Genjitsushugisha no Oukokukaizouki - Volume 18 - Chapter 5.2

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While a vigorous back-and-forth struggle unfolded on the Republic front, there was another battlefield with no movement at all. That would be the Euphoria Kingdom front.

The Great Tiger Empire force here was led by Shuukin Tan, the Sword of the Tiger, with chief bureaucrat Lumiere acting as his second-in-command. Their allies on the Father Island of the Spirit Kingdom had also sent Princess Elulu, who adored Shuukin, and a number of high elf volunteer soldiers.

On the side of the Euphoria Kingdom were soldiers led by Queen Jeanne herself, with Prime Minister Hakuya and General Gunther’s support. This army also included Sami Chima, the librarian of the great library in Valois Castle, who had joined them, saying, “I won’t let the Great Tiger Empire take my place of solace...or the people I care about from me ever again.” Piltory, the Kingdom of Friedonia’s resident ambassador in the Euphoria Kingdom, was also on their side as a guest commander.

The two armies were spread out with mountains and forests on either side, but the center was an open field used for agriculture with just a single little house standing on it. They faced each other down on either side of the field, each side having around fifty thousand soldiers, but there was no sign of combat breaking out. While both sides were prepared to react instantly to any move by their opponent, neither showed any sign of moving themselves.

More than that, the aforementioned commanders were gathered in the Western-style farmhouse between the two armies. Now, as for what they were doing there, while a hundred thousand men stared across the anticipated battlefield...

“Lord Shuukin. Would you care for another cup of tea?”

“Oh, thank you, Madam Anzu.”

“Will you be having tea or coffee, Lady Jeanne?”

“Thank you, Madam Shiho. I think I’ll have coffee.”

Next to a small brook, in front of a shed with a water wheel attached to it, Jeanne, Hakuya, Shuukin, Lumiere, and Elulu were sitting at a large table enjoying a spot of tea. Serving them were Piltory’s wives, the sisters Anzu and Shiho.

Both sides had brought their bodyguards (Gunther, Sami, and Piltory were included), but the guards simply stood there. Things felt relaxed, and they didn’t bother with more than cursory poison testing.

Because everyone deployed to this front was a sharp, analytical thinker, they understood the situation clearly. Victory or defeat here wouldn’t have an effect on the larger war.

Shuukin’s role was to prevent the Euphoria Kingdom from attacking the Great Tiger Empire from the west side of the continent. The most concerning scenario for him would be an invasion by the Euphoria Kingdom, causing panic among the main force that Fuuga was leading to attack the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Meanwhile, Jeanne was very concerned about whether Shuukin’s forces would push them back and then boast about how ineffective the Maritime Alliance was, putting cracks in her ability to coordinate with her allies. That would disadvantage Souma, who was fighting in the east. For that reason, she needed to stop Shuukin and his men’s invasion here.

In short, both sides had three things in common: defense was their highest priority, they couldn’t afford to lose the battle, and the final result would be decided by the direct showdown between Souma and Fuuga.

Even if Shuukin were to invade, he would not face an easy war against Queen Jeanne and the Black-Robed Prime Minister Hakuya. If he let his guard down, he expected they would trip him up. He also believed that, with their recently reorganized army, Jeanne and Hakuya would be at their limits just defending, and they couldn’t manage a counteroffensive.

Since both sides understood that a battle would cause unnecessary bloodshed, they discussed and agreed to keep things calm here until the battle in the east was settled.

“Jeanne. Will these conditions be acceptable?”

“Yes. I don’t mind, Lumi,” Jeanne said as she accepted the paperwork.

It was a contract with signatures from both Jeanne and Shuukin.

To summarize: it stipulated that if the Kingdom of Friedonia was defeated by the Great Tiger Empire, the Euphoria Kingdom would immediately surrender. If the Great Tiger Empire was defeated by the Kingdom of Friedonia, Shuukin and his men would withdraw. Until then, neither side would move their troops or engage in looting.

Jeanne looked through the paperwork, then passed it to Hakuya, sitting beside her.

While Hakuya read, Jeanne spoke to Shuukin. “I’ve heard many of the Great Tiger Empire’s warriors are bloodthirsty. I’m grateful that it was you and Lumi, who are capable of thinking through things in a rational way, who came here.”

“Well, we have a lot of people who live in the moment, after all. If this front had been left to someone who failed to understand the importance of maintaining our battle lines, paired with the low priority of victory here, I suspect you all would’ve run circles around them,” Shuukin said with a wry smile. “Anyway, you’re quite sure the terms are acceptable? If we lose, we withdraw, but if you lose, you surrender. It hardly seems like a fair deal to me.”

“There’s not much helping that,” Hakuya responded. “This is the most you can promise us, Sir Shuukin. Further compensation in the event of a Maritime Alliance victory will be negotiated after the war. However, if King Souma is defeated, the Euphoria Kingdom lacks the power to stand alone against the Great Tiger Empire. We’ll have no choice but to surrender.”

“You say that so easily... It’s as if you don’t think you could lose.”

“Neither myself, Queen Jeanne, nor King Souma fights battles we cannot win,” Hakuya said with a calm expression on his face. His audacity brought a slightly sharper look to Shuukin’s eyes.

“Hey, hey, Lord Shuukin! These cream puffs are super delicious!” Elulu proclaimed as she scarfed them down next to him. This caused all the tension in the air to rapidly dissipate.

Shuukin held his temples and let out a sigh. “Elulu... I’m begging you, please, take this a little more seriously.”

“You say that, Lord Shuukin, but with food this good in front of me, I have to savor it. I hear this cream filling uses bean tea (coffee) from the Spirit Kingdom.”

“The Maritime Alliance trades with the Mother Island, after all,” Jeanne said, regarding Elulu with a smile.

After that, Jeanne turned to look at Lumiere again. Lumiere looked back at her, their gazes colliding. There was a tense look on both their faces.

They had been the best of friends once, but Lumiere had betrayed Maria and Jeanne to side with the Great Tiger Empire. There were probably people in the Euphoria Kingdom who detested her and all the other commanders and nobles who’d switched sides, but Jeanne couldn’t bring herself to hate a former friend that badly. Especially knowing that her withdrawal was something that Maria had intended to happen.

As for Lumiere, she had stayed true to her beliefs. No matter what she might be called as a result, she had no regrets about having split from the two of them. However, having experienced a small part of the responsibility Maria had once borne, she had a new respect for her former sovereign. Neither hated the other as much as they probably should have in their current positions.

As awkward as the situation was, Jeanne hesitantly opened her mouth. “Lumi... Um...have you been eating properly?”

“What? You’re starting with that? I’d expect it from a father who doesn’t know what to say to his adolescent daughter, but not you.”

“Well, you look like you’ve lost weight.”

“I have more work on my shoulders than when I was in the Empire... And now I understand just how incredible Lady Maria was. To know she carried it all on her own shoulders is just amazing... It’s so exhausting.”

“Yeah. I’ve been having the same realization myself.”

They both sighed.

Lumiere looked straight at Jeanne. “I don’t regret the path I chose. The fact is, the Demon Lord’s Domain was liberated.”

“But...I hear you took considerable losses forcing your way in. If we had understood the demons—the Seadians—properly...couldn’t we have avoided spilling blood entirely?”

“I understand that that’s what Lady Maria was looking to do. But you can only argue that in hindsight. When there’s a future that you can reach without bloodshed, but you never know when it will come, and a future you can strive for right now, even if it means blood will have to flow...it’s up for debate which you should choose.”

“That’s true... I understand that. Ultimately, we have different ways of looking at things. It’s just...I worry that you’re overworking yourself.”

“Oh, I am overworking myself. If I don’t do at least that much, I wouldn’t be able to face you sisters.” Lumiere smiled slightly. “I know it’s coming late, but congratulations on your wedding, Jeanne.”

“Th-Thank you... It’s rather embarrassing when you say that so formally.”

“I always knew you’d marry an older man. You always had this mature aura about you.”

“Y-Yeah, you were always into younger men, right, Lumi? Have you found anyone good?”

“Urkh... W-Well, it’s not like I don’t have anyone in mind.”

“Oho. I’d love to hear the details.”

““Ahem.””

““Huh?!””

As their conversation gradually drifted to girls’ talk, Hakuya and Shuukin loudly cleared their throats. An awkward silence followed soon after.

Elulu watched them with amusement as she reached for another cream puff. Shuukin tried to move things along by talking to Hakuya.

“You know, I was quite surprised to find the Black-Robed Prime Minister, Sir Hakuya, over here. I was sure you’d be at King Souma’s side.”

“I already gave my overall commands, and individual issues are better addressed by Duchess Walter or Julius the White Strategist. Besides, my successor, Sir Ichiha, is there, so I expect they should have no issues despite my absence.”

“You’re reminding me how many people the Kingdom of Friedonia has... And Lady Mutsumi’s younger brother Sir Ichiha is your successor?”

“Yes. He’s a young man fit to carry the next generation.”

“The next generation, huh... I envy your ability to say that.” There was a slight sadness in Shuukin’s expression as he spoke. “For us, my lord and friend Fuuga Haan is simply too blindingly brilliant. He’s the great man who rapidly built us up from a minor nation to a great empire. Everyone understands that no one could ever take Lord Fuuga’s place.”

“You saw how it was with Lady Maria... You understand, don’t you, Jeanne?” Lumiere asked.

“I suppose I do...” Jeanne nodded. “My sister certainly shone brightly in her time as empress. If you asked me to live up to her glory, I’d find it difficult. I have a lot of hard thinking to do even now, with the country reduced in size.”

“Yeah...which is why I wanted us to do as much as possible while Lady Maria still shone. But that wasn’t what Lady Maria wanted...”

“I think now...I can understand how it must have felt for you, Lumi.”

When a ruler shines brilliantly, the fear of losing their radiance can lead to a narrowing of perspective. People try to do something while that light lasts and don’t think about what will come after. The charisma of leaders like Maria and Fuuga drove those around them to that point. No one could say that was bad, but...

“If I could say just one thing...” Hakuya began, and everyone paid attention. “I’m glad that our King Souma is so plain. He is still irreplaceable, but at least the people are able to think optimistically. ‘Well, there are many others who are more talented and stand out more than he, so surely someone can take over for him.’”