Chapter 3: The Ivory Goddess of War
“I have great expectations for your loyalty and endeavors in the days to come.”
Princess Lupis’s voice resonated clearly through the audience chamber, and all five men standing before the throne bowed their heads in unison.
Usually, these men would come only for a courtesy visit and insist on maintaining a wait-and-see approach, but this occasion was different. They all came leading hundreds of soldiers conscripted in their territories and all the goods they could carry. More than anything, the fact they brought their families with them proved that they were serious when it came to the upcoming war.
The neutral faction’s nobles were gathering under Princess Lupis. This was a sight that truly inspired many, to see a new dawn rising over the kingdom of Rhoadseria.
In one room of the castle sat three men, pleasantly chatting as the warm afternoon sun streamed into the room. Two of them were clad in extravagant silk clothes that made it abundantly clear they were nobles, but the other one was a bulky young man clad in black clothes. As neat and clean as his appearance was, one could easily tell he wasn’t a noble.
In this Earth’s hierarchical society, and especially in Rhoadseria where social status was strictly enforced, a commoner would rarely be allowed to share a seat among the aristocrats. But not only was he there, this young man even held the initiative in the conversation.
“Everything seems to be going well for the time being.”
While his words weren’t rude, his tone certainly wasn’t one a commoner would use when speaking to nobles. And despite that, the two nobles didn’t seem upset or angry at his words. They simply nodded at each other, smiles on their faces.
“Yes, I’ve successfully convinced three more to come to our side as of today. How did things go for you, Elnan?”
“I have convinced four thus far.” Count Zeleph answered Count Bergstone’s question while twirling his mustache. “And there are three more that just need another little push before they turn to our side.”
Count Bergstone responded to those words with a wry smile and a shake of the head.
“I suppose you win this wager...”
“Yes, so it seems.”
“Understood. I shall have my estate’s most treasured wine poured for you.”
“I look forward to it. I will come and bring my wife over when we can; I am sure she longs to see her sister again.” Count Zeleph said with a smile.
This man who spoke to Count Bergstone with something of an easygoing approach, owing to years of filial bonds, was count Elnan Zeleph. He was in his late thirties, with a prominent gut already beginning to conspicuously bulge from his belly— the very image of a middle-aged noble. If one were to imagine his appearance, one could say he best resembled a snowman wearing a blond wig.
But contrary to his sullen appearance, he was a fairly strong-minded man. If Count Bergstone were to be likened to a sharp blade, Count Zeleph was a heavy hatchet.
Like Count Bergstone, the late Marquis Ernest acknowledged his talents and offered him the hand of one of his daughters in marriage; after the overthrow of the marquis he’d bought Duke Gelhart’s ire, forcing him to live quietly in his territory for years. But a grudge against the duke who antagonized him all those years before likely burned strongly within his heart.
Along with Count Bergstone, he visited neutral nobles he was cordial with, and had gathered quite a few of them under the princess’s banner over the past month.
“I knew you two would be reliable, but I didn’t think we’d be seeing our efforts bear fruit so soon.”
Bergstone and Zeleph responded to Ryoma’s words by exchanging a look and smiling, as if to say this was the obvious result.
It hadn’t been a month since Count Bergstone swore fealty to Princess Lupis. Even if they merely rekindled grudges against the nobles’ faction which were already smoldering beneath the surface, the counts’ performance had yielded impressive results, in Ryoma’s opinion. But from their perspective, this was to be expected.
“This was only because you placed your trust in us, Sir Mikoshiba... Were we burdened by pointless limitations, even we wouldn’t be able to move too much.”
“Elnan speaks the truth... In the end, even the most refined, well-forged sword would be as trifling as a mountain of rusted blades should it go unused.”
Ryoma regarded their words with silence and a wry smile. Calling themselves refined blades felt like overblown confidence to Ryoma, but since they had achieved the great feat of bringing the neutral faction’s nobles to the side of the princess’s faction, Ryoma couldn’t complain very much.
And besides, their perception wasn’t wrong. No matter how much power one may have, it would mean nothing unless given a chance to be put to proper use. Some powers could only flourish in such a war-torn world. And some people cannot show their worth in an age of peace. Cao Cao, a hero of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, was once described as “a capable minister in peaceful times and an unscrupulous hero in chaotic times,” but not everyone can flourish in both peacetime and war. Ryoma Mikoshiba was one such example; until he was summoned to this world, he had merely been an ordinary high school student.
“Well, just watch for now. More and more nobles will swear their fealty to Princess Lupis going forward.”
“Elnan is right.” Count Bergstone nodded, reinforcing Count Zeleph’s words. “Many of the neutral faction’s nobles hold grudges against the nobles’ faction. If they learn of Duke Gelhart’s swindling, they won’t sit idly by and remain aligned with the nobles’ faction.”
The neutral faction’s nobles harbored heavy grudges, on account of being distanced from central politics for many years; ergo, when they realized they might be the ones to take over Rhoadseria’s political world once the nobles’ faction was purged, they would hurry to the capital with an earnestness one wouldn’t normally expect out of them in order to pledge their allegiance to Princess Lupis.
Grudge and profit. Those two emotions would make the neutral faction’s nobles rush to Princess Lupis’s side.
“On another subject, it seems that getting the knights’ faction to turn to our side is going poorly.” Count Bergstone changed the topic after the conversation went on long enough.
“Yes, I’m well aware.” Ryoma responded with a sigh, as Bergstone sent a prying glance in his direction.
While the integration of the nobles was going over well, the attempts to convince the knights to switch sides were, frankly, turning up badly.
“That is a problem... We cannot forego splitting the knights’ faction if Princess Lupis is to retain control of the country once we remove General Albrecht. Maintaining defense of the country with the forces we currently have is impossible. Your performance is coming across as a bit lacking, Sir Mikoshiba.”
Twirling his well-kept mustache with a finger, Count Zeleph accused Ryoma of negligence.
“I must agree with Elnan. If we do not make allies of the knights, we won’t be able to hold the throne, even if we do get rid of General Albrecht.”
They were in perfect sync, almost admirably so. It seemed the two of them had a grasp of the situation ahead of this meeting. Ryoma could only accept their rebuking with a silent nod. Even without them having pointed it out, Ryoma’s mind was mulling over this problem frantically.
A few problems had to be solved for Lupis Rhoadserians to rule over the kingdom, in both name and practice, and one of the biggest among them was taking back control of the knights from General Albrecht.
Knights were warriors capable of wielding thaumaturgy, who served particular nobles or royals. Perhaps saying knights were permanent employees, while mercenaries were temporary ones, would be an easier way of putting it. The combat potential their use of thaumaturgy granted them made them the backbone of a military force. The knights were the strongest armed organization in Rhoadseria, and if they could not be made into allies, Princess Lupis’s inheritance of the throne would be as fragile as a house of cards.
That goes without saying, though...
This was a tumultuous age, and one could say the rule of survival of the fittest reigned over this Earth. Both inside and outside the country, many people bore their fangs hungrily with intent to take chunks of the land for themselves, and protecting the country from these starving wolves would not be a simple task.
Military might was necessary for attacking other countries, but it was also needed to defend one’s own country, and this held true even if they were to avoid hostilities by negotiations. A country with a weak military would be at a disadvantage at the bargaining table.
I can’t take responsibility for how Lupis leads this country after the war... But I can’t pretend like this isn’t an issue. It wouldn’t be right.
If they weren’t going to be picky about the means they achieved their victory with, Ryoma could knit as many schemes as were needed. If taking things to the extreme, he’d be willing to butcher the knights entirely if it were the easier solution. But once one considered Rhoadseria’s future in the long run, the range of available options became much narrower.
“So those two couldn’t handle it... Though I suppose this is all in line with our expectations.” Bergstone heaved an unsatisfied sigh.
“I didn’t expect much out of them to begin with...”
There was no point in asking who they were talking about by now. Realizing the intent in Count Bergstone’s gaze, Ryoma shrugged and shook his head.
He couldn’t call Meltina and Mikhail fools. They were born into families of high-ranking knights and received fitting education. But their pride and conviction at being knights was too strong, and they were almost astonishingly bad when it came to listening to the other party, shouting them down at times. Their convictions got in the way of their ability to consider and respect others’ positions.
“But we can’t leave matters as they are. I believe I shouldn’t need to explain the reason for that, Sir Mikoshiba.” Count Bergstone glared at Ryoma’s face with a reproachful glint in his eye.
“It’s just as you say, Count. But is there anyone aside from those two who can divide the forces of the knights’ faction? They wouldn’t even listen to what the nobles’ faction has to say.”
Ryoma’s words prompted Count Bergstone to fall silent in contemplation. As Ryoma pointed out, the knights viewed the nobles with clear antagonism. While that held true for the nobles as well, it became a great restricting factor at times like these.
Even if Bergstone were to personally come to attempt to persuade them, most of the knights would very likely refuse for sentimental reasons. At worst, they might not even show up to the negotiations. In that regard, even with their lack of aptitude for negotiations and persuasion, Meltina and Mikhail at least stood a better chance of not being turned away at the door.
After a long silence, Count Bergstone parted his lips to speak.
“I see... Yes, I understand what you’re trying to say, Sir Mikoshiba. I cannot think of anyone more suitable than those two...”
He knew full well this task was beyond Meltina and Mikhail’s abilities, but he needed someone trustworthy to spearhead the negotiations with the knights’ faction, preferably someone with a certain degree of popularity.
They were both extremely loyal to Princess Lupis, and had their own respective accomplishments as the vice-captain of the royal guard and one of the most promising swordsmen in the country. More importantly still, they were descendants of knight families that had served since the founding of the kingdom.
Abilities, trust, and fame. No one but them filled those prerequisites in the princess’s faction, which was already at a disadvantage of numbers. There was no one else to choose, and Ryoma could only make effective use of whatever manpower he had.
“But when considering the state after the war, leaving it to those two worries me somewhat...”
They nodded silently at Count Zeleph’s words. In terms of individual skill, Meltina and Mikhail certainly had what it took, but a commander over soldiers couldn’t necessarily lead other generals. From Ryoma’s perspective, he doubted even their ability to command normal soldiers.
“This is bad... At this rate, the moment we remove General Albrecht, the neighboring countries would turn their sights on us.” Count Bergstone shook his head with a sigh.
“Xarooda and Myest are one thing, but Tarja to the south is especially dangerous. Our skirmishes with them in the southern borders have been incessant.”
“Elnan... if I recall, General Albrecht’s wife is the daughter of an influential Tarjian noble.”
Count Zeleph considered Count Bergstone’s words and nodded.
“Yes, if I recall, it was done under the former king’s orders.”
Political marriages were often done among members of the royal families of separate countries. But in cases where they were not of age, the couple was too incompatible or there wasn’t an unwed person to offer, someone from another influential bloodline was sent as a representative instead.
“In that case, we should consider that if General Albrecht dies, at worst, Tarja might open hostilities against us...” Bergstone continued, sighing heavily once again.
The situation seemed to be getting worse the more one thought about it, and time was gradually ticking away.
“Perhaps we should simply consider that maybe those two aren’t suitable to serve as general. Of course, there’s always the chance they might grow into their role, but that would take time... And that is something we lack.”
“But there’s no one else we can entrust this role to. Or did either of you have any ideas?”
Ryoma’s words drove Duke Bergstone to silence. The conversation went back to the drawing board. It was like a moebius loop, a maze with no exit.
General Albrecht’s ambitions were a massive obstacle that had to be removed if Princess Lupis was to be made Rhoadseria’s ruler. But if they got rid of Albrecht, they would be attacked by their neighboring countries unless they had someone who could take over his role and unite the knights.
But it was obvious to them that Lupis’s most trusted aides, Meltina and Mikhail, were unfit to lead. Even if they did have the potential to do so, they would have only achieved something after nearly a month of trying to divide up the opposition from the knights’ faction.
A deep silence fell over the room. But eventually, Count Zeleph broke it.
“I believe I may know one person who would be suitable...”
Ryoma and Count Bergstone exchanged gazes. It seemed Bergstone was lacking for ideas himself.
“Who would that be, Elnan?” Count Bergstone turned his eyes to Count Zeleph, his head tilted.
“Are you not aware, brother-in-law?” Count Zeleph responded to Count Bergstone’s dubious expression with a whisper. “Lady Helena Steiner.”
“Elnan... Are you serious? She is...”
Count Bergstone’s voice was awash with surprise; that was surely the last name he had expected to hear.
The woman sitting on the sofa elegantly sipping from a cup of tea looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties. Her wavy hair, a shade of gold with small splashes of white, had likely been quite gorgeous in her youth. Her clothes were made from elegant, well-made silk, but were by no means gaudy.
She looked to be a slightly affluent commoner woman. At least, that was the impression Ryoma received from the woman sitting before him.
Her name was Helena Steiner— the woman who had served as Hodram Albrecht’s predecessor as the General of the Kingdom of Rhoadseria a dozen or so years before.
So, how do I bring it up...?
Ryoma fixed his eyes on Helena’s face, while she smiled calmly at him.
“I... I must th-thank you for coming to meet us today!” Meltina managed to stammer out, bowing to her repeatedly while stumbling over her words.
She must have been quite excited, as her greeting was quite far from dignified. Her face was flushed red, and her shoulders were stiff as a board from the tension.
“Lady Helena... It is truly a great honor to be graced with your presence today.” Mikhail followed suit, bowing his head respectfully to Helena as she sat composedly on the sofa.
Mikhail didn’t stumble over his words, thankfully. Rather, he spoke in a courteous tone that lacked all traces of his usual haughtiness.
I guess, if nothing else, they won’t have the leisure of putting their feet in their mouths if they’re this nervous...
As he brought his teacup to his lips, Ryoma looked upon the two with a cool glance as they acted distinctly out of character. That said, they couldn’t be faulted for being nervous, for Helena Steiner was quite literally a living legend in the Kingdom of Rhoadseria.
In the week since Count Zeleph mentioned her name, Ryoma had looked into information regarding Helena Steiner. Though that didn’t exactly demand much effort from his side, because one wouldn’t be wrong if they made the grand claim that a citizen who had not heard of her did not exist in the Kingdom of Rhoadseria. Any child in the streets could tell of her exploits.
The tales of Helena, who climbed to the rank of General despite her background as a commoner, were as numerous as they were well-known. Her greatest feat of heroism was the battle of the Notis plains.
Thirty years ago, the Empire of O’ltormea began an invasion of the Kingdom of Xarooda, backed with its massive national power and spurred by its ambition to unite the western continent. With only a third of its enemy’s territory, and with them holding the center of the continent, Xarooda had no choice but to request the aid of its neighbors to stave off the invasion.
Rhoadseria chose to oblige this request, dispatching four orders of knights— ten thousand elite troops in total— to their aid. And the general who led that force was Helena Steiner. Alongside General Vereness of the Kingdom of Xarooda, they set up camp in the Noctis plains, and wagering on a counter-offensive night raid against the O’ltormean forces, pushed back the invasion.
The O’ltormean commander fell to the raid and Xarooda was spared from falling under O’ltormea’s control. In doing so, Helena was seen as a patriotic hero.
“Heh heh... There is no need to be so nervous. Have some tea and calm yourselves, and for goodness sake, Mikhail, sit down already.”
Helena offered Meltina a cup of tea and urged Mikhail, who had remained on his feet, to sit on the couch.
“Y-Yes! I humbly beg your pardon!” As prompted, Meltina stirred his tea and the next moment, leaned forward to bring the cup to her lips.
But since the tea was still steaming and she tried to drink it without minding the temperature, she nearly burned her lips on it.
“Well, let’s not mind her for the moment... Lady Helena, thank you for coming to meet us today.” Ryoma moved the conversation along, consciously ignoring Meltina, who was now tearing up thanks to her earlier mistake.
“I was quite surprised when I got your letter the other day. It’s been over ten years since I retired as a knight, after all...”
“I thank you once again for lending an ear to our outrageous request for an audience.” Ryoma expressed gratitude again.
“Well, retired though I may be, I couldn’t help but come and abide by a letter from Her Highness, Princess Lupis herself,” Helena said, a thin smile spreading across her lips.
“Yes, indeed. If you say so, it was certainly worth having the princess pen you a personal letter, then.”
Ryoma’s words made Helena eye him suspiciously. So, he “had” the princess of a country pen a letter, did he...
“Come to think of it, I don’t believe I caught your name,” Helena said. Ryoma seemed to have piqued her interest.
“Oh, my apologies. I go by Ryoma Mikoshiba.”
“My...” Helena’s face filled with surprise. “I see. You... didn’t quite give the impression of a tactician.”
An only natural reaction, as Ryoma’s muscular physique gave him the definite appearance of a man of brawn. If nothing else, the average first impression would be that he was the type to solve issues with his fists, rather than his head.
“You know about me?” Ryoma tilted his head at her surprised reaction.
“Why, of course I do. I may be retired, but I love this country deeply. I’m aware of most matters that go on in Rhoadseria. Even ten years later, to this day, there are still people who remember me... And they often bring me word of such events.”
A glance at Helena’s face made it clear to Ryoma she was keeping in touch with people from the knights’ faction.
I see... I suppose that’s a former general for you. This saves us having to explain everything... It’s a definite godsend.
The current state of affairs was that the knights’ faction didn’t hold absolute loyalty to the royal family, but that was mostly because General Albrecht sat at the lead, eyeing the throne greedily. Knights were normally those who swore fealty to the kingdom and the throne and served as a check to the nobles’ independent ambitions.
Though they abided by General Albrecht for the sake of their position and livelihoods, there could be more knights with doubts in their hearts than Ryoma had imagined, and Helena served as the receptacle of their concerns.
“I see. Well, I should consider it an honor that Rhoadseria’s White Goddess of War knows my name.”
“My... You do recall some old stories.” Helena’s face contorted, barely concealing the annoyance in her expression. “I’ve not been called by that title in ages...”
“Do you not appreciate that title?”
“That is all in the past for me now, after all... Incidentally, may I ask the reason for your summoning me here?”
Apparently, Helena preferred to not touch on that, from how she changed the topic.
“I shall cut to the heart of the matter. We want you to lend Princess Lupis your assistance and take up the position of this country’s general again.”
Helena’s expression stiffened. She likely hadn’t expected Ryoma to be this direct.
“My... Just as you say, you certainly do cut right to the heart of the matter.” Helena fell silent for a moment, only for lips to curl up in a smile. “But this certainly makes it easy to understand. I admire boys like you.”
Her tone and gaze somehow felt like it was appraising Ryoma.
“Why, thank you. So, what is your response?” Ryoma replied, meeting her glance squarely.
“Oh, I’ll have to deduct some points for that one. I may be old, but I’m still a woman. A man trying to coax a woman to do his bidding must never press for an answer like this.”
Ryoma smiled wryly and bowed his head apologetically at Helena’s teasing expression.
“Oh, sorry about that. Yes, pressing you like this goes against manners... Still, we don’t have the luxury of time.”
Ryoma then fixed a sharp gaze at Elena’s smiling face, and the silent pressure in his eyes made her flinch back for a second.
“My talk of manners and etiquette was all in jest, of course...” Helena began her retort after regaining her bearings. “But I do think I can’t be expected to answer without meeting Her Majesty in person first. Right?”
But Ryoma’s following words put the initiative back in his hands, just by how utterly unexpected they were.
“Oh, so you wish to meet Her Majesty, Lady Helena...? I’ll be honest, then. Frankly, we don’t have the time to waste on that.”
“‘“What?!”””
Ryoma’s statement went far beyond rudeness. It made it seem as if Lupis Rhoadserians was only a marionette. Those words made Helena, Meltina, and Mikhail all exclaim at once.
“Y-You fool! Do you intend to insult Her Highness?!” Meltina rose from her seat in rage, but Ryoma simply glared at her coldly.
His intense gaze seemed to coldly state, ‘Be quiet or I’ll kill you where you stand!’ His eyes delivered that message all too clearly to anyone who faced that glare.
Nailed down by Ryoma’s menacing gaze, Meltina sank back into her seat.
“My apologies... She just can’t get used to negotiations for the life of her...” Ryoma returned his gaze to Helena after ensuring that Meltina had quieted down.
“I’m surprised... You’ve quite the spirit for one so young.”
“Much obliged. But our survival is very much in the balance here.”
Helena took a deep breath, and her expression completely inverted. The gaze she directed at Ryoma made it clear that she wouldn’t forgive a single lie.
“So? Why is it impossible for me to meet Princess Lupis?”
Ryoma met her gaze head on with a shrug of the shoulders.
“If meeting Princess Lupis is all it would have taken to get you to join, you’d have approached the castle of your own volition by now... Am I wrong?”
This woman had been in retirement for ten years and was now being asked to return to service. The conditions for her cooperation were bound to be extraordinary, and Helena saw little value in money or fame. Having risen to the rank of general, she likely wasn’t troubled financially, and there wasn’t an offer one could make her that stood above her existing reputation as a national hero.
And loyalty to the royal house wasn’t an option, either. This woman rose from being a commoner to the rank of general; if this could persuade her, she’d have picked either Princess Lupis’s or Princess Radine’s side by now.
But she didn’t. She had kept her position hidden until now, as if to say she couldn’t judge which side had more legitimacy. Perhaps she didn’t care about it to begin with.
“I see. Your reasoning is sound enough... But the question begs asking. If you know that much, why bother to call on me?”
“Because we require your help at any cost,” Ryoma said, reflecting on her words with a sigh.
“Oh?” Helena’s expression clouded over. “Are you implying you’ll force me to cooperate against my will...? I cannot help but conclude that you are patronizing me.”
If neither gain nor reasoning would sway her, then perhaps resorting to force would. Helena’s face contorted with scorn.
“I had some expectations upon hearing Princess Lupis had a tactician on her side, but I seem to have judged you too favorably.”
“Spare me the bad jokes.” Ryoma shook his head at Helena’s look of disappointment. “The thought of doing something so rude never even crossed my mind.”
“What did you intend to do, then?”
Ryoma responded to her question with a smile.
“Money and fame won’t move you. But you accepted Princess Lupis’s letter and came to meet us here in the castle. That means there’s room for negotiation, yes...? You likely have something you want. Something you can’t achieve on your own... Am I wrong?”
Ryoma was in complete control of the atmosphere in the room. No one dared speak, out of sheer astonishment.
“Right... I see.” Helena eventually whispered. “You are a sharp one.”
That whisper confirmed Ryoma’s conjecture was correct.
“Then, why don’t you tell me what is it I wish for...? Depending on your answer...” Helena gazed at Ryoma with black flames in her eyes. “Very well, then. I will lend my strength to Princess Lupis.”
“Understood... Honestly speaking, I think I have an idea as to what your wish might be.”
Meltina and Mikhail reacted with surprise to what Ryoma said, but Helena’s expression made it seem as though she’d expected as much.
“As you should... There’s no hope for you if you can’t be expected to piece together that much.”
“All the same, I don’t have proof yet.”
“Hmph... It is difficult to tell whether you’re cautious or just a coward...”
As she placed a hand on her chin, pretending to be deep in thought, Helena fixed her gaze on Ryoma, as if she was trying to see into the depths of his mind...
If his heart were to betray even a hint of fear or hesitance, she would never forgive him, but Ryoma met Helena’s gaze with composure. All to make her acknowledge his worth...
“But I suppose if we’re putting resourcefulness to the test, that kind of caution is a necessary evil... Very well. I shall grant you some time to think, and then you will have your answer.”
Helena saw the will in Ryoma’s eyes, and that made her want to wager over it. Wager her own life...
This boy... Is he what I’ve been waiting for...? The final piece of the puzzle I’ve been waiting more than ten years for...?
It had been over a decade since she retired as a knight, but she didn’t do it of her own volition. She was forced to retire by that man...
By Hodram Albrecht and his schemes.
Rhoadseria’s White Goddess of War? Such a pompous title... How laughable... What Goddess of War would fail to protect even her own family...?
Helena’s lips twisted with scorn. Yes, she truly had been called a Goddess of War once. That name was widespread in Rhoadseria, of course, but was even sung by the neighboring countries. Helena was celebrated by all.
But Helena didn’t know. She didn’t know that the assassin’s blade was creeping in her shadow, its tip fixed against her family. She didn’t know that the more glory her name gained, the more it bought her the ire of others.
If this boy can see through my wish... If he had that much foresight and wisdom... Then my wish... My wish might still be granted!
Expectation and anxiety mingled in her eyes. The expectation that she could possibly see her wish granted, and the anxiety that the time was not yet right.
Ryoma could feel the stirring in Helena’s heart. She was holding great expectations for him, and whether he could answer them or not would be what steered this discussion.
Ryoma matched the information he’d looked up regarding her, and what he learned through their meaning, to piece together his hypothesis.
So she probably does want revenge against Hodram Albrecht after all...
Regardless of the ten years she spent in retirement, the will and vigor in Helena’s body was still that of an active commander, and she still held some influence over the knights. Putting two and two together, it seemed to Ryoma that the most probable motive for her actions was revenge. Adding to that was her expression when he called her Rhoadseria’s White Goddess of War; Ryoma clearly saw the contempt she held for her own title.
But... I don’t have any proof.
The reason as to why she retired as Rhoadseria’s general and faded into obscurity remained unknown. Anyone who knew the circumstances of that time were tight-lipped and refused to say a word about it.
I guess I’ll have to gamble on it...
Ryoma steeled his resolve. His hypothesis was conjecture and nothing more, and no matter how many theories he piled on top of each other, proof wouldn’t appear all on its own. All he could do was trust in the answer he’d assembled by piecing together what he’d researched so far with his impressions from this meeting.
“Do you... want revenge on Hodram Albrecht?”
“And why would I want that?” Helena regarded his answer with a dark smile.
“I sensed it when we met. You’re not retired as a knight. You haven’t neglected your training, and you keep savvy about the goings-on in the knights’ faction. But in practice, you retired more than a decade ago... Which means you didn’t retire of your own will. And after you retired, General Albrecht took over your position. I met him the other day myself, and right away he seemed to me like a person convinced of his own privilege. I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but... Lady Helena, you were born a commoner. You come not from the house of a noble or knight, but a commoner’s family. And from what I understand, Albrecht would never acknowledge you.”
Ryoma stopped for breath and directed a sympathetic look at Helena. The pained expression on her face told him his hypothesis was correct.
“After I learned of you, I looked into who you were, but found almost nothing about what happened in the period you retired. In all likelihood, someone is suppressing the information so it doesn’t become known. In which case, the most suspicious person is the General who took over your position, Albrecht.”
Silence fell over the room. Meltina and Mikhail were struck speechless at what Ryoma had just said. Their faith in Rhoadseria’s White Goddess of War was too great for them to easily swallow this story.
“Yes, if you could gather this much... You truly are a sharp one.” Her voice was filled with agony that seemed to reverberate from the depths of the earth.
The hatred she had kept bottled up was finally leaking out.
“I want Hodram Albrecht’s head on a pike... That man... killed my husband and daughter...”
Ten or so years ago, Helena Steiner was a general of Rhoadseria. She rose from commoner to knight, and from knight to general... Her unusual talents and accomplishments pushed her up to the highest ranks of the military, and she was admired by all in the kingdom.
But there was someone who scorned her background as a commoner. And what started as just hints of resentment grew thicker in direct proportion to her success. Just as intense light casts a dark shadow... That man’s name was Hodram Albrecht.
Hodram was blessed with an exceptional physique and talented with the martial prowess expected of a knight. He was born the eldest son of the Albrecht house, which had produced fine knights for generations, and was promised the role of family head. Hodram was the very image of the ideal knight but lacked only one thing— self-restraint.
Despite being superior to most people as a matter of course, Hodram was never satisfied. He’d reached the peak of what a knight could hope to accomplish, leading an order of knights, but craved more.
Yes, he wanted the highest position achievable in the Rhoadserian army. The rank of General.
The one who controlled all the knights’ orders in the kingdom, save for the two dedicated to the defense of the monarch, the Royal Guards. Though, depending on the situation, the king could even grant the general command over the royal guards, and in that regard the general could be seen as holding absolute power over the Rhoadserian military.
Traditionally, a general was eventually nominated by the king, but in order to gain the position, one would also need to be designated by the former general upon their retirement. It was, after all, a position that consolidated the power of a country’s military. One would obviously need the achievements and skill to hold this position. Candidates were vetted in terms of their character, ideology and even their blood relatives, with the king giving the final approval.
But what mattered the most was how much popularity and clout the person had from those around him. The question of how much trust the knights had in said candidate was of the utmost importance.
When the general preceding Helena retired, Hodram spun many schemes and ploys to heighten his standing among the knights. Bribery, threats, and promises of promotion. Behind the scenes, his plotting knew no limits in his effort to get his way.
And yet, Helena was chosen as the successor. Her sociable nature bought her the title of Rhoadseria’s White Goddess of War. The people lauded her fair and impartial attitude as the very image of what a Rhoadserian knight should aspire to be. It was only natural the retiring general would name her as his successor.
But Hodram didn’t give up easily. His inflated ego and notion of being a superior person couldn’t tolerate the idea of a commoner like Helena being above him, and he spun many schemes to drag her down from that position. Be it assassination or fabricated proof of corruption, he tried any idea imaginable to make Helena submit.
Helena cut through all those plans, with the help of her colleagues and friends among the knights. But as Hodram gradually lost his temper, the fangs of his malice finally reached Helena.
On that day, Helena returned home after a two-month campaign of suppressing a revolt sparked by a small governor of a territory in the outskirts of the country. But when she opened the door to her house, no one came to greet her. Though she may have been a commoner, Helena was still in charge of the country’s military, and in order to keep up diplomatic appearances, she was given a respectable manor with several servants.
But oddest of all, there was no sight of her beloved ten-year-old daughter, who would always run to greet her. Suspicious, Helena moved to the living room, where her family usually was. And when she opened the door...
“The first thing I saw was my husband’s head...”
What she saw was a room splattered with crimson, and her husband’s freshly severed head resting on the table. He was likely killed after being viciously tortured, because his expression was one of agony.
Helena’s mind failed to accept the reality of what she saw, it seemed, because she could only recall awakening on a bed in her aide’s house several days later. Being a general was by no means an easy role, and a commander on the battlefield had a mountain of work to do. Even without a war to fight, a general watched over the results of the knights’ training and kept wary attention over the neighboring countries’ movements.
And so, the only day she could rest from the campaign was that same day she returned to her manor, and the next day she would need to draft and work through a mountain of paperwork. So thankfully, when she failed to arrive at headquarters for days, her aide grew suspicious and visited her house.
When her aide discovered her, Helena was squatted in her manor’s living room, hugging her husband’s head against her chest. Amid the smell of rusted blood and the decaying stench of the head, she sat, her eyes completely hollow.
Her aide took Helena, who had lost her grip on sanity, to his own home, and brought his colleagues to inspect her house. It was a crime scene, but letting the normal guards handle it was too dangerous. From what the aide had seen there, he suspected this wasn’t just some random brigand attack.
He was swiftly proven correct.
“They... left a letter behind. Saying they had my daughter. They demanded that I retire from being a knight.”
The frustration must have been maddening. Every word leaving Helena’s lips was steeped with toxic grudge.
“I... I worked so hard to rise to the rank of general despite being a commoner... Can you imagine it? The sacrifices I had to make to reach that rank. After all, knights are typically men...”
The issue was less one of sexism, and more one of aptitude. In terms of muscular strength, men had an advantage over women, even if thaumaturgy could help mitigate that. It went without saying that Helena’s baptism into a society dominated by men was a painful one. But she used her femininity to its utmost, exhibiting a strength which surpassed that of men.
Not the power of individual valor, but the strength of a group. When knights find themselves on the battlefield, they savor the aesthetic of one on one battles and abhor fighting a single enemy in a group. But while knightly pride may have a sweet ring to it, it was inefficient. And so, Helena proposed the knights fight in formation.
Even those who were fixated on their pride and objected at first were gradually swayed by Helena’s charisma and her feats on the battlefield, and came to appreciate her ideas. And that was a victory Helena won by effort.
“Can you imagine having to throw all that away?”
Ryoma shook his head at her question. He could imagine it, but wasn’t shameless enough to say so out loud. Only someone in that same position could truly understand.
“But still, if it was for her, I’d cast away my title of general... If it would bring my daughter back...”
It was the girl she was blessed with at the age of forty. Helena could only marry after turning thirty, due to her work as a knight, and had almost given up on bearing a child.
Unlike modern Japan, the medical techniques in this Earth didn’t amount to much and birth at an advanced age bordered on the impossible. So, when she learned she had conceived, Helena was overjoyed.
“And so, I ignored the words of my friends and colleagues and retired as a knight... Looking back now, I can acknowledge that decision was a naive one, but I had no other choice...”
“And they never gave her back, did they...”
Helena nodded silently at Ryoma’s assertion.
“I asked my friends and colleagues to keep this matter covered up, so as not to entice the culprit any longer. It was a good thing it wasn’t reported to the guards... But a month passed, then two months, and she wasn’t returned to me... And during that time, that man took the seat of general.”
If the victim had covered up the details of the case themselves, it was only obvious it wouldn’t be known to the public.
“How did he manage that?” Ryoma asked. “Wouldn’t Hodram need the recommendation of the retiring general to claim the title?”
At least, he would need that in an official capacity. But Helena shook her head.
“Fundamentally, he would... But sometimes a former general may die without a chance to nominate a successor, and in those cases, it would be put to a vote by the knights...”
Stricken with concern for her daughter, Helena couldn’t fulfill her duties, and appointing a successor was the furthest thing from her mind. And it was in that time that Hodram’s plots showed their effect.
Helena’s aide and her friends objected, but they were soon silenced. Hodram’s pedigree had worked in his favor from the start, elevating him to the rank of Rhoadseria’s general.
“Five years passed as I waited for my daughter to return... I’d already given up by then... Even if I wanted to avenge my husband’s death, I didn’t know who it was that did this, and I couldn’t search for her without any hints... Just living had become pain.”
It was all understandable. A child is a parent’s treasure... No, they were the parent’s life itself.
“You didn’t suspect General Hodram?”
“I had my suspicions, but...”
“No proof?”
Helena nodded silently.
Many countries saw Helena as a nuisance at the time. Few monarchs would sit idly by and let another country build up their military strength unobstructed. That applied even for Xarooda, which they had helped repel O’ltormea in the past, and their neighbor Myest.
“Perhaps you’ve heard of how, five years ago, a slave merchant operating secretly in the country was executed?” Helena suddenly directed a question at Meltina, who sat stupefied.
“Huh? Y-Yes...! Though, I do not know the full details...”
Human trafficking wasn’t generally illegal on this Earth, but was only permissible for prisoners of war from other countries and those with debts they couldn’t pay off. If nothing else, no country tolerated having its citizens snatched off the streets and sold off.
But you could find a fool in any place, at any time, and there were those who did their business openly, even though they’d have been turned a blind eye to had they merely operated in moderation. The slave merchant beheaded five years ago was one such fool.
“That man would buy and sell off anyone, so long as it turned him a profit. Even people from the capital if he could get his hands on them... And that led to his demise.”
Kidnapping a blood relative of a prominent noble, and one who had relations with the royal family at that, cost the merchant his life.
It seemed his brazen confidence had stemmed from the fact that he’d bribed someone affiliated with the kingdom’s guards, but antagonizing an even more influential noble led to his rather predictable end.
“It was the knights who apprehended him. He had quite the large private army, you see... That was likely why the guards couldn’t touch him.”
“And that’s how you figured out what happened to your daughter?”
“Yes... There were a lot of rumors surrounding that man, so the knights subjected him to a great deal of torture in order to get information from him.” She answered Ryoma’s answer calmly, but there was a great deal of melancholy in her tone. “And eventually, the torture loosened his tongue, and he talked about my family’s assassination...”
In truth, the merchant had taken the role of a mediator in order to find an assassin to carry out the job, but for all Helena was concerned, he was guilty all the same.
“The knight in charge of his torture was an old subordinate of mine, and thanks to that, I was able to meet him face to face.”
She made it sound simple, but it was quite the reckless act. It wouldn’t have been so concerning had Helena still been a general, but it had been five years since her retirement at the time. Despite her past position, she was a regular civilian then, so meeting a criminal was unheard of...
“I see... So that’s how you found out Hodram was the one behind it all...”
“Yes.”
That one short word told all there was to tell.
“So why did you wait this long?”
“It’s simple... that story never surfaced publicly. Even if it were to be exposed, it would be suppressed, and we’d be assassinated next. Ever since I retired, Hodram’s influence has only grown. The slave merchant’s testimony alone wouldn’t be enough to bring him down...”
Silence filled the room. None of them had imagined the grudge ran so deep. Mikhail and Meltina were at a loss for words.
“So that’s what happened...” Ryoma’s words were heavy, too.
He’d had his suspicions, but the resentment simply ran too deep.
Well, this isn’t good... This could be worse than letting Meltina handle the knights’ faction.
A grudge can be a powerful motivator to move people, but people who are overly occupied with it will eventually destroy themselves. And while Helena was free to drive herself to self-destruction, Ryoma didn’t want to get caught up in that.
“It’s fine. It’s nothing for you to worry over...” Helena guessed at Ryoma’s concern from the expression on his face. “What I want is Hodram and his family. Nothing more.”
And so, she put her desire properly into words.
Right... So she understands our doubts... Her abilities and sensibility all check out, for sure... And we’ll have to grit our teeth for the rest, I suppose.
The fact remained that Helena was the one person they needed for the job. No one could match her capabilities and achievements. They would simply need to fulfill her wish and hand over Hodram and his family.
Vengeance was seen as evil in the eyes of the law, and that was true even under the laws of this world. But Helena knew this well enough, hence why she had planned this for many years. To create an opportunity for her to have her revenge.
Helena made her selling price known. The question remaining was whether Ryoma could pay it.
Guess I don’t have any other options here... I feel bad for General Albrecht’s family, all things considered, but... I suppose there’s no way around it.
He could only see this becoming a ghastly revenge tragedy, but Ryoma easily turned his back on Hodram Albrecht and his family. The fact remained: no one was fit for the role but Helena. Ryoma didn’t have any desire to condemn the evil of revenge or ascertain whether it was just. There was only one question here— which of them would be of greater use to him.
I might be content with this... But whether Princess Lupis would be is the problem...
Ryoma might turn a blind eye here, but Princess Lupis would need to approve of this as well. It had been a month or so since he’d met Princess Lupis, which was ample time to get a grasp on her character and sensibilities.
She pursues ideals too much, for better or worse... Would someone like her approve of offering revenge against Hodram as compensation...? Never... But what do I do? If I turn her down here, Helena will go straight to the nobles’ faction instead...
If he were to bring it up to Princess Lupis, she would undoubtedly insist to have the issue resolved through the law, but that wouldn’t resolve Helena’s grudge. Her governing principle was vengeance. True, she had loyalty to the Rhoadserian throne, but her resentment was stronger than that.
If the nobles’ faction were to approach her first and agree to her price, she would take their side without a second thought. The most important thing to her was to kill Hodram with her own two hands... Or worse, in all likelihood.
No choice... I’ll have to bear the brunt of this blow...
Ryoma braced himself. He would have to agree to her demand for vengeance without consulting the princess.
“Very well... We’ll accept your demand.”
““What?!”” Meltina and Mikhail exclaimed in surprise, but Ryoma glared them into silence.
Negotiations had a way of changing. If they were to ask for time to consult the princess, Helena’s interest would falter. They had to make their decision here.
“Are you sure? Shouldn’t you check with Her Highness first?” Helena asked probingly.
“Yes. She entrusted handling of these matters to me, and I very well may be exceeding my authority... But I’ll take care of that. You can be calm.”
Helena listened to his words and then stared intently into his eyes. She wouldn’t forgive him if they were to betray even a sliver of a lie. But after observing him for one interminable moment, Helena’s expression softened.
“Very well. I shall trust you, Sir Mikoshiba.”
She referred to Ryoma with a respectful title, to demonstrate her trust.
“Thank you very much, Lady Helena.”
“So, what am I to do going forward? Help divide up the knights’ faction?”
Ryoma pondered her question for a moment.
“I guess the big question is just how many people are discontented with General Albrecht.”
The answer to that could change things significantly. Of course, given his haughty personality, it was likely few people respected General Albrecht from the bottom of their hearts, but that didn’t necessarily mean they hated him.
Ryoma’s concerns would prove to be groundless, though.
“Well, I believe roughly two thirds of them are discontented with him... To the extent of being willing to kill over it.”
“Two thirds?!” He couldn’t restrain his surprise at her appraisal.
Hodram couldn’t have remained the leader of the faction all this time if the majority of its members were displeased with him.
“There can’t possibly be that many, can there?”
Helena regarded his question with a smile.
“Yes, I suppose under normal circumstances there wouldn’t... But he managed it. He did it by having the knights mutually observe each other.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“In layman’s terms, he encouraged them to inform him of each other’s movements.”
There were countries in Ryoma’s world that used this tactic, too. The communist sphere used it widely before the Soviet Union collapsed, and there were still governments that relied on it to maintain their power.
Put simply, this was a system that encouraged betrayal among people. In exchange for reporting any dissent spoken by one’s colleagues or family, they would be rewarded with upward mobility in one’s company or society, or with monetary prizes.
It tended to sow distrust. All too naturally, as any person was prone to complain when they didn’t like the way they were currently living. There likely wasn’t a person alive who wasn’t displeased with their lot in life in some way.
But what if someone overhearing that complaint could lead to them being reported and killed? One would keep their hearts closed to their colleagues and friends, even their own families.
“I see... In that case, it would be easy to have them switch sides.”
As firm as this system was, its major flaw was in its brittleness; even a single person working up the courage to resist would cause it to fall apart. Calling it both firm and brittle may be an odd phrase, but it was apt.
The main issue was, people found it hard to exhibit that courage to begin with. Everyone was anxious, but no one dared speak up, since doing so put one’s life at stake. That was what made the system a firm one.
But what if even one person were to share their anxieties with another? Of course, one would have to choose who they told wisely, but in greatest likelihood, they would share those anxieties with someone eventually. And doing so would further agitate them, causing their discontent to overflow and reach the breaking point. And once they got to that point, no one would be able to stop them. The suppressed anxiety would erupt all at once, like lava from an active volcano.
The person most suited to throw the first spark into that powder keg was sitting right in front of him. Rhoadseria’s own admired hero would do the enticement, surely causing the flames of contempt to flare up grandly.
Meltina and Mikhail, as slow as they were, didn’t quite understand the implications, but Ryoma could easily envision it.
“Very well. I’ll leave the execution up to you. On one condition... be sure to keep us updated on the situation.”
“Yes, you can rely on me in that regard. Old though I may be, I’m still a former general.” Helena nodded deeply, to answer the trust Ryoma placed in her.
“Can I ask you just one thing?” Ryoma asked Helena as she got to her feet and prepared to leave.
“My, aren’t you reserved all of a sudden. What is it?”
He knew it would be insensitive, but he couldn’t help but ask.
“Your daughter...”
Helena fell silent at Ryoma’s query. It seemed that this was one matter she hesitated to speak of. Ryoma immediately regretted his own thoughtlessness.
“My daughter... was raped and ravaged cruelly soon after her abduction, and was driven to madness... Since she wasn’t suitable for sale... that slave merchant killed her.”
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Ryoma could only bow his head at the words Helena spat out.
He’d already suspected that may have been the case, but hearing those words from the bereaved parent’s lips was extremely overbearing.
I’m such an idiot... I would’ve been better off not asking her at all...
He had asked purely out of curiosity, but all the same, he was better off leaving that unsaid.
“It’s fine... Don’t worry about it. But... that’s why I can’t walk away from this... No matter what!”
Ryoma could only stand still, wordlessly. As Helena left the room, he could clearly see the flames of hatred swirling violently in her stride.
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