Genjitsushugisha no Oukokukaizouki - Volume 19 - Chapter 6.6

All seven of my wives were watching with rapt attention as Hilde examined me. Their concerned expressions made me even more self-conscious.

“W-Well, we’re worried,” said Liscia.

“Urgh, if anything were to happen to you, sire...” moaned Aisha, trailing off.

“It would be a national crisis,” Juna added. “And a personal crisis for me too, of course.”

“W-Well, it just shows how much we all love ya, Darlin’,” said Roroa.

“Humans are frail; of course I’d be worried,” Naden chimed in.

“And you were badly injured not that long ago...” Maria piped up.

“I-I’m just here because everyone else said they were going to check in on you,” Yuriga insisted, sounding a bit tsundere.

I appreciated their concern, but I couldn’t help feeling like they were blowing things out of proportion.

After completing her examination, Hilde removed the stethoscope from her ears.

“You have a fever as a symptom. There’s no swelling in your throat, and you still have an appetite. Regarding your lifestyle, while you may not be able to avoid it, you haven’t been getting enough sleep. This is probably due to stress and overworking yourself.”

Stress and overworking myself... I thought. We’d been at war not long ago, so it was understandable. Between preparing for conflict and coping with the loss of old man Owen, I had been through a lot. Just thinking about all that had happened was starting to overwhelm me...

“Oh, and I imagine this played a big role too,” Hilde said, pointing at the massive gash that ran from my shoulder across my chest. It was the injury Fuuga had inflicted on me the other day.

I had disinfected the wound and treated it with light magic after making peace with the forces of the Great Tiger Kingdom and after Fuuga had pulled his troops out, but it had left a nasty scar. Every time I saw it, I shuddered, reminded of how lucky I was to still be alive.

Hilde traced the scar with her fingers. “Thanks to the quick disinfection and treatment, the wound has healed properly. However, you still lost a lot of blood. I believe various bacteria have entered your body, and your immune system is responding by giving you a fever.”

So I should be grateful for the fever, huh? It was an immune response after all. If she said it was for my own good, I just had to accept it.

“Oh, also, since light magic enhances the body’s natural recovery processes, it uses the patient’s stamina to heal them,” she added. “I’d say that loss of stamina contributed to this fever.”

“Is that how it works?”

“Well, make sure you eat well and get plenty of rest and sleep. Just do that, and you’ll start feeling better on your own. I’ll prescribe some fever medicine just in case.”

Hilde handed the medicine to Liscia and began packing up her equipment. I still felt a bit out of sorts because of my fever as I laid back down.

“Thank you... And I’m sorry to have made you come in when you’re so busy...” I said.

“Tell me about it. There are patients everywhere...”

Because the war had just ended, there were wounded soldiers in every region. As we spoke, her husband Brad was making rounds at different hospitals. I needed to see a trustworthy doctor, but I felt like I was imposing on her.

Hilde looked at me and let out a sigh. “It’s true that many patients need my help far more than you do.”

“Sorry...” I replied.

“But if you go down, the country will be paralyzed. If that happens, it could impact funding, and we’d lose lives we could have saved. We need you to stay healthy and recover quickly if that’s possible.”

I realized this was her way of encouraging me.

“Thanks,” I said, but Hilde snorted to hide her embarrassment.

“Well, anyway, get well soon,” she said before taking her leave. It was clear she didn’t like admitting how she really felt.

“Doctor Hilde is right, you know. You need to rest for now,” Liscia insisted.

“She’s absolutely right. We’ll take care of your work for ya in the meantime,” added Roroa.

“I’m a former empress myself, after all,” Maria noted. “I believe I should be able to help.”

My wives are way too reliable... Man, that sounds like a good light novel title. Just as I was thinking that...

“Um...” a hesitant voice broke the silence.

We all turned to see the acting prime minister, Ichiha, and my adopted little sister, Tomoe. They must have entered as Hilde was leaving.

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’m sorry to say this, but...there’s something we’d like you to do immediately, Your Majesty,” Ichiha said.

“What is that?” I inquired.

“I know you aren’t in good shape right now, but... Well...”

“Big Brother, we’d like you to show your face to the people as soon as possible,” Tomoe interjected, as Ichiha was struggling to find the right words.

“Show his face... You’re saying he can’t rest yet?” Yuriga questioned. Tomoe shook her head.

“I’d like to let Big Brother rest too, but the people saw him being attacked by Mr. Fuuga on the broadcast, right? He hasn’t appeared on the broadcast since then, and the people have been worrying.”

“Yeah. They’re concerned that your injury might have worsened and that you could be in critical condition. It seems speculation is only feeding more rumors. Honestly, I wish we could wait until you recover, but there’s fear that the rumors could spiral out of control before then...” Ichiha said apologetically.

Oh... Now that he mentions it, I haven’t been on the broadcast since I announced the reconciliation. I’d planned to observe the Great Tiger Empire for a while longer and announce the end of the war once I was confident they wouldn’t attack again. However, I came down with a fever first, and I still hadn’t shown the people that I was all right.

During the Chu-Han Contention, when Liu Bang of the Han faced Xiang Yu of the Chu, he was hit by an arrow fired by an ambusher. The injury wasn’t fatal, but as he lay in his sickbed, rumors of his demise spread through the Han army. His strategist, Zhang Liang, took him around in a carriage to show everyone he was still alive.

Yeah... This whole situation really was similar to that, I thought, and then I asked, “Do you want me to hold a parade or something in Parnam?”

“Oh, no, nothing so grand,” Ichiha said, quickly shaking his head. “You can just appear on the broadcast.”

Come to think of it, they didn’t have mass media during the Chu-Han Contention. I can dispel rumors of my demise just by appearing on the broadcast. Thank goodness for the march of civilization... But I realize I’m really not thinking straight, huh?

“If you don’t mind doing it that way, I’m happy to go along with it,” I said.

“That’s not going to work,” Liscia replied, looking appalled for some reason. “You don’t have to get out of bed, but you need to look a little healthier. Otherwise, you’ll just worry people more than they already are. Juna, could you take care of it?”

“His makeup, you mean? Just leave it to me,” Juna said with a smile.

So, Juna applied my makeup, and when she was finished, I looked in the mirror.

“Whoa...”

I looked completely normal. My previously worn-out face now stared back at me. With the help of makeup, I appeared to be my usual, healthy self.

Oh right, there is makeup that can make someone look like this too. If I remember correctly, it’s called...

“Oh, corpse makeup...” I began to say, but then—smack! “Ow, that hurts.”

“Don’t jinx yourself like that,” Naden said, crossing her arms as she administered a tail slap.

“Could you go a little easier on me? I’m sick here,” I said.

“Hmph! You had it coming,” Yuriga exclaimed with exasperation. She certainly had a sharp tongue.

“Your Majesty, I’ve brought it,” Aisha announced.

As we spoke, Aisha entered with the broadcast jewel, placing it carefully at the foot of the bed. We were now ready to begin the broadcast.

“Okay... If you would, sire.” Ichiha gave the signal, and I started speaking.

◇ ◇ ◇

Around the same time, crowds had gathered around the fountain plazas in cities throughout the Kingdom of Friedonia. They had been summoned there in anticipation of a broadcast from the castle. However, unlike usual, the people’s faces were marked with concern.

“What do you think they’ll announce?” one person asked.

“You don’t think his condition has taken a turn for the worse, do you?” another replied.

“Don’t say ominous things like that!” a third person interjected.

The grim expressions on their faces were understandable. Many had witnessed Souma being slashed by Fuuga during the broadcast and seen him fall to one knee, drenched in his own blood. Although he had announced reconciliation afterwards, there had been no further updates on Souma’s condition since then, and the people were worried about him.

As they waited anxiously, an image projected into the air above them: It was Souma, sitting up in bed.

“Um... Good day, citizens. It’s me, Souma E. Friedonia.”

While his pallor wasn’t terrible, the fact that he was broadcasting from bed caused some concern among the people. They breathed a sigh of relief at his apparent good health, but their worries weren’t completely dispelled.

“First, let me apologize for appearing to you like this. I’ve been running a bit of a fever. They tell me I’ve been working too hard, and yes, I have been quite busy lately. The doctor assures me I’ll be fine with a few days of rest. I promise to work really hard as soon as I’m better, so please let me rest for now.”

Souma’s tone was casual, and his mention of the doctor helped alleviate the people’s concerns. Then, unexpectedly, he opened his collar and revealed his collarbone.

“““Huh?!””” the people gasped, shocked to see a large, prominent scar there.

“This is the scar that Fuuga gave me, which I’m sure has been what’s been worrying you the most. The wound is fully healed and no longer hurts, but I was informed that using my stamina to heal this injury contributed to my current fever. However, it’s not life-threatening, so you can rest easy.”

Souma had reassured them, but the people’s reactions were more complex. Thanks to the meticulous preparations made by Souma and his team for the war with the Great Tiger Empire, most people beyond the soldiers who had fought in the battles—the refugees from towns along the invasion route and the citizens of cities that had welcomed those refugees—were largely unaware of the war’s occurrence.

For example, in the eastern and southern regions of the Kingdom of Friedonia, by the time rumors surfaced that “We’re apparently at war with the Great Tiger Empire,” it wasn’t long before people began saying, “So, it seems the war with the Great Tiger Empire is over.” For those who weren’t directly involved, it was easy to adopt a naive perspective and think, “If the war ended so quickly, it must have been an easy victory.”

People were shocked to see Souma’s wound. Although many had witnessed him getting slashed, most had been too stunned to truly believe their eyes. Now, as they confronted the reality of his scar, they came to understand the intensity of the battles he had faced. Their king, Souma, who had been at the very back of the main camp, had flirted with death.

While he might not have been the most flamboyant figure, his queens and retainers were exceptionally skilled, and the citizens recognized that he held them all together. If Souma were to die, the country would plunge into chaos. Seeing this broadcast, the people were forced to face the unsettling truth that they had been on the brink of losing the peace they currently enjoyed. This realization was a harsh shock, but no one in the castle, including Souma, fully grasped it. As participants in the war, they’d already known the Kingdom was in peril. If Hakuya, who was particularly adept at understanding others, had been present, perhaps he would have recognized this, but he had been in the Euphoria Kingdom at the time.

“Whoa, was the country really in that much danger?” someone exclaimed.

“I mean, just look at that wound the king received.”

“So His Majesty actually went to the battlefield himself to protect us?”

“I always thought kings just issued orders from a safe distance...”

What had been intended as a reassuring broadcast ended up unsettling the citizens in a way that Souma and his companions hadn’t anticipated. This would result in some uproar later on.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Here you go, sire. I’ve peeled an apple for you. Say ‘ahh.’”

“Ahh...”

Aisha fed me a slice of apple. It had been a full day since the broadcast, and I was still taking time off to recover. My wives had been adjusting their schedules to take turns caring for me. It was just a fever, though, so all they were really doing was chatting with me to keep me from getting bored while making sure I didn’t sneak in any work. No, I’m not really that much of a workaholic...probably.

Carla brought the children—Cian, Kazuha, Leon, Kaito, and Enju—to visit me at one point, but aside from Stella, the baby in Maria’s arms, they were too rambunctious, so the visit was kept short. It made me feel a bit lonely.

Now it was Aisha’s turn to look after me, and she was peeling apples for a snack.

“Munch, munch. Mm. I didn’t know you could peel apples, Aisha.”

“I can! It’s not hard.”

“I mean, I’ve never thought of you as someone who can cook.”

“I’m good at cutting things because knives are useful weapons too,” Aisha said, puffing her chest out.

Is that really something to be proud of? As I was pondering that, the door suddenly flew open with a bang.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” I asked as Liscia rushed towards me.

“There’s no time for questions! We have a serious problem!”

“What problem?” I replied.

“The people of Parnam are crowding around the gates of the castle!”

“Huh? What? Is it a riot? A revolt?”

Did I do something to upset them? Did Hashim incite them? But the war’s over... Are they angry with me for being in bed with a fever while the country is supposed to be recovering? No, the people aren’t so shortsighted as to besiege the gates over that.

When I shared these concerns with Liscia, she raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

“Huh? How can you be so far off base?”

I didn’t understand her reaction.

“Okay, why are they crowding around the gates, then?” I asked.

“They’re here because people from the city want to see you. No, they’re not just from the city; they’re coming from all around the country. Apparently, similar events have been occurring in other cities too.”

““Come again...?””

Aisha and I both tilted our heads in unison.

◇ ◇ ◇

To describe the phenomenon succinctly, a crowd of well-wishers had gathered in front of the castle gates, all worried about Souma.

“I hear the king has a fever. Let him have some of my fish; it might perk him right up!” one person exclaimed.

“Don’t be silly. You should bring fruit to sick people. Please, give this to him instead,” another replied.

“All I have on me is some materials from dungeon monsters, but they might be useful during the reconstruction. Please take them,” said a third.

“It’s not much, but please accept this get-well money,” offered yet another well-wisher.

Each person in the crowd had brought a gift for Souma. To thank the king they believed had fought for them, they presented food, medicine, money, and more, hoping the guards would accept these offerings on the king’s behalf.

Initially, Liscia ordered the guards to refuse the offerings, but as more people rushed to the castle, it became evident that the situation risked becoming dangerously overcrowded. She then changed the policy to have the guards accept everything brought in. The congestion prompted an urgent need for more guards, and Roroa dispatched bureaucrats from the Ministry of Finance to help sort through the gifts. This same scene was unfolding in other cities as well.

“Send this to the king!” the people cried as they pushed their offerings forward. The chaos was palpable.

The reason for this frenzy was that everyone knew Souma was incapable in battle. He was perceived as weak—a ruler focused on domestic policy with no reports of any heroic feats on the battlefield. When he was compared to Fuuga Haan’s combat prowess, the difference was as vast as that between a wyvern and an insect—with Souma being the insect, of course.

Souma had stood injured before Fuuga, facing an opponent he knew he could never defeat. Still, he had stood his ground because, as king, he had to defend his people. This act struck a chord with them, igniting their desire to protect the vulnerable Souma. They naturally began to think, “I want to do something for the king.” In a sense, this was a reflection of Souma’s personal virtue.

◇ ◇ ◇

“What are we going to do?” Liscia asked. “Money is one thing, but fish and vegetables won’t last long, right?”

“Yeah...” I replied, unsure what to say. Me getting a fever meant that the people would give me all sorts of things? The relationship between a king and his people felt like that of an exploiter and those under his protection, didn’t it? And yet, here they were, offering me gifts simply because I was sick.

I felt like a new streamer bewildered by receiving a high-value Super Chat. Not that Liscia and the others would understand that reference if I explained it. Anyway, I knew I had to do something.

“Aisha... I’m sorry, but could you bring the broadcast jewel? Also, please gather the water mages so we can create a water sphere at the castle gate.”

“R-Right. Understood.” Aisha hurried out of the room, leaving Liscia and me alone. We both let out a deep sigh.

“Honestly... How did it come to this?” I wondered aloud.

“Don’t pretend this has nothing to do with you. This is all because you’re so virtuous, isn’t it?”

“Virtuous? Is that really what we’re calling this?”

Unlike Fuuga, who attracted people with strength, or Maria, who drew others in with her charisma, I was weak. People gathered around me not out of admiration, but because they felt they couldn’t leave me alone. Was that virtue?

Liscia chuckled. “Sure, why not? People can’t help but want to help you, Souma.”

“If you say so...” I replied, scratching my cheek somewhat shyly.

Soon, Aisha returned, carrying the jewel. “I’ve brought it, Your Majesty.”

“““Excuse us!””” a group of mages announced as they entered to assist with the broadcast.

“Um, Madam Excel happened to be here, so I sent her to the gates,” Aisha said.

“Good. Then get the broadcast started right away,” I commanded as soon as I heard her.

Shortly after, the mages signaled me, and I began to speak towards the jewel.

“Ahem... This is your king, Souma. I know this may come as a surprise, but I want to thank you for your concern for my health. I’ve heard that many have come bearing get-well gifts. I truly appreciate them, but as you can see, I’m already feeling better. So, I’d like to accept just your kind feelings and nothing else.”

First, I discouraged them from bringing any more gifts. The question now was what to do with the stuff that had already been brought.

“With regard to the items people have gathered, we will put any money and materials towards the recovery fund. As for fresh food, I ask that you please enjoy it among yourselves. We will also be providing some barrels of wine from the castle’s cellars, so I’d like you to celebrate the end of the war.”

Now that we had accepted the food, people would be upset if we let it spoil or asked them to take it back home. Hosting a feast with the food was probably the best way to avoid discontent. I could hear cheering in the distance; it seemed people liked the idea of having a feast.

Once we were sure the broadcast had been cut off, Liscia said, “Good work. You sure are good at finding solutions, huh, Souma?”

“Can I take that as a compliment?” I replied.

“Yes, because that’s exactly what it is,” she said.

“It’s true. You’re very reliable,” Aisha added.

Satisfied with my efforts, I laid back down in bed. I needed to get better quickly—for all the people out there who supported me.

On this day, there were lively feasts all around the Kingdom.