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Chapter 3: Preparation -policy-
Once Shabon and Kishun were sent back to their inn, Liscia, Hakuya, and I headed for the castle’s strategy room. When we arrived, the commander-in-chief of the National Defense Force, Excel; her second-in-command, Ludwin; the general of the National Land Defense Force, Hal’s father Glaive; and finally Castor, the captain of the island-type carrier Hiryuu, were there. The highest authorities in the Kingdom’s National Defense Force had gathered.
I put up a hand to stop them as they were about to stand and greet us, then took a seat myself.
“Sorry. Did we keep you waiting?” I asked.
Playing with her fan, “No, no,” Excel shook her head, “I’m sure it couldn’t be helped, considering our unexpected guest. You have my sympathies.”
“Ahaha... It’s true, I didn’t expect Princess Shabon.” I could only laugh weakly. “This despite thinking I was preparing for every eventuality, and eliminating all risks to the plan. Why is there always some unexpected trouble that comes along...?”
“That’s just how people are. Not everyone will act the way you think they will. We each have our own feelings, interests, and beliefs. What we place the most importance on among them differs, so of course there will be people who don’t do what we hope they will. Isn’t that right, Castor?”
“...Please, don’t make me answer that, Duchess Walter.”
Excel gave him a mischievous smile, and Castor looked like he had just bitten into something unpleasant. During Georg Carmine’s farcical rebellion, Castor had opposed us, prepared to martyr himself for his friend Georg, despite Excel’s attempts to persuade him not to. Well, that was partially our fault for keeping him in the dark, so he wasn’t alone in his responsibility for that.
Excel snapped her folding fan shut. “Now, sire, what will happen to our plan?”
“It will need some fine-tuning, I’m sure, but the overall outline won’t change.” I looked to Excel and Castor as I spoke. “Excel will act as the commander-in-chief of the fleet dispatched to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago and will ride aboard the Albert II. You will also take command in the expected naval battle, so I’m counting on you there.”
“Understood.”
“Captain Castor will manage the island-type carrier Hiryuu.”
“Ohh, it’s finally being deployed in battle, huh?” Castor said excitedly, and I nodded.
“Because I don’t think we can afford to hold back. The second and third carriers, Souryuu and Unryuu, weren’t ready in time, unfortunately.”
“I can’t wait. What equipment should we load on the wyverns?”
“We’ll load them with the Little Susumu Mark V Light (a Maxwell-type propulsion device), but we aren’t anticipating an air-to-air battle. Don’t use them if you don’t have to.”
“Understood!”
I nodded to the two of them, then turned to Glaive next. Since he was a general in the army, he wouldn’t be involved in a naval battle like this one. I had him come here because I had another mission for him.
“Glaive. Your son Halbert and his wife Ruby will be aboard the Hiryuu, but I want you to take a force north, and guard the border with the Union of Eastern Nations.”
“The Union of Eastern Nations... You’re sure? Not the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago?”
Glaive seemed dubious, but I gave him a big nod.
“The reports from Julius and the Black Cats indicate something fishy is going on there. Mainly involving Fuuga Haan of Malmkhitan.”
“By Fuuga Haan, you mean the one who took back a portion of the Demon Lord’s Domain?”
“The very same. Because of that accomplishment, his fame inside the Union of Eastern Nations seems to have risen massively...”
On top of being an amalgamation of many medium to small states, the Union of Eastern Nations was also a complicated mess of marriages and alliances. There had been no way for any of them to grow larger before now, but... then Malmkhitan, led by Fuuga, appeared. He welcomed the refugees back into the land he reclaimed from the Demon Lord’s Domain. In turn, the refugees tried to rebuild their villages, towns, and countries, but it proved impossible for them to counter the threats of the Demon Lord’s Domain alone. In their situation, they couldn’t declare independence, and had no choice but to turn to the man who had reclaimed their territory for protection.
Basically, Fuuga had gained the countries and people whose land he reclaimed along with the territory. Because of that, Malmkhitan was now the largest country inside the Union of Eastern Nations. When people inside the union saw how Malmkhitan had grown, they were excited. Perhaps they could be the country to break out of their defensive posture, and confront the threat of the Demon Lord’s Domain. Maybe the Union of Eastern Nations could become the equal of the Kingdom in the south, or the Empire in the west? There were apparently more and more people inside the Union of Eastern Nations who thought that way.
“Those of the union found their hope in Fuuga; believing he might shatter the status quo, and open up a new world for them.”
“And... What do you think?” Liscia asked, but I could only shrug.
“If you’re asking whether I think that’s bad or good... I don’t know. For people like us on the outside, it may just look like they’re projecting their ideals onto him, but they may feel differently. I doubt it bothers Fuuga. Because they’re all praying for his rise. With the people lifting him up, he’ll feel like the times are pushing him to act, and may eventually start to think his actions are the will of Heaven. And so, a great man is born.”
“Now that you mention it, the Lunarian Orthodox saint said, ‘Living the way others want you to is wonderful, and something to be proud of’... or something like that.”
“Oh... She did, yeah. I’m impressed you remember, given how long ago it was.”
“Well, that was the day we, um... You know...” Liscia trailed off at the end there.
Oh! Come to think of it, that was our first night together. The reason I was even able to cross the line with Liscia was seeing Mary acting as a saint. Personally, I thought I wanted to be a person, and to be loved as a person. But I doubt Fuuga even worries about which he is.
“So, is this man, Fuuga, the one acting suspiciously?” Glaive asked, a serious expression on his face.
“Oh, no, no.” I waved my hand back and forth. “What’s suspicious is the people around him. Hakuya, explain, please.”
“As you wish. According to reports from Sir Kagetora of the Black Cats and Sir Julius of the Kingdom of Lastania, there are more and more people inside the Union of Eastern Nations who view Sir Fuuga as dangerous. Let us call them the anti-Fuuga faction.”
“Hm? But wasn’t His Majesty just saying that people there view him as some sort of great man?”
“Yes,” Hakuya nodded in agreement. “It’s true that Sir Fuuga is seen as a great man by some in the Union of Eastern Nations. However, that is exactly what’s earned him the ire of some of the kings and lords who belong to the union. Retaking territory from the Demon Lord’s Domain is an incredible feat, and all the credit has gone to Fuuga. They can’t be happy to know that their own subjects love, fear, and respect Fuuga even more than their own rulers.”
“It’s a case of, ‘The nail that sticks up gets hammered down.’ I guess that’s true in any world...”
“Is that a proverb from your world, sire? I think it’s quite apt,” Hakuya said, sounding impressed, and then moved on. “Most likely, from here on the Union of Eastern Nations will be divided between those who support Sir Fuuga, and those who oppose him. The opposition will use the historical connections they have built between countries and drag many states into a war to contain him.”
“I guess that’s going to be his ultimate test, huh...?”
“Yes. Conversely, if Sir Fuuga wants to declare his supremacy, the current state of the Union of Eastern Nations, with its intricate web of marriages and interests, must be irritating to him. You could say these two factions are destined to collide in the not so distant future.”
“Who has the upper hand?” Liscia asked, but Hakuya shook his head.
“I couldn’t say. It’s fifty-fifty. In terms of numbers, the kings and lords should hold the advantage due to their ability to pull in more allies, but Sir Fuuga should have the fame and momentum he’ll need to overcome that disadvantage now.”
“So either side could win, you’re saying? Do you agree, Souma?”
“Well... It will be troublesome no matter which side wins, but Fuuga’s the one I don’t want to fight. He’s got the vigor to kick reason to the curb. So, if we’re going to prepare for the worst possible outcome, we should work under the assumption Fuuga will win.”
“Will you assist the anti-Fuuga faction, sire?” Excel asked.
“Nah. I’m not going to do that,” I replied, firmly rejecting the idea. “Making an enemy of Fuuga is making an enemy of the people who idolize him. Hero worship is like religion. In the same way that we’d have to watch out for a rebellion by followers of Lunarian Orthodoxy if we picked a fight with the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, if we’re hostile to Fuuga, we’ll have to be cautious of his worshipers, too. It’s one thing if he invades us, but if we act against him before he’s shown us any hostility, we’ll be condemned for getting in the way of a great man, and trying to rub out the hope of mankind. If we do that, we’ll have trouble ruling our own country.”
“You’re right... That does sound troublesome. Even the difference in power between our countries doesn’t seem like it would help there.”
“I know, right? Until people can clearly see that Fuuga is a threat to this country, we won’t take action against him, and we can’t. We have his little sister Yuriga here as well. We have to act wary, but friendly.”
Liscia frowned. “Souma. If things in the Union of Eastern Nations get nasty, will the Kingdom of Lastania be all right?”
She must have been worried for Roroa’s brother, Julius, who was in the Union of Eastern Nations.
“Julius knows the dangers of opposing Fuuga. He probably won’t join the anti-Fuuga faction. If things get dicey, I’ve told him to take Princess Tia and her folks, and flee here to the Kingdom.”
“I, for one, am anxious about letting Sir Julius return to the Kingdom,” Hakuya raised his objections. It was a reasonable opinion, but I decided to be selfish here.
“If he cares about Princess Tia, Julius won’t harbor any ambitions towards us.”
“...I understand. If you say so, sire.”
“Sorry. Oh, but we’ve gotten pretty far off track. So, anyway, Glaive, you guard the northern border.”
“Yes, sire. Consider it done.” Glaive put his hands together in front of him and bowed his head. That was more or less all of the orders.
Now it was just a question of what I was going to do until the fleet set out.
“You’re goin’ to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union?!” Roroa shouted incredulously.
That was the immediate reaction I got once I gathered my five wives, Tomoe, and Ichiha in the governmental affairs office.
Liscia apparently was in agreement with Roroa. She looked worried.
“I know you, Souma, so I’ll assume you haven’t gone insane, but you are going to explain why, right?”
“Of course,” I replied with a nod. “Everyone here understands the situation in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, right?” I asked, looking at each of them, and everyone nodded.
Everyone here knew about the unidentified massive creature attacking the archipelago, and why people from there had been fishing illegally in our waters. I was careful with keeping our plans a secret, so only a select few were privileged with this information. Not even Hal and Ruby, who were scheduled to be aboard the Hiryuu, had been told yet. Ludwin’s assistant Kaede was on maternity leave, so there was no way for the two of them to find out through her this time. The vast majority of our soldiers believed that they would only be facing the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union’s fleet.
“To be frank, it sounds like the unidentified massive creature—I believe they call it Ooyamizuchi—is going to be more trouble than the Archipelago Union’s fleet. We’ll be setting sail in roughly a week. I want to gather what information I can on the creature before then.”
“And that’s why you’re going to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, Souma?”
“Yeah. Because there’s a sea between us, it’s hard to get information from them. Looking at Shabon’s actions, it seems like they have trouble gaining information on us, too, though. Take a look at this.” I spread out a rough map of the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago on the desk. “These two islands that are the closest to the one we used as a dock when building the Hiryuu are the domain of Kishun, who came here as Shabon’s bodyguard. They’re also the closest to National Naval Defense Force HQ in Lagoon City. Negotiations have opened up these islands for our use.”
The two islands, one large and one small, ruled by Kishun were collectively known as the Twin Islands. The larger was known as Big Island, and the smaller as Little Island, though people from outside the islands called them Big Twin Island and Little Twin Island. These two islands were close enough together that you could swim between them, so Kishun’s mansion was on Big Island.
“We’ll use the ship Shabon and Kishun came in to travel to Big Island in secret. Because there’s a risk of someone seeing us if we use one of the Kingdom’s ships or with Naden. I don’t want it known that I’m staying there. I intend to use Kishun’s mansion as a base of operations and gather information on Ooyamizuchi. To that end, I’d like to ask Tomoe and Ichiha to come with me.”
“Us as well?”
“I-If that’s your order, I’ll follow it...”
They both seemed bewildered.
I was asking them to follow me to a country that we had deteriorating relations with, so I couldn’t blame them. I didn’t want to bring two children into such a dangerous place if I didn’t have to, but I absolutely needed their abilities to investigate Ooyamizuchi. Tomoe’s ability might let her understand Ooyamizuchi’s thoughts. Ichiha might use his monster identification system to identify Ooyamizuchi’s parts and come up with a valid method of attacking it. He had already come up with a number of potential compositions, and with more information, they would only get more precise.
Excel was formulating a plan based on them right now.
“However, you would be sneaking into a country that we have deteriorating relations with, would you not? Then there is also this monster being to consider. Is it not dangerous?” Aisha looked concerned, but I stuck to my guns.
“If I decide it’s getting too dangerous, we can hop on Naden’s back and come home. I don’t have to care if anyone sees me once we’re high-tailing it out of there. You can cross the sea without the Hiryuu, right, Naden?”
“Sure. Just leave it to me.” Naden thumped her chest with one hand proudly. I nodded.
“That’s why I intend to go with a small group, so it’s easy for Naden to carry us in an emergency. I’d like Naden, Tomoe, and Ichiha to come with me—with Aisha and Juna, who knows a lot about the sea, as my bodyguards.”
“Yes, sire. Understood.”
“...Me, too?”
Aisha instantly accepted it, but Juna took a little longer to respond.
“Huh? Is there something bothering you?”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. I understand. I’ll go there to protect you.”
“I’m gettin’ jealous of all of ya. I always get stuck holdin’ down the fort at times like this.” Roroa pouted, but I had another task in mind for her.
“I’d like you to stay in the capital and keep in contact with Julius in the Kingdom of Lastania.”
“With my brother?”
“There’s something fishy going on inside the Union of Eastern Nations. It feels like the Fuuga and anti-Fuuga factions are about to collide. I’ve asked Glaive to lead a portion of the National Land Defense Force to the border for now, but depending on the situation, they may need to take action.”
“...You’re sayin’ my brother and Big Sis might be in trouble?”
“I’ve told him to take the Lastanian royal family and run if things get too dicey. If it does come to that, having you on hand to deal with it is the best way to make sure things work out.”
Julius was difficult enough for our country to deal with as is, after all. There were sure to be people wary of letting him into the country. In order to keep those voices in check, it was best to have Roroa, the third primary queen, mediate.
“Okay.” Roroa nodded, seeming to understand. “I’ve gotta do what I can for my Big Sis. I’ll keep in close contact with my brother.”
“By all means. And let me know if anything happens. Depending on the situation, I can come right back.”
“Roger that.”
“Hey, that’s my—wait, isn’t everyone stealing my favorite line too often?!” Naden objected. It was just too easy to use, you know?
“But without you in the castle, I won’t have any work to do,” Liscia said, bringing a finger to her lips thoughtfully.
Recently, Liscia had been acting as my assistant while Carla, one of the other maids, or occasionally Lady Elisha was looking after Cian and Kazuha for us. If I wasn’t in the castle, she had no one to assist, and that left her with a lot of nothing to do. I think it would be fine for her to kick back and relax, but diligent as she was, Liscia couldn’t stand to have too much free time. But that said, I couldn’t take her with me.
Cian and Kazuha were still only one year old, so we couldn’t take our eyes off them. It wasn’t possible for both me and Liscia to leave their side for days at a time, and there was no way I was taking them to the dangerous Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.
“Do you want to take the kids to your father’s domain, maybe?”
“That would be nice, too, but... Can’t I go to the island where the Hiryuu has its dock? With the children.”
“What? To that island?”
“I was thinking it would be good to let the children experience the roar of the sea and see how big it is.”
“Uh, I don’t think it’s the season for swimming.”
It was still only January, and— Hey, wait, they’re still babies, so they can’t swim at all, huh? Besides, in a world with massive sea creatures like this one, the idea of swimming wasn’t all that widespread. It was probably only the people who lived by the water’s edge who could swim freely whenever they liked. I know Parnam is inland, and it would be good to let them feel the immensity of the sea from a young age. But still...
“Since it’s the closest island to the Twin Islands, it’s also close to Ooyamizuchi’s range, you know? I know there’s a lot of open sea between us, but we can’t rule out the possibility of that thing coming to our shores, so I’m worried about you and the children being there.”
Hearing my explanation, Liscia sighed in exasperation. “What are you talking about? That island is where the fleet you’re sending to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago is gathering, right? Even if the monster did come, the National Naval Defense Force would give it a violent welcome.”
“Well... Yes, that’s true, but...”
“If it gets dangerous, I can run away in a wyvern gondola. Besides, when you go to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, you’ll be taking a broadcast jewel with you to keep in touch with the fleet, right? You’ll have to send back the information you gather, after all.”
“...You understand me well.”
“I’m your wife. Besides, if I’m on the island, you’ll be able to see the children’s faces when you make your regular reports.”
“Urgh... Oh, geez, fine. I give, I give,” I said, raising my hands in surrender. “You can go to the island. But be careful, will you?”
“I know. Make sure you come home safely, too, Souma. The children will be waiting.”
“Of course I will.”
With that, our policy was decided. Okay, let’s go to the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago.