During the Gaudy Banquet

—1st month, 1553rd year, Continental Calendar—

"Hahhh!"

"Too soft!"

Two men were fighting with sword and spears on the deck of the island

carrier Hiryuu. One was the captain, Castor, and the other was the Red Oni:

commander of the Dratroopers, Halbert Magna.

As Halbert swung his two spears one after the other, Castor parried with

the sword he held in one hand, summoning flames in his other to slam into

Halbert. Sometimes Halbert dodged those flames. Other times he deflected

them as he looked for a chance to strike the decisive blow. Both combatants

used fire-type magic, but as a dragonewt, Castor's was more powerful.

Understanding the disadvantage he'd have in a long-range fight, Halbert

was desperate not to let Castor pull away from him.

Castor was a good enough warrior to fight on even terms with Aisha,

making him one of the best in the Kingdom. Nonetheless, Halbert was

holding his own, so there was no clear victor. Consequently, that meant that

Halbert was also among the best fighters in the Kingdom—the fruit of years

of hard training.

"""Woooooo!""" the crew of the Hiryuu and Halbert's subordinates

cheered as they watched from a distance. Their eyes were glued to this

battle between warriors which had been elevated to a higher dimension.

"Tch!" Sick of the stalemate, Castor spread his wings and took to the air.

He was looking to settle things with a magic attack from high above

Halbert, who couldn't fly without Ruby the red dragon.

However...

"Not gonna happen!" Halbert threw one of his twin-snake spears

skywards.

The spear sailed over Castor's head in an arch. As Castor and the

audience were thinking it missed, Halbert was running to the spot where it

would land.

"What?!" Castor cried out in surprise as a ring that passed over his head

was formed by the chain connecting the two spears.

Halbert then pulled on the spears to reel in the chain.

"Hi-yahhhh!"

"Argh!"

The shrinking chain wrapped itself around Castor's wings, throwing him

off-balance. Just as he was about to slam into the ground, he suddenly

recovered enough to land on all fours instead.

But as Castor raised his head, Halbert's spear was at his throat. Castor

glared up at Halbert as he stared down at him threateningly, but soon his

lips curled into a smile.

"You got me. I yield."

"""Yeahhhh!""" The spectators let out a throaty cheer as Castor

admitted defeat.

Halbert had finally scored a victory against Castor. Those who had seen

Halbert train and strive to improve since his early years celebrated his

victory as if it were their own.

"You've gotten strong, Halbert," Castor said, accepting Halbert's hand

as he was pulled to his feet. "The short-lived races grow fast. You were

nothing but a child to me just the other day."

"Don't measure me by the values of the long-lived races."

Long-lived races like the elves, dragonewts, and sea serpents had a

tendency to think about things continuously due to their longevity.

Consequently, their abilities developed at a more relaxed pace than those of

humans or beastmen. They were well-suited to specializing in something

and refining their ability to do it. But those with more normal lifespans

were used to thinking about time limits, and were able to achieve results in

a short time frame.

Castor put a hand on Halbert's shoulder. "But you managed to beat me, a

man with a century of experience. You can be prouder of that."

Halbert grinned and shook his head. "I've still got a ways to go. There's

a guy I want to beat."

After a pause, Castor asked, "Is it Fuuga Haan?"

"Yeah. If it comes to it, I must be able to defend my family and

country."

Halbert looked at the spears in his hands. He seemed pretty worked up,

but Castor simply shrugged.

"Didn't the king tell you to not shoulder everything yourself?"

"I'm a man. I don't want to act indulgent. I want to defend the people I

care about with my own hands."

"You're a real warrior. I'll give you that."

As they were praising the other's performance, two women worked their

way through the crowd of burly men and rushed to Halbert's side.

"Jeez! What do you think you're doing at a time like this?!" Ruby,

Halbert's second wife, berated them. "We have to be at the wedding in the

capital! You shouldn't be having one of your little sparring matches now!"

"Uh, well... We had time to spare, so I thought I'd have the captain give

me some lessons..." Halbert desperately tried to explain himself, but...

"There's no need for excuses, Lord Hal."

Looking good in her National Defense Force uniform, a beautiful lady

with an air of intelligence about her stood in front of Halbert. She was tall

and slim, with long legs, and the lower half of her uniform was hot-pants

length—not full pants like Liscia's—so it showed off her stunning legs

without reservation. Her brown skin and elf ears identified her as a dark elf.

"Urkh, Velza."

She was one of Tomoe's school friends at the Academy, and had joined

the National Defense Force after graduation. With backing from Halbert's

first wife Kaede, Velza was able to achieve her dream of serving under

Halbert.

Velza leveled a finger at him. "What do you mean, 'urkh'? That's an

awful thing to say to your cute subordinate."

"S-Sorry... But should you really be calling yourself cute?"

"I am cute though, aren't I? I'm quite popular in the military, you know?

Mainly with the women."

""Ah..."" Halbert and Ruby looked at Velza with pity.

Her short hair gave her a boyish look. Being tall on top of that, with

regular features, gave her the appearance of either a pretty boy in girls'

clothes or an elegant lady in menswear. For the members of the House of

Magna who had known Velza since she was little, they knew how her eyes

sparkled at the sight of tasty food, so they had a strong image of her as

acting like a girl her age.

Velza cleared her throat loudly. "More importantly, Lord Hal. We have

an invitation to His Majesty's wedding. I also received invitations from one

of the brides, Yuriga...erm, Lady Yuriga, and from Sir Ichiha who will be

announcing his engagement to Lady Tomoe. It would be inexcusable for us

to be late."

"Well, it's just a short flight for Ruby..."

"That doesn't mean you can leave Lady Kaede to take care of all the

preparations in the capital by herself, does it?! Little Bill—Halbert and

Kaede's son—must be waiting for you to come home too."

"Right..." Halbert hung his head as a younger woman berated him.

The brave warrior of moments before was nowhere to be seen now. The

onlookers chuckled at the scene until Halbert gave them a death glare that

sent them scattering.

Ruby, who had been watching this exchange, nodded in agreement.

"You've become so reliable, Velza."

"Uh, I'd rather you talk her down a bit."

"I don't want to. I'm with Velza on this..."

With that said, Ruby transformed into a great red dragon, stretching her

head towards Halbert and Velza and speaking directly inside their heads.

"Let's get going. Both of you, hop on, chop-chop."

"Y-Yeah."

"Got it."

Halbert and Velza both responded then climbed onto Ruby's back.

Velza sat in front of Halbert, tying herself to him securely with rope.

Normally, only a dragon's partner could ride them, but Velza was already

more or less guaranteed to marry Halbert, so they used the old "partner of

my partner" justification to sidestep that issue.

Once they were ready to go, Halbert saluted to Castor who was down

below them.

"So long, Captain. We're heading off now."

"Take care. I'll be going myself later."

Once Castor snapped off a navy-style salute, Ruby lifted off into the sky.

Having seen off the Magnas, Castor felt a strong desire to be with his

own family. Accela, Carla, Carl... They'd all be there for the wedding, so

he'd be able to see them again. Following the restoration of the House of

Carmine's honor, so too was the House of Vargas restored, and with it

permission to see his family. However, as he didn't like prying eyes, Castor

had decided not to return to the house for the time being.

Heh... It'll be good to see them, Castor thought as he gazed off in the

direction the Magnas had gone.

◇ ◇ ◇

—Late in the 1st month, 1553rd year, Continental Calendar — Royal

Capital Parnam—

It was a bright day with clear skies, though the snow that'd fallen the

other day still lingered on the rooftops.

The multi-wedding event centered around Souma, Maria, and Yuriga's

ceremony was underway in Parnam. Souma and his family would have

preferred to hold off on the wedding until spring, but in anticipation of

sudden moves by the Great Tiger Empire of Haan, they had decided to hold

the ceremony while they could.

Now, Souma's retainers were getting married all around the capital as

part of this event.

Tomoe's birth mother—Tomoko, and Inugami—the second-in-command

of the Black Cats, were one such couple. Attendees included Jirukoma,

Komain, and some friends of Tomoko's among the refugees who'd

relocated to the new port city of Venetinova, as well as the mystic wolves

involved in making Kikkoro-brand miso and soy sauce. Inugami's identity

was concealed, so none of his acquaintances were able to be in attendance.

However, he'd still received a small mountain of flowers and other gifts

from Kagetora and other well-wishers in the Black Cats.

Inugami wore a tuxedo but didn't remove his mask, making those

unfamiliar with his situation do a double take when they saw him. Tomoko

chuckled when she saw how awkward he felt about it.

"Congratulations! Father, Mother."

"Congratulations, both of you."

Tomoe's little brother Rou and her friend Lucy came to congratulate

them.

Rou had still been little when he first came to the Kingdom, but now he

was around ten years old. Having lost his biological father at a young age,

and lacking any real memories of him, he'd long since accepted the family's

protector Inugami as a father figure.

Lucy, meanwhile, was here on behalf of Tomoe. She had brought a

basket of expensive fruits as a gift.

"These're from Tomie. She says she'll come runnin' as soon as her

engagement's been announced."

"Oh, my! Thank you."

Tomoe was at the castle now to announce her engagement with Ichiha.

She'd have liked to be at her birth mother's wedding, but her engagement

was a matter of national importance, so Tomoko and Inugami had told her

not to worry about it.

Lucy snickered to herself. "I bet ya Tomie'll rush in here with her fiancé

in tow."

"Oh, my. Oh, my," Tomoko said with a soft smile while Inugami

groaned in chagrin.

"This should be the happiest day of my life, and I haven't a shred of

regret about my choices, but...it's a shame I won't be there to see the

honored little sister's engagement announced."

Lucy could only laugh politely at Inugami's heartfelt disappointment.

"Ah ha ha... You're sure hard done by, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Rou asked, tilting his head to the side adorably.

Lucy smiled wryly and said, "I mean, he's a pain in the butt to deal

with."

"Father, you're a pain in the butt!" Rou shouted, raising both hands with

all the innocence of a child. There was no malice behind his words.

"Gwah!"

Inugami was laid low, like a boxer KO'd after a critical hit. It was so

funny that everyone, Tomoko included, burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, at another wedding venue, Mio Carmine—daughter of

Georg, former General of the Army—was holding a ceremony with her

groom, Gatsby C. Carmine.

In attendance was Halbert's father Glaive (due to his connection with

Georg), Souma's personal trainer Owen, and other military members with

ties to Mio's father. On Colbert's side were his friend Julius and his wife

Tia, his coworkers in the Ministry of Finance, and the loreleis like Nanna

and Pamille whom he was always helping. It was probably unusual for the

bride and groom's guests to split so neatly into members of the military and

bureaucratic/cultural wings of the country.

"Okay, here it comes!"

"Whoa! Madam Mio?! You threw it too high!"

With the ceremony finished, Mio was so delighted to be bound to

Colbert as wife and husband that she threw the bouquet with all her might.

The women in attendance were aiming to catch the bouquet and get some of

that marital bliss for themselves. However, the bouquet flew so high into

the air that they decided its landing spot would be too dangerous to be in, so

they all scattered.

Julius palmed his face in exasperation before turning to Jirukoma's wife

Lauren, who was attending as Tia's bodyguard.

"Madam Lauren, would you please?"

"Yes, sir," Lauren replied before rushing to the landing point and

catching the bouquet. "I'm already married, so..."

She gently tossed the bouquet towards the other women. The one to

catch it was Pamille Carol of the childlike kobito race. Pamille looked

stunned for a moment before breaking into a grin as the other attendees

clapped. Mio was so grateful to Julius and Lauren for their quick response

that she bowed her head repeatedly.

There was a shadow watching the noisy wedding proceedings from a

distance—the commander of the Black Cats, Kagetora. He was absolutely

in no way connected to the bride whatsoever, but he gave a satisfied nod

when he saw Mio's big day being celebrated by so many of his friends and

acquaintances.

"You could watch from closer, not way out here, you know?"

"...!" Kagetora tensed at the sudden voice.

At some point, the late Georg's wife, Mio's mother, had appeared beside

him. The suddenness of her appearance would have put his covert

operatives to shame.

Kagetora looked at the pitch-black cape he was shrouded in.

"This cape has magic that is supposed to interfere with people's

perception of me..." he said quietly.

The wife chuckled. "I simply checked where you seemed most likely to

be. I believed you were not so heartless that you wouldn't come, yet you

couldn't bring yourself to come any closer. I surmised you would be

watching from the shadows, neither too near nor too far away."

"You amaze me..." Kagetora's expression twitched underneath the mask.

That was because he was ashamed of his immaturity, and awed by this

woman's prowess.

Mio noticed the two of them and waved, smiling broadly.

The perception impairing magic wasn't perfect. If someone was with

him and they noticed that person, they could see him too. Was it only her

mother Mio was waving at? Or perhaps...

The wife waved to Mio, whispering, "With Mio finding herself a good

man, that's one less worry our house needs to deal with."

"You speak as if there are others..."

"Yes. There's an especially large one still," the wife said to him with a

smile.

Kagetora looked away, unable to say anything in response.

◇ ◇ ◇

Also on that same day, Valois, the capital of the Euphoria Kingdom, was

in the middle of its own festivities. Queen Jeanne and Prime Minister

Hakuya were getting married.

Hakuya would be marrying into her family as royal consort, so his name

would be Hakuya Euphoria from this day forward.

Just as the ceremony was about to begin, Jeanne, who was wearing the

traditional Imperial wedding dress, smiled at Hakuya as he stood beside her.

"You look good in white too," she remarked.

"I'm having trouble calming down though."

The Black-Robed Prime Minister normally wore black clothes, as you

would expect from his sobriquet. But he obviously couldn't wear black to

his own wedding, so he was clad in a pure-white tuxedo.

Jeanne wrapped her arm around Hakuya's as he loomed awkwardly, then

rested her head on his shoulder.

"How many times have I dreamed of this day? I thought it would never

be more than a dream."

Hakuya gently put his hand over Jeanne's and said, "It was the same for

me. I've longed for the day I could be with you like this."

"Ah ha ha... But I never thought I'd be a queen when it happened!"

"I have to agree on that too."

As the two of them were laughing about it, Trill interjected, incensed by

this saccharine display. "Um... Could you two save that stuff for later? You

know, on your own time, when the ceremony is over and done with?"

That snapped the two of them back to their senses, and they quickly

pulled apart.

Trill cleared her throat loudly in an attempt to move on, then lifted up

the corners of her skirt and curtsied. "Congratulations. Big Sister Jeanne,

Big Brother Hakuya."

"Yeah. Thanks, Trill."

"Thank you, Lady Trill."

Once the two of them thanked her, Trill looked up and grinned.

"Big Brother, please take care of Big Sister for me."

"Yes. Of course I will."

"When she gets angry, do try to calm her down, will you?"

"Yes," he replied reflexively. After a moment, he muttered, "Hm?"

Trill cackled.

"From now on, when I cause a problem and Big Sister is giving me

trouble for it, I'll come running to you for protection. You'll protect your

darling little sister-in-law, won't you?"

"Trill!" Jeanne shouted, causing Trill to quickly hide behind Hakuya.

"Look, it's your move now, Big Brother."

"Hold on, Trill! It's not fair for you to use Sir Hakuya as a shield!"

"Good grief..." Hakuya groaned, caught between two of the Euphoria

sisters.

He'd had plenty of opportunities to see Souma getting run ragged by his

fiancées (now wives) when he was in the Kingdom of Friedonia. If he'd

known he would be facing this himself, he should have used his time in

Friedonia to learn how Souma handled family squabbles.

Hakuya was rather regretting the fact he hadn't done so now.

◇ ◇ ◇

The story now returns to Parnam in the Kingdom of Friedonia...

While a number of retainers were having their weddings in town,

Souma, Yuriga, and Maria were having their ceremony in the castle. The

audience chamber had been decorated for the occasion, and retainers like

Excel and Castor lined both sides of the red carpet that led from the

entrance up to the throne.

As the band played, Maria and Yuriga silently walked along that carpet

wrapped in wedding dresses. Maria's gait was elegant and confident, while

Yuriga's was stiff and tense. It was hard to blame her, given this was being

broadcast around the country.

King Souma and First Primary Queen Liscia were sitting on the thrones

they were walking towards. Next to them were Acting Prime Minister

Ichiha and future chamberlain Tomoe, who had just announced their

engagement to the public.

When she saw Tomoe chuckle at how tense she seemed, Yuriga pursed

her lips in irritation. That anger gave her the courage—false or not—to puff

up her chest with pride, and that helped her to loosen up.

Maria and Yuriga proceeded to where Souma was, then both dropped to

one knee. When they did, Souma and Liscia rose from their thrones.

Souma descended the steps to walk in front of them. Liscia first received

the two tiaras that would mark them as queens from Tomoe, then moved to

stand beside Souma.

Then Souma spoke.

"Madam Maria of the Euphoria Kingdom and Madam Yuriga Haan of

the Great Tiger Empire of Haan, I hereby welcome you as queens of this

country. Through this ceremony, I hope to forge an everlasting friendship

between our nations."

""Yes,"" Maria and Yuriga replied, bowing their heads in unison.

Souma took the tiaras from Liscia and placed them on their heads as

proof of their queenly status. During the first wedding with Liscia and the

others, they had kissed at this point, but that was skipped over this time.

That was because this ceremony's diplomatic significance was being

emphasized over it being a wedding. There was no telling how the Great

Tiger Empire might act in the future, so he was trying to be considerate of

the delicate position Yuriga might find herself in.

After the ceremony concluded, Souma and Maria stood side by side on

the balcony with the broadcast jewel. They put on a display that told the

assembled crowd and those watching the broadcast that a wedding had just

taken place, and that it would strengthen the coordination between the

Kingdom of Friedonia and the Euphoria Kingdom. Once they saw the

peaceful smile on Maria's face, those who loved and respected her in the

Euphoria Kingdom would feel at ease too.

"Oh, right, you worked as a lorelei too, didn't you, Maria?" Souma

asked in a quiet voice as he waved to the people. Maria cocked her head to

the side questioningly.

"Yes, I did. Why do you ask?"

"Well... I thought this when I married Juna too, but your male fans are

gonna hate me, huh? I can just imagine them making hundreds of straw

dolls right now..."

"Why would they do that?"

"They're used in a curse from my old world."

"Oh, that sort of thing," Maria said with a happy chuckle. "I suppose

whatever happens, happens. Try to accept it for what it is."

"You say that like it's not your problem..."

"Well, you are the one who stole me, the object of their affections."

With that, Maria pecked Souma on the cheek.

The crowd watching from below the balcony erupted in applause seeing

the newlyweds showing clear signs of affection. The jewel had caught all of

it too, and broadcast it to fountain plazas around both countries.

Souma was speechless for a moment. With a twitching smile on his face,

he said, "I think you just increased the number of straw dolls by fifty

percent."

Maria laughed out loud.

◇ ◇ ◇

While the Kingdom of Friedonia was in a celebratory mood, Zem City,

the capital of the Mercenary State, was on fire.

The mercenaries were cornered in the colosseum—assaulted by the

common people, wielding farming implements and kitchen knives in place

of proper weapons. Not even the mercenaries, who were confident in their

abilities, could stand in the face of these numbers. There were clearly some

experienced fighters in the mob too, so the mercenaries went down one

after another.

"It's time to change this country from the bottom up!"

"Show the oppressive mercenaries our wrath!"

"Emperor Fuuga Haan is with us!"

It had seemed might made right in this country, but the suppressed anger

of the populace exploded, causing them to rise in rebellion. However, it was

clear that the Great Tiger Empire of Haan—which is to say Fuuga's advisor

Hashim—was scheming in the shadows.

It all started with the Zemish mercenaries' unauthorized retreat during

the war with the Gran Chaos Empire.

Hashim denounced them after the conflict was over, and worked with

Moumei, who was acting as the Mercenary King, to prosecute them for

deserting. The mercenaries, who hated being restricted as a general rule,

pushed back against this and holed up in key cities in order to resist Fuuga's

forces. These people had lived by the strength of their arms all this time.

When the mercenaries dug their heels in to resist, it wasn't because they

intended to protect the country or land. If things went south, they probably

thought they'd be able to flee, possibly even out of the country to become

adventurers in the worst case.

But their ill-conceived plans would never work against the cold and

calculating Hashim, of course. There were sparks for conflict.

This country was founded by mercenaries. Strength was everything here,

but the weak and downtrodden existed, and they had their grievances with

the mercenaries. The former Mercenary King, Gimbal, had been a talented

monarch, and had managed his mercs in a way that kept the populace's

resentment from manifesting. After his defeat by Fuuga, Gimbal was

removed from the throne and went into retirement. This was when Hashim

began inciting the populace, who were in a weak position.

"The mercenaries boast of their strength and look down on the weak, but

see how they flee when the battle turns against them! People of Zem! How

long have you let these men oppress you?! With Fuuga Haan as your

protector, you must smash this country's system and let it be born anew!"

This powerful speech stirred up the common people. Hashim had made

the Great Tiger Empire's problem with the Zemish mercenaries a domestic

problem for Zem, leading to mercenaries and the people opposing each

other. Even after the mercenaries holed up inside key cities, the ones who

maintained them were the civilians—an overwhelmingly larger population.

The Zemish mercenaries found themselves assaulted by the people inside

the cities they were trying to hold.

The former king Gimbal, choosing not to side with the mercenaries who

had relied on him, was another factor.

The mercenaries had asked him to raise the flag of rebellion against the

Great Tiger Empire, but he refused, saying he was retired. He had always

ruled with policies that favored the people, so he had no reason to side with

mercenaries who only worked for their own self-interest.

Gimbal was now under the watchful eye of Moumei's agents and placed

under house arrest in his small cabin in the mountains, but it was essentially

a peaceful retirement. That was because Moumei respected Gimbal's

achievements, and arranged for him to be able to live without

inconvenience.

And now Zem City, the last bastion of the mercenaries, was about to be

liberated.

"Face our wrath of many years!"

"Eek! Stay away! Stay awaaay!"

Ironically, the location where the endless horde of commoners had

cornered the mercenaries was the colosseum that was the symbol of this

city itself. Here, in the place many had won acclaim and far more had been

disgraced as losers, the mercenaries fell one after another.

Naturally, Hashim didn't leave this entirely to the people. They had been

infiltrated by the Great Tiger Empire's elites and other rogue soldiers who

supported Fuuga in order to ensure the Zemish mercenaries were

annihilated.

In their agitated state, the people were brutal, ripping the fallen

mercenaries apart—to the point where it was hard to tell which parts had

belonged to whom anymore. When the people came to their senses, the

bodies would be buried in a cemetery near the colosseum, and a memorial

service held, but that was no consolation to the mercenaries.

Having lost the mercenaries who were central to their national defense,

the people turned to Fuuga Haan for protection. Fuuga accepted their

request, annexing the country and appointing Moumei as governor of the

Zem Region.

And so, Mercenary State Zem vanished from the map.

Meanwhile, there was another uproar underway in the Lunarian

Orthodox Papal State...

The hardliners—who in the name of Lunaria, had been executing

moderates for wanting to distance themselves from Fuuga—had now

fractured into two factions.

One side was the pope faction, who wanted Fuuga to be subordinate to

their religious authority. The other side was the saint faction, centered

around Anne. They believed that as the holy king, Fuuga's will was the will

of God, and they should serve him as they spread the word.

However, this rift was easily settled. That was because the saint's faction

had the military backing of the Great Tiger Empire. As soon as the conflict

began, the pope was taken into the Great Tiger Empire's custody.

In Chapter 6 of The Prince, Machiavelli said, "If Moses, Cyrus,

Theseus, and Romulus had been unarmed, they could not have enforced

their constitutions for long."

Machiavelli also noted that because Girolamo Savonarola—who incited

the people to drive the Medici out of Florence and ruled it for a time—

lacked arms of his own, he had no way to preserve himself once his

popularity failed, and so he was lost to the flames.

The pope's faction met the same fate as Savonarola.

The former pope was imprisoned, and eventually "died of undetermined

causes" at the hands of Hashim. Was it poison, or was he thrown to his

death? The remnants of his faction met the same fate as the moderates

before them. They were branded heretics and burned at the stake.

The people of the Orthodox Papal State watched quietly as the heretics

were burned in the town square. The populace was obedient to the church,

and that didn't change when the higher-ups were replaced by members of

the saint faction. Even if the old higher-ups who'd declared their new

masters as heretics were now tied to logs as they burned alive, the populace

had no doubt that the right thing was being done.

Anne quietly watched events unfold from on high. It was as if she were

burning the heretics into her memory. When the flames burned out and the

heretics were no more, all light had vanished from her eyes. The girl had

killed her heart in the name of her duty as saint.

And so, while the Orthodox Papal State would continue to exist as a

country, it would be ruled directly by the Great Tiger Kingdom. During the

gaudy banquet, the world was changing rapidly.