How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 10 (Premium)

by Dojyomaru

  Sir Albert took the crown lying beside him, and stood before me.

  “I, the 13th king, Albert Elfrieden, will hereby carry out the coronation of the 14th king, Souma A. Elfrieden! You will henceforth be king, comforting the people within, repelling the enemy without, and making the country prosper!”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Hearing my response, Sir Albert nodded and placed the crown on my head.

  “Finally, I was able to hand you the crown,” Sir Albert said in a whisper so quiet only I could hear.

  With my head lowered, and a wry smile on my face, I responded, “You’ve been holding onto it for me all this time. I’m sorry.”

  “I should hope so. I was able to give you the throne, but it was annoying that I couldn’t give you the crown until your coronation. The position of king can be so restricting. The coronation kept getting delayed, too. Having to hold onto the crown all that time gave me the chills.”

  “Between Liscia’s pregnancy, and the expedition to the Union of Eastern Nations, a lot has happened.”

  “But that ends today. I’m counting on you to take care of Liscia and the kingdom, son-in-law.”

  “Yes, Father.”

  When Sir Albert moved away from me, Lady Elisha approached to drape an exquisite velvet cape over my shoulders.

  In my ear, she whispered, “I will be wishing for your happiness, and the happiness of Liscia, your other queens, Cian, Kazuha, and any other children yet to be born. May you remain in good health forever after.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  “Hee hee,” she chuckled. “Do come and visit us in Albert’s domain. Though, instead of being called Grandma, I think I’d prefer to be called Grandmother, like Excel.”

  When Lady Elisha said that, I couldn’t help but smile a little.

  “Okay. That’s what I’ll teach them to do.”

  When Lady Elisha moved away, I stood up.

  Then another voice called out to me. “Your Majesty.”

  The one who walked out from the line of retainers was Roroa’s grandfather, Herman. He saluted me, walked to my side, and knelt.

  The bureaucrats running the ceremony brought a sword in a sheathe with sparkling detail work to him, and Herman offered it to me.

  “This is the treasured sword handed down by generations of Amidonia’s sovereign princes. We ask that Your Majesty please protect the people of both Elfrieden and Amidonia, without discrimination.”

  “...Got it.” I accepted the sword and held it aloft. “I will endeavor to be a king supported by both peoples.”

  It was important for me to inherit not just the Elfrieden name, but the Amidonia name, too. That was why I had to be recognized as rightful successor not just on the Elfriedenian side, but on the Amidonian side, too. Herman was handing me this treasured sword as a way of showing that.

  Herman stood down, and then I turned to my retainers, who stood up.

  “Pledge your unswerving loyalty to the new king, His Royal Majesty Souma,” Hakuya intoned, and they all bowed to me in unison.

  The rustling of clothes echoed through the room. It was amazing to behold.

  This concluded the coronation ceremony.

  I was now, both in name and in fact, the king of this country. Not provisional, or temporary.

  I was now King Souma A. Elfrieden.

  This was the moment of its happening.

  The pipe organ began playing. Then the doors to the audience chamber opened wide, and five beautiful brides appeared.

  Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, and Naden.

  They parted with their families at the door, and the five in wedding dresses walked forward with children who were all dressed up helping them.

  Liscia’s helper was Tomoe. The other four were assisted by children from the castle nursery.

  When the five of them got closer, they stopped in front of me, got down on both knees, and bowed their heads.

  Tomoe bowed once before joining the line of retainers, while the other children scampered off.

  The wedding ceremony would now begin.

  The priests of Mother Dragon came forward, presenting five tiaras and five golden rings.

  I took one of those tiaras, stood before Liscia, and placed it on her head. “I hereby make you my first primary queen. Let us develop this country together.”

  “Yes. I will be with you forever.”

  When Liscia stood up, she looked me straight in the eye and extended her left hand. Then she added, “And, of course, Cian and Kazuha will, too,” in a voice only I could hear.

  I put a ring on her finger, and then we shared a light kiss.

  Seeing the little tears forming in the corner of Liscia’s eyes, I wanted to ignore the procedure and hug her, but I managed to restrain myself in the eye of the public.

  Doing the same for Aisha, Roroa, Juna, and Naden in turn, I took off whatever headpieces they had been wearing and replaced them with tiaras, put rings on their fingers, and then kissed them.

  “I hereby make you my second primary queen. Let us protect this country together.”

  “Yes!” Aisha declared. In a whisper, she added, “(Of course, I will continue to protect you, too!)”

  “I hereby make you my third primary queen,” I told Roroa. “Let us make this country prosper together.”

  “Yes! (Just you leave it to me, darlin’!)”

  “I hereby make you my first secondary queen,” I told Juna. “Let us make this country’s culture flourish together.”

  “Yes. (Hee hee, yes. Let’s make a bright country, full of songs.)”

  “I hereby make you my second secondary queen,” I said to Naden. “Let us open a future for this country together.”

  “Yes. (Roger that. I’ll take you anywhere, Souma.)”

  When we kissed, they each gave me something like a declaration of their resolve.

  They hadn’t said anything during the dress rehearsal for the ceremony, so they must all have thought about it during the lead up.

  Had Liscia taken the lead on that? The ceremony was highly formal, so I was very happy to be able to tell how each of them felt through it. I don’t know how many times I had thought this before, but they were all so wonderful that they seemed wasted on me.

  Now we were husband and wives, a family.

  The priests departed, and Liscia and I headed towards the thrones.

  There was a seat for the king, and a seat beside for a queen. Liscia and I sat, and the other four stood beside us.

  Once everyone was in their positions, Hakuya resumed his job as presenter.

  “On the occasion of His Majesty Souma’s coronation and wedding, messengers have come from every country to offer their congratulations. First, the younger sister of Empress Maria Euphoria of the Gran Chaos Empire, Madam Trill Euphoria.”

  “Yes, that’s me!” Appearing from the entrance, her drill hair swaying, it was Trill, original promoter of drill development.

  This time, as the resident ambassador in Friedonia, she was here to offer congratulations on behalf of Maria.

  Kuu was acting in the same capacity for Sir Gouran of the Republic of Turgis, Ichiha for Duke Chima of the Duchy of Chima, and Yuriga on behalf of King Fuuga Haan of the steppe state of Malmkhitan.

  Trill and Kuu were one thing, but Ichiha and Yuriga seemed to be tense about their role here.

  But, you know, though Yuriga was supposed to be Fuuga’s representative, he probably wasn’t interested in the fact I’d become king, or that I’d gotten married.

  He was probably charging headlong towards his ambitions even now.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Meanwhile, in the north of Malmkhitan, Fuuga stood on the banks of the Dabicon River, which flowed from far to the west. The land beyond this river was called the Demon Lord’s Domain.

  Stroking his trusty comrade, the flying tiger Durga, he pointed his rock-crushing blade, Zanganto, at the opposite shore.

  “Listen up! Once we cross this river, we’ll be in the Demon
Lord’s Domain! That is the land the monsters chased us from, and the land mankind must reclaim!”

  He turned back to face the 20,000 soldiers behind him.

  5,000 were the pride of Malmkhitan, the leaping cavalry, riding temsbocks.

  5,000 were heavy cavalry, riding larger, stronger war horses than were usual.

  The remaining 10,000 were foot soldiers, a group composed of refugees who had been driven from their homelands by the expansion of the Demon Lord’s Domain.

  Upon hearing that Fuuga was going to push into the Demon Lord’s Domain, refugee soldiers from across the Union of Eastern Nations had gathered under him.

  Fuuga spoke to all of them.

  “These numbers here are no more than dust compared to the expeditionary force once led by the Empire. There may be some who think it foolish to venture into the Demon Lord’s Domain where the expeditionary force was wiped out by demons with these numbers. However, I have seen it for myself. The demons, said to have wiped out the expedition, did not show themselves, even when I went quite deep into the Demon Lord’s Domain. In short, the demons live only in the deepest parts of the Demon Lord’s Domain! Everything else is simply a lawless zone, where monsters run rampant!”

  Fuuga turned the hand with which he had been petting Durga towards everyone else. He tightened it into a fist, then pulled it towards himself.

  “That is why we can take it back! If only in part, to begin. This time, we will reclaim the abandoned city to the north, and the smaller cities around it, and begin to restore them. We will be the first on the side of mankind to successfully take back land from the Demon Lord’s Domain!”

  The passion in Fuuga’s words excited the assembled troops.

  “If we can accomplish this, we will astound the nations of this continent, bring in more support, and that will allow us to take back even more new land! We will be daybreak’s bell, ringing out the end of a stagnant era!”

  “““Yeahhhhh!””” the soldiers roared in response to Fuuga’s speech.

  The spark of his passion set the whole army ablaze in an instant.

  Fuuga leapt on Durga’s back, then pointed Zanganto toward the northern sky and shouted, “Now onward, you brave warriors who have assembled here! We will make our names echo across the whole of this continent!”

  “““Wowwwww!”””

  Incited by Fuuga’s fiery speech, the men charged headlong into the river.

  As Fuuga stared at them, a single warhorse came over to Fuuga’s side. It carried Fuuga’s wife, Mutsumi Chima.

  She looked beautiful with her long, black hair streaming behind her, her body clad in light armor, as she rode the horse with a longsword slung over her back.

  “A brilliant speech, Lord Fuuga,” she said.

  “I’ve told you, just Fuuga is fine. You’re my wife.”

  However, Mutsumi shook her head with a wry smile. “I couldn’t address the commander of this force without the proper respect. It would be intolerable if I were to do something that lowered the morale you worked so hard to raise.”

  “You’re as conscientious as ever... but, well, sorry. We just got married, and I’m starting a campaign. I received a letter from Yuriga, and apparently Souma’s officially becoming king down south in Friedonia. When I heard that, I couldn’t sit still.”

  Yes, Souma felt a sense of urgency about dealing with Fuuga’s existence, but Fuuga was conscious of Souma, too.

  Because each was conscious of the other, there was a mutual understanding, paired with a fundamental disconnect, and they were both preparing for the clash that might come sometime in the future.

  Fuuga’s existence made Souma stronger, and Souma’s existence made Fuuga stronger. To call them rivals might have sounded nice, but when you considered the future to come, it was a complicated relationship, and not one to be welcomed.

  Mutsumi chuckled. “Don’t mind me. No matter where you go, Lord Fuuga, I will be at your side. So, please, follow the path you believe in. Whether it leads to glory or hell, I will stay with you all the way.”

  Mutsumi brought a hand to her chest and smiled.

  “And, please, show me the world that only you can create.”

  “...Yeah! You’ll have a front row seat! I love you, Mutsumi!” Fuuga leaned in and planted a kiss on his wife, then had Durga race off.

  Behind him, Mutsumi and the soldiers followed.

  And so, Fuuga’s military force stepped into the Demon Lord’s Domain.

  ◇　◇　◇

  “Ah!” I exclaimed. I had suddenly felt a shudder run down my spine. I didn’t know what it was.

  Trill’s congratulatory remarks had ended, and we were in the middle of Kuu’s very serious remarks.

  “...was the result of the cooperation between our three countries. My father Gouran hopes that cordial relations between the kingdom, the Empire, and the republic will continue to...”

  As I twisted my head to look around, Kuu continued.

  “That being the case, in the hopes of lasting friendship between the republic, the kingdom, and the Empire, we would like to congratulate Sir Souma on his coronation and wedding. Please, continue to show us your favor.”

  With his address finished, Kuu mouthed the words, “Thanks, Bro,” and winked at all of us. Throwing in that bit of mischievous charm at the end was so like Kuu.

  I gave Kuu my thanks, and then Kuu bowed and left the audience hall.

  I remembered that Yuriga, as representative of Malmkhitan, was next according to the program.

  This wedding was a ceremony, so while it had a certain flair to it, it couldn’t avoid feeling somewhat stiff. It was at times like this that I felt envious of my subordinates holding their weddings down in the castle town.

  I wonder what Hal and the rest are up to now...

  While I was thinking that, Yuriga entered the room, so I returned my focus to the matter at hand.

  ◇　◇　◇

  At the same time, Halbert was trying to catch his breath.

  “Oh... I’m getting tense,” he muttered.

  His military uniform was Halbert’s default outfit, but now he was wearing a tuxedo instead. His messy hair was also neatly set today, and that made him kind of uneasy.

  He was the groom in the ceremony about to take place, so he understood that was to be expected, but he didn’t feel like himself, and it made him nervous.

  “You need to suck it up already, you know, Hal,” Kaede told him.

  “If you can’t be bold and confident, it makes us look bad,” Ruby agreed.

  Beside him were Kaede in a shiromuku and Ruby in a wedding dress, both of them wearing wry smiles. Their yellow and scarlet hair stood out against the pure white outfits.

  These two were all dressed up as brides today, so they were even more beautiful than usual.

  In fact, falling in love all over again looking at them, Hal had been unable to resist going for a hug, only to have them get upset that it would mess with their outfits.

  However, their beauty was also an element that felt like it was pushing Halbert into a corner.

  “If they could see these two now, they’d be jealous, I’m sure of it...” Hal murmured.

  There were quite a few people in attendance for their wedding.

  Because it was happening at the same time as Souma’s coronation and wedding, all of the major figures in the country, excluding family of the bride or groom, had gone to the castle instead. In their place, many of his subordinates in the Dratroopers and colleagues from his time in the Forbidden Army had rushed to attend Halbert’s wedding.

  For Halbert, they were comrades and good friends.

  However, in the military, where the gender ratio was highly biased toward the male side, the adorable Miss Kaede, a staff officer, had been something of an idol.

  Because of that, Halbert’s old war buddies felt an incredible jealousy for the man who was her childhood friend, and who had now snatched her away from them. Basically...

  “H
ow dare you be the only one who gets a cute wife, you bastard!” they were shouting in their hearts.

  That was about how it was.

  Adding insult to injury, his other wife, Ruby, was beautiful, too.

  That fact only poured more fuel on the fires of jealousy.

  If any of those men saw the women in these beautiful wedding outfits, their jealousy would only flare up harder.

  “Congratulations on your marriage. Now let me sock you one!”

  That had to be how they felt.

  Halbert’s shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

  “The guys were going on about how, when it came time for throwing wheat, they were going to hit me with it as hard as they could. There were even a few of them double-checking their throwing forms.”

  The practice of throwing wheat was equivalent to the practice of throwing rice in weddings on Earth.

  When the brides and groom came out, the attendees would throw wheat, a symbol of fecundity (because a single grain could produce many more) at them.

  Normally, this was done like the throwing of salt during sumo, throwing it upwards gently so that it scattered, and not overhand like a baseball.

  “They started muttering, ‘Maybe we’ll mix in some gravel...’, too,” he complained. “Although they stopped because it’d be dangerous if it hit anyone else.”

  ““Ahaha...”” his wives-to-be laughed.

  The men were jealous of Halbert, but they didn’t want to cause trouble for Kaede and Ruby.

  Even if their husband was going to be Halbert, the men wanted them to be happy.

  So, because of their complicated male feelings, they had settled on throwing the wheat as hard as they could.

  Kaede gently placed her hand over Halbert’s right breast with a wry smile.

  “They’re letting you off with just throwing wheat at you as hard as they can, so I think they’re good friends, you know. It means you’re so fortunate that everyone is jealous.”

  “That’s right,” Ruby added, placing her hand over his left breast. “If you’re a man, accept a little jealousy as the price you pay for taking two wives as pretty as we are.”