The Right Person for the Right Job

The story now rewinds to when I ordered Hakuya and the others to go

to the port city on the west coast...

After taking Hakuya, Hilde, Brad, and the three kids to the port, I

ordered them to gather information and establish a method of treatment.

Meanwhile, those of us who remained in the Kingdom moved into action.

I called First Primary Queen Liscia, Second Secondary Queen Naden,

and Julius Lastania, my military advisor and brother-in-law, into the

governmental affairs office.

"It's impossible for our country to bring this Spirit King's Curse under

control alone," I stated resolutely. "It's not just the Spirit King's Curse

though. Diseases aren't a thing that a single country can fully suppress.

Even if our country develops a treatment, if there's an epidemic in the

surrounding nations, it will eventually make its way here. When that

happens, obviously we won't have enough people to treat all of the sick,

and the epidemic can't end until there are no infected people left in the

neighboring countries."

"Epidemics have happened from time to time in our history," Julius

said, crossing his arms. "They never end easily. I've even heard of cases

where they led to the fall of a state."

"Yeah. It was the same in the world I came from."

I had often heard it said that disease recognizes no borders, and I guess

that was no different in this world. When a country fell, it often looked like

the work of a single great man, but behind the scenes, there were often

other major causes—like natural disasters, epidemics, locust plagues, and

famine. It's these elements that cause the people's hearts and minds to stray

from the state, and lead them to cling to the rise of a new great man. If you

want to maintain a healthy nation, it's important to remove those elements

one by one wherever you find them.

Machiavelli said that Fortuna, the goddess of chance, was the arbiter of

one-half of our actions, but she still leaves us to direct the other half by

human virtù. In Japan, we have a saying that goes, "Do all that is humanly

possible, and leave the rest to Heaven." We had to do everything that we

could.

"All nations need to work together on this problem. Frankly, it's a

greater threat than the Demon Lord's Domain, which has stopped

expanding for now. How far the Spirit King's Curse can spread is still

unknown, and we can't be sure a similar disease won't break out elsewhere.

We need to cooperate not just across national borders, but factional ones

like the Marine Alliance and the Mankind Declaration too."

"Isn't that essentially everyone? You're looking for something bigger

than the Mankind Declaration..." Liscia said.

"Yeah." I nodded. "We need to get literally every country to cooperate."

"Can we do that?"

"Right now, the continent is largely divided into three camps," I said,

pointing to the map on the desk. "Our Maritime Alliance, the Gran Chaos

Empire's Mankind Declaration, and Fuuga's Great Tiger Kingdom. We can

cooperate with our allies in the Maritime Alliance. Head of the Republic

Kuu and Nine-Headed Dragon Queen Shabon are engaged in medical

reforms too, so they should have the same sense of urgency about this.

Likewise, Maria is part of a medical alliance with us, so we can count on

her to bring in the countries of the Mankind Declaration."

"Right," Julius interjected. "The Spirit Kingdom of Garlan is directly

affected, so they'll probably help, which only leaves Fuuga Haan,

Mercenary State Zem, and the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. If I recall

correctly, the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State has an alliance with Fuuga's

Great Tiger Kingdom?"

I nodded. "Yeah. They're cooperating with Fuuga, likely out of hostility

to the Empire. So if we can just get Fuuga to assist, they should obey."

"We have a relationship with Princess Sill of the Nothung Dragon

Knight Kingdom, so if we bring this up with her, I think she should help,"

Liscia said, and Julius pointed to Mercenary State Zem.

"The Empire can handle Zem. Considering their geographic location, it

will be hard to refuse a request from the Empire. There's mutual benefit,

and they won't be forcing anything unreasonable on them, so they should

have no reason to refuse."

"Yeah, what it boils down to is, if we can just convince Fuuga's camp,

all of mankind can unite against the disease. Furthermore, since all power

there is concentrated in Fuuga, we only need to convince him. Me, Fuuga,

and Maria... You could say that all mankind can unite so long as the three of

us are in agreement."

"I see... A three-way conference between the leaders of the three

factions, huh?" Julius mumbled, seeing straight through to the heart of what

I was saying.

I gave him a big nod. This was why I had stayed in the capital.

"I plan to contact Kuu and Shabon by broadcast to get them on board,

but Maria, Fuuga, and I are the only ones who need to get together. It would

be too much trouble to round up everyone and make it fit into all of our

schedules."

"I get it," Liscia said, nodding with satisfaction.

"Umm..." Naden, who had been standing there awkwardly all this time,

hesitantly raised her hand. "Why did you call me here? I can't follow any of

the political strategy stuff you guys are talking about."

I had a good reason for having her come, of course.

"Sorry about that. I had two favors to ask of you, Naden."

"Favors?"

"First, I want you to talk to Madam Tiamat and ask about her policies

for defending the Star Dragon Mountain Range from disease. If she wants

to stay out of it, like she does with conflicts down below, then that's fine by

me. Madam Tiamat can probably handle it without medicine, after all. Not

that I know if she'll even give us a response."

Naden nodded at my request.

"Roger that. So, what's the other one?"

"For the location of the meeting between Maria, Fuuga, and me that I

was talking about, I wanted to propose it be held in the Nothung Dragon

Knight Kingdom. They're positioned as neutral to all three factions."

Zem was neutral too, but the place was full of ruffians, so security

would be a lot of trouble. If they were inviting us like last time, I could

count on them keeping their people in line, but not so much if we were the

ones requesting to borrow space from them. That said, if we had the

conference in the territory of one of the three factions, my people might

accept it, but Maria's and Fuuga's would raise a fuss. I didn't want to waste

time fighting over who was in control.

With all of that explained, I asked Naden, "You and Pai still keep in

contact, right? I'd like you to have him get in touch with Princess Sill for us

and request a site for the conference, along with dragon knights to run

security."

"But that country fought a battle with Fuuga's forces," Julius pointed

out. "Although it was to aid us in our escape."

We were just going to have to accept that as it was.

"The Dragon Knight Kingdom neighbors Fuuga's expanding country.

They'll want to do what they can to avoid war with him. They can use this

opportunity to hold a separate conference with Fuuga, and get him to agree

to mutual non-aggression with defined terms."

"That makes sense..." Julius agreed.

"We can't hold talks over the broadcast with the Dragon Knight

Kingdom, so it will take longer to negotiate. Messenger kuis will always

take time to fly back and forth. It might be faster for you to go there in

person, Naden. Can I get you to do that for me?"

"Roger that. You can count on me." Naden thumped her chest with one

hand. Liscia and I looked at Julius.

"I plan to bring Aisha and Naden as bodyguards, but only a small

number of people will be able to attend the conference itself. I'll propose

we limit it to each of us bringing two assistants who can double as

bodyguards. I'd like you two, Liscia and Julius, to be mine. Can I ask you

to do that?"

"Okay."

"Understood."

They both nodded. Liscia would be fine, but...I was worried about

Julius.

"I'm pretty sure Fuuga will be bringing Hashim, you know?"

As an advisor, Hashim had been instrumental in Fuuga's takeover of the

Union of Eastern Nations. In the process of that, he had destroyed the

Kingdom of Lastania, which had been ruled by Julius's in-laws, and killed

many members of the opposition. Even those of the neutral faction,

including Ichiha's sister Sami's adoptive father, King Roth, were slain.

I knew Julius and Sami had to want revenge on Hashim. Could Julius

keep his cool when meeting with him face to face? I gave him a meaningful

glance, and he let out a small sigh.

"If Tia or her parents had been harmed, I doubt I could keep a level

head around him. But, fortunately, they are all living here peacefully in this

country now."

"Julius..."

"It's not that I don't bear a grudge, but prioritizing Tia and her family's

safety is more important now. If working for this country will do that, then

my resentment is nothing in comparison."

"That's a relief to hear."

I stood up and turned to face the three of them, saying, "Now, let's let

Hakuya and the others handle things outside while we make this conference

a success."

"""Yes, sir!"""

The incident might be happening out in the field, but there were

sometimes things that could only be done in the conference room. Basically,

it was a matter of the right job for the right person.

◇ ◇ ◇

Thanks to Naden's help with negotiations, the Nothung Dragon Knight

Kingdom will provide a secured site for a tripartite conference. According

to Naden, Princess Sill had gladly agreed with a smile, and said, "It's an

honor for our knights to be able to guard such a historic conference." It

seemed she'd accepted that what'd happened in her skirmish with Fuuga's

faction was an inevitability on the battlefield, which was a relief.

Now that I had the permission of the Dragon Knight Kingdom, I

immediately started feeling out the other countries on the idea.

"Ookyakya! Of course I'll help you out, bro! Diseases like this are

everyone's problem!"

"Yes. Allow us in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union to offer

you our full support as well."

First, I talked to Kuu and Shabon over a broadcast. They agreed that I

would represent the opinion of the whole Maritime Alliance at the tripartite

conference. After them, I contacted Fuuga next.

"Well, you're already helping me with Shuukin and the rest. Let me

make you look good just this once."

It was almost a letdown how easily he agreed. It seemed like he was

already informed about Shuukin's arrival at the port town, and his

treatment. That was likely why he was so uncharacteristically cooperative.

One good turn deserves another, they say.

And finally, I contacted Maria. I'd left her for last because I expected it

to go through easily, but...

"Hee hee," she chuckled from the other side of the broadcast.

"Did I say something strange?"

"Oh, no. I already knew this, but you really did have Sir Julius join

you..."

In these broadcast calls, Julius was standing at my side instead of

Hakuya.

Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, she apologized, saying,

"I just find it strange, knowing how things were between the two of you at

one point. To think our country was your mediator."

Julius and I looked at one another awkwardly.

It felt like when someone brought up the things you'd done as a

naughty child. No, it's even worse than that. Our reaction apparently tickled

her funny bone even more, and unable to contain herself, with a broad smile

Maria said, "Of course my country will support you. We'll be there at the

conference."

◇ ◇ ◇

Later on, we were heading to Balm, capital of the Nothung Dragon

Knight Kingdom, in one of the royal gondolas. The group consisted of me,

Liscia, Aisha, Naden, Julius, and a number of the Black Cats. A number of

wyvern riders were escorting us as well.

It seemed unlikely that there would be any danger this time, so we

didn't bring Hal and Ruby along. I'd decided that bringing too much

firepower would show a lack of trust.

"Last time, I swam all the way there on my own, but today I'm riding in

the gondola, huh?" Naden said, kicking her legs back and forth.

She wanted to swim through the sky with me on her back, but this was

a foreign country, and that would make it hard for our escorts to protect me

and the gondola, so I had her sit in with everyone else. Back when I was

still new to this world, I always looked out at the scenery with great

interest, but now that I was used to air travel, I just spent the time relaxing

until we arrived.

As we neared Balm, I overheard Liscia as she mumbled to herself.

"There's King Souma of Friedonia, Empress Maria of the Empire, and

Fuuga Haan of the Great Tiger Kingdom..." she said, counting us off on her

fingers. "With Head Kuu of the Republic and Nine-Headed Dragon Queen

Shabon joining by broadcast."

"Liscia? What's up?"

"I was just wondering if there's ever been a conference with so many

major leaders in attendance... No, maybe no one's ever thought to gather

them like this before," Liscia replied, sounding impressed.

"It's doubtful they have," Julius said with a nod. "Even when the

Empire organized a subjugation force in response to the appearance of the

Demon Lord's Domain, they didn't gather the kings. Maybe some of them

met, but it's unprecedented to gather everyone in one room like this."

"Oh... Now that you mention it, that makes sense," I said, convinced.

In my previous world, I feel like I'd seen a lot of these sorts of

gatherings of world leaders covered on the news. Like that summit, the Gwhatever it was. But those sorts of events were held in a globalized world

that'd experienced two world wars in order to deal with problems that no

individual nation could address.

The people of this world had put together a combined force against the

Demon Lord's Domain, but because the countries to the north took the

brunt of it, the sense of crisis wasn't felt equally across the whole of the

continent. This resulted in a lack of globalism development, and meant

there had been no need for these sorts of leader conferences. We were really

making history here.

"I don't understand complicated things, but it seems very typical of you

to handle things this way, sire," Aisha said with a chuckle. "I mean, they

say that a hero is one who 'leads the change of an era,' don't they? When I

think back to when the God-Protected Forest was my entire world, it feels

like I've come so far."

"You know, Tiamat was saying something like that. When the

'furiously moving gear' and the 'gear that has come to a stop' mesh, things

will work out just right... Or something like that? I can't remember exactly,"

Naden said, cocking her head to the side. "Let's say the stopped gear was

me when I was a shut-in, then that makes Souma the moving gear, right? If

meeting us is what makes Souma move at just the right pace, then who

knows how wild he'd have gone without us cooperating."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Huh? Do you guys think I get out of control that often?"

""""Of course!"""" Liscia, Aisha, Naden, and even Julius all said at the

same time.

"In the case of Fuuga or Madam Maria, I think they come up with a

firm decision, saying, 'I'm going to change the world!' Then, bringing

other people on board, they actually do it," Liscia explained and I nodded in

agreement.

"Oh, yeah. That sounds about right."

"But in your case, the world's changed before you notice! We're forced

to accept it after the fact when you say, 'Okay, yeah, the world's changed,

but it's not gotten worse, so it's okay, right?'"

"Roroa is similar in that respect. Since you two are involved in policy

making...I'm sure the country's grown even more terrifying than when I

was in Amidonia."

Liscia and Julius both sighed.

Meanwhile...

"It's His Majesty and Poncho's fault, or maybe I should say it's thanks

to them, that my tongue has become so discerning... I can't return to living

off only the blessings of the forest anymore," Aisha said, her voice filled

with emotion.

"I wholeheartedly agree. He's got us by the stomach," Naden, the other

big eater of the group, said emphatically.

Yeah... This is getting awkward now.

I spent the rest of the journey in silence, hoping not to stir up any more

trouble.

◇ ◇ ◇

"His Majesty Souma A. Elfrieden, King of Friedonia, has arrived!" a

guard called out as the gondola set down in the castle of the Dragon Knight

Kingdom's royal family. We were halfway up the mountain next to their

capital city, Balm.

As the door opened, I stepped out onto a red carpet lined with dragon

knights together with women in dresses, who I could only assume were

their dragon partners. Then, once all of us had disembarked, the dragon

knights and dragons all took a knee and bowed their heads.

It was truly a welcome fit for guests of honor. Liscia and Julius were

fine, but Aisha and Naden weren't accustomed to this so they both looked a

little uncomfortable.

Princess Sill and Pai came walking towards us from the other end of the

red carpet. Princess Sill was not in her knightly armor, but wore a dress and

a tiara. If you overlooked the hefty muscles on her arms, she looked every

bit the princess that she was. Pai, for his part, was dressed like a gentleman,

looking right at home next to her.

"I welcome you to the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom!" Princess

Sill said, spreading her arms wide. Then we shared a two-handed

handshake.

"We'll be in your care, Princess Sill."

"Ah ha ha... The truth is, I'm not a princess anymore."

"Huh?"

"The other day, my father abdicated the throne to me. Such an

important conference being held in our land must have made him sense the

times are changing. He told me, 'From now on, it should be young people

like yourself who steer this country.' Though, you could say he was just

throwing all the problems at me."

"Oh, I see..."

Hmm... Sounds familiar.

"Sounds like a big responsibility," I remarked.

"Tell me about it. Still, now that I've been entrusted with the task, I

plan to do my utmost."

Sill's expression was full of confidence, and I felt strength in her

unswerving gaze. It was a bit of a surprise, but I decided to correct myself.

"We'll be in your care, Queen Sill."

"Yes, King Souma. It's good of you to come. The people from the

Empire and the Great Tiger Kingdom have already arrived. I'll show you to

them, so please come this way."

We followed Sill's lead. Proceeding down a corridor lined with clumsy

stone pillars that had a sense of history about them, we eventually came to a

stop in front of a room. Soldiers from the other major countries present here

stood waiting outside.

I recognized one of them. Gunther, a quiet commander from the

Empire.

Sill turned to us and said, "Now, as we agreed in advance, I'll ask the

bodyguards to wait here. Please choose two attendees to go in with Souma."

"Got it. See you later, Aisha, Naden."

They both nodded.

"Understood. We'll be waiting here with the Black Cats."

"If anything happens, give us a holler. We'll be there in a flash."

Nodding to the two of them, I went into the room with Liscia and

Julius. The center of it was dominated by a large round table. In one section

of it sat Maria, Jeanne, and Krahe of the Empire. In another sat Fuuga,

Hashim, and Mutsumi of the Great Tiger Kingdom. In the time it took us to

arrive, it appeared like they had...not been having a friendly conversation.

Maria and Fuuga seemed natural, but their eyes told me they were

evaluating each other, while Jeanne and Hashim were each cautious of the

other, wearing stern expressions. Mutsumi seemed like she felt awkward,

while Krahe was weirdly excited. For an ardent believer in Maria like him,

he had to be beside himself with glee at being able to attend a gathering of

important leaders like this.

When we entered the room, Maria noticed us and rose, smiling, then

gracefully walked over to us.

"It's been a while, Sir Souma."

"Yes. I'm relieved to see you're well, Madam Maria."

We shook hands and said our greetings. Next, Maria turned to Liscia.

"This is our first time meeting in person, I believe, Lady Liscia. I am

Maria Euphoria."

"Oh! Yes! I am Liscia Elfrieden."

Maria and Liscia shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

Oh, yeah, Liscia wasn't there for the meeting in Zem, huh?

Meanwhile, Julius and Jeanne were rekindling their old "friendship."

"I never thought we would meet again like this," Jeanne said with a wry

smile.

"Yes, I agree..." Julius replied awkwardly. "I'm already breaking into

an unpleasant sweat."

"You don't seem like you're on bad terms with Sir Souma this time, so

that's a relief."

"Fear not. He's the master I serve now."

"You've changed... I feel like your expression has gained composure,

and your manner is more relaxed."

"Finding a partner can change a person."

"I'm envious. I'd like to get married myself, but my sister just won't

settle down..."

"Excuse me, Jeanne?" Maria said with a smile.

"No, forget I said anything," Jeanne said, backing down.

At this point Fuuga rose from his chair, waving to me.

"Hey, I came like you asked, Souma."

"I'm grateful for that. But remember we're here because of the disease

that you and your people found."

"Yeah, I know. Why else do you think I'm doing as you say?"

"You could act a little more sorry."

"Sorry. It's just not in my nature," Fuuga said, shrugging.

This guy... I thought.

Mutsumi rose from her seat and came over. "It's been a while, Sir

Souma."

"It has. Since we met in the Union of Eastern Nations, right? I'm glad

to see you're doing well."

"Yes. How are Ichiha and...Sami doing?" Mutsumi asked, tripping over

her words just a little.

I'm sure...she must have wanted to ask more about the latter of those

two.

Smiling, I said, "Ichiha is doing well. He's quickly becoming one of the

youths who'll lead our country in the next generation. As for Sami... She

lives surrounded by books in the capital's library. I don't know how long it

will take for her heart to recover, but...I think she's living peacefully."

"Oh! Is that right?" Mutsumi looked just a little relieved. "Please

continue to look after both of them."

"Yeah. I'll do what I can."

"Okay, looks like everyone's here," Fuuga said, clapping his hands as

Mutsumi and I finished talking. "How about we get on with it? Let's have

this top-level meeting between the leaders of key nations, or whatever it's

supposed to be."

Maria and I nodded in agreement.

Let the Balm Summit begin.