Assignment of Personnel

—10th day, 10th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—Parnam

Castle— On this day, the audience chamber in Parnam Castle was packed

full of people.

Even without including the guards, there were more than thirty people

gathered, and the supposedly large audience chamber felt cramped.

There was a lot of variety in the faces assembled too.

Most were members of the National Defense Force like Excel or

Ludwin, but there were bureaucrats like Poncho and Colbert too. There

were also those from abroad like the bishop from the Lunarian Orthodox

Papal State, Souji, and Kuu, the son of the Republic of Turgis's head of

state. Even the former General of the Air Force, Castor, who was supposed

to be in Excel's custody, was in attendance, causing those present to buzz

with excitement.

Here was a scene in which nearly all of Souma's main vassals,

irrespective of position, were present.

There were some people here who hadn't seen each other in a while, and

here and there people could be heard getting reacquainted.

"Master, it's good to see you again." The current head of the air division

of the National Defense Force and former steward of House Vargas,

Tolman, was bowing to his former master, Castor.

Castor hurriedly made him stop bowing. "Don't call me 'master.' I'm no

longer head of the House of Vargas. I left the headship to Carl and am in the

custody of the House of Walter now. If you bow your head to me, it looks

bad."

"Ah... I see. Then what am I to call you from now on?"

"You can just call me Castor for all I care, but...if you must call me

something else, make it 'captain.'"

"Captain...you say?"

"That's right!" Castor nodded, then put the captain's hat that was in his

hands back on his head with the brim low over his eyes. "I have a ship and

her crew at my command now. It's nowhere near as many men as I once

had, but I like this job more than you might think."

"Now that you mention it...you've developed a tan. Like a man of the

sea."

As Tolman had pointed out, Castor was a lot more tanned than before.

He was thin, buff, and looked young, so he looked like a surfer on the beach

in summer.

As Castor rolled up his sleeves to show it off, he gave a jolly laugh.

"Compared to the high altitude of Red Dragon City, Lagoon City is hot and

humid. I dress lightly all the time, and this is what happened."

"You look so strong and dependable. Why, if the lady of the house could

see you, I do believe she would fall in love all over again, wouldn't you

agree?"

"Is Accela...doing well?" Castor asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Both she and Carla are doing fine. However, unlike Carla who

appears in Jewel Voice Broadcasts, I don't hear much of you, mas...captain,

so I've been somewhat worried. I have a message I was asked to convey if I

had the opportunity to meet with you."

"A message?" Castor asked.

"Lady Accela told me this: 'I am a dragonewt myself, so I will live a

long life. Therefore, I can wait for as long as I must.'"

Lady Accela was the child of Excel and a dragonewt man.

"I see... Accela will wait for me, will she...?" Hearing the message from

his separated wife, Castor smiled a little sadly.

It was a somber atmosphere, but...Tolman's message didn't end there.

"Um... There was one more thing. 'However, if it takes too long, I will seek

permission from His Majesty to come see you. If I find you living a

slovenly life when I get there, Mother and I will lecture you together, so be

prepared for that...' That was the other message."

"Urgh..."

The somber mood was wrecked in an instant, and Castor began sweating

profusely. He must have had something to feel guilty about, because his

eyes were darting about furtively.

"A-Accela shouldn't be receiving any information about me, right?"

"She shouldn't, but...does something come to mind?" Tolman asked.

"No, that wasn't my fault! Yes, I went to a place of wine and women

with my fellow sailors, but only as a means of socializing!"

"Captain..." Tolman pressed on his forehead and shook his head in

exasperation.

It was a conversation between master and servant, no different from the

ones they had once had in Red Dragon City.

While the former master and servant were having that exchange, the

current master and servant team, Kuu and Leporina, were meeting again for

the first time since in the Republic of Turgis.

"Ookyaya! It's been a little while, Hal!" Kuu cried.

"Hey, Kuu! It has been a little while!"

Kuu and Halbert, who had fought together in the republic, exchanged a

firm handshake. Beside them, Kaede and Leporina were shaking hands.

"It's been a while since I've seen you too, Leporina."

"Good to see you again, Kaede."

"???" Ruby, who was standing beside Halbert with Kaede, was left with

a blank look on her face, looking completely out of the loop. She tugged on

Halbert's sleeve for an explanation. "Who are these people, Hal?"

"Oh, right. This is your first time meeting them. This is the son of the

current head of the Republic of Turgis, Kuu Taisei, and his follower

Leporina. Kuu, this is Ruby, the dragon I formed a contract with in the Star

Dragon Mountain Range. That makes her my second fiancée."

Following that, they introduced themselves to each other. Kuu and

Leporina were smiling, but Ruby was confused about what to do after

hearing Kuu was the son of the head of the Republic of Turgis.

"The son of their head of state?!" she exclaimed. "He's the son of the

leader of a neighboring country! Is it okay to be so casual with him?!"

"Ookyaya! I don't care, Young Miss Ruby. Hal helped me out in Turgis,

and I'm just a guest of Big Bro Souma's here. I'm happier having him treat

me as a friend." Kuu let out a cheerful laugh.

Kaede shrugged in exasperation. "Hal gets away with treating His

Majesty Souma like a friend. I would be too afraid to do that, but...perhaps

we just have to give up and accept that this is the kind of star Hal was born

under?"

"I don't think being liked by our lord is a bad thing," Ruby opined.

"His Majesty has expectations for Hal, I'm sure," Kaede said, nodding.

"When those above him have high hopes for him, Hal does his best to meet

them. I worry he'll get carried away and make a huge mistake though, you

know."

"I...can see why you'd feel that way."

"That's why we need to keep a firm grip on his reins so that doesn't

happen."

"A dragon who holds her knight's reins, huh? Not bad."

Halbert ignored the conversation going on between his future first and

second wives, pretending he couldn't hear it. Even if he didn't like the

content of it, it was clear that if he opened his mouth now, they were sure to

turn on him in an instant. Fortunately, Halbert had begun acquiring the

same techniques for getting along with the world (or at least with his wives)

as Souma.

Without knowing how Halbert felt inside, Kuu nudged him in the ribs

with his elbow. "Still, Hal, we can't leave you alone for a second! You had a

beautiful fiancée in Kaede, then you went and got yourself another dragon

fiancée who's just as beautiful."

"I guess I did," Hal admitted with a smile. "It gives me less room to

move, but I feel like it's more fun this way."

Halbert felt like he could understand now why, even though Souma was

at the mercy of his fiancées, he still seemed to enjoy himself. Having a

family to protect, and a firm sense of having a home to return to, increased

the number of responsibilities a man had, but it made his days more

satisfying.

"You've got cuties like Taru and Leporina yourself, don't you?" Hal

asked.

"You id— Taru is one thing...but Leporina and I aren't like that."

Kuu, who had just the other day learned how complicated women were,

hesitated.

Hal wondered why Kuu had suddenly gotten so awkward, but then there

was a sudden loud voice from behind them.

"Hey, you two!"

Halbert and Kuu jumped into the air. ""Whuh?!""

They turned around, blinking rapidly, and Halbert's father, Glaive, was

standing there with a stern look on his face.

"O-Old man?! What was that for, out of nowhere?!" Halbert exclaimed.

While Halbert protested, clenching his chest over his pounding heart,

Glaive crossed his burly arms and gave him what for.

"How long are you going to stay slack-jawed here, in this meeting where

the most important people in this country are gathered! You especially,

Halbert! You're going to be a married man soon. You'll be expected to do

even more for His Majesty. If you're like this, it's a disgrace to Young Miss

Kaede and Ruby, who are doing you the favor of marrying you! I can't give

you the headship of the House of Magna just yet, I see."

"You say that, but we both know you don't plan to retire anytime soon,"

Halbert said, resentfully puffing up his cheeks.

Seeing that father-son exchange, Kuu started talking to Leporina in a

whisper. "Looks like dads are the same wherever you go..."

"I know. It's like I'm looking at you and His Excellency. I'm sure Sir

Glaive is trying to act as a wall for Sir Halbert to overcome. It's a reflection

of his high expectations for his son. Like how His Excellency sent you out

into the world to broaden your horizons."

"...Hmph," Kuu muttered. "Well, it's good to see they're full of energy."

As Kuu and Leporina were having that conversation, Halbert and Glaive

continued their father-son quarrel, and Kaede and Ruby intervened to calm

Glaive down.

With both his future daughters-in-law mediating, Glaive had no choice

but to simmer down.

While the master and servant from the Republic of Turgis looked on

with wry smiles, unable to not feel invested in the father-son squabble they

were watching, several others were having a conversation with the Minister

of Agriculture and Forestry, Poncho.

Talking with Poncho were Colbert, the Minister of Finance, who was a

former vassal of the Principality of Amidonia; Herman, who was Roroa's

grandfather as well as the lord of the city of Nelva in the south of the

Amidonia Region; and Margarita Wonder, the former female commander

from the principality who now worked as a singer.

Behind Poncho were Komain and the head maid, Serina. Komain had

just recently become his personal attendant.

Poncho said nervously, "Y-You were also called in, Sir Colbert?"

Colbert nodded. "Yes. I hear that Julius...no, Sir Julius, Lady Roroa's

elder brother...is involved in this matter. Also, because a large force will be

sent out of the country on this occasion, we will likely be called in to

manage the Amidonia Region in His Majesty's absence."

"Y-You will? Then in that case, yes, Madam Margarita was called in as a

commander, not a singer?"

Margarita was clad in armor, and she thumped a fist on her breastplate.

Being a tall woman to begin with, just that action alone was enough to

make her feel intimidating.

"I am glad to be able to act as a commander for the first time in a long

while! I did not let my training as a warrior degrade in my time as a singer."

"Hm, your fighting spirit is impressive," Herman grinned. "This old

soldier's blood is starting to boil."

Perhaps having been set off by Margarita, Herman was now in high

spirits. The warrior aura emitted by these two militarists made the two

bureaucratic types who kept far away from the battlefield feel a little

weirded out.

Meanwhile, as for Serina and Komain who were watching over this

exchange...

"Madam Margarita shows impressive vigor for a woman," Komain said.

"I can feel my blood as a member of a hunting tribe beginning to stir too."

"You're getting too heated," Serina informed her. "Those who serve

must keep a cool mind at all times."

"You say that, Madam Serina, but you're quite the fighter yourself,

aren't you? Does this not stimulate your combat instincts?"

"The more heated you get, the more it creates openings for your

enemies. Calm your heart, feign calmness, and bury your foes without your

master ever noticing. That is the way of a royal maid."

"...Are the royal maids assassins or something?"

They were having a conversation more violent than would be expected

from maids.

In contrast to the assassin-like maid, the commander of the Black Cats,

who were more ninjas than assassins, was in the corner of the room leaning

against a pillar. Because Kagetora wore a cloak made for scouting,

enchanted with magic that made him harder to notice even if he were

wearing a black tiger mask and totally intimidating black armor, nobody

around him paid him any notice.

Except for one person. A single young girl approached Kagetora, who

was supposed to be difficult to perceive.

"Long time no see. Have you been well?" The one casually addressing

him was Excel, commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force.

It seemed that as a member of the sea serpent race, who were sensitive

to magical power, she could sense Kagetora's perception-diverting magic.

When Kagetora was addressed by this sea serpent beauty, who looked to

be twenty-five years old, he moved his back from the pillar, stood up

straight, and bowed with his arms crossed in front of him. "Why, Duchess

Walter, it is a pleasure. I am most honored that you would speak to a man of

the shadows such as myself. However, though you say, 'long time no see,'

where have we ever seen one another? I was under the impression this was

our first time meeting."

"Oh... Come to think of it, that was the story, wasn't it?" Excel pressed

her fingers against her forehead and shook her head as if in exasperation.

Though Excel found it bothersome to go along with this sort of story, she

couldn't have a conversation otherwise, so she decided to play along for

now. "Well then...nice to meet you, Sir Kagetora. Did His Majesty call you

here?"

When she was dealing with the commander of the Black Cats, the

commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force was in a much higher

position, so Excel didn't bother with formalities and just spoke frankly.

"Yes," he said. "I expect to be tasked with intelligence operations in the

Union of Eastern Nations."

"If he's gathering this many of his vassals...it will be a dispatch of troops

of a size we haven't seen since Amidonia," Excel said. "It was important

enough to call you here after all."

"To move a large force, we cannot neglect our preparations against the

neighboring countries. I expect there will be a large movement in the

positions of our troops, even among those who stay behind."

"I have to feel bad for His Majesty, this coming up at an important time

when his child is about to be born." Excel suddenly looked at Kagetora's

face and giggled. "Oh, by the way...I hear Princess Liscia is having twins.

Did you go to see her in Sir Albert's domain?"

"It would be inappropriate for a mere spy such as myself to meet with

the princess."

"Oh? I would have thought you would be unable to help but worry?"

"..."

Excel had a teasing smile, while Kagetora's mouth was drawn tight in a

straight line. However, he eventually gave in to the grinning Excel and

opened his mouth.

"I have not met her," he said at last. "However, I made a request of my

master, and was allowed to guard Sir Albert's domain for a short period of

time. That is how I know she is well."

"Hehe!" Excel smiled with a face that said, I got you.

Though Kagetora's face couldn't be seen under the black tiger mask, he

awkwardly turned to look away.

At that moment, the room suddenly went quiet.

Souma had appeared in the audience chamber with Aisha, Roroa, and

Hakuya.

The people there hurried to their positions, which were determined by

title. When Souma stood before the throne, they all sat at once.

Souma looked down at his vassals and made a declaration.

"I thank you for responding to my sudden summons. It has been decided

that we will send reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations at the

request of the Gran Chaos Empire. I will now announce who will be sent as

part of that force, and who will remain in the kingdom."

◇ ◇ ◇

Looking at the faces of the assembled officers and bureaucrats, I

announced the names that Hakuya and I had agreed would be joining the

expedition to the Union of Eastern Nations.

"First, we will be dispatching roughly 60,000 troops from the Army of

the National Defense Force," I said.

"""Ooooh...""" There was an exclamation of amazement from the

people in the hall.

The National Defense Force of the Kingdom of Friedonia, organized

from the former Forbidden Army, Army, Navy, and Air Force of Elfrieden,

as well as the forces of the Principality of Amidonia, had a total land force

of roughly 130,000.

This dispatch of troops would make use of close to half of that, so it was

hard to blame the people assembled here for being impressed. In fact, this

would be our first military operation since the war with the principality.

"I will be heading out with the troops myself," I said. "Because of that, I

will be the commander-in-chief of the reinforcements, but in practical terms

command will be left to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Ludwin of the

National Defense Force. In addition, the commander-in-chief of the

National Defense Force, Excel, will remain in this country, and while I am

away, she will be responsible for shoring up the country's defenses. I

assume that is fine. Correct, both of you?"

"Yes, sir! As you command!" Ludwin said.

"In your absence, I will defend this country with my life," Excel added.

Ludwin and Excel were kneeling in the front row, both bowing their

heads in unison.

I nodded, then called out to the General of the Air Force who was

waiting beside them. "Tolman!"

"Yes, sir."

"This dispatchment of reinforcements will be different from a military

operation inside the country. Inside the country we can quickly move troops

and provisions around with the road network and rhinosauruses, but that

will not be possible inside the Union of Eastern Nations. Because of that,

we will have half of the Air Force carry supplies. Poncho!"

"Y-Yes! I am here, yes!" Poncho hurried forward and prostrated himself

when called.

"On this occasion, I task you with the management of supplies, the

foremost of which will be provisions for our troops. Work with Tolman of

the Air Force and ensure that supplies reach the reinforcements without

interruption."

"I-It will be done, yes!" Poncho said firmly, accepting his orders.

I had received a report saying that just having Poncho, who was revered

as Ishizuka the God of Food by the common people, as the one in charge of

managing the troops' provisions would be enough to raise morale, so I had

been having Poncho study supply line management while he was in

Venetinova.

He was still new at it, but the actual commands would come from the

bureaucrats assigned to work under him, so it would be fine. He just needed

to nominally be the one in charge.

I nodded, then addressed the people assembled in the hall.

"I am sure I will consult Hakuya, Excel, Ludwin, and Tolman to make

decisions about the army and air force units to be dispatched as

reinforcements later. In a separate matter from that, I will announce the

placement of commanders as a precautionary measure against the

neighboring countries while I am on campaign now!"

I paused to take a breath, then called their names.

"Herman! Owen!"

""Yes, sir!""

In response to me calling their names, both raised their strong voices.

Roroa's grandfather, Herman, was a military commander. And Owen,

my martial arts teacher, also doubled as a sounding board for me.

"I will have you two defend against the Mercenary State Zem in the

west," I said. "They claim neutrality, so I don't expect them to invade us as

a nation. However, ever since the last war, I'm sure that country has had a

poor opinion of us, so they may do something to harass us. Remain duly

vigilant and defend the people of the Amidonia Region."

"Yes, sir! Leave it to us!"

"We can't let the young'uns outdo us just yet!"

Herman and Owen pounded their chests in unison.

These old men were more muscular than would be expected at their age,

so they looked reliable.

"Next, in regard to preparations against the Lunarian Orthodox Papal

State in the northwest... Glaive!"

"Yes, sir!" Hal's old man Glaive responded.

"I want you to enter Van and prepare for the Lunarian Orthodox Papal

State there."

"Yes, sir. Leave it to me."

"Indeed I will. But be careful. The Orthodox Papal State doesn't just use

military operations; we anticipate they could also incite their believers into

an uprising or use any number of other underhanded tricks. As a

countermeasure, I will send Margarita and Bishop Souji with you. Both of

you, step forward."

Both Margarita and Souji came forward and knelt. Unlike Margarita,

who bowed her head deeply, Souji belonged to another country, so he only

gave me a slight nod.

"Margarita has the respect of the people of the Amidonia Region for her

former work as a military commander, and now as a singer," I announced.

"If she has a firm grip on the hearts of the people in the northwest, it will be

harder for the higher-ups in the Orthodox Papal State to stir them up.

Furthermore, I want to use Bishop Souji as the representative of Lunarian

Orthodoxy in this country, to sever the bond between the believers in this

country and the Orthodox Papal State. Bishop Souji, can I count on you to

do that?"

Even though he was a bishop of Lunarian Orthodoxy, Souji had little

loyalty to the Orthodox Papal State. But he was still technically one of their

people, so, in his case, I issued it as a request, not an order.

If I gave him orders, it would be deemed I was treating Souji like a

retainer, and the Orthodox Papal State might excommunicate him as a

heretic who had left their control and try to send a different bishop. To

prevent a headache like that, I needed Souji to publicly remain on the side

of the Orthodox Papal State for now.

"Oh, dear. It looks like I have no choice..." Souji shrugged his shoulders

with a wry smile. "Having been sent to this country as a bishop, I find it

hard to accept a situation where our believers and the people of this country

would turn against one another. Allow me to cooperate with you."

"Thanks. Glaive, work with them to defend our border with the

Orthodox Papal State."

"Yes, sir. It will be done."

When I had finished giving them their orders (and request), the three of

them stood down, and I looked to Excel.

"I will be having you stay in Parnam, I'm sure. During that time, is there

anyone who can run the National Naval Defense Force, and prepare against

the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union?"

"In that case...I believe you could have Castor do it," Excel said with a

bow.

Castor's name sent a murmur through the crowd. She was

recommending a man who, even though it had been the result of the

intertwining of various complicated intentions, had once raised the flag of

rebellion against me, so it was inevitable there would be resistance to the

idea. However, Excel seemed unconcerned about the mood of the room, and

continued as if nothing had happened.

"In the time since he was left in my custody, I have thoroughly educated

Castor in the ways of a naval force. Castor has also tried to mingle with the

marines, deepening his relationship with them, and winning their trust. That

said, there have been times when he has gotten a little too 'rowdy.'"

As Excel said that, she cast a sideways glance at Castor.

In that moment, his shoulders shuddered, and he looked away.

It was like the reaction of a child who'd been caught doing something he

shouldn't. Did she have some dirt on him?

That concerned me a little, but it didn't seem particularly important from

the way Excel was talking, so I was probably fine to ignore it.

I asked Castor a question. "Castor. You heard what Excel said. Can I

leave the navy under your command?"

"Y-Yes, sir! If that is your order, I will do my utmost to follow it."

Castor bowed his head.

I nodded, then gave the order. "Castor. Take control of the navy in place

of Excel and prepare against the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union.

However, limit operations to the seizure of vessels engaged in illegal

fishing and do everything within your power to avoid a situation that may

result in armed conflict. We can't enter a serious state of war with another

country when we have so many troops sent up north after all."

"Yes, sir! As you command!"

"Also..." I walked down the stairs to whisper in Castor's ear, "Don't you

dare use the Hiryuu. I don't want other countries learning it exists yet."

Construction on the island-type pseudo-carrier Hiryuu which could be

loaded with wyvern cavalry was more or less complete. It had been decided

that a second ship, Souryuu, and a third ship, Unryuu (both named by yours

truly of course), were going to be built, but we wanted the first one done

before that. Even though it could be put into operation, we couldn't use our

trump card on a fishing dispute and have other countries find out about it.

Using wyverns to patrol the sea would make it a lot easier though.

Maybe Castor understood all of that, because he nodded.

"Understood," he whispered back. "I will only use traditional ships to

clamp down on them."

"I'm counting on you," I whispered. "Oh, and..."

From there we discussed some other things, then I went back to my

position from before.

"Now then, Castor, I will be counting on you."

When I declared that, Castor said, "Yes, sir," and prostrated himself.

Now preparations were made for the west, north(west), and east of the

country. That only left the south.

"Lastly, regarding our preparations against the Republic of Turgis..."

"Hold on, Bro!" Kuu stood up and cut me off.

"Y-Young Master! You mustn't interrupt Sir Souma when he's

speaking!" Leporina, who was beside him, hurriedly pulled on his sleeve.

However, Kuu paid no heed to her, and looked me in the eye as he kept

talking. "My old man...the head of the republic, Gouran Taisei...swore an

oath of friendship with you, didn't he? Do you think he's going to betray

you and invade?"

Another murmur ran through the crowd. That young man had suddenly

shown disrespect to the king, and, at the same time, had revealed himself to

be the son of the republic's head of state. Many of those gathered here

hadn't known Kuu's identity.

To quiet them, I answered in a way that showed no concern for Kuu's

disrespect. "I trust Sir Gouran. However, it's the job of a king to prepare for

unexpected outcomes. Besides, it's not just Sir Gouran; there's also a

council of elders made up of chiefs from each race, right? I don't think you

can say that none of those races will attempt to invade us without Sir

Gouran's knowledge."

I tried using logic with him, but Kuu wasn't satisfied.

"My old man will take care of anyone like that on his side. Gouran

Taisei isn't a man who easily betrays his friends!"

"But still..."

"Ookyakya, are you that worried? How about taking me with the

reinforcements as a visiting general?" Kuu pointed at himself with a jab of

his thumb.

...Come again?

"How did this become about taking you with me?" I asked.

"As a hostage, you know, a hostage. Keep me somewhere I can be

executed immediately, and I'm sure my old man'll keep the hawks in line

out of fear for losing his darling heir." Kuu said that with a laugh, as if it

was no big deal.

I wonder why... I was starting to get a bit of a headache.

"Do...you have any idea what you're saying?" I asked carefully.

"You bet I do, Bro. I mean, I'm thinking it's a good chance for me, you

know? I came to this country to broaden my horizons. There aren't many

chances for a guy from the southernmost country on this continent to visit

the border of the Demon Lord's Domain up north after all!"

"It's not that I don't understand why you'd want to, but..."

It was because there were so few opportunities that I'd refused Liscia's

suggestion of, "Can't you leave it to your retainers?" as a way to lead the

reinforcements myself. However, was it all right for me to bring the boy I

was entrusted with by another country to a place I knew would be

dangerous?

I was hesitant and looked to Hakuya.

Hakuya shrugged his shoulders in exasperation and answered me briefly.

"...Yes, I think that should be fine."

He must have decided that what Kuu was saying made sense at least.

Was there no helping it?

From the look in his eyes, Kuu was probably going to come with me

even if I refused.

I sighed. "...Fine. I will allow you to accompany me as a visiting

general. I will not make any special deployments against the Republic of

Turgis at present. However, if there is any movement, I will leave it to

Excel's judgment."

"Ookya! Thanks, Bro."

"But make sure you report this to Sir Gouran, would you? Also, I'll

allow you to act as a visiting general, but by no means are you to act

recklessly. I know how brave you are, but cordial relations between the

kingdom and republic rest on your shoulders. You absolutely must respect

my orders. Understood?"

"Yeah, I get it! I swear I won't do anything reckless!" Kuu responded

with spunk.

Was he serious though? I was probably going to have to ask Leporina to

keep a tight rein on him later... Good grief.

Well, there was that dispute at the end there, but with this, most of the

deployments were decided.

I ended by addressing the assembly. "Now then, I'll be counting on all

of you."

"""Yes, sir!"""

In response to my words, the assembly all prostrated themselves in

unison.

I went to leave the audience chamber with Aisha, Roroa, and Hakuya,

the same as the way I had come. As I passed by Kagetora, who was hiding

behind a pillar, I whispered an order to him.

"Probe the situation in the Union of Eastern Nations. Also, send Inugami

to me later."

"By your will."

After that short exchange, Kagetora vanished from the audience

chamber before we could leave ourselves.

I dunno... I think his ninja act has gotten even more polished than

before.

Now then, all that was left was to decide who would be coming with me

other than the military personnel.

We moved to the governmental affairs office, then had the people we

needed to discuss things with gather once again.

Inside the office with me were Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden, my

fiancées, as well as Hakuya, Tomoe, Hal, Kaede, Ruby, Poncho, Serina,

Komain, and Colbert, for a total of fourteen people.

I had the assembled people sit at a long table where the bureaucrats

usually worked, and once I had confirmed everything was ready, I began

speaking.

"Now then, shall we start by reviewing the current situation?"

I then explained all the details about the dispatchment of reinforcements

to the Union of Eastern Nations from the beginning. There were members

here who hadn't been in the audience chamber before after all.

That and, though I had deliberately not touched on it earlier, I explained

this time that while this dispatchment was in response to a request from the

Empire, it was also because of a request for reinforcements from Roroa's

brother, Julius.

I had decided that this was less of an international issue and more of a

family one, so only those people who were closest to us needed to know.

When he heard Julius had sent a request for reinforcements, Hal got a

funny look on his face. "Julius?! That's the guy we fought a war with,

right?! Is it okay to trust something a guy like that—ow! What was that for,

Kaede?!"

Hal looked at Kaede, who was sitting beside him, in surprise. It sounded

like Kaede had either pinched him under the table or stepped on his foot.

Kaede pinched her temples, shaking her head in exasperation. "That's

Sir Julius, Hal. No matter what position he may have been in before, he is

the elder brother of the third primary queen candidate Roroa, and that blood

connection makes him His Majesty's future brother-in-law. You have to

show him the proper respect, you know."

"Urkh... Sorry." Faced with a reasonable argument, Hal bowed his head

and apologized.

Roroa waved her hand. "Ohh, don't you worry about it. It's a matter of

fact that my big brother was an enemy. If he's tryin' to say, 'Save me!' now,

it feels like it's a little late for that."

"Princess..." Colbert sent a worried glance her way. He was the only one

in this gathering who had known the Amidonia siblings from a young age,

so he was aware of Roroa's complicated feelings.

Then Roroa stood up and bowed her head to everyone else. "This time, I

don't think I can get away from accusations of givin' preferable treatment

to a family member. It's just that, from what the stuff in my brother's letter

was sayin', he seems to have changed from the brother I knew. I dunno

what went and caused that change of heart, but...I'm thinkin' we can engage

with him more constructively than before. So, I was hopin'... I was hoping

you could, please, lend him your strength."

Roroa closed out not with her usual merchant slang, but with a politely

worded request in ordinary language. That must have been her speaking as

the princess of the former Principality of Amidonia.

I plopped a hand down on Roroa's shoulder. "I understand. It's because I

agree with you that I decided to send reinforcements to the Kingdom of

Lastania."

"Darlin'..."

I had Roroa raise her head, then looked to Komain. "Besides, it seems

Jirukoma is in the Kingdom of Lastania too."

"Big Brother..." Komain whispered. Her brother was in an area facing

intense fighting because of the manami, the demon wave, so she must have

been worried.

"Komain," I said. "You're working for Poncho now, right?"

"Y-Yes! He has kindly allowed me to serve under him."

"Poncho will oversee the transportation of provisions for the

reinforcements that we'll be sending. I want you to support him with

Serina. You'll likely be going to the Kingdom of Lastania too."

"Ah! You would allow me to come with you?!"

I smiled at Komain's wide-eyed reaction. "Roroa, who had an

antagonistic relationship with her brother, is worried about him. You got

along with your brother, so it must be even worse for you. Besides, with a

martial background like yours, you won't be a hindrance. So, there you

have it, Poncho. We'll be taking your retainers with us. Is that all right?"

Poncho nodded vigorously. "If that is what you want, then of course,

yes."

There was a hint of joy on Komain's face as she bowed her head. "ThThank you so much! Your Majesty, Poncho."

Poncho said, "I'm glad for you, yes," putting a hand on her shoulder.

I looked to Serina, who was beside them with an impassive look on her

face. "Serina, that's how it is. Can I count on you too?"

"It would seem I have no other choice. Besides, the princess is away,

and with Carla attending to her, I would be left with nothing to do. I will

ask that you allow me to take care of Sir Poncho for the time being."

"I-I'm sorry to trouble you, yes," Poncho said apologetically.

The corners of Serina's mouth turned up just a little. "Why, yes. I do

think you should show your gratitude with action."

Poncho nodded with sweat beading on his forehead. "I-I will make a

dish you like, yes."

"Hehe. That's a promise."

Serina wore a slight, satisfied smile. Poncho seemed relieved to have

improved her mood. Komain was using a cloth to wipe the sweat that had

beaded on Poncho's brow.

It was hard to tell the balance of power between these three, but despite

some bumps here and there, they seemed to be in tune with each another, so

it was fine.

I returned to the task at hand and addressed everyone. "Well, on that

note, we'll also be having Roroa along. Colbert. I know I'm going to be

causing you trouble by taking Roroa, but hold down the fort for us while

we're gone."

"Yes, sir. This is for my princess after all. Please, leave the finances to

me."

"I'm counting on you." I nodded. "Next, in light of the possibility that

we'll encounter demons, Tomoe will be coming with us. And considering

their combat potential, Aisha and Naden will be coming along too. We'll be

acting together for the most part anyway, but I'll be tasking Aisha and

Naden to serve as bodyguards for Roroa and me. I intend to have Inugami

be Tomoe's bodyguard."

"Big Sis Ai, Nadie, we'll be countin' on ya." Roroa bobbed her head up

and down.

Aisha thumped one hand on her chest. "Leave it to us! I will protect

Madam Roroa! So, Madam Naden, you look after His Majesty!"

"Roger that. I'll stake my pride as a dragon on it." Naden imitated her

and thumped a hand on her chest lightly too.

Seeing them both puff up their chests in front of one another, I couldn't

help but feel all warm inside.

I next spoke to Juna, who was watching the two of them with a gentle

smile. "If I'm being honest, I want you to come, Juna, but I'd prefer to

avoid a situation where the king and all his fiancées are away from the

castle, so please stay behind."

"It can't be helped," she said. "Lady Liscia is away too, so someone

should watch over the castle."

Though Juna seemed a tad disappointed, she placed her hands together

at her chest and bowed a little.

"By your will, Your Majesty. Please, allow me to hold down the fort for

you. But if there is anything I can be of help with, just say the word. I will

fly to your side in no time."

"Right. If it comes up, I'll be counting on you."

We looked into one another's eyes for a short while. I felt like those eyes

were telling me, Be sure you come home safely.

When I gave her a big nod, hoping to reassure her as much as possible,

Juna smiled a little.

Then Hakuya said, "Sire... A word, if I may?"

He was asking permission to speak, so I granted it.

"It's about this dispatchment of troops," he said. "We should consider

the possibility that this may become a long-term engagement. What will we

do about the coronation and wedding ceremony scheduled for the end of

this year?"

"Oh! I totally forgot about that."

We had a coronation ceremony to formally make me the king of this

country and a wedding with Liscia and the others planned for the end of the

year, right? There was no way of knowing when the demon wave would

subside, and even if I could return by the end of the year, things were going

to be hectic. It was probably going to overlap with Liscia giving birth too.

Well, when I'd asked Liscia about it, she'd said, "I can still attend with

my belly sticking out, you know?" It hadn't seemed to bother her, but it'd

worry me to no end if she did that, so I hoped she'd stop saying things like

that.

"Let's put it off until next spring for now," I said. "Liscia has the birth to

deal with, so it'd be better to do it once the children are born and things

settle down. Arrange it that way."

"Understood," Hakuya said with a bow.

That was everything taken care of.

When I got up, everyone else practically jumped out of their seats. I

brought my right arm down toward them and gave the order.

"Now then, people! So that Liscia's childbirth, the coronation, the

wedding, and all that other good stuff can happen in peace, let's all work

together to get through this crisis!"

"""Yes, sir!"""

Now, let's go to the north, which is crawling with monsters.