How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 8 (Premium)

by Dojyomaru

  While I was thinking about that, the King of Lastania looked at me. “Sir Souma. I have heard there was bad blood between you and Sir Julius. Do those feelings still create a wall between the two of you?”

  He was coming right out and asking me that. It seemed this guy was honest by nature.

  He was asking purely out of concern for the well-being of Julius, who would become Princess Tia’s husband. Looking at it as the King of Friedonia who had to rule over the Amidonia region, Julius’s existence was a dangerous element. He was worried I might move to eliminate Julius.

  I shook my head in silence. “It’s true, there is bad blood between Sir Julius and me. For Julius, I’m the man who killed his father, so the discord between us won’t ever truly go away.”

  The king was silent.

  “However, if anything were to happen to Sir Julius, Princess Tia would be sad. If Princess Tia were sad, Roroa who likes her would be sad too. I don’t want that. I’m sure Sir Julius doesn’t want to confront me so badly that he would make Princess Tia and Roroa sad by doing it, either.”

  The important thing was our desire not to make others sad. That feeling was something Julius and I had in common.

  “Even if, at some point in the future, there comes a time when Sir Julius and I have conflicting interests, I am sure both of us will act to avoid war, which would be the worst outcome,” I said.

  In other words, we might not be able to be friends, but if possible, we didn’t want to fight. At some point, we had ended up in that awkward sort of relationship.

  My words may have reassured him, because the King of Lastania took my hand and smiled with tears in his eyes. “I sincerely hope that our two countries can prosper together.”

  Parting company with the Lastanian royal couple, Aisha and I went over to where Naden was. She was talking with Pai and Sill, and Hal, Kaede, and Ruby were next to them.

  When we approached, Sill was the first to notice. “Why, Sir Souma! I have heard of your accomplishments in this affair from Madam Naden.”

  Saying that, Sill extended her right hand.

  Madam Sill was not as dark as a dark elf, but the light brown skin and very short blonde hair of this boyish woman made her quite distinctive. She was probably around twenty. Her exposed arms were slender, but muscular, and she had a body like a track and field athlete.

  I took Sill’s hand and shook it firmly. “No, no, I didn’t do anything all that special myself. This victory belongs to the people of this country for the hard fight they put up, and the hard work of each person involved.”

  “You are being humble,” Sill said. “You are the one who decided to send reinforcements to this country. I am grateful. Normally, sending reinforcements to this country would have been our duty as their allies, but it took time to resolve the effects of the demon wave in our own lands, and our arrival was delayed.”

  The demon wave had affected a wide area after all. Maria was dealing with it in the west too.

  “What was the demon wave that hit the Nothung Dragon Knight Kingdom like?” I asked.

  “We were attacked by a wide variety of monsters at the same time. None of them were especially strong, and they were easily reduced to cinders, but they were numerous. It was quite a difficult situation. There were so many of them that, from the air, you couldn’t see the ground through all the monsters.”

  “That’s...exhausting to even hear about.”

  If that many had come all at once, this country wouldn’t have stood a chance. The invading force had only been stopped by the river because it was almost entirely comprised of lizardmen.

  “By the way,” I said, “Madam Sill, you and Pai are...”

  “Ahh, Sir Souma. I hear you and Pai are acquainted, and you can talk normally together. I have become Pai’s partner. You needn’t use overly formal language with me.”

  “Okay,” I said. “You can talk however suits you best too.”

  “Oh, great. I hate talking formally. Makes my shoulders stiff.”

  Having said that, Sill made a show of turning her right shoulder in circles. It seemed a more masculine tone that suited her boyish looks was the default for her.

  A kid in a white jumpsuit-like outfit who was beautiful but androgynous, with beady little eyes, started talking to me. “Long time no see, Souma.”

  This was presumably Pai in human form, but he gave off a pretty different impression now than before.

  I had heard that until they formed a contract, dragons maintained a more gender-neutral style, and that forming a contract with a male knight would make them more feminine, while forming a contract with a female knight would make them more masculine, but right now Pai was totally an otokonoko.

  While my eyes were wide with surprise, Naden cocked her head to the side in confusion. “What’s wrong, Souma?”

  “Oh! No... I was just thinking, ‘Wow, Pai really is a guy now.’ The dragon knight contract can change a person this much. I was surprised.”

  “Hehe, that’s how we dragons are,” Pai said with a wry smile. “I’ll bet Naden and Ruby have gotten more womanly since their contracts too, right?”

  “Hmm? Naden doesn’t look all that different... Hey, Hal, has Ruby changed?” He was nearby, so I figured I’d try asking.

  Hal went, “Hmm,” and cocked his head to the side. “Now that you mention it, compared to when we formed the contract, she’s started sticking out more in all the right pla—Ow!”

  Ruby stomped on Hal’s foot, and Kaede bopped him on the head with her staff.

  Yeah, I know it was my fault for asking, but that lacked delicacy.

  Then I realized Naden was touching her own chest. She walked over to Ruby, pressed her hand against her breast, and squeezed.

  “Ah!” Ruby yelped, letting out a sexy moan. “Hey, wait?!”

  Naden remained silent and fell to her knees on the spot. “Where did this difference come from...?”

  The cause of all this, Pai, had an apologetic look on his face. “Ah! Um... I’m sorry...”

  Aisha told the dejected Naden, “Don’t worry, you’re just getting started,” but hearing that from the fiancée who stuck out the most in those areas, it was probably only salt in the wound. It was time for a forced change of subject.

  “Erm... I get that Pai is a man now, but in this case, the one who gives birth is...” I began.

  “Yep, that’ll be me, I guess,” Sill said, puffing up her chest and responding in a matter-of-fact way. “The cost of the dragon knight contract is prosperity for their descendants. I’m human, so the kids’ll be either human or dragonewts, since I can’t give birth to a dragon.”

  I had heard from Naden that dragons were born as a large egg, but even the parents didn’t know when it would hatch. It wasn’t possible for a dragon egg to form inside a human body, so it was probably a given that she couldn’t give birth to a dragon.

  Sill laughed loudly. “Well, when a dragon births a dragon, the egg has to be deposited in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so they can’t raise it themselves. Pai might be dissatisfied, but I’m glad that I can definitely raise all of my children with Pai by myself.”

  “I’m not dissatisfied. I’m happy I’ll be able to raise our children too,” Pai said bashfully.

  He was talking more like a boy now too.

  They made an odd couple, a manly woman and a girly otokonoko, but it seemed they got along, so good for them.

  Looking at the two of them, I said without thinking, “There sure are some odd dragon knights out there.”

  Naden, Hal, and Kaede all jumped in to say, “““Like you’re one to talk?!”””

  ...They kind of had a point.

  Having parted ways with Naden and company, Aisha and I watched Tomoe, Inugami, Kuu, and Leporina having fun talking and laughing as we headed over to see Poncho, Serina, Komain, Jirukoma and Lauren next.

  “Sir Poncho,” Lauren said, “what was your first meeting with Madam Komain like?”

  “Is my sister doing
a good job working for you?” Jirukoma asked.

  “Huh? Oh, yes,” said Poncho. “She’s very reliable, yes.”

  It seemed Poncho was being interrogated by Lauren and Jirukoma. The result was being watched by Komain with trepidation, and Serina with exasperation.

  “What exactly is the situation here?” I asked.

  “Why, Your Majesty, I believe it is exactly as it appears,” Serina said matter-of-factly.

  I wasn’t sure what she meant...

  “So then, Sir Poncho? You’re really not seeing anyone?” Jirukoma asked.

  “You’ve become a noble now, so haven’t there been a lot of people who expressed an interest in marrying you?” Lauren demanded.

  “Y-Yes, Sir Jirukoma, Madam Lauren. It’s true, there has been a lot of talk like that, but I just don’t seem to have any luck, so I’m not seeing anyone, yes.”

  It looked like Jirukoma were trying to drag out the details of Poncho’s love life.

  Wait, so Poncho still couldn’t find himself a fiancée? Poncho was a retainer I had hired personally, so he was seen as having a promising future. Because of that, a wide variety of people, from the nobility and knightly class to influential merchants, had seen him about a potential marriage, but...had he really not been able to get an engagement from any of them?

  Lauren brought up that question for me. “But from what Lord Jirukoma tells me, you are very popular in the kingdom.”

  I figured I could let the fact she was referring to him as Lord Jirukoma instead of Sir Jirukoma now pass without comment. From how Aisha reacted to being around them, I could basically figure out what was up between them for myself.

  “Many people respect you for your role in ending the food crisis in Elfrieden and Amidonia, and you’re seen as having a promising future,” Lauren continued. “I have a hard time imagining women would leave you alone, you know?”

  Exactly. Poncho was incredibly popular in the Kingdom of Friedonia. In the Amidonia region, he was even being deified as the God of Food. Though that sort of movement could antagonize the Lunarian Orthodox Papal State, so I wish they’d cut it out.

  Poncho shook his head vigorously. “Y-You’re giving me too much credit, yes. Maybe it’s the way I look? When they come to discuss a marriage, people turn around and leave as soon as they see me, yes.”

  “Huh? They do?” Lauren asked in confusion.

  Huh? People were leaving right after seeing Poncho? Sure, he was tubby, but he had a likable face, and he wasn’t the type you’d find unpleasant at first sight. Women had to have seen how tubby he was on broadcast programs anyway, so if it that was enough to make him unbearable for them, they could have just not arranged to meet in the first place.

  Besides, Poncho had a promising future. If these were women sent by nobles, who strategic marriages were second nature to, they would turn a blind eye to a certain level of faults and try their best to make Poncho like them.

  I didn’t want an opportunist like that becoming Poncho’s wife, of course, so that was why I had Serina with him as his assistant, keeping a watchful eye out.

  I looked over at her. “So, tell me the truth, how are Poncho’s marriage meetings going?”

  Serina pressed her index finger to her chin and cocked her head to the side. “More or less, as Poncho said. Even the people who come with thoughts of seducing Sir Poncho take off the moment they see his face. It’s quite rude of them, really.”

  Serina hadn’t dropped her usual cool expression, but she seemed indignant for some reason. If it was like she said, then it was even more incomprehensible that he couldn’t get an engagement.

  While I was thinking that, there was a sudden tug on my sleeve. I turned to see it was Komain.

  Komain led me a little way away, then whispered to me. “Listen...I have something to tell you about that...”

  Her eyes were wandering, and she spoke timidly.

  “Um...it’s about why Sir Poncho can’t find an engagement.”

  Then Komain told me about the meetings to discuss an arranged marriage that she had witnessed while in Venetinova. It was true that many offers were coming to Poncho, and many women seemed to mistakenly believe they could seduce him with their pretty faces. However, whenever it came time for the meeting, Serina was standing beside Poncho.

  Serina had some shortcomings in terms of personality, but to the eyes, she was a graceful beauty. In front of her beautiful face, those conceited women were beating a hasty retreat.

  Even if they could withstand that, whether she was aware of it or not, Serina gave off an incredibly intimidating aura toward those that pursued Poncho, and that scared off even those who were drawn to him with pure intentions.

  Komain, who had experienced that intimidation, said it was comparable to that of a wild wolf.

  “Serinaaaa...” I muttered.

  I held my head. I had told Serina to keep any strange women from getting close to him, but I never expected her to shield him from all marriage opportunities.

  “Also...I’m sorry,” Komain confessed in a whisper. “I may have joined Madam Serina in giving off that intimidating aura recently.”

  “Huh?! Why would you...”

  “That’s because...um...I’m sorry.” Komain’s face was bright red, and her voice vanishingly small.

  Seeing her so embarrassed that she wanted to crawl into a hole... I was able to guess the situation.

  I scratched my head. “Well, I guess I’m fine if it’s you. Make sure you take responsibility, okay?”

  “Do you...think I’ll be able to?”

  Komain looked unsure, so I put a hand on her shoulder. “For now, tell him how you feel and talk it over. Poncho is timid and lacks self-confidence, so I doubt he’d ever think someone could have feelings for him. Still, he’s a nice guy, so I’m sure he’ll respond to your affection with sincerity.”

  “Y-Yes. I’ll do that.” Komain clenched her fist as she nodded.

  From the look of her, she’d be okay. Even if all his other opportunities fell through, I could feel relieved if a reliable girl like Komain would marry him.

  If there’s one problem...it’s that Komain’s of common birth.

  Though the marriage itself wasn’t an issue, the influential nobles who wanted girls of their blood to be his head wife might get in the way. Komain didn’t have the power to shut them out the way she was now.

  I could solve it temporarily by having Komain adopted into an influential noble family, but...that would put Komain herself in the crosshairs, and it would put a burden on her. That meant there was only one measure I could take right now.

  “What about Serina? If she’s giving off that intimidating aura, do you think he has a chance with her?” I asked.

  Serina came from a good family which had provided maids and servants to the royal house for generations. In terms of lineage, hers was equivalent to the influential nobles. If I made Serina his head wife, I could shut out the influence of other houses.

  But...

  “Hmm...” Komain cocked her head to the side. “I think there’s something there, but it feels like she’s not aware of it herself. I won’t deny there may have been something like this in my case too, but the reason Madam Serina took an interest in Sir Poncho was because of the delicious food he makes. That’s why I don’t think Madam Serina herself knows if her feelings are romantic, or if it’s merely a result of her hunger.”

  “That’s an inconvenient development...” I whispered back.

  But thinking about it, the cool Serina had only shown interest in cute girls she could turn her sadistic tendencies on, like Liscia and Carla, before this. The first man she’d shown an interest in was Poncho.

  Serina always carried off her work without a hitch, but it might be fair to say she lacked experience in this area.

  “How would you feel about Serina being the head wife, Komain?” I asked.

  “I... I came after she did, so I’d have no complaints. We’ve gotten closer in the time we’ve bee
n together, and I don’t know the ways of your noble houses, so it would be reassuring to have Madam Serina handle all that.”

  There were no problems with it on Komain’s end then. In that case, it was just a matter of Serina’s feelings.

  “Sorry, but could you handle Serina for me?” I whispered. “If there’s something between them, I want you to make her more conscious of it.”

  “O-Okay. I’ll see what I can do!”

  Komain made a strong commitment to helping. I could probably leave this to her.

  Still, the relationships between men and women were a strange and complicated thing. I felt like this sort of thing took more thought than simple political negotiations.

  Having left the matter of Poncho to Komain for now, I could see Roroa, Julius, and Princess Tia talking, so Aisha and I headed over there.

  Roroa and Princess Tia had made fast friends, and they were chatting as happily as two sisters. (They were going to be sisters-in-law soon too.)

  Julius was watching the two of them with a peaceful look on his face.

  “Oh, darlin’!” Roroa waved her hand vigorously at us, then came over and quickly wrapped herself around the arm opposite the one Aisha was holding. “Ohhh, darlin’. Our Big Sis is just the cutest.”

  “Big Sis?” I repeated.

  “I told you not to call me Big Sis!” Princess Tia protested. “You’re the older one, Roroa! It’s too much!”

  Ohh, she’s the big brother’s fiancée, so that makes her the big sister, huh.

  Seeing Tia get upset, Roroa cackled. “Ohh, I was just thinkin’ how refreshin’ it is to have a big sister who’s younger than me.”

  “Come to think of it, you call Liscia Big Sis Cia, don’t you?” I asked.

  “Sure do. Big Sis Cia, Big Sis Ai, and Big Sis Juna all feel like my big sisters. Nadie feels more like a friend, though.”

  “Then you can call me Tii, or something like that,” Princess Tia suggested.