Groundwork

In the Battle of the Sebal Plains, the anti-Fuuga faction was greatly

weakened by the loss of the majority of its fighting force, as well as the

central figures, Shamour Sharn and Mathew Chima. The anti-Fuuga states

were destroyed one after another by Fuuga, the states that supported him,

and even rebellions by the Fuuga supporters among their own citizens.

As this unfolded, there were those like Hashim Chima, who led an army

and distinguished himself in battle, quickly earning his place as Fuuga's

advisor; as well as those working hard out of a desperation to prove their

loyalty, like Bito Gabi. Among those who swore loyalty to Fuuga after the

war, some were cast out for failing to live up to expectations, while others

were found to have been plotting against him, and were cut down.

There were those who rose during the chaos, those who were destroyed,

and those who could only watch it all happen. In the midst of all these

conflicting emotions, blood was shed all across the Union of Eastern

Nations.

◇ ◇ ◇

— Three months after the Battle of the Sebal Plains —

The Union of Eastern Nations was in the process of being reorganized

with Fuuga as the sole power. With so many different forces, it had been

hard for any one country to stand out in the Union of Eastern Nations

before, but a centralization around Fuuga was now underway— That was

the report I had just heard from Hakuya in the governmental affairs office in

Parnam Castle.

"He's moving faster than I expected..." I said, giving my honest

reaction. "I was scared of his potential as a great man, and the charisma that

pulls people to him as he blindly chases his dream. The way he seems so

innocent, without any dark side, and only grows larger and larger."

"Yes, I agree..."

"But on the flip side, because he has no dark side, there is a certain

naivety about him. Because of his great generosity, he would even welcome

outsiders who couldn't share his dream into the fold. I thought that would

eventually cause friction and discord which would pull the rug out from

under him."

If Fuuga had the kind of charisma that drew everyone to him, and a

willingness to accept anyone, then that would include those interested only

in preserving themselves, or who secretly harbored hostility towards him.

The great men of history often were tripped up by mediocre commanders

who could not appreciate their vision, and those who rebelled against them.

I thought Fuuga would be the same.

"But the way that he's treated those who were late to join him isn't like

Fuuga. Basically, he's bullied them and driven them out, or framed and

killed them. He wasn't the type to do that."

"At times, a ruler must be prepared to do both good and evil. Sir Fuuga

must have found himself someone who can advise him when it is time to be

evil," Hakuya responded, wariness creeping into his voice. "His handling of

the anti-Fuuga faction has been logical and cruel. His advisor must be a

good one."

"You mean Hashim Chima from your report?"

"I believe so. The man seems to have inherited much of Duke Chima's

aptitude for diplomacy and scheming."

"That's troublesome. He's the kind of person I least wanted Fuuga to

have at his side." I let out a sigh, tapping my temple. "I guess I'll need to

assume Fuuga has someone close to him who can operate on the same level

as you, huh? Hakuya, if you were serving Fuuga, what would your next

plan be?"

"More groundwork, of course. With the many members of the neutral

faction remaining, we cannot say that he's taken control of the Union of

Eastern Nations just yet."

"The neutrals, huh...?" I rose and walked over to stand by the glass door

that led out onto the balcony. "Knowing Fuuga, he'll try to bring the

neutrals to his side. He has the charisma to do it, after all. That would be the

fastest way to bring the Union of Eastern Nations together, and would avoid

earning him a lot of unnecessary enmity."

"But that would weaken their internal unity. If he brings in people whose

stance is uncertain, it will only serve to harm him in the long run. If you

look at things practically, he shouldn't do it... If I were his adviser, I would

tell him that."

"Then I'm sure Hashim will do the same. And we've seen Fuuga has the

capacity to listen to advice... We'll see more blood spilled yet. It looks like

we can't expect all news to be good news."

In this case, the good news was that Roroa had discovered she was

pregnant some months ago.

"Now I'm gonna be a momma too! You keep on treatin' me right now,

darlin'."

I remembered the gleeful but slightly shy look on her face when she told

me. I'd usually been abroad when I found out about these things before

now, but this time I was in the castle, so we were able to have a big family

celebration. Juna was due soon too, so I had been savoring the joys of

family.

Speaking of family... I looked up at the sky through the glass windows.

Lastania was neutral too. Will Julius and Princess Tia be all right?

◇ ◇ ◇

— Meanwhile, in Lastania —

In the royal manor where the royal family lived, the king's agent Julius

was sitting beside his wife Princess Tia, who had grown her hair a little

longer, and across from her parents, the royal couple.

He presented two letters to the king.

"Father, I would like you to take mother and Tia with you on a

diplomatic mission."

"Lord Julius!" Tia shouted, gulping at what he had just proposed.

However, Julius paid no mind to her, continuing to say, "First you will

visit Queen Sill of the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, and deliver this

letter. Then I want you to travel to the Kingdom of Friedonia with an escort

from the Dragon Knight Kingdom where you will meet King Souma and

deliver this letter. With a dragon knight escort, I am sure you should be able

to pass through the Star Dragon Mountain Range."

"You're asking us to leave the country...?" King Lastania asked, looking

Julius in the eye. Julius nodded. Then he opened another letter and showed

it to the other three.

"This is a letter from Fuuga Haan. Or an invitation, rather. He is holding

a banquet for all the rulers who neither supported nor opposed him. It's

meant to get to know us and win our support. But..."

Having said that much, Julius narrowed his eyes. They were so cold that

they made Princess Tia jump. It was almost as if he had gone back to being

the man he was when he lived in Amidonia.

"...That is only for public consumption."

"There's more to it, then?" King Lastania asked and Julius nodded.

"It's the way he treats those who were slow to join him. Punishing them

to set an example to others is at odds with how Fuuga always was before

now. It's very pragmatic; the sort of thing a man like me would prefer."

"No..."

His father Gaius had once told him their royal family had the blood of

venomous snakes running in their veins. And a snake knows how a snake

thinks.

"It's likely a plan from that newcomer, Hashim. Which makes it highly

likely this banquet is also his idea."

"If so, won't failing to attend worsen our position?"

"Yes. He will likely see anyone who doesn't attend as having the intent

to oppose him, and use that as a pretext to attack. Whether we go or don't,

only ruin awaits us."

"So we run...?"

Julius nodded again. "If Fuuga attacks with the full might of the Union

of Eastern Nations, then even our alliance with the Nothung Dragon Knight

Kingdom cannot protect us. Even if we could hold them off for a time, the

land would be laid to ruin, and the country would no longer be able to

support itself."

"But a king mustn't abandon his people..."

"My greatest worry is that the people will abandon their king." Julius

forced the good-natured King of Lastania to look at reality. "There are

many in our own land who would like to see themselves under the

protection of Fuuga. After all the suffering they experienced in the recent

demon wave, it's somewhat natural they would look for someone strong to

defend their lives and property. For those people, the old royal family will

only be in the way."

Julius had experienced this once before. When the people of Amidonia

only had Gaius to cling to, they were loyal. However, because of the liberal

rule they experienced under Souma's occupation of Van, and the death of

Gaius in battle, the people were quick to accept rule by the Kingdom. Even

when Julius regained power, many of the people supported Roroa, who was

closer in temperament to Souma, and they threw Julius out.

King Lastania has no counterargument to these words born from

personal experience. Instead, Tia pressed closer to Julius.

"Just now, you said the three of us should go. Do you mean to stay here,

Lord Julius?"

Seeing the look of concern on her face, Julius gently stroked Tia's hair.

"I need to buy time so that our escape goes unnoticed... Besides, while I

did say that many want to be protected by Fuuga, Jirukoma and Lauren also

love and respect the royal family as well. I need to arrange for their

escape."

"Then I will stay too!"

"Tia..." Julius looked her straight in the eye. "I'll be fine. I won't miss

the right time to escape. In fact, the worry caused by you staying would

make it harder for me to focus on my task."

"Lord Julius..."

"Besides, your belly grows larger by the day."

"Ah...!" Tia subtly laid a hand on her own stomach.

Inside, a new life was growing. A child bearing the blood of the royal

families of Lastania and Amidonia. Julius pulled Tia, who now bore his

child, and would soon be a mother, close to him, stroking her hair gently.

"You understand, right, Tia? What we need to defend most of all."

"Our child..."

"Of course. I won't throw my life away before finding out if it's a girl or

a boy."

Julius looked at the royal couple.

"So, father, mother, I'm asking you to take care of Tia."

"Okay... We will do everything as you say, son-in-law."

"Sir Julius, please stay safe."

The next day, the Lastanian royal couple and Princess Tia quietly

escaped the country with an escort from the Nothung Dragon Knight

Kingdom. The people were told they were on a diplomatic voyage to

improve relations with the Kingdom of Friedonia.

◇ ◇ ◇

A few days before the invitation arrived in Lastania...

The word "Machiavellianism" takes his view that sometimes, when

pursuing political ends, you cannot be picky about the means, and extends

that to refer to an ends-justifies-the-means philosophy. Such ruthless people

are criticized as being Machiavellian. This was primarily used by the

Christian church, with its philanthropic beliefs, to reject Machiavelli's

views, and largely a misconception.

Whether Machiavelli himself was Machiavellian or not is beside the

question. However, Hashim Chima, who came into the service of Fuuga

Haan, was most definitely Machiavellian. He proposed that Fuuga invite the

lords who had been members of the neutral faction to a banquet in his new

base, a castle in the former Kingdom of Shamour, then massacre them

under the guise of a terrorist attack by the anti-Fuuga faction. Fuuga, who

was sitting on the throne, frowned at this, while his wife, Mutsumi, who

was standing at his side covered her mouth and gasped.

Fuuga glared at Hashim. "You're telling me to do that?"

"No. I will do it myself, without your knowledge," Hashim replied,

unfazed. Fuuga rested his cheek on his palm.

"If you're asking me to turn a blind eye, then that's no different... Is this

necessary?"

"If your goals go no further than unifying the Union and expanding into

the Demon Lord's Domain, then no. However, if you intend to compete

with the Gran Chaos Empire and Kingdom of Friedonia for supremacy, it

definitely is. There are too many things we lack," Hashim explained, his

eyes serious. "Even if you add up the populations of every country in the

Union of Eastern Nations, it is less than half that of the Kingdom of

Friedonia. The comparison with the Empire is even worse, with us only

having a third, possibly a quarter, of their population. No matter how we

expand into the Demon Lord's Domain, that is not a thing we can overturn.

On top of that, both the Empire and Kingdom are stable, with excellent

rulers. If things continue as they are, the gap will only continue to widen."

"Which is why...you want me to hurry along with the unification?"

"Yes. The only area in which we are definitely ahead of them is that we

are in an era where people seek great men such as yourself, and you provide

a centralizing force."

"You don't mince words..." Fuuga shrugged.

Hashim had spoken the truth. A large part of the reason that

Malmkhitan, only one country in the Union of Eastern Nations, had been

able to expand so much, so quickly was that they were in the right place at

the right time. Ever since the Demon Lord's Domain expanded, the people

of the Union had felt closed-in. They saw Fuuga as a leader who could

break free from that, and that hope drove them to support him.

"But, at the same time, that is a precarious thing. Because you have

gathered the people's hopes unto yourself, Lord Fuuga, you must always

produce results. If you grind to a halt, their disappointment will be the end

of you. You will lose the support of your people, and the nation will

crumble in no time."

"So you're saying, if the people lose their fervor, I'm done."

"Yes. And we can't be sure that this era will go on for years."

"It could happen any time...so hurry up with the unification?"

"Precisely."

"Brother!" Mutsumi interjected, unable to simply watch any longer.

"The neutral faction includes—"

"King Heinrant of Roth and his adopted daughter Sami, right?" Hashim

asked, finishing her sentence.

The calmness of Hashim's response left Mutsumi at a loss for words.

"It still must be done. Even if we are to be divided into friend and foe,

the blood and family name must live on. That is how father taught us the

head of the House of Chima must be. Besides, we'll only kill the king. I

won't harm Sami as long as she doesn't resist."

"Brother..."

"As Lord Fuuga's queen, you should be prioritizing the House of Haan,

Mutsumi."

"Yes... I understand that."

If this was for Fuuga's benefit, Mutsumi had to back down.

Seeing Mutsumi's reaction, Fuuga asked Hashim, "This will mean less

blood is shed, right?"

"Yes. It will be criticized as a conspiracy for some time. But, if we take

the long view of things, this is the method that will have the least sacrifices.

People of future generations will understand."

"Not that I care what some people who aren't even born yet are gonna

think..." Having made up his mind, Fuuga slapped his knee. "Fine. You do

what you think is right."

"By your will." Hashim bowed his head. Mutsumi lowered her face in

frustration.

With Fuuga's permission given, the plan went into motion.

◇ ◇ ◇

Hashim sent those lords who'd remained neutral in the conflict

invitations to a banquet where they would have the chance to better

understand one another. There were a small number of countries, like the

Kingdom of Lastania, which decided not to participate, but many of the

leaders of the neutral faction gathered in Shamour Castle. And then...

Everyone who came was massacred.

Anti-Fuuga faction remnants who had infiltrated the gathering carried

out a terrorist attack using gunpowder, and it was announced that everyone

present had been caught in the blast. The news caused short-lived chaos

throughout the Union of Eastern Nations, but it subsided when it was

announced that Fuuga, who "coincidentally" happened to be out of the

room at the time of the attack, had survived.

Naturally, some voiced their suspicion that this was all a plot by Fuuga.

However, they were drowned out by the cheering of his supporters. The

Union of Eastern Nations was an agglomeration of many small- to mediumsized states. Because of their size, the kings had a lot of influence, and with

them gone many countries lacked anyone who could make final decisions.

Those sorts of countries joined the Fuuga faction without considering

revenge. However, a small number of nations fought back after their king

was killed.

Such nations fell at the hands of the Fuuga supporters inside them, with

one of them being the Kingdom of Roth.

King Heinrant had been killed in the plot. The third daughter of the

House of Chima, Sami, issued a statement denouncing Fuuga, and closed

the gates of their capital. Lombard, King of Remus, who was a friend of

King Heinrant and a supporter of Fuuga led his troops to the gate. The

soldiers did not draw their weapons and simply stood in formation.

Lombard had not come to attack the city, but to persuade them to open the

gates.

"Madam Sami! We have no desire to fight! Please surrender

peacefully!"

"Sami! Please! Open the gate!" Yomi called out, desperate to save her

twin little sister.

With the Union of Eastern Nations having almost entirely fallen into

Fuuga's hands, one small nation resisting him would have no future. It was

clear that his supporters would raze the entire country.

"Yomi, look out!"

"Huh?!"

Lombard grabbed Yomi by the arm, pulling her back. When he did, a

mass of ice thudded into the ground right in front of where they had been

standing and exploded. The two of them looked up to see Sami atop the

walls, her raised hand pointing towards them. The soldiers of the Kingdom

of Roth stood with her, bows drawn, keeping the men of the Kingdom of

Remus in check.

"Sami..."

That had been a warning shot. If she were serious, Sami had magic that

could freeze a wide area.

Looking down at them, Sami said, "Go home, Yomi."

"Please, Sami! Listen to us!"

"We have nothing to talk about," Sami told her with eyes as cold as ice.

"My father Hein is gone. He treasured me like I was his own daughter, and

reminded me of what a warm, loving family is supposed to be like...and

then Fuuga Haan murdered him."

"I'm telling you, that was a suicide bomber from the anti-Fuuga

faction..."

"You know that's a lie, Yomi! This is how Big Brother Hashim

operates!"

Yomi had no response to that as she'd figured it out herself.

Lombard stepped forward in her stead. "Even if we go home, Sir

Fuuga's forces will be here in no time. If that happens, the Kingdom of

Roth and all its people will be wiped out... I'm disappointed about what

happened to Sir Heinrant too. But now that it has, I don't want to let the

ones he loved, you and the people of his country, perish!"

"......"

"Please, surrender! I'll defend you and the people even if it costs me my

life! Knowing gentle Heinrant, I can't imagine he would have wanted you

to seek revenge!"

"Despite that kindness, brother killed him! My own...brother..." A large

tear rolled down Sami's face. "I had a sneaking suspicion that the banquet

was his plot. I told father not to go. But...he said he was worried that would

draw suspicion, and he couldn't put me or his people in danger, so...he went

alone..."

"Sami..."

"Madam Sami..."

"I will never forgive our brother—Hashim Chima!"

As Sami declared that, the air chilled around them. Its moisture froze

and sparkled. She was likely about to use some serious ice magic. Sami

raised her hand and pointed towards Yomi and Lombard.

"Yomi, if you're siding with Hashim, I won't hesitate to..."

"Stop it, Sami!"

"So this is how it goes, after all..." said a voice.

"Huh?!" Shocked, Sami turned to the direction of the voice.

At some point, a man wearing a hood had appeared and was standing

behind her. It surprised the men of the Kingdom of Roth and Kingdom of

Remus too. As Sami reflexively attempted to use magic, the man closed in

faster than she could, and delivered a body blow. Sami groaned as she was

knocked unconscious.

The defenders turned their bows towards the hooded man with

murderous intent, but he held up a hand to stop them as he slowly drew

back his hood.

"Put your weapons away. I'm Nike Chima. Little brother to Big Sisters

Sami and Yomi."

Yomi's eyes widened as she saw him from outside the walls. "Nike?!

What are you doing here?!"

"Big Sister Mutsumi's orders. She saw this coming, so she had me lie

low in the Kingdom of Roth to protect Sami because they were in the

neutral faction."

With that explained, Nike hefted the unconscious Sami over his

shoulder, and turned to the soldiers of the Kingdom of Roth.

"I will take responsibility for ensuring Big Sister Sami's safety," he said.

"So you open the gate, and surrender to Sir Lombard."

There was much chatter among the soldiers. However, after some time...

"Okay..."

...The men put away their weapons. They had been obeying Sami out of

a desire to at least protect the girl who King Heinrant had loved so much.

Now that Sami's safety was assured, there was no need to fight.

Seeing the soldiers of the Kingdom of Roth calm down, Nike carried

Sami through the open gate on his shoulder. As he did, Yomi and Lombard

rushed over to him.

"Nike..."

"Big Sister Yomi. I'll be taking Big Sister Sami with me."

"You...can't stay in this country any longer?" Yomi asked.

"As long as she stays here, Big Sister Sami will only continue to resent

Big Brother Hashim and Sir Fuuga. Brother isn't so soft that he would let

that go. He'd kill her eventually."

"And Big Sister Mutsumi asked you to stop that from happening?"

"Yeah. 'I don't want to lose any more family,' she said."

"I see..."

Realizing that things were out of her hands at this point, Yomi backed

down. Because even if this ended up being the last time the two of them

would ever meet, that was still preferable to Sami being killed.

On her behalf, Lombard asked, "Where will you go, Sir Nike?"

"First, I'll leave Big Sister Sami with Ichiha in the Kingdom of

Friedonia. If she's there, not even Sir Fuuga or our brother can touch her

easily. As for myself... Well, I'll figure that out in time."

"But didn't King Souma support Sir Fuuga?"

"When it came to the assassination, yes, but who knows how he really

feels. That's probably why Big Sister Mutsumi specified I should leave

Sami with him."

Nike loaded Sami onto a horse near the gate. Then, mounting it himself,

he said his goodbyes.

"Farewell, Big Sister Yomi, Sir Lombard. Take care."

"You too, Nike. And...tell Sami to 'stay well' for me, would you?"

"Sure."

Nike's horse started running, carrying Nike and Sami south. Yomi and

Lombard watched them until they were out of sight.

◇ ◇ ◇

"The country's finally in order, huh?" Fuuga said to his advisor Hashim

who stood before him as he sat on his throne in Sharn Castle.

Hashim had his arms crossed, and his head lowered.

"Indeed. The anti-Fuuga faction has been wiped away, as have the

neutrals who were not clear in their intent to join us. There is no one left in

the Union of Eastern Nations to oppose you now, Lord Fuuga."

"But we made Mutsumi sad to do it..." Fuuga said, resting his elbow on

the arm of his throne, and his cheek on the palm of his hand as he stared at

Hashim.

"It was our only choice," said Hashim, lowering his head once more. "If

you are going to rule the continent, the country had to be unified as soon as

possible. I am sure Mutsumi understands. And besides, Yomi reported that

Nike took Sami away unharmed."

"Yeah... It sounds like Mutsumi gave him his marching orders knowing

things would turn out this way. 'I'm sorry for taking matters into my own

hands,' she said to me. Well, we were able to take the Kingdom of Roth

without a drop of blood spilled as a result, so I let it slide. Looks like you

were outwitted by your own little sister, huh, Hashim?"

Despite Fuuga's teasing, Hashim simply shrugged.

"If your wife is a clever woman, and also my younger sister, then surely

that is something to be welcomed. However, it does seem that Sami has

gone to be with Ichiha in the Kingdom of Friedonia. I can't say I approve of

capable people passing into their hands."

Hashim didn't seem to think much of it. Fuuga snorted.

"Hmph. Yuriga's already there. If Sami still has it out for me, do you

think it's possible she'd do something to Yuriga? Should I ask Souma to

protect her?"

"It should be fine, I think. Sami's a smart girl. If there's anyone she's

going to target for vengeance, it would be me."

Hashim seemed unfazed by the fact his own little sister now hated him.

Is this the blood of the Chimas, who had survived through subterfuge?

Fuuga thought, narrowing his eyes.

"So, with no enemies left in the country, what now?"

"With the Union of Eastern Nations unified under you, we will

announce the creation of a new state. That will show that this is no longer a

union of nations, but a unitary state. We will also formally move the center

of government here to Castle Sharn, which will receive a new name. With

that, the largest city in the country will become the capital of a new nation

that you will create, Lord Fuuga."

"Make the capital of the Kingdom of Sharn our capital? Is my

homeland, Malmkhitan, not good enough?" Fuuga asked, but Hashim

firmly shook his head.

"No city on the steppes is suited to be the capital of a whole country. If

we were to create a new one, and gather people to it, that would be a waste

of effort. If we did create a capital in Malmkhitan, the steppe folk and your

long-serving commanders would be elated, but far more people would look

down on you for it. We have a fine city here, so we should put it to use."

"Oh, I see..." Fuuga sounded a little disappointed, but he accepted the

proposal.

Were Souma here to hear this exchange, he would have been impressed

but also troubled, thinking, So Hashim didn't let him make the same mistake

as Xiang Ji.

Xiang Ji, also known as Xiang Yu, succeeded in destroying the Qin, but

rejected his vassal's suggestion to take their capital, Xianyang, with all of

its geographical advantages, as his own.

"To succeed and not return home is like dressing up in fine clothes on

the road at night. Who will even know?" he said, and moved his capital to

Pengcheng.

As a result, the populous and important Guanzhong fell easily when Liu

Bang advanced east. This gave Liu Bang an advantage they couldn't roll

back no matter how many victories they won on the battlefield.

In regards to the way to govern cities or principalities which lived under

their own laws before they were annexed, Machiavelli offers three options.

The first is to destroy them utterly, the second is to reside there, and the

third is to install a puppet regime to rule them. Hashim's plan was the

second of these.

Fuuga scratched his cheek, feeling this was all too much trouble. "A

new name, huh? Won't the Kingdom of Malmkhitan do?"

"It will only create a rift between your old and new followers. Although

it is only a matter of appearances, it will look as though you've

extinguished the countries that supported you as well. It would be better to

have the people of Malmkhitan continue to serve you under a new name. If

it's too much trouble to think of something, we could simply call it the

Kingdom of Fuuga Haan."

"If I gave it a self-aggrandizing name like that, Shuukin and the others

would laugh at me pretty hard."

"The soldiers and people have gathered to your side. I don't think it's

strange to call it that, but... There is something we must do first." Hashim's

face grew serious. "We must handle the last of the neutral countries inside

the Union of Eastern Nations, the Kingdom of Lastania. If we leave them as

they are, we cannot start a new country."

"That country on the western edge, huh...?" Fuuga crossed his thick

arms and groaned. "That country's a pain to deal with. They're allied to the

Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, which has a lot of powerful dragon

knights. And Julius, the man eyed as their next king, is the big brother of

Souma's third primary queen, Roroa. That makes him his brother-in-law. If

we lay a hand on him, we run the risk of making an enemy."

"Yes. Which is why we left him to the end," Hashim said, pulling out a

letter. "This list from father has two meanings. The first is 'Hire these

hidden talents inside the Union of Eastern Nations.' And the second is 'If

you cannot, then dispose of them before they become your enemies.'"

This was exactly how Fuuga and Hashim had operated thus far. Those

on the list who submitted were placed in positions of importance, and those

who adamantly refused were killed by subterfuge.

That said, with Fuuga's fortunes clearly on the rise, the number of

people who would refuse to serve was small enough to count on your

hands. If he were as obsessed with gathering personnel as Souma, he might

have desperately tried to persuade them, but the more pragmatic Hashim

was loath to go to such effort.

Hashim slapped the letter shut.

"And the last name on the list is Sir Julius of the Kingdom of Lastania.

Father believed he was the most valuable talent in this country. It would be

reassuring to have him on our side, but frightening to see him become our

enemy."

"That's Souma's brother-in-law, the same guy we were just talking

about, huh?"

"Yes. He was the crown prince of the former Principality of Amidonia,

and his father Gaius fell in battle against King Souma. After that, his little

sister, Princess Roroa, stole the country out from under him and sent him

into exile. That's why I thought we might win him to our side with the

promise of revenge against the Kingdom of Friedonia, but..."

"It wasn't meant to be, huh?"

Hashim nodded.

"During the demon wave, Sir Julius sent his own request to the

Kingdom of Friedonia for reinforcements. I approve of his willingness to

bow his head to a former enemy when it's to his own benefit, but they may

have become friends at that point. Princess Roroa sent him a wedding gift

when he married the crown princess of Lastania, so their relationship has

likely been mended too."

"That means Julius is close to Souma."

"Yes. So much so that we can't leave him be. He's a perceptive one too.

He didn't participate in the banquet where we plotted to wipe out the

neutral faction."

"What a headache..."

If they laid a hand on Julius, they risked stirring up the Kingdom of

Friedonia. For Fuuga, who found something inscrutable about Souma, it

seemed too soon to be picking a fight with that country. However, Julius

was too talented for it to be safe to let him stay in the Union of Eastern

Nations. They might be keeping a traitor in their midst.

"I guess we can't leave the Kingdom of Lastania alone, then..." Fuuga

came to a decision. Hashim gave him a big nod.

"Indeed. If we leave Sir Julius alone, every move we make will be

leaked to the Kingdom. Besides, Sir Julius is their former enemy. Even if

he's killed, they'll have no choice but to stay silent. Regardless of how King

Souma or Queen Roroa may feel."

"How do we do it? Have the neighboring states attack?"

"No, when we attack that country, the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom

will ride to their aid. The Dragon Knight Kingdom was even able to fend

off the Empire when it was at its peak... Although, it seems the Empire

simply decided to change their policy and ignore them after seeing the

heavy casualties." Hashim shrugged, but immediately took on a serious

expression and said, "If we don't send a credible force, it won't even put

pressure on the Dragon Knight Kingdom. I believe you should lead your

best men in the attack, Lord Fuuga."

"Me, personally?" Fuuga asked and Hashim nodded.

"This is a battle against time. If they face the whole Union of Eastern

Nations, then even with the Dragon Knight Kingdom's help, the Kingdom

of Lastania won't be able to sustain themselves. Their land will be laid to

waste, and supplies will dry up. So, if Sir Julius senses the invasion coming,

he will likely attempt to flee the country. If he does, that will cause trouble

for us."

"Yeah, you're right. If he goes to join Souma...that'd be a pain."

"Indeed. And when the dragon knights come out to fight..."

"Only me and Durga are gonna be able to handle them, yeah."

Fuuga had seen the Kingdom's dragon knight Halbert and his partner

Ruby once before.

In Fuuga's entire military, only he and Durga stood a chance against

them in a straight-up fight. They were gathering the Union of Eastern

Nations' wyvern cavalry and reorganizing them, but the dragon knights

would tear them to pieces.

"Got it... Round up our best men. We'll attack the Kingdom of

Lastania."

"By your will."

Fuuga hurriedly gathered his best men, and set out for the Kingdom of

Lastania.