Cast of Characters Arc 3: The Drill Princess of the Empire

— At the end of the 11th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —

The imperial capital, Valois — It happened at around the time Souma was

in the Union of Eastern Nations.

The place was the little sister general Jeanne's office in Valois Castle,

where Empress Maria Euphoria lived, next to the center of the imperial

capital Valois in the Gran Chaos Empire.

There Jeanne and Friedonian ambassador Piltory Saracen sat facing one

another.

Piltory bowed his head to Jeanne. "I'm sorry. I'll have to return to the

kingdom again."

With a wry smile, Jeanne gently said, "It's the younger sister this time,

right? Isn't this something to be celebrated?"

"I'm grateful to hear you say that."

After Piltory's wife Anzu had been found to be pregnant, he had

returned to the kingdom temporarily to leave her in the care of his family,

the House of Saracen.

Once Anzu had safely given birth to a son, she'd returned to the empire

with that child to be with Piltory.

Now, immediately afterward, Anzu's younger sister Shiho was the one

to get pregnant.

Thinking it would be best to have her give birth at the family home, like

Anzu, Piltory had once again requested leave to return home from the

kingdom and empire. His request having been granted, he was here to pay

his respects.

"I will be returning once I leave Shiho at the family home, like last time,

so Anzu will take care of your communications with the kingdom during

that time," he said. "If anything should come up, please ask her. It seems

my personal business has been interfering with my duties and keeping me

away from the empire, and that pains me, but..."

Piltory had a truly apologetic look on his face, but Jeanne waved her

hand.

"No, no, don't worry about it. You're doing this for the child that will be

born. Besides, Sir Souma himself will be having a child soon, too, won't

he?"

"Yes, that is what I hear."

"Princess Liscia, a mother... I feel like she's gotten ahead of me

somehow." Jeanne let out a little sigh.

They had both been mischievous princesses who'd troubled the servants

as children, so where had this difference formed between them? It was true

that Jeanne hadn't had a special meeting like Souma and Liscia's, but the

biggest reason was probably that elder sister of hers.

I can't go looking for a partner while my sister is still single. If she

would just find herself a wonderful gentleman already, I could be more

proactive...

Through her mind flitted the image of that black-robed man with the

clever but warm eyes.

Wait! No, no, that's out of the question!

Jeanne shook her head as if to dispel the notion from her mind.

I know he's not the sort of person I could handle just by being more

proactive. He's a distant man, in many senses of that world. But if... if our

empire were more stable, and my sister found someone nice... I could be

more true to my feelings...

Imagining herself at his side, Jeanne felt her lips form a smile.

Well, imagining it is no harm, I guess, she told herself.

Incidentally, Maria would be twenty-one this year (twenty-two by

Earth's calendar). In Souma's world, it would have been cruel to start acting

like she had taken too long to get married at that age. Yet Jeanne was

worried that her sister was approaching old maidhood.

This was because marriageable age for women in this world was

fourteen. So in the upper classes, where political marriages were the norm,

it was recommended a woman be married by twenty.

Lost in thought, Jeanne reflected...

"Um, Madam Jeanne?" Piltory asked. "Is something the matter?"

"Oh! No, excuse me. Let's see... Sir Souma is likely away at the

moment, so when he returns to the country and the child is born, please give

him my sister's congratulations."

"Ohh! Thank you for that."

The ability to celebrate the birth of a child in another country's royal

family was something made possible by the cordial relations between the

kingdom and Empire.

As the two of them were having that conversation...

Boooom! Crash!

There was a loud explosion, and the castle shook up and down

powerfully.

Piltory thought it must be a sudden earthquake, but the shaking ended

unexpectedly quickly.

While he was wondering what it was, he noticed Jeanne had a hand

pressed to her forehead.

"I-Is something wrong, Madam Jeanne?! Did you get hurt in the tremor

just now?!"

"No... I just got a headache thinking about all the cleanup I'll need to do

after this. Honestly, that girl..."

"That girl?"

As Piltory was about to ask for more details, the door slammed open.

The one who came rushing into the room was Empress Maria Euphoria

herself.

"Jeanne! Was that explosion—"

"Sister, what are you doing dressed like that?!" Jeanne shouted, cutting

Maria off.

Maria was wearing pajamas and a nightcap, her bedclothes. It was past

noon, but her hair was disheveled as if she had been sleeping until just a

few moments ago.

For Piltory, who had only known the noble beauty of the woman called

the Saint of the Empire, the gap was so great that his eyes bulged out.

"Please, dress yourself properly! Sir Piltory is here, you know?!" Jeanne

cried.

"Oh, my, Sir Piltory. Good morning." Maria gave him an elegant

greeting despite being in her pajamas.

So long as there was a smile on her beautiful face, even if all she wore

was pajamas, she possessed a picturesque beauty.

Jeanne gripped her head. "It's already noon. It's past time to be saying

'good morning.'"

"Well, I was working until morning, and I finally managed to find time

to sleep, you know? Just as I was setting off on a pleasant journey to the

land of dreams, I was jarred awake by that explosion. Do you think that girl

was the cause?"

"No one else sets off explosions in the castle. I wonder what she'll have

destroyed this time..."

"She put a big hole in the castle walls last time, didn't she...?"

The beautiful sisters let out a shared sigh.

Jeanne gave an order to the female guards standing ready outside the

door.

"Secure the culprit at once, and bring her to this room."

""Y-Yes, ma'am!""

The guards immediately took off running.

The culprit... If they knew who she meant from such a vague

description, did that mean the guards knew who the culprit was, too?

In that case, was this a common occurrence?

"Um... Who exactly is this girl you two have been talking about?"

Piltory hesitantly asked.

Maria and Jeanne looked at one another and responded in unison.

""Our little sister.""

Roughly ten minutes later...

Looking like a picture of an alien being dragged off by men in black, a

girl of about fifteen was hauled in by the royal guards.

She had the same beautiful blonde hair as Maria and Jeanne, and she had

cute, girlish looks, but her wrinkled white coat and the way her hair stuck

up spoke to her slovenly nature.

One defining feature was her hairstyle. Her long hair was tied into a

spiral on her right side.

When the captive girl was brought before Jeanne, who was giving off an

aura of wrath, she greeted her timidly.

"G-Good day to you, Big Sister Maria, Big Sister Jeanne."

"Does it look like we're having a good day, Trill?" Jeanne asked with a

glare.

"Eek?! I-I'm sorry!" Trill cowered like a kitten curling up in the cold,

and bowed her head repeatedly as Jeanne lectured her.

All three of them bore the blood of the royal family, yet when you saw

them like this, they were like any normal sisters.

Seeing Piltory bewildered and unable to follow the situation, Maria

spoke up with a troubled smile on her face.

"Let me introduce you, Sir Piltory. This is our youngest sister, Trill."

"I... I am Trill Euphoria." Having been freed from the lecture, Trill was

quick to introduce herself and try to keep up appearances. "I am not aware

as to who you might be, but is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"P-Pardon me. I was sent here by the Kingdom of Friedonia. My name

is Piltory."

"The Kingdom of Friedonia?!" Trill's eyes went wide. "When you say

the Kingdom of Friedonia, you mean the one that used to be the Elfrieden

Kingdom?! They have the Genia of the House of Maxwell!"

"W-Well... I don't know this Madam Genia... whoever she is, but I have

heard of the House of Maxwell. They've made a name for themselves

researching the ruins of a dungeon or something like that, I believe."

For a military man like Piltory, he was not tied in to the details of who

all the different bureaucrats were. However, the House of Maxwell was so

infamous as a family of oddballs that even he had heard of them.

"Um... Why would Madam Maria's younger sister be interested in the

House of Maxwell?" he ventured.

"Because I am a huge fan of the Maxwells!" Trill declared, her eyes

sparkling. "When I read their publication, The Conversion and

Accumulation of Magical Energies, I was amazed! I could tell that this

would be what made my ambition come true...!"

"Trill! We are not done yet!" Jeanne shouted at her.

Trill's shoulders twitched.

The third princess of the Empire had spoken passionately about the

kingdom's infamous House of Maxwell. Do eccentrics attract eccentrics?

Piltory wondered.

Jeanne let out an exasperated sigh. "Now then, Trill, what exactly have

you broken today?"

"Jeanne, there's no need to jump to the conclusion she's broken

anything..."

"Please, stay out of this, sister. You heard that noise, felt the tremors. We

should be prepared for some losses."

"L-Losses, no... It was nothing big. I just put a tiiiiny hole in the ceiling

of my underground laboratory..."

"You two," Jeanne groaned, ignoring Trill's claims and speaking to the

guards who had brought her in. "How bad were the damages?"

The guards saluted and reported exactly what they had seen.

"There was a great hole opened in the courtyard."

"It appeared to be over five meters in diameter."

"That is not a little hole!" Jeanne slammed the table.

The noise made not just Trill but Maria jump, too.

Jeanne ordered the guards out of the room, and after confirming they

were gone, she sighed again.

"Your actions lately have been completely unacceptable. Every time you

cause a problem, every time you destroy something, it undermines our elder

sister's dignity and creates more work for me."

"B-Big Sister, my research is..."

"We understand that your research will serve to benefit the future of this

empire. That is why we do not ask you to do your duties as the third

princess of the Empire, and instead allow you to do as you please in your

study." Jeanne banged on her head as if in pain. "However, you are getting

very close to the limit. Not with us, with the vassals. They're starting to

express the opinion that it's about time we punished you, you realize?"

"Urkh..."

Failure might be the mother of success, but in her case, Trill had been

born into the wrong bloodline for it.

She was the younger sister of Empress Maria, who ruled a vast empire,

yet remained cooped up in her laboratory creating things all day, failing

incredibly, and occasionally blowing up the walls and causing damage.

That bad reputation didn't only affect her; it was also a risk that could

impact Maria's authority, too.

With a pained look, Jeanne told Trill, "This is getting out of hand. Isn't

it about time you called it quits? Why not give up on your studies, and

return to your position as the third daughter of the imperial house?"

"..." Trill hung her head, unable to say anything in return.

A heavy atmosphere hung over the room. Having suddenly been swept

up into their family troubles, Piltory was nervously wondering what to do

with himself.

As if to bring a breath of fresh air into the room, Maria clapped her

hands. "If we can't handle her, why not leave her to someone who can?"

she said in an easygoing voice.

Jeanne's eyes went wide. "What is this, out of nowhere?"

"I just had a little idea. You know, ever since we formed an alliance with

the Kingdom of Friedonia, Piltory has been here as resident ambassador to

the Empire, but we haven't sent anyone in return, have we?"

"You're right. It's a secret alliance, so choosing someone has been

difficult... Wait, Sister, you can't mean..."

Jeanne had a bad feeling. Maria smiled wide and said, "Yes, I do. Let's

send Trill to the kingdom as our resident ambassador."

◇ ◇ ◇

"...So, there you have it, Sir Souma. Please take good care of our sister."

"'There you have it'?" I repeated. "There I have what...?"

Let me tell you what happened. I came back from the Union of Eastern

Nations, was present for Liscia giving birth, was forced back to the castle

when twins were born, and three days after that, I had a troublemaker from

the Empire pushed on me. You... You guys think I don't know what I'm

talking about. You're right, I don't know what's going on at all...

"Trill, you mustn't cause trouble for Sir Souma, all right? Take care of

yourself," Maria said.

"I know, Big Sister Maria."

Right now, a young girl of about fifteen with her blonde hair in rolls,

who had been sent here from the Empire, was beside me, waving to Maria

through the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

Her name was Trill Euphoria.

Their faces might be similar, but their personalities weren't. It seemed

Maria's little sister was a researcher.

Her repeated massive failures had apparently made it difficult for her to

remain in the Empire, so she was being sent off to my kingdom as their

previously-yet-unchosen ambassador.

I had been briefed on this by Piltory, who returned to the Empire after

returning home for a brief time.

Honestly... Gouran leaves Kuu with me, then Fuuga saddles me with

Yuriga, and now this. Aren't these people a little too quick to leave their

VIPs in my country?

"I know our castle has a day care, but we only handle infants, you

know," I said.

"Would you kindly not treat me like a child?! You're disrespecting a

lady," Trill protested, but I ignored her.

Maria was chuckling. "Oh, my, I thought you liked creative and capable

personnel, Souma? Trill is the most unique and creative researcher in the

Empire. I'm sure you'll take a liking to her."

Sighing, I asked, "What sort of research do you do, anyway?"

"Hmm." Trill cutely cocked her head to the side. "In order to explain

that, I'll need to tell you that old story."

"Huh? Old story?"

"Yes, that is correct. Long, long ago, in a certain country..."

◇ ◇ ◇

Long, long ago, in a certain country, there was the strongest warrior.

That warrior was blessed with a tough body, along with a collection of

superior arms and armor.

That warrior looked at the spear he was holding and said, "My spear is

the sharpest in the world. There is nothing it cannot pierce."

Then, pointing to his armor, the warrior said, "My armor is sturdier than

the walls of a fortress. Nothing in this world can pierce it."

Hearing this, the warrior's master asked, "If you stab the armor that

cannot be pierced with the spear that can pierce anything, what will

happen?"

The warrior was unable to answer, and he was greatly embarrassed.

◇ ◇ ◇

"That's the old story," Trill said.

"..."

Trill's story was just the story behind the etymology of the word for

contradiction or inconsistency in Japanese and Chinese, only with the

halberd traded out for a spear, and the shield traded out for armor.

It came from the Han Feizi, I think?

The author of that work, Han Fei, wrote on how a sovereign should rule

from the perspective of a realist, but the contents of that work were so harsh

that even Machiavelli was nothing in comparison.

That was because Han Fei had lived in a time of chaos, when seven

great men were at war, and he had lived in the imperial court, which was

rife with conspiracy. If one were to faithfully put into practice what he

wrote, the king would have no one left to trust.

Zhen, the King of Qin, who became Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of

China, was a Han Fei fan and had an element of that to him, but I

personally didn't want to ever go that far.

But I digress.

Anyway, as long as there were words there were going to be logical

paradoxes, so maybe it wasn't that odd that a similar story would be created

here.

With a dissatisfied look, Trill went on, "But I think that story is strange."

"Well, strange logic is how you get paradoxes, after all." I wondered

why she was bringing up something so obvious.

But Trill shook her head. "That is not what I meant. The spear wins."

"Oh-ho. Why is that?" I was interested now.

Trill raised her index finger and began to explain. "Once you put on the

suit of armor, you're done. However, the spear has room for improvement.

Let's assume the armor has a hardness of ten, and the spear has a sharpness

of ten. First, there's the speed of the thrust. If you strike twice as fast, your

attack power becomes twenty. And by twisting as you stab, you double your

penetrative power again. Therefore, the spear's attack power should be able

to rise to forty."

"Th-That makes sense..." Aisha, who was at my side as a bodyguard,

seemed convinced.

As if that was right!

"No, that logic is wrong, okay?!" I shouted.

What was that logic like something out of a battle computer? There was

no way it simply doubled like that.

Still, Trill went on with an incredibly serious look on her face.

"Naturally, those numbers are fuzzy. But if you thrust a drill-shaped tool at

a two-centimeter-thick wooden board, it won't pierce it easily. However, if

you press it against the same point and spin it around continuously, it

becomes possible to open a hole in the board."

"Well, yes... That's right." Huh? At some point she had started to

convince me.

"What I was studying was a system to keep that spear spinning." Trill

grinned and made a spear-thrusting motion. "There are physical limits our

body structure imposes on how much spin we can put on a thrust. That is

why I was looking into developing a spear that constantly spins. During the

testing process, however, the prototype flew off and put a big hole in the

castle walls..."

"That constantly spins... Ah!"

I got it! She was talking about making a spear spin, so it hadn't clicked

immediately, but she was trying to create a drill! Or, more precisely, a

motor that could keep a drill spinning. This in a world that didn't even have

the steam engine.

If she could really make one, it would be a technological revolution.

"You said you put a big hole in the castle walls?" I asked. "How big are

we talking?"

"I learned that if I forced magical energy into a support pillar discovered

in a dungeon it would revolve, so I was able to get it spinning. However,

without knowing any way to apply constant, stable energy, there were

repeated misfires."

I went silent.

I knew this because I had visited Genia's dungeon laboratory, but

technology in this world didn't seem likely to follow the same path as on

Earth. Using materials discovered in the dungeons, they could gain access

to technologies that were a leap ahead.

Also, wasn't the solution to providing constant, stable energy like Trill

was talking about the curse ore we used in the Little Susumu Mark V?

"I was studying various things after reading the House of Maxwell's

publication, The Conversion and Accumulation of Magical Energies, but I

just can't find the right material," Trill said, sounding frustrated.

Genia's house had put out a book like that?

Hmm... If the empire was studying its own ways of accumulating

magical power, they might discover the use of curse ore in the not-toodistant future. Other countries could, too.

If that happened, our advantage would disappear.

There was Fuuga to consider, too, so I wanted to spur on a technological

revolution.

"It seems you have something on your mind, Sir Souma." Maria

suddenly interjected.

While I'd been lost in thought, it seemed she'd been staring at my face.

Shoot... I'd been nearly fooled by her soft smile and easygoing aura, but

Maria wasn't someone I could show openings to.

"Do you perhaps have some hint that would help Trill's research?"

Maria asked. "I believe the kingdom is home to the esteemed House of

Maxwell that she so respects."

"Th-That's right! I would so love to meet them!" Trill jumped in

excitedly.

I wanted to dodge the subject, but... bad lies weren't going to work

against Maria.

"I think, with Genia's knowledge, we could manage it somehow," I said

reluctantly.

"That's marvelous. How about it? Why not make Trill's research a joint

research project for our two countries?"

"Joint research... you say?"

"I think the technology Trill is attempting to develop will have a variety

of uses. To the point that it may revolutionize this world's technology."

That was a fact. A boring machine was one thing, but a motor was

another. There were no end of uses for it.

If something could turn on its own, there were any number of things that

could be done with that.

"I don't want to reveal too many of my own cards, you know..."

"Oh? You aren't interested in the techniques Trill has, Sir Souma?"

Maria asked.

"I want them, of course..."

"In that case, isn't this perfect? There's a technology both of us want.

Let our countries study it together, and we'll share the results."

Maria's proposal sounded highly enticing.

It was difficult for one country to research everything because of the

limited personnel, funds, and time. I had been made painfully aware of that

while reforming the medical system.

If necessary, I would sometimes have to bring in personnel, funding, and

time from other countries. If it was the Empire under Maria, it could be

trusted, too.

"In that case, I'll have you put up half of the costs for the research, too,

you know?" I asked.

"Of course. Will you take us up on the offer, then?"

"No, I can't give you an immediate answer. I'll discuss it with Hakuya,

and we'll get back to you about our conditions later."

"That makes sense. It seems my excitement caused me to get ahead of

myself." Maria pulled back, a little disappointed. She looked like a dog who

had just been made to wait after being shown a treat.

With a wry smile, I told her, "But I, personally, am enthusiastic about

the idea. I think I'll have Madam Trill meet with Genia."

My words set Trill's eyes sparkling. "I can meet the people of the House

of Maxwell! Why, this makes me so happy!"

Maria giggled. "Good for you, Trill. But you're there as an ambassador,

so you can't neglect that work to focus on your studies, okay? If you do,

Jeanne might head over there to drag you back home."

"Urkh! I wouldn't want that. I will do my work properly." Princess Trill

gave her sister a firm salute.

Thus another odd and talented individual came to the kingdom.

For now, at least, I'd leave her to Genia's keeper Ludwin to look after.

Here's hoping he doesn't end up eating cheap bread again...

"Oh, by the way, Sir Souma," Maria put in, "I hear you had twins."

Now that things were settled, Maria said that as if she'd just

remembered, and lifted the hem of her skirt in a graceful curtsy.

"As empress of the Gran Chaos Empire, I will pray for your son and

daughter's healthy growth, and the kingdom's continued development."

"Thank you. Let's both do our best, for our homes and our families."

"Yes."

And so, ties between the kingdom and Empire deepened once again.