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

by Dojyomaru

  When Serina said with a straight face that she was the most emotionally expressive person in her whole family, Komain couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be a joke or not, so she froze up.

  Poncho, who was listening, too, let out a troubled laugh and wiped his cold sweat away again. “When I went to pay my respects to her father before the wedding, it ended in very few words, yes.”

  Poncho was talking about the time he’d brought Serina to her family’s home to meet her parents before the wedding.

  Though he was sweating profusely...

  “P-Please, give your daughter to me, yes.”

  ...he had managed to come out and say that properly.

  Serina’s father had just listened silently.

  And as for Serina’s own conversation with him...

  “Father. I will be marrying this man.”

  “Understood.”

  It had been over with those two lines.

  Finally, Serina’s father had turned to Poncho, and said, “My daughter has her shortcomings, but I hope you will take care of her,” and bowed his head.

  If you included the time Poncho had spent on introducing himself, it was over in a little over five seconds.

  That might have been fine, since it meant things were sorted out, but it felt like it had ended too easily after all Poncho’s stressing over it.

  Poncho related the story to Komain, and she was taken aback. “W-Wasn’t that a bit too easy?”

  “That is just how much he trusts Madam Serina, yes,” Poncho said. “He must have been able to answer instantly because he knew Madam Serina wouldn’t fall for any strange man.”

  “It’s because Father knows I never yield once I’ve set my mind on something,” Serina said nonchalantly, and Poncho and Komain looked to one another with wry smiles.

  It was hard to tell because of her paucity of facial expression, but the two of them had been with her long enough to know she was feeling shy.

  Seeing their reaction, Serina turned her head away peevishly. “It’s not as though Father simply trusted my eye for men. I’ve sent the recipes for junk food you’ve taught me back to the family home, and though it may not show on their faces, they were moved by how wonderful those dishes were.”

  “Ohh. Then Poncho had them by the stomach before he even went to pay his respects, huh?” Komain clapped her hand, as if it all suddenly made sense.

  It seemed that Serina and her father shared not just a common temperament, but a common taste for food, too.

  Serina quietly offered Poncho a tray with a number of dishes on it. “Come now. If we leave them alone, all the food will be eaten by the guests. I’ve secured a number of dishes for us, too, so let’s eat them together.”

  “Wh-When did you do that?! We’ve been talking this whole time, yes!”

  “No, I slipped over when I saw an opening earlier. I’ve brought enough for Madam Komain, too.”

  With that said, Serina laid out a tray of colorful food in front of Komain’s seat, too.

  She had gone when she’d seen an opening... according to her, but to move through that massive crowd, secure food, and even arrange it in a manner pleasing to the eye, it was a technique that would put even ninjas to shame.

  Komain looked at the food in front of her and sighed. “Serina, you may be one of the most capable people in the kingdom...”

  “I just move efficiently,” Serina said. “Please, look at these delicate arms. I’ve never dragged anything more heavy than Carla.”

  “Dragged?! Not carried?! And wait, you’re treating Carla like an object?!”

  “Pardon me. Carla is a fine to—colleague.”

  “Did you just start to say ‘toy’?!”

  “U-Um... Madam Serina?” Poncho asked hesitantly.

  Serina cocked her head to the side. “Is something the matter?”

  “Um... About the dishes on the plate in front of me...”

  Komain looked at what was on Poncho’s plate.

  Komain and Serina’s plates had roast beef and napolitan, complemented by mashed potatoes, salad, and fruits.

  In contrast, Poncho’s plate was packed with liver pate, a fried dish made with pumpkin and nuts, and eel omelette, a dish from Souma’s world.

  “Poncho, is there something wrong with the food?” Komain asked.

  It was strange that his food was different from theirs, but a big eater like Poncho should have been able to eat this much. Komain didn’t understand why Poncho was so perplexed.

  However, Poncho’s face turned bright red and he looked at Serina. “Madam Serina... are you doing this deliberately?”

  “Of course,” Serina said nonchalantly.

  There seemed to be some mutual understanding between them, so Komain puffed up her cheeks, upset at being out of the loop. “Don’t leave me out. What is it about these dishes?”

  “Oh, um, Madam Komain...” Poncho said hesitantly. “The ingredients used in them, they... uh...”

  In contrast to Poncho, who seemed to have trouble saying it, Serina came right out and told her. “They are said to increase sexual potency.”

  Increasing sexual potency. As the meaning of those words hit her, Komain turned red so fast you could hear a little poof! sound effect.

  “Um... Liver, pumpkin, nuts, and eel are all said to be effective at recovering your stamina, yes. So they’re believed to increase sexual stamina, too...” Poncho explained despite his embarrassment.

  It seemed Komain hadn’t noticed, but there was no way Poncho, the God of Food, would not.

  Seeing Poncho and Komain looking down, their faces turning a bashful red, Serina said, “We’re husband and wives now, you know,” in an exasperated tone. “Now that we are married, it’s only natural to think about an heir.”

  “Well... Yes, you’re right... Yes.”

  “His Majesty told us to take this chance to make babies, and he says many of our colleagues will be incited by this event to marry by the end of the year,” Serina went on. “I would expect that, around this time next year, the upper echelons of the kingdom will be experiencing a baby boom. If possible, I would like to have mine before the midwives are too busy. I’ll need you to work hard to make that happen, darling.”

  “D-Darling?!”

  Hearing Serina suddenly address him that way, and telling him to work hard on making a baby, Poncho’s eyes went wide.

  With eyes that seemed unable to believe she still had to say this, Serina looked at Poncho and said, “You are my husband now, and that is what I will call you. More importantly, how long are you going to go on addressing your wife as ‘Madam Serina’?”

  Poncho panicked a bit when she drew attention to it, but eventually he found his resolve and said, “M-Ms. Serina... Ms. Komain...”

  “...I suppose that will have to do as a compromise,” Serina said.

  Komain giggled. “In that case, I’d like to call you ‘dear.’ It makes me feel like a newlywed. Now then, dear, I’ll have one of those.” Having said that, Komain took a piece of liver pate from Poncho’s plate. “I think... I will be needing stamina, too, after all.”

  “M-Ms. Komain?!” he yelped.

  “Hm... should I eat some as well, perhaps?”

  “N-Not you, too, Ms. Serina...”

  Serina took an eel omelette. The two of them looked at the intimidated Poncho with wry smiles, then planted kisses on both his cheeks.

  ““Stay strong, darling/dear.””

  The sweet sound of those words was dizzying, and Poncho nearly fell on his back.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Like that, Souma’s followers were each enjoying their wedding day.

  In the capital’s fountain plaza, many citizens were watching the coronation and wedding ceremony over the Jewel Voice Broadcast. It was now reaching its final stages.

  The only thing remaining now was Souma’s coronation speech after being formally crowned king.

  Souma rose from the throne and walked forward. First Primary Queen Lisc
ia stood beside him, Aisha stood behind, and Roroa, Juna, and Naden waited in the back.

  Souma turned to face the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel that had been moved onto the red carpet. In other words, he turned to face the people watching this coronation and marriage ceremony.

  “Around two years have passed since my arrival in this country.” Souma spoke in a quiet, but firm tone. “In these two years, many things have happened, both internally and externally. In an age of blindingly fast changes, this country, too, has been changing. To the point that even the official name of the country has changed, becoming the ‘United Kingdom of Elfrieden and Amidonia,’ also known as the ‘Kingdom of Friedonia.’ In the midst of all that, I am glad to have been able to welcome this day.”

  He paused.

  “From this day forward, I will formally be the king of the Kingdom of Friedonia.”

  He went on:

  “In addition, now that I have married both Liscia, the daughter of Albert Elfrieden, former king of the Kingdom of Elfrieden, and Roroa, the daughter of Gaius Amidonia, the former sovereign prince of the Principality of Amidonia, I will be ruling over both nations as Souma Amidonia Elfrieden. I intend to do my utmost to be recognized as a worthy king by the people of both the Elfrieden Region and the Amidonia Region. However, no matter how firm my resolve, and no matter how hard I try, there are limits to what one man can accomplish alone. That limit is not particularly high, either.”

  He paused, and went on.

  “We did not overcome the many events of the last two years by relying on my strength alone. It was the result of the queens who were at my side supporting me, the retainers you see lined up here, and many others who could not be here in attendance today, as well as you, the people, all working for this country. I hear that a program called Nameless Heroes has been popular with the public, and if you watch it, you’ll see what I mean. The world isn’t made solely of those who do the big showy jobs. We know there are nameless heroes working in the shadows. The reason that, here, now, I was able to reach this bright day, is thanks to all those unnamed heroes. Those nameless heroes... they are you, each and every citizen of this country!”

  The words yuusha and eiyuu both translate to “hero” in English.

  Souma had been summoned here as a yuusha, but he was referring to his people as na mo naki eiyuu, heroes without names.

  He might not have been able to hear it in the castle, but in the fountain plaza, where people were watching the broadcast, there was loud cheering.

  Souma allowed himself a pause, then continued once more.

  “I was told my coronation speech should be about what I want to do with this country as a king. However, my feelings are unchanged from when I made my New Year’s address. That is, I want to make a ‘good country.’”

  He smiled.

  “You might think this is a rather plain goal. My fellow summoned hero, the father of the nation, the First Hero King, likely had a much grander vision than mine. However, I think that strong beliefs are often left behind by the times. For instance, if I embraced the dream of ‘uniting the continent,’ I might well gain the support of those who shared that dream. In this chaotic world, there is fertile ground for that sort of grand dream. In this situation, which we all find constricting, we hope for a way to break out. But what of the next generation? Is it not possible that grand dream would become a shackle on them?”

  He paused.

  “The king before the last one took a policy of expansionism, trying to build a country that could equal the Gran Chaos Empire. It’s true, our territory expanded. However, if you look at the result, it ended in a civil war between the royals after his death, and invited intervention from the foreign countries he had angered. If your dreams are riding the current of the times, then at the end of that era, it is the way of the world that they will be abandoned. So, how are we to go about creating a country when thrown about by the currents of the era?! Well, we must look at reality, change gradually with the times, and adapt.”

  He paused.

  “It doesn’t require us to think hard about it. If you can feel that today is better than yesterday, and tomorrow will be better than today, that is enough. That is something this country has already put into practice.”

  Then Souma spread his arms wide.

  “Look at this Jewel Voice Broadcast. This Jewel Voice Broadcast, which can be watched as video in the large cities and heard as audio even in small ones, has been used for many things since I first took the throne. If you feel it has grown easier to live today over yesterday, and tomorrow over today, that means you don’t want to go back to how things were before. I ask you! Could you return to a life without the songs of the loreleis?!”

  “No!” Souma couldn’t hear it, but that was the answer the people shouted.

  “Could the housewives of this country dry their laundry without Naden’s weather forecast?! Could the fishermen take their ships out to sea?! Could the farmers choose when to harvest their crops?!”

  “No!”

  “Without the transport network we laid, could the traveling merchants carry their goods?! Would the store owners be able to stock their shelves?!”

  “No!!”

  “In the larger cities, we have installed sewer systems, and improved public health! Could you keep living there, if the air and water went back to how they were before?! We’ve increased the number of doctors! Could you feel safe living without the number of hospitals we have now?! Could you feel safe giving birth?! We’ve created new culinary customs, eating things we hadn’t before! Would you be all right with the variety of dishes on your table decreasing?! The metal-poor Elfrieden Region has received a steady supply of metals from the Amidonia Region, and the food-poor Amidonia Region has received a stable supply of food from the Elfrieden Region! Could you afford to lose that relationship now?!”

  “Absolutely not!!”

  It was true, the people had no desire to return to yesterday.

  Even if the day-to-day changes were small, they would eventually realize the many great changes that had occurred, and it would change their understanding of things.

  Souma lowered his hand and spoke to the excited people.

  “Like this, as the days pile up, through gradual change, I will build a good country. Together with my queens and retainers. That is how I am as a king. That is how this country is. Now, I implore all of you, lend this country your strength. So that, little by little, we can steadily work towards our magnificent future!”

  Saying that, Souma raised a fist.

  At the same time, Liscia, Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Naden, and the line of retainers bowed their heads.

  In that moment, a cheer rose up from the people watching.

  If you listened closely, you could have heard it over the broadcast, too.

  The voices from the fountain plaza had certainly reached the castle.

  And so, Souma and the others slowly walked to the exit.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Liscia and I led the way, and we went to the terrace overlooking the castle courtyard with the other queens.

  Looking down into the courtyard from there, it was packed with people, people, and more people.

  If I were the villain of a certain famous anime movie, this was a scene that might have made me say, “The people are like garbage,” but in my current position, I couldn’t use that line, even as a joke.

  When we stood by the railing and waved to the masses below, there was a roaring applause that seemed to shake the whole castle.

  This was something similar to the practice of Ippan Sanga in Japan, where the Imperial Family would appear to the general public from the balcony of the palace at the beginning of each year.

  In order to catch a glimpse of me and my queens on our big day, many citizens, regardless of their status, had gathered in the courtyard. That was as far in as they would be allowed to come, of course, and there was heavy security in place.

  Though they could see us in the flesh, I
was sure we had to look pretty small, so I was glad so many people had turned up despite that.

  “Your Majesty, I have brought Prince Cian and Princess Kazuha.”

  I turned toward Carla’s voice, and she was standing there with the former royal couple. Carla and Lady Elisha were each holding a baby.

  Judging by the color of their baby clothes, Carla was holding Cian (blue), while Lady Elisha was holding Kazuha (pink).

  I chuckled and said to their mother, “Liscia, you take Kazuha.”

  “Okay.”

  Liscia took Kazuha from Lady Elisha, and I took Cian from Carla.

  Then we approached the railing again. Taking every care that they wouldn’t fall, we held them so that the people could see.

  There was a roar of applause.

  “Wahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

  “Fwah...! #$%@aah!”

  Surprised by the crowd, Kazuha tried to bury her face in Liscia’s chest and started crying.

  Liscia said, “There, there,” rocking her back and forth to calm her. Kazuha went on sobbing a little, but she didn’t raise her voice.

  Still, seeing the way she wasn’t raising her face from Liscia’s chest, the large crowd must have scared her.

  Meanwhile, as for Cian... his face was frozen solid.

  It was like he’d been hit by petrification magic, his expression didn’t change as he looked at the crowd.

  Cian was shy, and his face often froze like this when he met a new person.

  So, in a way, this was business as usual.

  I tried poking his pudgy little cheeks to try and get them to loosen up, but his face stayed the same, like he was engaged in some kind of staring contest.

  Stubborn...

  “It’s amazing,” Naden whispered, waving her hands. “Everyone is blessing these children.”

  Aisha and Juna smiled softly, too.

  “They’re the prince and princess, after all,” Aisha said. “When the royal family has a bright future, that’s something for the people to be happy about, too.”