Promise

Morning, one week (eight days) after we returned to Parnam.

In the castle's governmental affairs office, all that could be heard was

the scratching of my pen and the shuffling of paper as Liscia passed

documents to me. I had been getting work done while in Van, but not only

had the workload not decreased after returning to Parnam, if anything it had

grown.

Now that the system of three dukes had collapsed, I needed to

reorganize the army post-haste.

In order to build a relationship of equals with the Empire, I needed to

increase military expenditures to counter the threat of the Demon Lord's

Domain. In other words, to strengthen the military. That plan for

strengthening the military was the one I had spoken of during the ultimatum

to the three dukes, the unification of the armed forces.

When I looked at the history of the other world, an army's strength or

weakness depended heavily on its mobility. In other words, how fast it

could get where it needed to go, and whether it could deploy the needed

firepower.

The reason we'd won a crushing victory over the Amidonian forces

recently had been that we'd been able to reach the battlefield before our

opponents. Because we had arrived a day ahead of the enemy, we had been

able to fight the exhausted forces of the principality with a well-rested

Royal Army. Had we arrived simultaneously, our exhaustion would have

been roughly the same, and while the forces of the principality would still

have been outnumbered, they would have dug in and fought harder. If that

had happened, the fight would have been much more difficult for us.

In order to achieve that mobility we needed, it would be necessary to

roll out a transportation network, and, at the same time, eliminate the

divisions between our Army, Navy, and Air Force, to create a system that

worked under a single command structure to immediately move all of our

forces. That system would be a unified armed forces.

The Forbidden Army, Army, Navy, Air Force, and, lastly, the troops that

were nominally part of the Forbidden Army, but were the personal troops of

the nobility, would all be dismantled and reorganized as one force to be

called the Elfrieden Defense Force (EDF).

In organizing that EDF, I had to be cautious of resistance from each

branch of the military, but with the recent uprising, the Army and Air Force

had lost their influence. The temporary heads of each force, Glaive and

Tolman, were both cooperative, so they would pose no problem.

Furthermore, the Navy had sided with us and therefore had not lost their

influence, so by appointing their Admiral, Excel, as Supreme Commander

of the EDF, we could expect very little resistance. Excel wasn't keen on

being enshrined as the Supreme Commander, but I had made her accept the

position under the condition that it was just until Ludwin gained enough

experience to handle the role.

That was enough for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, but the real

headache was going to be the nobles' forces.

They were part of the Forbidden Army, but the fact that command over

them lay with the various nobles made them hard to deal with.

In this world with wild beasts and monsters (though, before the

appearance of the Demon Lord's Domain, these had only existed in

dungeons), thieves, pirates and bandits, there needed to be a certain amount

of policing power in every area.

That was why the landed nobility trained personal troops, which they

were obligated to use to maintain stability inside their fiefs.

However, in this country, the numbers they had were excessive. It was

the effect of the king-before-last's expansionist policies.

At that time, battlefield achievements had been the shortest route to

glory and advancement, so the nobility used to levy commoners from their

fiefs to bolster the ranks of their personal forces. Despite the fact that, while

conscripting amateurs might raise their manpower, if it led to a fall in

productivity, it was pointless. Eventually, when the former king, King

Albert, hanged tack from his predecessor's expansionist policies, the

nobility still maintained their enlarged forces.

That was why, now, I was stuck with the task of dismantling their forces

down to the bare minimum required for policing. Those who had a primary

trade outside of soldiering would be given severance pay and released from

service, while those who sought to join the EDF would be able to undergo

testing to enlist.

While the organization would be decided on by Excel, Glaive, Ludwin,

and the other military officials, they had looked over my proposal and

found they had no choice but to give it their stamp of approval.

While we worked, Liscia and I were silent. There was an awkwardness

between us.

...No, I was likely the only one feeling awkward. Liscia was acting the

same as always.

That day, even as I'd told her that Georg Carmine had committed suicide

in his cell, Liscia's expression hadn't changed in the least. Her face had

been emotionless, and my report had only elicited a quiet "I see..."

It wasn't that I thought she would lose her composure. It wasn't as if I

thought she would blame me for it. Liscia wasn't that kind of girl, and I was

well aware of it.

But I hardly expected her to be able to go about her daily routine this

way, like everything was normal. I thought she would look at least a little

distraught. There was no way this wasn't painful for her, no way it wasn't

heart-wrenching, but when I saw Liscia acting like nothing had changed, I

couldn't find the words to say to her.

It would have been easier if she'd lashed out at me a little...

"Why didn't you spare Duke Carmine?!"

...Yeah. No, that wouldn't have been any better.

Just imagining Liscia insulting and demeaning me was enough to

depress me.

If she would just punch, and we could forget it all after that... But, no,

the only one that would make feel better was me. Honestly, what was I

thinking? After running my mouth like that to Georg, could I not even

protect the heart of the girl closest to me?

"Souma," she said.

"Huh? What?" I raised my head, and saw Liscia looking at me with her

head inclined to the side questioningly.

"Your pen's stopped, you know?" she asked.

"...Oh, sorry."

That's no good, I thought. I have to keep it together.

I went back to work. Right now, I have to focus on taking care of all the

little tasks in front of me.

While I worked with that thought in mind, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," I said, and the head maid Serina entered.

"Pardon me," she said. "The preparations are complete, and your

presence is requested."

"Right."

We stopped working, and I donned my royal cape and headed towards

the audience chamber. Today was a day for rewarding those who had

distinguished themselves in the war with Amidonia.

◇ ◇ ◇

"Glaive Magna," I said. "Your loyalty was truly remarkable. In

recognition of that loyalty, I grant you Randel and its surrounding region to

rule."

"Yes, sir," Glaive said. "It will be my pleasure."

"Very good. In addition, while this is only provisional, I also grant you

some of the powers Georg held as General of the Army. Until they are

folded into the EDF, keep them in good order."

"Yes, sir," he said. "I swear I will do my utmost to meet Your Majesty's

expectations."

In front of me as I rose from the throne, giving commendations in a

grandiose tone, Hal's old man, Glaive Magna, bowed deeply. We weren't

broadcasting this, so I wasn't keeping up with stiff formality, but there was

a secretary in the corner dutifully recording my every word, so I had to act

kingly. That was to ensure that future generations who read the records

didn't look down on me, or so my chamberlain Marx had sourly told me,

but... honestly, I didn't really care what people would think of me after I

died.

In the war with the Principality of Amidonia, the Elfrieden Kingdom

might not have gained any territory, but we had secured hefty war

reparations. Furthermore, we had been able to collect ransoms from Zem

for the return of their mercenaries, and I'd been able to confiscate the

corrupt nobles' land and assets. The dismantlement of the Carmine and

Vargas duchies had been decided on, too.

For all of those gains, there was little need to reward the troops. Most of

the troops mobilized had belonged to the Army and Air Force. They were

under suspicion of treason, and this had been a battle to clear them of that

suspicion, so no rewards needed to be paid.

Additionally, for those who had taken a wait-and-see approach to the

conflict, the nobles whose forces were part of the Forbidden Army, I didn't

need to pay for any rewards to them, as they hadn't participated. It meant

they had missed out on a good opportunity, but that was their problem, not

mine.

The only ones who need to be rewarded were the Navy and my directlycontrolled forces in the Forbidden Army. Those of the nobility or knightly

class in either force would be given land, but that would come from the

former fiefs of the corrupt nobles and the dismantled Carmine and Vargas

duchies. Those who were of lower status would be given a cash bonus.

And so, today, I was to give personal rewards to those who had

contributed the most. It was standard to give titles in the peerage and land,

but if they wanted something else, they were welcome to negotiate for it. If

it was within my power as king, and a suitable reward for their efforts, it

would be granted. If they wanted cash or rare items in the possession of the

royal family, that was fine.

Long ago, there had been a knight who'd used this system to request the

right to marry a princess he was in love with. There'd also been one who'd

used it to request a corrupt noble be brought to justice. This was a situation

where you never knew what crazy requests might come flying, so I opted

not to air it over the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

This time, the people to be rewarded were as follows:

The turncoat from the Army who had led them in the battle with

Amidonia, Glaive Magna.

The Lord of Altomura who had stalled for time and delayed the

Amidonian forces, Weist Garreau.

The commander of the marines who had, likewise, delayed the

Amidonian forces at the Valley of Goldoa, Juna Doma.

As well as the one who sent reinforcements during the battle outside

Randel, the chief of the dark elves who lived in the God-Protected Forest,

Wodan Udgard. Sir Wodan was Aisha's father.

Normally, the Admiral of the Navy, Excel Walter, would have been first

in both rank and in terms of her contributions. However, she was foregoing

any recognition of her achievements for herself in order to seek clemency

for the two Varguses, so she wouldn't be receiving a reward.

Also, before giving the aforementioned five their rewards, I formally

gave Aisha, who had been defending me as my self-declared bodyguard, the

newly created post of kochiji.

If I were to explain what that changed, it was that before she had been

like a mercenary I was paying out of my own pocket money, but now she

was a proper knight with a salary.

Incidentally, her title, kochiji, came from the a bit of wordplay on the

nickname of Cao Cao's bodyguard Xu Chu, read Kochi in Japanese. The

original's name was written "Tiger Fool" and meant "a fool who is strong

like a tiger," so I chose to write hers with the character for "Eastern Wind"

instead.

...Not that there was much point in me obsessing over how it'd be

written with kanji in this world.

In addition to that appointment, I gave Aisha a gauntlet from the

treasury in the castle that was enchanted with a spell that reduced physical

and magical damage (it was called the Iron Wall Gauntlet, apparently). To

be honest, I had wanted to give her a shield, as it suited the image of her

position better, but Aisha used a two-handed greatsword, so I'd opted for

this instead.

Aisha held the gauntlet tight to her breast, stuttering and slurring her

words through her tears. "Ohh... Your Majesty... Th-Thank you sho much!"

...I'm glad to see she's happy and all, but isn't that a bit of an

overreaction?

Everyone watched her with wry smiles.

"Weist," I said. "You served me well in distracting the Amidonians.

Please, continue to maintain stability in your lands as Lord of Altomura.

Furthermore, when the city of Venetinova is complete, I am sure I will place

you in charge of managing her."

"Yes, sir," he said. "Inadequate as I may be, I will serve you to my

utmost."

After Glaive, I finished presenting Weist with his reward. It was decided

that Weist would take on the additional post of Lord of Venetinova, the

coastal city that was currently under construction. While his original fief

had been in the countryside, because it was in a crop-growing region with

fertile land, he had quickly gained influence. In the recent operation, he had

played the important role of portraying himself as a coward in front of

Gaius and Julius. This was his reward.

Now, it was time to reward Wodan Udgard, Aisha's father who had sent

reinforcements to aid us in the battle outside Randel.

These were reinforcements neither Hakuya or I had anticipated. We had

known how powerful the dark elves were, but we'd assumed they were

busy with reconstruction after the landslide, and they weren't interested in

affairs outside their forest to begin with, so we had thought it would be

pointless to send a request. However, contrary to our expectations, Wodan

and his people had dispatched troops to aid us.

Apparently, when Aisha had been staying in the God-Protected Forest,

she had independently made the request on my behalf. From what Hal had

told me of the battle outside Randel, the corrupt nobles had brought out

cannons and launched a reckless attack. Without those reinforcements, our

losses would have been much greater. It was truly a happy miscalculation.

I walked over to Wodan, taking his hand as I thanked him. "You have

my gratitude. I thank you for sending reinforcement when you yourselves

face such difficult times."

"Think nothing of it," said Wodan. "We have only repaid our debt of

gratitude. When the disaster struck, the relief force that Your Majesty led

reminded us that we have ties to the outside world."

"I am glad to hear it," I said. "It shows me anew that this country was

built with many different races coming together. If you have a wish, you

need only name it."

Wodan shook his head. "We already owe you more than we can ever

repay. With the steady supply of relief supplies you send, our warriors have

already been amply rewarded. I seek nothing further from you."

"Please, don't be so modest," I said. "Those reinforcements wouldn't

have come without you making the decision. If you'd like, we can plant

trees around the God-Protected Forest to expand your territory."

"I am grateful for the offer, but the forest is fine as it is," he said.

Hmm... That leaves me in a conundrum, I thought. I wanted to show my

gratitude to Wodan somehow. However, no matter what I offered as a

reward, Wodan stubbornly refused to accept it.

"You truly have nothing you want?" I questioned.

When I asked him that, Wodan took on a pensive look. "...In that case, I

have one request for you, sire."

"Name it. If it is within my power, it will be yours."

"Then... would you take my daughter?"

"Father?!" Aisha yelped. She had been standing behind the throne, and

she sounded surprised.

His daughter... He means Aisha, right?

Wodan continued, smiling, "I see my little girl who never used to show

an interest in anything but fighting and food has grown into a fine woman.

That change came from her feelings for you, sire. Could I ask you to take

her as your wife?"

"Sir Wodan is called Chief in the village in the God-Protected Forest,

but he is actually nobility with the God-Protected Forest as his domain," my

chamberlain, Marx, hastened to add. "You would be able to take his

daughter Aisha as your second primary queen."

Marx was handling things here today on behalf of Prime Minister

Hakuya, who was indisposed.

I have mentioned this in past, but in this kingdom queens were broadly

categorized into primaries and secondaries, and it was possible to have

multiple of each.

Originally, there had only been one primary queen and the rest had been

either secondary queens or concubines (mistresses) with no power, but one

king a number of generations ago had said, "I don't want to call these

women I love concubines."

...He must have been a passionate man.

As a result, all of his secondary queens had been made primary queens.

(The original primary queen had been made First Queen, with the others

called Second Primary, Third Primary, and so on, to distinguish them.) And

his concubines had been promoted to secondary queens, a convention that

continued to this day.

While I'm at it, let me explain the difference between a primary and

secondary queen.

To become a primary queen, the lady in question had to be of the

knightly class, the nobility, or higher. To make a woman of lower status a

primary queen, she would first have to be adopted into such a family. That

process wasn't necessary for a secondary queen.

The children born to a primary queen had the right of succession. The

line of succession was determined not by order of birth, but the children

born to the First Queen, the Second, and so on. In cases where there was a

large gap in age, the numbering of queens could be changed.

Conversely, while a woman of any class (even a slave or a prostitute)

could become a secondary queen, their children had no right of succession.

However, they were still royalty, and noble and knightly houses that wanted

to form a blood connection with the crown would try to marry their sons

and daughters off to the king's children from those queens. It was definitely

one way of marrying into money.

While the position didn't come with any power, it also took less

responsibility than being a primary queen, and they were allowed to act

freely, within limits. For women of common birth who had no interest in

power, this was often the position they dreamed of.

But... making Aisha my second primary wife...

"Would you consider that a reward?" I asked.

"As a father, my feelings are complicated... but she seems to be hoping

for it, and a father always wants to grant his little girl's wishes," said

Wodan. "Besides which, with the people of the God-Protected Forest

beginning to look to the outside world, I think it would be valuable for them

to see their chief's daughter marry into the royal house. It wouldn't just

create a bond between the royal house and the God-Protected Forest, it

would become symbolic of the bond between humans and dark elves, as

well."

Then it wasn't just for his daughter's sake. There were political

considerations, too.

Looking at it from my position, if I strengthened my ties with the GodProtected Forest, I would probably have the elite archers who showed their

might in the battle outside Randel at my disposal.

No, even if I set that sort of pragmatic gain aside... Aisha was cute. If I

had to ask myself whether I'd want her as a wife or not... I did.

She might be a little too loyal to me, but it let her affection for me come

across all the more directly. Though it did feel a bit like I'd tamed her with

food.

I couldn't expect much from her as a political operator, but Aisha had

more than sufficient martial prowess to compensate for that. She was the

sort of woman who would be reassuring to have at my side.

...But, is that really okay? I returned to the throne, looking at Liscia

beside me.

I had told Liscia we were only temporarily engaged so that I could

potentially get out of it. But, now that the war with Amidonia was behind

us, my thinking on the matter had changed.

People had died because of my orders. I carried a weight of karma far

too great to ever return to ordinary life. I could no longer stop being king, or

abandon this country.

I felt the same about my relationship with Liscia. Since the day we'd

first met, we had overcome so much pain and hardship together. I couldn't

break off our betrothal, and I had no desire to. If Liscia would be my queen,

I could accept being king.

...But, that's a different issue entirely.

While I had resolved myself to be king, I still had reservations about

taking more than one queen. Liscia, Marx, and even Juna had repeatedly

told me it was normal, but as someone dragging along the moral views of

modern Japan, I was hesitant.

...Yeah, it wasn't that I thought it was insincere to love more than one

woman. I wasn't that full of myself. But I thought giving an immediate

answer here and now wouldn't be fair to Liscia.

I'd feel like I was cheating on her...

While I was thinking that, Liscia looked at me. Seeing that I was at a

loss for words, Liscia said exasperatedly, "Souma, marry Aisha like you

ought to."

"Like I ought to...? You're fine with that, Liscia?"

"I don't have the right to refuse, but Aisha and her father have already

told you it's fine, haven't they?" she said. "Actually, if you don't take her,

that's probably going to be the bigger headache."

"How so?" I asked.

Liscia stressed the practical aspects. "You're a king, Souma. There may

be situations where you're forced to marry the daughters of major nobles or

princesses from other countries as part of your internal or external

diplomacy. In preparation for that, I want the higher-ranked queens to be

filled out with people I can trust."

"No... But... I mean..."

Seeing me still hesitating, Liscia sighed. "Souma, you're able to make

decisions when the country hangs in the balance, but when it comes to the

women in your life, you're so indecisive."

"Urkh..."

"Honestly... Aisha!" Liscia called.

"Y-Yes!" The dark elf jumped in surprise. Aisha had been standing in

her bodyguard position waiting anxiously as she watched things unfold.

Liscia leveled a finger at her. "I'm not giving up the position of First

Queen, you hear me? You're Second Queen, got it? If that's all right with

you, it's all right with me. In fact, I welcome it."

"Y-Yes! If it lets me be by His Majesty's side!" Aisha cried.

Liscia nodded and looked me straight in the eye as she said, "I've set

everything in place for you. Now... treat her right."

"...Right," I said slowly.

I dunno. I felt like I had been the future balance of power between the

two of us get decided right there.

Liscia had shown so much spirit. I couldn't keep pathetically waffling

any longer.

I walked over to Aisha. Aisha, the fearless warrior of the battlefield, had

eyes that were trembling with uncertainty.

Oh, geez, don't look at me like that, I silently pleaded.

"Aisha," I said.

"Y-Yes!"

"So... will you marry me?"

She inhaled sharply. "Yes! It would be my pleasure!"

I refrained from any quips about how her response made her sound like

a server responding to orders at a Japanese-style pub. My face was burning

with embarrassment.

In among all the smiles, I could see Sir Wodan's face dripping with all

the complicated feelings of being a father.

I said to him, using not the tone I would usually use as king, but a tone

used towards those above you, "...This is how it turned out. I'll come to

formally give you my regards at a later date, Father."

"Yes," he said, smiling. "I will be waiting. Son."

Thus, Aisha became my second fiancée.

With a second primary queen chosen...

"Finally, that's one less burden on my mind," Marx said with an

expression of relief. Marx had felt a sense of crisis about the shortage of

royals brought on by the succession crisis after the reign of the king before

the last one. That was why, with my formal marriage to Liscia not having

taken place yet, he was constantly badgering me, "Get more wives, make

more babies." He didn't even seem to care if they were conceived out of

wedlock.

That aside... what was I going to do with the kochiji title I'd come up

with now? I couldn't very well make one of my queens act like a personal

bodyguard.

When I said that to Aisha, though...

"Leave it to me! Even if I become your wife, I will always protect you,

sire!" Aisha declared with a broad smile, so I ended up letting her keep it.

For me, I knew Aisha was tough, so I figured it was all good, but the

previously-elated Marx was immediately holding his head in his hands. I

wanted to put the Second Primary Queen he had finally managed to get into

a position that was synonymous with danger. I had to feel bad for the guy,

only having new things to worry about.

Juna watched all of this with a slightly lonely smile on her face, but

none of us realized it at the time.

...Juna. You...

With the exception of Excel.

With the very eventful reward for Wodan out of the way, it was finally

Juna's turn.

I offered her some words of commendation, then asked, "Is there

anything you want of me?"

Of course, I knew what Juna's response would be. She would likely ask

that all of her achievements be counted as her grandmother, Excel's. If

Excel wanted to save Castor and Carla, she needed to have as much merit to

her name as possible. This was the gentle Juna. I was sure she'd do it out of

consideration for Excel.

Juna looked me straight in the eye and opened her mouth, "Your

Majesty, I ask that all of my..."

"May I have a word," Excel cut her off before she could finish speaking.

"Forgive my sudden interruption. I would like permission to speak."

"Hm? ...Granted," I said.

"Thank you." Excel bowed and began to speak slowly. "As you are

aware, Your Highness, Juna Doma is my granddaughter. However, Juna's

father, my son, has been married into the Doma family of merchants in

Lagoon City. In other words, Juna is a commoner."

I had heard that when Juna had disclosed her ties to Excel to me.

However, why was she bringing up Juna's low status now?

Excel continued. "I gave her a rank in the military because she is my

granddaughter, but that doesn't change the fact that Juna is the child of a

common family. She has no connection to the doings of any noble house."

"...What are you getting at, Duchess?" I asked.

Excel turned not to me, but to Juna. "I am sure you mean to use your

achievements for my benefit, but that will not be necessary."

"But, Grandmother..."

Excel silently shook her head. "It's fine. You have nothing to do with the

House of Vargas You mustn't use your achievements for people you've

never met. Use them for your own sake."

"Grandmother..."

"I can't sacrifice my granddaughter's happiness for the sake of my sonin-law and my other granddaughter," said Excel. "You don't have to worry

about us. You should have your own wish granted."

As Excel turned her gentle gaze on her, Juna lowered her eyes and

seemed to struggle internally for a moment. When she finally raised her

eyes, she stepped forward and kneeled.

"Your Majesty. I have a request."

"...What might that be?" I asked.

"If it is at all possible, then like Aisha... I wish to continue singing at

your side."

Could she mean... No, there was no doubt about it, Juna meant for me to

take her as my bride, too.

"Sire," Marx said gleefully, "if you take Juna Doma, it will be as a

secondary queen. If you wish to take her as a primary queen, you will need

to have her adopted into a noble or knightly family first."

He must have been more than happy to have another candidate for the

position of queen appear. When I looked to Liscia, she nodded, accepting it.

But...

"I'm sorry, that's not possible." I gave a clear refusal.

Liscia's eyes went wide, while Excel asked "Why...?" looking at me

pleadingly. Juna continued to look down at the floor, so I couldn't see her

face.

The air in the room grew heavy, but... I hoped they'd wait to hear

everything I had to say.

"I can't do that now," I said. "You're the central pillar of Project Lorelei,

the project to create a music program using the Jewel Voice Broadcast. You

are the Prima Lorelei. You're popular with the people, too. What do you

think would happen if I announced you and I were getting engaged?

There'd be riots."

When I said it that way, everyone seemed satisfied with that explanation.

It was fresh in their memories that the Congress of the People had sent

petitions saying, "Show more of Juna on the Jewel Voice Broadcast."

It was common for flame wars to break out on an idol's blog if she was

discovered to have a lover in my old world, but in the current situation, I

worried Parnam itself might get torched. The Kingdom would be burning

with jealousy... Yeah, not a funny joke.

That was why I said, "Could you wait, just for a little while?"

Juna gasped.

When Juna raised her face, I thought, Well, this is awkward, as I told her,

"I need your strength as the Prima Lorelei for producing our broadcast

programs. That's why, for now, I'm asking you to stay the people's

songstress. When more songstresses have gathered, and we have trained

enough people that can keep the program on course, I swear, I will take you

then."

When I said that, Juna rubbed the tears from her eyes. "I'll wait

longingly for that day, sire."

When she spoke those words, she wore the smile of a pure, innocent

young girl.