Chapter 5: Withdrawal

22nd day, 10th month, 1546th year, Continental Calendar

It was noon on the day after I forged a secret alliance with the Gran Chaos

Empire.

Jeanne and I met with Julius once more in the audience chamber.

As we all stood in the same positions as the day before, Hakuya, who stood in

front of me and to the side, stepped towards Julius and presented him with a piece of

paper detailing the decision made in yesterday's talks. "The Royal Army will leave

Van and return home to the Elfrieden Kingdom."

Julius's haughty expression showed that he saw this as the natural conclusion,

but when he heard what came next, his face turned a different color.

"As a condition of this, the Principality of Amidonia is ordered to pay war

reparations to the Elfrieden Kingdom," said Hakuya. "This is to be separate from any

ransom negotiated for the return of prisoners of war."

"That can't be right!" Julius rounded on Jeanne. "Madam Jeanne! What is the

meaning of this?!"

"The meaning of it...?" Jeanne shrugged. "Why, I do believe I have negotiated the

return of your land, as requested?"

Julius couldn't seem to accept the outcome. "Is this some sort of joke?! War

reparations? It makes it seem like we are a defeated nation!"

"Given your current situation, it's hard to say otherwise," said Jeanne. "You have

lost your capital city, after all."

"No! We haven't lost yet!" Julius shouted. "They've only taken a single city!"

"...Then you're free to do as you please," said Jeanne. "The Empire will be washing

its hands of the matter. You may make peace or make war, whichever you please."

Julius groaned, at a loss for words.

Seeing his reaction, Jeanne sighed. "As for that city... I have some heavy doubts

that you can write off your capital as just one city being lost, but I believe you turned

to us for assistance because you were in no position to retake the city yourself, yes?

In that case, you have lost the war. The Empire, under the Mankind Declaration, has

provided a means for you to restore the changes in your borders. We can intervene

no further."

"But, war reparations..." Julius complained.

"Sir Julius." Jeanne turned a cold look on him, one that seemed to push him away.

"This matter has saddened my sister, Maria, deeply. You have invaded a sovereign

state by taking advantage of a loophole in the Mankind Declaration, which was made

to unite all mankind in the face of the threat posed by the Demon Lord's Domain. As

the head of that pact, we cannot let it go unchallenged."

"That was... our former sovereign, Gaius..." Julius sputtered.

"Even if it was," said Jeanne, "you still bear the responsibility for failing to stop

him. Regardless, in order to ensure that no other signatory of the Mankind

Declaration engages in such foolhardy actions, I believe harsh consequences are

necessary. I will have you set an example for them."

Uwah... She's wording it all politely, but basically what she's saying is, "I'm going to

make an example of you to keep the other signatories in line," huh? I thought.

Julius stood there trembling with his hands balled into fists, his face a contorted

mask of rage and anguish. "...And what if I refuse?"

"I've already told you that," said Jeanne. "You are free to do as you please. The

Empire will wash its hands of the matter, and the Principality of Amidonia will be

expelled from the Mankind Declaration."

Julius gasped in shock. "Wait! If you do that, our country will..."

"Yes," said Jeanne. "'If they are not a signatory to the Declaration, it's not a

violation if we attack them.' Which is to say, your... Pardon me, your father's

interpretation will be able to be applied to Amidonia, as well."

The Principality of Amidonia was surrounded by four nations on its four sides. To

their west was the mercenary state of Zem, which professed to eternal neutrality

despite dispatching mercenaries. To their south was the Republic of Turgis, a nonsignatory state with a national policy of northward expansionism. To their north

was the Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria, which had a unique set of values that

differed from its neighbors. And lastly, to their east was the Elfrieden Kingdom.

Setting aside what we might do ourselves, if they lost the protection of the

Mankind Declaration now, it was entirely possible that the other three would gobble

them up.

Their former ruler, Gaius, had maintained his country by joining hands with the

Empire, forming a contract with Zem for their mercenaries, intimidating the

Elfrieden Kingdom under its previous timid leader, Albert, and displaying his

military might to the countries to the north and south. He'd had the capacity to carry

out a balanced foreign policy. Could Julius be said to have the same talent?

Even if he did have the talent, did the young Julius have the kind of authority he

would need to take the necessary steps?

The inheritance of authority is best done gradually, while the previous ruler still

lives. However, Gaius was no more. Julius now had to deal with the difficult problem

of managing the threat of foreign powers externally, while also keeping his own

vassals under control internally. If, during that very important process, his country

were removed from the Mankind Declaration, he would lose the ability to rely on the

Empire's authority and would quickly find himself in checkmate.

Julius understood that, so he bowed his head to Jeanne, his face full of bitterness.

"...I will accept your plan."

"A wise decision, Sir Julius," Jeanne said.

Julius looked mortified, but I couldn't allow myself to show mercy here, so I did

not stir.

With that matter settled, we moved on to negotiating the specific amount.

We demanded two years' worth of Amidonia's national budget, divided into

annual payments over a period of ten years, with the stipulation that it must be paid

in Imperial coinage. In other words, they would pay twenty percent of their national

budget to us every year for ten years.

Julius, of course, objected, but Jeanne convinced (coerced?) him to accept it. The

point was to deprive Amidonia, which had spent half of its annual budget on military

expenses, of its military funding. As long as they reduced military spending, I didn't

think it would be impossible for them to pay it, but would Amidonia be able to do

that?

"Madam Jeanne," I said. "If there are any delays in payment..."

"Indeed," said Jeanne. "The Empire will support the Elfrieden Kingdom in its

annexation of Van."

"Urkh..." Julius looked frustrated, but he couldn't say anything.

With that confirmed, I made a proposal. "However, Madam Jeanne, I could see

them delaying payment while they harden the defenses around Van. Even with the

Empire's consent, it would be a hassle to have to take the city again. As such, I would

like something of equivalent value as collateral."

"Collateral?" Jeanne asked.

"An item that we will hold on to until such time as the reparations are paid," I

said. "If the reparations are not paid, we will gain ownership of that item. Of course,

if the reparations are paid properly, the item will be returned."

"I see... So, what do you want?" Jeanne asked.

"A Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel."

"Wha—! Our country only has one of those!" Julius roared.

With the current level of technology, they couldn't create another. If it were

valued as an asset, it was probably equal to a year's worth of Amidonia's national

budget.

But still, I said, "You're not using it all that much anyway. Where's the harm in

letting us have it?"

"Don't be absurd! Do you mean to incite our people to revolt?!" Julius shouted.

"It's a simple matter of changing the frequency," I said. "That's all it would take to

keep you from receiving broadcasts made by Elfrieden."

"Urgh... Well, yes..." Julius looked anguished, but he accepted it surprisingly

easily.

They had been using the convenient device for little more than a declaration of

intent at the beginning of each year, so Julius the militarist probably didn't realize its

true value. It might be that he only recognized it for its material value. As I was

thinking that...

"Sire. May I have a word?" Hakuya said, then whispered something in my ear.

When I heard what he had to say, I furrowed my brow.

"That's... mostly just to satisfy your own interests, isn't it?" I asked.

"Whatever are you saying?" Hakuya asked. "Knowledge is crystallized wisdom."

"...Well, fine," I said. "Sir Julius."

"...What?"

"As an additional piece of collateral, we would like to take the books in this

castle's archives."

That was what Hakuya had proposed. We would take custody of Amidonia's

books gathering dust in Amidonia's archives.

In this world, paper was still precious, and books were not in wide distribution. It

was entirely possible that Amidonia had books in their archives that Elfrieden did

not. Moreover, in the case of books, it would be possible to copy them while we had

them in our possession.

Julius snorted with contempt. "Very well. But don't touch anything else. I won't

stand for you taking our weapons or armor."

"We already sold off a bunch of those to raise funds for the transportation

network here, you know?" I said. "We spent that money on this city, so even if you

ask for it back, we can't comply."

"Urgh. Then don't touch them any further!" Julius snapped.

"...Very well," I said.

The weapons were more important than the books, huh? It was the right

decision, given that he was surrounded by countries he couldn't let his guard down

around, but he didn't seem to understand how scary it was that the collected

writings of his people, the crystallization of their wisdom, would be leaking out.

When I looked to Jeanne, she must have been thinking the same thing as me,

because she wore a wry smile.

Now, with the matter of reparations settled, we decided to settle other matters.

"I want my the soldiers of my country who were taken prisoner by the Elfrieden

Kingdom returned," Julius demanded.

"Very well," I said. "However, you will have to pay a ransom for those belonging

to the nobility or gentry."

"...Understood."

"In addition, we have investigated and composed a list of war criminals who

attacked villages and engaged in looting during your invasion of our country," I said.

"Any prisoners who are on those lists will be judged under the laws of our country,

and so we cannot return them to you."

The extreme measure thought up by Hakuya, using the fictional monster of the

flame pierrots to induce people to evacuate, had succeeded in getting most of the

people out of the path of the Amidonian forces. However, that didn't mean there had

been absolutely no casualties.

The armies of the principality seemed to have dispatched scouts in all directions,

and those unfortunate enough to encounter them had been killed. I would see to it

that they paid for the innocent blood of my people they had spilled.

"We will also demand that those whose names are on the list and yet remain in

your country be turned over to us," I said. "Only once this is completed can we begin

to return prisoners to you."

"...Fine," said Julius shortly, accepting the list of war criminals from Hakuya. "By

the way, is Roroa among the prisoners to be returned?"

Roroa? Who?

"I'm not familiar with the name," I said. "Who's that?"

"Roroa Amidonia. My unworthy younger sister. She should have been in Van

when the fighting started."

"Your younger sister?" I asked. "When the gates of Van were opened, we allowed

any who wished to leave to do so. I think Margarita was about the only one of any

status who stayed. I haven't received any reports that we captured a member of the

royal family."

"...That's fine, then," Julius said, cutting off the topic as if no longer interested.

His sister was missing, wasn't she? He seemed awfully blasé about that fact.

Wasn't he worried?

"If you'd like, I could have my people look for anyone who's spotted her," I

offered.

"That will not be necessary."

"Not necessary?" I repeated.

Hakuya whispered in my ear, "Most likely, he is concerned about a succession

crisis. My investigations indicate that Princess Roroa is one of the few in the

Amidonian royal house who has the support of the civil officials. Having given

preferential treatment to the military, Julius is not popular with the civil officials. He

must fear that they would support Madam Roroa against him."

"Even though, with Gaius gone, she's one of his few remaining relatives," I

whispered back.

"It is a common occurrence in royal families," he whispered.

"I understand that, but still... I don't want to understand it," I whispered back.

Succession wars had not been uncommon in Earth's history. Even in the Elfrieden

Kingdom, when Liscia's mother Elisha had ascended the throne, the conflict between

her relatives had nearly led to the extinguishing of the royal line.

If I recalled correctly, Machiavelli himself called for the purging of political

opponents. However... as one who had known the loneliness of losing all of his

family, I couldn't help but feel he should treasure his one little sister. It might have

been naïve of me, but it was something I couldn't give up on.

"Oh, that's right," I said. "I mentioned Margarita a moment ago. We would like for

her to remain in the kingdom. Given she cooperated with us to maintain order in

Van, I suspect you would be hard pressed to decide what should be done with her."

"General Margarita Wonder, is it?" Julius seemed to think for a moment. "If you

will release five of the nobles you hold prisoner in exchange, I can accept that." he

said.

He must have been calculating her value as a prisoner, and he'd judged that,

compared to a general he wouldn't know what to do with, a reduction in the ransom

for vassals who were actually loyal to him was more beneficial. Calling for five

people to be exchanged in return for one was a shrewd decision.

"Very well," I said. "I'll accept those conditions."

"...She was a good general, yes, but good enough for you to want her so badly?"

Julius asked dubiously.

I smiled wryly. Julius, only able to judge people's value by their potential as

assets in war, wouldn't understand Margarita's true value. As a singer, as a host,

Margarita had become indispensable when it came to producing programs for the

Jewel Voice Broadcast.

Well, I was under no obligation to explain that to him, so I kept quiet.

With things largely in order now, I declared an end to the talks.

Elfrieden would receive war reparations in exchange for withdrawing from Van.

Amidonia would regain control of Van in exchange for paying reparations. The

Empire had demonstrated its influence by acting as a mediator in this dispute.

...Those were results I could be satisfied with, for now.

It could be said that Amidonia had come out at a loss, the Empire had lost

nothing, and Elfrieden had come out with suitable gains.

With the talks concluded, Julius turned on his heel to walk away, as if saying he

had no more to say to the likes of me, but I called out to stop him.

"Sir Julius!"

"...What?" he snapped, not turning around.

"A political thinker from my own world, Machiavelli, said something like this," I

said. "Those who acquire a principality with difficulty will keep it with ease. Those

who acquire a principality without difficulty will find it difficult to keep."

"Huh? What does that mean?" Julius turned around, glaring at me.

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I defeated you and your men to take

Van. I expelled the vast majority of the nobility and gentry, purging almost anyone

who could have become a political opponent. That's why, if I had continued to rule

Van, there would likely have been no major problems. However... can you say the

same? Even if you return to this city, can you rule it without issues?"

"What are you talking about?" Julius demanded. "This is my country."

"However, until just now, it was part of Elfrieden," I said. "You regained it using

the authority of the Empire, which is to say, the arms of others. This would be what

the political thinker Machiavelli meant by 'a principality acquired without

difficulty.'"

In history, there are those who became princes with the backing of relatives or

powerful countries. However, for those who fly to the top under the power of those

backers, to lose their support is to instantaneously lose their fortune.

An example of this would be how the man Machiavelli had held up as his ideal

prince, Cesare Borgia of Italy, had fallen upon the death of his backer, the man who

was both his father and the pope, Alexander VI.

Or like how, in the time of the Chu-Han Contention, when Xiang Yu had struggled

against Liu Bang, the farmer who had been held up to Xiang Yu's side as a hero, and

who had risen from humble beginnings to be named King of Chu, had eventually

been killed when he had been deemed to be of no further use.

Having borrowed the authority of the Empire to reclaim his own capital, Julius

would surely be looked down on by both his officers and the people of Amidonia.

And Gaius VIII, feared for his military might, was no more.

Would Julius, who was clever but lacked intensity, ultimately be able to keep his

officers under control? Would he be able to serve the people of Van better than I

had, and gain their trust?

"One who acquires a principality without difficulty must work hard to keep it," I

said. "Before you begin talking about grudges, I suggest you work hard on policies

that will benefit your people."

"That's none of your concern." Brushing aside my words of unfelt support, Julius

left.

Jeanne shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes.

I walked over to Jeanne and shook her hand. "These talks have been very fruitful.

Give my regards to your sister."

"Absolutely," Jeanne said. "You take care, too, Sir Hakuya. We should complain

about our respective masters over drinks sometime."

"That does sound good," said Hakuya. "I'll have a keg waiting for you."

What was that supposed to mean? They'd have enough to complain about that

they'd need a whole keg? When I looked in his direction, Hakuya blatantly averted

his eyes.

Seeing that, Jeanne gave a jovial laugh. "I hope we find ourselves on the same side

when next we meet. Please, speak directly with my sister, too, sometime."

"That's right," I said. "I will be looking forward to the day I can talk with Madam

Maria."

We exchanged a firm handshake.

◇ ◇ ◇

Once the withdrawal was decided upon, the rest came quickly.

Because it had been decided that we would return Van, staying any longer would

only waste our war funds. The Royal Army pulled our troops out of Van with as

much of a show as they had put on when we'd first entered through the gates. The

small number of Amidonian soldiers stationed near Van were overwhelmingly

outnumbered, and the Imperial Army was still in the vicinity, keeping a close watch

on both sides, so we didn't need to worry about being pursued.

I was in the middle of the procession, the same as when we'd arrived, riding atop

a horse that Aisha held the reins of, with Liscia on another horse beside me. When

we entered the castle, the people's eyes as they looked on the Royal Army were filled

with fear. However, things had changed a little now.

We hadn't issued an official announcement, but the people who lined the street

wore expressions filled with uncertainty. When she saw those looks, Liscia had a

dubious look on her face.

"Why does everyone look like that, do you think?" she asked. "I would

understand if they were relieved, because they were happy to be liberated, or glad to

see us finally gone..."

"It's probably... that they're worried," I said. "Worried about coming under

Amidonia's rule again."

"Worried? When things are just going back to how they were before?" Liscia

asked.

"That's exactly why," I said. "They're worried, Will our lives go back to how they

were before?" I faced straight forward as I spoke. "Van's residents were being

oppressed by the Princely House of Amidonia. It probably didn't bother them when

that was simply a matter of course, but being under our occupation, they learned

that it wasn't a given that things had to be that way. Unlike the Princely House, I

gave them the freedom to express their feelings and ideas. That's why, with us

leaving, they're worried that Julius and his followers' return means all of that will be

suppressed again."

Because, well... it probably would. Once Julius entered Van, he would naturally

set about clamping down on the relaxed atmosphere there.

Liscia looked pityingly to the people lining the streets. "Now that they've known

the taste of freedom, they can't go back to their old lives... It's like an addiction, isn't

it?"

"I think that's an apt way to put it, but... couldn't you find something a little

nicer?" I asked.

"It's a fact, though, isn't it?" she asked. "But it's their country, right? Can their

minds be changed that easily?"

I said, "In my old world there's a proverb: 'Oppressive government is fiercer than

a tiger.' In this case, I guess I would say, 'Tyranny is more loathsome than an

invader.' The people don't move according to moral codes or ethics. If their own

country is beneficial to them, they'll defend it from foreign threats, but if another

country is more advantageous to them, they'll actively work to open the castle gates

to them."

When I said that, Liscia sighed. "When I'm walking alongside you, I only see how

people act in hard times."

"Have you gotten sick of it?" I asked.

""Bring it on!"" Liscia and Aisha both cried,

For some reason, Aisha had joined in on that one, too.

"Why did you say it, too, Aisha?!" I burst out.

"If Your Majesty walks alongside me, then no road is hard!" Aisha declared

proudly.

Talk about being way too loyal. If she kept it up, she was going to earn herself a

nickname like "The King's Dog."

Looking at Aisha, Liscia giggled. "I feel the same. If I'm with you, I feel like I can

accept any reality."

"...I see," I said. "Well, let's head back."

Head back to our country, where everyone is waiting.

◇ ◇ ◇

—One week later.

When Jeanne returned to the Gran Chaos Empire and reached the castle in the

imperial capital, she was immediately summoned by her sister, Empress Maria,

without even a moment to catch her breath. Though somewhat exasperated, she

dragged her feet up to Maria's governmental affairs office, where she found her

sister standing in the middle of the room, waiting for her.

Usually, at this time, there would still be bureaucrats busily working away, but

today Maria must have cleared the room because she stood there alone. With a soft

smile on her face, the elegance with which she stood there carried a hint of her

majesty as an empress.

Jeanne brought one hand to her bosom, bowing to Maria. "Sister. I have just now

returned from the princely capital, Van."

"It is good to have you back, Jeanne," said the Empress. "How did things go?"

"There were some issues, but it went more or less as we had hoped," said Jeanne.

"Van and its surrounding territory have been returned from the Elfrieden Kingdom

to the Principality of Amidonia."

"Excellent," said Maria. "You have served me well. ...Now, then." Maria clapped

her hands and smiled. "That's it for work mode. Welcome home, Jeanne!"

Maria burst down from her throne and rushed over to hug Jeanne.

"S-Sister?!" The sudden hug threw Jeanne into a confused panic. "What's this, all

of a sudden?! This is conduct unbefitting an Empress, you know?!"

"Well, I was lonely, not being able to see you for so long," Maria complained.

"Everyone outside the family gives me the Your Imperial Majesty treatment, and our

other sister is cooped up in her laboratory, the same as ever!"

"Don't give me that! You're not a child anymore!"

Even as she protested, Jeanne patted Maria on the back. She was aware of the

solitude and the heavy burden her sister had to contend with as Empress, so she

didn't want to push her away.

When Maria let go, she went over to sit down on the magnificent bed installed at

the side of the office and patting the spot beside her, encouraging Jeanne to come

have a seat too.

"So, so, what kind of gentleman was Sir Souma?" Maria asked eagerly.

When she saw her sister with her eyes shining, like a child badgering her parent

for a bedtime story, Jeanne felt a headache starting to come on. However, it seemed

unlikely she would be dismissed until she talked about it, so Jeanne gave up and

decided to tell her what happened during the talks.

"All right," Jeanne relented. "First, let me tell you what happened when I went to

scout out Van..."

Jeanne explained the course of events from when she'd met Souma on a street

corner in Van until their agreement to form a secret pact. As Jeanne told the story,

Maria's expression changed rapidly. She looked relieved when she learned that

Souma wasn't upset about being summoned, and that he fully understood their

intent.

When she heard Souma had said, "Monsters and demons may have the same

relationship as what this continent refers to as mankind and animals," she wore an

expression of surprise and uncertainty.

When she heard that something called a spaghetti bun that they had eaten during

the conference was delicious...

"Jeanne, that's not fair!" Maria cried, puffing up her cheeks angrily.

It had been some time since Jeanne had seen her sister so animated while

listening to her. She was probably excited.

The greatest explosion of emotion came when Jeanne talked about the secret

pact, Souma's proposal that the Empire would defend the west, while the kingdom

would defend the east. When Maria heard that, she threw herself back on the bed

holding her belly as she laughed.

Jeanne was taken aback by her sister's reaction. "Sister. I don't think it's really

anything to laugh about, is it?"

"Hehehe... S-Sorry. It's just so funny," Maria said as she wiped away the tears that

had formed in the corners of her eyes from laughing too much.

"Funny?" Jeanne asked incredulously.

"I mean, think about it," said Maria. "Not that long ago, we had to show special

consideration towards that country because they had declined so much, but at some

point, they turned into a trustworthy ally who can handle the eastern side of the

continent for us. I feel like I've been tricked by some fairy's illusion."

"Well... it's true, events are moving at a blindingly quick pace," said Jeanne.

"Yes. Yes, that's precisely it, Jeanne." Maria 's smile suddenly vanished, her face

entirely serious. "Hey, Jeanne. Do you remember how a hero is defined in the

kingdom?"

"It was in the reports, yes," said Jeanne. "If I recall... it was, 'One who leads the

change of an era,' right?"

"Yes," said Maria. "Not 'One who defeats the Demon Lord' or 'One who conquers

the world,' but 'One who leads the change of an era.' Souma was summoned as a

hero, but all he does is administrative work, so some people doubt whether he truly

is a hero."

"It's true, he doesn't feel quite like what we'd expect from a hero," Jeanne said.

"He didn't seem all that strong, after all."

Maria nodded. "You're right. I think he's a long way from what we envision as a

hero. But what if we avoid getting caught up on that image, and to instead evaluate

him as 'One who leads the change of an era'? When you think of the speed things

have been moving lately, don't you feel like the times are changing?"

When she heard that, Jeanne gulped.

Maria rose to her feet and walked over to the windowsill. "He sounds like a more

interesting person than I expected. Oh, I do hope I can talk to him in person soon."

Looking to the eastern sky, Maria smiled softly.