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Chapter 1: The Road to the North
—Late in the 9th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar—
“It’s been a while, Sir Souma.”
On this day, I was in the Jewel Voice Room in the castle, speaking to a beautiful woman on the other side of a simple receiver whose distinctive wavy hair left me entranced despite myself.
It was Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos Empire.
Behind me I had my prime minister, Hakuya, and behind Maria was her little sister and general, Jeanne, standing by.
That the heads of each country and their seconds-in-command were all present at this meeting signified how important it was.
Looking, perhaps, to start off with some friendly chat, Maria smiled. “I hear you will be having a child. Congratulations.”
I smiled back and returned the greeting. “Thank you. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet though...”
“Hehe! If it’s Liscia’s child, I’m sure it will be cute. I hear you’re a year younger than me, Sir Souma, but it seems you’ve beaten me to it, haven’t you?” Maria said teasingly.
If I recalled correctly, Juna, who was the same age as me according to this world’s calendar, was actually a year older by Earth’s calendar, so that would mean Maria, who was a year older than me, was actually two years older.
Well, I was too afraid to bring up the matter of age with a woman, so I decided to let it go.
“But, well, now Liscia and I will both be set free from Marx constantly begging us to ‘hurry and produce an heir!’ so that’s a relief.”
“I envy you,” Maria said. “I’m still being told to ‘hurry up and take a husband!’”
“You don’t have anyone in mind?”
“When you are an empress, it’s difficult. It needs to be someone who can carry the weight of an empire on their shoulders after all.”
“You’re...a little too far out of everyone’s league then, I guess.”
Very different from how my engagement to Liscia had been arranged by the former king, Sir Albert. It seemed it was quite hard for an empress of the Empire to get married.
Then Madam Maria gave me a teasing smile. “Hehe, maybe I should have you take me as your wife, Sir Souma? It would be a big help if you could handle all of the Empire’s troubles for me like you did for Princess Roroa, you know?”
“Wh-What are you saying, Sister?!” Jeanne raised her voice before I could get a word out. “You carry the weight of the Empire! You mustn’t say such things so carelessly...”
“Don’t be so angry, Jeanne,” Maria said. “It was just a little joke.”
“There are things you can joke about and things you can’t!”
Oh, Maria... You’re just playing around and teasing Jeanne, I thought.
Jeanne had a straightforward personality, like Liscia, so it must be amusing to have her react every time.
“I would be honored to have a wonderful woman like you as my bride, Madam Maria... But I must say, I don’t have the confidence to rule a vast territory like the Empire on top of my kingdom. Managing Elfrieden and Amidonia is the best I can manage, I’m afraid.”
“I don’t think that’s true, but...if you wouldn’t mind, I’d be happy to take that Black-robed Prime Minister of yours instead. I’ll relinquish the throne to Jeanne, so would you consider marrying Jeanne and becoming emperor?”
“Sister?!” Jeanne cried.
It looked like Maria had turned on Hakuya now.
Hakuya himself looked unperturbed, touching his chin thoughtfully before he responded. “I do think Madam Jeanne is an attractive woman. However, I will have to pass on being emperor. If you would send her to this country to be my bride, I will gladly have her though.”
“S-Sir Hakuya, you too?!”
“Boo,” Maria pouted. “If you’re not gonna let me retire, you can’t have her.”
“Sister, would you please shut up?!”
With the two of them jerking her around, Jeanne’s face was bright red.
Maria aside, Hakuya wasn’t the type to toy with people like this, so, surprisingly enough, he may have meant it seriously.
Well, whatever the case may be, we didn’t have time to waste talking about silly things.
“Now then, Madam Maria,” I said, “isn’t it about time we got to the topic at hand?”
“I suppose it is.” Her gentle smile vanishing, Maria put on a serious expression and said, “King Souma Kazuya of the Kingdom of Friedonia, in accordance with the pact forged between our two countries, I would like you to provide reinforcements to the Union of Eastern Nations.”
“Does this involve the Demon Lord’s Domain?” I asked.
Maria silently nodded.
The secret pact between the kingdom and the Empire stated: “In exchange for not joining the Mankind Declaration led by the Empire, in the event that the eastern side of the continent (the side with the Union of Eastern Nations) is menaced by the threat of the Demon Lord’s Domain, the kingdom will handle it in place of the Empire.”
“As I told you while you were in the republic, there has been an increase in attacks against the northern countries by monsters from the Demon Lord’s Domain,” Maria said. “Their numbers and frequency rise by the day.”
“Just monsters? What about demons?”
In the Demon Lord’s Domain, there were monsters that weren’t thought to be intelligent, as well as demons that were. That was Maria’s and my common understanding.
The ones indiscriminately attacking mankind were the monsters, and if we tried to deal with them and the demons in the same way, pest extermination would turn to war, and it might lead to a repeat of mankind’s terrible defeat over a decade ago.
Our hope was to maintain the status quo, and, if possible, make contact with the demons.
However, Maria shook her head in disappointment. “Only monsters are attacking. There have been several cases like this where a massive number of monsters have appeared and pushed south. We call these ‘manami’ or ‘demon waves.’”
“Manami...” I repeated.
That sounds like a woman’s name, I thought. I knew it wasn’t going to be anything so easy to deal with though.
“Looking at the records of past demon waves, it seems this surge of monsters and increase in attacks is a temporary phenomenon. If we can exterminate the attacking monsters, things should return to a state of relative calm for some time.”
“I see...” I mused. “It really is like a wave then.”
“Still, there are a great many of them, putting the threat at a level that a small to medium-sized country can’t handle alone.”
Maria had Jeanne unfurl a map they’d prepared and show it to me. Then Maria pointed to each country on the map as she spoke.
“We will protect the west of the continent and those countries that are subservient to the Empire. With the powerful dragon knights they possess, the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom can handle themselves, I’m sure.”
True enough, the Empire, which was the strongest of mankind’s nations, and those countries aligned with it, along with the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom, which had powerful dragons like Naden or Ruby, could easily defend themselves.
Then, with a strained look on her face, she pointed to the countries in the east.
“The issue is the Union of Eastern Nations, which is a large alliance, but made up of medium to small countries. While they have the United Forces, consisting of manpower provided by each country, by its very nature they are unevenly distributed. If the small-scale countries don’t receive enough support, there will be places that fail to hold the line.”
“I see your point,” I nodded. “You’d like us to send reinforcements to those smaller countries, right?”
Maria nodded. “Please do. I leave the location and methods to you, but please work with all due haste to save people’s lives. There have been many refugees since the coming of the Demon Lord’s Domain. I don’t want to see the pain of people being driven from their homelands spread any further.”
“That’s what our pact is for. Though, since we’ll be supporting you by dispatching troops, please don’t go asking for war subsidies for the time being, okay?”
“Of course not.”
War subsidies were paid by countries that were distant from the Demon Lord’s Domain to the countries that were bordering it. It was a considerable burden, but from a humanitarian perspective, and from the practical perspective that, if the north fell, we would be directly affected, it would be hard to refuse resuming payment if it were requested.
It was much easier if we could get by without payment being requested.
With that settled, Maria began using a pointing stick to point at a new map of the Union of Eastern Nations that Jeanne had prepared, explaining where reinforcements should be sent.
“There are two places in the Union of Eastern Nations that will be especially in need of reinforcements. The first is on the western edge of the Union of Eastern Nations’ border with the Demon Lord’s Domain, the Kingdom of Lastania, which also borders the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom. It is a small country, but has an alliance with the Dragon Knight Kingdom, and they can call for help in times of need. But the Dragon Knight Kingdom is also being attacked by monsters from the current demon wave, so it is expected that any assistance from them may be delayed.”
“The Kingdom of Lastania...” I murmured.
That’s the country where Jirukoma and the former refugees who decided to return north are staying, I thought. There are reports that that man is in that country too... No, that doesn’t matter now, I guess.
Next, Maria pointed to a spot near the center of the border with the Demon Lord’s Domain. “The other is the Duchy of Chima. It is a small country founded by Duke Chima, who was a noble in a medium-sized country until he gained independence. It’s a country that, in a region full of small- to medium-sized countries, has skillfully joined different camps depending on the situation and managed to maintain its independence.”
“They’re good at bargaining and strategy, I suppose.”
Just like the Sanada Clan under Masayuki, who had skillfully negotiated their way through a situation of being surrounded by the major powers of the Tokugawa, Houjou, and Uesugi and still maintained their independence. The Duchy of Chima was a small country, but its leader was no doubt highly capable.
Then Maria giggled. Had something amusing happened?
“Is something the matter?” I asked.
“Oh, no... It’s just that this Duchy of Chima apparently happens to be doing something interesting with this situation.”
“Something interesting?”
“It seems the current Duke of Chima has seven children, and they’re all beautiful, boys and girls alike. I’ve heard they’re each skilled in a variety of areas too. People from all over the Union of Eastern Nations have been requesting those seven as marriage partners or vassals.”
They were a distinguished family indeed. Since our country was looking far and wide for people of talent, I was interested in what exactly those seven’s gifts were, but...what was so interesting about the situation?
“When Duke Chima sent out a request for aid in response to the current demon wave, this is what he said: ‘For countries which send us reinforcements, in response to your performance, I will give each of you one of my six children, other than my eldest son, who is my heir, to serve as your retainer...’”
“He’s using his children as collateral to get reinforcements?!”
That was a rather bold thing to think of. What was more, since he was lending them out as retainers, not hostages, he was just that confident in the children’s abilities.
Also, since it was per country, corresponding to their performance...that meant he was sending his kids to serve only in influential and large countries.
Even in a crisis, he was craftily trying to increase his influence inside the Union of Eastern Nations. Duke Chima... He was apparently a shrewd one, and not to be taken lightly.
While I was thinking about it, Maria smiled in a way that implied something.
“Of the six, the eldest daughter, Mutsumi Chima, is a beautiful woman and an accomplished warrior. I hear many countries have sent reinforcements out of a desire for her. Though, in her case, it seems they want her as a bride, not a retainer.”
“I see... I suppose even the masters of nations can have a weakness for pretty women.”
“What’s this?” Maria teased. “You’re not interested, Sir Souma?”
I shrugged and joked, “If she’s just beautiful and strong, I already have plenty of brides-to-be who have that covered.”
Maria giggled. “Hehe. I see what you mean.”
Rather than Madam Mutsumi, I was more interested in what gifts the remaining five may possess. But if reinforcements were pouring in, there was no need to send troops to Duke Chima’s domain immediately. In which case, my policy had to be...
I thought for a little while, then told Maria, “I understand. Our country will send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Lastania. I have acquaintances there, so it’s not as though we have no ties to the country. If we still have strength to spare when the problem there is resolved, and if things still aren’t taken care of in the Duchy of Chima at that point, I will have my forces head there as well.”
Maria smiled softly and bowed her head on the other side of the screen. “Thank you. We will be counting on you.”
Thus, it was decided that my Kingdom of Friedonia would dispatch troops to the Kingdom of Lastania in the Union of Eastern Nations.
Once I was sure that the communication with Maria had been terminated, I took a breath and spoke to the person behind me.
“You can come out now, Roroa.”
Roroa poked her face out from the shadow of a piece of furniture. “What, darlin’, ya noticed?”
“I spotted someone sneaking in out of the corner of my eye.”
I hadn’t seen who exactly, but assuming it was someone that Aisha, who was guarding outside, would let through without a fuss, and someone who would sneak into a place like this, there really wasn’t anyone other than her.
“Nyahaha! Ya got me.” With an awkward smile on her face, Roroa came over to me.
Once Hakuya finished cleaning up after the broadcast conference, bowed, and left the room, Roroa and I were the only ones left.
Once we were alone, Roroa dropped the smile. “Are ya sendin’ troops to the Kingdom of Lastania?”
“Yeah. I just decided to now.”
“Is it my fault ya ended up havin’ to go north? It was me showin’ you this that made you want to go up there, wasn’t it, darlin’?”
Roroa pulled a single sealed letter from her pocket.
The wax seal I caught a glimpse of bore the crest of the princely family of Amidonia. I had already read the contents of that sealed letter.
Knowing what it said, I shook my head. “This was decided between the Empire and me beforehand. That I would support the Union of Eastern Nations if it looked like they might collapse, I mean. Even if that letter hadn’t come, I’m sure I’d have sent in the military. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
I’d said it to cheer her up, but Roroa didn’t respond as she opened the envelope, removed the letter, and whispered while holding it so tight it crumpled.
“Big Brother...”
I was silent.
The sender was Julius Amidonia. He was the son of Gaius VIII, who had been the sovereign prince of Amidonia, as well as Roroa’s elder brother. He was also a person who, together with his father Gaius, had been stirring up revanchist sentiment against the Elfrieden Kingdom, and had worked behind the scenes to foment rebellion inside the kingdom.
In the period of confusion following my assuming the throne, Gaius had invaded the kingdom to take advantage of discord between me and the General of the Army at that time, Georg Carmine. However, this had been a trap set by Hakuya and me making use of Georg’s fake mutiny, and the principality had fallen right into it.
Later, Gaius would die in a battle near the principality’s capital Van, and Van would end up under control of the kingdom.
With Gaius fallen in battle, Julius had taken the reins and assumed his title as Prince of Amidonia, then brought in the lead signatory of the Mankind Declaration, the Gran Chaos Empire, to negotiate for the return of Van and its surrounding area. While that had resulted in the return of Van, Julius had also been forced to pay reparations and put a heavy burden on the people of the principality, thereby inviting resistance from the people and giving the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State an opening to take advantage of. Which they had, inciting the adherents of Lunarian Orthodoxy in the principality to revolt. In putting them down, Julius had lost even more of the support of his people.
Ultimately driven out by Roroa, the one bringing the country together through a network of merchants, he had gone into exile in the Empire. That was all we had known of Julius up until this point.
However, it seemed after that, he had left the Empire and wandered to various countries and was currently finding shelter in the Kingdom of Lastania.
The Kingdom of Lastania, which was now facing a heavy impact from the demon wave.
“Why’d ya go and do that?” Roroa gripped the letter she was holding tighter.
In the letter were words of concern for Roroa’s well-being, along with a description of his actions so far. Then, together with an apology for his misdeeds up to this point, he politely asked Roroa, who was slated to become my third primary queen, to encourage me, as the King of Friedonia, to send reinforcements to the Kingdom of Lastania. At the very end, it even said, “If King Souma wishes my head in exchange for this, I do not mind. So, please, can you find it in yourself to save the House of Lastania, who have done so much for me?”
To save the royal family of a petty kingdom, he was casting aside his shame and reputation to ask me, his father Gaius’s killer, and Roroa, the one who had exiled him, for aid. I couldn’t connect this behavior to the Julius he had been while acting as the Prince of Amidonia.
That was how I could tell Julius was serious. While wandering various countries, something must have changed inside him.
“Why...? Ain’t it a bit late for this...?” Tears fell from Roroa’s downcast eyes.
Roroa and Julius’s relationship was complicated. Though they were brother and sister by blood, there had been an unfillable rift between them. This was caused by Julius’s desire to inherit the quest for revenge against the Elfrieden Kingdom, and Roroa’s desire to stop expanding the military and instead rebuild the economy and make the country prosperous.
After the death of Gaius, Julius had inherited the Principality of Amidonia and tried to remove Roroa as a potential political rival. This had ended in failure when Roroa disappeared, and Julius had begun to oppress the people until Roroa brought the country together and drove him out instead.
Though they were brother and sister, they had seen one another as enemies.
Now she had suddenly received an apology and request for reinforcements from said brother, so Roroa must have still not sorted out her feelings on the matter.
“What do you think of the letter, Roroa?” I asked. “Is there something else behind it?”
“That’s not it...I don’t think,” Roroa said, looking up after wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
“Before...my proud brother’d never’ve thought to send a letter like this. He wasn’t the type to go showin’ his weaknesses to people. Somethin’ major musta happened to bring this on. I don’t think there’re any lies in what he wrote.”
“It’s in line with the information we gained from Madam Maria too.”
Whether or not his apology to Roroa was genuine, the fact of the matter was that the Kingdom of Lastania was expected to face a crisis from the demon wave. If Julius was there, it made sense he would seek reinforcements.
Roroa let out a cry of “unyaaaagh” and scratched at her head hard. “Augh, it’s all makin’ sense, and that’s what makes no sense about it! Why’s my cold, rational brother sendin’ me a letter that sounds so darn human?! He’s so different from before! I’ve gotta suspect he’s a fake!”
“In my old world, there was a saying: ‘Don’t meet a boy for three days, and watch what happens.’ While he was wandering from country to country, something must have changed Julius, don’t you think?”
“Ya sure? I don’t see that brother of mine changin’ all that easily though...”
When Roroa said that and tilted her head to the side, I hugged her close. Her body was so slender that she tucked neatly into my arms. With a body as delicate as this, Roroa had made a decision that decided the fate of the principality, and her own fate as well. I was reminded once again what an amazing girl she was.
“People change,” I said. “Meeting new people can change us dramatically. I was only a student, but I met Liscia, I met Aisha and Juna, I met you, and the next thing I knew I was a king ruling over two countries. I made a contract with Naden just the other day, and now I’m no dragon knight but a dragon king. The me of two years ago could never have imagined the me of today.”
“You’re a bit of a special case, don’tcha think, darlin’?”
Roroa sounded a bit exasperated when she said that, so I laughed.
“Fair enough. My situation may have been extreme, but we all influence one another to some degree, big or small. There are things that have changed about you since meeting us too, aren’t there, Roroa?”
“There sure are.” In my arms, Roroa finally smiled a little. “Ever since I met you, darlin’, I’ve been able to think about all the fun things we can do with money. Before that, all I had time for was how to use it efficiently, or how I could make the people of the principality’s lives easier with it. I feel like it’s been givin’ my love of festivals an extra boost.”
“Is that a good change?” I asked.
“I like me bein’ like this.”
“Well, good then.”
Then Roroa squeezed, tightening her arms around my waist. “Do ya think my brother met someone like this, and that’s what’s changed him?”
“Could be. Judging from what he wrote, it’d be someone from the Royal House of Lastania though.”
“What, did he go and find himself a woman in Lastania or somethin’?”
“That’s a bit rude.” I butted Roroa in the head lightly. “You didn’t have to put it that way...”
She let out a giggle.
Yeah, a smile definitely looked better on Roroa than tears. If possible, I wanted to keep her smiling cheerfully forever.
For that...I needed to make it so she could.
“Hey, Roroa,” I said. “If it concerns you, why don’t you come along? If you do, you can see for yourself how Julius is now.”
My sudden suggestion made Roroa’s eyes go wide.
“I can come along too? I’m not gonna be any good to ya out on the battlefield, you know?”
“If that’s the standard we’re going by, I’m basically useless too, but...we’ll likely be sending tens of thousands of troops this time. There are negotiations to be done with the Union of Eastern Nations too, so I plan to take along several bureaucrats. Also...I’m thinking I’ll bring Tomoe.”
“Whuh?! You’re takin’ Tomoe with you too?!” Roroa reacted with surprise.
I was taking Tomoe, who was only eleven years old, to a country bordering the Demon Lord’s Domain, so I could hardly blame her. Still, it was absolutely necessary.
“We’re dispatching troops to the countries bordering the Demon Lord’s Domain,” I explained. “We never know when we might encounter the demons, and, if we do, I don’t want to miss the chance to establish communication. To do that, Tomoe’s ability is essential. It may be a harsh journey for a little one like her, but I intend to have her along.”
I plopped my hand down on Roroa’s head.
“So bringing you along too is no big deal. I’m never putting you on the front line, of course, so I’m sure you’ll be sitting in the rear and staying put until we can ensure things are safe. Taking you will put more strain on Minister of Finance Colbert, but, the situation being as it is, I’m sure he’ll be fine with it. I hear he and Julius were friends after all.”
“You’re sure...I can come?” Roroa asked me with upturned eyes.
I gave her a big nod. “If that’s what you want, Roroa.”
“Nyahaha! Sure, if my brother’s really gone and changed, I wanna see him.” Roroa took my hand from on top of her head and pressed it against her cheek. “Thanks, darlin’. I love ya lots.”
“I love you too, Roroa. Now then, it looks like we’re going to be busy.” I pulled my hand away from Roroa’s cheek and let out a big yawn. “It’s our first big movement of troops in a while after all. We can’t take much time, but we need to prepare appropriately for it. Deciding who to take, where to position the ones we leave behind, and preparing the provisions and logistics too. I’m sure I’ll have to call in all the main members of the National Defense Force.”
“Well, sounds like things’ll be gettin’ lively around here then, huh,” Roroa said with a pleased smile.
It looked like she was back to being the usual Roroa.
I felt relieved, but there was one thing that still worried me.
“We’ll...have to tell Liscia about this, won’t we?”
“Oh... That’s right...”
Maybe because she sensed my reluctance, Roroa had an awkward look on her face too.