In the Snow

—31st Day, 12th month, 1,546th year, Continental Calendar — Royal

Capital Parnam

There were eight days in this world's week. With four weeks in a month,

that meant each month had 32 days. There were twelve months in a year, so

the year ended on the 384th day.

The third through fifth months were spring, the sixth through eighth

were summer, the ninth through eleventh were fall, and the twelfth through

the second of the next year were winter, the same as Japan.

Today was the 31st day of the twelfth month. In Earth's calendar, this

would be New Year's Eve, but in this world's calendar, it was just another

day at the end of the year.

In this country, New Year's Eve and Day were generally celebrated

quietly with one's friends and family. Normally, the castle wasn't all that

busy (the political year began on the first day of the fourth month), aside

from priests who carried out the New Year's ceremony, but right now the

great hall in Parnam Castle was in a state of pandemonium.

"Aisha, carry that set over to the right," Liscia ordered.

"Understood, prin... Lady Liscia."

Following Liscia's directions, Aisha picked up a stage set that would

normally have taken multiple adults to lift and easily slung it over her

shoulder. Aisha could always be counted on to do the heavy lifting... Oh!

"Carla, Hal," I directed. "Line up those two pillar props over here."

"Understood, master."

"Right, right," Hal said. "...Sigh."

With my directions, Carla and Halbert, a vanguard commander from the

National Defense Force, were affixing (fake) marble pillar-like objects that

looked like they belonged in the Parthenon to the floor. From there, Liscia

and I kept giving orders to my vassals (and betrothed), following the plans

in my hands.

"Still, to think you'd not only use the National Defense Force, but also a

future queen to do hard labor for you..." Ludwin said with a wry smile.

Behind us, Ludwin, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and his second in

command, Kaede, were finalizing the details of their plan for on-site

security.

"It would be unthinkable in any other country, you know," said Kaede.

"Also, Hal, work faster. Chop chop."

"I am, Kaede!"

I waved my hand dismissively at Ludwin. "Now, now, Aisha said she

wanted to help herself. Besides, it's just a fact that there's no one in this

castle stronger than Aisha."

If we'd had earth mages (for gravitational control), this would have been

easy, but they had all been sent out to lay roads in the newly absorbed

Principality of Amidonia. We didn't have cranes for indoor use, meaning

we had to rely on human labor for all of this, and I couldn't see a reason to

let Aisha's muscles go to waste.

Liscia let out an exasperated sigh. "Honestly... If you had just said

something sooner, we wouldn't be dealing with this tight schedule..."

"It's not like I could have," I said. "I mean, I only came up with this idea

a week ago."

"It's pretty incredible that everyone said, 'Let's do it!' to something you

came up with on the spur of the moment, though."

W-Well, lately, it did feel like my brakes were starting to break down.

With Roroa and Colbert joining us, there was more funding at my

disposal, and Genia the Overscientist was merrily giving birth to new

inventions. Also, because of the many new policies we had instituted, the

people of Friedonia themselves had developed a fondness for the strange

and were overflowing with curiosity. It was like the Japanese craftsman

spirit, or something like, "No matter how meaningless, when you master a

thing, it becomes an art." That was how an idle thought that had come out

of my mouth one week ago...

"Oh, hey, it's almost the end of the year. If it's the end of the year, its

time for the Kouhaku Year-end Song Festival."

...had ended up being implemented like this.

The first one to hear me, Roroa, had said, "What, what?! Tell me more

about that wonderful name that sounds like profit!"

So I ended up having to explain Kouhaku, the Red and White Song

Battle, to her.

When I did, Juna, who was also listening, said, "A festival of songs, is

it? That sounds like an opportunity to put our talents to work," and was

uncharacteristically proactive about it.

Then Pamille and Nanna, as well as other loreleis, and the general who

had become a singer, Margarita, had gotten highly enthusiastic about the

idea, and after some point it had gone so far that I couldn't say, "Nope,

we're not doing it after all!" anymore.

Between loreleis from the singing cafe Lorelei, which had at some point

turned into something like a production company, and participants from the

Nodo Jiman amateur singing contest program we ran in Van gathering, it

had turned into a fairly large-scale event. That was when the sudden rush to

get things ready had begun.

Well, having everyone work together to create something was fun in a

culture festival sort of way, but it meant my workload had gone up just that

much more...

The hard part was going to be the "White" part of Kouhaku's red and

white.

The Red Team (female singers), led by Juna, had variety and flair, but

the male singers just didn't leave as much of an impact. The vast majority

had come up through Nodo Jiman, and they all sung this world's folk songs.

If there were no male idols participating in Kouhaku, and it were all enka

singers, that wouldn't be very stylish, now would it?

Because of that, I had decided on a big experimental deployment of my

male idol response to the female loreleis—the singing knights, orpheuses—

which I had been developing for some time.

"Now, my orpheuses, gather!" I called.

"""Yes, sir!"""

When I called out to them, three young men who were discussing

something off in the corner came over to me. One of them, the tall, silverhaired, twenty-something man, saluted me and said, "The orpheus unit

Yaiba is ready and awaiting your commands."

He was a human from Van and the leader of Yaiba, Axe Steiner. He was

an attractive man with striking, cool eyes, but his overly formal speech that

was characteristic of young men from Amidonia gave him a strait-laced

image.

When he saw the way Axe was acting, the comparatively easygoing

young man with tiger-stripped hair laughed wryly. "Sheesh, our leader's

such a stiff. Am I right, Kukri?"

"I think you're a little too laid back, Kotetsu," Kukri agreed.

The frivolous and superficial looking young tiger beastman was Kotetsu

Burai. He was a fiery man with distinctive yellow and black stripes;

athletic; and his sharp dance moves made him stand out even in this group.

The one he had turned to for agreement was a middle school aged pretty

boy (?), Kukri Carol. I think you'll have realized this from his surname, but

Kukri was a kobito and Pamille Carol's big twin brother. He was clearly

filling out the shota position in the unit, but he was still the eldest of the

three.

...Man, the kobito race were scary.

Well, anyway, these were the three members of Friedonia's first idol

unit, Yaiba. The name had come from the fact that all three of them had

names that sounded kind of like bladed weapons. I hadn't had much time to

come up with a name, after all.

Incidentally, I'd considered including Hal, who also had a weapon-like

name, in their members, but he had firmly refused. According to Kaede,

"Hal can control his pitch, but he's tone deaf, you know."

That wasn't important now, though. I clapped my hands. "I want the

members of Yaiba to start rehearsing as soon as the set is ready."

"Yes, sir!" Steiner announced. "Are you certain you want us to go first,

sir?"

"I want to test that the stage is strong enough," I said. "You're the only

act during the song battle that will have multiple members singing and

dancing. If you guys are fine, it should be safe for everyone else, too."

"Yes, sir! Understood!"

When Axe, who was as stiff and formal as ever, headed toward the

finished stage, the remaining two smiled wryly and followed after him.

"Good grief," Kotetsu said. "Why's our leader gotta be such a square?"

"It's because he's nervous, isn't it?" said Kukri. "Though I'm sure his

personality has something to do with it, too."

"Hey, you two! Look alive!" someone yelled as they were dragging their

feet toward the stage.

""Eek!"" they shouted, jumping a little.

When the two hesitantly turned around, they found a frowning Margarita

standing there in a deep red dress. It was a showy color, but that only made

her three times more intense.

Margarita looked the two of them up and down then raised her voice.

"You are the face of Friedonia! Stand up straight and get your acts

together!"

""Y-Yes'm!""

"If you get it, then get going! On the double!"

""R-Roger!""

Margarita had risen to become a general in Amidonia's patriarchal

society. When she tore into them, those two responded with the same stiff

formality as Axe and ran off toward the stage. They were like new recruits

being chewed out by a drill instructor.

Then Margarita noticed me and hurriedly bowed her head. "Wh-Why,

Your Majesty, I've let you see something most embarrassing there."

"Oh, I don't mind," I said. "They're a bunch of strong personalities, so

having you take charge helps. Still... that outfit really is something."

"This is, well... I snuck out during the costume fitting..."

"You snuck out?" I repeated.

"Oh, there ya are. Runnin' out durin' a fittin'? That's just not right,

Margie."

"P-Princess?!" Margarita yelped.

"'Margie'?" I repeated.

I turned to look because Margarita had let out a scream, and there was

Roroa rushing over to us.

She reached us and smoothly wrapped herself around my arm. "Darlin',

I've been workin' hard, too. Praise me, praise me." She rubbed her face up

against my shoulder.

Her adorable little animal-like gestures felt somewhat calculated, but...

still, she sure was cute. The fact of the matter was, without Roroa's

financial cooperation, this plan wouldn't have been possible.

I petted her on the head. "You've been a big help. Thanks, Roroa."

"Mwuhuhuh!" she giggled.

"Come on, Roroa," said Liscia sternly. "You've gotten your praise, and

you're satisfied, right? We're working here, so it's time for you to let go."

Liscia grabbed Roroa up by the scruff of the neck like she might do to a

cat and pulled her off me. Roroa got into it and even threw in a playful

meow.

"Wait, I didn't have time to be doin' this," Roroa added, interrupting

herself. "I'm gonna take Margie back with me. We're still in the middle of

her costume fittin', after all."

"Costume? You mean this red dress?" I asked.

Roroa gave me a bold laugh. "Look forward to it. It's gonna knock your

socks off durin' the main event."

"I don't like it, princess!" Margarita protested. "Not that. Spare me that,

at least!"

"I already put in the order, so give up and just accept it," Roroa smirked.

"Nooo! Not eighteen meters!"

Margarita was dragged off by Roroa, looking more frantic than I'd ever

seen her before. Margarita could scare your average man senseless, but she

couldn't stand up to Roroa, the former princess of Amidonia. I didn't really

get the balance of power between the former Amidonians.

"And, wait, what did she mean by 'eighteen meters,' anyway?" I added.

"The length of her dress, apparently," said Juna.

The lorelei had come over here because she was the next one going on

for rehearsal after Yaiba. She wasn't wearing her usual easy-to-dance-in

outfit. Instead, she wore a shining blue dress and looked very pretty in it.

"Wait, an eighteen meter long dress?" I asked, startled.

"Roroa was saying she wanted something that would knock the

audience's socks off," Juna said. "She's going to be putting Madam

Margarita on stage in a massive, eighteen meter dress. I hear that the dress

is painted with powdered lightmoss, like the kind we use in the streetlamps,

and it lets off a dazzling light."

"Well, that's... gaudy as all hell," I said.

I dunno. Somehow, I could see this becoming an annual event and it

getting gaudier every year.

Margarita... I had thought she was the big boss of the entertainment

industry, but she was apparently the last boss.

What should I do? I wondered. I had planned to have Margarita sing the

Japanese version of "Snake Eater," but maybe I ought to change that to

"Kaze to Issho ni."

That was when I noticed another girl standing behind Juna.

She was a simple-looking young girl of fifteen, maybe sixteen years of

age. She was cute, but didn't stand out in any way. It was a sort of natural,

girl next door type of look.

"Juna, who's the girl?" I asked.

"Let me introduce you, sire," Juna said. "This girl is Komari Corda. She

was in training at Lorelei until just recently, but I'm thinking of having her

debut in this song battle."

"I-I'm Komari Corda! It'sh a pleashure to meet you!" the girl gasped.

While tripping over her words spectacularly, Komari bowed her head

deeply to me. While I laughed wryly at how tense she was, Juna explained a

little more about her.

"She has a voice with room for growth, and an enthusiasm for practice

that makes me think she'll transform in the future. I think she may have the

hidden talent to surpass me as a lorelei."

"Well, that is impressive..." I said.

"I-I could never! It's too much of an honor for you to suggest I might

surpass you, Lady Juna!" Komari yelped.

When I saw Komari hurriedly try to act humble, I thought, Oh, I can see

it...

Her appeal likely lay in how unpolished she was, unconsciously making

you want to cheer her on. That was a charm that the already-perfected Juna

didn't have. When this girl was finished, she might be a lorelei who could

lead the kingdom's singing world forward.

She was someone whose development I would look forward to seeing.

That was when the current Finance Minister of the Kingdom of

Friedonia appeared.

"Ah, Madam Juna, Madam Komari," said Colbert. "So this is where you

two were."

For some reason, Nanna, the cat-eared beastman, was hanging around

his shoulders. Pamille the kobito was standing behind him, too, holding on

to Colbert's sleeve. I don't know what to say... They looked like father and

daughter.

"They're awfully fond of you, Colbert," I commented.

"You're the one who pushed them off on me, Your Majesty..."

In addition to his duties as finance minister, I had Colbert handling their

finances (and the paperwork). This country was in the middle of an

unprecedented lorelei boom. For Juna, Nanna, and Pamille, in particular, as

the first loreleis, there was far more money moving around them than they

could ever use personally. Setting aside Juna, who was at the castle as a

candidate to become a secondary queen, it was dangerous for Nanna and

Pamille, who were still ordinary citizens, even if they were loreleis, to be

given too much money.

That was why I had the financially talented Colbert handling their

assets, arranging bodyguards (primarily women from the National Defense

Force), and handling other general business for them. In a way, he was like

their manager.

I could understand that that was why he spent a lot of time with them,

but why did they love him so much? When I asked them, they said...

"The meals! He treats me! I get to eat lots of fish!" Nanna squealed.

"After meetings, Mr. Colbert often takes me out for dinner," Pamille

added. "When we go, he never treats me like a child. He always treats me

like a proper lady."

...There you have it. He was taming them with food, huh! No, in

Pamille's case it was a little different, but...

"Colbert, if you're going to lay your hands on them, wait for the two of

them to grow up a bit first," I said.

"I'm not going to, okay?!"

"I won't be getting any bigger, though..." Pamille had a sour look on her

face.

Uh... um... sorry.

"Th-The four of you have rehearsal now, right?" I asked, hastily

covering my mistake.

"Yes," said Juna. "When Yaiba finish, we're up next."

I looked toward the stage where the three from Yaiba were singing

passionately. It was a song from a male idol group back in the other world. I

hadn't been familiar with what was trendy, but the sort of songs that they

played all the time during commercials had stuck in my head. They were a

bunch of cool, young people singing cool songs with all their heart. I

thought that might be enough to capture the hearts of the ladies of

Friedonia.

"Everyone, we've brought food for you!" Serina called.

"I-In order to keep it simple to eat, we decided to go with rice balls and

sandwiches," stammered Poncho. "Of course, there are spaghetti buns, too,

yes."

"Big Brother, Big Sister, it's time to eat!" Tomoe called.

While I was watching Yaiba, Serina, Poncho, and Tomoe brought the

maids along. They all had large baskets in their arms. They were probably

filled with rice balls and bread. When they spread them out on a long table,

everyone gathered around.

"Oh! That looks good," Hal said. "Can we have some?"

"Hal, you have to wipe your hands first, you know," Kaede scolded.

"Carla, please prepare tea for everyone," Serina ordered.

"R-Roger that, Head Maid!"

As the area started to grow more lively with conversation, I stared off

absently. "Things sure have grown..."

"They have," Liscia agreed.

It looked like Liscia had overheard the thought I'd let slip. I felt

awkward, but Liscia gave me a big smile. "You've gathered people, people

have gathered around you, and before we knew it, we've become

surrounded by this huge crowd."

"It's reassuring, but it also makes me nervous," I confessed. "It means I

have that much more that I want to protect, after all."

"What are you saying?" Liscia put her left hand on her hip, pointing her

right index finger at my nose. "The people you want to protect, they want to

protect your reign, too. That's why... those that you want to protect will

surely protect you."

When Liscia firmly declared that, mysteriously, it made me feel like she

was right.

"They will, huh?" I asked.

"Yes, they will."

"I see... Well, Liscia, could I ask you to hold down the fort here for a

while?"

"I can, but... where are you going?" she asked.

"It turns out there are some people I have to meet. Look, Hakuya's here

for me now."

When I looked to the entrance, Hakuya had just come in.

"Bye," I said. "I'll be back soon."

"Sure. Leave things here to me."

With Liscia seeing me off, I left the great hall. Then, together with

Hakuya, I walked down the hall.

We didn't talk along the way. It was already pitch black outside the

windows.

It was around eight o'clock. I thought back to how things were now in

the great hall. If that was how far along they were at this time... we were in

for an all-nighter, for sure.

I needed to make sure to send the performers home early to get some

rest. It was going to be broadcast live, so if we made them stay with us, and

then they went and collapsed on us during the main event... it would be a

total disaster.

While I was thinking about that, we arrived at the room which was our

destination.

In front of the door, Hakuya stepped aside to make way for me, standing

with his back to the window across from the door. He probably meant to

wait here. I hadn't forbidden him from entering the room, but Hakuya had

decided to refrain from doing so on his own. Then, crossing his arms in

front of himself, he gave me a respectful nod.

"I have the Black Cats patrolling the area," he said. "Take as long as you

need to talk."

"Got it."

I nodded, then opened the door and entered through it.

When I closed the door, the room suddenly became dim. In the room

with flickering candlelight, what caught my eye was the king-size bed, and

the moonlit terrace beyond it. The people I was looking for were drinking

tea at the glass table by the windowsill. When I approached, those people

put down their teacups and rose.

"Why, Sir Souma, it's been some time."

"It's good to see you again, Your Majesty."

I greeted the two who had welcomed me here. "It has been a while, Sir

Albert and Lady Elisha."

The ones waiting for me were Liscia's parents, the former king, Sir

Albert, and his queen, Lady Elisha.

"Have some," Elisha said.

"Thank you," I said.

When I took the proffered cup of tea, former queen Elisha gave me a

broad smile. Lady Elisha was like Liscia, only calmer, with a more

womanly sexiness. Would Liscia eventually become like her? If so, I had a

lot to look forward to as we grew older.

I was sitting at the glass table, with Sir Albert across from me.

Having finished making us tea, Lady Elisha stood in waiting behind Sir

Albert. It seemed she intended to stick to the role of server.

...When I thought about it, I hadn't spoken much with Lady Elisha, had

I? She was my mother-in-law to be, but she was a woman of few words,

always just standing at Sir Albert's side with a warm smile. From what

Liscia had told me, she had always been a quiet person who never said

much.

While I was thinking that, Sir Albert opened his mouth to speak.

"I am glad that you have come here today," Sir Albert greeted me and

then smiled gently. "I would also like to congratulate you on your victory in

the war with the Principality of Amidonia and subsequent annexation of the

principality. It has only been half a year since I passed you the crown, and

yet your deeds are great. I believe, with your accomplishments, you needn't

be embarrassed if people call you 'Souma the Great.'"

"No... It was only possible with Liscia and everyone else's help." I took

a sip of tea and looked Sir Albert straight in the face. "Finally, we're able to

meet."

"I am sorry for making you wait so long," the former king said and

bowed his head to me.

I had sought to meet with Sir Albert a number of times before today:

when I hadn't known anything, when I'd wanted to have him convince the

three dukes to cooperate, and when I'd requested his help in convincing

Castor not to rebel against the sudden change of power. Then, once I'd

understood everything, I had asked for an audience a number of times to

seek an explanation.

However, each time I'd asked, he'd said:

In the earlier instances, "This country is yours now. It is not my place to

do anything."

In the later instances, "I will reveal everything to you soon. Please, wait

until then."

And that was all I could get out of him.

Once he'd started saying, "I will tell you soon," all I could do was wait

for him to do so. Because, if I pressed him, there would be no way to be

sure he was telling me the truth.

At last, today, I was here because he'd said he would tell me everything.

"You're going to tell me everything, right?" I asked.

"If that is what you wish," Albert said.

"I think it's time you finally cleared some things up for me. Like what

you were thinking."

He'd said he would tell me everything. I figured I might as well go

down the list.

"I have three things I want to ask you. The first is about when you ceded

the throne to me. At that point, when I had just been summoned to this

world, we were meeting for the first time. Yet, just from hearing my plan to

enrich the country and strengthen the military, you turned over the throne to

me. With a betrothal to Liscia as a nice bonus. That did give me the

freedom to move, but... it was also unnatural. Why were you able to give

your crown to some kid from another world whom you had only just met so

easily?"

Sir Albert listened to me in silence. It seemed he meant to answer only

once he had heard everything I had to say. In that case, I might as well ask

him everything I had to ask at once.

"The second concerns Georg's devotion. Our former General of the

Army, Georg Carmine, took all of the blame on himself while committing

suicide and taking all of those who might become my enemies with him.

Looking at the result, and even considering the letters Liscia sent to try to

convince him, I have to think that Georg had prepared this plan in advance.

That's bizarre, too. I only met Georg once at the very end. He put his life on

the line for this plan, so he shouldn't have been able to do it without trust in

and loyalty to me."

Albert was silent.

"Georg and I weren't even passingly acquainted. There was no way he

could feel loyalty toward someone he'd never even met. Well, who was his

loyalty toward, then? I can only think... it would be you, the former king."

I had tried to verify that when I'd met Georg. But: "When the proper

time comes, I am sure that person will tell you themselves" was all that the

man would say. Today must have been that proper time he was talking

about.

"Lastly, why did you refuse to meet me up until today? If you were

waiting for everything to be settled, you could have done that after the

victory of Amidonia or the annexation. Why did I have to wait until today

for an opportunity to meet you? I want to hear that, too."

"...Is that everything?" Albert asked.

"More or less," I said. "Let me ask about the finer details as I listen to

your explanation."

"I understand." Nodding, Sir Albert began to speak at a relaxed pace.

"First, I want to say, there is one thing that connects all three of those points

you raise."

"One thing?"

"Before I explain that, I want to answer your three questions. It was

because we were coming to a decision. On whether we should answer you

or not. We thought it might be best to continue telling you nothing..."

I was silent.

"However, my heart is not so strong that I can keep the sins I've

committed locked away inside it," he added.

The sins he'd committed? What was he talking about?

"Sir Souma... Have you ever wished you could live your life over once

more?" Albert suddenly asked me.

I answered him, somewhat suspicious. "...All the time."

A lot had happened since I'd been handed the throne. I had carried out

disaster relief, and experienced war. I couldn't help but think... hadn't there

been another way? A better way? Couldn't I have saved more lives? Even

when it came to those I fought as enemies and cut down, I sometimes

thought that, maybe, we could have come to an understanding. Even though

I knew it wasn't reasonable to think that.

"But why do you ask?" I went on.

"What I am about to tell you is the story of a certain world, a certain

country, and a certain foolish king," Albert said.

With that introduction, Sir Albert began to smoothly relate this tale.

◇ ◇ ◇

In a certain country, there was a king.

The king was not wise, but nor was he a fool. He did not govern well,

but he did not govern poorly, either. That was the mediocre sort of king he

was.

In a time when the world was stable and the country was already set up

for success, he would have been called a good king without faults.

However, in his time, the Demon Lord's Domain appeared, and the threat of

monsters threw the world into chaos.

The fires of war might not have spread to his country yet, but there was

a food crisis and the economy was slowly inching toward collapse. The

mediocre king could do nothing effective to deal with these issues.

Then, one day, there was a request from the great land in the west to

carry out the hero summoning told of in this king's kingdom. It was worded

as a request, but he had virtually no option to refuse it. So the mediocre

king carried out the hero summoning as requested.

That ritual succeeded when no one thought it would, bringing a young

man from another world to the kingdom. The king struggled with the

question of whether to turn the young man over to the great country in the

west. This was because, if he lost this boy, he would be letting go of his key

to negotiations with the great nation in the west.

The young man who was summoned told the struggling king this:

"If you mean to fight the demons, you should enrich the country and

strengthen the military."

...This story sounded familiar.

However, the developments from here on differed from the story I knew.

Hearing what the young man had to say, the king sensed the man had

gifts he himself did not, and decided to appoint him to the post of prime

minister. The young man responded to his expectations and worked

desperately, carrying out various reforms. Thanks to that, the kingdom

began to show signs of recovering from its food crisis and financial

difficulties.

However, there were those who found the young man a nuisance.

It was the nobles of that country. Those without very good reputations

themselves.

They had been angry when a youth they had never heard of before was

chosen as the prime minister, but they were even more incensed when he

began his reforms. The young man had rooted out corruption to find the

funding he needed, carrying out reforms that cut into the wealth of the

upper class.

They visited the king many times, trying to persuade him he was

harming the country and should be removed from power.

However, the young man had an ally. The general of that country's army.

The sober and honest General of the Army was able to accurately judge

the young man's talents and became his backer. However, the nobles of illrepute were not amused by this development, only intensifying their slander

against him.

Hearing their libelous words day in and day out, the king gradually

became stricken with uncertainty.

It was true that the young man was gifted, but he had far too many

enemies. The country might be split if things were left as they were.

With that in mind, the king made a decision that, in retrospect, he never

should have.

The young man was removed from his post as prime minister.

Having been dismissed, the young man went to stay with the General of

the Army at his castle. The king felt sorry for the young man, but this was

to prevent the splitting of the country. Ultimately, it would be saving the

young man's life. That was how the king convinced himself.

However, that was not the end of it all.

The nobles of ill-repute were more persistent than the king had thought.

No, if anything, considering their secret ties, it was best to read it as them

not being able to leave the young man be. That year, the neighboring state

which had a long-running enmity with the kingdom began deploying its

forces along the border.

The General of the Army dispatched the troops under his command in

the Army to intercept them, confronting those forces.

That was when it happened.

As if they had been waiting for this moment, the nobles' forces rose up,

attacking the city where the General of the Army's castle was. When you

consider the timing of it all, the nobles had probably been collaborating

with the neighboring country.

Because the General of the Army's land had once been the territory of

the neighboring country, it had been easy for them to concoct the scheme.

Then, the neighboring country moved to snuff out the young man who had

the potential to become a serious threat to them.

The city containing the General of the Army's castle was well-fortified,

but the Army had been mostly dispatched to the border, leaving less than

500 troops in the garrison. The opposing force led by the nobles numbered

10,000.

The General of the Army remained in the city, and he managed a

diligent defense, but... greatly outnumbered, the General of the Army was

eventually struck down.

The city burned, and the young man disappeared like ashes among those

flames. It was only a few days after the nobles had raised their troops, and

the king was unable to do anything.

The Army, having lost their commander, was unable to maintain the

battle line against the forces of the neighboring country and fled in defeat.

The forces of the neighboring country joined up with the nobles, and

together they used their momentum to advance on the royal capital.

The king hurriedly tried to bring together an armed force to meet them

in battle, but... he couldn't. In the end, he had left the young man and the

General of the Army to die.

The soldiers of the Army rebelled against him and returned to their own

lands, the units of the Air Force were few in number, and the Navy was far

from the capital and preoccupied with defending their own domain.

His last resort was to recruit volunteer soldiers from among the common

folk, but even that had failed.

The young man's reforms had angered the nobility, but they had saved

the people. To the people, the young man had been a savior who had come

to them in their time of need, and they felt no kinship with the king who had

stripped him of his post. Ultimately, like the young man before him, the

king found himself encircled by an enemy that hopelessly outnumbered

him. In time, he would be killed just like the young man. If there was one

difference between them, it was that he lacked the General of the Army who

had been willing to lay down his life.

At this point... what he faced could only be called karmic retribution.

He had brought it upon himself by believing the slanderous lies of those

who would become his enemies, and stepping on those who truly cared for

the country.

◇ ◇ ◇

As I listened to Sir Albert's story, I was at a loss for words.

He spoke of another present. When I had been summoned to this world,

not knowing what the Empire truly wanted, I had talked about enriching the

country and strengthening the army because I hadn't wanted to be turned

over to them before I'd known better. I'd thought I would be made to

implement my ideas as one bureaucrat among many, and that I would be

able to find the money to pay the war subsidies the Empire was requesting.

However, because Sir Albert had given me the throne, I had ended up

manning the helm of this country.

What would have happened if he hadn't given me the throne back then?

If I had been operating not as the king, but as the prime minister... the

future might have turned out exactly the way Sir Albert had described. The

world Sir Albert spoke of gave me considerable room for thought, and it

was so realistic that I couldn't imagine it was a fabrication. I thought it was

a fairly accurate simulation.

But in that case, there were things I didn't understand. It was rude to say

it like this, but Sir Albert didn't seem like the kind of person who had that

degree of foresight to me. I couldn't see him simulating things so

accurately.

"You speak as if you've seen it yourself," I said.

"Because I did see it myself," Albert said. "No... Rather, I was shown

it."

"You were shown it?" I asked.

"Indeed. By my wife's ability."

His wife's ability? I looked at Elisha despite myself, and she returned

the look with a broad smile.

"Did you know that my wife is a user of dark-type magic, just like you

are?" Albert asked.

"I had heard that, yes. Though even Liscia didn't seem to know the

details."

"This is something known only to a select few, so I ask you not to speak

of it to anyone else," said Albert. "My wife's ability is to transfer memories

into the past."

Sir Albert moved on to continue his story.

◇ ◇ ◇

The king who was about to have everything taken from him by the

nobles was gripped with a deep sense of regret.

Why had he dismissed the young man?

Why had he not valued him more?

If he had not been shaken by the nobles slanderous lies, if he had instead

taken the hands of the young man and the General of the Army, if he had

continued with reforming the country, at the very least, he would not be in

the difficulty in which he now found himself.

Were he truly rotten, this is where he might have raged, "This is all the

summoned young man's fault" or "If not for him, it would never have been

like this," ignoring his own responsibility. However, this king might have

been foolish and weak, but he was generally soft on others, so the idea

never occurred to him.

What he did think was that he had needed to value the young man more.

If, at the very beginning, rather than prime minister, he had just made

the young man king to begin with...

If he had, surely he would have reigned over this country far better than

the king himself could.

If that had happened... then his daughter...

The king sunk into despair.

Having lost hope in that king, the queen said: "You have failed. Our fate

is already sealed. However, if we use my ability, we can tell our past selves

about this failure."

The queen had a mysterious ability. It allowed her to transfer a person's

experiences to their past self.

The past self who received them would experience them as if for

themselves, and it would feel as if time had been wound back for them. It

was using this power that the queen had survived the bloody war of

succession. (Or to be more precise, she had repeatedly sent back her

memories moments before her death, then avoided the danger.)

After explaining this, the queen had apologized to the king. It turned out

that she had used this power to choose her husband, too.

It seemed no matter how fierce of a warrior she had taken as her

husband, no matter how wise a sage, the kingdom was destined to be

destroyed. Invasions by foreign enemies, attacks by monsters, plots by the

nobility, uprisings by the people— while the reasons differed, the result was

always that the royal capital was engulfed in flames.

This king who people thought was mediocre had been the only one who,

while he hadn't uplifted the country, had managed to extend its life. It

seems this king was the only one whose child the queen had given birth to.

"Even if I use this power, we cannot change our present," Elisha had

explained to him. "However, we can lead our past selves to a future

different from this one. Dear... if our lives are to end here anyway, would

you like to try creating a future like that?"

When the queen told him this, the king came to a resolution. That he

would send word of this failure into the past. Then he would have his past

self leave the throne to the young man.

It may only have been to satisfy himself. But it felt like it might offer

him some atonement for the things that had been lost due to his failure, so

the king entrusted everything to his past self.

The king and queen transferred their memories to their past selves.

Those memories had come back to him as he'd listened to the young

man speak about enriching the country and strengthening the army.

◇ ◇ ◇

"To put it simply, I am the king who inherited those memories," Albert

finished.

While I listened to Sir Albert's story, I was in a state of confusion. Was

this a time slip...? No, a time leap?

He'd said it was dark-type magic, but it could even do stuff like that?

Oh, but all that was inherited were the memories, so it wasn't as if the

person's consciousness returned to the past.

If those memories were truly being transferred into the past, that should

have created a time paradox. Because the Sir Albert sending the memories

had no memory of having them sent to him.

In that case, could it be that Elisha's power was one that let her intervene

in an alternate dimension that was highly similar to her own? Less like the

"Life Do-Over Machine" and more like the "What-If Phone Box," huh? To

put it simply, that would mean this world wasn't the past of the sending

world, it was an alternate dimension.

Though, even if I brought this up, I doubted the two of them would

understand. They probably didn't have a concept of other dimensions to

begin with, and I couldn't exactly say I understood it that well myself.

Aw, geez, this place wasn't just a simple world of swords and sorcery? I

thought.

While I was busy being confused, Sir Albert took a sip of his tea and

sighed. "Honestly... it must have been hard on the one who sent me the

memories, but it's not easy being the one to receive them. From my

perspective, I feel like I've lived a life in which I made you my prime

minister, acted like a fool, and then turned back time. If I hadn't heard

Elisha's explanation on the other side, I would have thought time had just

turned back. I, myself, haven't done anything, but the guilt I feel toward

you won't go away. I apologize on behalf of the former me. I'm terribly

sorry." Sir Albert bowed his head deeply.

"No, apologizing to me doesn't help... I mean, I have no recollection of

any of it..."

"I know that... This is only for my own self-satisfaction. I want to

apologize. Please, let me apologize."

"...Well, if that's how it is..."

If he said he wanted to apologize, the best thing to do was probably to

let him. The situation was well beyond my understanding, so I couldn't put

myself in his shoes.

Sir Albert looked me straight in the eyes and said, "And so, to keep

things from turning out the way they did in my memories, I ceded the

throne to you. I believe this should answer your first and third questions."

"...I'd have to agree with you," I said.

The answer to my first question, "Why did you give your throne to some

kid you just met?" was that, actually (though, this wasn't correct, strictly

speaking), it wasn't the first time we had met.

The answer to the third, "Why did it take so long for you to meet with

me?" was likely that he hadn't been sure whether or not to reveal the

existence of this ability. It might have been because he'd wanted to see for

certain that we had reached a different future from the prior world first.

That left my second question. The issue of Georg's loyalty...

"Don't tell me you told Georg about all this?!" I cried.

"...I am weak," said the former king. "I wasn't strong enough to carry

this burden alone."

Sir Albert looked out the window. It had started to cloud over a bit. It

might start snowing.

"I couldn't believe that, with my power alone, I would be able to call

forth a different future. I told everything to the one man in this country I

could trust, Georg Carmine, and asked for his help. That was why he came

up with a plot to exterminate the corrupt nobles who had become your

enemies in that time. It was our fault that Castor grew suspicious of you.

However, because the plan was already in motion, we couldn't reveal it, and

I apologize for the undue suffering that put you through."

That had been... Georg's reason for the staged treason, then. To have all

of my potential opponents taken down in one fell swoop, and for him to fall

alongside them. That plan had coincided with the one Hakuya and I had

been working on to keep Amidonia under control, which had turned it into a

grand stage none of us had expected. It looked like Roroa had been

planning her own script of events, too, so it had become a grand stage with

many playwrights.

Those who'd thought they would be making others dance had been

forced to dance themselves, and though we'd felt like we were cutting our

own paths, we had actually just been walking atop the rails someone else

had laid for us.

"I dunno what to say... It makes me lose confidence in myself," I

admitted.

"There's no need for that," Albert said. "The fact of the matter is, you

managed to reach a different future, no? You annexed Amidonia, and you

rebuilt this kingdom which was nearing its end into the Kingdom of

Friedonia. I can say with confidence that I was not wrong to give the throne

to you."

"I'm glad to hear you say that and all, but... in the end, where do you

think the future changed?" I asked.

"The very beginning, no doubt. Because, this time, from the very start,

you had Liscia by your side."

"Liscia?" I asked.

It was true, Liscia had been supporting me from the very beginning, but

why was her name coming up now?

Here, Sir Albert put on a slightly sad expression. "Liscia was at your

side in the future where I made you my prime minister, too. She was

serving as Georg's secretary, so the two of you met through him. In that

world, just in this one, Liscia recognized your true talent and fell in love

with you. Even when I dismissed you from your post, she came to appeal

directly to me to reinstate you. However... that time, I didn't heed Liscia's

advice. Disappointed, Liscia returned to Randel where you were. To Castle

Randel, which the nobles burned to ash. I'm sure she spent her last

moments... together with you..."

Liscia... had died at my side, huh. Now that he mentioned it, he did say

that the king of that world had "lost everything." That had included his own

daughter, then.

"What about the other comrades that I've recruited?" I asked.

"They were never there to begin with. In that world, you never used the

Jewel Voice Broadcast. I listened to the voices of those who valued

tradition, and I never allowed you to use it. That was why you never

gathered personnel, or did the sort of productions that you do now."

Working without the Jewel Voice Broadcast, huh... That would have

been hard. Now that I thought back, most of the current members of my

staff had been gathered through the the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Without the

Jewel Voice Broadcast, I wouldn't have met Aisha, Hakuya, Tomoe, or

Poncho. Also, if I had just been the prime minister, I doubted Excel would

have dispatched Juna, and I wouldn't have met Ludwin, Halbert, or Kaede

through the military, either.

That being the case, the Jewel Voice Broadcast was starting to feel like

the turning point.

And the strongest thing pushing me to use the Jewel Voice Broadcast

had been Liscia, who'd given legitimacy to the royal title I'd been given.

Without that, I might not have been able to shut up the people who were

against me using the Jewel Voice Broadcast. When I thought of it that way...

"...Well, damn. Liscia's starting to feel like my goddess of victory."

"I want you to take good care of her," Albert told me.

"Of course."

She was a goddess who had never abandoned me, no matter how

adverse the situation. If I didn't treasure her, I was probably in for some

serious karmic retribution.

Sir Albert rose from his seat. "Well, I have told you all I know. Now, my

role truly has been played out to the end. The rest... I leave to you and the

others."

With that said, Sir Albert stood next to Lady Elisha, hugging her around

the shoulder.

"I think we will leave the castle, and live quietly in my old domain in

the mountains."

I inhaled sharply in surprise. "Why?!"

"If the old king stays too long, people will begin to get bad ideas,"

Albert said. "Now that I have seen the changing future, I will withdraw.

This is another thing I had decided on from the very beginning."

Here, he wore not the face of an unreliable king, but the eyes of a loving

father watching over his children. Those eyes... was he directing them at

me?

"You've already made up your minds, I see," I said slowly.

"I can trust you with both Liscia and this country," said Albert. "Elisha

and I both believe that. I ask you to do this for me, my son."

"My son." When he called me that, I rose from my seat and pounded

one fist on my chest.

"You have my word. Father, Mother, thank you for everything."

I bowed my head deeply to Sir Albert and Lady Elisha. Sir Albert

nodded when he saw that, while Lady Elisha continued watching with a

smile until the end. I bowed one more time, and turned to grasp the handle

on the door to leave... then stopped.

"I have just one last thing to ask."

"What?" said Albert.

"In the world where I became the prime minister, were our bodies ever

found?"

"...No. As I told you, they were reduced to ash. Nothing was ever

found."

I see. They'd never found the bodies, huh. Well, then...

"In that case, Liscia and I might have still been alive."

"What?!"

I smiled as Sir Albert's eyes opened wide in surprise. "If I were alone, I

might have died. But Liscia was there, too, right? If the me from that world

cared for Liscia as much as I do here, he would never have let her die.

When danger closed in on them, I'm sure he would have taken Liscia and

fled, not caring what people would say about them. It's possible they were

struck down by enemy soldiers in the attempt, but in that case, there would

have been bodies. If you're telling me there were none, I'd say that means

they got away."

Perhaps Georg had been using himself as a decoy to buy them time.

Though this was probably on the same level as believing in the theory that

Yoshitsune had survived. But, what did it matter? If it would help my

father-in-law to assuage his guilt even a little.

"...Thank you, son-in-law."

I heard those quiet words behind me as I turned to leave the room.

"What are you doing here?"

I was on the terrace of the governmental affairs office, looking out on

the castle town at night, when Liscia came out with a blanket.

"I'm surprised you knew to find me here," I said.

"Hakuya told me where you were," she said. "Everyone's in a frenzy

trying to get things together for the singing contest, you know?"

"...Sorry. Let me stay here a little longer."

"Geez... In that case, try wearing something a little warmer," Liscia said,

then threw the blanket she was carrying over me, sliding underneath it

herself, too. The warmth of her body touching mine felt very comforting.

"Whew... It sure is cold out at this time of night."

"Well, yeah, it's winter."

"Ah! It's snowing!" she cried.

"Whoa. You're right." I noticed there were snowflakes falling here and

there. Even though I could still see the moon off in the distant sky.

It started as powder snow, but gradually gave way to larger snowflakes.

The lights of the town and snow on a moonlit night. It was like a scene

out of fantasy.

"It's pretty," Liscia murmured, standing next to me.

"...Well, damn. Liscia's starting to feel like my goddess of victory."

The words I had said then came back to me.

When I looked at Liscia, staring entranced up into the snowy sky, I

couldn't just stay put any longer. I got out from under the blanket, then

hugged Liscia, blanket and all.

"Wha, Souma?!" Liscia cried out in surprise. I didn't let that stop me

from holding her all the tighter.

"...The truth is..."

It was cold out, but for some reason my entire body felt hot. I could see

my breath, but my face was burning. I might even have been crying.

"The truth is, this is something... I really ought to have told you before

Aisha, before Juna, and before Roroa..."

She was silent, questioningly.

"Liscia... I love you. Please, marry me."

Liscia was dumbstruck by my sudden proposal.

"...It sure took you long enough to say it," Liscia said, then gave me a

shy smile that made me feel ticklish. Then, gently pushing me away, she put

her hands on my chest and stood on her tip toes. As the blanket fluttered to

the ground, Liscia's face slowly approached mine. "I love you, too, Souma.

I hope we can be together forever..."

Our lips intertwined.

The clock passed midnight, and it became the 32nd day of the 12th

month, New Year's Eve.

We stayed that way for a while, listening to the approaching footsteps of

a new y