âZem City developed around the Colosseum in the cityâs center,â Mio explained, pointing towards the towering Colosseum as she led the way.
It was a massive, austere structure reminiscent of the Roman Colosseumâprobably larger than Zem Castle itself. The stone carvings on the walls were a sight to behold, too. The fact that the vast majority were of men carrying swords was indicative of this countryâs belief in the supremacy of brawn over all else.
Aisha, Naden, Owen, Mio, and I had all come down to the castle town. Everyone but me was dressed as normal, but I would stand out if I wore my military uniform like I had when meeting Sir Gimbal, so I changed into something lighterâlike what an adventurer might wear.
Mio continued her explanation as we stared at the majestic Colosseum in awe. âThis structure predates the rise of the first Mercenary King Zem, dating back to the country that existed before Zemâs founding. The mercenaries who lived in that country were low in status. They were treated like war slaves, and would throw their lives away for anything if you had the money. Some mercenaries who were in trouble financially were forced to put their lives on the line as gladiators in this very Colosseum.â
âThey made a spectacle of it?â I said. âI see... Zem brought all their grievances together and rose up, huh? Do they still put on those sorts of massacres there?â
âNo. There are shows where people fight the wild animals and dungeon monsters that others caught to prove their strength, but there are no battles to the death between people anymore,â Mio responded. âThe worst that happens is someone gets carried away and kills their opponent during the Great Martial Arts Tournament.â
She was answering questions when asked, like she was supposed to. I couldnât sense any hostility in her words or attitude.
âThe battles between people and animals are popular, and spectators come from across the continent to see them. The most popular is the battle between the mercenaries and the dragon that walks on land.â
âThe dragon that walks on land?â
âItâs a type of wyvern that gave up the skies to run around the mountains. They call them âearth dragons,â or âwingless ones.â Theyâre fierce creatures that use their devolved wings for balance as they run around on two legs. ...You can see one right over there.â
I looked in the direction Mio indicated, and there was a rhinosaurus pulling a freight car. The majority of the freight car was taken up by a cage, and there was a massive animal inside it.
âThatâs an earth dragon...?â
Based on Mioâs description, I had been imagining something like a carnivorous dinosaur, but it was a bit closer to a wyvern than that. It had horns, and was spiky all over, giving off the impression of a ferocious beast. On top of that, it was large enough to compete with Ruby and the other members of the dragon race, in terms of size.
âHmph, it only looks tough. That thingâs no match for me,â Naden said dismissively.
Wait, wait, why was she feeling so competitive?
âDo they tame creatures like that in Zem?â
âNo, earth dragons are ferocious, so they donât get attached to humans. They just catch them to fight in the Colosseum. Theyâre still wild animals.â
â...Isnât that dangerous?â
âIâve heard that there have been many cases of them escaping and running wild,â Mio said dispassionately.
Wait, they escape?!
I worried if that was all right, but Mio shrugged. âItâs fine. The people in this country are ridiculously good at fighting against animals.â
âOh, I see. Youâre talking about Zemâs riding-beast hunters.â Owen nodded, seemingly satisfied with Mioâs explanation.
âRiding-beast hunters?â
âSire, do you notice anything when you look at the people walking on the street?â Owen asked, leading me to look about our surroundings.
I had been noticing earlier that many of them wore breastplates, gauntlets, and other such pieces of light armor over top of their clothes. They looked indistinguishable from adventurers at a glance, but were all of them actually Zemish mercenaries?
âThereâs a lot of people dressed like adventurers in light armor?â I said.
âThatâs also true, but itâs something else. Please, pay attention to their weapons.â
â...Oh!â
There was something that definitively set them apart from a typical adventurer. They all used weapons like spears, axes, and halberds. Ah, because of how often they are in tight places, adventurers prefer not to use weapons with a long reach, I thought, recalling my own escapades as Little Musashibo.
âThe mercenaries here are all using long-handled weapons,â I commented.
Owen gave me a satisfied nod and said, âIn the Army, we have a saying. âIf youâre facing a Zemish mercenary, get off your horse.â The Zemish mercenaries use long-handled pole weapons, and theyâre famous for being especially effective against cavalry.â
âAhh, and thatâs why theyâre called riding-beast hunters?â
âYes.â Mio nodded. âZem is not a fertile country, so they canât afford to raise a large number of horses, wyverns, or other riding beasts. Because of that, historically they assumed only the other side would have mounts, and created and developed tactics that allowed even a foot soldier to fight against mounted warriors.â
âOn top of that, if a mercenary can take a high-status person like a knight prisoner, they can receive a ransom for them. Thatâs why Zemish mercenaries are super strong when theyâre facing cavalry. Many of them use long-handled weapons so they can surround the knights and pull them down,â Owen added. So there was a proper reason for it, huh?
âSo, why do you tell people to âget off your horseâ?â
âBecause itâs hard to make tight turns on horseback, itâs actually harder to fight a line of soldiers in close combat from up there. If everyone is on the ground, itâs harder to tell whoâs higher in status, too.â
âAh, I get it.â
It seemed like mercenaries had extreme strengths and weaknesses. I hadnât planned it this way, but how we holed up in the fort outside Randel and struck them as they came in must have been one of the more difficult situations for them to handle.
âYou were saying they couldnât raise a lot of wyverns, right? Do they not have much in the way of wyvern cavalry, then? They guided us in when we landed at Blanc Zem Castle, though.â
âThe wyvern cavalry report directly to the King of Zem,â Owen said. âThe kingâs direct forces are this countryâs elite warriors, and standing army. They arenât loaned out to anyone. Because raising wyverns is expensive, thereâs a natural limit on the number of them they can keep. It would be a lot of trouble if they loaned them out to another country and lost them as a result.â
âI see...â
They must have been keeping the strongest soldiers in reserve. In which case, though Zemâs mercenary companies were renowned for their strength, the ones being loaned out were actually the weakest. This country wasnât to be taken lightly.
I looked up at the Colosseum again. âSo this is where they hold the Great Martial Arts Tournament.â
âThatâs right.â Mio nodded in confirmation, a pensive look on her face. âThe Great Martial Arts Tournament is a major event that the whole country works together for. The warriors fight in an elimination format for the right to have a wish granted. The battles continue until one of the opponents yields, or is rendered unable to continue fighting. That can include death.â
âSo they literally put everything on the line, huh? ...And youâre participating in the Great Martial Arts Tournament, too.â
âYes.â
Hrm... I figured I shouldnât make her feel cornered if I didnât have to, so Iâd avoided touching on the core of the matter before now, but maybe it was time to ask a direct question.
âIf youâre fighting in the tournament, you must have a wish you want granted, too, right?â I asked. âWhat is it you want so bad that youâre willing to risk your life to get it?â
âThat, I cannot say.â Mio looked straight at me. âI will grant my wish with my own strength. In order to see it through, I cannot tell you it here. I intend to win this tournament, so Iâm sure youâll find out then.â
Well, of course she wouldnât spill the beans so easily. Mio seemed strong-willed like Georg, so we wouldnât find out anything until she won it all. While I was thinking about it, Aisha stepped forward, quickly inserting herself between Mio and me.
âMadam Mio. I couldnât detect any dark emotions in what youâve said.â
As Aisha stared straight at her, Mioâs eyes stared back at her, unswerving. Aisha knocked on the hilt of her greatsword with the back of her right hand. Because we were on a busy street, she was trying to intimidate her without actually putting her hand on it.
âHowever, if you intend to harm His Majesty to avenge Duke Georg, I will cut you down,â Aisha declared.
âLiscia asked us to do it. I wonât hold back on you, either,â Naden added with her arms crossed. Her black hair spread out and sparked a little.
Even in the face of their threats, Mio showed no sign of being intimidated. âI can see you two really do love King Souma.â
âItâs obvious that a wife should be concerned for her husbandâs well-being.â
Naden followed up with, âNormally, itâs the other way around, though. Oh, well. âThe right person for the right roleâ is practically a family motto for us, anyway.â
âThe wife protects the husband?â After listening to the two of them, Mio closed her eyes quietly. â...Come to think of it, Lady Liscia is a wife now, too. I wonder how she feels.â
âMadam Mio?â
âItâs nothing. More importantly, thereâs somewhere Iâd like all of you... especially Madam Aisha, to come with me.â
âEspecially Aisha?â
When I asked her that, Mio nodded. Taking one of the sheathed longswords off her back, she pointed it towards the door to the Colosseum and said, âIâd like to have a match with Aisha in the sparring arena of the Colosseum.â
âA match? Why?â
âMy father always believed, âWe say more through combat than through words.ââ Mio held up the scabbard for us to see. âIf you wish to know me, Madam Aisha, we should cross swords in a sparring match. I can tell you have considerable prowess as a warrior. For my part, I think that it will make good practice for the finals tomorrow.â
âNo, but...â I stammered.
Before I could say any more, Aisha responded, âLetâs have it out, then.â
âAisha!â
âLet me do it, sire. I want to judge her with my own eyes.â Aisha looked straight at me. It looked like we had a strong-willed one on our side, too... It didnât matter what I said, now. She wasnât going to listen.
âFine... But be careful you donât get hurt.â
âUnderstood!â
That was how we ended up with an impromptu mock battle between Aisha and Mio.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
We were in a practice arena surrounded by stone walls, with nothing else but a sand floor. The sounds of sword colliding with sword echoed through the air as Aisha and Mio traded blow after blow.
âHahhhhhhh!â
âYahhhhhhh!â
Sparks flew as Aishaâs greatsword and Mioâs two longswords collided. They were both using blunted training weapons, but if they made contact at that speed, the one who got hit wasnât going to get off with just minor wounds. I had seen Aisha and Liscia spar before, but this was nothing like that.
At the time, Liscia had been using technique to dodge, parry, and neutralize the attacks that Aisha threw at her with dumb brute strength. That one was what you might call a battle of hard versus soft. However, Mio, like Aisha, was also all about hard.
That made this a battle of hard versus hard. Mioâs martial arts were impressive to behold, and though she was facing Aisha in a straight-up test of brute strength, she wasnât being pushed back.
âUrgh! Can I not push through?!â
âCompared to my fatherâs heavy sword, this is nothing!â
When Aisha took a big swing with her greatsword, Mio crossed her longswords to catch it and then knock it back. Then she took two swings with her longswords, with a time delay in between them. Aisha blocked both with her greatsword.
âYouâre pretty... good!â
âYou, too, Madam Mio.â
The two exchanged words while jostling with the hilts of their weapons locked. Perhaps deciding that the greatsword was too hard to use when her opponent was so close, Aisha held her sword in her right hand while performing a backfist strike with her left. Mio blocked it with her elbow.
Next, Mio launched a low kick, but Aisha raised one leg to protect her defenseless thigh. They continued trading roles as attacker and defender like that for a while. Naden, Owen, and I, who were watching the fight from a safe distance were in total awe.
âWow. Theyâre fighting with fists in between their swords.â
âIâve never fought with a sword, and even I can tell how abnormal their strength is...â Even Naden, who didnât specialize in fighting in her human form, was entranced with the way they fought.
âItâs like a collision of souls. Both of them are fine warriors,â Owen spoke up. The old general, who was the same hard type of warrior as the two of them, got emotional at the sight of their battle. âI wish you could fight at even one-tenth of that level, sire.â
âNo way, thatâs absolutely impossible! Even if there were a hundred of me, I couldnât fight like that!â
âYou mustnât be so dispirited. You have an heir now. Letâs add more to your training menu.â
Urgh... That stirred up a hornetâs nest. But, well, the reason the onlookers could talk about it so lightly was that the two combatants looked like they were having a riot.
âHow about this?!â
âNot yet!â
As they competed with strength and in technique, things got more and more heated. They fought with swords, punches, and kicks, never pausing for a breath, to keep their opponent from having an opening to use magic.
â......?!â
Mioâs sword knocked Aishaâs greatsword upward. But that was a ruse.
âThere!â
In the instant it was exposed, Aisha pounded her fist into Mioâs belly. Mio was sent flying backwards, but she corrected her stance in midair and landed on her feet.
âGuh...!â
However, the damage must have gone through, because she held the spot where she was hit and grimaced. Aisha, meanwhile, stood there, not going in for a follow-up.
As I was wondering why, snap, the string holding Aishaâs hair in a ponytail burst. Her silver hair fell down.
â...It looks like you only missed me by a hair.â Aisha said.
Mio shook her head as she continued grasping her belly. âYou landed such a clean hit on me that I have no choice but to admit defeat.â
âThink nothing of it. It was pretty dangerous for me, too. Youâre plenty strong, Madam Mio.â
â...Itâs a good thing you werenât participating in Zemâs tournament.â Mio said with a wry smile.
âWith the skill you have, Iâm sure youâll achieve good results in the tournament.â Aisha furrowed her brow. âBut... Madam Mio, what is it you want to wish for if you win?â
Refusing to say anything, Mio looked away.
âYour father said, âWe say more through combat than through words,â right? There was no indecision in your technique, I felt something like a strong conviction there. Something not held captive by grudges and hatred.â Aisha laid down her training sword and approached Mio. âIf you have a grudge against the country and His Majesty, you canât have a very positive view of me. I am his wife, and will protect him no matter what. Yet, I feel nothing like that from you. During our match, you were almost like a child, enjoying the chance to test your strength. What exactly is it that you...â
â...That, I cannot say.â Mio stretched and turned towards us. âMy wish is something I must grant for myself. If I donât, I cannot face my father in the afterlife. Iâm sure it will all become clear when I win the tournament.â
She looked at me with unswerving eyesâthey were filled with determination. The way she wouldnât budge once she made up her mind was just like Liscia. Was that because they had trained under the same man? If so, there was probably no way to get an answer out of her.
Ultimately, we ended up going back to Zem Castle without having been able to suss anything out.
That night...
Naden rolled over onto her side in the big bed, then let out a sigh. â...We couldnât figure anything out, huh?â
âYeah. She didnât seem to be harboring any negative emotions, though.â
Having returned to Blanc Zem Castle, we went back to our room. Aisha, Naden, and I were talking about what had happened today there.
âFor now, at least, her requesting my head as her prize... seems unlikely, I think. She has the same sort of single-minded personality as Liscia, so Iâm having a hard time imagining that sheâs been deliberately hiding her negative emotions from us.â
âYes. In fact, she seemed ill-suited to that sort of performance.â Aisha, who was sitting in a chair, her arms crossed, agreed with me. âIn that case... is her wish to âRestore the House of Carmine,â or something along those lines, perhaps?â
âIf thatâs all, I feel like I could probably grant that.â
I obviously couldnât return all of their lands to her, and there would have to be conditions, but restoring her house wasnât out of the question. Georg had done everything properly in regards to severing ties with his family, so Mio and her mother werenât guilty of any crime. Sheâd likely have the support of Glaive, Owen, and others from the Army too, so it wouldnât even be that difficult.
âBut if that was her wish, Mio wouldnât need to participate in the tournament. She must have involved another country because itâs something that couldnât be granted in the Kingdom.â
So itâs something we canât do anything about, or perhaps something Mio doesnât think we can do anything about...? What exactly is she thinking? While I was pondering that...
âDarling... Could it be that you feel guilty towards Madam Mio?â Aisha came right out and asked me, and I couldnât argue back when it came up so suddenly.
âWell, yeah... The issue of Georg is a problem Iâve left untouched ever since I first took the crown. When I think of my responsibility to the victims... Itâs complicated.â
The reason the Kingdom was stable now was because of Georgâs contributions. I had never forgotten that, but thinking I should give it some time, I ended up putting off dealing with the problem. The fact that I was now at the whims of a single woman was the cost of my indolence.
Aisha gave me a stern look. âDarling. Even if Madam Mioâs wish ends up being something you think you could grant, please think long and hard about the result of doing so before you make a decision.â
â...You do realize Iâm trying to be careful of that, right?â
With a wry smile, Naden added, âBut youâre not always logical about things, are you? Especially when it involves family.â
âWell, yeah... There are some things I canât compromise on.â I looked away.
Naden let out a sigh. âLiscia studied under Mioâs dad, and she respected him, right? âBecause they both learned under Georg, I want to do something for his daughter...â Is what youâre thinking, isnât it, Souma?â
â...You understand me well.â
âYouâre easy to figure out,â Naden said with a smile. Aisha was nodding, too.
âIf she knew that she was a ball and chain around your ankle, making her husband make bad decisions, Liscia would be sad, right? Weâll shoulder your guilt with you. So, please, make the right decision.â
âGot it.â I gave a meek nod.
They were both right. If I let my emotions put the people I wanted to protect in danger, that would defeat the purpose. I had... to see this through. If she wanted the restoration of her house, fine. If not, the only other thing I could think of was... That could be pretty difficult.
I let out a little sigh at the premonition I got.
Around the same time, Colbert was going to another room, alone.
It was the room given to Mio in Blanc Zem Castle when she was assigned to be Soumaâs guide. Mio was chosen because she said she was from the Kingdom. But the room was only temporary, as she didnât serve Gimbal personally.
âExcuse me. Is Madam Mio here?â Colbert knocked and called out. The door immediately opened.
â...How may I help you?â
âAh!â
When he saw the state Mio was in, Colbertâs face froze. Since she was in her room, Mio had taken off her armor, and was wearing a thin tank top. The thin fabric couldnât hide her figure the way her armor could, and her breasts were asserting themselves.
While averting his eyes from her appearance, Colbert said, âI-Iâm sorry to bother you when you were relaxing. I am the Kingdomâs Minister of Finance, Colbert. I came hoping we could talk a little.â
âBy all means.â With that, Mio invited Colbert into her room, seemingly unconcerned.
âHuh? Itâs all right?â
âYou came to talk, didnât you?â
âAh, right... Pardon me.â
Even as he felt a little flustered, Colbert went into Mioâs room. Being temporary quarters, the room was simple, with a bed and not much more. There were no real furnishings, just a mannequin that Mio could put her armor on, and her two swords leaned up against the wall.
Mio offered Colbert a chair, and sat down on the bed facing him. âDid Sir Souma ask you to look into me?â
âAh! Yes. There is that, but...â Unable to look Mio in the eye, Colbertâs gaze wandered as he spoke. âI wanted to relive some old memories, so Iâd like to talk, even if itâs just a short while.â
âOld memories? ...Come to think of it, you do look familiar.â Mio stared hard at Colbertâs face. âYouâre not from the Army, right? You look more like a bureaucrat.â
âYes. I was originally involved with the finances in the Principality of Amidonia. When Duke Carmine was still alive, I met you along with Julius sometimes when we were mediating, after clashes. Though I donât think we ever spoke more than a few words to each other.â
âOh! From back then?!â Mio clapped her hands.
âYou remember?â
âYes. Father always praised you two. He said, âThere are some good youths in Amidonia, too.â Oh, yeah... Thereâs no difference between Elfrieden and Amidonia now, huh?â
Maybe because sheâd learned he was an acquaintance, Mio was acting a lot more casual now.
Colbert nodded. âItâs technically a united kingdom, but yes, weâve become a single country.â
âSo thatâs why youâre serving King Souma, huh? What about Sir Julius?â
âA lot happened, but heâs in the north now, and doing quite well. He married the princess of a kingdom he was staying with, and is working hard on behalf of his family.â
âSir Julius is? The guy that had such cold eyes? I canât even imagine.â
The conversation popped like they were a couple of old friends. Colbert knew that even if he tried to dig into matters, Mio wouldnât tell him her intentions, so he worked to understand what she was like while making idle banter.
When he spoke to her like this, he could only see her as a normal girl. Her expression changed at the smallest of things, and she would chuckle when he told a funny story. He felt no hostility, no wariness, and she didnât seem worried about anything.
In fact, she was so natural, she didnât seem bothered by how provocative the outfit she was wearing right now was, and her chest swayed every time she reacted to something. There were many times Colbert looked away in embarrassment.
âYou keep looking away? Why is that?â
After a while of prodding, she got suspicious, so Colbert gave up and told her, âCould you, um... put something over yourself?â
âHm? I donât need to. Itâs not like Iâm naked.â Mio gave him a blank look. Because she had spent so much time in the Army training with burly men, she didnât have much in the way of feminine shyness, apparently. âIâm proud that I donât have a lot of excess meat on me, too.â
âWell, yes... You donât, but...â
âThis is the body my Mother and Father gave me. What do I have to be ashamed of?â
Mio was so bold, Colbert started to feel effeminate for having let it bother him. He did his best to carry on without staring at her chest.
âSpeaking of your father, you donât look much like him, huh? Duke Carmine was terrifying to stand in front of, but youâre... um... beautiful.â
âAhaha, thanks. They always tell me I get my looks from Mother. With the complaint, âIf you would have taken after her internally too, youâd have grown to be a proper lady.ââ
âThatâs not true...â
âI can recognize it myself. I got my stubbornness from my father.â Mio let out a self-effacing laugh. âBut even though you said he was terrifying, you didnât hesitate to tell my father your opinion, did you? I was impressed.â
âWell... Duke Carmine didnât kick people for voicing their opinion.â
âHuh? Did someone kick you?â
âWell, yes. Lord Gaius, and quite frequently...â
When he was working in the Principality of Amidonia, any time he tried to admonish Gaius VIII, the man had gotten angry and kicked him. If heâd been able to write him off as someone who didnât listen, like Roroa had, he would have been fine. But, because he was unfortunate to have a serious personality, he clashed with all of the military officers but Julius.
âThe militarists hated me because I spoke too much for such a weakling.â
âHee hee, lookâs like youâve got a difficult personality, too.â Mio gave a small smile, but eventually put on a serious expression. âHey, Sir Colbert.â
âYes?â
âDo you know anything about the series of events that led my father to raise a rebellion?â
âIââ Colbert couldnât come up with an immediate answer when faced with that serious look of hers. He wasnât sure how to respond, but her sincerity made him think he needed to give her a response nonetheless. â...I only started serving the Kingdom after they annexed Amidonia, so I havenât been told anything about Duke Carmineâs rebellion, since it happened before then.â
The fact was, Colbert didnât have any information on the rebellion that wasnât public knowledge. The people who did know the situation were tight-lipped. It was likely only Souma and his wives, and a very small number of their closest retainers who knew.
â...Oh, yeah?â Mioâs shoulder slumped in disappointment, having sensed no lie in his words.
As he looked at her, Colbert spoke up, âMadam Mio, you...â
âPlease, donât ask, Sir Colbert.â But Mio gently rebuffed him. âIâm sure nobody wants what Iâm wishing for. Deep down, Mother probably wanted to stop me, and Father... if he were here, heâd get angry, and tell me to mind my own business.â
Mio looked at the longswords leaning against the wall.
âBut this is still the only path I can take.â
âMadam Mio...â
Sensing her determination, Colbert could say no more.