The Paths of Brother and Sister

— End of the 1st Month, 1554th year — Night — Parnam Castle—

It was around the time when the celebratory mood of New Year's had

started settling down. While I was working overtime in the governmental

affairs office like every other day, I felt a shadow creep up behind me.

Aisha, who was sitting on the couch with her mouth hanging half open

in a somewhat disappointing way, suddenly jumped to her feet and put her

hand on the hilt of her sword.

Should I praise her for being able to guard him properly while asleep on

the job? Or complain that she shouldn't fall asleep in the first place? I

thought.

She cast a sharp glance behind me and challenged the intruder, saying,

"Who goes there?"

"It is I, my lord," came the voice of Kagetora, leader of the Black Cats,

from behind me.

Given that it was someone who was able to slip through the defense

network inside Parnam Castle and get this close before Aisha noticed him,

there probably wasn't anyone else it could have been. And this was why I

remained calm even when Aisha jumped to her feet.

"You've got something to report, huh? Aisha. Could you stand by the

door and keep people away?"

"Yes, sire! Understood."

Kagetora's subordinates, the Black Cats, would also be keeping watch,

so I was just being extra cautious. Once we were ready, I looked at him.

"Go on?"

"Yes, sir. The agents of the Great Tiger Empire, who were actively

sniffing around inside our nation last year, have downsized the scale of their

operations since the start of this year. We believe they have given up on

maneuvering inside our country."

"Well, we have been thoroughly crushing any seeds of unrest they could

have fomented, after all."

Obviously, there was no way to rule without causing discontent among

the people. However, even if people were dissatisfied, we could keep it at a

level where they wouldn't want to take up arms to remedy the situation.

Hashim probably wanted to incite a rebellion of the people against the state,

but the rebels would be risking their own lives.

Unless they suffered under harsh rule and were in such a desperate

situation that it was do or die for them, they wouldn't rise up so simply.

Even if there were prospective rebels among the people, their friends and

acquaintances who didn't want to be held responsible for their actions could

be expected to turn them in before anything came of it.

In the nineteenth chapter of Machiavelli's The Prince, "That One Should

Avoid Being Despised and Hated," he says that "those who conspire against

a prince always expect to please the people by his removal; but when the

conspirator can only look forward to offending them, he will not have the

courage to take such a course," and also that "he who conspires cannot act

alone, nor can he take a companion except from those whom he believes to

be malcontents."

Ultimately, ruling in a way that makes it hard for the people to get upset

will save a king. I had my new wife, Maria, flying all over doing her

philanthropic work, absorbing the troubles of the powerless and reporting

them back to us to be remedied. These sorts of small things had culminated

together to deal a painful blow to Hashim's scheming.

I crossed my arms and looked up at the ceiling.

"If I were to think of anyone else he could agitate in this kingdom, it

would be those who might want the throne for themselves or those who are

against the current trend towards meritocracy. But the Royal House of

Elfrieden was largely wiped out in Elisha's time, and as for the Princely

House of Amidonia, Roroa and Julius are both trustworthy allies."

"There are no royals who could rebel against you."

"Yeah. As for the corrupt nobles who might be counted on to rebel at a

time like this, I purged them all a year after receiving the throne... If I

consider that as preparation for now, I guess it was worth getting their blood

on my hands."

I looked down at my own hands. I couldn't believe I'd truly made the

right decision back then, but now I felt it was a good decision. When I

thought about how those guys could have still been hanging around at this

point...it gave me the shudders. Well, that was only something I could say in

hindsight.

After a long pause, Kagetora nodded and said, "I suppose."

We shared a quiet moment of sadness together.

Then, as if to dispel that emotion, I shook my head.

"Well, if there's less pressure on us, then that's for the best. We just have

to prepare for the coming war, so we're ready for anything. And maybe...we

might even need to borrow a helping hand from 'the dead,' you know?" I

joked while sending a meaningful look in Kagetora's direction.

Kagetora, however, didn't stir in the slightest. "There is no need for

concern, my lord. The strength of the young ones in this country grows by

the day. There will be no need to cling to such absurd nonsense as the dead

being returned to life."

"Oh, yeah?"

Hearing Kagetora's weighty voice say that there was no need for

concern, I couldn't help but feel everything really was okay...

"Your Majesty! Someone is coming," Aisha suddenly called from where

she stood in front of the door.

Before I could signal to Kagetora with my eyes, he had already

vanished. He's really polished his whole ninja act.

After some time, there was a hesitant knock at the office door.

"Come in," I called, and Yuriga entered. She looked at me and Aisha as

though she were about to say something but was hesitant to.

"What's up, Yuriga?"

She seemed to find her resolve and looked up.

"S-Souma! I want you to let me go home!"

◇ ◇ ◇

The story turns back roughly two months, towardsthe end of the

previous year...

In the changing room at the multipurpose Parnam Stadium that had been

constructed, Yuriga was hanging her head while still in her mage soccer

uniform. Until a little while ago, her team, the Parnam Black Dragons, had

been in a showdown with the Lagoon City Doldons to decide the top spot in

this mage soccer season. It was an important match that decided the overall

winner.

Urgh. We lost... And we almost had it too...

The two teams fought for points, and it wasn't even settled after

overtime, so the heated match went to a penalty shoot-out which regrettably

ended with the Parnam Black Dragons letting victory slip away from them.

Suddenly, someone threw a towel over Yuriga's head.

"Good work, Queen."

Brushing the towel aside, Yuriga shot a cold glance at the speaker.

"Could you not call me that, Captain?"

"Oh, my. You don't like it?"

The captain of this team, who had also been Yuriga's senior during her

time at the Royal Academy, was a female dragonewt. She sat down next to

Yuriga, seemingly unconcerned.

"Whew, we got real close there, huh? Almost had it."

"You're not frustrated, Captain?"

"'Course I am. I'd locked myself in a bathroom stall until a little while

ago."

The captain was known for making such jokes, so for a moment, Yuriga

thought that was all it was, but on closer inspection, her captain's smiling

face had faint traces of tears in the corners of her eyes. They were both

equally frustrated, but the team leader, she was doing her best not to let it

show.

Yuriga clenched her fists. "Our team is good enough. We could have

won...so I can't help but think of things I should've done differently."

"Yeah, I know. And we got led on a merry chase by the Doldons's

unorthodox strategy in this game too. I heard rumors that Duchess Excel

was giving advice at their strategy meeting for fun."

"Urgh! That old—mmph!"

The captain hurriedly covered Yuriga's mouth to stop the insult that

almost slipped out of it.

"Whoa! You can't say that!"

There were some unwise things to say to Excel, and rumor said that if

you uttered any of them, she'd suddenly appear behind you. Incidentally,

this rumor had originated from a base of the former Navy because it was

easy for her to overhear there, but it seemed the stories had taken on a life

of their own.

The captain removed her hand from Yuriga's mouth and shot her a grin.

"Well, we'll just have to try harder next time. Let's lift up the victor's cup

together next year!"

"Next year... Sure."

Yuriga's expression darkened at the words "next year." That would be

when her brother, Fuuga Haan, would attack this country. That's what her

husband, Souma, and the elites of this country thought and were preparing

for.

Would there even be mage soccer matches next year? What would the

people think of her, Fuuga Haan's little sister, being on the team? It was

depressing to consider. However, at the same time, she wanted to protect

her life in this country. For that reason, Yuriga knew there were things only

she could do. She understood Souma's current policy. With that in mind,

Yuriga thought of a decisive move she could make.

In order to reach a bright future...I'll go back to my brother's place!

Temporarily!

Yuriga decided to resolve herself to a temporary return home to the

Great Tiger Empire.

◇ ◇ ◇

"I want you to let me go home!"

Both Aisha and I doubted our ears when we heard her sudden request.

Even when she fought with Liscia or one of the others and things got

touchy, someone always stepped in to mediate the situation. They could

generally count on Juna to smooth things over, and on the rare occasions

when Juna got angry, everyone realized the family was in crisis and worked

to put her in a good mood. The family stayed harmonious that way, so we'd

never heard talk like this before. Although that was partially because

Parnam Castle was Liscia's home.

As I was in a daze thinking, That line sure does some damage hearing it

from someone close to you... Aisha snapped back to her senses first and

closed in on Yuriga, then seized her by the shoulders.

"Y-You shouldn't make a hasty decision, Yuriga! A royal divorce is no

small matter! If there's something wrong with His Majesty, I'll make him

fix it, so please reconsider!"

We're assuming I did something?! Oh...no, maybe I did? While I

contemplated my past actions, Aisha shook Yuriga by the shoulders.

"Please reconsider, Yuriga!"

Yuriga blinked rapidly as her head shook back and forth. "Huh?

Divorce? What are you talking about, Aisha?"

Judging by the blank look on her face, it seemed there was a

misunderstanding. We breathed deeply to calm ourselves, and Yuriga loudly

cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry... In my haste, I didn't explain myself well enough. When I

say I want to return home, it's not because I want a divorce. I mean that I

want to go back to the Great Tiger Empire temporarily in order to meet with

my brother. I was hoping to get your permission for that today."

"A temporary return home...? At a time like this?"

I felt my own brow furrow. Everyone in my family and the upper

echelons of this country shared an understanding that Fuuga would be

attacking us sometime this year. Yuriga's decision must have been made

with that in mind too. Her resolve was firm; she wasn't shaken at all, seeing

the harsh look on my face.

"It's because it's a time like this that I've decided there are things only I

can do."

"Okay... Let's hear what you have to say."

"Huh? You're okay with it?" Aisha asked.

I nodded. "You've got some idea in mind, right? Let's hear what that is

first."

"Thank you." Yuriga bowed her head slightly. Then, raising her face

again, she looked me in the eyes. "I've thought this through a lot on my

own. If fighting my brother is unavoidable, maybe we can keep it short? If

the war drags on, both sides will only take more casualties and exhaust

themselves. When I considered if there was anything I could do to avoid a

protracted conflict, a thought dawned on me."

"And that is...?" I asked.

"Putting a time limit on my brother's ambitions." Yuriga nodded. "If

there's a time limit, like in a mage soccer match, we can lower the damage

to this country."

"Hmm, I get it, but not entirely... Are you talking about a winter truce or

something along those lines?"

"No, I'm not thinking of something where he'll attack again once it

warms up next year. If he's going to attack this year, I want to put my

brother into a situation where if he doesn't win, he'll never have another

chance."

That makes sense. And you could call it putting a time limit on his

ambitions...

"If you were talking about dealing a crippling blow he can't recover

from in the first battle, then I get it. That's what we're aiming to do, after

all. But judging from how you're talking, that's not your aim, right?"

"Right. For argument's sake, even if my brother didn't attack this year,

my idea will put him in a situation where, from next year onward, he won't

be able to dream of conquering the continent anymore. I want to end his

ambitions this year, whether the war comes or not."

"Is that possible?"

"I can't say for certain, of course. But I think it'll be effective enough to

be worth trying. And it's something that only I, as his little sister, can do."

And so, Yuriga revealed her plan to me...

When she first started, I was very apprehensive that it would work. But

as I listened, I soon thought it might be a good move. I was particularly

impressed by the fact that this plan was based on something Yuriga had

learned in the Seadian city of Haalga. Even if her efforts ended in vain,

they'd surely pound another narrow wedge into Fuuga's ambitions.

"Hrmm... I think it'd be effective." I said, crossing my arms. "But...I

want to get Hakuya's opinion too."

"Oh! I've already consulted Mr. Hakuya. He placed a number of

conditions on it but agreed it was worth trying. He said you should make

the final decision."

She's already gotten him to sign off on it, huh? She didn't study

alongside Tomoe and Ichiha for nothing. I should've expected this kind of

sharp footwork from her.

"Okay, what were the conditions?"

"To make sure I can definitely return to this country and that the key to

this plan was being able to meet with my brother and talk, so not to get

hung up on having the meeting be at Haan Castle."

"Yeah. Well, that would be the thing to worry about."

If Yuriga, who came to our country as a bride, were to casually go to

Haan Castle, she'd be the perfect material to make accusations against us.

The disputes between royals had been used as justification for conflicts

since at least as far back as the Trojan War. They could spread rumors that

Yuriga ran away because I was rough with her, or something like that. Even

if Yuriga herself said otherwise, the truth could be crushed, and Yuriga

wouldn't be allowed to return here.

"How do you feel about this, Yuriga?"

"I'm aware that my return could reflect negatively on us. That's why,

although I'll be going back to the country, I'd like to arrange a meeting with

my brother somewhere near the border."

"Hmm? You're going to bring Fuuga all the way to our border?" I

doubted he would bother coming to a country he planned to attack. "I can't

see him agreeing to that..."

"You're right. Which is why I plan to meet near a different border."

Yuriga pointed to the world map sitting on the table, specifically the

northernmost point on the continent of Landia.

"Oh! Near Haalga, huh?"

"Yes. At the moment, it's effectively under the joint supervision of the

Maritime Alliance and the Great Tiger Empire. I'm thinking of calling my

brother to meet me here in this desert region. Being near Haalga is

convenient for my plan too, after all."

"You may be right, but that's pretty far away. How would you account

for the condition of your return to this country?"

"The Demon Lord...no, Madam Mao can use magic to transport people,

like Mother Dragon, right? Should she be willing to help, my safety is

guaranteed."

The plan even factors in Mao's overpowered abilities, huh?

Yuriga had a slightly worried look on her face. "But...that's assuming

that Madam Mao is willing to help. She's neutral, so if she refuses to assist,

then I'll have no choice but to give up on the plan."

Yeah... If Yuriga's safety isn't assured, I can't give her permission, I

thought, then replied, "Well...we can ask, at least."

"Huh?" Yuriga stared at me blankly, and I turned to Aisha.

"Aisha, could you open the kamidana for me?"

"Yes, sire. Understood."

Aisha stretched to reach the Japanese-style kamidana that I'd had

installed at a high point in the governmental affairs office and opened the

doors to the little shrine within. I'd made myself with my amateur carpentry

skills. And inside was the red magatama I'd received from Mao that day.

While she was doing that, I activated a simple receiver. Yuriga looked

on, clueless as to what was happening.

I stood before the kamidana and clapped my hands together while facing

the magatama.

"Mao. If you can hear me, could I ask you to show yourself?"

"You called, Lord Souma?"

Hearing an immediate response, I turned to the simple receiver where

the image of DIVAloid MAO was projected.

This magatama was something that Mao had given to me in place of a

mortuary tablet because I'd been separated from my original world without

being able to bring anything to remember my family by. She'd said it

contained my biological data, but it had some minor functionality beyond

just data storage—it was also a means of contacting Mao.

Mao was an artificial intelligence. If I activated her, she could respond

instantly. She had no need for private time or sleep, so she could join in on

broadcast meetings with the leaders of other countries without any need to

adjust schedules. She lacked a physical body too, but as long as I had the

magatama and something for her to project herself onto, we could talk

anytime.

This function was added at Mao's request in case there was another bug

on her end that needed my (or my bloodline's) authorization to fix it.

Because Mao was an AI with no corporeal form, you could say that by

calling her to this room, she was actually "here."

I turned to Mao, who had a look of blank confusion on her face at my

sudden call. "Mao. I want you to decide if something is possible or not."

"Hmm? What would that be?"

I told Mao about Yuriga's plan. "And there you have it... So, do you

think you can help us?"

"Sure, I can."

With the situation explained, Mao was quick to agree. It was so easy that

Yuriga and I just sort of looked at one another in shock.

"Are you sure? You don't intervene in this world's conflicts, right?

Though, in this case, I'm not certain it counts as intervening."

"That's correct. Tiamat and I aren't given the authority to take part in the

wars between the new races of mankind... Not even if they put your life at

risk, Lord Souma. If that is the choice of the new mankind, then we are

programmed to be unable to intervene. I cannot send reinforcements to help

in a war between the new races of mankind either, nor can I transport

supplies or people involved in such a war."

Mao was apologetic, but soon raised her head once more.

"However, what you have requested of me does not conflict with that.

War will not have broken out yet at the time; all I will be doing is

guaranteeing the safety of Yuriga and providing a place for the meeting. Her

plan would not directly affect the war, right?"

"Yeah. That's right," Yuriga answered with a firm nod. "What I want to

do likely won't have any influence on the war that might happen between

the Maritime Alliance and the Great Tiger Kingdom. Before my brother

does anything, I want to go home briefly and have a talk with him. Simply

put, that's all it is. And you would only provide a place where we can talk,

brother and sister, without anyone interfering."

"And you're not lying?" Mao prodded.

"I swear it on my name as a Haan," Yuriga asserted.

Nodding, Mao replied, "Then there's no problem. Would you like me to

transport you to Haalga right now?"

Oh, she can do it already? Man, just like with Madam Tiamat, beings

that can use transportation magic exist on a totally different level.

Yuriga shook her head at the offer. "No, I still have to prepare. I'll come

to you when that's finished."

"Oh, I see... Well, once the war starts—or if it's about to—it's possible I

won't be able to help you anymore, so please understand."

"I know. I'll definitely be ready before then."

"Understood. I'll be going then." With that, the receiver stopped, and

Mao's image vanished.

There wasn't any response from the magatama, so I asked Aisha to close

the kamidana's doors. Squaring that all away, I then turned to Yuriga.

"Okay, assuming we have Mao's assistance, what of the other

preparations you mentioned?"

"Oh! There's something that I want you to get ready for me when I meet

with my brother."

"What's that?"

Yuriga asked me to lend her something. My eyes widened at what it was.

"You want that?! Uh, isn't bringing it with you going to be a tremendous

amount of effort?"

"It doesn't have to be all of it, of course. If I can borrow just a little and

show it to my brother, I think that'll help with convincing him of what I'll

be saying."

Oh, just some of it will do? In that case, yeah, it's possible. I sighed.

"But it's not in our country now. I'll have to get permission from Shabon."

"Well...use the power of the Maritime Alliance, or whatever."

"You make it sound so easy... Oh, fine." I scratched my head as I

nodded. If I explained and then gave it back afterwards, Shabon would

probably approve.

I looked at Yuriga again. There was a look of hope in her eyes, as if she

were clinging to me. But at the same time, I also sensed a determination to

follow through on her convictions.

"I think this plan of yours is interesting, Yuriga. I'm sure it'll fluster

Fuuga and potentially put a time limit on his ambitions...but you can't

expect much more than that. Like, say, Fuuga casting aside his goal of

uniting the continent."

Yuriga reacted with stunned silence.

Yeah... I figured that was it.

There was no lie in what Yuriga had told us. But I felt like her slight

hopes were behind the plan. The thought that maybe, possibly, she could

stop the impending invasion. Even if the chance was so faint that it was

nearly impossible, she couldn't help but chase after it.

"There probably isn't even a one in a million chance that Fuuga will

change how he lives."

"..."

"But you want to do it anyway, right?"

"...Yes." Yuriga nodded firmly. "I also doubt my brother's going to

suddenly change how he lives his life at this point. But...I want to show him

that there's another way. That there's a future where things aren't settled by

fighting. Even if it's something I'm sure he'll never choose, I want him to

see it. And if there's even a one in a million—no, a one in a billion chance

that he might choose a different path—I want to show it to him. That's how

I feel!"

She was fighting back tears. Her words were powerful. I could feel

Yuriga's determination seeping into them.

"I think those hopes will betray you."

"Even so!"

"I see..."

If she was this determined, there was nothing more for me to say.

I took a deep breath, then, in the gentlest tone I could manage, I said,

"Give it a shot and see what happens. Do what you believe is best."

"Oh! Thank you!" Yuriga's words were tinted with glee.

I looked at her with a serious expression and said, "But please, promise

me just one thing."

"What's that...?"

"Even if things don't play out how you want them to, you must come

back here. You're part of the family now, and this is your home. Promise

me that, at the very least."

"That's right! You can't just not come home!" Aisha backed me up.

Of course, I planned to ask Mao to transport her home, whether she

liked it or not, once she was done. There wasn't any point in extracting a

verbal promise, but I wanted to communicate our feelings to her properly.

After giving a blank look for a second, Yuriga answered, "Yes!" Smiling

with tears in the corners of her eyes, she added, "And if it doesn't work, let

me cry on your chest."

◇ ◇ ◇

About a month passed...

Yuriga and Fuuga stood facing one another in front of the gates of

Haalga, the Seadian city on the northern edge of the continent. Fuuga only

had Mutsumi with him, but his forces were standing in a location a short

distance away. Yuriga, on the other hand, had Kagetora behind her.

In order to show this meeting was of Yuriga's accord, Souma had the

rest of the Black Cats guard her from the shadows. By only having

Kagetora visible, it conveyed that she had other unseen guards as a way of

keeping the other side in check.

"I didn't expect you to call me out here."

"It's been a while since we've seen you, Yuriga."

Fuuga and Mutsumi bowed their heads to her.

"Yes, it has been a long time, Brother and Big Sister Mutsumi. Thank

you for coming all this way."

"Oh, you can drop the formalities," Fuuga said bluntly. "Anyway,

you've got something to say to me, don't you?"

"Yes. I need you to hear this, Brother."

Yuriga looked her brother straight in the eyes. His stare could intimidate

almost anyone but not his little sister. Even as Fuuga prepared to gobble up

the world, Yuriga could stand before him on her own. And seeing her again,

he felt her determination.

"Huh? Right now? While fully aware of the risks that come with you

standing before us as Souma's wife?"

Fuuga was testing her, but she was uncowed.

"Yes." She nodded. "Because I think this will be the only time I can talk

to you."

"The way you say that...it doesn't sound like you plan on coming

home."

"I'm already married to Souma. If I have any home, it's Parnam Castle

now."

"Tough talk. You know Hashim wants to take you into custody..."

"Big Brother Hashim would definitely do it too. Is this going to be

okay?" Mutsumi asked, concerned.

"It will be just fine," Yuriga answered with a nod. "I've made escape

preparations, should they be needed."

"Heh heh!" Fuuga let out a hearty chuckle. "You sure have gotten

strong. Our little Yuriga's grown up so much."

The three of them all had relaxed looks on their faces, and if you took

away the big man in the eerie black tiger mask, it would have looked like

nothing more than two siblings having a casual chat.

"And?" Fuuga said, putting a hand on his hip. "What is it you want me

to hear?"

"Something that I think you'd want to hear..." Yuriga raised her right

hand. As she did, the gates of Haalga opened, and there was a rumble as the

sandy ground began to shake.

Eventually, something massive was brought through the gates and

carried out behind Yuriga. As Fuuga and Mutsumi's eyes widened, Yuriga

stared back at them, her gaze unwavering.

"I wanted to show you this. You ought to know about it because...it was

in my reports," Yuriga said, gesturing to the object behind her. "And what I

want to tell you is about the world as it was born."

◇ ◇ ◇

A few days after heading off on her trip to the north, Yuriga returned to

the Kingdom of Friedonia safe and sound. Although adequate measures had

been put in place to ensure her safety, it was almost a let down how easily

she returned from her short trip back home. However, I couldn't be sure that

her state of mind was nearly as relaxed.

I heard she would be arriving at Parnam Castle shortly, so I stayed in the

governmental affairs office to work while I waited for her. In her current

mental state, I felt that greeting her with too much concern or leaving her

alone were bad ideas. I'd discussed it with Liscia and Tomoe and decided

we should greet her as we normally did.

Although overtime at the office was a regularity for me...I heard a rap at

the door.

"Come in," I said.

"Sorry to bother you," Yuriga replied, coming in with her eyes lowered.

Once she was inside, Aisha quietly closed the door behind her, leaving

just me and Yuriga together.

"Welcome home, Yuriga."

She bowed her head with her eyes still downturned and said, "I've

returned."

Her tone of voice was normal. But I couldn't see her expression.

Worried, I rose from my chair, and she slowly walked towards me.

"I think I was able to pound a wedge into my brother's heart."

"Uh-huh."

"He can no longer run away, although I'm sure he never planned to. But

now, he'll have to stake everything on an all-or-nothing battle, with no

second chances."

"I see."

"But..."

I approached her, and Yuriga raised her face. Large tears began to roll

down her cheeks.

As she wept openly, biting the corners of her lips, Yuriga said, "I

couldn't...get my brother to choose a path other than fighting... I wanted...to

stop him...if I could... But no, it was never going to work."

I put my arms gently around Yuriga's shoulders and pulled her close.

She sobbed loudly into my chest.

"And if it doesn't work, let me cry on your chest." Remembering her

words, I kept my promise from that day, but it only felt painful. She must

have been frustrated. Yuriga had wanted Fuuga to stop, despite knowing it

wasn't even remotely possible. She'd still wanted to cling on to some vain

hope. And when it predictably didn't happen, she couldn't just write it off

like it was another calculated plan.

I rubbed her back like you might do to soothe a baby, but...

"Don't treat me like a child!" Yuriga shouted, shoving me in the chest.

"I'm your wife! If you're going to comfort me, do it like a husband should!"

I winced as she glared at me. She had the face of an independent

woman. When I first met her, she looked like a kid in middle school, but

she'd long since outgrown that.

"Understood."

I circled around behind Yuriga and hugged her tight as she continued

sobbing. She probably didn't want me to see her face like this.

We stayed like that for a while, in a room where no one would interrupt.

◇ ◇ ◇

The story now turns back to just after Fuuga and Yuriga's meeting...

Having finished their talk, Fuuga and Mutsumi returned to their military

camp, where they were met by their advisor, Hashim. While it had been

hard to imagine Yuriga would bring any harm to Fuuga, it was clear she

leaned towards the Kingdom of Friedonia's side. As such, the advisor was

wary of Souma's hands pulling her strings.

"Lord Fuuga. What did Lady Yuriga have to say? Was she scheming

something?"

"Hmm? It didn't seem like there was any secret plot or anything," Fuuga

answered as he jumped down from Durga's back. He helped Mutsumi down

from her horse before continuing, "As for what she said...it was just about

the world of the Seadian's."

"The world of the Seadians?"

What was life like in the north, where the Seadians were said to have

resided, before being transferred to this world? Why would Yuriga go so far

out of her way to tell Fuuga about it? Hashim's mind raced as he explored a

number of possibilities, but no clear answer emerged, much to his chagrin.

Fuuga shrugged and said, "Probably no point thinking about it. I doubt

an ulterior motive behind what Yuriga had to say."

"Are you certain of that?"

"Yeah. Well...she did serve me a strong dose of 'poison' though."

"What? Poison, you say?" Hashim's eyes widened at the unsettling word

that had suddenly entered the conversation, but Fuuga dismissed it with a

laugh.

"Not real poison, obviously. What Yuriga brought with her was,

well...let's call it a toxin of the heart. The info is like a delayed poison

that'll slowly affect my passion. It's one that would only work on me, and

something only she could craft as my little sister. Yeesh. Seems like she

really took a liking to Souma in the end."

Hashim furrowed his brow as Fuuga roared with laughter again.

"Toxic information? Are you still all right?"

"Nah, it's had more of an effect than I thought it would." Fuuga

scratched his head as if to say, "Well, what do I do now?" Even the calm

and cold-blooded Hashim was perturbed to see Fuuga acting like this.

"I have no idea what could have happened as I was simply watching

from a distance, but...does this have something to do with that thing that

Yuriga brought out?" Hashim asked.

"Nah, that's not important. She probably just hauled it out here for

explanation's sake."

"Just what is going on here...?" Frustrated by Fuuga's beating around the

bush, Hashim looked at Mutsumi.

With a somewhat sad expression, she answered, "I suspect that Yuriga

had been hoping to prevent Lord Fuuga and Sir Souma from fighting...

Even though she also saw an inevitable collision between the Great Tiger

Empire and the Kingdom of Friedonia, she likely hoped she could show

Lord Fuuga another future. And while he couldn't follow through with what

she wished for...it still clawed deep scars into Lord Fuuga's heart."

"Yeah. That sums it up," Fuuga said with a nod. "I also saw a glimpse of

Souma's thinking through my conversation with Yuriga. It seems he doesn't

plan to fight against us, but against something even bigger, and he plans to

win."

"Hmm? What in the world does that mean?"

"Sorry, I don't think I can put it into words all that well right now, so I'll

explain it to you later. That said, if we don't do something, I won't be able

to challenge Souma. Then there's Yuriga's poison on top of that. It looks

like I'll only get one chance to really take on Souma and his people. If I

can't win decisively, then I'll never be able to beat them again."

"So the coming war will decide everything, you say?" Hashim's

expression grew grim.

Fuuga nodded. "Exactly... Though Yuriga's poison was targeted at me

specifically, if someone were to take my place, they could probably have

another go at it."

"Surely you jest. This great nation would be unmanageable were it not

for your greatness."

"Yeah. Which is why the next battle will be the gamble of a generation."

Fuuga grinned with a feral look in his eyes.

The bigger and tougher the enemy, the more alive fighting them made

him feel. It was his nature, and it's what shaped him into the great man he's

become. For as long as he had this look on his face, Fuuga's charisma

would keep his followers believing that no one could halt his march.

Fuuga punched his fists together to hype himself up. "Okay, time's awasting. Even if we're not totally ready to go, it'll be bad news if we let

them completely prepare for us. Who's going to create this world's future?

Me or Souma? Let's go to his castle in Parnam and find out the answer!"

"Yes!"

"By your will."

Mutsumi and Hashim saluted Fuuga.

They hurriedly departed for Haan Castle, and Fuuga glanced back

towards Haalga, where he'd met his sister.

I'm sorry, Yuriga. I'm gonna walk my own path. And it looks like you've

chosen your path too. Let's keep running down our sides so we don't regret

our choices.