The Casts of Two Nations

—9th Month, 1,546th Year, Continental Calendar — Princely Capital

Van.

The city of Van, in the princely capital of the Principality of Amidonia,

was surrounded by high castle walls, and its architecture was without

stylistic excess or ornamentation. Put in a flattering light, it could have been

called austere and rugged. Termed less favorably, it was dull and

monotonous. The unrefined scenery of this town closely resembled the

people who inhabited it.

This country, which had lost land in a war with Elfrieden two reigns ago,

had made revenge on that kingdom a national policy. What they valued

above all else was the warrior ethos. Of their men, they demanded austerity.

Of their women, they demanded servility to those men, as well as a

feminine modesty. Because of that, there were no men laughing in the

streets and no women promenading in fashionable outfits.

That was the nature of the "quiet city" Van, but recently there was a

strange giddiness in the air. It had started when their neighboring country,

the enemy Kingdom of Elfrieden, had gone through a sudden change of

leadership.

In the 1,546th year of the Continental Calendar, King Albert of Elfrieden

had abdicated his throne.

Albert, the now-former king, had been a mediocre individual, but owing

to his gentle nature, he had been respected by his vassals and the people.

However, also owing to this gentleness, he had not implemented the drastic

policies that would have rooted out the corruption of wicked vassals.

Thanks to this and a variety of other, overlapping causes, the kingdom had

fallen into a slow decline.

This Albert had turned over his throne to a hero said to have been

summoned from another world.

The hero was apparently named Souma Kazuya.

At the same time as Albert had entrusted the throne to Souma, he had

also arranged for the betrothal of his only daughter Liscia to the new king,

ensuring Souma's hold on power. This Souma, who the throne had been

turned over to, had yet to be formally crowned, but he was, in effect, the

king, and had embarked on a series of political reforms.

With this sudden change of kings, there had been those who had

suspected usurpation at first, but, with the support of Liscia, he had righted

the wrongs of his vassals, gathered new personnel, improved the food

security situation during a time of shortages, and installed a domestic

transportation network to boost shipping capacity. With the steady

implementation of these policies and more, Souma was gathering the

support of the people. For a hero he was rather plain, but as a king, he was a

superb. That was the people's appraisal of him.

However, Souma's reign was not to be smooth sailing in all aspects.

First, the three dukes who controlled the land, air, and sea forces of

Elfrieden (there was also a force other than these, the Forbidden Army,

which served the king directly) had still not sworn loyalty to Souma.

The lion beastman who was General of the Army, Georg Carmine.

The sea serpent who was Admiral of the Navy, Excel Walter.

The dragonewt who was General of the Air Force, Castor Vargas.

Ever since the change of kings, these three had taken their armies and

secluded themselves in their own territories.

Because this was all taking place in another country, their exact

intentions remained unknown, but it was clear that their relations with

Souma were strained. In particular, there were rumors that the general of the

army, Georg Carmine, had been gathering forces in his territory, making his

position in opposition to Souma clear.

In addition, the nobles who had been investigated by Souma for

corruption were pushing back against him.

Those engaged in serious wrongdoing had been stripped of their titles

and had their lands and assets seized. Those whose crimes were even more

severe were to be jailed or otherwise punished.

The corrupt nobles were not happy about this and had attempted to take

their assets and flee the country. However, the borders had already been

sealed, and, with no other alternative, they had gathered under Georg

Carmine, who was in open opposition to Souma.

Thus, with the discord between Souma and the three dukes rising to the

surface, the citizens of Amidonia were in high spirits. There were plausible

rumors that King Souma had begun to raise troops to subjugate the three

dukes who would not step back from their rebellious position. The kingdom

was experiencing a conflict between the king and his vassals.

This was a situation that had the Principality of Amidonia watering at

the mouth. It looked like an unparalleled chance to pursue their national

goals, to "reclaim our stolen land" and "take revenge against that kingdom."

Because of that, among not only the soldiers but the general populace as

well, the overwhelming consensus was that: "Now is the time to invade the

kingdom!"

In this militaristic state, the army came first and the lives of the people

second. Priority was given to the military when funding was handed out,

meaning that the people did not become more prosperous. Of course, there

must have been discontent from this, but the people were taught that "all of

our suffering is the fault of the Elfrieden Kingdom, who stole our land."

Rather than direct their anger towards the politicians or the army, instead

they directed it at the Kingdom of Elfrieden. No matter how badly they

were misgoverned, it was always that kingdom's fault. From a statesman's

perspective, there could be no situation that was more ideal.

Furthermore, this belief that "that kingdom is responsible for our

difficult lives" led naturally to a belief that "our lives will become better if

we can defeat the kingdom." That was precisely why, given this seeminglyideal opportunity, there was growing momentum to invade the kingdom.

Having caught wind of that momentum, bold words could be heard on

every street corner.

"Finally, the time has come for us to fight that kingdom!"

"That's right! We will bide our time no longer!"

"The brave and manly Lord Gaius will never lose to that whelp!"

"A war, huh..."

While many people were spoiling for a fight, there were also those who

felt uncertain about the war that seemed to be drawing closer. They feared

that they themselves, their homes, or their families might get caught up in

it.

However, right now, the public sentiment in this country wouldn't allow

them to voice those worries. They had no choice but to suppress their

anxiety, entrusting themselves to the flow.

One person silently watched the people from the shadows of an

alleyway.

This person was wearing an ochre robe, the hood covering their head

entirely, so it was not possible to see their expression. However, they were

of slight build and stood less than 160 cm tall. The person sighed at the way

the people of the city were acting, and then walked off at a brisk pace.

The person was heading towards a shop. From the goods in the show

window, it seemed to sell men's apparel. The sign out front read "The Silver

Deer."

The person entered the shop, and the moment they drew back their hood,

two braided twintails appeared. The hood had been hiding the adorable face

of a young girl.

Next, a middle-aged man with graying hair who was dressed like a

bartender emerged from the back. This man had a gentlemanly demeanor

and upon seeing the young girl, he greeted her with a "Welcome back."

"What did you think, Lady Roroa?" he added. "How did things look in

town?"

"There ain't no two ways about it, Sebastian... it's terrible," the girl said.

The girl who addressed the owner of this store in merchant slang (a fake

Kansai dialect) was the first princess of Amidonia, Roroa Amidonia.

"Nearly everyone's lookin' forward to the comin' war," she continued.

"They're thinkin' this King Souma is young and can't keep his people in

line. They haven't even thought that my old man could possibly lose."

"Lord Gaius is strong and manly, after all," the store owner said.

"He just looks rugged, that's all," said the princess. "Even if he is strong,

that's just one man."

Even though they were father and daughter, Roroa was merciless in her

criticism. Between Roroa, who had great economic sense and wanted to use

the money she had earned to rebuild the country, and Gaius, the militarist

who wanted to pour the funds into military hardware, there was a wide

divide in their ways of thinking.

It was sad to see such a gulf between parent and child, but Roroa, as the

first princess of this country, found herself in a position where she had to do

more than simply lament that fact. As one who stood above others, she had

to take action to prepare herself for any eventuality.

Perhaps out of consideration, Sebastian asked in a friendly tone, "Well

then, Lady Roroa, how do you read this Souma character?"

"I dunno," she said. "The things I'm hearin', they aren't his personal

accomplishments, they're the accomplishments of his subordinates. That's

why he's so hard to figure out. He does seem like a king who's good at

listenin' to his vassals, though."

With those words, Roroa put her hands on her hips and groaned.

"If we're startin' a war with someone we can't get a good read on, that's

dangerous. That doesn't change just because the king and the three dukes

ain't gettin' along. Whether it's territory, or power, or population, the

kingdom's got us beat in all three. And, of course, there's the number of

soldiers they can field, too. We've got ourselves a lot of mineral resources,

so the quality of our equipment's good, but... that's about all we've got

goin' for us."

With Roroa giving that pessimistic assessment, Sebastian asked,

"...Lady Roroa, do you believe this country will lose?"

"I told ya, I dunno," she said. "War's not my area of expertise. Still,

though, what I do know is that if we lose, it's gonna be real bad for us. It

ain't just the kingdom that we've gotta worry about. There's that irritatin'

theocracy to our north, the Papal State of Lunaria, and then there's the

Turgis Republic, who're lookin' for any opening to advance north. We've

got an alliance with the Mercenary State of Zem to our west, but I'm not

sure they'll be much help for us if we end up on the back foot."

The Papal State of Lunaria was the headquarters of Lunarian Orthodoxy,

a religion which stood, next to Mother Dragon worship, as one of the two

largest faiths on this continent. That country was ruled by the Lunarian

Orthodox Pope, who was both a temporal and religious authority, and they

had a system of values that was markedly different from other countries.

There were many followers of Lunarian Orthodoxy in the Principality of

Amidonia, and with some agitation, it was possible the state could topple

their principality.

The Turgis Republic to the south was a land of frigid cold. During the

long winter, their lands were buried in snow and their seas locked with ice.

Because of that, in their quest for unfrozen land and warm water ports, they

were always keeping an eager eye on the north for any opportunity to

expand.

The Mercenary State of Zem was a unique country. They professed

eternal neutrality, yet obtained mutual security guarantees by dispatching

their mercenaries to every nation. They had dispatched mercenaries to the

principality as well as all the rest, but... mercenaries were motivated by

profit. If their country ever found itself at a disadvantage, there was no way

to know how seriously the mercenaries would take the fighting.

If the worst should happen, and they were to lose, how would these three

countries react?

That was what worried Roroa.

"The sentiment that's taken hold in this country right now is the worst,"

Roroa said with a sigh. "There ain't nobody thinkin' about what'll happen if

we lose. Even though, in the worst case scenario, we could be invaded by

three of our neighbors at once."

She thought it over, then said:

"That's why I'm gonna do what I'm gonna do. Even if it means partin'

ways with my old man, I have to be ready if things go south..."

As she said that, she flashed Sebastian a big smile.

"So, there ya have it, Sebastian. Help a gal out, will ya?"

"...I suppose I'll have to, won't I?" Sebastian said with a shrug, as if

trying to sound very put-upon. That was the appearance he projected, but he

had already resolved himself to throw his lot in with this girl. Sometimes

Roroa's actions betrayed her youth, but she had a certain charm that drew

people to her.

Sometimes, I think it's a pity she was born a woman... he thought.

Had Roroa been able to take the throne, might this country have become

a more comfortable place to live in? Sebastian couldn't help but wonder.

As for Roroa herself, she had already moved on to thinking about the

next thing.

"Well, now that that's settled, we're still short of hands," she said. "I'd

like to spend a little more time looking for collaborators, I think."

"...And you have your eye on someone in particular?" Sebastian asked,

having sensed something in the way Roroa spoke, and she gave him a

mischievous laugh in return.

Some days later...

At his castle in the princely capital, Van, the Sovereign Prince of

Amidonia, Gaius VIII, had gathered the principal military commanders of

this country in the audience hall. Gaius rose from the throne, addressing the

assembled commanders.

"The time is come! Let us gather our forces on the southern border with

Elfrieden!"

That was the declaration that opened the war with the Elfrieden

Kingdom.

Gaius had received reports that the gulf between Souma Kazuya and one

of the three dukes, Georg Carmine, had become unbridgeable, and that it

was only a matter of time before the two clashed. Soon enough, the

kingdom would be thrown into chaos. In that chaos, they would take back

the lands stolen from them fifty years ago.

"At the same time as Georg launches his rebellion, we will begin our

invasion of Elfrieden!" he announced. "Our target is the grain-producing

region in the south! Now is the time to take back the lands stolen from our

forefathers!"

"""Hurrah!""" The gathered commanders let out a cheer.

Finally, the time had come to take revenge for their past losses against

the kingdom. These commanders, who were military men to the core,

couldn't help but feel their blood boiling and seething inside them. In that

environment...

"Please, wait, Your Highness!"

...a single man spoke out in opposition, walking forward to kneel before

his sovereign.

It was the young Minister of Finance, Gatsby Colbert.

With his rare sense for economics, he had been entrusted with the post

of Minister of Finance despite only being a young man in his mid-twenties.

While Roroa's talent lay in spending money to get the economy moving,

Colbert specialized in eliminating wasteful spending and freeing up funds

that way. While they took different approaches, these two worked together

to cut what needed cutting and to spend where spending was needed. They

were the ones who were just barely keeping this country's economy from

tumbling over the brink.

"Oh, it's you, Colbert." Gaius turned a stern eye on him. He was clearly

displeased.

When Gaius, a man who even generals who had survived many battles

feared to anger, turned that gaze on Colbert, a mere bureaucrat, Colbert

began to tremble. Still, he worked up the courage to offer his advice.

"I say this with all due respect, sire," he managed. "Please, reconsider

invading Elfrieden! The people of our nation are suffering from a food

crisis and a poor economy! If we start a war now, our people will starve!"

"I know that," the king snapped. "That's why seizing the grainproducing region is so urgent."

"Wars require a vast expenditure on the part of the state!" Colbert

protested. "If you have that much leeway in the budget, you ought to be

able to import food from abroad! Rather than fight a war we don't know if

we will win or lose, and which, even if we do win, we don't have any

guarantee our efforts will pay off, isn't this the time when we should build

our strength and..."

"Silence!" Gaius roared.

He walked over to the bureaucrat and kicked him hard enough to send

the man flying.

"Urkh..."

As he looked down at Colbert sprawled out on the floor, Gaius had a

look of rage on his face.

"You domestic affairs ministers always say the same thing! Work on

domestic affairs, now's not the time for this, that's all I ever hear! Look

where that's gotten us! It's plain to see how exhausted our country is! Yet,

in contrast to us, that kingdom, despite stagnating somewhat under the fool

who was their last king, have begun to rebound with this new king coming

to the throne!"

"Th-That's because... the new king, Souma, has been working to enrich

his country..."

"You're still saying that?!"

Gaius kicked Colbert across the floor once again.

Perhaps he had gotten a cut in his mouth, because there was blood

streaming from the corner of Colbert's lips. Even so, Colbert didn't stop

speaking.

"Your Highness... The total manpower of Amidonia's army is around

half that of Elfrieden's army. This is just... just too reckless a plan!"

"I know that without some lowly civil servant telling me so!" the king

roared. "That's precisely why now, with the king and the three dukes in

conflict, we have an opportunity!"

"Even so, there's no telling how long that will last," Colbert protested.

"Bwahaha! There's no need for concern. The Georg Carmine will be

launching the rebellion. That young pup of a king will have no easy time

subjugating him, I'm sure. Civil wars drag on for a long time. It will be the

same even if Georg wins. If a traitor rises to the top, there's no way the

country will stand united!"

Colbert bit his lip in frustration. Is that the reason His Highness is acting

so boldly?!

Because it was Georg Carmine, one of the three dukes, and the one who

was famous for being a fierce general, who was raising the flag of rebellion

against Souma, that was likely pushing Gaius to act.

The truth was, there was no guarantee that an opportunity like this

would ever come along again. Gaius was already 50 years old, by no means

a young man. He didn't want to let this ideal chance pass by while he was

still fit to stand at the head of an army and give orders.

However... It's too optimistic to think that way! Colbert thought

stubbornly.

"Please, listen to me, Your Highness!" he burst out. "If you invade

Elfrieden, our country will be exposed to criticism from all of the other

countries! We've signed the Empire's Declaration of Mankind's Common

Front Against the Demon Race!"

"...The Mankind Declaration, is it?" Here, for the first time, Gaius had a

strained look.

Led by the Gran Chaos Empire, the Declaration of Mankind's Common

Front Against the Demon Race (also known as the Mankind Declaration)

referred to a declaration and resultant international treaty backed by the

largest, most powerful empire on the continent. It stated that, in light of the

expansion of the Demon Lord's Domain, all conflicts between mankind

were to cease. And, in order to prevent the monsters and demons from

advancing any further south, all of mankind were to work as one and

cooperate.

The essentials of the Mankind Declaration were given in these three

articles:

First, the acquisition of territory by force between the nations of

mankind would be deemed inadmissible.

Second, the right of all peoples to equality and self-determination would

be respected.

Third, countries that were distant from the Demon Lord's Domain would

provide support to those nations which were adjacent to it and were acting

as a defensive wall.

The second of these had been adopted to protect minority races in each

country. Given that the acquisition of territory by force was inadmissible,

some countries might have otherwise expelled or oppressed their minority

races to try to seize their wealth for themselves. It was an extra provision

that had been added in caution against that.

Furthermore, though not explicitly outlined in the text, if any country

violated these three articles, the Empire, as leader of the pact, would

intervene militarily.

To put it simply, this Mankind Declaration was a security treaty in which

countries gave up the right to invade other nations in exchange for

protection from the Empire.

Colbert pleaded: "If we invade Elfrieden, we may be inviting an

intervention by the Empire! Sire, I beg of you, please, reconsider!"

"You cur!" Gaius brought his hand to the hilt of the sword hanging at his

hip.

Just as everyone present was sure the man was about to be slain,

someone slipped between Gaius and Colbert.

"Sir Colbert, there should be no worry of that."

The one who had interposed himself between the two of them was the

crown prince, Julius Amidonia. His cold eyes, which betrayed no emotion,

were fixed on Colbert. "That is because Elfrieden has not signed the

Mankind Declaration."

"Julius... sir," Colbert said, "that's a specious argument! We would be

taking protection under the Mankind Declaration, while at the same time

attacking a country that has not yet ratified it. If we do that, it would be like

kicking mud in the face of the Empire!"

"However, in diplomacy, only the treaties that have been signed are

important," Julius said coldly. "This has all been brought about by the

stubborn foolishness of Elfrieden in not supporting the sublime ideals of the

Empire. Surely the Empire can find no fault with us for it."

"But..."

"Enough!" Gaius withdrew his hand from his sword's hilt, turning to

address the gathered commanders. "I hereby dismiss Colbert from his

position as Minister of Finance."

"Sire!" Colbert cried.

"Colbert, I am placing you under house arrest for the time being," the

king snapped. "You are to watch from the sidelines. Watch as we reclaim

the land of our forefathers."

With those words, Gaius led his commanders out of the audience hall

without sparing so much as another glance at Colbert. Colbert stayed there

for a time, biting his lip, but eventually he punched the carpet in anger,

rising to his feet and confronting Julius, who had remained behind.

"Julius! Is this really... really the only path?!" he shouted.

Colbert spoke more freely, unlike when he had stood before Gaius.

Partially because they were around the same age, despite their positions as

crown prince and vassal, Julius and Colbert were close enough to be called

friends.

In a cold tone, Julius said to Colbert, "He's right that it's a once-in-alifetime chance. In addition to Georg Carmine, there are many nobles who

have secret ties to our country. If we coordinate with them, we should be

able to slice off some land in the south for ourselves."

"But, if we lose, it could mean the death of our country," Colbert said.

"However, on the other hand, if we miss this chance, we may never be

able to regain our territory. If, as you've said, the new king is working to

enrich his country, doesn't that mean the gap will only widen if we let this

chance slip by?"

It was clear that Julius looked at the situation through calmer, more

rational eyes than Gaius. Even so, his decision remained unchanged.

"It is the long-held wish of the Princely House of Amidonia to reclaim

the lands we have lost and to exact our revenge," Julius continued. "No, it's

not only the Princely House: the soldiers and the people hold that wish, as

well."

"That's..."

That's because you've shown them no other option! Colbert wanted to

say that, but... he couldn't. To do so would be to overstep his bounds as a

vassal.

As Colbert cast his eyes downwards, at a loss for words, Julius placed a

hand on his shoulder.

"Please, just stay quiet for now, Colbert. I rate your abilities quite highly.

For my own sake, as the one who will someday rule this land, I would

rather not lose you to Father's short temper."

"Julius..."

Colbert looked at him with clinging eyes, but Julius didn't return the

emotion.

Some hours later, as the dejected Colbert dragged his feet through the

corridors of the princely castle, a young girl with an adorable face poked

her head out from behind one of the marble pillars.

"Hey there, Mr. Colbert. What are you lookin' so glum for?"

"Princess?! Um, that's, well..."

The one who had stepped out from behind the pillar was Roroa

Amidonia, the first princess of this country. Colbert panicked a little as he

realized he'd let Roroa see him feeling down.

Roroa had had a good sense for economics from a young age and, as

she'd grown up, she'd come to hang around with the owners of large

businesses and the bureaucrats of the Finance Ministry increasingly often.

For Colbert, who was Minister of Finance, Roroa was a compatriot who

understood the ins and out of the economy. She was also something akin to

a needy little sister.

"Lookin' at that face... you tried to talk some sense into my old man for

me, didn't ya?" Roroa asked apologetically, looking at the bruises on

Colbert's face.

"Huh? Ah, no... These are, uh..."

"No need to hide it," she said. "Sorry about my idiot father. Good grief...

If he's pushin' away vassals who're tryin' to give him solid advice, he's

leadin' this country straight down the road to ruin. Honestly, what is he

thinkin'?"

While saying things others would have been too terrified to, Roroa made

a big show of how angry she was. Colbert was satisfied just to see Roroa

looking like that on his behalf.

"Thank you, princess," he said. "I'll be fine."

"You will? Well then, get yourself ready."

"Huh...? Get myself ready for what?"

Unable to keep up with this sudden turn in the conversation, Colbert

blinked repeatedly.

Roroa waved her hand at him with a laugh. "The old man just gave ya

all the free time in the world, so you've got nothin' to do, right? Well,

maybe you can help me out with what I'm doin', then. I've already talked

to all the bureaucrats who seemed amenable to it, but I could still use more

people to help, after all."

"Huh? Um, princess? Just what are you planning to do?"

"That's obvious," she said. "We're all gonna disappear together.

Sebastian's movin' forward with the plans, but for now I think we'll go stay

with Uncle Herman in Nelva."

"Huh? Whaaaaaa?!" he exclaimed.

Roroa grabbed him by the sleeve and walked off quickly, dragging

Colbert behind her.

Some days later, at the same time as Gaius VIII and Julius departed from

Van, there was an incident where Princess Roroa and a number of

bureaucrats vanished.

It was an incident that ought to have caused a big stir, but it was craftily

covered up by Roroa, and neither Gaius or Julius ever noticed it.

◇ ◇ ◇

It was the Royal Capital Parnam, late September, the 1,546th year of the

Continental Calendar, in the royal palace of the Elfrieden Kingdom, Parnam

Castle.

In the governmental affairs office, I was listening to reports from

Poncho and Tomoe.

First, I heard from Poncho.

Until just the other day, his title had been Minister of State for the Food

Crisis, but with that issue now resolved, I had made him the Minister of

Agriculture and Forestry. In addition to agriculture, forestry, and

management of military provisions, I also had him overseeing the

construction of terraced rice fields and other projects that would establish

new crops in this country.

By the way, the reason he was not also in charge of fisheries was that

this country did not manage fishing rights. The various fishermen's guilds

each had their own zones, to a degree, but all that the country did was

receive taxes from the guilds in exchange for protecting their rights.

Eventually, I wanted to set up something for that, but it would likely

have to wait until I had the navy under my control. In order for the country

to guarantee the rights of fishermen, we were going to need something like

a Maritime Safety Agency. If we tried to force obligations onto the

fishermen without any protections, they wouldn't obediently go along with

that.

It looks like I'd gotten off-topic, huh?

I asked Poncho a question. "How are things going with the supplies

(military provisions and cavalry horse fodder) that I asked you about?"

"All right. Somehow I managed to procure them, but..." Poncho sounded

awfully non-committal, especially considering he was saying he'd managed

to get the supplies ready.

"Is something the matter?" I asked.

"No... I was just worried whether these numbers were correct," Poncho

said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "The supply totals you requested

could easily support the Forbidden Army for over a month, you see... It

wasn't easy to gather them, so if the numbers were in error, it will mean

we've taken massive losses, yes."

Ah, that made sense. When he looked at the numbers I could currently

mobilize from the Forbidden Army, he worried that the amount of supplies

was too high. There were only around 10,000 men, after all.

"It's not a problem," I said. "We do actually need all those supplies. In

fact, you could even say that this massive stock of supplies is what will

decide whether we win or lose."

"I-It is?" he stammered. "...It's a good thing that we had such an

abundant harvest this year. If you had asked me last year or before that, I

wouldn't have been able to gather this quantity."

"Yeah," I said. "Though this is the fruit of everyone's hard work. Of

course, that means it's thanks to you, too, Poncho."

"Y-You are too kind, yes!" Poncho, humbled by the sudden praise, stood

up so straight, it looked he might bend over backwards.

I gave a wry laugh at his behavior, then shifted my gaze to Tomoe.

"How have things been on your end, Tomoe?" I asked.

"R-Right. I think I have another five rhinosauruses that will help us."

Because Tomoe was gifted with the ability to understand animals and

monsters, I had sent her to "recruit" some of the giant lizards,

rhinosauruses, that we used during our mission to provide relief to the GodProtected Forest.

Their ability to haul cargo, as I had seen during the road construction,

was truly amazing. I wanted to increase the number of them held by the

Forbidden Army, but because they were living creatures, it took quite some

time to train a rhinosaurus. Still, if we tried to deploy them without

substantial training, if the worst were to happen and they went berserk, their

bodies were huge. They could do a lot of damage.

That made this a job for Tomoe, who could understand the languages of

all living creatures. Tomoe could listen to requests from the rhinosauruses.

Mind you, it seemed rhinosauruses weren't all that smart (maybe on the

same level as stegosauruses, which they say had brains the size of a chicken

egg?), so their requests usually amounted to "tasty food" and "a place to

breed safely."

In order to accomplish that, I had ended up creating a rhinosaurus

preserve in the kingdom, but it was a small price to pay for a long-distance,

high-speed means of shipping, roughly equivalent to a train, that would be

loyal and require no training.

"M-Madam Tomoe's ability truly is incredible, yes," Poncho said.

"It sure is," I agreed. "I'm glad I was able to take her under my

protection before she fell into the hands of some other country."

"Y-You're flattering me." Tomoe turned a bright red and looked down in

embarrassment.

The doors to the governmental affairs office opened, and Liscia walked

in. "Souma..."

There's something troubled in her expression, I thought. ...I'm a little

worried.

"...Poncho, Tomoe," I said. "Could I ask you to leave us alone for a

moment?"

"Y-Yes, you can, yes."

"O-Okay, Big Brother..."

With a bow, they headed out of the governmental affairs office, leaving

me and Liscia alone in the room.

We were both silent for a moment, but then I rose from my seat and

moved over to the bed in the corner. Then, sitting down on the bed, I

motioned for Liscia to come over to my side.

Liscia sat down next to me, like I'd asked. Sitting on my own bed, a

beautiful girl at my side, this should have been a lovely situation, but the

atmosphere was heavy and oppressive.

"...You came because you needed to talk about something, right?" I

asked Liscia, unable to bear the silence any longer.

Liscia seemed to resolve herself and began to speak, the words coming

out slowly. "In the castle town... there are rumors that you're raising an

army against the three dukes."

I said nothing.

"They say a clash with Duke Carmine is inevitable." Liscia turned to

face me. Her eyes were quivering with uncertainty.

...I could hardly blame her. For Liscia, I was her king and fiancé, while

General Georg Carmine had been her superior during her time in the army,

and she respected him. If the two of us came into conflict, Liscia would feel

like she was being crushed from both sides. In order to avoid that, I knew

she had sent a number of letters to Georg, who was secluding himself in his

own territory, asking that he meet with me.

"Is... Is there nothing else you can do?" she stammered.

When she asked me that with those quivering eyes, I wanted to say

something, but...

Unable to find the words, I could only nod in silence.

Seeing my reaction, Liscia murmured, "Right... Of course..."

With just those words, she faced forward and her shoulders slumped.

It was frustrating. Having to take this route, even though I knew it would

hurt Liscia. This had gone far enough that neither Georg or I could back

down. In that case... At the very least...

"...Liscia."

"...What?"

"I want you to tell me about Georg Carmine," I said.

"?!"

Liscia raised her face and looked at me.

"...Why now, when it's this late?"

"I want to know what kind of person the man I'm going to fight is," I

said. "Now that I think about it, I've never met the guy, after all."

Liscia was silent for a moment. She seemed a little bewildered, but in

time, she began to talk.

"Duke Carmine... Georg Carmine is a warrior of unprecedented ability.

He's a burly lion-headed beastman, and while he has no small amount of

personal ability in combat, they say it's when you put him in charge of an

army that he shows his true value. He is a great general, able to handle

himself in a field of battle, or as the attacker or defender in a siege. When

he led the vanguard during a retreating battle under the man who was king

before my father, I hear that he managed to take the head of the enemy

commander, even in that losing battle."

"That's pretty amazing, huh..." I said.

You're doing well if you can just keep ally losses to a minimum during a

retreat, but to go and deal a blow to the enemy, as well—that was like

something a famous general from the Warring States Period would have

done. It reminded me of the young Shingen Takeda, who had run ahead of

his father Nobutora's retreating army to seize a castle in a surprise attack.

"You're darn right it's amazing," she said. "Not only did he have the

leadership to keep up the morale of a defeated army, but it was also a feat

he couldn't have pulled off without the perception to locate a spot where

they could meet the enemy efficiently."

There was a slight pride in Liscia's voice as she spoke. She really... did

respect him, huh.

"When my father took the throne, this country changed the way it

expanded," she continued. "With my father, who was, for better or for

worse, an ordinary king ruling this country, we ought to have been an easy

target for nearby countries."

"You're awfully harsh, even though he's your own father," I

commented.

"Well, it's the truth. Still, that never happened. Because Duke Carmine

always kept a keen eye on the west, neither Amidonia or Turgis tried to lay

a hand on us. Despite being the greatest warrior of his generation, he had no

ambition and served my father loyally. ...No, that's not it. Rather than it

being for my father's sake, Duke Carmine just had a pure love for this

country."

"Why for this country?" I asked.

"Don't you know?" she asked. "There are still countries in this world

that discriminate against other races. The Empire holds up the values of

racial equality now, but there is still discrimination against nonhumans in

some regions. There are also places where it's the other way around; in the

northwest, there's a high elf island country that promotes a policy of high

elf supremacy, and it's humans who are looked down on there."

It looked like those sorts of problems that you find everywhere existed

in this world, too.

"But, in this country, we don't have that sort of discrimination," she

continued. "Even if it exists, there's no outlet for it. The races that were

against that sort of discrimination to begin with gathered under the first

king and cooperated to make this country prosperous, so that they wouldn't

have to live under the yoke of anyone else. That is what this country is

like... and Duke Carmine loved it more than anyone."

There, Liscia paused for a moment before continuing to speak.

"In his personal life, Duke Carmine is a man who knows how to be

polite. He had a close relationship to my father that was more than just

professional, and he often offered my father advice. He even cared for me

like his own daughter. As for myself... I loved Duke Carmine."

I was silent.

She continued, "When I went to the Officer's Academy because I

wanted to become a soldier, he was opposed to it at first. He said it was

unbecoming of a princess. But, in the end, he let me have my way. Mind

you, once I graduated from the academy, I was placed at his command, and

was only used to encourage the troops."

Well, yeah... He couldn't have used the princess, a blood relative of the

king, as one of his subordinates. Even Georg, as impressive a man as he

was, must have had a lot of trouble dealing with Liscia's tomboyishness.

"So, he was like a second father to you, huh?" I asked.

When I said that, Liscia hung her head in sadness. "Yeah... He was a

wonderful man. So why did he..."

Liscia started to say something, but stopped, shaking her head.

"I don't know exactly what Duke Carmine was thinking... But perhaps,

it may have been because he was a warrior."

"Because he was a warrior?" I asked.

"Duke Carmine is over fifty," she said. "A beastman's lifespan is no

different from a human's. Were he just a general, he would still have many

years left to grow, but as a warrior, it's all downhill from here. I think,

maybe, that's why he's trying to do something big for his country right

now."

"...Even if that means becoming a traitor?" I asked.

"If he thought that would benefit this country, Duke Carmine would do

it."

There was a degree of trust in those words that I couldn't help but envy

a little.

I spoke up. "Tomorrow... I will hold a conference with the three dukes

over the Jewel Voice Broadcast."

There were four Jewel Voice Broadcast jewels in this country. Three of

them were held by the three dukes. Using those jewels, we would hold

something like a video conference. There, I would issue a final ultimatum

to the three dukes that they were to submit to me as my vassals. I would

have to fight anyone who refused. And, regardless of what the other two

did, there was zero chance that Georg would comply.

"Liscia, if this is hard on you..." I began.

"I'm going to attend," she said.

She wouldn't even let me say she didn't have to.

Liscia put on a smile clouded with sadness. "I know. Duke Carmine has

already made his choice. He can't turn back now."

"Liscia..." I said.

"I want to watch to the end, because I know that. I want to see how that

man lives his life." Liscia looked straight into my eyes.

Really... I had no words for her. So, to do the least I could do, I hugged

her tightly around the shoulders. She was trembling a little.

I tilted Liscia's head onto my shoulder.

Even though I was the king, I couldn't do anything more for her, and I

was angry at myself for that.

◇ ◇ ◇

—The same day, in Red Dragon City.

"Damn it... What the hell is going on?!"

In Red Dragon City, located in the north of the Elfrieden Kingdom, the

commander of the air force, Castor Vargas, was at his desk, holding his

head in his hands.

Red Dragon City was the central city of the Vargas Duchy, and also

where Castor's castle was located.

It was built at a slight elevation on a portion of the mountain that had

been cleared. This might have seemed a poor location for a central city,

given the inconvenience of transporting goods to it, but for the Vargas

Duchy, the ones who held the kingdom's air force, it gave them the

convenience of having access to transport wyverns in addition to combat

ones.

Each could carry as much as a cable car loaded with supplies, and there

were bus-like vehicles carried by four wyverns that went to each city, so the

remoteness of the site didn't matter that much.

Also, because the castle of the General of the Air Force was located in

Red Dragon City, the city's defenses were hardened.

While the location already made it like a mountain castle, it was also

surrounded by high walls. While the mountain slopes kept away battering

rams (vehicles with a massive stake meant for breaking through gates) or

scaling ladders (these came on vehicles built like fire trucks, which

provided a foothold for getting over the castle walls), the high walls would

defend against any attacks by infantry or cavalry.

The only means of attack that might have been effective was an assault

from the air with wyverns, but this was the Vargas family's specialty, so it

was fair to call it an impregnable fortress.

Furthermore, Castor, the current ruler of the city, was an excellent

commander. Even though Castor was not so good at the intricacies of

politics, he displayed an unmatched strength on the battlefield. In the last

hundred years of war for the Elfrieden Kingdom, he had always stood at the

head of the wyvern unit, mowing down foreign enemies as their vanguard

commander.

He had made a lot of errors due to not thinking things through well

enough, but his broadminded nature, his hot-blooded personality, and his

incredible strength had lent him a charisma that charmed his subordinates.

If we were to compare him to Zhang Fei in Chinese history, or Masanori

Fukushima in Japanese history, that might make it easier to understand.

Because he was that kind of person, he left management of the city

entirely to his wife, Accela, who was Admiral Excel's daughter, as well as

to Tolman, the man who was his second in command in the air force and

also the steward of his house.

No good could come from a poor manager butting into administrative

decisions, so this was probably for the best. Castor knew that running

around the battlefield suited him far better than managing a city.

Now Castor, the man who was ill-suited to thinking, was wracking his

brains over what to do for once.

"Tolman! Has Duke Carmine still not said anything?!" he exclaimed.

"...Not as of yet," the man in gentlemanly attire standing across from

him answered, continuing to stand upright as he did so. This was the man

entrusted with administrative control of Red Dragon City, the steward of the

House of Vargas, Tolman.

Castor banged his hands down on the desk. "The king's ultimatum

comes tomorrow! What is he contriving by not sending us any word before

that?!"

Tolman said nothing.

The people were all talking about a confrontation between the new king

and the three dukes, but that didn't mean the three dukes were all in

agreement. Army General Georg Carmine had made his opposition to the

king clear, but Navy Admiral Excel Walter took a more negative view of

fighting the king. Finally, for Castor... He was showing a position of

opposition to the king, but was wavering on that stance internally.

General Georg was his comrade in arms, and he respected him as a

warrior. Because Georg was the one raising the flag of rebellion, Castor had

assumed he had thought it through, and he had even pushed back against his

mother-in-law Excel to side with Georg in opposing the king. In other

words, while it was true that Castor had been suspicious when there had

been the sudden change of kings, he had left the decision of whether or not

he would oppose the new king to someone else.

Castor's own emotional immaturity had been one of the causes for this.

Dragonewts like Castor were a race that was longer lived than either

humans or beastmen. The speed of emotional development tended to be

inversely proportional to how long a race lived. Because of that, though

Castor had lived for over a hundred years, his mental age was around thirty,

and he treated the fifty-year-old Georg as an elder.

However, though he had sent a number of letters to Georg asking him

what their next course of action should be, he had received no response.

"There's got to be something wrong here!" Castor exclaimed. "If he was

going to make peace with the king now, he never would have acted against

him to begin with. On the other hand, if he intends to fight the king, he

should be desperate for our air force to help him. So why isn't he telling us

anything? Does he mean to fight the king with just the army?"

Tolman pondered. "The one thing I can think of is... Could he have been

'driven mad by ambition,' like Duchess Walter suggested? Master, even if

you distrust the new king Souma, you wouldn't want to harm the former

king Albert, his wife Elisha, and even Princess Liscia, would you?"

Harm the royal family.

When Tolman spoke those words, Castor cried out in a loud voice, "Of

course not! Duke Carmine himself said, 'Once King Souma is removed, I

will have King Albert take the throne once more, and we will support

him'!"

"And what if that were a lie?" Tolman asked. "Could it be that, in truth,

he wishes to take the throne for himself? If that is the case, you and

Duchess Walter will surely be his next enemies. In preparation for when

that happens, could he not be trying to settle things with just his own forces,

so as to keep the two of you from gaining influence after the war ends? So

that he can abolish both your houses after the war?"

"That's absurd!" Castor burst out. "There's no way Duke Carmine

would ever think of doing that!"

Castor denied it, but as would be expected from one entrusted as the

steward of his house, Tolman had the ability to calmly analyze things. This

was the conclusion Tolman had come to, setting aside appeals to emotion

and looking purely at the interests of those involved.

However, because Castor knew Georg well, he couldn't accept that

argument.

"There isn't a warrior who cares more for this country than Duke

Carmine!" Castor protested. "He could never harm the royal family..."

"However, was it not because of her doubts about Duke Carmine that

Duchess Walter parted ways with him?" Tolman asked. "Even going so far

as to take the mistress and Young Master Carl back home with her?"

"..."

Fearing Castor's wife Accela and their young, eldest son Carl would be

held collectively responsible, Excel had demanded that he divorce Accela,

and she was now sheltering them at the House of Walter. At the very least,

they would not be caught up in the showdown between Georg and Souma

that was no doubt coming. That offered Castor some small comfort, at least.

Castor rested his elbows on the desk, covering his eyes with his hands.

"...I just can't imagine that Duke Carmine would be driven mad by

ambition."

"Master..." Tolman began.

"I'm sorry, but could you leave me alone for a moment?"

"...As you wish."

With a bow, Tolman left the office.

Left alone in the room, Castor leaned all the way back in his chair,

staring up at the ceiling. And then...

"Carla," he said quietly. "You're there, aren't you?"

The window behind Castor opened, and a girl with red wings came in

with an embarrassed look on her face. With long red hair the same color as

her wings, this beautiful girl who looked to be around eighteen was Castor's

only daughter, Carla. In contrast to her pretty girl look, she had the courage

and combat sense to lead an air force unit into battle.

"So you noticed me," she said.

"You'll need to hide your presence better than that. The sound of your

wings when you landed on the balcony gave you away."

"But that's not sensing my presence." Carla shrugged her shoulders.

Then she pulled a bundle of letters from her pocket.

Because he was talking to his daughter, Castor was taking a less formal

tone. "What are those?"

"From Liscia," she said. "Liscia sent a number of them, asking us to

make peace with King Souma."

Carla considered Liscia a friend. They had gotten to know one another

after Liscia had joined the army. Because both had serious personalities,

and both had enlisted in the military despite being women of high birth,

they had a lot in common, and had become fast friends.

However, because Carla was even more serious than Liscia... or, to put it

in less favorable terms, she was a bit hard-headed... when Liscia had gotten

engaged to King Souma, Carla had suspected coercion, and she had become

hostile towards Souma. Because of that, even when her mother and brother

had gone to the Walter house, she had remained here by herself with her

father Castor.

However, at this point, Carla was beginning to have a change of heart. "I

can feel Liscia's passion in these letters. It's not coming from someone who

was coerced into a betrothal she doesn't want. Also, in her letters, Liscia

cautioned to 'Beware Duke Carmine as he is now.' ...We may have been the

ones who were mistaken."

"...I see," Castor said. "So Princess Liscia feels the same way, does

she?"

Castor's shoulders slumped. Then, as if making up his mind, his head

rose.

"Carla... It's not too late. Go be with Accela. I'm the only one who

needs to go along with Duke Carmine."

As a father, he must have wanted to avoid getting her caught up in

something he was doing out of friendship. However, Carla shook her head,

her mind already made up.

"I don't even know how I'm supposed to show my face to Liscia after

all this," she said. "Besides, you still believe Duke Carmine has put some

thought into this, don't you, Father? In that case, let's see our position

through to the end. Even if Duke Carmine is defeated and we become

traitors, if you fall at his side, having believed in your friendship, I doubt

the people would laugh at you for that."

"But... then you'd..."

"I was born into a military family," Carla told him. "I am prepared. Oh,

don't worry, we have Carl, so at least the house and our bloodline will

remain. That's why, as members of the House of Vargas, we will leave

behind a record of distinguished military service."

"...I see."

Learning of Carla's determination, Castor made his own decision. He

would believe in Georg Carmine to the end, and he was ready to fall for

that.

To that end, he did not call up the air force units stationed around the

Vargas Duchy. This was done out of consideration, so that even if he came

into conflict with the king after the ultimatum tomorrow, he would fight

with only his own personal forces in Red Dragon City, and would not drag

the rest of the air force into the conflict.

◇ ◇ ◇

—At night, the same day, in a certain location.

"I see... Those two have resolved themselves to do it, then."

When she learned of Castor and Carla's movements from the spies she

had sent to Red Dragon City, Navy Admiral Excel Walter's beautiful face

took on a look of sorrow, and she let out a sigh.

This antlered beauty who, despite having lived for five hundred years,

looked no older than twenty-five, stood at the window in her dark room,

staring out at the night sky. Even the clothes she wore seemed to weigh her

down now.

Tonight it was cloudy, and she could barely see any stars.

"Castor is prepared to martyr himself for his friendship with Georg,"

Excel said sadly. "And Carla is prepared to follow him to the end as he does

it. Fools though they are, I cannot bring myself to deny the validity of their

choices entirely."

Excel closed her eyes slowly, bringing a hand to her ample bosom which

was apparent even through her kimono-like outfit.

What was she to think, having learned of her son-in-law and

granddaughter's determination?

Some time passed before she opened her eyes once more, turning her

back to the window and walking away.

"If anything, this only gives me more reason to do as I must."

Even if that meant treading on their determination...