Intermission 3: Chance Encounter in the North

The Union of Eastern Nations, situated to the north of Friedonia, was an

aggregation of small to medium-sized states.

This land had once been flooded with many small and medium-sized states,

sometimes allying with, and at other times warring with, one another. It had been a

disunited land. However, when the Demon Lord's Domain had appeared over a

decade ago and the threat it had posed began bearing down on them, the states had

united to form the Union of Eastern Nations.

Each country within the Union ruled itself, but each country was also called upon

to contribute soldiers commensurate to its national strength. In the case of small

states, they were to contribute a tenth of their soldiers; and in the case of mediumsized states, three-tenths. With the soldiers they contributed, a force that

transcended the borders between nations, the United Forces of the Eastern States

(or the United Forces), was formed. If another country or the Demon Lord's Domain

tried to invade one of the countries of the Union, the United Forces would be

dispatched to combat them.

In the northwestern edge of the Union, bordering both the Demon Lord's Domain

and the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, was the Kingdom of Lastania.

That country was a small monarchy with a total population of around twenty

thousand. It was a country so small that it felt like it might blow away in the wind,

and it was situated next to both the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom and the

Demon Lord's Domain, so the people must have been trembling in fear, waiting for

the fires of war that could come at any moment. Or so you might be thinking.

However, the actual situation was slightly different.

It was true, they did have some uncertainties when it came to the Demon Lord's

Domain, but bordering on the Dragon Knight Kingdom was actually reassuring to

them. Though Lastania belonged to the Union of Eastern Nations, they had a long-

running alliance with the Dragon Knight Kingdom. Having formed contracts with the

dragons of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, and possessing powerful dragon

knights, the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom was a powerhouse that could stand up

to the Gran Chaos Empire in a purely defensive war. However, they didn't use that

power to try to expand their borders. That had to do with their contract with the

Star Dragon Mountain Range.

The dragons will become the knights' partners, racing across the battlefield with

them.

The knights will welcome the dragons as their partners, and help them to produce

offspring.

However, if the knights use the dragons' power to satisfy their own greed, this

contract will be rendered null and void.

This was the contract between Nothung and the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

In other words, in exchange for borrowing the dragon's power, they would take

the dragons as their wives and have children with them. This contract was made

possible by the fact that the dragons of the Star Dragon Mountain Range were able

to take on human form. Also, if they used the dragons' power for their own selfish

desires and tried to invade some other country, the contract would be torn up and

the Dragon Knight Kingdom would lose its ties to the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

For that reason, the Dragon Knight Kingdom was a country with a policy of nonaggressive defense. This country didn't involve itself in the Empire's invasion of the

Demon Lord's Domain, either.

Having an ally nearby was one ingredient contributing to the Kingdom of

Lastania's peace of mind. Even if the Demon Lord's Domain attacked, their territory

was small, so the dragon knights would defend them while defending themselves.

That may have been why, in the Kingdom of Lastania, the king and many of the

people had carefree personalities.

This was preferable to sharing a border with an ambitious neighbor, so the

Dragon Knight Kingdom welcomed this. From the Union of Eastern Nations'

perspective, Lastania was functioning as a diplomatic window to the Dragon Knight

Kingdom, so they allowed it.

Now, in the royal manor in Lasta, the central city of the Kingdom of Lastania,

there was a man prostrating himself before King Lastania.

By the way, the royal manor was where the king of this country lived. There were

no large castles in a small country like this one, so the king lived in an impressive

residence called the royal manor inside the walls of the city.

The one kneeling inside the audience chamber of the royal manor was a swarthy

man who looked to be around thirty. His face was painted, and he looked somewhat

like a Native American.

"You... say you wish to join my army?" the kindly King Lastania addressed him

from the throne.

The man responded, still prostrating himself before the king. "Yes, sir. I am

Jirukoma. I have come leading the warriors of the northern people."

"Sir Jirukoma, please, raise your head."

When Jirukoma looked up, he could see that King Lastania had a kindly face. The

similarly kindly queen who stood beside him, and the slender, charming princess

were both smiling.

King Lastania looked on Jirukoma with gentle eyes. "I will welcome you. This is a

small country. We have few soldiers here. So few that the people will be forced to

take up arms themselves in the event of an invasion. Men of the north are renowned

for their bravery. Even if it is only until you can return to your own countries, we

would be most glad to have your assistance."

"Yes, sir," Jirukoma said, bowing his head again. "If you will let us stay in your

land, I intend to repay you by fighting on your behalf as we await the day when we

can return to our homelands."

That day, Jirukoma, who had left his position as chief of the refugees in the

Kingdom of Friedonia to his sister Komain, had arrived in the Kingdom of Lastania

leading those refugees who were hardliners that had an especially strong sense of

loyalty to their former countries. Responding to the Kingdom of Lastania's call for

troops, they had come here to await the day when they could return to their

homelands.

King Lastania rose and walked over to Jirukoma's side, placing a hand on his

shoulder. "Yes. This is a country with nothing to offer, but until the day your wish

comes true, I would be happy if you could see it as your second home. I will

introduce you to the man who will be your commanding officer tomorrow. You may

rest for today."

"Yes, sir." Jirukoma prostrated himself.

From Jirukoma's perspective, King Lastania did not give him the sense of stability

that Souma had, but he found him to be kind and magnanimous. At the very least, he

didn't seem like the type of person who would abuse the refugees, or work them to

death.

Relieved by that fact, Jirukoma concluded his audience with King Lastania.

His audience with the king complete, Jirukoma was walking through the halls of

the royal manor when he saw someone standing next to a pillar. The person, who

wore a white hood pulled low over their eyes, was leaning against the pillar with

their arms crossed. Even with the hood, and despite his slender build, it was

apparent he was a man.

When Jirukoma tried to walk past the man, the man spoke.

"Would you be the one who led the refugees here?"

Jirukoma furrowed his brow. "I would... Can I help you?"

The king had seemed like a kindly man, but perhaps his retainers were not. Had

one of those retainers who was not so keen on the refugees joining their ranks come

to put him in his place? While Jirukoma was thinking about that, the man, perhaps

sensing Jirukoma's wariness, dropped the interrogatory tone.

"Oh, forgive me. It's simply that I wanted to ask something. I have heard that your

people came from Elfrieden... or is it Friedonia now? Is that correct?"

"...Yes," Jirukoma said. "That's right."

The man seemed candid, and so Jirukoma answered him honestly. It seemed the

man had some concerns regarding the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Just who was he? While Jirukoma was getting suspicious of him, the hooded man

let out a laugh that seemed to be half self-mocking.

"Still, you're an odd one yourself. That country, the Kingdom of Friedonia...

Loathe as I am to admit it, they're stable now, aren't they? You were fortunate

enough to escape there, yet now you come all the way back to a small country on the

front lines to enlist. I can't understand it."

"...You don't speak like a man of this country," Jirukoma said.

"I'm a visiting general," the man told him. "I can speak my mind because I'm not

from here."

Even though Jirukoma thought he'd been caught by an unpleasant person, the

man answered his question.

"It's true, King Souma offered us a path where, in exchange for giving up on our

return home for a time, we could become people of the Kingdom of Friedonia,"

Jirukoma said. "However, not all of the refugees could accept that policy. There were

those who absolutely couldn't give up on returning home. If those people had

remained in the kingdom, they would have gotten in the way of those trying to gain

peace by becoming citizens of the kingdom. That is why I'm leading them to return

north."

"I struggle to see why you would abandon a guarantee of peace, but... in that case,

why did you choose this country?" the man asked. "This is a small country. If you

were to ask if the pay is good, I can't say it is. Besides, gentle as King Lastania may

be, he lacks ambition. He's a mediocre man who reminds me of the former King of

Elfrieden. Even if you wait in this country, the day when you can attack the Demon

Lord's Domain will never come."

"No country has the power to invade the Demon Lord's Domain," Jirukoma

returned. "No matter where we went, we would only be kept as disposable

defenders. Knowing that, we chose the place closest to our homeland."

"Homeland... Your homelands, huh." When he heard the word, the man in the

hood crossed his arms and groaned. "Is that... something worth abandoning peace to

fight for?"

"Hm? What are you asking?" Jirukoma asked. "Surely you must have a homeland,

do you not?"

"I did, yes... No, I still do, in a way... but I am a man who was cast aside by his

homeland..." the man said dispassionately.

There was no hint of sadness there, but Jirukoma could sense some

bewilderment and hesitation. Then the man started muttering to himself, as if deep

in thought.

"I know that we fought for the people. Yet, why...? Why did the will of the people

turn away from us? No, was that not it? Was our war not the will of the people? But

we were pursuing the aims of our homeland. No... Maybe those aims themselves

were wrong? What did the people truly want? What was it they truly desired from

my father and I? Is it because I didn't understand that we... that I, was defeated...?"

Jirukoma had no idea what he was talking about, but he could see that the man

was engaged in a process of self-interrogation to try to find some answer. "You seem

awfully shaken. Do you have that little confidence in yourself?"

"...Confidence? Mine was shattered long ago," the man said with a self-mocking

laugh. "There was a time when I was brimming with confidence. However, when I

was forced from my homeland, that confidence was shattered to little pieces. The

things I thought I did for my country did nothing for my country, and I was betrayed

by those I loved and thought loved me back. At the time, I resented my betrayers...

and my homeland. However, as I questioned myself over and over, I found I no

longer knew. Were the things I had believed to be right truly right? As I thought

about that, I found I could no longer believe in myself. What is a country? What is a

sovereign? Is the sovereign not the will of the state? What are the people? What is

their will? Are the people and their will two different things? Why was there a

disconnect between the throne and the will of the people?"

Watching the man repeatedly question himself, Jirukoma felt like he was a

seeker. One who had lost his way, and continued to seek the path. However, from the

words he spoke, he could tell he was not seeking just any path. This man who had to

think of "kings" and "the people"... Perhaps he had once been of high standing.

"Who... are you?" Jirukoma asked.

The man pulled back his hood. "I am Julius Amidonia. Though that family name

holds no meaning now. I am the fool of a man who was defeated by King Souma of

Friedonia and had his country stolen from him by his little sister."