Chance Encounter in the North

The Union of Eastern Nations, situated to the north of Friedonia, was an

aggregation of small to medium-sized states.

This land had once been flooded with many small and medium-sized

states, sometimes allying with, and at other times warring with, one another.

It had been a disunited land. However, when the Demon Lord's Domain had

appeared over a decade ago and the threat it had posed began bearing down

on them, the states had united to form the Union of Eastern Nations.

Each country within the Union ruled itself, but each country was also

called upon to contribute soldiers commensurate to its national strength. In

the case of small states, they were to contribute a tenth of their soldiers; and

in the case of medium-sized states, three-tenths. With the soldiers they

contributed, a force that transcended the borders between nations, the

United Forces of the Eastern States (or the United Forces), was formed. If

another country or the Demon Lord's Domain tried to invade one of the

countries of the Union, the United Forces would be dispatched to combat

them.

In the northwestern edge of the Union, bordering both the Demon Lord's

Domain and the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, was the Kingdom of

Lastania.

That country was a small monarchy with a total population of around

twenty thousand. It was a country so small that it felt like it might blow

away in the wind, and it was situated next to both the Nothung Dragon

Knight Kingdom and the Demon Lord's Domain, so the people must have

been trembling in fear, waiting for the fires of war that could come at any

moment. Or so you might be thinking. However, the actual situation was

slightly different.

It was true, they did have some uncertainties when it came to the Demon

Lord's Domain, but bordering on the Dragon Knight Kingdom was actually

reassuring to them. Though Lastania belonged to the Union of Eastern

Nations, they had a long-running alliance with the Dragon Knight

Kingdom. Having formed contracts with the dragons of the Star Dragon

Mountain Range, and possessing powerful dragon knights, the Nothung

Dragon Knight Kingdom was a powerhouse that could stand up to the Gran

Chaos Empire in a purely defensive war. However, they didn't use that

power to try to expand their borders. That had to do with their contract with

the Star Dragon Mountain Range.

The dragons will become the knights' partners, racing across the

battlefield with them.

The knights will welcome the dragons as their partners, and help them

to produce offspring.

However, if the knights use the dragons' power to satisfy their own

greed, this contract will be rendered null and void.

This was the contract between Nothung and the Star Dragon Mountain

Range.

In other words, in exchange for borrowing the dragon's power, they

would take the dragons as their wives and have children with them. This

contract was made possible by the fact that the dragons of the Star Dragon

Mountain Range were able to take on human form. Also, if they used the

dragons' power for their own selfish desires and tried to invade some other

country, the contract would be torn up and the Dragon Knight Kingdom

would lose its ties to the Star Dragon Mountain Range. For that reason, the

Dragon Knight Kingdom was a country with a policy of non-aggressive

defense. This country didn't involve itself in the Empire's invasion of the

Demon Lord's Domain, either.

Having an ally nearby was one ingredient contributing to the Kingdom

of Lastania's peace of mind. Even if the Demon Lord's Domain attacked,

their territory was small, so the dragon knights would defend them while

defending themselves.

That may have been why, in the Kingdom of Lastania, the king and

many of the people had carefree personalities.

This was preferable to sharing a border with an ambitious neighbor, so

the Dragon Knight Kingdom welcomed this. From the Union of Eastern

Nations' perspective, Lastania was functioning as a diplomatic window to

the Dragon Knight Kingdom, so they allowed it.

Now, in the royal manor in Lasta, the central city of the Kingdom of

Lastania, there was a man prostrating himself before King Lastania.

By the way, the royal manor was where the king of this country lived.

There were no large castles in a small country like this one, so the king

lived in an impressive residence called the royal manor inside the walls of

the city.

The one kneeling inside the audience chamber of the royal manor was a

swarthy man who looked to be around thirty. His face was painted, and he

looked somewhat like a Native American.

"You... say you wish to join my army?" the kindly King Lastania

addressed him from the throne.

The man responded, still prostrating himself before the king. "Yes, sir. I

am Jirukoma. I have come leading the warriors of the northern people."

"Sir Jirukoma, please, raise your head."

When Jirukoma looked up, he could see that King Lastania had a kindly

face. The similarly kindly queen who stood beside him, and the slender,

charming princess were both smiling.

King Lastania looked on Jirukoma with gentle eyes. "I will welcome

you. This is a small country. We have few soldiers here. So few that the

people will be forced to take up arms themselves in the event of an

invasion. Men of the north are renowned for their bravery. Even if it is only

until you can return to your own countries, we would be most glad to have

your assistance."

"Yes, sir," Jirukoma said, bowing his head again. "If you will let us stay

in your land, I intend to repay you by fighting on your behalf as we await

the day when we can return to our homelands."

That day, Jirukoma, who had left his position as chief of the refugees in

the Kingdom of Friedonia to his sister Komain, had arrived in the Kingdom

of Lastania leading those refugees who were hardliners that had an

especially strong sense of loyalty to their former countries. Responding to

the Kingdom of Lastania's call for troops, they had come here to await the

day when they could return to their homelands.

King Lastania rose and walked over to Jirukoma's side, placing a hand

on his shoulder. "Yes. This is a country with nothing to offer, but until the

day your wish comes true, I would be happy if you could see it as your

second home. I will introduce you to the man who will be your

commanding officer tomorrow. You may rest for today."

"Yes, sir." Jirukoma prostrated himself.

From Jirukoma's perspective, King Lastania did not give him the sense

of stability that Souma had, but he found him to be kind and magnanimous.

At the very least, he didn't seem like the type of person who would abuse

the refugees, or work them to death.

Relieved by that fact, Jirukoma concluded his audience with King

Lastania.

His audience with the king complete, Jirukoma was walking through the

halls of the royal manor when he saw someone standing next to a pillar. The

person, who wore a white hood pulled low over their eyes, was leaning

against the pillar with their arms crossed. Even with the hood, and despite

his slender build, it was apparent he was a man.

When Jirukoma tried to walk past the man, the man spoke.

"Would you be the one who led the refugees here?"

Jirukoma furrowed his brow. "I would... Can I help you?"

The king had seemed like a kindly man, but perhaps his retainers were

not. Had one of those retainers who was not so keen on the refugees joining

their ranks come to put him in his place? While Jirukoma was thinking

about that, the man, perhaps sensing Jirukoma's wariness, dropped the

interrogatory tone.

"Oh, forgive me. It's simply that I wanted to ask something. I have heard

that your people came from Elfrieden... or is it Friedonia now? Is that

correct?"

"...Yes," Jirukoma said. "That's right."

The man seemed candid, and so Jirukoma answered him honestly. It

seemed the man had some concerns regarding the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Just who was he? While Jirukoma was getting suspicious of him, the

hooded man let out a laugh that seemed to be half self-mocking.

"Still, you're an odd one yourself. That country, the Kingdom of

Friedonia... Loathe as I am to admit it, they're stable now, aren't they? You

were fortunate enough to escape there, yet now you come all the way back

to a small country on the front lines to enlist. I can't understand it."

"...You don't speak like a man of this country," Jirukoma said.

"I'm a visiting general," the man told him. "I can speak my mind

because I'm not from here."

Even though Jirukoma thought he'd been caught by an unpleasant

person, the man answered his question.

"It's true, King Souma offered us a path where, in exchange for giving

up on our return home for a time, we could become people of the Kingdom

of Friedonia," Jirukoma said. "However, not all of the refugees could accept

that policy. There were those who absolutely couldn't give up on returning

home. If those people had remained in the kingdom, they would have gotten

in the way of those trying to gain peace by becoming citizens of the

kingdom. That is why I'm leading them to return north."

"I struggle to see why you would abandon a guarantee of peace, but... in

that case, why did you choose this country?" the man asked. "This is a

small country. If you were to ask if the pay is good, I can't say it is.

Besides, gentle as King Lastania may be, he lacks ambition. He's a

mediocre man who reminds me of the former King of Elfrieden. Even if

you wait in this country, the day when you can attack the Demon Lord's

Domain will never come."

"No country has the power to invade the Demon Lord's Domain,"

Jirukoma returned. "No matter where we went, we would only be kept as

disposable defenders. Knowing that, we chose the place closest to our

homeland."

"Homeland... Your homelands, huh." When he heard the word, the man

in the hood crossed his arms and groaned. "Is that... something worth

abandoning peace to fight for?"

"Hm? What are you asking?" Jirukoma asked. "Surely you must have a

homeland, do you not?"

"I did, yes... No, I still do, in a way... but I am a man who was cast aside

by his homeland..." the man said dispassionately.

There was no hint of sadness there, but Jirukoma could sense some

bewilderment and hesitation. Then the man started muttering to himself, as

if deep in thought.

"I know that we fought for the people. Yet, why...? Why did the will of

the people turn away from us? No, was that not it? Was our war not the will

of the people? But we were pursuing the aims of our homeland. No...

Maybe those aims themselves were wrong? What did the people truly want?

What was it they truly desired from my father and I? Is it because I didn't

understand that we... that I, was defeated...?"

Jirukoma had no idea what he was talking about, but he could see that

the man was engaged in a process of self-interrogation to try to find some

answer. "You seem awfully shaken. Do you have that little confidence in

yourself?"

"...Confidence? Mine was shattered long ago," the man said with a selfmocking laugh. "There was a time when I was brimming with confidence.

However, when I was forced from my homeland, that confidence was

shattered to little pieces. The things I thought I did for my country did

nothing for my country, and I was betrayed by those I loved and thought

loved me back. At the time, I resented my betrayers... and my homeland.

However, as I questioned myself over and over, I found I no longer knew.

Were the things I had believed to be right truly right? As I thought about

that, I found I could no longer believe in myself. What is a country? What is

a sovereign? Is the sovereign not the will of the state? What are the people?

What is their will? Are the people and their will two different things? Why

was there a disconnect between the throne and the will of the people?"

Watching the man repeatedly question himself, Jirukoma felt like he was

a seeker. One who had lost his way, and continued to seek the path.

However, from the words he spoke, he could tell he was not seeking just

any path. This man who had to think of "kings" and "the people"... Perhaps

he had once been of high standing.

"Who... are you?" Jirukoma asked.

The man pulled back his hood. "I am Julius Amidonia. Though that

family name holds no meaning now. I am the fool of a man who was

defeated by King Souma of Friedonia and had his country stolen from him

by his little sister."