Genjitsushugisha no Oukokukaizouki - Volume 19 - Chapter 5.1

Chapter 5: Checkmate

“Your Majesty’s life is the life of the nation itself.”

As pain raced along the cut Fuuga had slashed from my shoulder across my chest, I thought I could hear the voice of my personal instructor and sounding board, Owen.

“If you are attacked by an assassin, being able to deflect even one enemy attack could buy time for your guards to save you. That single exchange of blows could delay the demise of our country. That one exchange could lead our nation towards greatness.”

Owen had talked about this endlessly during our training.

“No, no, of course, I’ll do everything I can to prevent that situation, but if it does happen, then there’s really no helping it, is there?” I’d complained, still exhausted from training.

I’d been slightly annoyed that he’d worn me out physically when I was already mentally drained from my bureaucratic work.

Owen had smiled at me.

“Ga ha ha! Then let’s bet on it! If my training comes in handy someday, treat me to the finest liquor money can buy on this continent!”

“A bet...? What if your training never comes in handy?”

“In that case, you’ll have lived a peaceful life, Your Majesty! Excellent, excellent!”

With that, he’d let out a hearty laugh.

Damn it, Old Man Owen. You won the bet.

◇ ◇ ◇

Earlier, Halbert jumped off Ruby’s back to chase Fuuga, deploying the parachute that was part of his Dratrooper gear. As he slowed his descent, he noticed Fuuga gliding towards the Kingdom’s main camp.

Souma?! He hasn’t evacuated?!

The main camp should have seen Fuuga coming, but there were no signs of panic. Suddenly, Fuuga went from gliding to plummeting towards the ground. Souma must have activated the magic canceler. While this wouldn’t affect Halbert, who was using a parachute, he still felt odd without access to magic.

Halbert watched as Fuuga slammed into the ground but quickly got back on his feet, cutting his way towards Souma. Though the fall had likely caused some damage, Fuuga was mowing through the guards in the main camp and making steady progress.

Damn! Can’t I descend any faster?! Halbert thought, frustrated that he couldn’t increase his speed.

Meanwhile, he saw Fuuga reach Souma. Fuuga swung his Zanganto at Souma, and at that moment...

Halbert exclaimed, “Souma?!”

He was certain he had been cut down himself. He saw Souma drop to one knee, the blade he had tried to use to block snapping in two. Souma was barely clinging to consciousness; it was only a matter of time now.

“Damn it! I’m not gonna let it end like this!”

Halbert was still quite high up, but he knew Souma would die if he didn’t act. Souma wasn’t the type of leader who inspired Halbert to risk his life for him, but they had been friends for a long time. He was the kind of friend for whom Halbert could risk everything. I’m not just gonna let you kill my bud!

He shed his parachute and began free-falling towards the ground. He couldn’t use magic with the magic canceler active, but he only knew how to wreathe his weapons in fire anyway, so it hardly concerned him. As he fell, Halbert adjusted his position, removed the chain connecting his two spears, and tossed one away. It was easier to balance with just one spear in both hands. He tightened his grip on the remaining spear.

“Hyahhhhhhh!!!”

Slash! As he fell, the tip of his spear tore through Fuuga’s wing just as Fuuga raised his Zanganto to deliver the finishing blow to Souma. Blood spurted from Fuuga’s back, and he fell to his knees.

Halbert saw Fuuga as he rolled across the ground. He had attempted to fall in a way that would lessen the impact, but it hadn’t worked, and now his entire body ached. Ouch... Damn, that hurts! But that didn’t mean he could just lie there.

Immediately rising to his feet, he pushed his battered body to walk over to Fuuga, who still had no idea what had just happened. Fuuga’s back was wide-open.

“Fuuugaaaaa!” Halbert shouted.

Just as he aimed his spear at Fuuga to strike the killing blow, Souma yelled, “Ludwin! Restrain him!”

Ludwin rushed forward, positioning himself between Halbert and Fuuga. He blocked Halbert’s spear with his sword while pressing Fuuga into the ground with his shield.

As Halbert’s eyes widened in surprise, Ludwin told him, “Well done! You’ve beaten Fuuga. But you’ve done enough.”

“Huh?! But—”

“You don’t need to bear the burden of killing a great man. No one in this country does.”

Halbert fell silent, brought back to his senses by the sincerity in Ludwin’s eyes. He withdrew his spear, and Ludwin nodded in acknowledgment. Together, they helped restrain Fuuga.

Due to the pain of losing a wing and the exhaustion from the fierce battle he had endured, Fuuga sat on the ground, cross-legged, as if he had already given up. He was bound while Ludwin and Halbert kept their weapons trained on him.

“Souma! Are you all right?!” Liscia cried as she burst into the main camp on horseback. When she saw Souma sitting on the ground, bleeding, the color drained from her face. She jumped down from her horse and rushed to his side. “You’ve been slashed?! Are you okay?! Are you still conscious?!”

“Yeah... It hurts like hell, but I’m still breathing,” Souma replied weakly.

“Thank goodness... I saw Fuuga flying in here, so I came as fast as I could. When I arrived, I found you on the ground, bleeding. It gave me chills. I could feel the blood draining out of my own body.”

“Sorry... Sounds like I gave you a real fright.”

“You’re right, you did! You were so reckless again. You’re in for an earful from all of us later!”

Tears filled Liscia’s eyes as Souma offered her a faint smile.

“Yeah. I’ll listen to all of it once this war is over.” With that, Souma limped over to where Fuuga was seated cross-legged, supported by Liscia. “Your dream is over now, Fuuga.”

“I’ve still got another rampage in me if I feel like it,” Fuuga replied, maintaining a feral look in his eyes.

He certainly looked ready to break free from his restraints and start wreaking havoc again at any moment. But Souma shook his head silently.

“Nope, your time’s up. This is the end of the line for you. The battle has already been decided, and the last move of the game was played far from here.”

“What?”

“Excel!” Souma called out, wincing in pain. “Ow, that hurt...”

Excel approached and raised both hands. “Honestly, now... You had me worried there for a moment. It worked out fine because you’re still alive, but you just shaved ten years off my lifespan!”

Even as she complained, a massive sphere of water formed overhead. The magic canceler had been turned off, and several nearby water mages were working together to grow and stabilize the sphere’s shape. By the time it became large enough to be seen from anywhere on the battlefield, the sounds of combat had quieted down. It was likely that everyone, regardless of which side they were on, realized what was happening upon seeing the massive ball of water and stopped to watch.

Turning towards the broadcast jewel behind her, Excel spoke, “Juna, you understand the situation here, right?”

“Yes, Grandmother,” came the reply.

A beautiful young woman with blue hair, dressed in an officer’s uniform, appeared projected within the ball of water. She was Juna Souma, Souma’s first secondary queen. Her expression was noticeably tense.

Noticing Juna’s worried look, Excel whispered, “Don’t worry. His Majesty is wounded, but his life isn’t in danger.”

Only Juna could hear her, as the comment was not picked up by the video feed. Juna had likely been watching the broadcast when Souma was slashed, which had left her beside herself with worry. However, after Excel reassured her that Souma was fine—though that was still somewhat questionable—Juna regained some of her composure.

Taking a deep breath, Juna looked straight ahead and began to speak.

“I speak to everyone fighting on this continent, whether you are with the Kingdom of Friedonia or the Great Tiger Empire. I am Juna Souma, one of Souma E. Friedonia’s queens and the daughter of Duchess Excel Walter. I am speaking to you today not as a lorelei, but as the commander of the Marines in the National Maritime Defense Force.”

This message was being broadcast on the same frequency as Souma’s announcement marking the beginning of a new era, so she was truly addressing everyone across the continent. Roroa and the other evacuees in Venetinova, Kuu and the fighters in Turgis, as well as Hakuya and Jeanne, engaged in a standoff in the Euphoria Kingdom, were all watching.

Juna moved slightly, gesturing to the scenery behind her.

“I believe those of you from the Great Tiger Empire will recognize this location.”

It was a castle located somewhere, surrounded by a massive army numbering in the tens of thousands. When Fuuga saw the image, his eyes widened as he stared in disbelief. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, but Juna confirmed the truth.

“Our detachment from the Maritime Alliance has surrounded the Haan Great Tiger Castle. We have also occupied Sir Fuuga’s country, the steppes, on our journey here. If you continue your fruitless battle against the Maritime Alliance, we will launch a full offensive, and I assure you that the castle will fall.”

Juna’s revelation shook the soldiers of the Great Tiger Empire. The cradle of their empire, Malmkhitan, had been captured. The center of their power, the Great Tiger Castle, was under siege.

Fuuga personally didn’t consider this castle more important than his others, but for many of the fighters, it held a special significance because that was where they had left their wives and children. This created enough psychological pressure that they felt they couldn’t continue fighting without addressing those feelings first. The forces of the Great Tiger Empire believed they had put their opponent in a vulnerable position, but in reality, it was they who found themselves in a precarious situation.

“Hey, wait. Where did he get an army that big?” Fuuga asked as he began to regain his senses. He pondered the question.

Could it be the forces from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago that haven’t participated yet? No, that doesn’t seem right; there were too many soldiers for that. Have Friedonian troops joined their ranks? They’ve already mobilized a significant number, so they couldn’t have many left for a detached operation. Are the Nine-Headed Dragon forces the core of this unit? But they aren’t accustomed to fighting on land. The garrisons I left back home should have been able to hold out against them for a while. They might have captured a coastal city at best, but there’s no way they could reach the Great Tiger Castle in such a short time.

Despite racking his brain, Fuuga couldn’t figure out what had led to this situation.

Souma then said, “Fuuga, you carried out a diversionary operation before this battle, right?”

“Hmm...? Oh, you mean how I sent troops to the Euphoria Kingdom?” Fuuga replied.

To draw as many of the Kingdom of Friedonia’s troops to that front as possible, Fuuga had attacked the Euphoria Kingdom in the west. He’d understood that the Kingdom of Friedonia would see through the ruse, but the plan was that if he made a move to attack an allied nation and the leader of the Maritime Alliance didn’t send reinforcements, it would weaken their position.

Fuuga and Hashim had not been particularly hopeful that the Kingdom of Friedonia would send sufficient reinforcements to strengthen their defense of the homeland. This uncertainty was why Fuuga had not thought much about it until now.

“Do you remember the move we made in response?” Souma asked.

Fuuga cocked his head at the question.

“Your move... I think you sent an island that was like a battleship?” he replied.

By deploying his ultimate weapon on the high seas, which he sadly couldn’t use inland, Souma had cleverly maintained the appearance of supporting an ally with the island-type carrier. Both Fuuga and Hashim had suspected that the carriers were likely empty since transferring the wyvern cavalry off the carriers would make them usable on land.

Given the number of wyvern cavalry they had encountered on their way here, it was clear that there couldn’t have been any left on the carriers. However, Souma had another question for the skeptical Fuuga.

“Do you know what happened to my carrier after that?”

“It was an empty ship, right? Didn’t it just stay in port at the Euphoria Kingdom?”

“Yeah, that carrier was indeed empty. It had lost its ability to fight.” Souma’s lips curled into a smile. “But here’s the thing... While a carrier is a strategic weapon, it’s also a ship. And an empty ship can be loaded with anything, right?”

“Don’t tell me...”

As the realization began to dawn on Fuuga, Souma decided to elaborate.

“An empty carrier is essentially a massive transport ship. I sent two carriers and the transport ship, King Souma, to each of the member states of the Maritime Alliance, gathering enough troops to form a detached force.”

◇ ◇ ◇

The image of Souma’s forces surrounding the Great Tiger Castle was broadcast around the world, even reaching the port city of Venetinova. There, the bureaucrats of the Kingdom, along with Roroa, Tomoe, and the royal family’s children, had taken refuge.

“Oh, thank goodness! They made it in time!” Ichiha exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Tomoe agreed, both of them expressing their relief as they watched from the garden of the lord’s manor in Venetinova.

The fountain in the garden was equipped with a receiver, allowing them to view the broadcast projected in the water. Next to them stood Roroa and Poncho, the lord of the manor.

“Coulda seen it comin’ from a mile away. Didn’t they ever figure we might be pullin’ some kinda trick behind the scenes?” Roroa boasted as she flexed her arm. “Even just the core unit from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Kingdom is close to eight thousand men. Add in the forces from our other allies, and it’s over a hundred thousand. With a talented commander and a stable supply of provisions, crossin’ the Great Tiger Empire while their main force was away was no big deal. Course, ensurin’ that supply of provisions was our job.”

“It certainly was a massive undertaking, yes,” Poncho said, wiping the cold sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. “As the head of the alliance, we were responsible for providing supplies for all the troops from other members. Even though we’d been saving up for this, it was still a close call.”

“Sure was,” Roroa added. “We had provisions stored everywhere and the means of transportin’ them, but we were short on bureaucrats who could manage it... I mean, it’s not like we could just strap wheels on ’em and they’d move themselves.”

“With the war ongoing, our ability to move around was limited, and we were shorthanded everywhere, yes,” Poncho continued. “Even Serina and Komain, who always do so much to support me, were assigned other missions and had to leave. If not for Lady Tomoe and Sir Ichiha’s help, we would have been in trouble, yes.”

Tomoe and Ichiha smiled wryly as their companions let out exhausted sighs.

“I’m just happy I could be of some small help to my big brother. If all I could do was sit here and wait...I’d have been crushed under the weight of my worries,” Tomoe said.

“I agree... I’m worried about Yuriga, who we left in the capital,” Ichiha added.

“Yeah. I hope she’s not letting things get to her too much...”

Roroa, placing a hand on her hip, nodded in agreement. “Same here. I mean, she’s married into the country that’s fightin’ against hers. I know what it’s like, bein’ in a position like that. But regardless of whatever ties you have, in the end, all ya can really do is believe that you’re makin’ the right decision. That’s probably what’ll leave ya with the least regrets.”

““Right.””

Roroa’s words were filled with experience, and both Tomoe and Ichiha nodded firmly in response. After grinning at their affirmation, Roroa gazed up at the projection in the sky.

Fuuga Haan... Maybe you were only focused on the warriors who do the fightin’, but we noncombatants have minds of our own. We’re not just here to be trampled. We support the soldiers who fight ’cause they’re worried about their families and the countries they live in. Unlike your people, who worship you and have left all their decisions up to you. Roroa thrust her fist out towards the projection. You lost because you couldn’t imagine what people like us, who don’t fight, were thinkin’! Now get ready to pay for it, Fuuga!

◇ ◇ ◇

At the border between the Great Tiger Empire and the Euphoria Kingdom, Lumiere glared at Jeanne after witnessing the scenes projected in the night sky due to time zone differences.

“You pulled a fast one on us, Jeanne...”

The forces of the Great Tiger Empire and the Euphoria Kingdom had agreed to pause their pointless fighting and maintain their standoff until the outcome of the direct battle between Souma and Fuuga was determined. However, the commanders from both sides continued to meet regularly to exchange information.

Today was no different: Queen Jeanne, Consort Hakuya, General Gunther, and Sami the mage represented the Euphoria Kingdom, while Commander in Chief Shuukin, his aide Lumiere, and Elulu of the High Elf Volunteer Force represented the Great Tiger Empire. They gathered in the middle of the field, where their forces faced each other.

During this meeting, they observed a scene depicting Haan Great Tiger Castle being surrounded, with some troops displaying the colors of the Euphoria Kingdom. This indicated that the Euphoria Kingdom had secretly transferred some of their forces from the western front—where they were supposed to be evenly matched—using island carriers to reinforce Souma’s detached force.

To conceal their true intentions, the Euphoria Kingdom had deployed more standard bearers than usual, deceiving both Shuukin and Lumiere.

“Just how many men did you send?” Lumiere asked.

Jeanne replied sincerely, “We were going to bring ten thousand men here, and another ten thousand from the rear guard, so...twenty thousand in total, I suppose.”

Upon hearing this, Lumiere slapped her forehead and then looked up at the heavens. Resignation replaced her anger at that moment; she realized they had been outsmarted.

“Combined with the troops from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Kingdom, they should number nearly a hundred thousand. That’s more than enough to cross the Empire while our armies are away and surround Great Tiger Castle.” Lumiere returned her gaze to Jeanne. “But I’m surprised you sent the soldiers away in this situation. If we had attacked instead of agreeing to negotiate, wouldn’t you have suffered significant losses?”

“Yeah, I was concerned about that too, but Sir Hakuya convinced me.”

Both women turned to look at Hakuya, who shrugged.

“Before the war, you made it seem like you were going to attack here. I believe it was a diversion you expected us to see through, but at that point, our roles were already assigned—you as the attacker and us as the defenders.”

“Hmm? I suppose they were,” Lumiere replied.

“Just as a king must act like a king, people tend to think they must play the roles they’re given,” Hakuya said nonchalantly. “As the attackers, you assumed that the defenders would never be so foolish as to send away part of their forces. We simply took advantage of that.”

His words left Lumiere, Shuukin, and even Jeanne at a loss for a response. Strategies that exploited the blind spots in people’s thinking were Hakuya’s specialty. His skills had earned him the title of Black-Robed Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Friedonia.

Lumiere looked at Jeanne awkwardly. “Isn’t your husband...a little too much of a schemer?”

“Ah ha ha... That’s what I love about him, Lumi,” Jeanne replied.

“I think I’d prefer a man who’s a little more honest and forthright.”

Despite sharing many interests, the two old friends clearly differed in their taste in men.

Hakuya was enduring a great deal of verbal abuse, but he maintained a cool expression.

“There’s something I don’t understand,” Shuukin said, crossing his arms. “You have the manpower, and I’ve no doubt the Kingdom of Friedonia can supply it. But that detached force is primarily made up of soldiers from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago who aren’t used to fighting on land. Even if they have experience with naval battles and landing operations, we can’t expect them to push far inland. I know you sent twenty thousand men from the Euphoria Kingdom, but all of your distinguished commanders are still here.”

Shuukin then shifted his gaze between Jeanne, Hakuya, and Gunther.

“Can soldiers maintain order on their own? From what I saw in the broadcast, the Kingdom of Friedonia appeared to be leading them, but with us attacking on every front, they probably didn’t have even ten thousand of their own troops left to send. Frankly, I doubt that a patchwork force would obey a faction that makes up less than ten percent of their numbers. Even if they did, I can’t imagine them fighting their way past the garrison troops to reach Haan Great Tiger Castle...”

His observation was astute, as expected from Fuuga’s right-hand man. He had pinpointed the issue with the detached force. But Jeanne and Hakuya exchanged a glance and smiled softly.

“It seems you’ve forgotten something, Sir Shuukin,” said Jeanne.

“Yes, he has,” Hakuya agreed. “There is one very important individual you’ve overlooked.”

“Who would that be...?” Lumiere asked suspiciously.

Jeanne couldn’t help but smile at that. “Did you forget, Lumi? There is one person. She belongs to the Kingdom of Friedonia now, but the people of our Euphoria Kingdom respect her like a goddess. The men would gladly give their lives for her.”

“No! You can’t mean...”

Lumiere quickly figured it out. Jeanne continued speaking regardless.

“There is someone who united the once-disunited nations and held off the threat of the Demon Lord’s Domain for a long time, isn’t there? You call our detachment a patchwork force, but they’re not nearly as much of a patchwork as the United Forces of Mankind after their campaign failed... She is the one who brought those battered nations together and accepted all the respect and resentment from other countries. Don’t you think that makes her ideally suited to lead the Maritime Alliance’s detached force?”

At that moment, a great commotion erupted among soldiers on both sides of the battlefield. Jeanne and the others looked up at the scene projected in the air above them, their eyes landing on the person standing next to Juna. Despite her now short hair, her beautiful face was one that the people of neither the Euphoria Kingdom nor the Great Tiger Empire could ever forget.

However, she wasn’t wearing the elegant dresses of her time as empress or the casual attire she donned during her philanthropic activities, but a swallow-tailed officer’s uniform like the one Liscia always wore. Hers was light pink, while Liscia’s was red.

When Lumiere saw her, the name slipped naturally from her lips.

“Lady Maria...”

It was the former empress of the Gran Chaos Empire and Souma’s current third primary queen, Maria herself.

◇ ◇ ◇