Prologue: The Current State of Restoration
It was the morning after the golem attack, in one of the rooms of the guesthouse where Restoration was staying.
"Ugh..."
Duke Gustave Huguenot, a great noble of the Beltrum Kingdom, frowned as he glared at the document in his right hand, wearing a weary expression. Sitting in his office chair, he was reviewing the financial report of the organization known as Restoration.
Having lost the base in Rodania, Restoration was now on the verge of collapse. After a surprise attack by the Beltrum Kingdom army, led by the Arbor faction, only a few hundred members of the organization managed to escape from Rodania. More than half of them were non-combatants, such as women and children, and only a small number of officials and soldiers were able to flee with them.
Most of Restoration's assets had been left behind in Rodania, leaving them with little more than what they could carry on their backs. The only things they managed to bring with them were personnel who could move on their own and intangible assets like intellectual property.
Currently, Restoration relies almost entirely on Celia for income. By having Celia share her knowledge of magic, they can generate profits and receive donations from Christina. Without this, they wouldn't have been able to offer anything of value to the Galarc Kingdom, and they would have been reduced to mere freeloaders.
Still...
(...This isn't good.)
For now, they are just barely maintaining the organization's structure. However, if they plan to continue supporting a few hundred members, their income is still insufficient.
(If this drags on, it will affect the morale of the members. We need something that will convince them that we still have a cause and momentum.)
Additionally, they needed something impactful, something undeniable.
Any good news would be welcome.
For example,
(It was good that Christina-sama declared her ascension to the throne.)
Yes, just the other day, Christina sent Celia as her envoy to declare her ascension to the throne to Duke Arbor.
According to Beltrum Kingdom law, a coronation is required for a new king's official ascension, but if one declares their ascension using the royal regalia to prove their legitimacy, they can be provisionally recognized as the rightful ruler.
Since Christina used the royal seal regalia to declare her ascension to Duke Arbor, she could now be seen as the legitimate queen of Beltrum Kingdom.
As a result, the Beltrum Kingdom now had two rulers: King Philip III, the current monarch, and the newly declared Queen Christina, creating a situation where royal authority was shared between them—a two-headed political structure unprecedented in the history of Beltrum Kingdom.
That said, since Christina was residing outside the country, the royal authority she could wield was nearly nonexistent. Furthermore—
(It's nothing more than a desperate move to buy time. With the overwhelming majority of the kingdom's nobles belonging to the Arbor faction, it's only a matter of time before the legitimacy of her ascension is denied.)
Duke Huguenot grimaced as he predicted the future. The problem was that Christina was only seen as a provisional ruler. According to the laws of the kingdom, if the proper procedures were followed, Christina's legitimacy as queen could still be denied.
In reality, if three-fourths of the voting nobles in Beltrum Kingdom opposed her ascension, Christina's legitimacy could be retroactively nullified, meaning it would be as if she had never been queen in the first place.
(If her legitimacy is denied, it would be as good as denying the legitimacy of Restoration as well. And if that happens, it won't just be a drop in morale.)
It would be bad enough if people became demoralized. At worst, internal conflict could arise, leading to the collapse of the organization. Moreover—
(The Galarc Kingdom's stance toward us would grow even harsher. As it is now, we are practically one decision away from being cast out by King Francois.)
Another major issue facing Restoration is that they cannot resume activities in their homeland, the Beltrum Kingdom, until they reclaim their lost base. For now, they are being allowed to operate through the kindness of King Francois, but if they became a burden, there was a risk that some of Galarc's nobles would oppose their presence. If that happened, they might even lose their place to live.
(Even so, the reason King Francois welcomed us must be because our interests align.)
In other words, the Beltrum Kingdom government, dominated by the Arbor faction, forming ties with the Proxia Empire, which is seen as a potential enemy state is something the Galarc Kingdom is wary of.
To prevent this, the Galarc Kingdom want’s Restoration to defeat the Arbor faction, but...
(If we continue to be useless, we might be abandoned. We must show that there is value in keeping Restoration in the Galarc Kingdom... This will also boost the morale of the organization.)
Fortunately, there is still time. A vote to deny the legitimacy of the ascension cannot be executed unless it is proposed at the coronation ceremony, so there is a grace period until then.
(We need to take some action before the coronation, something with enough impact to turn our current situation around...)
And the first thought that came to mind was—
(...It must be him.)
A certain boy.
(Haruto Amakawa... If we can bring him into Restoration, even reclaiming Rodania would start to feel like a real possibility.)
As Duke Huguenot thought about this, his eyes lit up with excitement. Remembering the sight of Haruto fighting in the rooftop garden of Galarc Kingdom's castle made his heart race, despite his age. Haruto's strength in fighting the golem could not be described with mere words like "one-man army."
(I want him. By any means necessary, I need his strength...)
Duke Huguenot was eager to recruit Haruto. Of course, he had considered it before, but now that they had lost their base in Rodania and Restoration's power had greatly diminished, Haruto's strength seemed more valuable than ever.
(What concerns me is that, until just yesterday, I had lost all memory of him...)
Duke Huguenot was unaware that Rio was a Transcendental. He had not been invited to the meeting held after the battle where everything was explained. Only those living in Rio's estate and King Francois had attended.
(Christina-sama might have known something through King Francois...)
The excitement drained from Duke Huguenot's eyes, and his expression turned sour.
The reason was—
(Will she share the information with me?)
He was doubtful whether Christina would share such information with him.
(It seems her highness is rather reluctant to recruit him...)
Duke Huguenot recalled how, in the past, when he had proposed recruiting Rio to Christina, she had reacted coldly.
At that time, he had suggested offering a noblewoman from Restoration's distinguished families to become one of Rio's concubines.
(Every recruitment proposal I've made in the past has been brushed aside. Because of that, it seems her highness now avoids discussing anything related to him with me.)
Perhaps because Christina had decided on her own conclusions about the topic, she had grown wary of any mention of Haruto, reacting with discomfort.
As a result, Duke Huguenot had stopped bringing up Rio in front of Christina. He had given up on relying on Christina for Haruto's recruitment.
What does someone do when they stop expecting something from another person? They endure it, give up, and stop saying anything at all to that person. But—
(This time, the situation is different. I can't afford to hold back now.)
Having lost their base in Rodania, the situation had changed dramatically. To revive the now-crumbling Restoration, something extraordinary was needed. That "something" was Rio.
(I need to talk with her highness again to gain his cooperation.)
For the sake of Restoration, and for the Beltrum Kingdom, Duke Huguenot quietly steeled his resolve.
(If I could present him with an attractive offer to entice him, that would be ideal...)
Honestly, does Restoration have anything to offer at this point? The only thing that comes to mind is proposing a marriage alliance with a prominent noblewoman. Moreover—
(With everything that's happened, he's quite a mysterious person. I need more information about him. If only I could hear from those close to him...)
Duke Huguenot realized he might not know Haruto Amakawa as well as he had thought. In fact, it wasn't just Haruto.
(Those around him are also full of mysteries. They are undoubtedly exceptional…)
Setting aside Satsuki and her friend Miharu, I don't know much about Sara and Gouki either. While Sara and the others seem to interact with Rio as friends, Gouki and his group appear to have sworn loyalty to Haruto as vassals. What I do know is that they are all outstanding warriors. In other words, a treasure trove of talent.
In any case, the people close to Haruto don't seem to want to show themselves publicly. Like Haruto, they seem uninterested in rising to prominence and rarely appear outside the estate. It's clear that King Francois respects their wishes, which makes gathering
information difficult. If any outsider wishes to contact those who live in the estate, they must go through Princess Charlotte.
(That young girl who appeared with Haruto... She was called Sora, if I remember correctly.) In Duke Huguenot's memory, she was a girl he had never seen before. She seemed to have a deep fondness for Haruto.
(That young girl also displayed extraordinary strength. Like the others, where on earth did, he find them?)
Like Gouki and the others, she has black hair, which is rare in the Strahl region.
(If I recall correctly, Haruto's parents were immigrants. It must be related to that…)
Relying on the scant information available, Duke Huguenot began to speculate about the connection between Haruto and Sora, as well as Gouki and the others. Then—
(When it comes to people with hair like that…)
He searched his memory for someone with similar characteristics. And then—
A figure came to mind.
He had not met this person directly. He had only seen him from afar a few times, but the memory was still vivid.
That person's name was…
"If I remember correctly, Rio…"
He was the boy who had rescued Flora, the kidnapped second princess, during his childhood and was allowed to transfer to the Royal Academy. However, five years after his enrollment, he was accused of pushing Flora off a cliff during a field exercise and disappeared from the Academy.
In that moment—
"!"
That incident involved none other than Duke Huguenot's own son, Stewart. The duke had been forced to intervene in the aftermath and ensure Rio was punished.
It wasn't a pleasant memory, and Duke Huguenot grimaced bitterly. But the next moment—
His eyes widened in realization.
He had heard that name recently.
"That young girl…"
It was right after Rio and Sora had been summoned to the rooftop garden of the castle. Amid the shock caused by their sudden appearance, Sora had called Haruto—
"Rio-sama, didn't she?"
Duke Huguenot's eyes wavered with a sense of foreboding.
(…No, it wasn't just yesterday. When we retreated from Rodania, Haruto and that young girl helped us. At that time as well…)
Didn't Sora also refer to Haruto as Rio-sama back then? The moment he remembered that, it felt like all the disjointed pieces in Duke Huguenot's mind suddenly connected.
If that's the case…
But then again...
It's not certain.
There's no other evidence to confirm it, but—
Duke Huguenot remained frozen in place, his hand covering his mouth.
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