Chapter 1: Project Lorelei

5th day, 10th month, 1,546th year, Continental Calendar — Princely Capital Van.

Several days had passed since the opening of hostilities with the Principality of

Amidonia.

In the war room of the castle in the now-occupied Van, five people had gathered.

They were: Liscia, Royal Guard Captain Ludwin, Acting General of the Army Glaive,

Prime Minister Hakuya, who had returned after finishing up his work in Red Dragon

City, and me. We were standing around a table with a big map of the area spread out

over it.

When you looked at it on the map, you could see that we had only occupied the

capital city, Van, and a small area around it, shifting the border only ever-so-slightly

to the northwest. Everything beyond that was still Amidonian territory.

I asked Ludwin, "Is there any sign of a counteroffensive from the Amidonian

side?"

"No, they aren't making any obvious moves." Ludwin laid out little pawns

surrounding Van to represent the cities of the principality. He was indicating how

the forces of the principality were currently deployed. "As you can see, they have

focused entirely on hardening their defenses in the cities around Van. Most likely,

they are severely exhausted from the battle the other day. They've given up on

retaking the city themselves, and..."

"They're waiting for the Imperial Army to arrive, huh?" I finished.

The Gran Chaos Empire. It was the largest realm on this continent, excluding the

Demon Lord's Domain. We expected they would be coming to intervene in the

conflict as a mediator, at the request of Amidonia.

I asked Hakuya, "For reference, what's the difference in strength between our

kingdom and the Empire?"

"The Empire is superior to us in terms of national power, population, troops,

technology, and wealth," he replied. "If you were only asking about the number of

troops, we are outnumbered five-to-one. If you factor in equipment and other things

that have an effect on our war potential, their advantage is double that."

"More than ten times as much power as us, huh... We're no match for them right

now."

If we wanted to deal with the Empire on equal terms, we needed to get stronger.

We had been able to get by with the things we'd already had up until now, but from

here on, we were going to need to create new things.

"It's unfortunate," Glaive said, his voice full of regret and his shoulders slumping.

"The way things stand, we would have been able to seize the rest of Amidonia."

However, I felt differently.

"Yeah? We don't really want it," I said, sitting down in a chair, resting my elbows

on the table and my cheeks on the palms of my hands. "Their mineral resources are

appealing, but the country is way too poor. We just got out of a food crisis ourselves.

While providing for this city and the area around it is one thing, we can't afford to

feed all of Amidonia. And if we only seized the profitable mines, we would inspire

them to hate us more."

"When you say it like that..." Glaive said, "there really isn't much appeal to it."

"I know, right?"

Well, it would all be the same once the Empire put in an appearance. No matter

how hard we worked and how much land we seized, when the Empire came, we

would be forced to return it. That applied to Van, too.

"Besides, the Amidonians are a vengeful people," I said. "It looks like they've been

indoctrinated for generations. If we tried to maintain the occupation, I doubt we

could establish stable rule here."

"You're right," said Liscia. "With just Van, we're fine for now because we have a

massive force here, but if you were to try to install a magistrate, I doubt the people

would obey him."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That's why I want to 'tame' their resentment."

"You want to tame it?" Liscia asked.

"Yeah," I said. "I've already called in the perfect person for the job."

There was a knock at the door to the war room. When I said "Come in," the door

opened and a blue-haired beauty entered with a bow and a "Pardon me."

"I am Juna Doma, serving under Navy Admiral Excel," she added. "I have come at

your command." Then she stood before me and greeted me not with a salute, but

with an elegant bow.

Today she wasn't in the usual outfit she wore as a songstress of the singing cafe,

Lorelei, but in the dignified white uniform of the Navy.

"Thank you for coming," I said. "I see you look stunning in uniform, too."

"I'm deeply embarrassed to let you see me dressed like this, Your Majesty," said

Juna.

"You shouldn't be," I said. "I think you cut a dashing and beautiful figure like

that..."

"...Soumaaaa?" Liscia butted in, trying to stop us from bantering. "We're in a

meeting now. Could you save the flirting for later?"

Liscia had a smile on her face, but the words had a strange intensity behind them.

She was starting to give off an extraordinarily unsettling vibe, so I decided it was

about time to move the discussion along. I mean, it wasn't as if I'd called Juna all the

way from the southern border just so I could banter with her like this.

The mature Juna was watching Liscia and me with a smile. Anyway, moving on.

"Ahem." I cleared my throat. "There is one reason why I have called Juna here.

That would be..."

"...because you like that she's easy on the eyes?" Liscia finished.

"...Come on, don't be like that," I said. "You know that's not the reason."

"Hmph." Liscia turned her head to the side peevishly.

I thought it was cute when she did girly things like that, but... as Liscia herself had

just said, we were in a meeting. When I looked around, everyone else in the room

besides Juna was wearing a strained smile. I decided I'd try to appease Liscia later,

but for now, I needed to move along.

"Ahem... Let's get back on track," I said. "There is one reason why I have called

Juna here. That is to put a plan I've been refining for quite some time into motion."

"Plan?" Liscia asked, tilting her head to the side questioningly.

I answered her, brimming with confidence, "Yes. I call it Project Lorelei."

By the time we moved from the war room to the audience chamber, there were

already three girls waiting there, prostrated before the throne.

The girls were each of different races, appearances, and ages. One was a light elf

with dark brown hair. One looked like an adorable elementary schooler. The last

was a slender beastman girl with cat ears. All three could have fairly been called

beauties.

When I seated myself on the throne, Juna saluted me with her hand at her chest.

"I have brought the individuals you requested, Your Majesty."

"There's no need to make this formal," I said. "At ease, all of you."

When I said that, the three women rose to their feet, saying, """It's a pleasure to

meet you""" in unison.

Yep, they're full of energy and they're in sync, I thought to myself. As I gave a

satisfied nod, Liscia was standing at my side, looking at me with another "lovely

smile" on her face.

"Heeeey, Souma?" she asked.

"Wh-What?"

"I hope you haven't gotten so full of yourself now that you've captured Van that

you're planning to keep these girls by your side to wait on you hand and foot. Have

you?"

Ah, yeah, her face is smiling, but she's definitely not smiling in her heart, I thought

to myself.

"You've got it all wrong!" I said quickly. "I called these girls here because they're a

vital part of my plan!"

"Hmm..." Liscia sounded dubious.

"It's the truth, okay?" I said. "And, wait, didn't you say you'd let me take up to

eight wives?"

"Well, yes, I did," said Liscia. "But, while I can tolerate it with someone I know,

like Aisha, or if you're forced to do it for diplomatic reasons, I'm not going to be

happy if you abuse your power to round up some pretty faces for yourself."

"I'm telling you, that's not it, okay?" I said peevishly. "Remember when I was

gathering personnel before?"

During my big recruitment event, Aisha and the other four had been hired with a

great deal of fanfare, but I had hired a lot more people quietly, or had them added to

a list of personnel being put together by the country.

For instance, those who were talented at arithmetic had been hired as

bureaucrats, while one turtle man (estimated age: eight hundred years old) who'd

said "I've been reading books for hundreds of years. I won't lose to any young

whipper-snapper when it comes to my knowledge of books," had been appointed as

the chief librarian in the new city that was under construction.

Furthermore, when those with the same gift had competed, I had still hired the

ones who'd lost if I could be sure of their talent.

Aisha had been the winner of the Best in the Kingdom Martial Arts Tournament,

but those who lost to Aisha had still been invited to join the forces that reported

directly to me in the Forbidden Army if their skills were up to snuff. Though, my

directly-controlled forces had been seen as a purely decorative force at the time, so

few had taken me up on the offer...

Now, as for these girls gathered here, they might have lost to Juna in the Kingdom

of Talent competition, where contestants had competed on talents like singing. And

they might have lost to her in the Elfrieden Pretty Girl Grand Prix, where contestants

had competed on beauty. But they had still demonstrated their beauty and singing

ability in both of those tournaments.

"After the recruitment was finished, I had Juna scout these girls for me," I

explained. "Come on, I've told you about how I wanted to make entertainment

programs for the Jewel Voice Broadcast before, haven't I?"

"Oh, yeah... You did mention that," Liscia said as if she'd suddenly remembered.

I continued on, relieved that she had now mellowed out a bit. "Now, when it

comes to entertainment programs, I was thinking we'd start with a singing program.

There's no one who dislikes hearing a beautiful singing voice, after all. These girls

are the candidates to become singers on that program. From the day we scouted

them up until today, they've been training to improve their singing and dancing at

Lorelei, the singing cafe where Juna works."

Though, really, the order of things had been mixed up a bit.

Honestly, I'd wanted to start with a program like Nodo Jiman, the amateur singing

contest, to get the people used to the idea of a singing program, then have these girls

debut as idols.

By the way, when I use the word "idol" here, I mean it in the sense of "A pretty

woman who sings well." The sort you would have seen a few decades ago in the

Showa Era. If I tried to introduce a modern-style idol group to a country that didn't

even have the concept of an idol, they weren't going to understand.

If I went with a single singer format, however, they would likely recognize it as

an extension of the traveling minstrel, the busker on the street corner, or the

songstress in a singing cafe or bar.

"I see, so that's Project Lorelei, huh," Liscia said. "But is that something you really

ought to be doing now? When there's trouble over the fact that we're occupying

Van?"

Liscia looked perplexed. She probably didn't see the point in starting an

entertainment program now, right after we had just seized the capital of Amidonia.

However, she was wrong.

"This is precisely the time for it," I said. "Now then, Juna, could you do the

introductions?"

"Yes, sir," Juna said with a bow, then began to introduce the girls.

She began with the one standing furthest to the right, the light elf girl who wore

her hair up.

In this world, fair-skinned elves like her were called light elves, while brownskinned elves like Aisha were called dark elves. In the country I came from, elves

were usually imagined as blonde-haired, but now that I thought about it, I had seen

elves with hair like hers in foreign films. She had pale skin and orange eyes. Judging

by her appearance, she looked to be in her mid-twenties, perhaps. She held herself

with a certain dignity, like a career woman.

"This is Chris Tachyon," Juna said. "She's a light elf, as you can see."

"Hello, Your Majesty. I'm Chris Tachyon."

Chris put her hand in front of her belly, bowing to me at a forty five degree angle.

That gesture and the mature vibe she gave off made me think of an airplane cabin

attendant from my old world.

Juna went on to explain Chris's talents. "She is a former minstrel and has a

beautiful singing voice, but her poetry reciting is especially marvelous. She has a

pleasant voice and is able to read smoothly, so her poems are as vivid as if she had

cut out a piece of the scenery. In my personal opinion, rather than have her debut as

a singer, she would be better suited to a program for disseminating information like

the one we broadcast before."

"I see," I said. "You want her as an announcer, not a singer."

It was true that, from what I could hear, she seemed to have a clear voice and

speak smoothly. A female announcer could have an idol-like presence on a news

program, and there was no problem with the way she looked. I had Hakuya prepare

a pen and paper, then I had him write down a certain short statement and hand it to

Chris.

"Could you try reading that for me?" I asked.

"This? Let's see... 'This story is a work of fiction. The people, organizations, places,

and events depicted have no connection to anything in reality.'"

"Yep, sounds good to me," I said. "Let's have you work on a news program like

Juna suggested."

"Thank you very much," Chris said with a smile, bowing once again.

Liscia asked me in a whisper, "What was that statement you just had her read?"

"Some magic words from my old world," I said. "If you say them, you can get

away with practically anything."

When I told her that, Liscia cocked her head to the side, looking like she didn't get

it at all.

While we were talking about that, Juna moved on to introducing the next person.

This time, it was the adorable girl who looked not much older than Tomoe. That

frilly lolita-style outfit she wore suited her well.

"Her name is Pamille Carol," said Juna. "She is a kobito."

"I'm Pamille. Nice to meet you." Pamille bobbed her head. It was a cute gesture,

but...

"What's a kobito?" I asked. "A little person?"

"No, she isn't a hobbit, she's one of the ever-young," said Juna. "Not many races

stop aging like the elves, but that trait is especially pronounced in the kobitos. Even

once they reach full maturity, they only look like twelve-year-old children. Pamille

may not look it, but she's far older than I am."

"Seriously?!" I exclaimed. "To think there's a race like that in this world..."

It's like the ultimate race of lolis and shotas, I thought. I dunno... I feel very

concerned for their entire race. Maybe I should create a protected district for them, put

up a sign that says "Yes, loli-shota. No, touch," outside it, in order to protect them from

a certain type of gentlemen and ladies out there.

Also, I nearly missed it, but I guess there are hobbits in this world, I thought. Here's

hoping there aren't any strange rings out there, too...

As I was thinking about that, Juna continued her explanation. "She has a voice as

clear as a bell. She's especially good at singing cutesy songs in a way that makes

them even more adorable. ...People always see me as being older than I am, so I'm illsuited to singing songs like that myself. I envy that gift of hers a little."

"Well, I envy you, too, Juna," said Pamille. "When I heard we would be appearing

before His Majesty today, I wanted to wear a sleeveless dress, but I have nothing for

it to hang on, so I was told I couldn't."

Juna and Pamille both seemed to be staring off into the distance.

It makes sense for Pamille to feel that way, but is Juna bothered by the fact she

seems older than she actually is, too? Setting her appearance aside, with the mature

way she acts, it's hard to believe she's nineteen years old, after all.

Now that I thought about it, I remembered a line in a movie I had watched a long

time ago that said, "Treat an older woman like she's younger than you, and a

younger woman like she's older than you."

Juna's a year older than me, so rather than having her indulge me all the time, I

need to find ways to let her rely on me once in a while, I thought.

Juna cleared her throat in an attempt to get us back on track, then continued with

the introductions. "Now, last but not least, this is Nanna Kamizuki. As you can see,

she's a beastman."

"Heeeey! ♪ I'm Nanna! ♪" the cat-eared girl cried with a toothy grin.

She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. Compared to the other two, she had

dressed up less, wearing a simple tube-like outfit. On her face she wore face paint,

like a soccer fan. If I were to judge solely on her appearance, she looked like a girl

from a tribe that made their living fishing.

Glaive was about to tell her off for the simple and innocent way she was behaving

while before the king, but I gestured for him to stop. That was because I detected an

odd accent.

"Is she not used to the speaking the language of this continent, maybe?" I asked.

Juna rushed to cover for her. "That's exactly it. It seems she immigrated to

Elfrieden from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago and has been living with a

group of hardy fishermen in a seaside village ever since. So, if she acts a little rude at

times, please forgive her."

I see... So she's an immigrant from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, huh?

Many of the countries on this continent used a common language in addition to

their national languages, but there were isolationist countries too, like the ones in

the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, which only used their national language.

"I understand her situation, but... can she sing like that?" I asked.

"Have no worries on that front," Juna assured me. "She's been singing sea

shanties while out fishing, so she has a powerful voice, one that's both feminine and

masculine, and if you give her a cool song to sing, she can easily outdo me. I believe

she's a good match for those 'anisongs' you taught me, sire."

"Oh... Can she sing something?" I asked wistfully.

"Yes," said Juna. "As a test, I taught her one. Nanna, could you sing for us?"

"Sure! ♪ Just leave it to Nanna."

At Juna's request, Nanna enthusiastically burst out singing. The song was the

opening to a mecha anime sung by a female vocalist. Setting aside the choice of song,

the stirring melody was a good match for Nanna's voice.

"By the way, Liscia, do you understand what the lyrics mean?" I asked.

"I don't," she said. "It's like listening to a song in a language I don't understand.

But I can tell that it's a cool song."

"Well, as long as that comes across, it's fine... I guess?" I said.

I can have Juna come up with lyrics for it in this world's language later, I guess.

When she finished the song, Nanna looked to me with a broad smile. "Your

Majesty! ♪ How was I?"

"...Yeah," I said. "You were amazing."

"Glad to hear it! ♪"

Nanna waved her hand as if to say, "My turn's over now, right?" and then quickly

went back to her position.

She's a unique girl... She isn't timid, she's not like anything they'll have seen, and the

way she moves in broad motions is bound to look impressive on screen. She might just

be the most suited to being an idol of everyone here.

With the introductions now finished, I thanked Juna. "You've brought in a good

group of people. Thank you."

"You're too kind," she said.

"Okay, all the actors have gathered now," I went on. "With these three, as well as

Juna who can handle the soft, mature songs, we're going to create Elfrieden's first

entertainment program. We won't just be broadcasting to Elfrieden, though, we'll

broadcast to the Principality of Amidonia, too."

"To Amidonia, too?" Liscia asked.

In response to the questioning look on Liscia's face, I nodded. "Yeah. I mean, we

did manage to get our hands on Amidonia's jewel, after all."

Of all the things that had fallen into our hands when we'd taken Van, the one that

had pleased me the most had been a jewel for the Jewel Voice Broadcast. This was

the only broadcast jewel Amidonia had, and it could be used to deliver a signal to

every receiver in this country.

The broadcast jewels were apparently artifacts from an ancient civilization.

While they still couldn't be manufactured, there were a good number of them out

there. With the exception of the small countries, like the ones that made up the

Union of Eastern Nations, and the self-ruling territory of the wise dragons in the Star

Dragon Mountain Range, most countries had them.

However, fundamentally, you couldn't receive transmissions from another

country. Of course, that made sense, otherwise information intended for a domestic

audience would leak outside the country's borders. Although technically, if you

changed the wavelength settings on the receiver or jewel, it was possible, so maybe

it was a little like radio frequency in that way.

In other words, now that we had obtained Amidonia's only jewel, that meant that

we had a monopoly on broadcasting rights to every receiver in Amidonia.

If we used a jewel brought from Elfrieden, too, we would be able to simulcast

Elfrieden's first entertainment program in two countries. What sort of changes

would this broadcast bring to Amidonia? Or would it have no effect at all?

We would have to wait until the actual broadcast to find out.

◇ ◇ ◇

The capital of the principality, Van, lacked a fountain plaza with viewing

equipment for the Jewel Voice Broadcast like the one in the royal capital Parnam.

The receiver was on the edge of Van, in an open field that was a plaza in name

only. That was because, in this country, the Jewel Voice Broadcast was only used

once at the beginning of each year when the Prince would say, "We must never

forget our resentment towards Elfrieden. The retaking of our stolen lands is a

national priority," or something like that, stating the general direction of the

country.

Because those who failed to attend the broadcast at the opening of the year could

be charged with the crime of disrespecting the state, even if they were sick, even if

they were old and bedridden, everyone needed to view that broadcast even if it

meant they had to be strapped to a chair and carried there. And so, today, the young

king of Elfrieden who had captured Van said he would be using the Jewel Voice

Broadcast.

Most of the people, having undergone decades of indoctrination, did not have a

favorable impression of the kingdom. However, now, many of those same people

were gathered in the field to watch the broadcast. They likely believed that if they

didn't watch, they would be charged with a crime, as years of custom had dictated.

There were even some who tried to carry in their sick, only to be told by the guards,

"Don't push yourselves so hard," and be turned away.

In the evening light, with the sun low on the horizon, the gathered people of Van

wore expressions half of apprehension and half of indignation. Because those of the

knighthood and nobility had all pulled out of Van, only the general populace who

had nowhere else to go remained.

Here and there throughout the crowd, the masses could be heard whispering to

one another about their worries for what was to come.

"Damn the King of Elfrieden... What does he plan to do, making us all gather

here?"

"I caught a glimpse of him when he was entering the castle, but he didn't look

very strong..."

"Don't be deceived by appearances. This is the man who made Prince Gaius dance

in the palm of his hand."

"He's using the Jewel Voice Broadcast, right? What the hell does he want to say to

us?"

With no proper information to go off of, their speculation took increasingly wild

turns.

"No... Don't tell me he's planning to conquer all of Amidonia, so all of us men will

be conscripted and sent to the front lines..."

"No! Without me here as the breadwinner, what'll my family do?!"

"We're an occupied people. We can't be surprised if that's what happens."

"No, that's not even the worst thing that could happen. He might demand we

hand over our women and children as slaves. Or that we hand over every beautiful

woman in this domain."

"I've heard strong guys tend to have strong urges like that, after all."

"Seriously? I shoulda hid my wife before coming here."

"You dolt. Nobody's ever gonna want your wife."

"What'd you say?! ...Ah! Hey, it's starting."

Suddenly, the receiver in the middle of the field began displaying an image.

The people thought they would see the uniform-clad image of that young king,

but contrary to their expectations, they saw a beautiful woman with dark brown

hair and elven features sitting in a chair. She rested her crossed arms on the long

table in front of her, and, for some reason, the broadcast showed her not straight-on,

but from an angle to her left. Naturally, this meant that her head was turned at an

angle.

Her pose, which was like that of the Mona Lisa, brought out her alluring beauty

and was especially effective at capturing the hearts of the men of Van. It felt to them

as if they were sitting at a bar and this woman, who had been sitting next to them,

had turned to them to talk. Now she spoke.

"Good evening, everyone. I am Chris Tachyon."

◇ ◇ ◇

"This is News Elfrieden. In this information program, we will be bringing the

latest news from Elfrieden and its surrounding countries to you, the people. Now, for

our first story..."

Chris began reading her script in the impromptu news studio that had been set

up in Van Castle's governmental affairs office. I call it a news studio, but we had

really just gotten together a long table and a chair. Still, with the other furnishings

already in place, it looked the part.

Aisha and I were watching Chris from the corner of the room where we wouldn't

be picked up by the jewel.

Aisha pulled on my sleeve. "Um... Why is Chris being broadcast at an angle?"

"Uhh... Stylistic beauty?" I said.

I remembered a female newscaster from my world who had delivered the news

in this position, so I had tried to include it. However, during rehearsal, Chris had

complained to me, saying, "I feel like I'm going to get a kink in my neck," so this was

probably going to be the first and last time we would shoot the program from an

angle.

The news Chris was reading out now was a report on the events of the war up to

this point.

She explained in a neutral tone that, as a punitive action against Gaius VIII and

his son Julius, who had taken advantage of instability in the kingdom to invade, King

Souma of Elfrieden had launched a counter-invasion and struck down Gaius VIII.

Aisha tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Wouldn't it have been better to

deliver this information in a speech of your own, sire? You might have been able to

raise your profile in this country, like you did with that program on ingredient

gathering."

"The situation is different this time," I said. "We aren't only broadcasting to the

occupied territories around Van, we're broadcasting to the rest of Amidonia, as well.

No matter what the king of an enemy state says, the people of the principality aren't

going to listen to a word of it. It's better that they hear it from a third party."

Though, when I had discussed the script for this news with Hakuya, there had

been the idea of using, "For all of us, His Majesty, our Dear King..." and exaggerating

the details, but it had made me sound like some tin-pot dictator, so I'd rejected it.

Well, anyway, as we were talking, Chris continued reading out the news with

those smooth reading skills and pleasant voice of hers that had come with Juna's seal

of approval. "The armies of the kingdom are presently occupying the capital of the

principality, Van, but hostilities have, for the moment, ceased. In regards to this state

of affairs, His Majesty, King Souma of Elfrieden, has released the following

statement:

"'This has been a war of subjugation against Gaius VIII, who invaded my country.

It is not my wish to spread the fires of war further or to harm the citizens of the

principality. We will provide support to the people living in the area around Van to

allow them to get on with their lives. Furthermore, as Van has been annexed as a

territory of the kingdom, I promise that the same food aid and infrastructure

spending will be carried out here.'

"In advance of that, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr. Poncho Ishizuka

Panacotta, will be distributing foodstuffs in Van starting tomorrow. He asks that

everyone in Van invite their family and neighbors to come with them."

◇ ◇ ◇

"How dare they do this?!"

In a city close to Van, the crown prince of Amidonia, Julius Amidonia, shouted out

angrily.

Having escaped from the earlier battle, Julius was in a city near Van, waiting with

the remnants of the principality's forces for the Gran Chaos Empire's armies to

arrive. Julius smashed the receiver with a swing of his sword, then immediately gave

an order to his subordinates.

"Dispatch messages to every city with orders not to watch this ridiculous

broadcast."

"""Yes, sir!"""

His subordinates all ran off to dispatch the messengers at once. Once he saw that

they had all left, Julius turned to glare in the direction of Van. He hopes to win over

not just the people of Van, but of all Amidonia, with his honeyed words, does he? I must

not let him!

Julius firmed up his resolve.

Still, even though he'd dispatched messengers, it wasn't as if they could reach

every city instantly. Furthermore, with his defeat in battle, Julius had lost much of

his influence and so his orders were only carried out in the city he was presently in

and those which were very close to it.

In other words, most of the cities in Amidonia were watching Souma's broadcast.

The reactions of the Amidonian citizens who saw it could be broadly divided into

two categories.

First, there were the people in Van, who were relieved to hear that they would

not be conscripted and sent to fight on the front lines, or to have it demanded that

they turn over their assets, wives, or daughters.

In the cities and farming villages outside of Van, what caught the people's

attention was not the death of Gaius VIII, or Souma's righteous cause, it was the fact

that those areas which had become a territory of the kingdom of Elfrieden would

receive the same support as cities within the kingdom.

Of course, the people of Amidonia scarcely believed these words. After all, they

were the words of the enemy king. Everyone thought he was simply trying to buy

their loyalty.

...However, it was also true that Souma's words deeply ate into the hearts of the

Amidonian people, who were currently struggling through an even deeper food

crisis than the one in the kingdom. The harsher their current situation, the more

deeply the words ate into them.

◇ ◇ ◇

"...And so, at present, medicine in our country is..."

It had been about ten minutes or so since the beginning of Chris's informational

program.

The section she was reading out now was the last piece of information to be

disseminated. Once this information program was over, the music program would

begin at last.

As she stood at my side, visibly anxious, Aisha grabbed my arm. Today, Aisha

wasn't dressed in her usual light armor; instead, she wore a cocktail dress. I myself

was wearing a tuxedo.

Aisha turned to me with a look in her eyes like an abandoned puppy dog. "WhWhat do I do, sire? I can't stop shaking."

"Just calm down, okay?" I said. "This is your second time on the broadcast, isn't

it?"

"Last time, I was all right because I just had to eat..."

It had been decided that I would be the host for the music program with Aisha as

my assistant.

I, of course, hadn't planned on being the host of a music program, but Poncho,

who I had intended to push the job off onto, was busy with distributing food, and

Hakuya had refused because it didn't suit him.

It was my first time, too, so if my partner Aisha was going to be petrified with

stage fright, that was a problem.

"Where did the bravado you show on the battlefield go?" I asked.

When I said that in an exasperated tone, Aisha groaned pathetically and her

shoulders slumped. "I am confident that no one is a match for me in martial arts.

However, at a showy event like this, I have no such confidence. There are a lot of

people out there who are prettier that I am, you know. The princess and Madam

Juna are both slender and fair-skinned, like lovely young maidens. Meanwhile my

skin is dark, and I have some muscle on me, too..."

"Really?" I asked. "I think you've got a nice healthy look."

Even if she did have some muscle, she wasn't ripped like a body builder. In fact,

she had such a shapely body that I had to wonder how she managed to swing around

that giant sword with so little muscle. On top of that, she was tall enough to be a

model, and, though it was hard to tell when she was wearing armor, her aboveaverage figure was good enough that Liscia was the one more likely to be jealous.

"Yeah," I said. "You're pretty, Aisha."

"I-I am?!"

The compliment had Aisha ecstatic. However, she quickly came back to her

senses.

"B-But, really, Madam Juna or the princess would make a better host..."

"Juna is one of the singers, so she'd have to run all over the place if we made her

be the host, too," I said. "As for making Liscia my assistant... I thought it would be

best not to do that this time."

"Hm? Why is that?" she asked.

"Oh. There's a little thing I'm worried about now that I've ended up being the

host," I said. "To be brutally honest, I chose you less because I think you'll be a good

assistant and more because I'm counting on your skills as my bodyguard. If anything

happens, you'll be able to protect me if you're at my side, right?"

"Of course I will, but... Huh?! Is something dangerous going to be happening?!"

she asked.

Aisha seemed concerned, so I put a hand on her forehead and laughed.

"It'll be fine, in all likelihood. But, as pathetic as it is for me to have to ask this as a

man, will you protect me if something happens?"

"Your Majesty... Yes! Even if it should cost me my life, I will mmmph."

I hurriedly covered Aisha's mouth. "You're being too loud. We're broadcasting

now."

"Mmph... I-I'm sorry."

...At times like this, she really might have been a disappointing dark elf.

"...is what they said. That is all for News Elfrieden. Now then, after this program,

we will be broadcasting Elfrieden's first entertainment program. If you have no prior

engagements or are not otherwise in a hurry, I hope you will continue watching this

broadcast."

Whoa, it looks like Chris's program is finished, I thought. Okay, now it's our turn.

The set for the music program wasn't here: it was an atrium that had most likely

been used to hold balls. We had lined up tables in there, bringing in some of the

soldiers to sit at them and listen, in the style of the Japan Cable Awards. That was

because having an audience makes a huge difference to the level of excitement.

I took my assistant by the hand. "Come on, let's go, Aisha."

"Sire, I will follow you anywhere!"

◇ ◇ ◇

With Chris Tachyon's information program finished, there was a short break.

Then the receiver in Van's plaza showed a young man and woman. They were a

young man in a black tuxedo and a dark elf girl wearing an extravagant red party

dress. While the young man was confident, the girl seemed a little tense.

Then a person in the crowd said, "Hey, wait, isn't that guy Elfrieden's king,

Souma?"

When people around the man heard him, those who had seen the Elfrieden

Kingdom's army march in through the city gates cried out one after another, "Yeah! I

saw him when they came in through the gate," "That's Elfrieden's King Souma,"

"There's no doubt about it," confirming the first man's suspicions.

With no way of knowing what they were saying about him, Souma wore a relaxed

expression as he held an object that was twenty centimeters or so long with a

rounded end (no doubt intended to be a mic, but since the Jewel Voice Broadcast

was picking up the sound, it was really just a prop) up to his mouth and greeted

them all with a "Hello."

"Songs change with the times and the times change with songs," he said. "These

are the songs we want to see handed down across the ages."

"Wh-What, where did that line come from?! You didn't say that during rehearsal,

did you?!" the dark elf girl exclaimed.

It seemed that his last line had been ad-libbed, as the girl was now confused.

"I will be your host for this program, Souma Kazuya."

"I-I am Aisha Udgard!"

"Come on now, Aisha, your expression is looking stiff," said the king. "Smile,

smile."

"Wh-What about you, sire? Why are you speaking so politely?!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm the host, y'know," he said. "Even if I'm the king, I can't go acting too

self-important."

"You say that, but you're already back to talking like normal!"

"Whoops, pardon me."

Souma was throwing in a bit of playful humor while Aisha could only react to

him.

The people of the Elfrieden Kingdom looked on at their banter with smiles.

However, the people of the Principality of Amidonia wore looks of bewilderment.

The rumors about King Souma said he was a man who had made a fool of the

great warrior Gaius VIII using his strategic ingenuity, then struck him down in a

display of his own valor. The king of the rumors, blessed with both wisdom and

martial ability, simply didn't mesh with the young man poking fun at and playing

around with the dark elf girl in this broadcast.

In actual fact, his strategy had been put together with help from Hakuya, while

the ones to strike down Gaius VIII had been a late-arriving unit of archers, but the

people had no way of knowing these things.

"Did our prince lose to these people?" one of the members of the crowd

wondered.

"I know—this must all be an act to make us drop our guards!"

"What for? Van's already fallen, you know?"

"Well, it's so they can... Yeah, what is it for?"

While the people of Van reacted with confusion, Souma continued hosting the

program.

"Now then, this broadcast is Elfrieden's first music program. For this broadcast,

we've gathered girls with different types of voices. Each of these three is

wonderfully gifted, truly, deserving to be called 'lorelei.'"

The moment Souma spoke those words, this world's equivalent to an idol, the

concept of a "lorelei," was born.

"I hope this will be a program that helps to soothe the hearts of those exhausted

by their daily toil," said the king. "Please, listen to these loreleis' songs and enjoy

them to the very end."

"Er... There are just three here today, but we will always be looking for those who

take pride in their singing voice in the Elfrieden Kingdom," said Aisha. "MMeninwimin..."

"You're slurring it, Aisha."

"P-Please, be quiet," said Aisha. "Um... Men and women of all ages, self-nominated

or nominated by another, all are welcome to apply."

"Yeah, I'd like to have male singers on here, too," said Souma. "Though, for the

guys, it'd be weird to call them loreleis. Well, what'll we call them, then? Mermen, or

something?"

"Then they would just be ordinary sea monsters," said Aisha. "Can't you choose

something from outside the sea? Ah! Erm... To those of you proud of your singing, or

who just like to sing, I'm told you should go to the Lorelei singing cafe in your

nearest city to audition."

"Wait, Lorelei has branch stores now?!" Souma exclaimed.

"Why are you sounding surprised, sire?!"

"Well, I left the auditions entirely up to Juna, after all..."

"By the way, I'm told the one in Lagoon City is their headquarters," said Aisha.

"What, Parnam's was a branch store?!"

When Souma dropped that last line, one of the viewers in Van let out a chuckle,

then hurriedly covered his mouth. If anyone took fault with him for laughing while

watching the broadcast, he could be lynched by the rest of the viewers. Because of

that, Van's plaza had a strange air of tension hanging over it.

Without so much as an inkling of what was going on, Souma continued hosting.

"Now then, let's get this show on the road. Our first lorelei has the body of a child

and the spirit of an adult. She's a legal loli from the kobito race, Pamille Carol."

"Madam Pamille's greatest pleasure is taking an afternoon nap," added Aisha.

"However, recently, we've had such pleasantly sunny days that she's been sleeping

through until morning, and then sleeping in on top of that. ...Um, sire? Is this

information really necessary?"

"Now, let's hear her sing," said Souma. "Here is Pamille Carol."

When Souma said that, the lights dimmed and a relaxed tune began to play.

The next thing to appear on the projection was a balcony in an atrium. There,

wrapped in a frilly dress, was a girl who looked for all appearances to be around

twelve years old. This was Pamille Carol. Pamille clasped her hands in front of her

chest, then began to sing with a voice that, as befitted her appearance, was as

adorable as a ringing bell.

There was a cute girl singing a cute song. When they saw that scene, the people of

Amidonia thought she was cute. However, rather than debate the quality of the song,

they were simply at a loss for what to make of it. What to make of the fact that the

Jewel Voice Broadcast was being used to show a little girl singing, that is.

"Who is that girl? She's absolutely adorable."

"Well, yeah, sure, she's cute, but... is it really okay to use the Jewel Voice

Broadcast for this?"

"Don't ask me. It's not like I know."

"Lord Gaius barely ever used it, you know."

"Maybe this is normal in Elfrieden?"

Conversations like this one were springing up all over. Was this the difference

between Amidonia and Elfrieden? Were broadcasts like this what defined the

Elfrieden Kingdom? they asked. The people of Van, under occupation by the soldiers

of the Elfrieden Kingdom, were strongly impacted by what they saw.

"I see... Is this place part of Elfrieden now, then?" one of the viewers in Van

whispered.

That off-handed comment seeped into the crowd, like water poured into a vast

dry plain.

"Has Van become part of the Elfrieden Kingdom?"

"Well, we are under occupation, after all."

"So, then, this isn't part of the Principality of Amidonia anymore?"

"Well, then does that means it's okay to broadcast this sort of video?"

Even as the people of Van reacted with confusion, the broadcast continued. When

Pamille finished singing the song with lots of charm, Souma and Aisha came back on

screen.

"That was Pamille Carol," said Souma. "My, isn't music a wonderful thing?"

"Why is it, do you suppose?" Aisha asked. "Hearing it made me think, 'That can't

possibly be music.'"

"Now for a change of tune, we'll have an energetic song sung by this person here,"

said Souma. "Having trained her singing voice in a fishing village with nothing but

men, the power of her voice is incredible. She's a simple and innocent cat-eared girl

from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago. Nanna Kamizuki."

"Madam Nanna's favorite fish is the giant spearfish, and her dream is to eat one

whole someday, but because they're worried she'll snack on the day's catch, the

fishermen won't let her on the ocean-going ships..." Aisha began. "Um, again, was

this information really necessary?"

"Now then, let's hear her sing," Souma announced. "Here's Nanna Kamizuki!"

"...You're just ignoring me, aren't you."

The next person to appear on screen wore a lightly punk outfit. She was the

energetic cat-eared girl, Nanna Kamizuki. Her sleeveless top and short pants left her

healthy arms and legs exposed, while the way her bellybutton would occasionally

peek out helped accentuate the appeal of the cuteness she had not lost even with her

androgynous appearance.

Then, as Nanna started to sing, she leapt off the balcony.

"Wha?!" someone in the crowd shouted.

"H-Hey..."

The viewing masses gulped when they saw that scene. It must not have been in

the program plan.

They could see the staff were rushing to move the fixed jewel. They could still

hear her singing, so they knew she must be all right, but Nanna didn't appear on

screen again for a little while. When she finally reappeared, Nanna was having a

great time dancing by the stairs on the floor below. Even as the crowd sighed in

relief, they were gradually being drawn into the rhythm of her song and dance.

"You go, girl! Keep it up!"

"The song's nice, too. It really cheers you up."

With this being the second time, perhaps they were getting used to it, because

voices like that could be heard even from the tense crowd in Van. There was a cute

girl enjoying herself singing and dancing. No man wouldn't enjoy watching that. And,

surprisingly, it had an even stronger impact on the women of Amidonia than it did

the men.

What drew the women's attention was Nanna's fashion.

"Isn't she cold dressed like that?"

"She's indoors, so it's probably fine."

"But, if she dresses like that... won't they get upset with her because it distracts

and seduces men?"

Amidonia was, more than anything, a militaristic country. Men were expected to

be strong first and foremost, while women were there to support them, and the

greatest virtue sought from them was modesty.

As a result, in the Principality of Amidonia, except on special occasions, public

opinion would not allow women to dress up. This stemmed from the idea that it

would be a problem if they tempted men, making them become weak. To say

nothing of the fact that if they wore an outfit that showed so much flesh (even an

outfit that showed the shoulders or thighs was seen as showing too much here) in a

public place, they ran the risk of being arrested for offending public morals.

"Do they not get angry about that in the kingdom?" one woman wondered.

"Well, it is another country. Their king seems gentle, too."

"...I'm so jealous."

In the minds of the women who wanted to dress up and be pretty, borders and

race did not exist.

Pamille's frilly dress had been cute, and they admired the more liberal outfit that

Nanna was wearing now, too. If they could do it, they wanted to try wearing those

outfits and dancing. The outfits those two wore began to kindle a fire in the hearts of

the women living in the principality. Especially for the women in Van.

"This isn't Amidonia anymore, right?" one woman asked.

"Then, can we dress up if we want to?"

"I guess? All the soldiers who would have gotten mad have left now."

And, well, they even started saying things like that.

By the time Nanna's energetic song came to an end, the people of Van gave a

round of applause. None of them cared if Souma was just trying to buy their loyalty

anymore.

When Nanna finished singing, the video cut out for a while. The jewel must be

being moved back to its original position. When the screen came back up, it showed

Souma and Aisha with wry smiles on their faces.

"...We were underestimating just how much energy Nanna has," Souma said.

"...Indeed," Aisha agreed.

"To think she'd go out of frame on a fixed-camera... Nanna, what a terrifying girl!"

"Why did you say that line like an old woman...?" Aisha asked.

"Now then, let's get things back on track," said Souma. "Now, now, we've kept you

all waiting. Next up, the pride of our country, the Prima Lorelei, makes her

appearance!"

"Madam Juna is incredibly popular even in this first broadcast, isn't she?" asked

Aisha.

As the two of them had just said, Juna had already secured the position of

Elfrieden's top lorelei for herself during the last Jewel Voice Broadcasts. Her

popularity had surprised and confused even Juna herself.

"When the Congress of the People, which collects petitions, issued me a request

saying, 'Broadcast programs more often and let us hear Juna's singing,' even I was a

bit weirded out," said Souma.

"Wow... err, Madam Juna has been looking for a good herb tea to help with stiff

shoulders lately..." said Aisha. "It's not easy when they're so big, it seems."

"...Anyway, let's hear her sing," said Souma. "Here's Juna Doma."

"What was that pause for?" Aisha demanded.

"...I wasn't imagining anything, really."

"You inadvertently let that slip, I see."

The adorable image of Souma turning to look away and Aisha staring at him as he

did so faded out, and now the blue-haired Juna Doma appeared on screen.

On her upper half, she wore an outfit that looked like she had just wrapped a

piece of fabric around herself, while on her bottom she wore loose white pants that

tightened around her ankles. Wearing a thin, veil-like piece of silk on top of her head,

she looked like a dancer girl who had escaped from the world of One Thousand and

One Nights.

Her beauty captivated every last member of the audience, man and woman alike,

while her singing voice would indiscriminately intoxicate the peoples of both

Elfrieden and Amidonia.

The viewing masses were made to see why Souma had called her the Prima

Lorelei. Juna's voice didn't have a unique character to it like Pamille's did. However,

her expressive control of her pitch was carved even deeper into people's memories

than Pamille was. Juna's voice also lacked the power that Nanna's had from training

with the fishermen. However, thanks to that, her gentle timbre was able to seep

deeper into the hearts of people than Nanna's had.

The viewing public were certain of it. Certain that Juna Doma was the lorelei who

stood above all loreleis, the Prima Lorelei.

The viewers in Amidonia had all been completely charmed by the three singers.

They were surprised to find out that the Jewel Voice Broadcast could be such an

enjoyable experience. At this point, none of them were concerned if this broadcast

was Souma's way of trying to win them to his side anymore.

In Japanese, the word "music" was written "to enjoy sound." They were enjoying

it for its sound. That was why no one noticed Souma's true aim.

—With one exception.

◇ ◇ ◇

"That king, he sure pulled a nasty trick..."

In Nelva, a fortress city in the southwest of Amidonia, one individual who had

mixed in with the viewers to watch the broadcast muttered. This person wore a

hooded cloak which covered their entire body, making it impossible to read their

expression. All that it was possible to discern was that, compared to those around

the person, this person had a small build, and a voice that was most likely female.

A similarly hooded man standing beside her asked the girl in the hooded cloak a

question. "A nasty trick?"

"It's nasty," said the girl. "After all, he's takin' all the things my old man

deliberately kept away from the people and then suddenly givin' 'em to them all in

one go. There ain't any hope of my brother gettin' himself reinstated after this.

...Well, for the people, that may be for the best."

With those words said, the hooded girl shrugged as if to add, "Good grief."

The hooded man beside her looked at her with confusion. "Um, princess, what

are you saying Lord Gaius stole from the people?"

"Freedom, that's what, Mr. Colbert," said the hooded girl.

The hooded girl was Gaius VIII's daughter, Roroa Amidonia. The man beside her

was the former Minister of Finance, Colbert.

Roroa pointed at the video. "Usin' the Jewel Voice Broadcast like that, women

dressin' up fancy, and men lustin' after cute young girls in broad daylight, none of

that woulda been allowed in the principality before now, yeah? That was because

neither the prince or the people wanted the ideologies of weaklings to spread. But

that king, he's showin' them with this broadcast that all of that stuff is allowed in the

kingdom."

"In other words... showing off their 'freedom,'" Colbert said.

Roroa nodded. "That's right. That's what makes it nasty. Freedom is 'free.' Givin'

it away doesn't cost Souma anythin'. Now, if ya try to take it away, there'll be

resistance. Even if he borrows the Empire's power and manages to get Van back, do

ya see my brother bein' able to let them keep that 'freedom'? ...I don't. Under my

brother, it'll be a rehash of how my old man was rulin' the place. There'll be chaos,

no two ways about it."

"No... do you mean to say Souma calculated all of that before making this

broadcast?!" Colbert exclaimed.

"That's what it's lookin' like to me."

Colbert's eyes went wide. He was shocked that this girl, who when she pulled

back her hood had adorable beady little eyes like a tanuki, had seen through the

designs of King Souma, the man who had played Gaius VIII for a fool.

If the ruler of Amidonia had been not Gaius or Julius, but Roroa instead, the

world might be a very different place right now. No, there was no doubt it would

have been. When he thought about that, Colbert couldn't help but feel a deep sense

of regret.

However, it seemed Roroa herself wasn't even thinking about that. "It just means

my old man was no match for him. That old man was hopeless when it came to

anythin' off the battlefield, after all. Honestly... I told him if he didn't stimulate the

eagerness to spend and get the economy movin' again, this economic slump was

gonna last forever, but he didn't hear a word I said."

Hearing her speaking so bitterly, Colbert hurried to respond. "Um, princess...

about your father..."

"Oh, don't you worry about that none," she said. "I ain't too bothered by it

myself."

In the recent battle, the forces of Amidonia had suffered a major defeat at the

hands of the forces of Elfrieden, and Roroa's father Gaius VIII had been struck down

by the Royal Army under the command of Souma Kazuya.

When Colbert tried to show her some sympathy for her loss, Roroa just waved

for him to stop. "I wondered why it is? I heard my old man's dead now, but I don't

feel sad about it one bit. I guess in the end, I never did get along with my old man or

my brother..."

"Princess..." murmured Colbert.

"If anythin'... I'm shocked that I ain't more shocked by it," said Roroa. "I oughta

want revenge against Souma, but all I'm feelin' towards him is curiosity. The way he

rebuilt that old country and the strange way he uses the Jewel Voice Broadcast, I

wonder what kinda world he must've lived in to learn to do all that. I'd like to meet

him and talk about it. Hey, Mr. Colbert. Do ya think I'm heartless, maybe?"

For the first time, her uncertain eyes peeked out from behind the hood. Her moist

eyes were like those of an abandoned puppy. When Colbert saw her like that, he

hurriedly said "No!" and shook his head.

"You were trying to save this country in a different way from Lord Gaius!" he

declared. "That's why you never got along with Gaius or Julius, who put ideology

before the people, and you feel a kinship with King Souma who always looks at

things through the eyes of his people! That is the true proof you are the princess of

this country!"

When Colbert said that, Roroa, who had just moments before had the look of an

abandoned puppy, said, "Y'sure? Well, good," then started chuckling to herself.

W-Were those crocodile tears?!

Even the mild-mannered Colbert was ready to snap at her for that, but he

reconsidered. Roroa was capable of pretending to be sad, but she was also capable of

pretending to be pretending to be sad. Only Roroa knew what she truly felt. So...

Colbert said nothing.

Then, suddenly, Roroa pulled back her hood. With her two ponytails hanging

forward in front of her, Roroa's adorable face came into view. Colbert's eyes opened

wide with surprise.

"Princess, what do you think you're doing?! We are in hiding, you realize?! What

if someone sees you?!" he exclaimed.

"Everyone's busy watchin' the music program," she said. "They ain't gonna be

lookin' at either of us. But, before we talk about that, as the man I'm gonna be up

against, I was thinkin' I should burn the image of Souma's face into my eyes now."

In Roroa's eyes, Souma was a plain, ordinary young man, the kind you could find

anywhere. However, she was also well aware that there was more to him than met

the eye. A normal person couldn't restore a declining kingdom, or defeat the three

dukes and the principality. He was a difficult opponent to gauge precisely because he

looked so normal.

Roroa put her hood back on, pulling Colbert by the arm as she walked away.

"Now then, we've got some preparin' of our own to do. Souma moves faster than I

thought."

"...Ah! Yes, ma'am!" Colbert said.

Thinking that this was where things would begin in earnest, Colbert wore a

serious expression on his face. As she walked, Roroa turned back, looking at the

image of Souma projected by the receiver, and giggled.

Now that you've gotten us in the mood, don't go thinkin' we'll let you run off while

you're ahead, she thought. You're gonna have to take responsibility for it. Oh, yes, you

are. Better get yourself ready, Souma! ♪

◇ ◇ ◇

With Juna's song finished, it was Pamille's turn again. We didn't have enough

loreleis yet, so for today's broadcast, each of them was going to sing two songs.

When Pamille's turn ended, I waited for Nanna to begin her second song, and

then dragged Aisha off to somewhere out of sight, where we wouldn't show up in the

broadcast.

"Wh-What is it, sire?" she asked. "We're still live, you know?"

"I told you there was something I was worried about during this broadcast,

yeah?" I said. "It's what comes up after Nanna."

When she heard those words, Aisha took on a serious expression.

I quietly told her, "When the next act begins, I'm counting on you as my

bodyguard."

"Wha?! You don't mean to say Madam Juna would do somethi—mmmph."

Even though we were still in the middle of the broadcast, Aisha had started to

raise her voice, so I'd covered her mouth with my hand.

Once she'd calmed down, I silently shook my head. "It's not Juna. In between

Nanna and Juna's second songs, we have a singer who jumped in to participate at the

last minute."

"Mmph... I-I never heard about that!" Aisha cried.

"Like I said, she jumped in at the last minute," I said. "We decided on it suddenly,

right before we went live. Besides, if I'd warned you in advance, I figured you'd be

too busy thinking about it and you'd flub your lines."

"Murrgh... I can't deny it," she said.

Oh, come on... I thought.

Still, I clapped her on the shoulder. "So, there you have it. I'm counting on you if it

comes to that. You're one of the hosts, so you can't carry your greatsword, but do

you want to keep a smaller weapon on you?"

"No, in that case, I'm better off bare-handed... Wait, is this person that

dangerous?!" Aisha exclaimed.

"Nah... I think, probably, it won't be an issue," I said. "I'm just taking out some

insurance."

"Insurance, I see... Understood. I will protect you to the death, sire."

Aisha thumped her chest once. It usually made a metallic clang because of her

armor, but today Aisha was in a cocktail dress. The ample bosom that was usually

hidden beneath her armor swayed, so I turned away in embarrassment because I

didn't know where to look.

Now, then... Let's see how this goes.

◇ ◇ ◇

"This music program sure is nice..." someone in the crowd said.

By the time they had finished listening to Nanna's second song, an air of

relaxation had set in for the Amidonian viewers. They were sincerely enjoying the

music program. Judging by the order of things so far, Juna Doma was up next. They

were even excited to hear her singing again.

However, that air was all but blown away in the next instant.

A woman appeared on the screen. She looked to be somewhere between thirty

and forty years old. She stood nearly two meters tall, with a build so muscular that it

was apparent even through the military uniform she wore. There was a sharp glint

in her eye, and she wore her hair slicked back, so it was hard to tell what her gender

was.

In fact, the only ones who knew that she was female were the viewers in the

principality. It turned out viewers in the kingdom thought she was a guy in drag.

Souma and Aisha appeared on the screen next to the woman. Souma still had his

forced smile on, but Aisha was looking at the woman warily.

"Now, we have a surprise guest participant," said Souma. "It's the Amidonian

commander, Margarita Wonder. While the troops garrisoned in Van were

withdrawing, Ms. Wonder remained here to monitor whether we were respecting

the agreement and not harming the people."

The people of Van nodded. That sounds exactly like Madam Wonder, they thought.

Despite living in the Principality of Amidonia, where it was hard for women to

make a successful career for themselves, her extraordinary martial prowess and

ability to lead had let her rise to the rank of general, and she was now an

experienced warrior. Her martial ability and stern appearance made her feared by

the people, but she had also gained their trust for her reputation as a fair and

upright individual.

Still, that made it all the harder for them to understand. What was Madam

Wonder doing here, next to Souma?

"Ms. Wonder was a prisoner of war, but the reason for her capture being what it

was, we had her under house arrest," said Souma. "However, when she heard about

this broadcast, she said, 'I'd like you to let me sing, too,' and volunteered to

participate."

Souma was talking in a cheery tone, but Margarita herself was silent. That

difference in enthusiasm between the two of them was palpable, and it sent a chill

running down the spines of the residents of Van.

"Hey... is something about to happen?" someone in the crowd wondered.

"You don't think Madam Wonder would use this as a chance to try and kill

Souma, do you?"

"No, Madam Wonder would never stoop to doing something so underhanded..."

"But look at that dark elf's expression. She's on guard."

"Souma's smiling, but you can tell he's on edge, too."

Even though the events were actually unfolding in the castle, the people in Van

could pick up on the uneasy air and it frightened them. In that atmosphere, Souma

kept on talking with a smile.

"Now, let's hear her sing. Ms. Margarita Wonder's song will be... 'Through the

Valley of Goldoa.'"

When they heard the song title, the air flowing around the audience seemed to

freeze.

The announced song, "Through the Valley of Goldoa," was the national anthem of

Amidonia. She was going to sing the anthem in occupied Van, right in front of Souma,

the occupying power's king.

The people of Amidonia understood the significance of that in an instant.

Madam Wonder was prepared to face death.

Once Souma and Aisha had gone off-screen, a solemn piece of music in a minor

key began to play. Then, at last, Margarita started to sing.

"In the land beyond the mountains, where Ursula will be born tomorrow, ♪ Is the

land that birthed our forefathers, the land to which we will return. ♪ Press on, O

horses, climbing over the hill of our fallen comrades. ♪ Press on, O brave warriors, to

become the earth of the land beyond. ♪"

It was a powerful song sung in a husky voice. The people of the principality

naturally stood tall with pride.

Margarita's singing forcibly reminded the people of the principality that they

were citizens of Amidonia, including the ones in Van.

They had been feeling a budding admiration for the "freedom" enjoyed by the

people of the kingdom, but her song was like a frost that caused those buds to close.

◇ ◇ ◇

It's an intense song...

I was off in a corner, listening to it.

While there had been a slight commotion from the soldiers in the audience when

she started to sing, because they had strict orders to "Remain seated no matter what

happens, and listen to the music quietly," no one made a scene over it.

However, it was hard to blame them for being unsettled.

After all, this song was about an invasion of the Elfrieden Kingdom.

The lyrics "In the land beyond the mountains, where Ursula will be born

tomorrow," referred to the lands east of the Ursula Mountains which were once part

of Amidonia but were now part of Elfrieden.

It called for their horses and brave warriors to press forward towards there.

In other words, their national anthem was a song about crossing the Goldoa

Valley to invade the Elfrieden Kingdom.

I dunno... It felt like, did they really have to take it that far? It showed just how

vindictive a militaristic state could be that even their national anthem was trying to

incite the people.

While I was thinking about that, Aisha asked me in a hushed voice, "Is this all

right? Do you want to let her sing like this?"

"...Well, it's about what I expected," I responded in a whisper, with my arms

crossed. "Someone who was a general of the opposing army suddenly said she

wanted to participate in my music program. About the only reasons I could come up

with were 'to stir up the patriotism of the viewers,' or 'to wait for a chance to get

close to me and then strike.' After a cursory investigation into what sort of person

she was, I expected it to be the former. That's why I asked you to protect me, Aisha."

"You knew this would happen?!" Aisha exclaimed. "In that case, wouldn't it have

been better not to let her sing?"

"...Well, just watch," I said. "I'm going to turn her plans around on her."

While I was saying that, Margarita finished her song. As soon as she finished

singing, Margarita sat herself down on the spot.

When we walked over to her, she said, "I've shown you the pride of the

Amidonian people. Now, lop off my head."

She sat up straight. As I thought, she had come prepared for this. Being cut down

here was probably part of her plan. In fact, if I laid a hand on Margarita here, this

entire broadcast would be a wasted effort.

That's why I smiled, and said, "Why? I thought you sang well."

Perhaps because it wasn't the expected response, Margarita's eyes went wide.

I felt bad doing this to her when she'd had such strong resolve, but I wasn't about

to go along with her plans.

"You have a good voice, one that would work well for R&B, maybe," I said. "I have

lots of songs I'd like to hear in your voice. I'm sure the people feel the same way."

When I said that in an off-handed manner, Margarita glared at me. "...I sang the

Amidonian national anthem, you realize. If you let this outrage stand, people will

question your authority as the King of Elfrieden."

"Don't call it an outrage yourself... and so what?" I asked. "There's no law in

Elfrieden saying you can't sing another country's national anthem. This isn't

Amidonia."

I looked away from Margarita, turning towards the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel

and saying, "What makes for a good country? It's not a simple question to answer.

However, if nothing else, I think a country that lets its people sing freely is a good

one. If a country lets you sing happy songs, sad songs, love songs, local songs, foreign

songs, military songs, and anti-war songs freely, I think that's the mark of a good

country."

Then, reaching out towards the jewel with my right hand, I asked, "What do you,

the viewers, think?"

◇ ◇ ◇

There was a tower on the west side of Van Castle.

That moss-covered tower with its bizarre and imposing presence was home to a

jail, and it was used to confine criminals of high status (nobility, knights, and higher).

While it was a jail for those of high status, it wasn't a luxury suite by any means.

Inside it was a typical dingy jail.

Under Amidonian rule, it had primarily been political prisoners who'd been

confined in this tower. Those people who were said to have plotted to overthrow the

state, or to oppose the direction of the country.

While they may have been said to have done those things, whether they actually

had was another matter. Sometimes these sorts of political crimes were used to take

down a political rival.

Underground there was a torture chamber used to extract confessions. It seems

that the nobles who were falsely accused would be forced to confess there, then sent

to the execution block along with their families. If you approached this tower at

night, you could hear the moaning of the prisoners who were being tortured during

the day, so at some point it had come to be known as the Moaning Tower.

In one of the jail cells of the Moaning Tower, Liscia and Carla were sitting on the

floor looking at one another across a set of iron bars. Carla, who was being kept as a

hostage against the Air Force, was currently imprisoned in this tower.

Liscia had brought in a simple Jewel Voice Broadcast receiver, and she was

watching Souma's program with Carla. They had taken it for a simple entertainment

program at first, but when that Amidonian general had suddenly appeared, the two

of them had realized Souma's true aim.

"Had he calculated that that female general would use the broadcast to stir up

patriotism..." Carla wondered.

"...so he showed off the freedom and magnanimity that would allow him to accept

that patriotism?" Liscia finished.

The two of them sighed in admiration.

Liscia traced the edge of the simple receiver with her finger. "Souma taught the

people of Amidonia that in Elfrieden people are free to sing whatever songs they

want. No, it's not just songs. Music, literature, paintings, sculptures... He showed that

every form of artistic self-expression is allowed."

"Self-expression, huh..." Carla said. "I can't think of anything the principality hates

more."

In a militaristic state like the Principality of Amidonia, it was easier to rule if the

people were all the same. That way they could gain the support of the people just by

calling for the downfall of Elfrieden. If they allowed for a diverse political discourse,

people might start suggesting, "We should make peace with Elfrieden, trade with

them, and coexist." That was the most frightening idea for the members of the

princely house, so anyone who espoused those sorts of ideas was thoroughly

suppressed.

However, with their defeat in the war and the death of Gaius VIII, the princely

house had lost their authority. Souma had chosen a time like this to make his

broadcast, teaching the people of the principality about the existence of something

called "freedom of expression."

They could sing whatever songs they wanted to, draw whatever pictures they

wanted to, and write whatever stories they wanted to.

He had shown the people of Van that the people restricting them from doing

those things were already gone.

"From here on... even if their crown prince, Julius, manages to regain power, I

doubt he can rule like they did before," said Liscia. "The people of Van have now

tasted the bliss of expressing themselves. If he wants to take that from them, he'll

have to crack down on it."

"If he does that, he'll only alienate his people more... huh." Carla sighed, resting

her back against the bars. "I think I finally get what Souma meant when he said,

'There's only work for a king before and after the war.' For him... he's still fighting

right now."

"Fighting..." Liscia murmured. "I see, so that's why Souma chose Aisha as his

partner." Liscia let out a sigh, leaning back against the bars. The two of them were

now back-to-back with the bars in between them. "I'm happy that he doesn't want

me to get hurt, but I get a little jealous. I'd like him to rely on me more..."

"Ha ha ha..." Carla laughed. "It just shows how much he cares for you."

"Does it?"

"It does," Carla assured her. "When he was whining to me on the battlefield, he

said he couldn't let you and the others hear him like that. Grandmother once said

that the more a man cares about someone, the more prideful he is around them."

"Y-You think...? Oh, wait, Carla, he was whining to you?" Liscia asked.

"It's because I mean nothing to him, I'll bet. I did oppose him, after all."

"Carla, Souma is...!"

When Liscia turned around and looked at Carla's face, she was at a loss for words.

Her expression showed none of her usual defiance; it was lonely somehow, with an

air of peaceful resignation.

"I know, Liscia," said Carla. "On the battlefield, he forced me to see the weight he's

carrying on his shoulders. He's no phony. He's a splendid king. You and King Albert

were right in your judgment of him. We were the ones who lacked your clarity of

vision."

"Huh?!" Liscia exclaimed. "If you've figured that out, then..."

"It's why I can't let you intercede on my behalf."

Liscia stood up and slammed on the bars. "Carla! Do you have any idea what

Duchess Walter and I are going through to..."

"No," said Carla. "That's not it, Liscia." She shook her head silently. Then, folding

her hands on her lap, she forced herself to say, "We made a mistake. That's why I

don't want to cause any more trouble for you. If you try to help us survive, you'll be

putting Souma in a bind. He's already pushing himself too hard to be king, so I don't

want to increase the burden on him anymore."

"Carla..." Liscia looked as if she were in pain.

Carla smiled weakly. "I don't want to be a burden on you and the one you love

any longer."

◇ ◇ ◇

"Now then, everyone, I think we'll have this person here close out the program

for us," I said. "Here's the number one singer, the Prima Lorelei, Juna Doma!"

Having finished with the lead-in to the last song, I moved off-stage to somewhere

the jewel wouldn't pick me up. When I got there, I found Margarita kneeling and

Aisha looking at her with a grim look on her face.

"...King of Elfrieden," snarled Margarita. "Did you know what I was going to do?"

She looked extremely frustrated as I approached.

"Yeah, kinda," I said. "Someone tried the same thing in the world I came from."

Although that had been in a movie. It was an old musical, but my grandpa had

loved it, so I had seen it a bunch of times.

Margarita hung her head. "I see... If someone has tried it before, it's little wonder I

failed."

I placed a hand on Margarita's shoulder. "Despite being from the Amidonian

military, you didn't rely on brute force, and you had a wonderful singing voice. How

about it? Why not try becoming a singer in our country for real? An R&B singer,

maybe."

"...You put me to shame with such kind words for a defeated soldier," she said

bitterly. "I'm not sure what this... arr and bee is, but given I have failed as a soldier,

perhaps that would be fine."

"Yeah, we can never have too many singers," I said. "You'd be more than

welcome."

A troubled smile formed on Margarita's tough-looking face. "...Let me think about

it."

◇ ◇ ◇

Margarita Wonder was hesitant at this point, but not long afterwards, she did

make her debut as an R&B singer from Amidonia. Her powerful singing with that

husky voice of hers mostly found support with middle-aged people.

Furthermore, with the larger-than-life personality she had cultivated on the

battlefield, and the courage to rival any man's, she took over hosting the program,

eventually becoming a mainstay of the kingdom's entertainment industry.

Regardless, the curtain now fell on the highly-eventful first broadcast of the

music program.