Chapter 3: Ultimatum

It happened in the Jewel Voice Room, Parnam Castle.

In this room where the two-meter diameter jewel used in the Jewel Voice

Broadcast floated, there was also equipment for receiving a Jewel Voice Broadcast.

The receivers in each city used equipment installed in fountains to produce mist,

then used water-type magic to reproduce the recorded video, and wind-type magic

to reproduce the recorded sound. The system in this room, however, projected the

image on a piece of equipment that was like a thin, wide tank filled with water.

To differentiate the two, I was calling this one a "simple receiver."

If the fountain receiver was like a theater, you could say this simple receiver was

like a television. The simple receiver produced a clearer image, too. The jewels were

a rare item found in dungeons, so it seemed that it wouldn't be possible to massproduce them, but maybe we could mass-produce these simple receivers. If that

could be arranged, maybe someday families would be able to watch the Jewel Voice

Broadcast in their own homes.

Anyway, let's get back to the story. There were three of those simple receivers set

up in this room.

The three receivers showed the faces of Army General Georg Carmine, who was a

lion beastman, Air Force General Castor Vargas, who was a dragonewt, and Navy

Admiral Excel Walter, who was a sea serpent. I was sure that, on their end, they had

a projection of me and Liscia standing together, too.

"...It's our first time meeting face-to-face like this, huh?" I said. "I am the one to

whom the former King of Elfrieden, Sir Albert, entrusted with the throne, the

provisional king, Souma Kazuya."

"You're..." After hearing me introduce myself, Castor opened his eyes wide in

surprise.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

"No, I had heard you were a hero summoned from another world, so I had

expected someone more tough and rugged..."

"Duke Vargas!" Excel interjected, as if scolding him. "If you call yourself a warrior,

you must always show the proper respect to those you deal with."

After Excel's rebuke, Castor meekly gave his name.

"...Right. I'm Air Force General Castor Vargas."

According to my information, Castor was Excel's son-in-law. Perhaps the reason

he was acting more meekly than the personality I had heard for him (a muscle-head)

was because of that power dynamic between them.

"...I apologize for raising my voice just now," the sea serpent said, accompanying

her words with an elegant bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I am

Excel Walter, at your service."

"I am Army General Georg Carmine," the beastman said shortly.

This brought the introductions to a close.

...This lion-faced beastman is Georg Carmine, huh? I thought.

He had a well-built physique that an ordinary guy like me couldn't hope to

compare with, a mane that served to accentuate his manliness, and, lastly, the

shining, fiery eyes of a lion. Even though I was only seeing a video image of him, it

felt like he was right there in the room with me.

I could understand why Liscia had admired him. He had the look of an

experienced warrior.

"Duke Carmine..." Liscia began.

The duke said nothing.

Liscia had let out his name without intending to, but Georg didn't even cast a

glance in her direction.

"I will now issue an ultimatum to the three dukes." In order to keep myself from

being overwhelmed by Georg's presence, I issued this pronouncement in a clear

tone. "In the time since I took the throne, you have all failed to respond to repeated

requests for your cooperation. While it may have been Sir Albert's own idea, I am

sure the suddenness with which the throne changed hands must have played into

that. As such, I will not hold you responsible for not obeying my commands up to

this point. However, if you continue to disregard my orders, I will be left with no

choice but to declare you traitors. I would like to hear your opinions on this."

"I have something to ask you, sire." The first to open her mouth was Excel.

"...What might that be?" I asked.

"What do you intend to do about the three duchies?"

I looked Excel's image in the eye. As might have been expected from a woman

who had inherited the blood of sea serpents, her eyes were endlessly cold, seeming

to stare into the depths of my heart.

"If you obey me... I have no intention of laying a hand on the three duchies

themselves," I said.

She immediately came back with another question. "Then what of the three ducal

armies?"

Her ability to accurately cut to the heart of the matter impressed me.

"...The three ducal armies will be folded into the Forbidden Army to create a new

unified army," I said. "Furthermore, noble fiefs will be forbidden to maintain

personal forces in excess of what is needed for policing. These excess troops will

also be incorporated into the Forbidden Army. In accordance with this, the special

rights afforded to the three duchies for maintaining an army will be abolished. They

will henceforth be treated the same as any other noble fief."

"So that is it, after all..." Excel murmured.

"...You understand what you're trying to do here, right?" Castor said, glaring at

me.

"Castor..." Excel seemed to be trying to rebuke him for his attitude, but Castor

held up a hand to stop her.

"This is important, Duchess Walter."

When he responded with that serious tone of voice, Excel grudgingly closed her

mouth.

Taking it as a sign of acquiescence, Castor looked me straight in the eye and

spoke. "The three ducal armies are a system put in place to prevent the rise of a

tyrant. This is a multiracial state, but the royal family is human. If a tyrant were to

become king and institute policies that favored humans, the other races might face

oppression. In order to prevent that, our predecessors came up with the three ducal

armies. We three dukes of different races support the royal family, but we also

monitor it, so that we can step in and depose a tyrant if it comes to that. Are you

saying you want to destroy that system?"

It was a direct question, so I looked Castor in the eyes and answered. "In times of

peace, that system would be fine, I'm sure. However, the world is full of instability

now. While the expansion of the Demon Lord's Domain to the north has stopped,

there's no telling when that might change suddenly and drastically. The intentions of

the great power to the west, the Gran Chaos Empire, also remain unclear. The Duchy

of Amidonia, who long for revenge on this country, and the Turgis Republic, with

their Go North policy, are actively looking for any opening to seize our territory. The

disputes with the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union to our east over fishing

rights are unending."

I was speaking about the situation this country had currently found itself in. This

country's situation was incredibly unstable. Ordinarily, we shouldn't have had time

for this petty squabbling.

"Look at the situation in the world, Duke Vargas," I continued. "In this unstable

situation, an army with multiple command structures is not going to perform

anywhere near well enough. This is the time to centralize power."

"And what if the center is rotten?" he demanded. "How can you say for certain

that you won't become a tyrant? If we leave the entire army in your hands, who

could hold you to account?"

"If that happens, then come for my head yourself!" I slammed my hands down on

the desk hard, knowing this was where I would have to fight.

In the corner of my eye, I could see the image of Georg, his eyes closed and his

arms crossed. That man... He wasn't about to stop now. However, that only made it

more important that I win Castor and Excel over to my side here.

"I'm only human," I said. "I can't guarantee that I won't turn into a tyrant. Of

course, that said, I have no intention of ever doing anything that would make Liscia

and the others sad."

"Souma..." Liscia said sorrowfully, but I went on.

"I will be dismantling the three ducal armies, but I will promise you positions

within the national defense force. So, if I do become a tyrant, then lead the armies

and stage a revolution, or whatever."

"Talk is easy," Castor said. "If that time comes, wouldn't you move to protect

yourself?"

"There's a political thinker from my world, Machiavelli, who had something to

say about that. 'The best possible fortress is not to be hated by the people.' If the

people are on your side, anyone plotting rebellion will quickly be exposed. On the

other hand, if the people abandon you, you might wait out a rebellion or two by

hiding in your castle, but there will never be a shortage of foreigners willing to assist

a people who have taken up arms against you. If I were to become a tyrant, so

causing the people to abandon me, a rebellion would easily succeed."

Castor was quietly listening to me speak.

Were my words reaching him...? At this point, I couldn't be sure one way or the

other.

Then, Excel spoke.

"I would like to ask one more thing. I hear that you are building a new coastal

city. When that city is completed, what will become of Lagoon City, I wonder?"

Lagoon City was the central city of the Walter Duchy.

I had heard that for Excel and her race, the sea serpents, Lagoon City always

came first. Apparently the sea serpents had been driven out of their former home,

the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, and Lagoon City was the place they had found

to live in peace after many years of wandering, or something like that.

Since I didn't want to incur the wrath of the sea serpent people, I made a point of

explaining myself carefully. "The new city is being planned as a tourist destination

and trade port. Because, from a secrecy standpoint, the tourism industry and a

military port mix incredibly poorly, I have no intention of having the new city

function as a military port. So, Lagoon City will likely continue to serve in that

capacity. I'll generally be leaving the construction of warships to Lagoon City, too."

If Lagoon City was a military port and the new city was a trade port, they would

each have their own distinct role. It should be possible for them to coexist and

prosper together that way. When I explained it like that, Excel nodded in

satisfaction.

"Hearing that has put me at ease. Sire, as of this moment, I, Excel Walter, and the

Elfrieden Navy are at your command. We await your orders."

With those words, Duchess Walter took a knee, swearing loyalty to me as a

vassal. This meant that the 10,000 under Excel's command in the Navy were now on

my side.

"I am grateful for your wise decision, Duchess Walter," I said. "Please, continue to

work for this nation."

"I will."

When Excel placed herself at my service, Georg's expression didn't change in the

slightest and Castor looked on with what seemed like resignation. One more time, I

tried extending a hand to Castor.

"Duke Vargas. Please, lend me your strength for this country's sake."

"...Sorry, but I can't do that."

"Castor!" Excel scolded.

Despite that, Castor shook his head silently. "You seem to have decided you can

trust him, Duchess Walter, but... I can't. I've protected Elfrieden since the time of the

king before the last. I've eliminated foreign enemies, taking territory from them, for

close to one hundred years now. Despite that, why did King Albert not consult us at

all before giving the throne to you, who just suddenly appeared out of nowhere...?"

"Yeah... I'd like an answer to that one myself." Without thinking, I let my true

feelings slip out. Ever since being given the throne, I had worked desperately to

avoid being turned over to the Empire and to save this country from its crisis.

I had been much too busy to think about it, but why had Liscia's old man been so

quick to hand over the throne to me when I had just been summoned? In this

country, a hero was apparently "one who leads the change of an era," but was that

really so trustworthy?

Castor tried asking Liscia, who was standing at my side. "Princess Liscia, do you

know anything?"

"...I'm sorry," she said. "In regards to this matter, my father is insisting he will not

get involved. I asked him to help convince the three of you, but 'Were I to take

action, it would cause undue suspicion. Sir Souma is king now,' is all he would say..."

"...I see."

Castor seemed confused and unable to understand what the former king's

intentions were, but it was the same for me. I had absolutely no idea what he had

been thinking. It was something that made me wonder, but... I knew that I wouldn't

be getting any answers here and now.

I had to focus on persuading Castor. That was what I was thinking, but...

"I just can't bring myself to serve you," Castor said, rejecting me once again.

"Duke Vargas..." I began.

"Don't say any more," he said. "Considering Duchess Walter has agreed to obey

you, I know there must be some merit in what you say. However, I can't imagine

Duke Carmine would oppose you without good reason. If Duchess Walter says she's

siding with you, I'm going to side with Duke Carmine."

It seemed to be a difficult decision for him, as Castor had a pained look on his

face. Once I saw that expression... I knew there was nothing left I could say.

"That's... the decision you've come to, is it?" I asked.

"Yeah. However, it's my decision alone. The ones siding with Duke Carmine are

myself and one hundred of my personal troops. I will not call up the remaining units

of the Air Force. They will remain neutral. If... I am defeated, please, take care of

those I leave behind."

"...I see."

He was acting on the assumption that he would lose. If that was the case... there

was nothing I could say.

"Sire, Castor is..." Excel tried to speak in his defense, but I raised a hand for her to

stop.

"It's no use," I said. "I can't spend any more time on this."

"Urkh..."

I understood how Excel must have felt, but events were already in motion. I

couldn't spend any more time trying to persuade him.

In the end, I hadn't gotten Castor and the Air Force on my side. That was going to

make things a lot harder, but at least most of the Air Force would be remaining

neutral.

Trying to change gears to fight off the disappointment, I turned to the last of the

three, Georg. "Now then, Army General Georg Carmine."

The fierce lion-headed beastman general glared back at me. Even though I was

speaking to him through a monitor, he was incredibly intimidating. If I had been

meeting him in person, my legs would have started to shake, and I would have made

a pathetic show of myself.

"Duke Carmine," I said. "I will not ask whether you will obey me. At the point

when you gave shelter to the nobles under investigation for corruption, it was made

clear that you had no intention of obeying me. Attempting to persuade you is a waste

of my time."

He said nothing.

"So, I would like to ask you one thing," I said. "What is it that drove you to this?"

"My pride as a warrior." That was Georg's response. "Being more than fifty years

of age, my body will only grow weaker from here, but now I have been given the

greatest of opportunities. I will decide the fate of Elfrieden with my own talents.

Once in his lifetime, it is every warrior's wish to accomplish something that will be

remembered by later generations."

"For something as petty as that..." I murmured.

Had he planned all this for reasons as simple as the "Human life lasts only 50

years" line from the Noh play Atsumori? He had known how it would sadden Liscia,

yet still this was the only path he could choose?

"I can't understand it," I said. "You are... an incredible fool."

"It was a silly question," he returned. "One cannot be a warrior without also being

a fool. I will have you bear witness to the way I live."

"Are you sure you don't mean the way you'll die?"

"They are one and the same," he said. "Those who wish to live die; those who

wish to die live. That is what it is to be a warrior."

He spoke in a resolute voice that was reminiscent of a lion's roar. He showed no

sign of wavering.

And so, I could not waver, either.

"If you are to be a great tree blocking my path, I will step over you," I said.

"Rotting though I may be, I am a tree with strong roots," he responded. "You will

not step over me with half-hearted resolve."

"I have resolve!" I had long since found the resolve to stain my hands with this

one-time cruelty. "Georg Carmine and Castor Vargas."

Duke Carmine said nothing.

"What?" Duke Vargas asked.

"As we will soon do battle, I have one proposal," I said. "I doubt any of us want for

this war to drag on endlessly, ensnaring the common people who have nothing to do

with it. That's why I want one rule in place. 'If one of us is struck down or captured,

that person's subordinates will immediately come under the command of the other

side.' This is meant to prevent an army that loses its leader from seeking revenge or

continuing to rebel."

When they heard my proposal, both nodded.

"Very well," Georg said.

"I'm good with that, too," Castor agreed. "I will inform my men that, should I fall,

the entire Air Force is to obey you."

"...Thank you."

"Now, I shall take my leave." Georg rose from his seat, moving to cut the

transmission.

"Wait!" Liscia burst out, after remaining quiet all this time.

Georg narrowed his eyes. "Princess..."

"Duke Carmine..."

Each addressed the other, but neither could find any words beyond that. They

only gazed into each other's eyes in silence.

Liscia and Georg. In the palace, they were princess and vassal. In the army, they

were subordinate and superior. From that alone, they should have been able to find

some way to understand each other.

For some time, the two of them looked at each other in silence, but then, in the

next moment, Liscia drew the rapier she kept at her hip.

While I was still surprised at the suddenness of it, Liscia brought the blade

around to the back of her head, cutting off her platinum blond ponytail.

Wait, whaaaa?!

Her hair, like golden thread, fell to the floor.

It was so sudden that not only I, but the three dukes as well, were left speechless.

Liscia suddenly had a medium-short haircut, but she showed no sign of caring.

Instead, she thrust her rapier out towards the jewel. Then she said: "This is my

resolve. I will walk alongside Souma." She declared this with unwavering eyes.

Georg was dumbfounded like me at first, but soon his eyes took on a sharp glint,

and he smiled like a carnivore that had found its prey. "I have seen your resolve,

princess. However, I will have you show me that resolve on the battlefield."

"Count on it."

The two seemed to have come to an understanding. I couldn't comprehend it

myself, but it was probably just the way warriors communicated. The meeting had

ended with everyone being taken aback by Liscia, but... Anyway, that was the end of

the ultimatum to the three dukes.

"Was that okay... cutting your hair like that?" I asked Liscia once the transmission

to Georg and Castor had ended.

Now that the ultimatum to the three dukes was over and done with, Aisha, who

had come back from the dark elf village, as well as Hakuya, Poncho, and Tomoe, had

come into the Jewel Voice Room. When they had all noticed the change in Liscia's

appearance, everyone's eyes (except for Hakuya's; he didn't show much change in

expression) went wide with surprise.

Liscia played with the ends of her freshly-cut hair, blushing. "I did it to make my

position clear. ...Does the new look not suit me?"

"No, I think it suits you," I said. "Right, guys?"

Everyone nodded.

"You cut a wonderfully gallant figure like that, Princess," said Aisha.

"I do think the short hair is quite fetching for you, too," said Hakuya.

"I-It really suits you, I think, yes," said Poncho.

"It's cute, big sister," said Tomoe.

With all these people complimenting her, Liscia's face flushed with

embarrassment. (Though she didn't seem to entirely mind the attention.)

The atmosphere in the room had softened like that, when...

"Sire..."

...the only one of the three dukes who was still connected, Excel, called out to me.

"...My apologies, Duchess Walter," I said.

"No, I have already sworn my vassalage to you, sire. Please, just call me Excel."

"Excel, then. Sorry," I said. "For not being able to convince Castor."

"There was nothing you could have done. He had made up his own mind." Still,

the corners of Excel's mouth were drawn tight with frustration.

They said this beautiful woman, who looked to only be in her mid-twenties, was,

in fact, five hundred years old, that Castor was her son-in-law, and that her

granddaughter was also with Castor. Her family were split between opposite sides of

the conflict, so it was perfectly natural for her to think it regrettable.

Oh, right. Speaking of Excel's family...

"Excel. Is she there with you?" I asked.

Excel drew in her breath sharply. "...Yes. She is."

"You called, Your Majesty?" Another blue-haired beauty appeared, standing

beside Excel on the screen. She had a face that anyone would fall in love with,

impeccable style, and an air about her that seemed more mature than her age. Yes,

she was the lorelei songstress whose popularity was surging across the Elfrieden

Kingdom, Ms. Juna Doma herself.

"Thank you, Juna," I said. "Because we had you tying us to her, we didn't have to

fight with Excel."

"No. I only did as ordered," she said. "Besides, I was investigating you and

reporting back to Grandmother at one point. I beg your forgiveness for my rudeness

then."

Yes, Juna had been a spy dispatched by Duchess Walter.

With her foresight, Excel had known that if Liscia's father, the former king Albert,

had ceded the throne to me, something must have been going on, and so she had

begun looking into it immediately.

The spy she had chosen to dispatch for that was Juna, who was actually the

commander of the Marine Corps.

On top of that, Juna was apparently Excel's granddaughter. One of Excel's sons

had married into the Doma family, who were a merchant family in Lagoon City with

loreleis among their ancestors, and that was how Juna had been born. That beautiful

face of hers came from Excel's side of the family, it seemed.

When Juna had used the Gift Proclamation event as an opportunity to make

contact with me, it had been to investigate whether I had what it took to be king.

Then, when she had deemed me fit to be king, she had reported those thoughts back

to Excel, and finally chosen to reveal herself to us on her own.

I'd been surprised when I'd first heard, but between the maturity that belied her

young age and the swift movements she had displayed during the argument with

Hal, it had made some things suddenly make a lot of sense, so I'd been able to accept

it fairly quickly.

After that, Juna had become the pipe connecting us to Excel. In other words, Excel

had been the only one to swear loyalty to me before the ultimatum.

However, in order to monitor Georg's disquieting movements and to try to

convince Castor up until the very last moment, we had concealed that fact, and, for a

time, she had gone along with the other dukes.

As Juna bowed apologetically, I said to her, "No. Because of you, we were able to

coordinate with Excel. You took my side, so I have every reason to be grateful, and I

have no intention of faulting you for what you did."

"It's just like I told you that day," she said. "'I, too, am on your side.'"

"...You did say that, didn't you?"

On that night when I couldn't sleep, Juna had told me that and then sung for me

until I fell asleep. Afterward, I had heard from Juna that Liscia had arranged the

whole thing.

Liscia was always looking after me. True to her words on that day, Juna had

stayed on my side. Even Aisha, scatterbrained as she could be most of the time, could

be counted on to defend me if it came to it.

I was able to be the king because of all these people supporting me. And so I

wanted to do right by them, too.

"Hakuya, how are the preparations?" I looked over at him.

Hakuya put his hands together and bowed. "All is as planned. Sir Ludwin and the

10,000 soldiers that make up the directly-controlled portion of the Forbidden Army

can mobilize immediately."

"What movements have we seen from the Amidonian army?" I asked.

"They already appear to have assembled on the border," he said. "It is as we

anticipated."

Having heard Hakuya's report, I turned to everyone with a nod, thrusting my fist

into the air. "Let's go! Now it's a battle against time! We'll brush away the falling

sparks and show Georg what he's up against! Let him see the power that will

support this country from here on!"

"""Yes, sir!"""

Everyone responded to my command. The time was ripe.

I spoke. "Now, let the subjugation war begin."

◇ ◇ ◇

—30th Day, 9th Month, 1,546th year, Continental Calendar.

Souma, King of Elfrieden, had raised an army to subjugate Georg.

A message bearing this information was delivered to the armies of the Duchy of

Amidonia massed near the border.

When Gaius VIII heard this report he said, "The time is come! Now, we shall

achieve our long-held desire!"

With that declaration, he finally led the 30,000 strong army of the principality to

begin the invasion of Elfrieden.

There were two routes into Elfrieden from Amidonia.

One was the route passing through the Carmine Duchy in the northwest. It was

an open plain, easy to traverse, but Gaius did not use this route.

That was because this route was entirely blocked by the Carmine Duchy. Even if

it was purely for appearances, Gaius had claimed that he was aiding both the king

and Georg, so he needed to avoid any route that made it look like he was in league

with Georg. Furthermore, the Carmine Duchy was where the king's and Georg's

forces would collide, so if the principality's army appeared there, there was the risk

that the war would be stopped. The principality wanted the conflict between the

king and Georg to last as long as possible.

Because of that, the principality's army chose to advance along the other route,

the one that passed through the mountainous region to the south. The Ursula

Mountains stood along the southern half of the border between the Principality of

Amidonia and the Elfrieden Kingdom. This route passed through the Goldoa Valley

in the mountains.

While the path was steep, once they crossed the valley, they would come to the

city of Altomura. Fed by the mountain streams coming out of the Ursula Mountains,

this was one of Elfrieden's few grain-producing regions. What was more, it had also

once been part of Amidonia.

As he rode his horse among the 30,000 soldiers of the principality's army, Gaius

VII had a glint in his eye and a bold smile on his face.

"Heh heh heh. Souma and Georg can fight as hard as they want. While they do, we

will reclaim our lost lands."

As he passed through the shadows of the valley, Gaius VIII had no doubt that his

dearest wish was about to be granted.