Wrath -anger-

Meanwhile, around that same time, in the Kingdom of Friedonia, a girl

who looked like a mermaid princess, and a young man who looked like a

samurai with white fox ears, were bowing before Souma.

The girl was Shabon, daughter of King Shana, who ruled the hostile

state known as the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union, while the

young man with the white fox ears was her bodyguard, Kishun.

Souma couldn't believe what Shabon had just said to him.

"Please, use me as your 'tool.'"

Whaa? My tool? he thought. For a moment, he didn't even understand

the words. He was doing his best not to let it show, but internally, he was

confused. Normal girls don't tell you to use them as your tools, right? She

probably wasn't some kind of total masochist, and even if she was, she

wouldn't be asking him for it with such lifeless eyes.

It was a problematic statement from a girl in the troublesome position of

being the daughter of the Nine-Headed Dragon King. What was he

supposed to do about this?

He glanced at Hakuya, who looked back at him with a serious look on

his face.

"I sympathize with what you must be feeling, but please restrain yourself

for now." was what his eyes said.

I exhaled, trying to calm myself, then rested my elbow on the armrest of

my throne to look intimidating as I asked Shabon, "...What is that supposed

to mean?"

"I mean it literally. You may use me however you please," Shabon

answered, placing her hand over her heart. "My existence should be of use

to you who are about to fight my father... to fight the Nine-Headed Dragon

King. When you declare war, when you conquer him, and when you need to

administrate the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago after the war, I will

provide you the justification you need. I will act however you request. If

you do not wish to become an invader, please, put my head on a pike. You

can say that I came to you for assistance to fight the Nine-Headed Dragon

King."

I stared at her, my mind trying to assess what she just said.

"If you wish for the Nine-Headed Dragon King's throne, I will marry

you. In that event, my body... will be yours to do with as you will. It will be

a political marriage, but... if you wish to use me as your concubine, then..."

"...What is this nonsense?"

No, seriously... What was this girl even saying? Not only had she

suddenly come to the country that was about to fight hers, but she was

talking about tools, justifications, political marriages, and concubines. I

didn't get it... Well, no, there were other girls who had said similar things to

me before: Roroa, and Saint Mary of the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State.

But Roroa hadn't had this tragic air about her, and even the doll-like

Mary had been doing it for her beliefs and her duty. They didn't have a look

on their faces like they had given up on everything like Shabon here did.

"From what I'm hearing, it sounds like you approve of our country

invading yours. I had expected you were here to make a direct appeal to me

to stop the war, but that's not the case, is it?"

Shabon shook her head sadly. "I am well aware that war is inevitable at

this point. Because you all must have put a considerable amount of work

into preparing for the battles to come."

"...What made you think that?"

"The actions of the Gran Chaos Empire," Shabon stated clearly with

sadness in her eyes. "Recently, we have received frequent envoys from the

Empire. When they meet our island chiefs, they say, 'It won't be long

before the Kingdom sends a fleet to this country,' and press us to sign the

Mankind Declaration."

...But I know all that. We were the ones who'd asked them to do it, after

all. Well, it sounded like Maria had kept her word. But I put my hand on my

chin and looked thoughtful to hide the fact that I was thinking about that.

"The Empire, you say... And? Are there islands that have agreed to

that?"

"No. The island chiefs are ill-tempered and fiercely independent. They

will not submit to anyone. The more the Empire tries to impress upon them

the danger of the Kingdom, the more they unify to resist you without

Imperial assistance. They have been sending boats to the Nine-Headed

Dragon King."

All according to plan so far, huh? I thought, but...

"However, I believe there is some sort of plot at work." Shabon lowered

her eyes and shook her head. "The Empire is sending their envoys to every

island that might have an island chief, regardless of size. An island's size is

reflective of its population, and therefore its military power. Even if the

chief of a small island wanted to sign the Mankind Declaration, it's simply

not possible if the chief of a larger nearby island is against it. Because there

is the risk of them being attacked. Basically, attempting to persuade smaller

islands when they cannot persuade the bigger ones is doomed to failure."

Ah, so some islands are small enough that they are ruled by another

island's chief?

"Despite this, the Empire is sending envoys to every island chief at the

same time. Why would they do something that they must know is futile...?

In my view, they aim not to have us join the Mankind Declaration, but to

inflame a sense of crisis about the Kingdom, and gather all the

Archipelago's forces under the Nine-Headed Dragon King. And yet, there is

no benefit to the Empire in doing that. If anyone has something to gain, it's

either the king, who gains more forces, or... Sir Souma. It is your kingdom,"

Shabon said, looking straight at me. "The Nine-Headed Dragon

Archipelago has many small islands and straits, and an abundance of places

to hide soldiers and warships. Even if you were to defeat the king in the

first battle at sea, if the remaining forces went into hiding, it would take

time to subjugate them."

"I see... And?"

"From your perspective, you want to catch as many of the soldiers and

ships in the first battle, and destroy them. Perhaps you had the Empire help

inflame a sense of crisis, in order to gather as many of our forces under the

king as possible. Because you are confident in your ability to defeat the

amassed forces. Am I wrong?"

"...Hmm."

I was genuinely impressed. It looked like this princess wasn't just some

Pollyanna who had stupidly come to visit a country that hers would soon be

at war with. I couldn't give her anywhere close to full marks for the answer,

but she had managed to discern some of our intentions.

But... that made this make even less sense.

"If we assume your deduction is correct, I'm a villain seeking to ensnare

the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago in my trap. Why would you ask a

man like that to use you as his tool?"

"Because... This is the last way I can think of to protect my people. I've

seen how the people of the islands have suffered all this time." Shabon

clasped her hands in front of her chest as if she was praying. "The poor

catch and inability to send the boats out, the way the Nine-Headed Dragon

King raised taxes, the shadow of impending war with the Kingdom... All

these things have sent the people into depression; particularly the lack of

fish catches and inability to send boats out. Our connection to the sea is so

deep that they say we live with the sea, and our souls return to the sea in

death. Now, we find ourselves cut off from it. Most of us spend our days not

filled with anger or sorrow, but emptiness."

The grip of Shabon's interlocked fingers tightened, as though she were

trying to restrain herself.

"I have no power. I warned my father repeatedly, as his daughter, to at

the very least avoid war with the Kingdom, but he would not hear me out. I

believe my father... the Nine-Headed Dragon King is heading in a

progressively worse direction. However, I lack the power to stop him, or to

save the people from their suffering."

"...And that's why you came to me?"

"Yes."

I see... If I compared what I knew of the situation inside the NineHeaded Dragon Archipelago with Shabon's statements, I could get a vague

sense of what she was trying to accomplish. She probably had no ulterior

motives. She had told me everything. She had come to seek salvation... Not

for herself, but for the people of her country. For that, she was willing to

become my tool. She was prepared to be a sacrifice.

This really is... troublesome. Even as I was thinking that, Shabon

continued with her plea.

"I believe one of your wives is the former Princess of Amidonia."

Huh? Why bring Roroa up?

"I have heard that after making Lady Roroa your fianceé, you took care

of the lives of the people in the former Principality of Amidonia. If my life

alone is enough to quell your wrath towards the Nine-Headed Dragon

Archipelago Union... I will offer myself up to you, just as Lady Roroa once

did."

"...Eh?"

"So, please... I do not care what happens to me. I would like you to take

care of the people—my people..."

What did this girl just say? Just like... Roroa?

"Don't you dare make light of my wife," I bellowed.

Shabon shuddered at my words. Even I was surprised by how much

anger there was in my voice. Anger... Yeah, I was really pissed.

Normally, I wouldn't let my emotions show during an audience like this,

but it had caught me by surprise, and I wasn't able to control myself.

Hakuya, Aisha, and Kishun all stared at me wide-eyed. The silence in the

room was oppressive.

"S-Sorry! I apologize if I said something to offend you!" Unable to bear

the silence, Shabon took a knee and bowed her head. Kishun followed his

master's example and did likewise.

Augh... Damn it! This wasn't an environment conducive to talking

anymore. I mean, I hadn't fully suppressed my anger yet, either.

"Madam Shabon."

"Y-Yes."

"Return to your country," I said, rising from my throne. When Shabon

looked up, her face was filled with despair, as if the ground had just

crumbled beneath her.

"N-No... Sir Souma—"

"We have nothing more to discuss. You should return to your country."

Interrupting Shabon as she tried to continue, I turned around to make

clear this talk was at an end, and walked out of the audience chamber.

"Please, see these two out of the castle," Hakuya ordered the guards,

then came after us, too. When he caught up to us in the hallway, he

immediately protested, "Sire, it is completely unacceptable for you to

become so emotional during an audience with a foreign dignitary like that."

"...Sorry. The blood rushed to my head when I thought she was insulting

Roroa," I stopped walking and apologized. I knew I had blown up way too

easily back there.

It probably had something to do with my exhaustion and Shabon's lack

of malice. If she held some ill-will towards us, then no matter how much

my blood was boiling, I would never have let it show. Even if I was

thinking, I swear I'll get you for that later.

But Shabon had no malice, she had simply misunderstood. That made it

all the more galling.

Hakuya sighed and shrugged. "...Though, I can't imagine the result

would have changed considerably even if you hadn't gotten angry."

"Well, it wasn't a proposition we could possibly accept."

"Still, there are better ways to express that."

"I already acknowledged I was wrong, okay? So, what do you think?" I

asked Hakuya. "Will those two go back to their country quietly?"

"It would make things less troublesome if they would, but... I doubt it."

"Go figure... From the look on her face, she must feel pretty cornered. I

just hope what happened doesn't push her to do anything weird..."

Like ending her own life, or making that beastman with the white fox

ears commit seppuku to atone for his master's indiscretion... If something

like that happened, it could impede our plans.

"Hakuya, you have the Black Cats watching them, right?"

"Two of them, at all times. If they try to do anything strange, they'll be

stopped. I will speak to them personally and smooth things over in regards

to your anger, too."

"...Sorry."

"It's my job as prime minister to support you, sire. I know you must be

tired from the ongoing preparations. Why don't you take the rest of the day

off?"

"Yeah... I think I'll do that." With that, I was finally able to smile. "I

think it was Roroa's turn tonight. Maybe I'll burn off this frustration by

spoiling her rotten."

"Ohh... Sire, it's my turn tomorrow night! Give me some of that, too!"

While Aisha and I were talking about that...

"...As you please," Hakuya said, sounding absolutely done with us, and

then left.

Incidentally, Roroa heard I got mad on her behalf and was really happy

about it that night. She said, "Thanks, Darlin'," and really let me pamper

her.

◇ ◇ ◇

"How could I have been so foolish...?"

Shabon was lying on her side in bed, her eyes filled with tears, in a highclass room she was occupying in Parnam's castle town. The teardrops

streamed sideways across her face to stain the clean white sheets.

Having been rushed out of the castle by the guards, Shabon and Kishun

slumped their shoulders and returned to the inn they were staying at. This

lodging had been arranged for them by the Kingdom. They had come to the

capital in secret, so that the Nine-Headed Dragon King wouldn't find out,

and requested an audience with Souma. Because it would be bad if

outsiders discovered they were in this country, they were assigned this inn,

which was well-equipped to preserve the secret, as a place to stay.

"I absolutely had to make the negotiations a success... In order to avoid

the worst possible outcome... That is what I came to this country for, but...

my careless remark angered Sir Souma... Honestly, I am such a fool, and so

powerless... I..."

Shabon pounded the bed as she sobbed. How vexing and mortifying her

own powerlessness must have felt. Kishun watched Princess Shabon with a

pained look in his eyes.

"Lady Shabon... If this is too painful for you, should we return to the

Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago?"

"...Ngh, we cannot do that." She looked up at him with her tearstained

face. "There is not a moment left to lose. We came here to prevent the worst

outcome, after all."

"In that case, all we can do is meet with King Souma and speak with

him once more."

"Do you... think he will be willing to meet us?"

"That will likely depend on how angry he is. Do you understand why

King Souma was angry, Lady Shabon?" Kishun asked, and Shabon shook

her head limply.

"It embarrasses me to admit it, but I do not know why he was so

angered. I know that I said something inappropriate, and it was in reference

to Lady Roroa."

"I have heard that after the war with the Principality of Amidonia,

Queen Roroa betrothed herself to Sir Souma along with her country in order

to protect her people. This is just a rumor, but they also say King Souma is

lustful, and invaded the Principality out of his desire for her. Though, from

the way he reacted, I suspect that rumor is nothing but meaningless gossip."

"...I must have shown too little understanding of his feelings. The NineHeaded Dragon Archipelago is a secluded country. I let the rumors I heard

lead me astray. And that angered Sir Souma... I am truly... a fool."

Shabon lowered her face and clenched the sheets tightly. Seeing her look

so weak, Kishun felt driven to do something, anything to help.

"...I will head to Parnam Castle, and seek another audience with King

Souma, no matter what it takes. Lady Shabon, please wait here."

"Kishun!" Hearing the resolve in his voice, Shabon shot to her feet and

grabbed him by the clothing. "You're not going to risk your life, are you?

You can't die for me!"

"If I could show our contrition through my death, and so grant your

wish, I would do it. However, I doubt that would quell Sir Souma's anger. If

anything, it would worsen your position. I can only make a sincere request

that he hear us."

"Kishun..."

"I... know your resolve, Lady Shabon." Kishun placed his hand on

Shabon's, which quivered with unease. "And I have sworn to protect you. I

will bring you before King Souma again, without fail."

With that, Kishun left Shabon's room. All Shabon could do was clasp

her hands in front of her chest and pray.

◇ ◇ ◇

Kishun left the inn and headed towards Parnam Castle once more, but as

Shabon's attendant who had come to the country in secret with her, he

obviously had no contacts in the Kingdom. That left him with nothing to do

but throw himself on the mercy of Souma and his retainers.

He sat down on the side of the road and pressed his hand to the ground,

bowing his head towards the direction of the castle. He stopped in that

position, as if frozen solid. The people going to the castle glanced at him as

they went by, but Kishun did not move in the slightest. Obviously, if a

suspicious individual was near the gates, the guards couldn't just leave him

alone. First, they would speak to him gently, and if that failed, they would

resort to force. The guards approached Kishun to tell him to remove

himself.

"If you have business in the castle, you are to submit a request, and then

leave for the day. You may return if permission is granted."

However, Kishun did not listen.

"I come out of a desire to apologize to His Majesty! Please! Please allow

me to see him just once! I am resolved to stay here until the day that I am

allowed to!"

He could say that, but it was the guards' job to protect the gates.

Normally, someone like this would be removed, no questions asked, but the

guards apparently had orders from above. One of them went inside the

castle to check, and returned some time later with another person.

That person bowed his head and spoke to Kishun, "This is not going to

do anything to improve his impression of you."

"...Prime Minister."

Kishun looked up to see Hakuya, the Black-robed Prime Minister.

Kishun promptly slammed his palms on the ground again, and lowered his

forehead to the dirt.

"I wish to profusely apologize for the offense Lady Shabon has caused!

Lady Shabon also feels shame for her carelessness! If you wish us to take

responsibility for what we did, let me offer up my head! So, please... allow

her just one more opportunity to speak with Sir Souma!" Kishun pleaded

desperately.

"Taking your head would be of no benefit to us, you realize," Hakuya

said with a sigh. "Besides, do you even understand why His Majesty was so

upset?"

"Well..."

"An apology is meaningless if it's only surface level," Hakuya told him

quietly. However, Kishun was not going to back down.

"Despite that, Lady Shabon's resolve is genuine. She truly is prepared to

offer herself to Sir Souma to protect the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago

and its people," Kishun pleaded sincerely, clutching the dirt with his hands.

It was probably true. Hakuya shook his head in dismay.

"That spirit of self-sacrifice... may be beautiful. However, I think selfsacrifice on the part of one who stands above others can also, at the same

time, be a dereliction of duty. I would also say that is the definitive

difference between Her Majesty, Queen Roroa, and Madam Shabon."

"Huh?! What do you mean...?"

As Kishun remained on his knees, pleading to learn more, Hakuya said

quietly, "...There are too many eyes here. Please, come to my room first."

"I will. Thank you very much."

The two of them relocated to Hakuya's room.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Please, try it."

"Oh, how kind of you... I will."

Hakuya offered tea, and Kishun politely accepted it. Hakuya took a seat,

and once he had relaxed a moment, said, "Now, as to what I was saying

before..." and began to explain.

"I believe it's fair to say that both of them have put their lives on the line

for their country. However, it looks to me as if Madam Shabon is in no

position to do anything about the situation, and is merely clinging to His

Majesty. To put it briefly, she has given up on solving the problem herself.

Could we not say that she has run away from her responsibility as the

daughter of the Nine-Headed Dragon King?"

"...!"

Kishun wanted to shout "You're wrong!" but the words would not come

out. That was because he thought, If I change my perspective, I can see how

it might look that way. He hung his head limply, gazing down at the ripples

on the tea in his cup.

Hakuya continued in an admonishing tone.

"Roroa, on the other hand, was incredible. The Kingdom had won the

war with the Principality of Amidonia, and held an overwhelming

advantage. Yet, despite that, Roroa used her own connections to drive her

political opponent and brother, Julius, out of the country, and requested the

complete annexation of the Principality."

"That's... incredible leadership. It's as if she were commanding an

army."

"Yes. The Kingdom was attempting to absorb Van, the Principality's

capital, without violating the Mankind Declaration at the time, so we were

in no position to reject her request. If we refused, we would be condemned

for the inconsistency with how we'd handled the annexation of Van. Her

Majesty, Queen Roroa, appeared before Sir Souma just after the complete

annexation of the Principality. To ask His Majesty to take her as his queen."

There was a bitter smile on Hakuya's face as he remembered it.

"...She sure got us. If he had refused at that point, the people of the

recently acquired Principality were sure to get violent. She upended the

game board. The Kingdom, which had been set to profit at the Principality's

expense, instead had to guarantee their protection. His Majesty himself said,

'I thought I'd beaten the Principality, but then, at the very end, I lost to

Roroa.'"

Hakuya set down his cup and looked Kishun in the eye.

"That is the difference between Queen Roroa and Madam Shabon.

Madam Shabon gave up on everything. Queen Roroa did the opposite. She

risked her life to win. Yet Madam Shabon said, 'just as Lady Roroa once

did.' His Majesty cares deeply for his family. Madam Shabon's words felt

like an insult to Roroa, who defeated the Kingdom all on her own. That was

what got him so angry."

Once he heard everything Hakuya had to say, Kishun clenched his

teacup.

"Don't you dare make light of my wife."

He had come to learn what had made Souma so upset. It was true,

Shabon and Roroa's resolve had been different. He couldn't blame him for

being angry when she equated the two.

Seeing Kishun completely deflated, Hakuya told him, "His Majesty said,

'If Shabon will not return to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, I am

prepared to meet her just once more tomorrow.'"

"...?!" Kishun looked up in surprise, and Hakuya stared straight back

into his eyes.

"He also said, 'If she comes to the meeting without the proper resolve

again, I will have her deported this time.' Please, impress what I just told

you upon Madam Shabon."

"...Yes, sir! It will be my pleasure!" Kishun bowed repeatedly, and then

the guards led him out of the castle.

Having seen Kishun off outside the door to his room, Hakuya sighed.

I can't see them packing up and going home quietly. It's troublesome, but

we may need to rework our plans to take Madam Shabon and Sir Kishun

into consideration...

This was going to take a lot of contemplation. Hakuya felt daunted by

what was to come.