames towards the large-sized

Little Musashibo doll. There was a bright flash when the flames touched the doll,

followed by...

Boom!

Gaius was caught in billowing flames and a cloud of black smoke.

It had exploded. Having taken the blast at close range, Gaius was hurled around

ten meters through the air.

When Gaius landed on his back, he was burnt all over.

"What was that?" Carla came closer and asked.

Souma answered her question, relieved that it had worked out. "I keep all sorts of

tools in that doll's wicker basket. I remembered I'd put something like a ceramic ball

packed with gunpowder in there, too. You ignited it and it exploded. After taking an

explosion like that at close range, even Gaius has got to be..."

"...He's moving," said Carla.

Even as he heard Carla, Souma could see for himself, and doubted his own eyes.

Even though he had been engulfed in that explosion, Gaius was getting up. He had

the serious wounds to his entire body that you would expect, but he stumbled

towards the two of them like a zombie.

"I... will destroy... the kingdom... and show them... the spirit of Amidonia..." Gaius

murmured, his eyes unfocused.

Truly, he was like a solid lump of tenacity.

"What a guy..." Carla let the words slip without thinking, and Souma agreed with

her.

Gaius continued to tread forward, fueled by the sole purpose of destroying the

kingdom. Souma felt both fear and reverence towards his tenacity. Then...

Twang, twang, twang, twang!

Gaius's body was riddled with countless arrows. After reorganizing their unit, the

archers had caught up at last and fired a volley towards Gaius.

Gaius stopped in his tracks, his body beginning to shake.

He's going to fall... The moment Souma thought that, Gaius switched the sword he

was carrying to a backhand grip, and, mustering all his remaining strength, he threw

it like a spear.

The sword traced an arc as it flew, stabbing into the ground near Souma's feet.

"...Is this how far your tenacity can reach?" Souma let out those words along with

a sigh of admiration. Then he said to Gaius, even though it wasn't clear he could hear

him anymore, "I have seen the spirit of Amidonia! Long will they tell tales of your

valor! Prince Gaius VIII of Amidonia. I... King Souma of Elfrieden, will not forget the

terror you inspired in me for my entire life!"

When Souma said that, it looked like Gaius smiled a little.

Then Gaius gently tumbled forward, never to rise again.

Souma burned that final vision of him into his memory. Then, he looked down to

the sword at his feet.

"Perhaps I could stand to learn from his single-minded tenacity."

"If you turn out like him, Liscia will cry," Carla, who was standing at his side, said.

"Yeah, I guess she would..."

With those words, Souma walked up next to Gaius's unmoving remains, put his

hands together, and prayed. Unsure what the gesture meant, Carla tilted her head to

the side in confusion.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Everyone becomes a Buddha once they're dead... a god, in other words. It's a

custom from my old world. That's why I'm praying so he can find his way to

Nirvana."

"You're praying for this revenge-obsessed monster?" she asked incredulously.

"That's all the more reason," he said. "You wouldn't want him coming back to

curse me as a ghost because he had regrets in this world, would you?"

"That's a very calculating religion you've got there."

Souma stood up with a laugh, then looked down at his hands and sighed again.

"...This is my first time seeing someone be murdered."

When Souma said that, Carla looked at him incredulously. "What are you saying,

after everything you've done? I'm sure you must have ordered your soldiers to kill

people before this."

"You sure don't hold back, huh..."

As they were arguing, their comrades who had learned of the main camp's crisis

finally arrived. Liscia, Aisha, Ludwin, Halbert, and Kaede reacted with surprise when

they saw Gaius' fallen body.

Liscia rushed over and hugged Souma. "Souma, you fought, too?! Are you okay?

You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"

As Liscia searched all over his body, Souma wore a wry smile. "I'm fine, really.

The two of us managed to handle him somehow until help arrived."

"I see," Liscia said. "...Thanks, Carla. For protecting Souma."

"...It just sort of happened." Carla was too embarrassed to say "I did it for you," so

she turned her head to the side and kept quiet.

While he was watching the two of them, Souma clapped his hands to get their

attention. "Well, things are settled here. Let's go ride into Van."

As he and his companions began moving, he saw Gaius's body being carried

away. From the glimpse he saw of the man's face, he really did seem satisfied.

For you, with your martial prowess... perhaps this was the only path you could

choose, Souma thought. You truly believed that taking revenge on the kingdom would

lead the people of the principality to happiness. I don't want to completely deny that

way of thinking.

In order to avoid ruining the victorious mood, Souma offered his prayers in

silence.

I don't think you were right. But I don't think you were entirely wrong. Even so, now

that I've defeated you, I will move forward...

...to protect Liscia, and all those I consider family.

◇ ◇ ◇

Some hours later, Van, the capital of Amidonia, opened its gates under the

condition that the city's defenders would be spared, that all those who wished to

leave be allowed to depart (they would not be allowed to bring more luggage than

they could carry themselves), and that Gaius's remains be returned. When Souma

brought his entire army into Van, the series of battles that would come to be known

as the One Week War came to a close.

However, it was only the battles that had ended.