Chapter 2: The Naval State, Luaranz
The port in Luaranz was just as massive as I would have expected. If I were to say it felt like looking at the Suez Canal, I’d be exaggerating a little, but all of those military ships moored here, filling every slip to the brim, were still a magnificent sight to behold.
I had so much to gain here in Luaranz. It would cost a fortune and take ages to build a fleet of this scale from scratch, and I wasn’t even sure if it’d be finished before I unified the continent. The more I looked at the ships, the more I wanted them, but all I could do right now was stare enviously. All this staring was only making my mouth water. I turned back and headed toward Luaranz’s palace.
For now, my goal was an alliance.
Of course, that was never going to happen. The request was just a facade meant to justify my visit. Anyway, having already sent an envoy ahead of me to get a response, I headed to the palace, where I had been granted an audience.
The King of Luaranz was just as old as I’d heard. The game’s backstory said that, because he never sired an heir, a conflict had broken out between competing noble factions, and so that magnificent fleet sat rotting away, unused.
The white-haired King of Luaranz stared at me. He was a mediocre king. His authority wasn’t particularly strong, but it wasn’t as though his power had been completely stripped away by the nobility. If anything, this in-between state of affairs frustrated his retainers.
King Luaranz’s eyes hovered over me idly for a while before he spoke.
“You are the Eintorian ambassador?”
“Yes, indeed.”
At this point, one of the close associates of the king glared at me.
“Eintorian, huh...? It seems His Majesty permitted your visit because of your connection with the Ancient Kingdom, but you’re nothing but a frontier count! Occupying Brijit doesn’t make you a real state, so what possessed you to think you had any right to request an audience with His Majesty?! And how dare Erhin Eintorian send an ambassador instead of coming here himself!”
Word that I was the one who broke Naruya’s massive army of a hundred and sixty thousand men ought to have spread here already, but I could understand why he would want to emphasize the other details as a way of establishing diplomatic superiority.
I obviously wasn’t happy about it, but I didn’t let that show on my face.
Because right now, I was here not as Erhin Eintorian, but as his retainer, Hadin Meruya.
Also, the alliance didn’t even really matter.
It was okay if they wanted to brush me off or even insult me, because my initial goal was just to get inside the castle.
Kashak Lechin
Age: 34
Martial: 92
Intelligence: 81
Command: 90
As for my second objective, it was this nobleman who was currently running his mouth in an attempt to humiliate me: Kashak Lechin.
He’s got good stats. Two of his scores are over 90.
Yes, I knew who he was.
He was the one who would, in the game’s future, launch a coup, seize Luaranz, and then throw his name into the hat as one of those who were going to try to unify the continent.
If his coup succeeded, he’d invade Brinhill too. He was the type to get fired up after hearing the rumors about me.
I was confident I could beat him, but I didn’t want us to get exhausted by war when we were supposed to be building our strength. And so I’d come here to preemptively eliminate him. To that end, I’d hidden my identity.
“U-Um...”
I backed away, acting as though I was overwhelmed by Kashak and didn’t know how to react.
“I-I’m here to propose an alliance!”
“Did you say an alliance? With the people who fled to Brijit because they couldn’t defend their own country? Don’t be absurd!”
Kashak raised his voice in anger.
His shout made me fall on my backside, and I looked around anxiously. What a sorry sight I must have made.
“There’s no need to be so harsh, Count Kashak. Erhin Eintorian wasn’t able to save Runan because the king had already sent him to Rozern. It’s nothing short of extraordinary that he was able to defend the people, defeat Naruya’s army, and settle in Brijit in that situation.”
Surprisingly, one of the nobles was supportive of me. Everything he said was true, but what surprised me was that he knew so many details.
Calling up the system, I learned he was Count Dofrey. By all indications, he had a positive inclination toward us, but since he wasn’t a famous character in the game, I couldn’t be sure how he really felt.
“However, if they cannot even defend themselves, wouldn’t you agree it’s ridiculous to think that they have anything to offer us in a military alliance? If anything, I can only say that it looks to me as though they want the alliance as a safety measure, and after that they want to develop and regain the former territory of Runan. They only mean to use Luaranz, Your Majesty.”
Kashak was on the money about everything, except for the fact that I wasn’t even serious about forming the alliance. All of the nobles but Dofrey nodded in agreement.
The king may have felt the same way, because he shook his head in dismay before speaking.
“Ambassador, it is entirely thanks to the Ancient Eintorian Kingdom that my nation, Luaranz, has such a powerful navy. For that reason, with respect to the Eintorian name, I will confer with my nobles once more. You are dismissed for now. You will be provided with a place to stay in the palace while you wait.”
＊
Count Kashak Lechin was the most influential young commander in the Luaranz Kingdom. He was highly ambitious, though he never let it show. Under him, this country could be born anew, better and stronger.
The current king was old and timid. He had no concept of expanding the nation’s power through war. All he wanted to do was maintain the status quo. That was why the nobles were able to lead him by the nose, and he was hesitant to act in these wonderfully chaotic times.
No amount of reasoning would convince the king that they had to act now, or they would be eliminated by someone else who did. It wasn’t just the king. The counts, obsessing over the succession issue, were the same.
Kashak saw them as nothing but a pack of incompetent fools, slowly eating away at the country. The continent was only growing more chaotic. These were times when they had to act or face nothing but ruin.
If the center of power in this country weren’t occupied by a cowardly king and infighting nobles, they could have sent out the fleet during the war between Rozern and Brijit to sweep in once both sides were weakened. If that had happened, a significant portion of Brijit’s territory would be theirs by now.
That was their first opportunity. Now, with the fall of Runan, a second had arrived, and yet all anyone did was watch!
Kashak couldn’t bear it any longer.
That king couldn’t even take a firm stance against that pathetic envoy from a mere lord. Kashak had to go through with the coup that he’d been planning for a decade. Now was the time. Things couldn’t be drawn out any longer.
It’s our last chance. Now, while Naruya’s lost their grand army!
Kashak was confident. He strongly believed in his own ambitions. It didn’t matter if he was up against Eintorian, which had fought Naruya, or even if he was up against Naruya itself. He believed he could win.
“I’m going to change this country! The king’s lived for long enough. I’ll kill him, install a puppet, and then I’ll be the one to change things! I’ll remove anyone who gets in my way too.”
Kashak spoke of the secret ambition he had harbored these past ten years in front of his loyal right-hand man, Nerchin.
“Your Excellency! We’re all prepared! Once those two old fogies defending the king are removed, Luaranz will be ours!”
Kashak nodded, agreeing with Nerchin. The two old men who defended Luaranz were Commander Chesedin of the First Fleet and Captain Shark of the Royal Guard.
Ever since he was a young boy, Kashak hadn’t been able to stand either of them.
“We’ll take out both of the geezers at once. Once they’re dealt with, we will quickly seize the palace and replace the king! It all needs to be done swiftly. At the end of the day, history belongs to the victor. If the monarch is replaced, we’ll become the good guys, and those who oppose us will all be remembered as traitorous rebels.”
“Yes, Your Excellency!”
“There’s no room for complacency. Success comes to those who are cautious.”
Kashak ordered Nerchin to act with special care. Kashak wasn’t someone prone to missing vital information. But now that he had confirmed the details of the mission, he was certain of it.
He couldn’t fail.
The plan was perfect.
No matter how he thought about it, there wasn’t a single thing that wasn’t as he expected it to be.
＊
Duke Chesedin Ramel was the commander of the Luaranz Kingdom’s First Fleet. It was this First Fleet that gave other nations pause when they thought about attacking Luaranz. Luaranz was surrounded by a massive canal.
Having learned not just techniques for fighting at sea but also on the canal, Chesedin was a fairly important figure inside Luaranz. Also, while they were called the Navy, they could do more than just fight at sea. If anything, they did most of their fighting during landing operations. If Chesedin were left alone, the coup would need to fight the invincible First Fleet.
Still, if they could just get rid of Chesedin, it wouldn’t be hard to seize control of the First Fleet after that.
Kashak had a man at the center of power inside the First Fleet. Once the old man was eliminated, it was just a matter of having that guy assume command. Currently, Chesedin was on his way to the palace for the retirement ceremony for Captain Shark of the Royal Guard, which was to be held soon.
Kashak, who was with his trusted retainer Nerchin and a number of soldiers, called after Chesedin.
“Duke! I have something to speak to you about.”
“I have a prior engagement. Let’s talk later.”
“It’s an urgent report regarding the Naruya Kingdom. I want to meet with you and His Highness together.”
“An urgent report, you say? I had heard that the Naruya Kingdom had lost that grand army of theirs.”
“They still have the unit that was led by their king. The information suggests that the fires of war could spread all the way here to Luaranz...”
“Oh, it’s that bad, is it?”
After hearing all of this, he had no choice but to go with Kashak. Even after losing that massive army, Naruya was still Naruya. If the strongest country on the continent was coming to attack them, then he couldn’t ignore that.
Incidentally, at this point in time, Chesedin’s friend Shark was not in the barracks. This was on account of his already having been cut down by Kashak’s blade.
Kashak called out to the soldiers who were on standby, and one of the lieutenants came forward.
“This is the spy we had infiltrating Naruya. He just got back with an important report.”
Seeing the grave look on the man’s face, Chesedin could only nod. Ultimately, he followed Kashak, never dreaming of the ambitions the other man harbored.
“What happened?”
“I’ll go into the details in front of His Majesty.”
Once Kashak said that, there was nothing more he could ask. When they entered the palace, they were all disarmed according to the usual procedure. Kashak, of course, as well as his men, and then Chesedin and his trusted retainer who followed behind them silently.
Once they were all disarmed, Kashak took the lead. The palace was the largest, most majestic building in the Luaranz Kingdom.
The golden interior decorations caught and reflected the light, only adding to its splendor. Kashak stopped in front of the bedroom of the queen. The eighty-year-old monarch had welcomed a new queen who was only twenty-two years of age. The king had long since lost the ability to sire children, but he loved his queen dearly and still stayed in her room.
When Kashak stood before the bedchamber door, the soldiers of the Royal Guard crossed their spears in front of it, blocking his way.
“We bear urgent news for His Majesty. Open the door,” Kashak said, glaring at their spears, but the soldiers objected.
Perhaps hearing the argument, the head chamberlain appeared.
“His Majesty is declining all visitors at the moment.”
Kashak furrowed his brow at the head chamberlain’s stubborn refusal.
“It has to do with the Naruya Kingdom. Pass that along. We may be invaded.”
They didn’t share a border with the Naruya Kingdom, but everyone had still heard rumors about the largest nation on the continent. The head chamberlain blanched.
“Is that true?!”
At Kashak’s firm nod, the head chamberlain hurried inside the room.
It wasn’t long after that.
“Please, enter.”
The head chamberlain urgently waved Kashak and Chesedin inside. As he did, Kashak signaled Nerchin with his eyes so that Chesedin wouldn’t notice.
Long had they waited for this day.
The plan was a decade in the works.
Obviously, a coup d’état was the last resort for Kashak. That’s why it took him ten years to come to this point.
Today was the day he would seize the power to pursue the ideals he’d long dreamed about.
Kashak followed the head chamberlain thinking that even the clear, blue sky seemed to be blessing him.
Chesedin followed behind.
Only high nobles were able to meet the king. Of course, Kashak’s men and Chesedin’s trusted retainer were not welcome to come in with them. This had been Kashak’s aim: to pull Chesedin away from his trusted retainer. That retainer was the reason he hadn’t been able to assassinate Chesedin the way he had Shark. The man was a warrior boasting great martial prowess who had protected Chesedin for many long years.
That’s why the assassination of Chesedin proved such a headache.
He absolutely could not allow a situation where the assassination failed and then that retainer was able to bring Chesedin back to the fleet.
That’s why he sought a better way, a method of separating the two.
This was the moment.
Kashak walked forward with satisfaction, having skillfully maneuvered Chesedin into meeting the king with him alone.
But time seemed to slow to a crawl as they headed to meet the king.
The tension seemed to place greater gravity on every single moment.
Finally, the king came into view.
He sat beside his queen, allowing her to feed him fruit.
“What is this about Naruya? We don’t even share a border...” the king asked before being interrupted by a harsh coughing fit.
It was clear that the king already wasn’t long for this world, but Kashak had waited a decade already.
The king had lived a long life despite his chronic condition. Thanks to that, the opportunities were becoming fewer. Hiding his hateful glare, Kashak looked at the king and at Chesedin.
“Wait, who are you...?”
Here Kashak scowled again. There was another person here, in addition to the king and queen. One who he had not been expecting, but he quickly looked away.
It was the ambassador from Eintorian.
The man had acted shamefully in the audience chamber earlier. It was wrong to show such weakness in a foreign court. If his legs gave out from under him just because Kashak acted intimidating, then the man was a weakling, neither a help nor a hindrance to anyone here.
That’s why Kashak ignored him and spoke to the king.
“Your Majesty, we’ve received a report that the Naruya Kingdom has set their eyes on Luaranz,” he reported, kneeling down before his monarch. Sweat dripped down onto the top of his hands.
Hearing this false report, the king hacked up the piece of fruit the queen had been feeding him, then fell into another coughing fit.
“Wh-What does that mean? How could the Naruya Kingdom do that?!”
The king meant to ask how that could be possible when the Naruya Kingdom didn’t even share a border with them.
Obviously, Chesedin looked at Kashak with the same doubt.
“Is it true?! How do they mean to do it?!”
Kashak answered their questions with a look of utter seriousness.
“It is true.”
At that moment, shocked looks came to Chesedin’s and the king’s faces at the sudden sound of weapons colliding.
Then there was a metallic sound and a scream.
“What do you people think you’re—gyarrrgh!”
The scream belonged to Chesedin’s trusted retainer.
That was the signal.
Kashak swiftly went for the flexible sword hidden in his belt.
Then, with blade in hand, he declared, “I’m sorry, Duke. I do this for the new era.”
Chesedin, who had been looking outside the bedchamber to see what was amiss, turned as he heard Kashak’s words.
No, he tried to turn.
Kashak never gave him the chance.
The sword swung down toward Chesedin’s back, still straight and broad despite his advanced age.
“Duke!”
The queen was the first to notice, and she threw her fruit as she shouted. But Kashak’s sword was faster. Chesedin fell and crumpled as he turned to face him. The powerful blow ensured the old man would never rise again.
Trembling at the sight, the king shouted, “Kashak, you cur!!! What is the meaning of this?!”
At the same time, the queen shouted toward the outside, “Guards! Come in here and defend His Majesty at once!”
But Kashak just smiled. No guards entered. In fact, it was Kashak’s own men who came in.
“Your Excellency, the Royal Guard will be here soon!” Nerchin whispered in Kashak’s ear.
It was a race against time. They just had to finish up before the guards arrived.
Once the king died, it was all over. Kashak immediately pointed his sword toward the king.
“You mustn’t!” Queen Serena put herself in between them. “Turning your sword against the king? Can you still call yourself a proud noble of Luaranz?!”
“Your Highness, we don’t need a king who’s ruining the country.”
As he looked into Serena’s wide eyes, staring back at him, Kashak cocked his head to the side. For a young woman, only twenty-two years old, she was displaying an admirable strength of heart. Still, he couldn’t leave her alive.
He liked her moxie, but everyone in his way had to die now.
“Eliminate the ambassador! He’s a witness! I’ll finish the king and queen!”
With his orders given, Kashak swung his blade down at Serena.
＊
Shortly before Kashak’s surprise attack, the young queen Serena tended to her king.
“Are you tired, Your Majesty? Let me give you a massage.”
“Oh, could you do that for me?”
“How is that?” Serena asked as she rubbed the king’s aged shoulders.
“It feels good. But stop for now, and sit down beside me, would you? The nobles’ squabbling just leaves me with a headache... I’m only happy when I can see your smiling face. Ho ho ho.”
“You really know what to say to make me happy,” Serena replied with a grin.
The reason she had been made queen was because her father, Dofrey, was in the neutral faction. Because the nobles of Luaranz were divided into two bitterly feuding factions over the succession of the throne, neither could afford to let the other get one of their people made queen.
It was well known that the king couldn’t sire offspring at this point, but they still couldn’t just wait for him to die. Someone had to become queen on the remote possibility that it might happen. However, if the queen came from one faction, that would place the opposing faction at a disadvantage. That’s why the daughter of Dofrey, who was neutral and wielded no influence, was chosen to be queen.
That was Serena, chosen irrespective of her own will, or even the will of her father, Dofrey. Obviously, the king’s own desire played into it. Serena was breathtakingly gorgeous.
“Ho ho ho, what a beautiful face you have.”
At that point, the head chamberlain appeared.
“Your Majesty! The nobles have all gathered!”
The king looked at him with annoyance.
“Your Majesty, there are important matters to be decided today, so I do ask that you attend,” added one of the nobles who had come to collect the king.
“Damn the nobility! Troubling an old man like this.”
Left with no other choice, the king left the queen’s room with a less-than-enthusiastic look on his face.
Sometime later, another man came to visit—her own father, Count Dofrey.
“Father, I’ve been waiting for you,” Serena said, her face lighting up. Once she had led Dofrey to the table, she turned to the maid. “Bring us tea,” she ordered.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Once the servants had left, Serena looked at Dofrey with a face like she had been waiting for ages.
“You called for me, Your Highness?” Dofrey asked and Serena nodded.
“I hear an ambassador has come from Eintorian.”
Dofrey stared at his daughter. She had loved hearing about what was going on in the world around her ever since she was a young girl. She took an interest in everything from rumors, to life, to romance, to war, to any topic really. And out of all of those topics, Eintorian had her especially interested lately. People said that they’d defeated the Naruya Kingdom and Brijit Kingdom, after all! Whenever word of Eintorian came around, she paid rapt attention, her eyes sparkling like she was a little kid.
“Rumors about Eintorian are even more important to you than I am, Your Highness?” Dofrey asked with a sardonic smile, but Serena shook her head.
“Perish the thought! Of course you come first, father! But the rumors are all so fascinating, I couldn’t help myself... That’s all.”
Or so Serena claimed, but Dofrey was smiling inside. She wasn’t just a little interested; she was completely enthralled. She must have been so bored, shut away in the palace like this. The young lord from Eintorian was a free spirit, winning victories across the continent, so perhaps she found satisfaction in living vicariously through the stories about him.
“What is the ambassador here for? And what was his name?”
Dofrey smiled at the curiosity on his daughter’s face.
“It was a man by the name of Hadin,” he told her. “I am told he is a retainer of Count Eintorian with the rank of baron. He came to offer us an alliance, but... I’m sure it won’t be that simple. Kashak seems to think there’s nothing in it for us.”
“No! If we join hands with him, he will be a great strength to us. Have the other nobles not heard those rumors about him?”
“I suspect the larger issue is the small size of his faction. Nobles like to compare numbers, after all. Even if he did beat Naruya, there is no way they could forge an alliance of equals with a minor power. They must assume his victory was just luck.”
“But...even at his current size, I’m sure he’ll grow quickly. If anything, I’m sure he’s building up his strength now for an even greater challenge!” Serena shouted in frustration. There was passion in her voice.
“I feel the same way. I am sure Count Eintorian purposefully chose the former territory of Brijit after looking at the situation on the continent. It’s a fact that he defeated Naruya for a second time in the process. The same Naruya everyone is so afraid of.”
There was his plan which saw through Naruya’s surprise attack and forced them out of the country in the first war, the strategy he used to defeat and turn the tables on Brijit after they invaded Rozern, and then his recent battle where he led a massive army into a mana circle and then routed them.
Was there another man in history like him? He was like the living incarnation of the first Eintorian king who founded the Ancient Kingdom, at least in Dofrey’s opinion.
And he’d also sent people to Eintorian in order to gather information for his obsessed daughter here.
“If we can’t form an alliance... That’d be such a shame.”
Seeing his daughter so dejected, Dofrey considered for a moment, and then opened his mouth.
“Would you like to meet the Eintorian ambassador yourself? If all you do is talk, I don’t see the harm in that. I am sure he can tell you much more than I could.”
“D-Do you mean it?! Then I’ll talk to His Majesty. If we speak to him together, maybe that will change something. He might even change his mind about the alliance...”
Seeing Serena’s bright smile, Dofrey smiled on the inside. His daughter was like a bird in a cage.
It always pained him, but seeing her so happy, Dofrey resolved to do whatever it took to make the meeting happen.
He didn’t expect that it would change anything, but making his daughter happy was a worthwhile endeavor all on its own.
＊
Kashak’s sword swung down. Serena shut her eyes tight against the flash of the blade. She knew this was the end for her, but it was still depressing.
So dying like this is my fate, she thought, giving up all hope, but then...
Something happened. The ambassador who had been standing beside her suddenly struck the blade aside. Obviously, Kashak and his subordinates were surprised by this.
When had he drawn his sword? No, he shouldn’t have even been able to bring it here in the first place.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
Neither Kashak nor Serena could mask their confusion. But his sword had saved Queen Serena. Instinctively, Kashak’s men rushed Erhin.
But they were no more than fodder. Kashak’s men all fell to Erhin’s sword.
＊
“Look out behind you!” Serena shouted at Erhin’s back as he cut down his enemies with Daitoren.
She backed away, keeping the king behind her to protect him. But the monarch’s blood pressure must have shot through the roof or something, because he’d collapsed with his face a bright shade of red. He looked like he wouldn’t even be able to get up on his own.
Serena supported the king, trying to drag him to his feet. “Let’s hurry and escape, sire,” she urged.
“Y-Yes, that makes sense. Let’s leave this place at once.” The king accepted Serena’s suggestion with a nod.
But Erhin stepped in front of them, blocking their exit, and said, “That won’t be necessary, Your Majesty. This is the palace. Where else would you go?”
He didn’t even pay any mind to Kashak, who was behind him.
“The Eintorian ambassador, Hadin, was it? You’re not going to tell me you were acting all this time, were you?”
Kashak was a little bewildered that Erhin had slain Nerchin with a single blow. In no small part because he wasn’t convinced that he could have done it himself.
With a sour look on his face, Kashak leveled his blade at Erhin. Erhin didn’t even plan to talk to the guy.
“You don’t need to know. I’m putting you down here and now.”
When Erhin needed someone dead, he got right to it. Erhin swung Daitoren again. Kashak quickly parried with his own sword and stopped it. Well, he tried to stop it, but Daitoren’s follow-up attack was faster and sharper. With a Martial score of 92, Kashak was A-class and could therefore use mana, but he was as hapless as a newborn babe in the face of Erhin’s Daitoren.
The battle was decided before it had begun.
In no time, Daitoren traced a graceful arc through Kashak’s neck, and his severed head plummeted to the ground.
“You’re not hurt at all, are you?” Erhin asked, shifting his gaze from the rolling head to the king and Serena.
The King of Luaranz looked at Erhin as he nodded. Serena helped the king into a chair.
“Ambassador of Eintorian, I am in your debt!”
“It’s still too early to let our guards down. There must be other insurrectionists still about. This isn’t the kind of plan you come up with overnight.”
“Wh-What?!” the king shouted before falling into an awful coughing fit due to his surprise.
“Sire!”
“Have no fear. I’ll take out any enemies that come.”
Erhin calmly picked up Kashak’s head and carried it out of the room. As he suspected, the palace was in a state of chaos. Kashak’s agents among the guards had opened the palace gates, and his soldiers who had rushed inside were fighting an intense battle with the Royal Guard.
If Kashak had been able to kill the king and Chesedin, then led those men himself, he’d have overcome the numerical disadvantage, and the coup would have succeeded, just as it had in the original history.
But Kashak was dead.
Erhin threw Kashak’s head on the ground in front of the rebel forces and shouted, “I’ve taken the head of the rebel leader. Royal guards, execute these traitors at once!”
The rebels all froze when they saw Kashak’s head.
Although the royal guards were confused when Erhin showed up and started giving orders, they went after the traitors regardless. Erhin silently laughed to himself as he watched.
I knew about the coup in advance, but I never would have expected it to happen on the day I arrived. Being called in to see the queen was a surprise too. I was considering inciting Kashak to act, if that was what it took, but he went and made things a whole lot faster for me.
Luaranz has A-class commanders, but no S-class ones, and their king is mediocre, so there’s no one here I felt any need to go out of my way to keep alive. It was lucky that I managed to both eliminate a future threat, and also win the king’s trust at the same time.
＊
On hearing about the insurrection, Dofrey rushed to the palace so fast that he was wheezing for breath when he arrived. The sweat pouring off of him spoke to how desperately he’d run.
The king had passed out from shock, and Serena, who was looking after him, welcomed Dofrey when he arrived.
“Serena! Are you okay?!”
Dofrey was so beside himself with worry that he called his daughter by name. Serena, however, responded with a composed nod.
“I’m fine.”
“I was so shocked when I heard... Are you unharmed?”
“Yes. You don’t need to worry.”
“Well, that’s good, then.” Dofrey let out a sigh of relief as he sat in a nearby chair. “Still, I never would have thought Kashak would be a traitor...”
“Yes. It caught me by surprise too. But the ambassador from Eintorian saved us in our moment of peril.”
Sitting next to Dofrey, Serena began telling him about that tense moment. The more she said about it, the paler he got.
“If it weren’t for the ambassador, I’d have never seen my daughter again...”
“Oh, father. I’m still alive and well, as you can see.”
“Hah hah hah,” Dofrey let out a relieved laugh, shaking his head. “Still, I’m glad. Just so glad...”
“Who is that man, by the way? This happened before I had the chance to speak to him all that much...”
“You said he killed Kashak, right?”
“Yes. It was over in an instant,” Serena explained calmly as she recalled that moment.
Dofrey was struck by how courageous his daughter was. She remembered everything that had happened in such a tense moment. Any ordinary girl would have been out of her mind with surprise in that situation.
“He was that incredible, was he? I had been thinking he seemed awfully timid for an Eintorian ambassador... It seems I should make a point of meeting him again.”
“Father, that man saved Luaranz.”
“You’re right. He did. What was your take on him? I’d like to hear your opinion.”
Serena needed no time whatsoever to come up with an answer. She already had one.
“He was a big man.”
“Big...in what way?”
This wasn’t what Dofrey expected to hear. He cocked his head to the side questioningly. Serena smiled at him once more.
“I don’t mean physically,” she said, waving her hand to dismiss the idea, before returning to a more serious expression. “It wasn’t over when he cut down the enemy. He immediately moved on to handling the next situation. In no time, he had assumed control of the Royal Guard, and they could do nothing but obey him. Thanks to that, the remaining traitors were quickly subjugated.”
“I see...”
Dofrey had never seen his daughter lavish such praise on anyone before.
“Father, I have no intention of interfering in state matters. I know that I’m in a position where I really shouldn’t. But...at the very least, we must repay this debt of gratitude, or we will bring shame to Luaranz. And I am certain we will lose nothing by forming an alliance with them. Please, try to convince the other nobles once more!”
“Well... I’ll do everything I can.”
Dofrey nodded, but he couldn’t be sure the other nobles would listen to him.
For them, an alliance they couldn’t see the merits of was far less important than getting their preferred candidate on the throne.
“Oh, and I’d very much like to see him again myself. I have a lot I’d like to ask him, father.”
Serena looked at Dofrey with adoring eyes once more. Obviously, the count couldn’t possibly refuse her request. And so, after leaving her room, he realized he’d been treating her not as the queen, but as his daughter, and he gave himself a light slap across the face.
＊
“If we must thank him, a reward should suffice... Alliances are a matter of state, Your Majesty!”
“I agree entirely!”
The council was reconvened, and there the Luaranzine nobles pushed back strongly against an alliance.
Yeah, I more or less expected this.
Alliances between nations weren’t just about being friends. They only worked if the two parties were either somewhat equal, or had something to gain from the other, not unlike the former relationship between Runan and Rozern. But I had no intention whatsoever of serving Luaranz.
“Could you try and explain what we gain from an alliance with Eintorian?” Count Dofrey asked me in the middle of deliberations. He was oddly favorable toward me for some reason.
Dofrey was the one who’d arranged for me to meet the king and queen too. He was probably telling me to persuade the nobles gathered here.
“Our intelligence informs us that the Holy Ramie Kingdom has begun deploying their forces along the border with Luaranz. They’ve likely been incited by Naruya into starting a war. But if that happens, Eintorian’s military will be able to help. We have expert soldiers who fought against both Naruya and Brijit, one after the other.”
This was no lie. It was a little further in the future, but the Ramie Kingdom, which bordered Luaranz, was keeping an eye open for opportunities to expand.
However, the nobles seemed to take offense at what I was telling them.
“The Ramie Kingdom are our allies. You’re making absurd claims with nothing to back them up. And even if that did happen, Luaranz has the mightiest navy on the continent. As if we’d ever need your help!” one of them shouted, showing his confidence in the fleet. However, things were different now that they no longer had a talented commander.
With the death of Chesedin, the fleet would soon fall into the hands of someone totally inept.
“Ambassador,” the king said after a coughing fit. “I cannot simply ignore what you’ve said. The Ramie Kingdom had long been a friend to me. I cannot imagine they would ever attack us.”
“There’s more. The Naruya Kingdom is prepared to attack at any moment. You may not share a border with them yet, but that should be no cause for you to rest on your laurels.”
The Naruya Kingdom did not have a well-developed navy. This had made the Luaranz Kingdom think they were totally safe, but it was absurd for them to feel that way. There wasn’t a country in this world that Naruya wasn’t out to get.
“Enough. You’re just making baseless claims to spread confusion. We’ve heard enough. Now, it is a fact that you prevented the rebellion, so let me give you one last chance. Pledge your service to Luaranz. If you pay us tribute and become our vassal, I suppose we can let you go.” The head of the nobility, Duke Zeyda, was of course talking nonsense.
“That won’t do. This needs to be an alliance between equals.”
“Then leave this place at once!”
With Zeyda having come to this decision, the other nobles soon followed suit. There was nothing more for me to say. The promises of any alliance would only be surface-level, able to be broken through betrayal at any point anyway.
Besides, I still had more important things to do.
“If that’s what my lords say, then...” The king began before being interrupted by a coughing fit. “Ambassador, I’m sorry, but you will have to return home to your own country. I will repay the debt of gratitude I owe to you for saving my life in gold...!”
Ultimately, the king gave in to the nobles.
＊
“Bro died?”
“Yes... It was a terrible end he met, Master Lushak!”
“Heh heh, I see. Bro died, huh?”
In Kashak’s domain, Kashak’s younger brother Lushak laughed in front of the bereaved retainers. He had meant to keep the laugh to himself, but it came out on its own.
“Master Lushak?”
Lushak’s expression changed when he saw the retainers’ reaction.
“Oh, I’ll avenge him, of course. After they killed my bro like that. I’m not letting the king and the nobles get away with this!”
That’s what he said, but Lushak wanted to squeal with glee at the fact he was going to inherit all the influence his brother had built up.
“You said my bro’s agents in the capital and the palace are still alive, right?”
“Yes. If it weren’t for the Eintorian ambassador’s intervention, they all would have risen up to defend His Excellency!”
Thump!
Lushak kicked the retainer as he was still speaking, then he roared, “Shut up! The only Excellency here now is me! You got that? You’re to call him His Former Excellency! Don’t forget the Former!”
“I-I’m terribly sorry,” the retainer apologized as he got to his feet. Lushak snorted.
“Well, whatever. It sounds like bro’s old friend Count Lexeman is willing to help us, which makes things simple. The Royal Guard will be no issue once bro’s agents among the palace guards open up the gates for us!”
Kashak had spent a decade carefully preparing this plan. He hadn’t factored his own death into the equation, but it wasn’t so frail that a single failure would scrap the whole thing.
“We’ll rush into the palace. This is the start of my blood feud against the House of Luaranz for trying to hold me jointly responsible for the rebellion!”
It would obviously only be a matter of time before the family of the coup mastermind were arrested. Lushak didn’t have any intention of letting go of the power that had finally slipped into his hands, and so he led all his men in an attack on the capital.
It happened swiftly, under cover of night.
＊
Lushak Rebel Army
Manpower: 22,000
Morale: 90 + 10 (Indignation)
Training: 88
Lushak’s rebel forces advanced on the royal capital. With the help of Kashak’s collaborators, the gates were thrown open for them with ease.
“For Lord Kashak!”
What Kashak had built up over a decade proved surprisingly resilient. The +10 indignation bonus that was applied to the Lushak Rebel Army spoke to that. The soldiers were as good as might be expected, having been trained by Kashak, and they occupied the capital in short order. If I hadn’t managed to kill Kashak, there’s no telling when these guys might have invaded Eintorian.
“Kill them all! Every one of the king’s men must die!”
Lushak rampaged around the capital, spouting clichéd lines.
Luaranz Royal Capital Defense Force
Manpower: 20,000
Morale: 70
Training: 80
The Royal Capital Defense Force had started with thirty thousand men, but nearly ten thousand of them had turned coat at Lushak’s call.
These were Kashak’s infiltrators.
Thanks to them, the scales quickly tilted in the rebellion’s favor. The vast majority of the guards who were meant to defend this coastal city against attacks from the sea were naval troops.
That ended up working against them.
Fire spread through the capital. However, the marines had yet to reach the palace. Well, that was to be expected. The capable commander of the fleet, Chesedin, had been assassinated by Kashak. The old general, Shark, who had been the king’s emotional support, and the defender of this nation for many long years, had also been killed by Kashak.
How were they supposed to stop the rebels now? The capital was aflame here, there, and everywhere. In short, the rebellion was fated to succeed even if Kashak died. Lushak Lechin was no big deal himself. He was a brute, and if I recall, in the game, Kashak had him executed for his excesses after seizing power. If a guy like that came to power, Luaranz would be a mess.
I was grateful to see the incompetent Lushak seize the nation. After this, I would defeat his regime in order to get my hands on the fleet. I couldn’t move my own forces now, but Naruya couldn’t attack them either.
So, if I led them to destroy themselves, I could get the biggest return for the least risk.
That was my plan.
＊
“This way, Your Majesty!”
When he received word that Lushak had barged into the palace, the king began making his escape through a secret passage along with his royal guard and the chamberlains. This was a hidden tunnel, like the one in Eintorian, that could accommodate a thousand people.
Dofrey, who had been worried for his daughter, Queen Serena, and rushed to her side was with them too.
The influential nobles, seeing that the palace was sure to become a sea of flame, stayed away, quickly fleeing the capital.
That was the fastest way to get back to their own domains in this situation.
Still, what good were nobles who wouldn’t fight to defend king and country? They pulled out of the capital because they thought Lushak would kill them if they remained, but Lushak wasn’t about to let them leave. No matter what they did, the nobles’ lives were hanging by a thread. Only the king knew about the secret passage. Ultimately, Dofrey had made the right decision in staying with him.
After some time, the group came to a massive iron door.
“What do you suppose that gate is, sire?”
“I don’t know either. I’ve heard this place was built in the time of the Ancient Kingdom, but as for how to open it, I don’t know...” the king said, coughing as he finished.
“Could that be a mana circle in the very center of it?” Serena asked, having seen the mana circle in a book, and Dofrey nodded.
“It would appear to be, yes. But this isn’t the time for us to worry about a gate we cannot open, Your Highness.”
“He’s right, Serena. The secret passage built by the former King of Luaranz is next to the gate. Let’s hurry on ahead.”
On the king’s order, they all forgot about the gate and resumed walking.
“Are you all right, father?”
Serena held Dofrey’s hand. Dofrey nodded in response.
He couldn’t show weakness while his daughter was still okay.
“I’m fine.”
The king and Serena’s entourage took a long time making their way out of the secret passage. The king walked with an unsteady gait due to his old age, and the passage could be awfully steep in places, so it wasn’t easy to get out. However, because the secret passage was, well, secret, there was no sign of them being pursued as of yet.
That was one spot of good luck in the middle of all their misfortune.
At the end of their long path, they finally exited the passage. It led outside the capital, which also meant they were now outside the high walls that encircled the city.
“Let me take you to my domain for now, sire. First, we’ll withdraw to a safe place, and then we’ll work with the other domains to retake the capital.”
“Y-Yes. Let’s do that. I don’t care what we do now so long as I can rest.”
“Yes, sire!”
But the aged king was in no condition to ride a horse. They had to walk on foot, pulling the horses behind.
Just as Dofrey was thinking they were in trouble, their pursuers caught up to them. Having noticed the king must have fled due to his absence from the castle, Lushak’s rebel forces began combing the area around the capital.
The royal guards went pale as soon as they saw the rebels.
They didn’t stand a chance with these numbers.
“Capture the king! His Excellency Lushak has promised a big reward to whoever catches him! Kill the rest! Kill, and kill, and kill, and then capture him!”
As the rebel army tore into the king’s line, the royal guards and Serena’s maids were killed in no time. They were cut down as they ran, or once they tripped and fell. Somehow the king, Dofrey, Serena, and a number of servants were able to escape into the forest, but they wouldn’t make it much farther.
The blood drained from Dofrey’s face.
“We should flee in different directions, sire. It’s you that they’re after.”
“I don’t care how we do it,” said the king. “I can’t die yet...! Come up with some plan!”
“Change into the head chamberlain’s clothes,” suggested Serena, leaning forward as she spoke. “If His Majesty dresses as the head chamberlain, and vice versa, the vast majority of the rebels are from domains outside the capital. My presence beside the double should be enough to trick them.”
Serena’s beautiful face was known widely throughout Luaranz. She stuck out like a sore thumb. If there was someone dressed like the king standing beside the queen, then it was natural to assume he was the king. Obviously, this didn’t solve the fundamental issue.
Because the rebels were so numerous, splitting up to flee might mean that both parties were still caught.
But it wasn’t as if they had any other option.
The rebels, blinded by the bounty on the king, would hopefully all chase after the fake, buying the real one some time.
“You would do that, Serena? But...”
“We haven’t the time for this, sire...!”
The king agonized over it a little.
He loved his queen, but his own life came before anything else.
“I suppose it must be done... All I can do now is rely on what you’ve offered to do for me. I will reward you handsomely once I regain the throne...!”
The king nodded and made promises he couldn’t keep as he accepted Serena’s proposal.
“Find the king!”
Still, because there were a thousand royal guards, the group was able to split up while the men were putting up a strong resistance in the rear.
“Your Highness, this is putting your own life at risk,” Dofrey shouted after his daughter, feeling the blood pumping inside of him.
“As queen, it is only right that I should protect my husband, the king.”
“The king is saying he’ll sacrifice you! Why are you acting so loyal to him...? I know that you haven’t been together as man and woman, and that you have no feelings for him! How can you call him your husband when you’ve never spent a single night together?!”
“You may have a point, but I am still queen!”
Dofrey was overcome by despair.
The way things were going, he was going to lose the country he loved, and yet right now, at this very moment, there was something even more important—something which he absolutely did not want to give up on.
And so, he took Serena by the arm.
“Father?”
“Serena! Hurry and flee!”
“You cur! Have you any idea what you’re saying?!” the king roared, red in the face. However, Dofrey silenced him with a glare.
“I cannot,” Serena protested. “No matter how I came to the position, I am queen.”
“It was a mistake for you to marry His Majesty in the first place! Damn it! The moment the nobles started trying to use you, I should have taken you and fled to another country...!” Dofrey’s regret was palpable.
“Even so!”
“Enough. I want you to live in freedom, even if you’re the only one who can, Serena. Out in the world you’ve dreamed of since you were a child! I should have done this a long time ago.”
“Father...!”
Dofrey took one last look at his daughter, searing her image into his memory.
“I’m sorry.”
He loved her more than anything. And so, with that final word...
“Fa...ther...”
He delivered a powerful, barehanded chop to the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious.
Count Dofrey was a commander too.
“Take my daughter and run! Hurry!” he shouted, entrusting her to the two retainers who’d come with him.
These were men who had served Dofrey since Serena was a little girl.
“But Your Excellency...!”
“Hurry and go! If you hesitate, you won’t be able to escape. This is my last request. Think about what you’d do in my position. Could you abandon your daughter? Take her, and return to the domain where your families are waiting! This is my final order as your lord!”
“...”
Seeing his will was firm, the two retainers looked at one another.
“You go! I’ll serve His Excellency to the bitter end!”
“No, I’ll be the one to stay!”
“We don’t have time for this. Go already! The rebels are almost upon us!”
In this tense situation, one of them had to agree. As they thought back and remembered their own families, they had no choice but to accept Dofrey’s proposal.
“I’m a commander myself. I’ll fight the rebels to buy time. You run away while I do!”
Dofrey drew his sword and faced down the rebel army, intending to risk his life to buy time for them to escape.
He knew he couldn’t hold out for long, of course.
But it was the only way.
＊
The fall of Luaranz was brought on by a succession crisis due to the lack of an heir. In short, it’d caused factional strife. If the two factions had been warring over different visions of the country’s future, then that would be one thing, but there was no helping people whose only concern was padding their own pockets.
So it only made sense that a faction of people appeared who also despised the existing nobility like Kashak did. Now, would Lushak, the guy who’d replaced him, be as tyrannical as I was expecting him to be? I needed to see that for myself, so I planned to remain near the capital for the time being.
As I did, I noticed rebel forces gathering outside the city.
“What have the people done to deserve this?! Please, stop this senseless slaughter!”
I heard a voice I recognized from up ahead—Queen Serena. I had only met her once, but she was unforgettable. Although they differed in many ways, she was every bit as beautiful as Euracia. But more than her pretty face, what had stuck with me about her was the courage she’d shown, not even hesitating to put herself in harm’s way to protect the king.
Even Kashak had shown respect for her.
I’m not entirely sure why the Queen of Luaranz is alone, surrounded by the rebel army.
“What’s she going on about?”
The rebel soldiers ignored her, of course.
“You people...”
Serena cast a powerful glare at the soldiers, with an attitude that said, Kill me if you want.
But she had missed one very important detail. The soldiers didn’t plan to just kill her.
“I’ve never seen a woman look so hot.”
“Look at them fancy clothes. I’ll bet she’s a real fine lady.”
“Hey, quit drooling like that! It’s gross.”
The rebels licked Serena’s body all over with their eyes.
In order to keep morale high, it was normal to allow soldiers to plunder, pillage, and kill to their hearts’ content. This was even more so the case with Lushak in charge. As one of the men reached for Serena’s shoulder with a depraved grin on his face, she clenched her eyes tight in fear.
That’s when I surprised them from behind. I wouldn’t even need to use Daitoren against these pissants; that’s just how much I’d leveled up.
If anything happens, I can use 30 Second Invincibility.
I lopped the arm off of the man reaching for Serena, then decapitated him on the backswing. His surprised companions held up their pikes and prepared for battle, but I pounded the Attack command until they were eliminated.
“Aaaaaaaargh!!!”
Serena Dofrey
Age: 22
Martial: 2
Intelligence: 77
Command: 72
Looking at her Command score, she was likely similar to Euracia, in that charming people with her high Charisma was her strength. Her face was just as attractive as Euracia’s, so her low Martial probably was the only reason her score wasn’t quite as high. Euracia was the type who stood on the battlefield personally, which worked well in tandem with her high Charisma score to make soldiers obey her. Serena’s Command score was probably different from the kind of Command needed on the battlefield.
Hearing the sudden screams of the soldiers, Serena’s eyes slowly opened as she took in the situation. As a result, she cracked her eyes open just a sliver and met my gaze.
“What are you doing here, Your Highness?! And all by yourself!”
Noticing me, she reacted with a hundred times my own surprise, covering her mouth with shock.
“Wh-Why, you’re Lord Hadin, are you not?!”
Oh, yeah, that’s right. I was using Hadin’s name here. Anyway, now that she noticed me, she suddenly took my hand.
“Please, save His Majesty and my father! I beg of you! I’ll do anything that I can in return...!”
Her fingers gripped me with a strength I’d never have imagined from that slender body of hers.
“Before that, what are you doing here alone?”
“Well... My father helped me to get away. He said that I should survive, even if I was the only one who could. But I could never abandon my father just to save myself. I wanted to help him somehow, but the head chamberlain, who stayed by my side during my escape, was spotted by the enemy.”
Her father’s Count Dofrey, right? Well, if the only guy who showed a favorable attitude toward me is in trouble, I’d better save him, then.
“We should mount up for now. By the way, do you know how to ride a horse?”
“Yes! I can ride! I learned how to as a young girl!”
I guess that’s to be expected for a noble.
After pulling herself up into the saddle of one of the dead rebels’ horses by herself, she turned to look at me. I could see from her expression that she wanted to make haste. I had a pretty powerful card in my hands now—the queen. I just had to play her right to use Lushak’s rebellion to Eintorian’s advantage.
And so I rode back toward the capital with Serena.
＊
“It’s over there! That’s where my father sent me off...”
Serena drove her horse even faster, anxiety for her father’s welfare hastening her pace. Obviously, there was no avoiding an encounter with the rebels.
“Eek!”
They attacked me and Serena like it came second nature to them. Each time they did, I used the Attack command before they could so much as get close to her. There were limits to even my abilities, though. I hurriedly broke the lance of a cavalryman who was attacking her. If I was willing to use Daitoren, I could make it so nobody could get anywhere near her, but there was no telling what might happen, or when, on a battlefield like this. I couldn’t waste my ace in the hole on some random grunts.
“It’s going to be hard to protect you, riding alongside you like this. Please ride with me on my horse, Lady Serena.”
“V-Very well.”
And so she slid from her own saddle into mine, her body pressing against me from behind. After riding together for more than half an hour, we witnessed a horrific battlefield. Dofrey had collapsed in front of many rebel corpses, the fight long over at this point.
“Father!”
Serena leaped down from the horse to rush to his side.
A spear stuck straight up where it had pierced Dofrey’s chest.
“Fatheeeeer!” Serena wailed.
When she did, the remaining rebels pounced on us. I took care of them. As I blindly cut down rebels left and right, someone who appeared to be a commander finally showed his face.
Lecter Gesman
Age: 34
Martial: 84
Intelligence: 20
Command: 78
His Martial score surprised me. It must have been higher than Lushak’s.
So, someone actually capable came to the front in order to capture the king himself, huh?
“Who’re you?!” the man asked with a suspicious look at me.
“So you’re Lecter Gesman, eh?”
Kashak had a right-hand man—a close friend who, in the game, led the Luaranz Kingdom together with him until it was destroyed by the Naruya Kingdom.
“You know me? Who are you? You don’t look like a Luaranzine noble,” Gesman said, eyeing my aristocratic garb.
I didn’t answer him.
I needed this rebellion to run wild, with Lushak calling all the shots, which meant it’d be a problem if someone was around to rein him in. The unfortunate thing was that he had a Martial score of 84, while mine was currently only 82.
I have points in reserve, so I could just raise my Martial. But is there any need to?
Using Daitoren on a guy with a Martial of 84 was overkill, but I wanted to conserve my points in case of emergency.
I summoned Daitoren and used the Attack command.
“Wh-What...?!”
He died with a look of confusion on his face, just like Kashak. I used that momentum to take out the rest of the enemies in the area.
Once I was done, I rushed to Dofrey’s side. He was still breathing.
“You shouldn’t have come back, Serena...”
Though he said this, Dofrey’s lips twitched upward into a pained smile.
“And you, Ambassador... I’m glad to see you’re well...”
“Yeah.”
When he saw me, Dofrey’s smile grew even as he coughed up blood.
“I know I will be imposing on you with this request, but...would you look after my daughter for me? I’d like you to take her to Eintorian... I want her to live on... Even if that means abandoning her country.”
“Father... Father!”
Serena desperately tried to stem the flow of blood from Dofrey’s wound with her own hands, to no avail. The blood spilled from between her fingers.
“Serena...” Dofrey let out a bloody cough as his gaze shifted to Serena.
“Father...!”
“Serena, I’m sorry I couldn’t do this for you sooner. May you be happy...for the rest of your days...”
“Don’t say another word, father. I don’t want it to be like this... No...!”
Dofrey reached out a hand toward his blood-soaked daughter, but his arm fell away, and he was unable to say another word.
“Father!!!” Serena screamed again.
But there were no tears in her eyes. She just screamed on and on, half-crazed. Her psyche couldn’t take any more of this. I practically yanked her to her feet, then threw Dofrey’s corpse over my shoulder.
“We can’t leave a hero of the nation to get trampled under the horses’ hooves. Let’s give him a proper burial.”
Serena followed me, mutely holding her father’s arm.
＊
Serena spent a long time just hugging Dofrey’s grave marker before, finally, she opened her mouth to speak to me. If she was talking, that meant she’d recovered at least somewhat, thankfully.
“Thank you, Lord Hadin.”
“No, I only did what anyone ought to.”
“By the way...” she trailed off as she eyed me in an odd way.
“What is it?” I asked her.
“Have you no intention of revealing your real name?”
For some reason, she said that with utter certainty.
“What makes you think I’m not Hadin?”
“I know you aren’t.”
“And you know this how?”
“Lord Hadin is more of a bureaucratic type, and also...he’s much older than you are.”
“I see...”
How’d she know that?
Up until Fihatori joined up with us, Baron Hadin Meruya was the only noble among my retainers, so he was a little more widely known than the rest of them. Even so, I wouldn’t have expected anyone here to know such a small detail about him as his age, not this far from home.
“You see, I...I’ve admired Eintorian for a long time now. Not being able to leave the palace, I always pestered my father for tales from the world outside... In the stories he told me, I heard about Lord Erhin Eintorian’s escapades over and over again. It made me feel like I was out there myself, wandering the great expanse. I’ve always dreamed about it, you know. I even badgered my father into sending people to Eintorian in order to bring back more stories, so... I know a lot about it.”
I looked at her with some surprise.
It was true that Erhin was now famous across the continent. I’d definitely made a name for myself when I destroyed Brijit. So her knowing who I was didn’t surprise me, but I didn’t expect this level of knowledge. Of course, even if they sent people, she still only knew what I’d made public.
“So that’s how it was.”
“Yes. I even pestered my father to introduce me to the ambassador, hoping to learn more details about Eintorian. I also told him that, if possible...I wanted us to form an alliance...”
So that’s what that was about, huh?
I had been a little suspicious of why Count Dofrey was trying to help me, but her story explained it.
“For me, shut away in the palace, the tales of Eintorian were always so very fresh and interesting. So, I know that you’re...”
“Who do you think I am?”
Serena looked a little troubled when I asked her that.
“You don’t fit my mental image of Lord Yusen or Lord Erheet... And then there’s your hair color... But you can’t be...”
“Well, gray hair is the mark of the House of Eintorian, after all.”
There was no need to keep it a secret any longer. Still, even once she’d figured it out, Serena just stared at me, blinking vacantly, still unable to believe it was true.
“Your Highness?” I said, waving one hand in front of her eyes, and she finally spoke in a quivering voice.
“Lord Erhin... Well, I had been thinking you looked like how I imagined you to, but... Why are you, the Lord of Eintorian, here? I can’t believe it!”
“I came because I felt the job of ambassador was just that important. Is that a problem somehow?”
“It’s Lord Erhin... In the flesh! Oh, whatever will I do! What should I do...?!”
She started stammering and losing her composure.
“Perhaps you should calm down a little before we talk... Take a deep breath.”
I placed my hands on her trembling shoulders. When I did, she gave me a firm nod, and then took a deep breath.
“Whew... But it’s just not possible!”
“I’m not what you imagined?”
“No, that’s not it! You’re spot-on. Father will be thrilled. He’s always so happy when he talks about Eintorian. He was the first to tell me the stories too...”
As she started to recall these memories of her father, she closed her mouth. Her eyes wandered back to the grave marker, and it came back to her that he was gone now. After that, she stayed sitting in front of the grave for a long while.
＊
Two weeks passed after Lushak’s uprising. His men completely occupied the royal capital, but Lushak didn’t take the throne himself. Instead, he placed a young royal on the throne who he could easily control. Then, once he had taken all of the real power, he had himself made a duke. At this point, Lushak’s rebel forces were now the Royal Army.
There was a simple reason he hadn’t taken the throne himself: many of Kashak’s close associates were still around, so someone must have warned him against it. They had only taken the capital, not all of Luaranz. Obviously, they had captured the influential nobles...that is to say, the duke and all the others who had tried to escape.
That meant all the nobles who served under the duke were his hostages too.
By putting someone—anyone, really—from the House of Luaranz on the throne to continue the Luaranz Dynasty, he could at least keep up the appearance of this being the Luaranz Kingdom. Anyone who pushed back against it would become a traitor. If he could gain this much power even without sitting on the throne, then Lushak would have no choice but to accept it.
But it wasn’t as if the nobles out in the countryside had accepted Lushak. If the central government he held, even with the sparks of discontent flying about, were to vanish, domains all around the country would rise up against his authority.
Lushak managed to hold the capital and keep up the appearance of them being one country, but without him, Luaranz would probably fracture. If that happened, other countries in the vicinity wouldn’t leave them alone. They wouldn’t miss the chance to pick off and subjugate the domains of Luaranz individually as they squabbled among themselves. It would turn into a free-for-all, each of their neighbors competing to occupy the most land, and that, in turn, would mean fewer eyes on Eintorian.
Once my back was secure, I could feel safe taking on Naruya and Southern Runan.
We stood on a hill overlooking the gates of the royal capital, where the head of the former king still hung on display. Fortunately, Serena had a stout heart, and recovered over the past two weeks. Her familiarity with the local area was a great help to me.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“Defeat Lushak.”
“Count Lushak...?”
“He’s Duke Lushak now, though.”
“Is that truly possible? If you can defeat Lushak...can avenge my father, then I’ll do anything I can to help!”
“I won’t be doing it so you can get revenge. I’m doing it for Eintorian.”
“All the same!”
“All right, Your Highness. Please, raise your head.”
As I helped her to her feet, Serena seemed to think about something, before opening her mouth once more with a look of resolution.
“Lord Erhin, please don’t call me Your Highness. His Majesty has passed away, and I am a fugitive, no longer a queen. I am just a frail woman who couldn’t save her husband or her own father...”
“You have a point... If you’ll resolve to do just one thing, Your Highness, then I’ll do that.”
“What is that? I’ll...do anything. I am at your service.”
Dimples formed in Serena’s cheeks as she smiled.
“Please, join Eintorian.”
“M-Me...? But I have no talent. Why would you take in someone like me?!”
Her high base Charisma value was more than enough to justify keeping her around for use in internal politics. Charisma was a hidden value not displayed by the system, but if it was high enough, it let the person conscript troops and raise taxes without the people’s Opinion going down. It also had an effect on development and agriculture. Having another person like that would be a considerable bonus for Eintorian.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t say this myself, but...I became queen, not for any talent I possess, but because of my pretty face and family name. All I did was help my father to carry out policies he wanted, so it’s not as though I accomplished anything myself.”
“Are you so sure about that? I think that some of the things that you just mentioned count as talents.”
When I said that, Serena stared at me vacantly, unable to speak. Several seconds later, she continued.
“W-Well... I don’t know if I agree about me being talented, but...whether it’s as a member of Eintorian or not, I will obey you, Lord Erhin. My dream was to travel the world freely. Right now, at this very moment, that dream has come true. Because I’m stepping out into the wider world at your side. I’m very excited about it. I could shout out loud, ‘I’m free!’”
“Well, if that’s how you feel...I’ll treat you as my subordinate from now on. Is that all right?”
“Yes, of course!”
She gave me a big nod. It seemed a little exaggerated.
“If you’re that ready for it, then here are my first orders for you.”
Serena stood up straight and looked at me. A moment of silence passed between us.
“Go ahead and cry.”
When I gave her that order after a dramatic pause, she looked surprised.
“I’m the only one here right now. This is the perfect place for it, with a clear view of both your father’s grave and the royal palace. You should let it all out.”
After a pause, she said, “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”
She hadn’t cried at her father’s death, desperately forcing down the emotions that had welled up inside of her. She’d endured that sadness all this time. At first, it had even looked as though she hadn’t accepted his demise. Later, she’d hugged his grave marker, acknowledging he was no more, but seemed to have missed her chance for tears, and I’d seen her holding them back on several occasions.
But she couldn’t do that forever.
Nodding at what I’d said, she looked around the area.
Then she let out a wail. She cried out the name of the father who had loved her more than anyone in the world, and then ultimately broke down into tears.
As the first drops overflowed from behind the reservoir of her emotions, she cried loud and hard.
But I had no intention of stopping her.
She can cry all she wants right now.
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