Crossed and Conflicting Intentions

With Fuuga's sights set on the Empire and Yuriga's decision to marry

me in the future, our country had managed to avoid conflict with the Great

Tiger Kingdom for the present. That gave us a lot of time to work with.

This wouldn't have been possible without Yuriga working to realize her

own desires, and Liscia and my other wives helping her because of their

common interests.

The day after the meeting with Fuuga, I was with Liscia and Yuriga

explaining to my other wives—who weren't at the meeting—what had

happened. That said, Yuriga had all of them in on it from the beginning, so I

didn't need to explain her feelings to them as they already knew more than I

did. When I told them Yuriga would be marrying into the family, they all

cheered for some reason, and Roroa and Aisha even clapped.

"Ya really pulled it off. Nice goin'."

"You bent Fuuga to your will. Even warriors would have trouble doing

that."

Naden, meanwhile, stood in front of Yuriga, hands on her hips and chest

thrust outwards.

"Now I've got a queen who's my junior. People have been treating me

like I was younger than I am, but now everyone will see they can't treat me

like a kid anymore."

"Hmm... But don't you see that Yuriga is already taller than you?" Juna

pointed out.

"Whuh?" gasped Naden, and her eyes widened. Her body hadn't

changed much since we met, while Yuriga's figure had filled out, giving her

a more womanly form.

If you asked me which of them was younger...I'd have had to go with

Naden too.

"I-It's okay, Lady Naden! I'll show you the respect you're due as my

senior!" Yuriga hurriedly reassured her before she could get too depressed.

"You mean it?" Naden asked, eyes upturned, and Yuriga nodded

vigorously.

"Oh, my. But when Yuriga marries into the family, she'll be a primary

queen, won't she? As secondary queens, aren't we the ones who have to

show her the proper respect?"

Naden's shoulders slumped as Juna pointed this out too.

"Juna..." I said, looking at her reproachfully.

"Hee hee!" Juna playfully stuck out her tongue.

I gave Naden a hug and a pat on the head to raise her spirits.

"Yuriga wants to keep playing mage soccer, and it'll probably still be a

little while before the wedding. If Fuuga announces the engagement, I just

plan to confirm it for now. So she's just my fiancée for the time being."

If we maintained a loose relationship status, it would be possible to

break things off if the situation called for it. Should Yuriga decide later that

she doesn't want to marry me, I wasn't going to force her. But saying that

now would trample on her determination, so I kept it to myself.

I bowed my head to all my wives.

"If Yuriga does join our family, I want all of you to be good to her."

"Of course," Liscia said, hugging Yuriga tight. "If anything happened to

her, Tomoe would cry... And, I mean, Yuriga is like a little sister to me too. I

couldn't make any of my sisters cry."

"L-Lady Liscia..." Yuriga said, blushing.

Yeah, they're going to be fine. As I was thinking that, Roroa suddenly

crossed her arms and groaned. What's she going to say?

Roroa glanced at Yuriga. "Is it okay to assume Yuriga's on our side? Is

she gonna keep makin' reports to the Great Tiger Kingdom?"

"Ah! No!"

Yuriga slipped out of Liscia's arms and placed her right hand over her

chest.

"If I'm going to marry Sir Souma, I need to put this country's interests

first. My obligation to report to my brother ended with yesterday's meeting.

If you tell me to send him false information, I would be hesitant to the idea,

but I won't tell him any of this country's secrets that I might learn! Because,

if I do anything that hurts this country, I won't be able to beg for his life!"

Hearing all this, Roroa then glanced at me. She was probably checking

to see whether it was okay to trust her.

I nodded, and Roroa seemed satisfied.

"Well, in that case, I'm not gonna hesitate to talk. We may be fine with

all this, but the problem's the Empire, right? Fuuga Haan's goin' after the

Empire, so won't you gettin' engaged to his sister shock them?"

"Yeah, you have a point there..."

Unlike us, who had been given a little extra time thanks to Yuriga, Maria

and Jeanne's Empire was about to face the moment of truth.

"I've got Hakuya contacting Madam Jeanne about it right now. He'll be

telling her about everything, including Yuriga."

"Madam Jeanne...gets along pretty well with Hakuya, right?" Liscia

mumbled to herself. "This must be difficult for him..."

Yeah... I know it was his job, but maybe I'd pushed an unpleasant task

onto him.

◇ ◇ ◇

At the same time, in the room with the broadcast jewel...

"I see... Sir Souma, with Sir Fuuga's little sister..."

"Yes..."

Black-robed Prime Minister Hakuya and Little Sister General Jeanne

were talking over the Jewel Voice Broadcast. He had just finished

recounting what had happened during the broadcast meeting between

Souma and Fuuga yesterday.

"That Yuriga girl sounds pretty competent; starting a fight with her own

brother in order to get what she wants... Compared to the way we've been

on the back foot against him lately, it's satisfying to see that happen."

Jeanne let out a self-derisive laugh. Hakuya's expression grew

concerned.

"You're on the back foot?"

"Yes. With the Great Tiger Kingdom's rise, the support for our own

country and our vassal states after the natural disasters, the sudden abolition

of slavery...our country is in a state of disarray. Now, on top of that, if we

have Sir Souma getting engaged to Madam Yuriga—thus creating a familial

bond between the Kingdom of Friedonia and the Great Tiger Kingdom—

that will only breed further confusion. That man...Hashim, was it? Fuuga's

advisor is sure to spread word of it far and wide."

"I'm sorry to cause you additional trouble..." Hakuya apologized, but

Jeanne shook her head.

"No. You did what you had to. It's only natural to put your own country

first... Even if we're on the back foot, in the past, my sister would still have

been able to do something about it. The fact that she can't now is a failing

of our country."

"Is Madam Maria...the same as always?" Hakuya asked hesitantly.

Jeanne nodded.

"As always, she's slow to act. She only responds to issues as they

arise..."

"I see..."

"Honestly... I don't know what she's thinking..." Jeanne muttered, a

pained look on her face. She shook her head. "I'm speaking in a personal

capacity... Please, ignore what I'm about to say... To my eyes...it looks like

my sister has lost the will to be Empress. I know she's been enduring the

weight of responsibility all this time. But if that's true...then this country

is..."

Hakuya looked at her, speechless, and Jeanne let out a weak laugh.

"Ah ha ha... I shouldn't be like this. The commander of the Empire's

armies mustn't think like this. No matter what decision my sister comes to,

I will protect her."

"Madam Jeanne... I..."

"Don't worry about it. You are the prime minister of the Kingdom of

Friedonia. You should act on behalf of your own country. Don't strain

yourself on our account."

Jeanne rejected him with a smile on her lips.

"If the worst should happen... Sir Hakuya. Please, stay well."

There was nothing more Hakuya could say.

Step, step, step. Prime Minister Hakuya walked the halls of Parnam

Castle, lost in thought. His face was as calm as ever, but in his mind he was

playing out simulation after simulation, giving no attention to his

surroundings. Bureaucrats greeted him, guards saluted him, but Hakuya just

kept walking, unnoticing.

His mind was occupied by two things: Jeanne's pained face on the other

side of the broadcast as she rejected his help, and simulations of how the

Kingdom of Friedonia was best to act from here on. A brilliant mind that he

was, Hakuya had a firm understanding of the situation. If the Kingdom of

Friedonia was going to prepare to deal with the growth of the Great Tiger

Kingdom, it was in their interest for the Empire to be destroyed.

If the Great Tiger Kingdom and the Empire fight a total war, the Empire

will almost undoubtedly lose, he thought. The Empire's knights and nobility

are torn on whether or not they support Madam Maria right now. Unless

they unite as one, not even the Empire can fend off the fierce attacks of the

Great Tiger Kingdom. But she still has the overwhelming support of the rest

of her people.

Step, step, step.

If the people who worship Madam Maria as the Saint of the Empire have

an almost religious belief in her... If Fuuga were to kill Madam Maria...the

whole Empire would rage. Their massive territory would become an

unstable region with frequent rebellions. When they put down one rebellion,

the resentment will remain and fester once more. He won't be able to say,

"Today the Empire, tomorrow the Kingdom of Friedonia," and invade us

next. He'll need a great deal of time and effort to solidify his position in the

Empire.

Step, step, step.

Fuuga and Hashim must know this. Once their victory is assured, they'll

call on Madam Maria to surrender. If they can make her submit without

killing her, they can keep her believers under their control. But Madam

Maria won't submit. She wouldn't make her people follow a man as

bellicose as Fuuga, and would defend them as long as she's still alive to do

so.

Step, step, step.

In the event that Fuuga goes to war with the Empire, he can only end the

war with their total annexation. That means ruling over a vast and restive

territory. During the meeting, Fuuga said that once he united the continent,

he would give it to His Majesty... In a way, that's true. Once he unites the

continent and amasses all the enmity that will earn him, Fuuga won't be

able to maintain the unified nation.

Step, step, step.

So...if you think about it from just this country's perspective... Our best

move is not to get involved in a conflict between the Great Tiger Kingdom

and the Empire. It's not impossible that His Majesty could assume control

of everything without shedding a drop of our blood. But...that means

abandoning Madam Maria and Madam Jeanne...

Step, step, step.

As prime minister, I have to advise His Majesty to do that. His Majesty is

a rational man, and cares deeply for his family and those who are close to

him. He'll surely want to save Madam Maria and Madam Jeanne, who were

our allies. I...have to stop him... Because, on the day he hired me, I swore to

myself I would support him.

"Oh, hey..."

Urgh... I mustn't waver. I'm the prime minister of this country. I need to

work for the benefit of this nation without letting myself be trapped by my

own personal feelings. Madam Jeanne understands that. It's why she turned

me down. I mustn't let my emotions sway me from my duty. If I were to

abandon my role and act on Madam Jeanne's behalf, that would sadden

her...

"Hey, are you listening?"

But... Even so! Even so...in my heart, I want to...

"Hey! Hakuya!"

There was a sudden pull on his shoulder, and Hakuya turned to find

Souma standing there. Aisha was behind him too.

"Your...Majesty? And Lady Aisha too."

"Jeez, what's got you so worked up? I called out to you, but you didn't

even respond."

"Ah! My apologies. I've been thinking..."

"Yeah, I'll bet. Your face looked scary with all those wrinkles on your

forehead," Souma said with a shrug, and Hakuya turned his face away from

him.

Souma sighed, patting him on the shoulder with the hand he'd been

using to hold it.

"Let's take this conversation somewhere else. Follow me."

"As you wish..."

The three of them went to the governmental affairs office.

"Aisha, keep people away."

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

Souma posted Aisha at the door to the office and went inside with

Hakuya. Instead of using the desk, this time they sat down facing one

another on the sofas in the reception area.

Once they had relaxed a moment, Souma said, "I know why you've got

that look on your face. It's Madam Jeanne, isn't it?"

Hakuya was silent, but his expression spoke for itself.

"Ha ha ha, you're unusually easy to read for once."

Seeing how Hakuya was shaken to have this pointed out, Souma smiled

wryly.

"You had a meeting with Madam Jeanne, right? War between the Empire

and the Great Tiger Kingdom is inevitable at this point. You know what will

become of Madam Maria and Madam Jeanne...so you offered to help, and

Madam Jeanne refused... Is that about right? Or could you not even voice

your desire to save her?"

It was the latter. But Hakuya didn't say a word. He told himself that a

prime minister must not get his personal feelings involved in his work—

Souma already knew, though.

"Even if you want to help Madam Jeanne, the best thing for this country

is to abandon the Empire... That's what you're thinking, right? If we're

going to take on the Great Tiger Kingdom, it's simply better for us if we do

it when he has to deal with an unstable Empire that's lost Madam Maria."

"You understand me well..."

"We've been working together a long time," Souma casually responded.

Hakuya gave in and spoke up. "What I should advise you is that...rather

than let our momentary emotions get the best of us, we should stay out of

the fight between the Empire and the Great Tiger Kingdom."

"Even if that means abandoning Madam Maria and Madam Jeanne?"

"Indeed."

"You think we should stay neutral?"

"Yes. Whether Sir Fuuga means to keep his word to you or not, he will

not be able to fully capture the hearts and minds of the people of the

Empire. Once they annex the Empire, the Great Tiger Kingdom will surely

lose steam. Should we choose to join hands with them or fight them, it will

be easier then."

"You're naive..." Souma muttered.

Hakuya snapped back to his senses and looked up at him. That's when

he realized Souma was staring at him critically.

Souma told Hakuya, "Your understanding is naive. That's not like you,

Hakuya."

"What do you mean...?"

"'Declaring yourself in favor of one party against the other will always

be more advantageous than standing neutral.' Those are the words of

Machiavelli, the political thinker I always refer to when making decisions

as a king."

Souma was paraphrasing the twelfth chapter of The Prince, "How a

Prince Should Conduct Himself So as to Gain Renown."

"To explain what he means, imagine there are two countries, A and B, in

conflict. If C remains neutral, the winner will view C as weak, and they'll

be the next target. The loser will resent C for being heartless and not

coming to their aid, so if the winner attacks C they won't be willing to help

defend them. This is the harm that comes from choosing neutrality."

Hakuya listened intently to Souma's words.

"Now, if they declared themselves in favor of one party... Let's say C

sides with A. If A wins, they'll share in their joys, and that will build a bond

between the countries. Conversely, if A loses, A will still be grateful for the

help, and if they recover at some point in the future, they'll be a reliable

ally. The winner, B, will respect C for standing by their beliefs—be wary,

and if possible, try to become allies with them... Or something like that."

Machiavelli served as a diplomat in the Italian Peninsula when it was

divided between many scheming principalities, so you could see his distaste

for ambiguous positions. In fact, the Florentine Republic, which

Machiavelli served, remained neutral in the conflict between their

longstanding ally France and the Holy League of Pope Julius II. As a result,

the government of the republic was thrown out by the House of Medici with

the backing of Spain, a member of the Holy League, once the French

withdrew from the Italian Peninsula.

Souma told Hakuya, "If I were going to go in the direction you've

suggested, I should align myself with Fuuga outright from the start. I could

even send our troops in with Fuuga's vanguard and help them destroy the

Empire. If we don't go that far, we won't have a say in how things are

settled after the war."

"But we couldn't—"

"Yeah. I don't want to do it either. But if we aren't prepared to go that

far, we won't be able to survive under Fuuga's rule."

Souma was thinking of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Ieyasu was renowned for his patience, having endured serving under

other powerful figures. When his ally Oda Nobunaga called for

reinforcements, he fought as hard as the Oda. Even when they lost to the

Takeda, he was strong in his commitment to the Oda alliance, and he bowed

his head to the next ruler, Hideyoshi, too.

If the Hidetsugu Incident hadn't made the Toyotomi government such a

mess, Ieyasu would likely have remained a loyal ally. However, after

Hideyoshi's death, he had to take over to stabilize his house and the

country. This is the Ieyasu who is hated by those who are fans of the

commanders of the Western Forces at the Battle of Sekigahara—like Ishida

Mitsunari, who died for loyalty to the Toyotomi government, or of the

commanders on the Osaka side of the Siege of Osaka, like Sanada

Yukimura.

He wasn't a commander Souma liked before, but now that he'd become

king, he was finally able to see just how great Ieyasu was. If you were to

ask him if he thought he could do the same, he didn't think so.

Hakuya was looking down, a hand pressed to his forehead.

"Still... I can't see it. I can find no other way."

"Hakuya..."

"It is impossible to protect this country and maintain the Empire. If we

recklessly try to defend both, it will turn into a quagmire. No matter how I

think about it...I can't find the answer I want."

Hakuya hung his head. Souma was quiet for some time before opening

his mouth.

"—————"

Hakuya's head snapped up at what Souma had said. He looked at

Souma, as if trying to check whether what he said was true.

Souma nodded. And then, rising to his feet, Souma gestured for Hakuya

to follow him.

They went to the second war room, a place that was hardly ever used.

In the center of the gloomy room, which relied on candlelight because it

had no windows, a number of tables had been pushed together with a huge

map of the continent on top of them. Present was a distinguished group

consisting of Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Naden, National Defense Force

Commander-in-Chief Excel, Vice-Commander Ludwin, and Julius the

White Strategist. There was also Tomoe, Ichiha, and even Fuuga's little

sister Yuriga.

"I don't believe I was ever told this war room was in use..." Hakuya

said, sounding confused.

"Yeah, because you weren't," Souma replied with a shrug. "You were

our representative in talks with the Empire, and you have feelings for

Madam Jeanne too, right? Excel said it was best to hold off on telling you."

"They say love makes men blind," Excel said with a chuckle, hiding her

mouth behind her fan.

Hakuya felt a mixture of confusion and consternation, but he set those

feelings aside for the moment and stood in front of the big map. Souma

stood beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Now then, Hakuya. I have high regard for your intelligence... The

board is ready. The pieces too. All that remains is you. In light of

everything we just talked about, here are your orders."

Souma gestured broadly towards the map with his right arm.

"I want you to use that head of yours to devise the optimal future for

us."

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, there was a military council being held in Fuuga's camp as

well...

The Great Tiger King, Fuuga Haan, sat with the Partner of the Tiger,

Mutsumi Haan, seated on one side of him, while the Wisdom of the Tiger,

Hashim Chima, was seated on the other.

At the seats lining the luxurious carpet that stretched out in front of

Fuuga were his wise and brave commanders: the Sword of the Tiger,

Shuukin Tan; the battle-crazed Battle Ax of the Tiger, Nata Chima; the

veteran Shield of the Tiger, Gaifuku Kiin; the commander of the archers,

the Crossbow of the Tiger, Kasen Shuri; and the gaudy Flag of the Tiger,

Gaten Bahr.

Further away were newcomers like the Saint of the Tiger, Anne, sent by

the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, as well as Lombard Remus and his wife

Yomi. It was a who's who of Fuuga's subordinates.

The only one not present was Moumei Ryoku, the Hammer of the Tiger,

who was currently serving as viceroy in Mercenary State Zem. Fuuga had

determined their next target was the Empire, and now Hashim was

explaining the strategy they would use against them.

"We must strike quickly and decisively," Hashim said, pointing to the

map of the continent in the center with a pointer. "If you include our allies,

we have twice as many soldiers as the Empire. However, the Empire is still

a more powerful nation. If this turns into a protracted war, we'll likely have

a hard time."

"We can't maintain our supply lines?" Shuukin asked, but Hashim shook

his head.

"That is not a major concern. Fortunately, our forces are more mobile

than those of other armies. When the Kingdom of Friedonia was

experiencing a food crisis, I heard that they rolled out a transportation

network to bring food from places that had it to places that didn't. We can

do the same. We have a lot of mounts in our forces, so we'll have no

shortage of overland transportation options. With the current strength of our

country, we can wage war for a few years. The Empire also has a

transportation network, perhaps modeled after the Kingdom's. That will

help us to move faster as well."

"Introducing good ideas even if they were developed elsewhere... It

speaks to Madam Maria's broad-mindedness," Mutsumi said, sounding

impressed.

"Yeah, sure," Fuuga replied with a laugh. "It seems the Kingdom and the

Empire are more connected than we thought... Come to think of it, Souma

was saying we shouldn't underestimate Maria."

"Indeed. That is why we must go at this with everything we have,"

Hashim said with a polite bow.

The youngest member of the group, Kasen, raised his hand. "Sir

Hashim. If we don't have to worry about our supply lines, why do we need

to strike so fast and decisively?"

"It's simple. We run the risk of losing our all-important 'momentum,'"

Hashim said, tapping his left hand with the pointer. "Lord Fuuga has

expanded the country this far by winning every battle he's fought. The

people supporting him believe Lord Fuuga cannot lose. It's the same for us

soldiers, isn't it?"

"Of course," Kasen said with a nod. Hashim nodded in return.

"Right now, if Fuuga says we are going to fight, the people will have no

doubt victory is assured. When Lord Fuuga takes to the field, our enemies

tremble. However, if we struggle against the Empire, we will lose that

advantage. Once our abilities come into question, this smooth expansion

we've experienced up until this point will no longer be possible."

"So, basically, if we say we're gonna fight, we've gotta win or we're

finished," Fuuga added.

Hashim nodded in response. "Indeed. There is no need to occupy the

entirety of the Empire; we just need to move quickly to the point where

they concede. We can strike down Empress Maria and her sister Jeanne to

destroy the House of Euphoria, or take the Imperial capital Valois... Perhaps

make Maria surrender so that people see she's lost her authority, and

impress upon them that Lord Fuuga has won."

"Hmm... You're talking about destroying the House of Euphoria, but

they have that other sister, what's her name, in the Kingdom, right? Can we

leave her alone?"

"You mean the third sister, Princess Trill. Opinion of her in the Empire

is low. They talk about how she was shipped off to the Kingdom because

even Maria couldn't keep her in line. Even if King Souma were to trot her

out later, no one would follow her."

Hashim said this as if it were no big deal. Shuukin arched an eyebrow at

that.

"We owe the Kingdom and Empire for their help in suppressing Magic

Bug Disease. So, I don't know about this talk of destroying them..."

"Hmm. It's not to your liking, Sir Shuukin?"

"They did save me, after all."

Seeing the pained look on Shuukin's face, with cold eyes Hashim said,

"We must prioritize Lord Fuuga's great work. Or am I wrong?"

"I know that... When the time comes, I'll kill my emotions and fight like

a demon."

"If you're not keen on it, you can leave it to me. I'll send those Imperial

losers packing!" Nata, the battle-crazed lunatic, said with a hearty laugh.

Men as simple as him make for easy pawns, Hashim thought, but didn't

say it out loud. He pointed to the map.

"What we need is speed. There are two routes from our territory for a

fast attack on Valois. One heads through their former vassal states, the

Kingdom of Meltonia and the Frakt Federation, in the northeast. The other

heads straight west from our allied nation, the Lunarian Orthodox Papal

State, and Mercenary State Zem now ruled by Sir Moumei."

"Let all be as Holy King Fuuga wills it." Hearing the name of her

country, Saint Anne bowed her head.

Anne was of the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, but had been taught to

submit to the ruler she served, so she would never oppose anything Fuuga

did.

Looking at those routes, Lombard cocked his head to the side.

"Wouldn't the route south from the former buffer zone be shorter?"

Hashim shook his head. "I would prefer to avoid routes near the coast.

We can't be sure that the Maritime Alliance won't intervene."

"I see..."

As things stood, there was no nation that could equal the Maritime

Alliance in terms of naval power. Even with their incredible momentum,

Fuuga's forces couldn't handle even just the Kingdom on its own at sea.

Thus, an inland route was of utmost importance here.

"I gave him Yuriga and told him to stay put though..." Fuuga said with

an exasperated shrug.

Mutsumi furrowed her brow. "Are you saying the Kingdom will align

itself with the Empire?"

"Looking at how strong their connection ended up being, he might be

considering protecting Maria and helping her escape... Yuriga's going to be

acting as Souma's queen from here on, so we can't count on her to keep him

out of it. But that's why we're making a strong offensive, right?"

Fuuga turned to Hashim, who nodded.

"Indeed. If we let her escape, all we need to do is loudly spread the word

that Maria abandoned her people. Depending on how we do it, we might

even be able to make it so that Souma abducted her in the confusion. If we

can hurt their opinion of the Kingdom, they will reject Maria if she tries to

come back with the Kingdom's support."

"Harsh," Fuuga said, half appalled, then looked at the map. "If we want

to hit them hard and fast, dividing our forces is a bad idea. Do we choose

one route and go with it?"

"No, we attack using both. We also make the Empire aware we will be

attacking by these two routes. That will force them to spread their forces to

defend them."

"Oh-hoh..."

"However, on one route, we will only make a token effort while we

focus on the other. That means we will be making a primary and secondary

attack. We'll break through their divided defenses all at once with our main

force. However, while the secondary attack is not a serious one, we still

need to act in a way that makes them think it will be the primary one."

"Hmm. So, north or east? Which side do we make the main one?"

"This one," Hashim replied, pointing to the route through the Orthodox

Papal State and Zem. "If they learn we intend to attack by two routes, the

Empire will assume one must be the primary invasion force. The natural

thing to consider, then, is how well we can coordinate with our allies, Zem

and the Orthodox Papal State. It's only natural to be suspicious of a country

you haven't been allied with for long. Therefore, the Empire will assume

'They will invade through the north, as it's closer to the Great Tiger

Kingdom's main force, and the east will only be a token effort from Zem

and the Orthodox Papal State.'"

"I get it. That's how we trick them, huh?"

Fuuga crossed his arms and grunted. Hashim gave an exaggerated bow.

"Indeed. Even if the Empire does predict that this is the primary attack,

they still need to position forces on the northern route. The mental strain of

having a border with the Great Tiger Kingdom up north should be

considerable for them. I think that our forces, together with those of the

Orthodox Papal State and Zem, will be able to break through."

"Got it."

Fuuga stood up and drew the sword at his waist, holding it backhanded

as he swung it down at the Imperial capital on the map. It went through

both Valois and the table.

"We're going with Hashim's plan. Everyone, prepare for war!"

"""Yes, sir!"""

His vassals all rose from their seats and saluted him.

◇ ◇ ◇

While Fuuga was preparing to invade the Empire...

The Empire had noticed the moves he was making. Jeanne, the

commander of the Imperial forces, went to her sister Maria to ask how they

should respond. She had her soldier-face on as they stood with a map of the

continent between them.

"The Great Tiger Kingdom is preparing to invade us. One route is from

the north through the Federal Republic of Frakt, while the other is through

their allies in Zem and the Orthodox Papal State to the east. His forces are

large, and many of the soldiers are recently recruited, so I expect they will

aim to strike fast and decisively. No matter which route they take, we can

expect them to come straight for Valois."

"How much greater are their forces?"

"With the loss of the Frakt Federation and Meltonia, our forces now

amount to less than 250,000 men. If you include his allies, Fuuga has

400,000. That's less than twice as many as us."

"I see..." Maria said, nodding. "Then there's no chance they'll split their

force perfectly in two."

"Agreed. If they had double our strength, that would be one thing, but

without it, they run the risk of being defeated in detail. The steep mountains

of the Star Dragon Mountain Range lie between the two routes, so it will be

hard for them to communicate. I can't imagine that Fuuga or his advisor

Hashim would employ such an amateurish plan."

"Yes, I agree... That's why I think one of the two must be a ruse while

they focus their forces on the other. And this will be their real target."

Maria pointed towards Zem and the Orthodox Papal State on the map.

"They'll attack through their allies, not closer to their homeland...is what

you're saying?" Jeanne asked.

"Sir Fuuga trusts in his strength, while a schemer like Sir Hashim

doesn't trust others very well. He won't think his allies would put up a good

fight without him there to command. That said, Zemish mercenaries are

experienced at acting as a diversion, and the Orthodox Papal State has a

sizable military too. Without those two countries, they wouldn't have

considerably more forces than we do, right?"

"Well...even without them, they'd still have slightly more."

"Then he'll want them under his control so he can use them to his

advantage. To do that, he needs them to join up with the main force. That's

why he'll choose this route."

Maria spoke confidently, but Jeanne was still unsure.

"It's true if he takes this route, he can secure the men he needs.

However, if he brings men who are not marching at the same pace with

him, his advance will be slowed. Is it not entirely possible that he will use

his allies as decoys while attacking from the north with a force purely of his

own men?"

Jeanne presented her doubts, but Maria quietly shook her head.

"I'm sure that's what Sir Fuuga expects us to think. It's certain that if his

goal is to destroy us and become the greatest power on this continent, that

plan would work. But Sir Fuuga has grander ambitions. He intends to strike

into the heart of the Demon Lord's Domain, and perhaps to have a

showdown with the Maritime Alliance to unite the continent. Which

means..."

"He doesn't want to use up his soldiers fighting us," Jeanne said bitterly.

"We're being taken lightly..."

Maria didn't respond. Instead, she placed a pawn on the border with

Zem.

"That is why I will have you and Sir Gunther lead the majority of our

forces to the east. Please, do everything you can to hold back Fuuga's forces

as they come in from Zem and the Orthodox Papal State."

"Yes, ma'am! Understood."

Jeanne clicked her heels together, stood up straight, and saluted.

"But what will we do about the northern route?" she asked.

"I have Sir Krahe defending us with his personal forces there. He will

join up with the knights and nobles who have land in the north. That should

be enough to deal with a decoy army."

"In the north...?"

Maria's comments made Jeanne look hesitant.

"Jeanne?"

"Oh, no... Sir Krahe is an odd one, but his loyalty to you—or his faith,

rather, is abnormally strong. It's just...Lumiere and all of them have their

lands in the north."

Lumiere was the Empire's young and talented top bureaucrat. And she

had also repeatedly objected to Maria's policies on domestic issues.

Ever since Maria rejected her advice that "the Empire should take part

of the buffer zone too" as the Great Tiger Kingdom was seizing the

territory, she had secluded herself in her own domain.

"It's not just Lumiere. The northern regions were confused by your

sudden abolition of slavery, so many of the knights and nobles are pushing

back against that."

Jeanne's comment made Maria nod sadly.

"Yes... That's why it's best to have them focus on defending their own

lands. We'd be in trouble if they collaborated with Fuuga's forces on the

front lines. It's my fault for not doing a better job of keeping them attached

to us though."

"Sister..." Jeanne couldn't help but address her not as a soldier, but as a

family member.

Maria smiled at Jeanne as she stood up and walked to the window.

"Hey, Jeanne? What do the soldiers think about fighting the Great Tiger

Kingdom?"

"Everyone is highly motivated! They want to fight for the country, and

for you! Many of the knights and nobles criticize your policies as being too

passive, but those of lower birth understand! They know it's your politics

that have protected their families!"

Jeanne spoke from the heart, but Maria's expression was unchanged.

"Then...what of the common people?"

"They love you, Sister! I...never really respected you for it, but the way

you sang and danced on the broadcast made a fine lorelei that everyone

loved! They're prepared to endure any hardship for you!"

"I imagine they are," Maria murmured, running her fingers along the

window glass. "The one the people love, getting them caught up in a war...

It's almost as if...I've brought the war upon us."

"No! That's absurd!"

"Jeanne." Maria walked over to Jeanne, took her hand, and wrapped

both her own around it. "No matter what happens, I want you to survive.

You are not allowed to throw your life away."

"Sister...!" Jeanne gritted her teeth and pulled her hand away. "I will

protect you, Sister! I will protect you and our country to the end!"

Then, saluting, Jeanne said, "Excuse me," and left the room.

Left behind, Maria dragged herself to the bed and collapsed into it. She

turned onto her side, clenched the sheets, and mumbled. "Sir Souma... I

really..."