CH 7.5

After Returning to the Country Arc – 5: Memorial Festival

— At the end of the 8th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —

It happened in Royal Capital Parnam, on a day when the summer heat was still far from fading, in the large room in Parnam Castle where the bureaucrats who handled finance worked (AKA the Finance Room).

In one corner of that room was a set of sofas in a reception area, and these were currently occupied by Roroa Amidonia, the former Princess of Amidonia, who was now a candidate to become Souma’s third primary queen, and the Minister of Finance Gatsby Colbert, both of them with dour looks on their faces.

There were a number of documents sitting on the table between them. These documents were the source of their current headaches.

“What will we do, princess?” Colbert asked.

“Ain’t nothin’ we can do,” Roroa said, leaning back in the sofa and looking up at the ceiling. Unusually for the ever-cheery Roroa, she looked depressed. “Sure, I said, ‘If any of you out there’ve got some an interestin’ festival to share, just you let us know.’ I told the bureaucrats to come up with event ideas that could get the money movin’, too. But still... ain’t this one kinda bad?”

Roroa looked at the words on the document she had picked up with a face that looked like she had bitten into something unpleasant.

Colbert felt exactly the same way. “You’re right. If done wrong, it could cause a major problem that would shake the foundations of this country.”

“I know, right? Honestly! Festivals are supposed to be for gettin’ the economy goin’, so I want ideas that’re more fun.”

As Roroa slumped her shoulders and sighed, Colbert sympathized. He had been her associate since they were in the Principality of Amidonia, and was likewise an expert on economic matters, so he knew exactly how she felt.

“Then... do we ignore this one?” he asked.

Colbert’s considerate words made Roroa hesitate for a moment, but eventually she resigned herself and shook her head quietly.

“No can do, I’m afraid. It’s gathered a good number of signatures, hasn’t it? I’d be scared to ignore it.”

“...That’s true.”

“Besides, if we let you or me be the final word of whether we end up doin’ an event or not, that may end up leadin’ to unneeded trouble. Our positions bein’ what they are,” Roroa added in a self-mocking manner.

Unable to watch her any longer, Colbert worked up his spirits and said, “I think it’s best to consult with His Majesty here.”

“We’re gonna get Darlin’ caught up in this problem? ...I don’t wanna.”

“Well, if we are going to carry out this project, we will need to receive permission from His Majesty, regardless. It’s only a difference of whether it happens sooner rather than later.”

“Well, yeah, you’re right, but... havin’ it be me goin’ to ask him about it, and makin’ Darlin’ feel that way... Won’t he end up thinkin’ I’m a troublesome woman?”

Roroa’s worries had, at some point, transitioned to those of a teenage girl.

Even with her unique financial sense, and even if she could make decisions that decided the fate of the principality, Roroa was still a seventeen-year-old girl. It was only natural she’d be concerned how the man she liked saw her.

For Colbert, who saw Roroa like a little sister, her attitude brought a smile to his face. “From what I know of His Majesty, he won’t treat you badly over something as small as this, princess.”

“Ya mean it?”

“If you’d like, I could bring it up with him myself.”

“...Nngh, I’m thinkin’ I gotta do this myself.”

Roroa made her decision, stood up, resolved herself, and went to see Souma.

As he watched her go, Colbert cheered her on in his heart.

“The ‘Gaius Memorial Festival’?” I repeated.

Roroa was silent.

I had been doing my paperwork in the governmental affairs office again today, as per usual, when Roroa had come in and presented me with a document that was a few pages long.

While thinking the usually energetic Roroa seemed awfully reserved today, my gaze had fallen to the papers, and... there was the title “‘Gaius Memorial Festival’s Draft Proposal.”

Gaius... huh.

By Gaius... it means Gaius VIII, right?

Gaius VIII. The man who was Roroa’s father, as well as the Prince of Amidonia.

The Principality of Amidonia had lost more than half its territory in a war with the king before the last one. In order to avenge that humiliation, Gaius had started instigating trouble inside the kingdom and aiming for an opportunity to take revenge.

Then, when I was having a disagreement with the former General of the Army, Georg Carmine, Gaius had seen his chance and lead the forces of the principality to invade the kingdom.

The forces of the principality had passed through the Ursula Mountains, our southwest border with them, and laid siege to the central city of the southern grain producing region, Altomura. Gaius had intended to take Altomura while Georg and I were fighting, and annex the surrounding grain producing region to his country. I was sure of that.

However, this was a trap Hakuya had set up using a fake insurrection by Georg to lure Gaius out. In order to root out troublemakers from inside the kingdom, we had first needed to reduce the influence of their supporters in the princely family of Amidonia.

After ending Georg’s fake insurrection and bringing the three dukes into line, we had immediately declared war on the principality.

Then, making it look like I would launch a blitz invasion of Van, the capital of the principality, I had waited for the forces of the principality that retreated to defend their capital at a plain near Van.

Then, finally, the forces of the kingdom and principality had clashed outside Van.

Looking at the result, the more numerous forces of the kingdom had defeated the forces of the principality who were exhausted from their retreat, but with Gaius’s forces showing serious grit in the battle.

Even with the forces of the principality in a state of total collapse, Gaius and his closest retainers had launched a suicide attack to allow Crown Prince Julius to escape, and closed in on the kingdom’s main camp, with me in it.

Because of my extreme situation, I had forced myself into the role of “king” so thoroughly at that time that I hadn’t felt anything, but... looking back now, it made me shiver.

In the end, due to the assistance of Carla and a number of other factors, the blade of Gaius’s revenge had never reached me.

Gaius had fallen on the battlefield, and I had survived without further incident, but one misstep, and I would have been the one to die there.

Gaius had become enough like a fierce god of the battlefield at that point to make me believe he really was one.

Hold a Memorial Festival for that Gaius... huh.

While I was still looking pensive, Roroa opened her mouth, seemingly having found her resolve. “It’s gathered a fair number of signatures in the Amidonia Region. It’ll have been a year since the battle near Van in another month or so, won’t it? They’re sayin’ they’d like to have a memorial for all the soldiers of the principality who died there.”

“If it’s been a year since that battle... then it’s the first anniversary of their deaths,” I said slowly.

Roroa was silent.

That meant it was going to be the first anniversary of Roroa’s father’s death.

I had been forced to kill Roroa’s father for the sake of the kingdom. It had happened on the battlefield, and she had never liked him to begin with, so Roroa often said to not let it bother me, but... even so, it left an unpleasant feeling inside me.

I already thought of Roroa as family. No matter what happened, I had to protect my family.

I felt I had come this far with that as my core belief.

However... I had killed a member of my family’s family. That was a fact that would never go away.

Maybe she got worried by my silence, because Roroa started talking with forced cheerfulness.

“This one’s really got me beat. Even I dunno what to do. Runnin’ an event like this has got the risk of inflamin’ their patriotic spirits. But now that we’ve asked for event proposals, we’ve gotta carry through with it. Then there’s my position as the former Princess of Amidonia to think of. If I ignore it, it could cause even more backlash.”

Roroa was talking fast, one thing coming out after another. Her loquacity must have been a representation of her unease.

She was likely afraid that by suggesting this as the former Princess of Amidonia, she would cause discord in her relationship with Liscia and me. Her eyes quivered with unease.

I couldn’t blame her. She was trapped between her family who were on the side of the Kingdom of Elfrieden, and the people of the Principality of Amidonia who still looked to her as their princess.

I can’t let Roroa keep looking like this forever...

I wanted Roroa to get back to laughing like her annoyingly cheery self.

“Sure, I don’t see why not. Let’s do this Gaius Memorial Festival.” I set the paperwork down, acted like it was no big deal, and smiled for Roroa.

Roroa’s face, which had been a bit downcast, popped right up and her eyes went wide. “Huh?! Ya really mean it?!”

“The name is probably fine as it is,” I said. “But hold it not just as a memorial for the people of the principality, but for all the people who died in the war. There were more than a few casualties on the Elfrieden side when the forces of the principality invaded, after all. Rework it into an event that honors all of the war dead, please.”

“That’s fine, but... Really? It’s really okay?” Roroa still looked worried. “My old man... Gaius VIII was an enemy of the kingdom, wasn’t he?”

I rose from my chair and stood in front of Roroa. I placed a hand on her head as she looked up at me with uncertainty, and mussed her hair a little roughly.

“Whoa, Darlin’, not so rough,” she protested.

“When you’re acting reserved, it throws me off balance. I’ll bet you’ve been thinking, ‘I don’t want him to hate me because of the bothersome situation in the principality,’ or something like that, right?”

“Ah!”

It looked like I’d hit the bullseye. Roroa blinked repeatedly.

I sighed. “There’s no need to worry like that. Liscia and the others will get mad, you know?”

“Well, I’m your fiancée, darlin’! It’s only natural I’d be worryin’!”

“But if your positions were reversed, you’d get mad, too, wouldn’t you?” I asked.

Roroa got very quiet, so I patted her head again, more gently this time.

“You don’t have to worry. It wasn’t that uncommon in my country to worship those we vanquished in war as gods once they were dead.”

“It wasn’t?” she asked worriedly.

“Yeah. Because the defeated bear grudges and regrets when they die. In order to avoid being cursed by such things, we soothed their wrathful spirits, enshrining them as the protector deities of that land.”

Kunitsukami who was defeated by Amatsukami, Sugawara no Michizane who was driven from the capital, Taira no Masakado who had dreams for the Kanto region and was subjugated... It may have been my country’s love for a good underdog story, but those who tried their hardest and failed were worshiped as gods and protector deities.

Of course, it was calculating move, too. They did it to comfort their tragic souls and avoid being cursed by their grudges.

When I explained that, Roroa blinked in surprise. “I was thinkin’ this when we had trouble with Lunarian Orthodoxy, but darlin’, your country had a real loosey-goosey view on religion. It’s awfully secular, you could say...”

“Aren’t belief and festivals that way by nature?” I asked. “I think memorial festivals are more for the people who are living than the dead, in order to compensate for the sadness of losing someone precious to us, or to let us come to terms with it and move on.”

“...Yeah. Ya might be right about that.”

Roroa finally showed me a smile. Then, maybe having managed to get into a new frame of mind, she took on a face that combined her usual charm with a merchant’s cunning.

“In that case, darlin’, since you’re fine with givin’ approval for the Memorial Festival, if we’re gonna do it, let’s make it a big showy event. That’s what we were collectin’ proposals for to begin with. I’d like a whole lotta people to be gatherin’ for it and droppin’ money.”

Roroa grinned as if she were a child badgering me for something.

It was very much like Roroa to start a business negotiation the moment she got into a new frame of mind. I felt a little irritated by it, but... it was better than her looking down.

“A memorial festival that’s got a showy event, huh...” Hearing that, I remembered one from the other world. “How about we do ‘Tourou Nagashi’?”

“Toronagashi?” Roroa tilted her head to the side.

I’ll keep it a secret that I kind of thought it was cute when she did that.

“It’s a way of sending off the dead with fire. In my world, the waterside of seas and rivers had an association with death. Like the Sanzu River that separated this world from the next... for one example.”

“Ohh. We’ve got that sorta idea in this world, too. There’s a great river between this world and the next, and you need a ferryman to take you across it.”

Ohh, it was that way in this world, too, huh? If I recalled, the “water = death” and “waterside = the border between life and death” associations existed in both the East and West in the other world. It looked like it was the same here.

Surprisingly, that might be a fundamental understanding all living beings had.

“The Tourou Nagashi involves letting boats with offerings drift down the river, which is associated with death, to comfort the spirits,” I said. “It absolutely feels like something out of a fantasy, seeing all those lights slowly drift down the river.”

“Wow, It sounds pretty, even just from listenin’ to you talk about it!”

Then Roroa grasped the hand I had resting on her head with both of her hands.

“I’m takin’ that idea! Let’s do that Toh-roh Nagashi thing at the Memorial Festival! Now that that’s decided, I can’t waste time here! I’m gonna go have Mr. Colbert run the numbers!”

With that said, Roroa took off to leave the room... and stopped at the door.

Then, turning her whole body around, she gave me a soft smile.

“...Thanks, darlin’,” she said in a singsong voice, then took off out of the room with vigor.

Unlike her arrival, I could hear her loud footsteps echoing off into the distance.

“That’s how I like my Roroa...” I murmured.

Her echoing footsteps felt like a representation of her energy, and I loved them.

Having made up her mind, Roroa acted fast.

She immediately put together a budget with Colbert, and started moving on the Memorial Festival.

I was busy with my political duties in the meantime, so the only thing I did for the Memorial Festival was persuade Hakuya it was all right to honor Gaius, our former enemy.

Because of that, I left most of the preparations to Roroa and her people.

...Now that I think about it, that may have been a mistake.

— In the middle of the 9th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —

I blinked and stared. “What is this...?”

We were on the shore of a major river near Van, the capital of the former Principality of Amidonia.

Looking at the fleet on that great river, I whispered that despite myself.

It was no exaggeration to call it a fleet. There were tens of small, fast boats decorated in gorgeous colors, and they shone brilliantly on the evening river.

“What? It’s the Toh-roh Nagashi, ain’t it?” Roroa asked me with a blank look on her face. “The boats with lanterns on ’em are floatin’ in the river, just like you were sayin’, darlin’.”

“No, no, these are way too big... Oops. I never said anything about the size, did I?”

I’d only told her to send boats with lanterns down the river. I’d meant boats of a size you could carry in your hands, but from the way I’d explained it, I couldn’t blame her for thinking I meant small boats.

However, when they got to this size, it was no longer Tourou Nagashi, and it was closer to another event called Shourou Nagashi, or the Spirit Boat Procession. The one from that famous song by Masashi Sada that my grandpa liked. The spirit boat in Nagasaki is paraded around on land, but I hear there are places where it’s actually sent down a river.

Yeah... I’d heard funny stories of people who heard the song Shourou Nagashi and thought it was about Tourou Nagashi, but I never thought I’d see the opposite.

“On top of that, you’ve put a lot of work into the designs of all the boats, too,” I added.

The small, fast boats on the river were all painted in super gaudy colors. Most had some sort of motif. Some were like Viking longboats, while others were designed like Naden in her ryuu form or a pegasus, and there were even others shaped like melons, daikon radishes, or other fruits and vegetables. There were even boats with music bands on board, and they were all playing cheery tunes.

The procession of lights and cheery music reminded me of the electrical parade in a certain kingdom-themed amusement park.

“It looks really fun, but this doesn’t feel like a Memorial Festival.”

“What’re you sayin’?” Roroa asked with a look of exasperation. “It’s partly your fault it turned out like this, now isn’t it, darlin’?”

“My fault?”

“That’s right. When you were occupyin’ Van, you taught the people here how much fun freedom of expression could be, didn’t ya? Ever since, Van’s been a city of the arts.”

“So I hear. I thought it was better than them resisting, so I never thought much of it, though...”

“Because of that, a whole lotta young artists have been gatherin’ here from around the kingdom. That bizarre fleet is a product of those artists’ overflowin’ passion.”

“...Seriously?”

To think my policy would result in this.

No matter what we did, there was always a result, good or bad, but that result wasn’t the end of it. The influence of what we had done carried on after the result. That would continue for as long as there were people to do things. When I thought that, the bizarre scene before me felt moving.

“If Gaius could see this, he’d go mad from rage,” I commented.

“My old man, yeah, I’ll bet he would...”

Remembering Gaius’s stern face, Roroa and I smiled wryly.

He’d made me fear for my life during our fighting, but now he only remained in my memories. The mood had gotten a bit sullen, so I decided to change the topic.

“So that’s why you prepared this thing, too?”

“The others are all super gaudy,” Roroa said. “You want the boat we’re ridin’ to leave an impact, too, don’tcha?”

“Still... did you have to pull out the Roroa Maru?”

Indeed. We were currently on the deck of the amphibious transport ship Roroa Maru.

If we kept using the Little Susumu Mark V to float over the water the whole time, the waves that caused would wreak havoc on the small boats around us, so we currently had it set to the minimum needed to make the rubbery part that held the air stretch taut, and were up on the shore.

There were a number of tables with delicious-looking food laid out on the deck, as well as a Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel set up to broadcast my opening remarks.

“Nyahaha, it’s just about right,” Roroa said with a jolly laugh. “If we’ve gotta have the soldiers runnin’ security haul a jewel aboard anyway, it’s better to have a big ship. It’ll be a good demonstration for the amphibious transport ship, too.”

Roroa was laughing, but Colbert, who was in charge of the finances, must have been holding his head. The more gaudy she made the event, the more preparations needed to made to guard it, after all.

Shrugging, I looked around the area.

Juna and Tomoe were by the side of the ship, having fun pointing at the fleet and laughing.

“This scene is like something out of a fantasy,” Juna murmured.

“It’s really pretty, huh, Juna?” Tomoe agreed.

The two of them, standing there on a night when the lingering heat of summer had faded, with the dark river and gorgeous ships in the background. This pair of beautiful woman and pretty little girl made for quite a nice picture. Meanwhile, at the tables on deck...

“Munch, munch, munch.”

“Nom, nom, nom.”

Aisha and Naden were devouring the food on the tables.

This was business as usual for Aisha, but Naden was the type that couldn’t resist good food, too. They were technically supposed to be my bodyguards, but... Oh, well, they’d manage just fine.

With a wry smile at the two of them, Roroa said, “It’d’ve been nice if Big Sister Cia could’ve made it, too, though.”

“I considered calling her, but we can’t make her push herself,” I said.

The baby in Liscia’s belly was apparently growing steadily. However, this was a crucial period, so I didn’t want to make her travel a long way and cause her unnecessary stress.

“Besides, Liscia was insistent that, ‘Roroa’s the star for today, so make sure you be a proper escort for her,’ in her letter. So I’ll make sure I stay with you the whole time today.”

“Nyahaha, that’s just like Big Sister Cia, all right.” Roroa wore a wry smile with some happiness mixed into it. “Now then... My king, how’s about we get this show on the road?”

“You’ve got it, my Princess Roroa,” I said.

And I took the hand she offered me.

“Soon it will have been one year since that battle.”

Souma’s voice echoed across the river chosen for the event. On the stage set up aboard the Roroa Maru, Souma was giving the opening address of the Gaius Memorial Festival in his role as king.

Roroa was standing next to him, staying close by his side.

By having the two of them stand there in harmony, they represented the solidarity between the Elfrieden Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia, which had united to become a single state.

This scene was being broadcast throughout Friedonia over the Jewel Voice Broadcast. Souma continued with his remarks.

“Much blood was shed by both countries in that conflict, and lives were lost. The peace we have now rests upon those sacrifices. To ensure we do not forget that, we have decided to hold this Gaius Memorial Festival to reflect on the dignity of the late Sir Gaius.”

Souma paused there for a moment, steadying his breath before he continued.

“Even now, I remember it. In the final stage of that battle, as he charged boldly towards me with his closest retainers, Sir Gaius cut a heroic figure. Unaffected and sincere. These are words that were made to describe a personage such as he. Though he was defeated, he was a true manifestation of the Amidonian people’s spirit. Let me say this definitively. I feared Gaius VIII!”

The noisy river became quiet. Everyone listened to hear what Souma would say.

“The way he struggled onward, pursuing his revenge against the Elfrieden Kingdom, almost made him seem like a fierce deity. For someone from the Elfrieden Kingdom, he was an unusually difficult person to deal with. However, I cannot reject that tenacity of his outright. That is because there is no doubting that tenacity was for the sake of his people. It was to make the Principality of Amidonia rise. For a warrior like Sir Gaius, I am sure that was the only way available to him.”

“Ohh, Prince Gaius,” a person in the crowd moaned.

“Your gallant figure is burned into my eyes!” cried another.

“You maintained your pride as a warrior! Can there be any greater happiness?”

The lamentations of former officers of the principality could be heard from the boats.

Gaius’s policies had prioritized strengthening the military, and they had placed no shortage of burdens on the people of the principality, but there were certainly still those who respected his dignity.

Every person had their good and bad sides. He was no longer among us, so why not let them turn a blind eye to his faults, and fondly discuss their good memories? There was no need to continuing whipping him when he was already dead.

Knowing this was the most challenging part, Souma raised his voice.

“So, let me declare it here! Let the grudge long held by the princely family sink deep, together with Sir Gaius! I will inherit his ‘love for his people’! I will protect Princess Roroa here for all my life, and protect the lives and property of this country’s people, irrespective of whether they come from the Elfrieden Region or Amidonia Region! If I should stray from this path, and do anything to make Princess Roroa or her people cry, Sir Gaius would no doubt rise from Hades, stand at my pillow, and curse me to death! In order to avoid that, I intend to fulfill my duties as king to the best of my ability!”

When Souma declared that, loud applause rose up from the boats.

It looked like he had satisfied the hearts of the Amidonian people.

The king of the victors was giving a speech to the defeated people.

If he was high-handed, they would push back against it, and if he was too weak, they would look down on him.

Souma had to be careful with these opening remarks, but he’d managed to do it by focusing on Gaius’s dignity.

While internally feeling relieved, he wrapped up his statement.

“Okay, that does it for these stiff opening remarks! There is no kingdom or principality now! Let the grudges and sadness sink to Hades with the dead! Tonight, let us mourn the departed, and celebrate the joys of living together! Now, drink, eat, and sing! While remembering Gaius and all those who have left us! I hereby announce the opening of the Gaius Memorial Festival!”

With Souma’s words, the greatest cheer yet today went up.

“Don’t ya think you’re praisin’ my old man just a li’l bit too highly?” Roroa asked me with a smirk when my opening remarks were finished.

The people were already having a raucous good time out on the river.

On the shining boats there were people drinking, telling stories, listening to musicians play, and Juna and her loreleis were singing. There was no Elfrieden or Amidonia now, and the initial goal of remembering the dead was forgotten. But that was fine. Because we should be celebrating. The living needed to be celebrating the joy of life with everything they had now.

“Om, nom, nom, nom!”

“Whoa, whoa, Aisha,” Naden burst out. “Isn’t that a bit much at one time?”

“Urgh...” Aisha pounded on her chest like she was choking on something.

“See, I told you so. Tomoe, fetch some water,” Naden said as she tended to Aisha.

“O-Okay, Naden!”

Oh... That might me celebrating a little too much.

I shrugged my shoulders in exasperation, resting my hand on Roroa’s head. “There may have been some exaggeration, but there was no lie in what I said. Sir Gaius acted in the way he thought was best for this country.”

Our paths may not have converged, but I was sure that he had lived his life to the best of his ability. And as a fellow ruler, there were places where I could sympathize with him.

So, at the very least, I would protect Roroa and this country, the proof that he existed. I would tie the things I had inherited from him to the next era.

As I was renewing my will to do so, Roroa grinned at me. “When you said you’ll protect me for life, too...?”

“Of course I meant it.”

“Mweheheh. I really do love ya, darlin’.”

Roroa wrapped her arms around my neck and jumped up, planting a kiss on my lips.

Ow! She had too much momentum, and our teeth hit. I wrapped my arms around Roroa’s waist, and Roroa was suspended in the air. It was an odd position to be kissing in.

When Roroa moved her face away from mine after a while, she gave me the best smile she had yet today.

“Ya declared you’d do it, so I ain’t gonna let it go if you don’t take good care of me for life, darlin’.”