The Quiet Island, and the Tranquil Kingdom

— One night in the 12th month, 1548th year, Continental Calendar —

Bonk!

"Ow...! What?"

I had been asleep until mere moments ago, when something bonked me

on the head and forcefully stirred me from my slumber. Though the sky I

could see out the window was beginning to brighten, it was still dark. It's

probably around five in the morning... I thought; then I noticed my body felt

heavy for some reason. I was being held down so hard I couldn't roll over.

Moving just my head, I looked down toward my chest, and the reason

why was immediately apparent.

"...Wait, again...?"

"Zzz..."

Naden was sleeping on top of me, completely naked. I wasn't wearing

any clothes, either. Last night had been Naden's turn, so we'd both fallen

asleep in this state after, um... a whole lot of passionate lovemaking.

I put my hand on Naden's back as she lay between me and the blankets,

breathing softly. Her smooth skin was a little cool to the touch. I don't know

if it was because she was a ryuu, but Naden's temperature was generally on

the low side. It wasn't to the same degree as a cold-blooded animal, but if I

hugged her while I was sleeping in the summertime, she was comfortably

cool. By that same token, when I did that, my own body heat felt sweltering

to her, and she complained if I hugged her too long.

In winter, on the other hand, Naden would snuggle up to me. Because

she had a low body temperature, when she was alone, it took quite a while

for her blankets to warm up. Normally, she handled that using the heater I

had made for her, but when we slept together, she'd press her skin right up

against mine.

When she pressed up to me, sometimes, like right now, she would end

up climbing on top of me. Due to her petiteness, she easily fit right on top

of me. I was actually a little cold now, but if we fooled around a bit, the

blankets would warm up, and it wasn't an issue. If I could say there was one

problem, it was that when we were like this, with Naden nuzzling her cheek

against my chest, her horns hit my face sometimes. She was at least wearing

the horn covers (like mittens for her horns) I had sewn for her, but it still

was a bit of a shock whenever she hit me with them.

"Nngh..." Naden raised her head, and rubbed her eyes. When our eyes

eventually met, she cocked her head to the side. "Souma? You're awake? Is

it morning already?"

"It's still before dawn."

"Oh, yeah...? Well, I'm going back to sleep, then. Haah..."

"I'm all for that, but can you get off me first?"

"No way."

Shot down instantly. Oh, well.

I went back to sleep once more with Naden staying where she was.

When we first started sleeping like this, I had dreams where I was being

crushed flat by a rhinosaurus, but now... I was already pretty crushed. I

hope... these peaceful days... can last fore... ver... Zzz...

◇ ◇ ◇

One day, about a month after Georg Carmine's reputation was restored...

I was in the governmental affairs office receiving a report from Hakuya

about the effects of it. "The new information of Duke Carmine was a little

confusing to the people, but no one is making any noise about it anymore.

The almost excessive glorification of him, and the fact that Madam Mio

made a new pledge of loyalty to you, has led the majority to believe this is

what he would have wanted."

"Well, it would be weird for outsiders to hold it against me when his

own daughter doesn't."

Even if some other nation tried to set her against me and sow discord,

Mio herself had no intention of doing anything, so it wouldn't even create a

spark.

Hakuya continued, "The honor of men in the Army like Sir Beowulf,

who joined Duke Carmine's farce of a rebellion, and died along with him,

has been restored as well. Though, as part of the rebellion, those who had

families, like Sir Glaive, left the Army of their own volition—or were

forced to—so hardly any of those who died had kin left behind."

"It means he took those steps in advance. Well, even if their houses

aren't restored, as long as their honor is, they would probably be satisfied

with that."

"Yes. I'm sure Inuga—Ah, pardon me. I nearly started talking about

someone who definitely has nothing to do with the subject we're

discussing." Hakuya cleared his throat in a deliberate manner.

I smiled wryly and said, "That's true. You really shouldn't bring up

people who have absolutely no connection to what we're talking about."

"I'll be more careful in the future. Oh! Speaking of Madam Mio, there is

just one issue."

"With Mio? What?"

"It seems she's having trouble managing her domain."

"Ahh..."

With the restoration of Georg's honor, Mio had been reinstated as a

middle-ranked knight and given Randel and the surrounding area as her

domain. Because all knights belong to the National Defense Force, Mio

would be working in them, and would entrust management of her domain to

a magistrate during that time. However, because the Kingdom was always

short on capable hands, it wasn't easy to come by a talented magistrate.

Fortunately, the National Land Defense Force's base was near Randel,

so Mio didn't have to travel far. It seemed she had been managing things

there herself for some time, but Mio was a warrior to her core, and suddenly

being tasked with political duties had proved too much for her. It wasn't

long before her brain overheated. Those who had once managed the House

of Carmine had returned to her side, and Glaive of the House of Magna was

watching over her as a neighbor, but that didn't solve the fundamental

problem.

Hakuya shrugged. "Madam Mio has sent us a letter requesting we

introduce her to someone who is good at administrative tasks, and has a

head for numbers. 'If possible, I would like to marry someone who can do

mathematics, and have him manage the House of Carmine,' she says."

"In a way, you have to respect that."

"The calculations must have been really hard for her."

"But a husband, huh..." I rested my head on the palm of my hand. "I'm

sure there are a lot of knights and nobles who would want to form marital

ties with the reborn House of Carmine. If she puts out a call, I have no

doubt she'll find any number of candidates to be her husband. But, given

the importance of her house, I wouldn't want her getting engaged to anyone

strange. In some ways, it's even more important than with Poncho."

"Should we have Madam Serina scrutinize the candidates again?"

"In this case, Serina's the same gender as Mio, and she's already

Poncho's wife, so she wouldn't obstruct the process, but... that's not a

fundamental solution to the problem. The core issue is a shortage of

talented people."

Someone who was single, gifted at administrative tasks, strong at math,

and who I could accept marrying into the House of Carmine... Hakuya said

he had no intention of marrying just yet, and there just weren't that many

other... Hold on a second.

"Isn't there someone who comes to mind?"

"...There is. We have just the person for it." Hakuya seemed to have

come up with the same idea as me, and he nodded. "If you read the criteria

in this letter closely, it seems like she's requesting a specific person, too."

"Yeah, it does. The castle isn't a marriage consultancy service,

though..." That said, we still called in the person in question.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and a young man

with short hair walked in. "Your Majesty, did you require something of

me?"

"Hey, thanks for all your hard work, Colbert."

The young man who entered the room was our Minister of Finance,

Gatsby Colbert.

"I'll cut straight to the chase, Colbert. Would you help the House of

Carmine with their administrative tasks for a while? It would mean

commuting between the capital and Randel, though."

"By the House of Carmine, you mean... Madam Mio's house, right? The

one that was just reestablished."

"Yes. Mio is more of a warrior, and I hear she's been struggling with the

finances. You're an old acquaintance of hers, so why don't you go help her

out for a while?"

"Yes, sire! If that is your command, I will obey." Colbert put his hands

together in front of him and bowed his head. "But while I'm away, please

take care of Lady Roroa..."

"I know. I'll keep a close eye on her."

The man was a model Minister of Finance who never forgot to impress

the importance of these on me.

Once he had bowed and left, Hakuya asked me, "Was it all right not to

tell him she was looking for a husband?"

"I can't be sure how serious Mio is about that just from reading a letter.

It could be her griping about having to deal with the numbers, and bringing

it up would just make Colbert unduly cautious."

"You have a point there."

"I know, right? You know how it goes, eh?" I said with a suggestive

smile. "Let's let the young couple work it out between themselves."

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, around that same time... To the east of the Kingdom of

Friedonia, in the United Kingdom of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago

(called the Archipelago Union for short), in a port town that belonged to the

Archipelago Union, a young man had a frown on his face.

The tall and lanky man, whose hair was tied in a ponytail, had white fox

ears on his head, making it clear that he was a member of the mystic fox

race like Kaede. From the Nine-Headed Dragon katana he wore at his hip,

you could also tell he was a "mononofu," a job roughly equivalent to that of

a knight in the Kingdom of Friedonia.

The mononofu with white fox ears looked at the town and sighed. It

seems the situation is serious...

This island, like the other islands of the Archipelago Union, had a

prosperous fishing industry, and the ports were always bustling. The

islanders lived, and died, by the sea. It bore them a great bounty, but when

the waters were rough, it would take their lives without mercy. Because

they were in constant danger, they lived every day to the fullest.

That was why, at this time of day, the fishermen who had come back

from their early morning fishing were in the pubs, singing sea shanties... Or

they would have been, but...

Now there were few people in the port town, and it was silent, without a

sea shanty to be heard.

Many of the shops on what should have been a busy shopping street

were shuttered, and there were few products on display at the ones that

were open. There was a man on the side of the road who had drunk himself

into a stupor, lying down with no vitality in his face.

The mononofu with white fox ears peered into an open fishmonger's

business.

"Hello there, Chief. What can I help you with?" A beastman fishmonger

who had the face of a tanuki called out to him while rubbing his hands

together.

He called the man chief because he was the island chief, a position held

by one person on each island of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago

Union. By the same token, they called the chief of the largest island the

Nine-Headed Dragon King.

The mononofu with white fox ears was the island chief of a small island.

He saw that despite the small number of fish on display, they were all

awfully expensive. Fish that would have been sold in bulk before were

being sold individually and at close to double the price.

"That's expensive..." he muttered.

The tanuki-faced fishmonger crossed his arms in indignation. "Well,

what else would you have me do? The fishermen traveled a long way, close

to the continent in the west, and risked their lives for these fish, you know?

The cost of stocking them has gone up, so if I don't sell them for this much,

I won't be able to make a living."

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean it that way," he said, bowing his head. "We

mononofu defend the people. I felt like I was being forced to see how my

own powerlessness has made them suffer... If I offended you, I apologize."

"Oh, no. Please, raise your head. It's not your fault, Chief," the

fishmonger said, slightly panicked.

The mononofu with white fox ears purchased a number of fish and had

the owner wrap them.

"What's going to happen to this country...?" The tanuki-faced beastman

suddenly mumbled. "The taxes keep going up, even though we can't catch

fish, and I hear we're about to get into a fight with the Kingdom of

Friedonia to the west. The Empire in the east has been telling the chiefs of

all the islands that, 'The Kingdom will be coming to invade soon,' haven't

they?"

"Yeah..."

It was true that envoys from the Gran Chaos Empire had been visiting

the chiefs of each island recently. It seemed every island had seen them at

least once, and even the chief of a small island like this one had received a

visit.

The fishmonger got a far-off look in his eyes as he spoke, "It sounds like

the Nine-Headed Dragon King is scrapping for a fight, too. What are we

supposed to do if there's a war when we're in this state...?"

The mononofu with white fox ears had no answer, so he simply bowed,

and then left the store.

His home was situated on the island's high ground. Though it was called

a house, because of the history of conflict between the islands, each island

chief's residence was like a fortress. They were built on top of stone

fortifications and surrounded by white-painted walls. There was a building

on the low ground, and another on the high ground. The island chief

generally lived in the "second house," on the high ground, but carried out

his political duties in the "first house" on the low ground. This was all built

on the highest point on the island, so the gate of the second house had a

view of the bustling port, and the blue sea beyond it.

As he returned from the fishmonger, he noticed someone was waiting

for him by the gate.

"Lady Shabon..."

The person was a young girl wearing the outfit of a court lady with its

frilly sleeves and hem. She was maybe eighteen years old.

The girl had airy, emerald-green hair, but what was truly distinctive

about her was the fish-like fins that she had where a human would have had

ears. Her slim arms also had translucent fin-like growths attached to them

like sleeves. Her kind were known as mermaids, and they were especially

common in the Archipelago Union.

"I have returned, Lady Shabon." The mononofu with white fox ears

called out to the mermaid girl, and stood next to her.

The girl he called Shabon turned her somewhat sleepy-looking eyes

towards him. "Welcome home, Kishun. How were things in port?"

"...Unfortunately, they have only worsened." Kishun showed Shabon the

fish he had purchased. "Even fish like these are now traded at five times

their former price. The situation is serious. This country has problems

already, but the taxes still rise, and war looms with the Kingdom of

Friedonia to the west. The people cannot have even a shred of hope."

"When you cannot have hope... cannot imagine a bright future... that is

the hardest." Shabon gazed down on the port town below with a tragic look

on her face. "It's like this everywhere in this country. It is like the will to

live has been stolen from the people along with their fish. We live with the

sea, are raised by the sea, and die with the sea. That has been the pride of

our people, and it makes this situation all the more intolerable."

"Lady Shabon..."

"And... The situation continues to worsen." The sadness in her voice

was palpable.

Kishun struggled to respond. "The... The fishmonger asked me if war

with the Kingdom of Friedonia would really come."

"It seems there are envoys from the Gran Chaos Empire visiting every

island as we speak..." Shabon trailed off. "They say things like 'The

Kingdom is preparing their forces to bring the whole of the Nine-Headed

Dragon Archipelago under their control.' and 'That's why you should join

the Mankind Declaration, and come under the Empire's protection.'"

Unable to find the words to say, Kishun remained silent.

Looking down, she continued, "Because the chiefs are fiercely

independent, they would rather go to war with the Kingdom than accept the

Empire's protection. And Father, the king of our islands... intends to do just

that."

"To do that at a time like this... The island chiefs and King Souma are

both terrible." Kishun clutched his fists in frustration as he spoke. "I had

heard he was a wise king. A hero summoned from another world who had

saved the Union of Eastern Nations from the demon wave, but..."

But Shabon silently shook her head. "I am sure the Kingdom has its own

justifications. Because our fishermen have been fishing near the Kingdom,

there have been conflicts with their fishermen, and Father has been having

the military intervene in those clashes. He must have thought war was the

only way to resolve it now."

"But if they would just consider our situation..."

"That is supposed to be Father's job. It's too much to ask that they

consider our situation when we've done nothing to communicate it to them,

wouldn't you say?"

"Still! The way things are going..."

"...Yes, at this rate, it will go quite badly."

Shabon began to sing in a clear voice.

When the great darkness appears, the sea beasts will vanish.

As the great fish disappear, few fish will remain.

When the sea falls silent.

With man and beast gone, none will tell the tale again.

It was a song handed down since ancient times in the Nine-Headed

Dragon Archipelago. A majority thought it to be no more than a scary story

just a few years ago, but now most of the people believed it to be the truth.

Shabon had a tragic look on her face. "We can say that we have entered

the 'silent seas' phase now. If we consider what comes next... there is no

time for delay."

"Lady Shabon..."

"Kishun, I have come to a decision. I will go to the Kingdom of

Friedonia." Shabon looked towards the sea, determination showing on her

face. "If I can save the people of this country, I don't care what happens to

me..."