After Returning to the Country Arc – 3: The Flower that Blooms in the Field and the Bird in the Cage
The summer sun had begun to set, and it was getting a little cooler.
I was in the governmental affairs office, fighting with the doc.u.ments that had piled up while I was away in the republic. Why, when I was working so hard, did the amount of work left not seem to be decreasing?
There was always work I needed to do. I couldn’t fight 24 hours a day... I wanted to go home... This was home, though...
Augh... I can’t concentrate anymore...
I had been working in the office all day today, so my mind was exhausted.
Physical labor brought about lethargy of the body, but mental labor brought about impairment of mental function.
I leaned back in my chair.
The sense of exhaustion felt stronger than usual.
It’s because Liscia’s not around...
Ever since Liscia, who had always helped me in a secretarial role, was found to be pregnant, she had been resting at Sir Albert’s former domain. I still hadn’t found time to go see her.
With days going by in which I couldn’t see her, I now understood that Liscia had been a soothing presence, just by being near me. Even when I was tired, when I looked at her well-balance proportions wrapped in a red military uniform, I felt like I could try a little harder
If I told her I’d been ogling her during work, would I be in for another lecture...?
I wanted to talk to Liscia... No, for now, it didn’t even have to be Liscia. I just wanted someone to talk to.
Sigh... Time to call it a day, I guess.
If I forced myself to work and entered the wrong information somewhere, it was bound to create more work down the line. I was running out of concentration, so it would be better to leave the rest until tomorrow and get some rest.
There was a sudden voice from the terrace, which should have been vacant.
“Your Majesty, may I have a moment?”
Considering the time, it was probably one of the Black Cats. It used to make me jump every time I suddenly heard my name, but... it had happened often enough, I was used to it now.
As expected, the unit’s second-in-command, Inugami, was the one to open the terrace door and come in.
“Did something happen?” I asked.
“Yes, sire. I have something I would like to report.”
After I heard Inugami’s report, I was left agape.
“Huh? Why is she here?”
“It will do you no good to ask me. I suggest you address the matter with the person in question.”
“I guess you’re right... But I’m impressed they knew.”
“The one who found her was a member who went to the Republic of Turgis,” the man said. “If any of the other members had found her first, it would have been dangerous. For her, of course.”
“I know. How could she do something so dangerous...?”
I pressed my palm to my forehead and sighed. Seriously, what was she thinking?
“So, what will you do?” Inugami asked, looking to see how I would respond.
“...Can you lead her here?” I asked wearily.
“You wish to meet with her?”
“We could run her off, but she’s not the type to give up.”
“Understood. Please, wait a moment.”
Inugami went out to the terrace. He had to be going to get her.
I leaned back in my chair, thought about what was to come, and became a little gloomy.
We now turn back time to around when the sun was low in the sky.
In Parnam, bustling with people who had finished their daily toil, there was a green-haired girl walking down a shopping street
“Yeesh, everyone just goes off whenever they want...”
The one who walked along, muttering that to herself, was the adventurer Juno. The party Juno was a member of had returned from the Republic of Turgis to their usual base of operations in the royal capital Parnam.
Juno stuck her hand in the pouch at her waist. There was more money in there than usual.
Here I am, with hazard pay, but I don’t really want to drink alone...
The emergency quest they had taken in the republic had resulted in a hefty reward
Even divided between the five of them, the money had been enough to pay for all of their new equipment, and they had decided they would each spend the day doing whatever they wanted.
The swordsman Dece had invited the mage Julia, who he had a thing for, out to dinner, while the brawler Augus had said he was off to party hard at a place with pretty girls. The priest Febral was childhood friends with the innkeeper’s daughter, so he had said he was going to go see her.
All of that being the case, Juno was now left out.
Sigh... Isn’t there something interesting around here...?
“Hm?”
Suddenly, down the road, Juno spotted something. A roly-poly silhouette that walked with slow, easy steps.
“I think I’ve found it,” she said with a grin. “Something interesting.”
The object walking down the street was the kigurumi adventurer, Little Musashibo.
He had once been treated as an urban legend and viewed as an oddity by the townsfolk, but because he was now a major character on the Prima Lorelei Juna Doma’s broadcast program Together with Big Sister, he was popular with the children.
“Hey, it’s Little Musashibo!” a child cried.
“He’s so round. And so big.”
As proof of that, there were children waving to him now. That was an impressive show of popularity.
Little Musashibo gave the kids a thumbs-up.
Juno tilted her head to the side as she looked at the kigurumi adventurer.
Come to think of it, I saw a program with Little Musashibo in it, didn’t I? Dece and the others were saying he probably just lent them his kigurumi suit, but those moves... He looks like the real deal
For Juno, who had gotten to be able to sense Little Musashibo’s feelings from the way he moved, she could see that it was the same person (?) inside this Little Musashibo. Not only that, she had previously encountered him running errands for the castle.
Is it like I think... and he’s got some connection to the castle?
Her suspicions were turning to certainty.
Juno tailed Little Musashibo. She kept a constant distance from him, her eyes on his back as she pursued, and as expected, Little Musashibo headed for the main gate of Parnam Castle.
Little Musashibo showed something to the guards there, they saluted, and he was allowed to enter.
Did he show them something like a pa.s.s? But, even with a pa.s.s, would they really let such a blatantly suspicious person (?) through?
Even if that kigurumi was appearing in a broadcast program produced at the castle, there was no knowing who was inside it, so shouldn’t they be more cautious? Or did he have something that would make the guards let him pa.s.s just by showing it to them?
Was he a person (?) with a strong enough connection to the castle that he would have a thing like that?
Juno understood Little Musashibo less than ever.
Even after waiting for some time after that, there was no sign of Little Musashibo leaving the castle. That he had only come to run a little errand... seemed unlikely to be the case.
By the time she noticed, the sun was setting, and the area had gotten dark.
Maybe I’m right. Maybe he really is connected to the castle. Ohhh, I wonder how. But it’s a castle... It’s probably a bad idea to try sneaking in.
If she crossed the walls of Parnam Castle without permission, she would likely be arrested for trespa.s.sing. If that happened, it wouldn’t just be her problem; she’d be inconveniencing Dece and the rest of her party, too.
Hmm, what to do?
Juno was trapped, paralyzed at the border of curiosity and reason. She did not realize that, at that moment, she had become a “suspicious person staring at the castle.” Or that there was a group that existed to guard against such people, and expose them if found.
Juno had long since gone from the being the watcher to being the watched.
Ah!
By the time she noticed, it was too late. There were countless presences surrounding Juno.
No, how could a scout like me fail to notice until I was surrounded?!
Juno, who excelled at sensing the presence of enemies in a dungeon, had allowed them to close in on her so easily. There was no doubt her opponents were skilled.
Wh-What do I do...? What now...?
Juno tried to get a feel for the presences. Polishing every nerve in her body, she searched for their locations.
When she did, she realized there was only one direction with no people in it. Despite being otherwise so perfectly encircled, there were no people in the direction of the castle.
I smell a trap, she thought. It’s too blatant, but... it’s not like I have any other choice.
Juno resolved herself, and took off in that direction. The presences around her moved, too.
They aren’t attacking? But I’m still surrounded.
While searching for the presences, she looked for a place where she could escape. She was running in the direction where there were no presences, but she sensed she was being led somewhere.
Wait, I’m super close to the castle?!
Having focused on nothing but running away, at some point she had crossed the castle wall, and gotten close to the castle itself. If she got caught now, she would be dealt with as an intruder.
Juno clambered up a wall, jumped around on the roofs, and ran around desperately.
Eventually, she landed on a terrace. There was an open gla.s.s door.
C-Can I go in here, hide, and wait them out?!
Thinking that, she tried to enter the room...
“And stop.”
“Wha?!”
The young man who came out of the room blocked her way.
“There are important doc.u.ments in here, after all,” the young man said in a relaxed tone that you wouldn’t antic.i.p.ate from someone unexpectedly encountering a suspicious person on the terrace. “There are rules against anyone entering who doesn’t have to.”
However, as she was on the run, Juno was desperate.
“S-Sorry! I might look suspicious, but I’m not! I was just being chased and they cornered me in here, so... um... hide me for just a little while!”
Juno ran her mouth as fast as she could, but the young man sighed.
“Calm down a little, Juno. I more or less know the situation.”
“...Huh? Why do you know my name?”
“How many times have you asked that question now, I wonder...?”
With that, the young man took another step forward. When she saw his face, which had up until now been covered by a shadow, clearly, Juno’s eyes went wide with surprise.
“I-It’s you! You’re the guy we just met in the republic, aren’t you?!”
“Yes. We met in the refugee camp, too, I believe,” the young man said with a wry smile and a shrug. “I might add, we’ve gone adventuring and drank together, too.”
“Huh? What’re you... Huh?!”
Then the young man pointed towards the room. In there was Little Musashibo, approaching with slow, easy steps. Little Musashibo’s “head” was wide open for the flabbergasted Juno to see. Inside, he was... empty.
The young man spoke. “I move it using my own unique magic. I am the person in the costume, despite being outside the costume, you could say.”
“Then you’re Mr. Little Musashibo’s real ident.i.ty?!”
“Well, yeah, that’s more or less what I mean.”
The young man extended his hand to Juno.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you... though I suppose it’s not the first time. Still, I haven’t given you my name properly, so let me introduce myself. I am Souma Kazuya. The one who was controlling Little Musashibo.”
“Souma Kazuya... Wait, that’s the name of...”
While they were shaking hands, Juno’s brow furrowed at the familiar name.
The young man said, with a wry smile, “Do I really make that little of an impression in my normal outfit? Yeah. I’m the provisional King of Friedonia.”
At this point, Juno’s mind went completely blank.
It took some time for Juno to recover from her confusion.
“Th-Then what? You’re Little Musashibo, and you’re the king, so that means Little Musashibo is the king? ...Ah! Sorry, I need to mind my manners.”
“No, the way you normally talk is fine,” I told Juno with a wry smile. She was babbling incoherently now. “I told you we were comrades before, didn’t I?”
Juno puffed up her cheeks and looked away. “...I don’t want someone who was keeping something so important a secret a comrade.”
“I couldn’t tell you because it was so important. Besides, even if I had, I doubt you’d have believed me, would you?”
“That’s... Well, maybe not. Fine, I’ll act like normal.”
With that said, Juno sat herself down on the railing at the edge of the terrace.
I stood with my back leaned against the same railing, and we were finally in a position to have a relaxed talk.
Then Juno’s eyes started darting around the area.
“What is it, Juno?” I asked.
“Nah, I was just wondering where the presences that were chasing me up until a moment ago went.”
“Oh. Those are my people. I asked them to guide you here.”
“Those were your underlings?! I was super scared, you know?!”
“It was your fault for spying on the castle. If you were unlucky, you might have been killed out of hand for being a potential troublemaker. Who knows what would have happened if they hadn’t contacted me...”
At that reasonable argument, Juno groaned, unable to come up with a response.
“Um... Sorry,” she said. “I just really wanted to know who you were...”
Juno was acting meek. It wasn’t like her, so I laughed.
“Well, it’s fine. And? How do you feel, knowing my true ident.i.ty?”
“I’m relieved to have my doubts cleared up,” she admitted. “But why’s the king playing with dolls?”
“It was just an experiment at first.”
From there I gave Juno a simple summary of how Little Musashibo had come to be.
Wanting to test the range of my ability, I’d registered him as an adventurer and had him go all sort of places, he had met Juno and her group because of that, we’d ended up adventuring together, and so on.
I also explained that I was able to see whatever Little Musashibo saw.
“Wha?! Then you saw when my breastplate melted, too...”
“Uh... Yeah. It’s a good thing you didn’t end up not just showing your b.r.e.a.s.t.s, but your ribs as—Ow!”
“Don’t talk about my b.r.e.a.s.t.s!” Juno planted a hard kick in my flank.
I was just paraphrasing Dece, though!
“Ow... Hey, I’m kind of the king, you know?” I complained.
“You said we’re comrades, and to act like normal, didn’t you?”
My agony must have made her anger settle, because Juno was cackling. “Come to think of it, what happened to that awful salamander?”
“I sent the military in to put it down,” I said. “We couldn’t leave it be forever. We stripped the body down to its bones and sent it to a research inst.i.tute. There’s a replica on display in front of the museum.”
“Those ma.s.sive bones were that salamander?!”
“Looks like it was the one that ended up showing off its ribs, huh,” I said jokingly.
“It sure did!” she replied, with a big laugh. “I see. Then the hand I saw when we were eating at the cafeteria was your hand?”
“It sure did!” she replied, with a big laugh. “I see. Then the hand I saw when we were eating at the cafeteria was your hand?”
“Ah! That’s why the princess conveniently came along, huh.” Juno clapped her hands, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.
Was she talking about the time I’d collapsed at the banquet and Liscia had shown up to collect me? Now that I thought about it, Juno knew Liscia, didn’t she? If you included the time in the refugee camp and our encounter in the republic, too, she’d also had contact with Aisha, Juna, and Tomoe.
When I told her that, Juno was taken aback.
“Without knowing it... we met some really important people.”
“It sure is a small world,” I agreed.
“Normally it’s a little bigger!” Juno said angrily.
Her reactions were fun, so I was enjoying this.
Then, wiping her smile away, she spoke with a little concern. “But still, how is it being a king?”
“What’s this, out of nowhere?’
“Nah, I was just thinking it must be a ha.s.sle.”
“Well, yeah,” I agreed. “But so is every job, right? Being an adventurer means you’re always putting your life on the line, doesn’t it?”
I looked idly into the dark sky. Oh, hey, the stars were out.
“King, adventurer, or baker, it’s all the same. If you face your work head-on, you’re putting your life on the line. If you keep trying hard like that, someone will help you. For me, it was my family and retainers, while for you it’s Dece and your party, right?”
“Sure is. ‘The longer you walk, the more hands there will be to support you.’”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“It’s a line from a children’s song. The one we sing to children when they start to walk.”
Ohh, the one Juna had sung for me that one time. When I felt like I might be crushed by my responsibilities as king, and I couldn’t sleep, Juna sang me a lullaby...
It had been a long time since then, and the number of hands supporting me had gone up, but how far had I been able to walk?
“I’d actually like to ask you something,” I said. “What do you think of this country, Juno?”
“What do I think?”
“I mean, do you think it’s a good country? I want your frank opinion.”
“Hm... It’s an easy country to live in.” Juno placed her hand under her chin and thought as she spoke. “There’s a wide variety of foods, and, as an adventurer, being able to get around by rhinosaurus train is nice and easy. Having proper roads makes quests to protect traveling merchants easy, too. Oh, also, this country terminated its contract with the guild to conscript all adventurers in the country in times of war, right? Being able to stay here and know we won’t be drafted if a war comes is good.”
“I see, I see...”
Like I thought, it was different from what an ordinary citizen thought of as a “good country.” I didn’t often get the chance to hear opinions from adventurers, so it was interesting.
“Turning that around, it makes it easy for adventurers to gather here, though,” Juno said. “If too many adventurers gather, the compet.i.tion for dungeons gets higher, so you could say that’s a problem.”
“Well, for the country’s part, we’re happy to have dungeons cleared earlier.”
“For us adventurers, they fill our bellies, and feed our spirit of adventure. You went on an adventure using that doll, so you understand, don’t you? That exhilaration.”
“Well, yeah... I know the stories of your feats of martial prowess are a source of entertainment for the people, too.”
Besides, dungeons played a role in the local economy. That was why the state shouldn’t get involved more than necessary. I wanted dungeon cores for the Jewel Voice Broadcast, but I also wanted to avoid causing any unexpected problems.
“So, well, do your best, adventurer,” I said.
“Don’t talk like it has nothing to do with you! If you can use that doll, you can be an adventurer too, can’t you?”
“But now you know I’m the one controlling it. I was thinking of stopping the adventuring.”
“That’d be a waste, you know,” she said. “I know the doll’s empty, so I can use it to slow down the enemy, sacrifice it, or use it as bait without hesitating.”
“You’re totally planning to get it wrecked. It wasn’t cheap, you know.”
“Hey, let’s adventure together again. I swear I won’t say a word about who you are.”
Juno put her hands together and pleaded, so I shrugged.
“Well, if your tongue slips, I can just have him retire then, I guess.”
“I’m telling you, it won’t!”
From there we argued over some silly things, and by the time I realized it, a fair amount of time had pa.s.sed. It felt like having a good conversation with a friend I hadn’t met in a long time. Talking with a like-minded companion really was fun.
That was why...
“I hope we can talk like this again sometime.” Those words came out of my mouth naturally. “I want to hear more about the castle town, and about all sort of other inconsequential things.”
“...You want to make me your spy?” Juno asked.
“That’s not it. I have better spies available, after all.”
“Well, of course you do... I learned that firsthand.” Juno clutched her chest and trembled a little. She must have been truly terrified to be chased by the Black Cats.
“If I’m in the castle all the time, I feel like I’ll be disconnected from the people,” I said. “That’s why I want to hear about the little things that went on in town. Like how one lady was saying, "These vegetables are too expensive! Make them cheaper!’ or Gonbe’s baby caught a cold.”
“Who’s Gonbe supposed to be?” Juno chuckled and nodded. “Sure. When I’ve got free time, I’ll chat with you. Is this a good time of day?”
“Let’s see. I’ll tell the spies to show you in.”
“I’m getting an escort from those guys...? Well, it’s fine.” With that said, Juno stood up on top of the railing. “We really got talking, didn’t we? Well, I should be off.”
“Yeah. Be careful on your way back. I’m looking forward to the day we can talk again.”
“Sure thing. I’ll try to have an interesting story ready for when that time comes.”
“All right, I’ll have something to eat prepared next time.”
“Sounds good. The food in that cafeteria was delicious, after all.”
Juno turned to go, but then she suddenly looked my way.
“If you get sick of living in the castle, just tell me. I’ll take you on an adventure anytime,” she said with a smile.
“Well, if you get tired of living like a tumbleweed and want to settle down somewhere, tell me,” I replied with a laugh. “I can introduce you to any number of places where you can live where you work.”
“Ha ha, nice comeback. Well, later then.”
“Yeah. See you next time, Juno.”
Juno jumped down from the railing, bounced along the rooftops as she vanished into the darkness of night. As would be expected from the party’s scout, she was nimble.
Watching Juno’s back as she left, I whispered to myself, “If I get sick of living in the castle... huh.”
That day would surely never come. Because there were people precious to me here.
There is a debate over which is happier, the flower that blooms in the field, or the caged bird.
It is meaningless.
The flower and bird each have their own happiness.
After Returning to the Country Arc – 4: The G.o.d-protected Forest’s Longest Day
— In the middle of the 8th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —
On this clear day, I was flying through the sky on Naden’s back while she was in ryuu form.
This height had scared me at first, but after a number of times being sent out to do weather reporting, I was now completely used to it. Now, I could even sleep at an alt.i.tude of 1,000 meters.
Though Naden gets mad if I sleep...
“Is something the matter, sire?” Aisha asked.
“It’s nothing,” I told her.
It was just that today Aisha was seated behind me, with her hands wrapped tightly around my waist. That was because we were heading to Aisha’s homeland, the G.o.d-protected Forest.
“Still, why are we going to the G.o.d-protected Forest so suddenly?” Aisha asked.
“Because we got engaged, but I haven’t gone to give my regards to Sir Wodan. We’ve been communicating with letters, but I’ve been meaning to find the time to go see him.”
“It was to see him about the betrothal?!”
“Yeah. I’ve already talked to Liscia’s parents, and Juna’s guardian is Excel, so I’ve spoken with her. For Naden, Tiamat is like her mother, so the formalities are taken care of there, too. For Roroa... I intend to visit their grave soon.”
Near Van, the former capital of the Princ.i.p.ality, there was a grave for the Amidonian royal family. Roroa’s parents lay at rest there. I couldn’t imagine Gaius would have blessed our marriage, but I had to believe that Roroa’s mother, a cheerful woman according to Sir Gouran, would have pacified him.
“So, that being the case, we’re visiting Aisha’s family home, huh?” Naden asked.
“Urgh... If that was what this was about, you could have told me. I’m not mentally prepared...” Aisha ground her forehead against my back.
Leaving the confused Aisha alone for a bit, I talked to my other fiancée, who was kindly giving us a ride.
“Sorry, Naden. Making you give Aisha a ride again, too.”
I gave her a pat on the back.
She turned her ryuu head around to look our way and replied, “I don’t really mind if it’s Aisha,” using her telepathy. “She’s ridden me before. Besides, ‘the partner of my partner is like me partner.’”
“Yeah, you were saying something like that before.”
Aisha, who seemed to have recovered from writhing in embarra.s.sment, tilted her head to the side. “Hm... If Naden and I are partners, which of us is the husband?”
What is this stupidity Aisha was suddenly spouting? ...was what I thought, but Naden pondered the question with a surprising amount of seriousness.
“Hmm, wouldn’t it be you, Aisha? You’re strong, after all.”
“In your ryuu form, you’re strong, too.”
“But compared to Juna, you’re more of a husband type, wouldn’t you say?”
“Comparing me to Juna isn’t fair! She’s more of a woman than anyone.”
“In this form, my b.r.e.a.s.t.s are bigger than hers... Wait, saying that just makes me sad. But when you think of it that way, isn’t Liscia the most like a husband?”
“Lady Liscia is gutsy,” Aisha agreed. “In a way, she’s better husband material than His Majesty.”
“You’re just saying whatever you want...” Hearing the two of them talk, my shoulders slumped. It was true enough; I was nowhere near as gutsy as Liscia. “Still, in the end, you’d both prefer to be the wife, right?”
““Well, of course.””
“For my part, I need both of you to be my brides.”
“Sire!” Aisha cried.
“Souma!”
The two both smiled bashfully.
I was embarra.s.sed having said it, too.
“It’s awkward having my superior flirting right beside me, you realize?” Hal complained.
He was flying beside us on the back of Ruby, who was in red dragon form. He looked at us with a face like he’d been forced to drink boiled sugar.
His mount was looking at Naden with her golden eyes, too.
“You, too, Naden,” Ruby rebuked and then looked away sulkily. “If you’re a dragon of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, keep yourself together when your knight is riding you. That is the dignity expected of a knight’s partner.”
“Souma’s not a knight, he’s a king, so there.”
“Don’t quibble! That makes him higher than a knight!”
“Oh, geez, shut up!”
The two of them started arguing high up in the sky.
While they weren’t as hostile as they had been when I’d first met the two of them, neither of them had changed their stubborn personalities, so fights like this were a daily occurrence.
That said, they did it as friends.
As my fiancée, Naden’s position was far higher than Ruby’s, but the fact they could fight on equal terms showed that Naden and Ruby didn’t let that come between them. They were each the only person the other knew from their homeland here, after all.
Then Naden said, “Nyahh!” and barred her teeth. “You can stop worrying about me and get along with your own knight, can’t you?! That fox-eared mage isn’t here today, so you can get as lovey-dovey as you want.”
“Wh-What are you saying?! I wouldn’t...”
“Oh, my, what’s this? Your face is all red, Ruby?” Naden teased.
“It’s naturally that color!”
After that, Naden and Ruby kept shouting and having a good time. Where did the dignity expected of a knight’s partner go...? Well, if they were getting along and fighting with each other, I could let that go.
“But there wasn’t any need for me to come, was there?” Hal asked. “If Young Miss Aisha and Young Miss Naden are with you, isn’t that enough to protect you?”
It was true; when I had the greatest warrior in the kingdom, Aisha, and Naden, who in her ryuu form could probably take on over ten wyvern riders at once, with me, there was no point in bringing Hal to protect me.
However, there was a good reason for bringing him along.
“When I sent Sir Wodan a letter saying, ‘I will come to visit soon,’ I was asked to bring you with me, too,” I explained. “It seems Sir Sur has been wanting to see you.”
“By Sir Sur, you mean... Ohh, that dark elf who came to reinforce us before, huh?” Hal said, clapping his hands.
Back when the Forbidden Army and the Army had been staring each other down near Randel, there had been a unit of dark elf archers rushing to their aid as thanks for the relief they’d received after the landslide disaster. The one leading those reinforcements had been Sir Sur. Our troops had been stretched thin at the time, so I was still really grateful remembering that a.s.sistance.
“But why does he want to meet me?” Hal asked. “He’s already repaid his debts, hasn’t he?”
“Oh, well, it seems the one who really wants to meet with you is Sur’s daughter. She was apparently one of the people you saved while searching for survivors with me.”
“...Yeah, I don’t remember her. We saved a lot of people that time, after all.”
“Even if you’ve forgotten her, she hasn’t forgotten you. You’re the man who saved her life, after all.”
“Only because that was the mission...” Hal scratched at his head.
He wasn’t good at accepting excessive praise. He might run wild at times, but that straightforward nature of his was very like Hal, and it left a good impression on me.
“Let her thank you, at least,” I said. “Now then... Come on, Naden, Ruby, don’t just keep fighting forever. Let’s hurry on to the G.o.d-protected Forest. Sir Wodan is waiting for us.”
“Oh! Yeah. Roger that.”
“R-Roger.”
And with the two dragon girls having come to their senses and picked up the pace, we headed for the G.o.d-protected Forest.
The green leaves of the G.o.d-protected Forest shone in the summer sun.
When coming to provide aid before, we had stopped the rhinosaurus train outside and headed for the village on foot, but this time we were coming from the air, so we could land directly in the dark elf village.
“H-He really came on a dragon!” an elf exclaimed.
“That’s a big’un...”
They weren’t wary because we had notified them in advance, but the dark elves curiously watched the ryuu and the dragon descend from a distance.
When we touched down and Naden and Ruby took human form, the people who had been watching from a distance rushed in like a dam had just burst. Surrounded by dark elves of all ages, from children to adults, we ended up getting manhandled.
“What?! You girls are dragons?!”
“Wowwie! Hey, transform again!”
“Why, King Souma, how good of you to come visit.”
“You were a great help last time.”
“Hey, Lady Aisha, good of you to come back.”
“Lady Aisha, congratulations on your betrothal to His Majesty.”
“Is this red-headed girl Sir Hal’s partner? She’s a beauty.”
“Who is this black-haired kid? Huh? She’s not a kid?”
That was about how it went, with the questions flying fast and it not being clear who was saying what to whom until somebody clapped their hands.
Looking in the direction of the noise, Aisha’s father Sir Wodan was looking on with a wry smile.
“Everyone, His Majesty and his entourage have only just arrived. It is rude to surround and interrogate them like that.”
When Wodan lightly told them off, the dark elves stepped back seeming a little embarra.s.sed.
Now that we were free from the crowd, we could finally catch our breaths.
“You’re a lifesaver, Sir Wodan,” I said gratefully.
“No, no, the villagers were being rude. However, this is because when they learned that you, who came to the aid of our village, were coming to visit, they all became excited about how they had to welcome you. Please, forgive them.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m grateful for the warm welcome.”
Sir Wodan and I exchanged a firm handshake. In that moment, the dark elves all started clapping...
I dunno, being this welcome was kind of embarra.s.sing.
“Now, it won’t do for us to stand here talking forever,” Sir Wodan said, indicating which direction he wanted us to go. “Please, come to my house.”
“Chief.” A hand went up from inside the crowd of dark elves.
The one with his hand raised was Sir Sur, who had lead the reinforcements that came during our battle against the Army.
“I wanted to invite Sir Halbert to my own house,” he said. “Would that be all right?”
“Hmm, what do you say, King Souma?” Sir Wodan asked.
I smiled and nodded. “I don’t mind. That was why I brought him along in the first place.”
“Thank you,” Sur said. “Now, Sir Halbert, please come to my house.”
“O-Okay?”
Hal was dragged off with Sur pulling him by the arm. Ruby hurried after them.
Having parted with Hal, Aisha, Naden, and I went to Sir Wodan’s house.
Looking at the village along the way, I could see almost no signs of the disaster that had happened here before. Their houses were in a forest to begin with, and many were simple, so it must not have taken long to rebuild them.“You’ve come a long way towards recovering already,” I commented.
“That is thanks to your generous provision of materials,” Sir Wodan said. “Thank you, sincerely.”
“I ought to thank you. Thank you for sending those reinforcements during the recent war.”
“It was nothing. Those are the times when we most need to help one another.”
As we walked, we entered Wodan’s house.
Having been shown through to the living room, Wodan offered me the head seat at the table, but I firmly declined.
“I’m not here as a king today, but as a single man, here to take Aisha to wife. Please, sit at the head of the table, Sir Wodan.”
“...I see.”
Sir Wodan sat in the head seat, while I sat across from him. I had Aisha sit next to me, and Naden sat a little behind us, waiting.
Then I bowed my head. “Even though my betrothal to Aisha was agreed on, I must apologize for having been so busy that it delayed my coming to give you, her father, my regards. Please, give me your daughter... give me Aisha as my wife.”
“P-Please, Father.” Aisha hurriedly bowed her head.
When I glanced over, Naden was bowing her head along with us.
Sir Wodan sighed a little. “Raise your heads,” he said.
When I raised my face, Sir Wodan had tried to force a smile, but failed. It was an awkward expression.
“I am sure Aisha requested this marriage, didn’t she? There is no need for you to bow your head, Sir Souma. This is complicated for me as a father, but if it is my daughter’s wish... it seems I must give you my blessing.”
“Fatheeer...” Aisha said tearfully, her voice full of emotion. Sir Wodan gave her a smile, then returning his face to normal, he looked me in the eye.
“We dark elves are a long-lived race. Aisha is younger than you, and will live longer, I am sure. Even if you reach the end of your natural life, you will be leaving Aisha behind. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.”
The life of an ordinary human like myself, when looked at by a member of a long-lived race like Naden or Aisha, had to look like a short thing. Even so, Aisha and Naden both wanted to be with me.
In order to ensure they did not regret the time spent with me, I thought from the bottom of my heart that I would endeavor to be a good king, and a good partner. Even if a time when we would be forced to part was to come...
However, it seemed what Sir Wodan wanted to say was a little different than what I was reflecting on. He began to speak, sounding like he had found some sort of enlightenment.
“However, long-lived as our races are, if we cannot live to the end of our natural lives, it is possible for us to live a shorter time than humans. We can die in war or accidents. If we catch epidemic diseases, we die quite easily. My own wife, Aisha’s mother, lost her life to such a disease. If you let your guard down because she is long-lived, Aisha may pa.s.s on before you do.”
I was silent.
“So, please, take care of Aisha. Give her a new family and fond memories for the time when, someday, you go on ahead of her.” Sir Wodan quietly bowed his head.
A father’s wish was always for his daughter’s happiness.
I would soon be a father myself. I didn’t know if it would be a boy or a girl yet, but there might come a day when, like Sir Wodan, I would entrust my child to someone.
I chose my words carefully and answered him in a calm tone. “Aisha is a far stronger person than I. From here on... I am sure she will defend me on the battlefield.”
He was silent.
“That being the case, I believe I will try to protect Aisha’s smile from everything else. So that, someday, she can see me off with a smile. So that she will not regret our time together.”
“Sire...” Aisha cried and drew closer to me.
I could hear sniffling from behind me, too. Her tears had likely made Naden start crying, too.
Sir Wodan stood up and walked towards me. Then, placing his hands over mine and Aisha’s, he smiled and said, “Sir Souma, I’m counting on you to take care of Aisha.”
“Yes, Father, I will.”
“Aisha. Be happy.”
“I will... Father.”
“Madam Naden, I am sure you will be Sir Souma’s wife, too. Please, treat Aisha well as a member of the same family.”
“Of course I will! Roger that!”
Having heard our responses, Sir Wodan smiled broadly and nodded in satisfaction.
Meanwhile, around that time...
Having broken off from Souma and the others, Halbert ended up being practically dragged into Sur’s house.
He walked where his hand was being pulled. With Halbert’s strength, which was among the top in the kingdom, it would be easy to shake free of this hand, but he felt nothing but goodwill from Sur, and so he couldn’t treat the man poorly.
Ruby hurried after the two of them.
Halbert turned just his head back in her direction and asked in a whisper, “H-Hey, Ruby, what’s going on here?!”
“D-Don’t ask me,” she whispered back. “Can’t you get away?”
“If he were hostile, that’d be one thing, but I’d feel bad brushing off an invitation made with goodwill...”
“Then all we can do is wait and see how it goes, right?”
While the two of them were having that exchange, Sur turned back with a smile. “Okay, we’re here. Welcome to my home.”
““Huh?””
By the time they realized it, the two had been led to a small house with a thatched roof. It was clearly the abode of a farmer, but the roof was bizarrely steep.
“That’s an awfully pointy house you’ve got... huh...”
Halbert’s opinion was more or less exactly how it looked, so Sur laughed.
“Here in this forest, when winter comes, we get a fair amount of snow acc.u.mulation. If we don’t use roofs like this so the snow falls off, they’ll collapse.”
“You get that much acc.u.mulation?” Hal asked.
“Yes. Because of it, we cannot hunt in winter, and everyone spends their time indoors, mending things or doing maintenance on their weapons. Though last year’s winter was different.”
“How so?”
Sur indicated the pile of lumber next to the stairs. “Because we had lumber from the trees knocked down by the landslide, as well as from the periodic thinning His Majesty advised us to do. We were making pieces of traditional art before, like statues, but they seem to have become popular in the outside world, and are creating significant wealth for us. There are occasionally merchants who receive permission from both the kingdom and the G.o.d-protected Forest to come buy them.”
“Wow...”
“The most popular of them was... Let’s see, I think I had one around here...” Sur said and began digging through the wood pile.
Not long pa.s.sed before he pulled a long, thin object from the pile.
“Ahh, here it is.” He held it up for Halbert and Ruby to see. “This is it. This is the most popular item.”
“By this, you mean... a wooden sword?”
What Sur was holding up was a sword made of wood. What was more, it wasn’t the sort of orthodox double-bladed sword used in the kingdom, but one modeled on the katana which was the main style in use in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. On top of that, there was some sort of writing or symbols carved into the handle.
“His Majesty called this a souvenir bokuto,” Sur said.
“Oh... Of course Souma would be involved.” Halbert said shaking his head in exasperation.
“Yes. He says they’re the characters that would represent the name of this forest in his world’s language,” Sur showed them the hilt and explained.
Halbert and Ruby couldn’t read them, of course, but there were four kanji, 神護之森, carved into it.
Incidentally, Souma had considered carving in the name of that one lake in Hokkaido, since no one could read what it said anyway, but when he imagined soldiers training diligently with one of those wooden swords in hand... Yeah, no, he’d turned that idea down himself.
Sur offered the bokuto to Halbert. “Sir Hal, would you like one for yourself?”
Halbert stared at the proffered bokuto.
Ruby thought, What are you staring so seriously for? but... eventually, Halbert quietly took it.
“Huh?! You’re taking it?! It’s just a wooden stick, isn’t it?!” Ruby reacted to Halbert’s actions with wide-eyed shock.
“I don’t know why! I don’t get it, but I really wanted it!”
Sur nodded as Halbert tried to explain himself. “I understand. There’s something you find strangely exciting about it, as a man.”
“That’s right! If you see something like this, you can’t not take it! Is there some sort of magic placed on these characters?”
“I don’t really feel any magical power,” Ruby said dubiously. Red dragons were sensitive to magical power.
Most likely, what Halbert and Sur were feeling was the same thing that all those boys who bought a souvenir bokuto on a field trip did. However, Halbert didn’t know that was a thing, so he felt like he had been charmed somehow. This was the terror of the souvenir bokuto.
While they were having that inconsequential discussion, something burst out of Sur’s house.
Halbert, being a warrior by nature, readied himself to fight the instant it happened, but when he realized it was a small child, his tension eased...
However, that was a mistake.
“Lord Hal!” the child cried, landing an energetic tackle to the stomach.
“Guhh!” Halbert let out a groan.
“Hal?!” Ruby cried.
He used his hands to give the worried Ruby a sign he was okay.
The one now hugging Halbert was a little dark elf girl.
She was maybe twelve. Her hair was cut short, and she had a cute face. With no regard for Halbert’s reaction, the girl rubbed her face against his abdomen.
“Lord Hal! I’ve been wanting to see you!”
“Erm... Are you Sir Sur’s daughter?” Hal said, remembering Sur had mentioned she wanted to see him. This girl who’d performed a flying tackle-hug had to be her.
The girl let go, and politely bowed her head. “Excuse me for that. I am Sur’s daughter Velza.”
Velza raised her face and grinned.
“I do not know if you remember me, Lord Hal, but I am one of those you saved from beneath the sand and dirt. Thank you so much for that.”
And she bowed her head once more.
Halbert was fl.u.s.tered. “No, it’s nothing you need to thank me for. I only followed Souma’s orders...”
“It still made me happy. I will never forget the day you saved me. Nor will I forget you, Lord Hal, or my debt of grat.i.tude.”
“I dunno what to say...” Halbert was overwhelmed by the girl’s persistent thanks.
“Heh heh. She’s a real polite girl, isn’t she?” Ruby, who’d been left completely out of it, said to Sur. “She’s so small, but she really has it together.”
“Tell me about it. When did that tomboy daughter of mine get to be so pol—Gwah!”
“Sir Sur?!”
Mid-word, Sur began writing in pain. Velza had kicked a piece of wood lying by her feet, and it had landed a direct hit on Sur’s shin.
Through all of that, Velza never once dropped her smile.
When Halbert and Ruby saw Velza smiling like that, it reminded them of an angry Kaede, and a chill ran down their spines.
Because Halbert and Ruby were both straightforward in their personalities, they often had fights without it getting ugly, but if they ever stepped over the line, they knew they were in for a lecture from a smiling Kaede. This girl’s smile was just like Kaede’s was at those times.
Velza ran over in front of Ruby. “Um... Would you happen to be Lord Hal’s wife, perhaps?”
Ruby was dumbfounded for a moment, but then she nodded.
“Yes. I am Ruby the dragon. I’ve formed a dragon knight’s contract with Hal. Because the contract between a dragon and a knight makes them life partners, you could say we’re engaged.”
When Velza heard Ruby’s response, she clapped her hands. “Oh, my! You’re that dragon, Miss Ruby? To think he has become a dragon knight! That’s Lord Hal for you.”
Having said that with an innocent look in her eyes, Velza took Ruby’s hands.
“I want to join the National Defense Force like Lord Hal in future. If possible, I want to be a.s.signed to Lord Hal’s unit. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”
“R-Right...”
It seemed Ruby was not entirely displeased to be referred to that way.
Seeing Velza worm her way into Ruby’s good graces in no time, Halbert sensed the situation moving forward somewhere where he had no control.
Wh-What is this...? This feeling like the moat around my walls was filled in without me noticing...?
While Halbert was thinking that, Sur, who had recovered from his pain, plopped a hand down on Velza’s shoulder with a sigh.
“It’s rude making our guests stand outside forever. How about we take this indoors?”
“Oh, my! You’re right! How careless of me. I was so delighted that Lord Hal was here, I got worked up despite myself. Now, let’s go, Lord Hal, Lady Ruby.”
Velza took Halbert and Ruby’s hands and showed them inside the house.
If anyone else saw it, it would look like a little sister having her big brother and sister indulge her. Halbert and Ruby didn’t feel bad about having a little girl adore them, either.
However, behind the two who were being led by the nose by Velza, Sur wore a wry smile.
Goodness me, he thought. She must take after her pa.s.sionate mother... If you don’t take her by the reins, you’re going to be in for a rough ride, Sir Hal.
While thinking that, Sur followed the three of them inside the house.
That evening, with pleasantries with Sir Wodan out of the way, Aisha, Naden, and I went to visit Aisha’s mother’s grave.
In the G.o.d-protected Forest, people were buried at the bases of trees. Their custom was to return their bodies, which were raised on the forest’s blessings, to the forest.
We heard the rustling of branches and the buzzing of insects.
I knelt in front of the tree where Aisha’s mother lay at rest, my hands together, praying in the j.a.panese style. Like I had sworn to Sir Wodan, I would protect Aisha from sadness to the best of my ability.
So, please, give me your daughter, I prayed.
After staying like that for a short while, I stood up and looked at Aisha and Naden.
“I have something to say to the two of you.”
“What might that be, sire?” Aisha asked.
“What? Why so formal?”
They both gave me blank looks. I chose my words carefully.
“It’s about... after we’re gone.”
They both opened their eyes wide in silent shock.
This was something the two of them were going to have to face eventually, after all.
“If you let your guard down, even a member of a long-lived race can live a short life,” I said. “What Sir Wodan was saying makes perfect sense. However, the more likely outcome is that Liscia, Juna, Roroa, and I will end up leaving you two behind. I make this request having thought about what that means myself.”
I looked into their dumbfounded eyes and continued.
“Please... Don’t be lonely. I’m happy to have met you two. I don’t want to make this moment one that you reminisce on sadly while thinking, Things were better back then.”
The two of them said nothing, just keeping on listening to me speak.
“I want you two to be happy when you remember. Ideally, you’ll be able to smile and think, I’m happy now, but I was happy back then, too. Once we’re gone, stay connected to our children, and to the long-lived people you know like Carla and Excel... and if you find a good partner, I don’t mind if you get remarried.”
The two of them looked down and said nothing.
“Make sure you’re always connected with someone, and don’t be lonely,” I said. “Not ever...”
Aisha and Naden hugged me without a word.
They neither accepted or rejected what I was saying. Because we each understood all too well how the others felt.
If they were in my position, they might have thought the same thing I was. If I were in their position, I’m sure I’d have felt the same as they were. So there was no need for a response.
If the two of them remembered me saying this later, it might give them the push they needed if they ended up feeling lost when the inevitable happened. This was the best I could do for them. Their lack of response must have been their own way of being considerate.
I patted them both on the back and, with a laugh, I said, “I’m never letting go of you for as long as I live, though. I’m gonna be with you until you’re sick of me.”
“Okay,” Aisha said. “Let’s be together as long as we can.”
“We aren’t going to let go of you easily, either,” Naden agreed.
They both had tears in the corners of their eyes, but they were smiling.
“Let’s be sure we make children, too,” Aisha added. “I’ll do my best.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Definitely.”
“One won’t be enough, either,” Aisha went on. “You’ll have to work hard, sire.”
“S-Sure... I’ll do my best.”
Seeing Aisha get so enthusiastic, I felt a bit overwhelmed.
Naden joined in, too. “If we have a ryuu, we’ll have to leave it in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so I’d prefer a dragonewt, if possible. I’d like to give birth to at least one ryuu to show my grat.i.tude to Lady Tiamat, so... Oh! But if it’s a dragonewt, that would be a member of the sea serpent race, right? What do we do if it grows up to be like d.u.c.h.ess Walter?”
A child like Excel, huh...
“Let’s all work together to educate our child so that doesn’t happen,” I said fervently.
“Indeed,” Aisha agreed.
“Roger that.”
With that, we laughed while continuing to hug each other.
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 doc.u.ments sitting on the table between them. These doc.u.ments 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 doc.u.ment 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 a.s.sociate since they were in the Princ.i.p.ality 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 princ.i.p.ality, 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 att.i.tude 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 doc.u.ment 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 t.i.tle “‘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 Princ.i.p.ality 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 princ.i.p.ality to invade the kingdom.
The forces of the princ.i.p.ality had pa.s.sed 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 princ.i.p.ality.
Then, making it look like I would launch a blitz invasion of Van, the capital of the princ.i.p.ality, I had waited for the forces of the princ.i.p.ality that retreated to defend their capital at a plain near Van.
Then, finally, the forces of the kingdom and princ.i.p.ality had clashed outside Van.
Looking at the result, the more numerous forces of the kingdom had defeated the forces of the princ.i.p.ality who were exhausted from their retreat, but with Gaius’s forces showing serious grit in the battle.
Even with the forces of the princ.i.p.ality 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 a.s.sistance 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 G.o.d 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 princ.i.p.ality 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 Princ.i.p.ality 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 princ.i.p.ality, 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 princ.i.p.ality 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 princ.i.p.ality,’ 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 G.o.ds 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.”
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 a.s.sociation 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” a.s.sociations 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 a.s.sociated 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 sh.o.r.e of a major river near Van, the capital of the former Princ.i.p.ality 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 amus.e.m.e.nt 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’ pa.s.sion.”
“...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 sh.o.r.e.
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 Princ.i.p.ality 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 Princ.i.p.ality 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 princ.i.p.ality 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 princ.i.p.ality, 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 princ.i.p.ality 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’.”