by Dojyomaru
“Hello, Your Majesty. I’m Chris Tachyon.”
Chris put her hand in front of her belly, bowing to me at a forty five degree angle. That gesture and the mature vibe she gave off made me think of an airplane cabin attendant from my old world.
Juna went on to explain Chris’s talents. “She is a former minstrel and has a beautiful singing voice, but her poetry reciting is especially marvelous. She has a pleasant voice and is able to read smoothly, so her poems are as vivid as if she had cut out a piece of the scenery. In my personal opinion, rather than have her debut as a singer, she would be better suited to a program for disseminating information like the one we broadcast before.”
“I see,” I said. “You want her as an announcer, not a singer.”
It was true that, from what I could hear, she seemed to have a clear voice and speak smoothly. A female announcer could have an idol-like presence on a news program, and there was no problem with the way she looked. I had Hakuya prepare a pen and paper, then I had him write down a certain short statement and hand it to Chris.
“Could you try reading that for me?” I asked.
“This? Let’s see... ‘This story is a work of fiction. The people, organizations, places, and events depicted have no connection to anything in reality.’”
“Yep, sounds good to me,” I said. “Let’s have you work on a news program like Juna suggested.”
“Thank you very much,” Chris said with a smile, bowing once again.
Liscia asked me in a whisper, “What was that statement you just had her read?”
“Some magic words from my old world,” I said. “If you say them, you can get away with practically anything.”
When I told her that, Liscia cocked her head to the side, looking like she didn’t get it at all.
While we were talking about that, Juna moved on to introducing the next person. This time, it was the adorable girl who looked not much older than Tomoe. That frilly lolita-style outfit she wore suited her well.
“Her name is Pamille Carol,” said Juna. “She is a kobito.”
“I’m Pamille. Nice to meet you.” Pamille bobbed her head. It was a cute gesture, but...
“What’s a kobito?” I asked. “A little person?”
“No, she isn’t a hobbit, she’s one of the ever-young,” said Juna. “Not many races stop aging like the elves, but that trait is especially pronounced in the kobitos. Even once they reach full maturity, they only look like twelve-year-old children. Pamille may not look it, but she’s far older than I am.”
“Seriously?!” I exclaimed. “To think there’s a race like that in this world...”
It’s like the ultimate race of lolis and shotas, I thought. I dunno... I feel very concerned for their entire race. Maybe I should create a protected district for them, put up a sign that says “Yes, loli-shota. No, touch,” outside it, in order to protect them from a certain type of gentlemen and ladies out there.
Also, I nearly missed it, but I guess there are hobbits in this world, I thought. Here’s hoping there aren’t any strange rings out there, too...
As I was thinking about that, Juna continued her explanation. “She has a voice as clear as a bell. She’s especially good at singing cutesy songs in a way that makes them even more adorable. ...People always see me as being older than I am, so I’m ill-suited to singing songs like that myself. I envy that gift of hers a little.”
“Well, I envy you, too, Juna,” said Pamille. “When I heard we would be appearing before His Majesty today, I wanted to wear a sleeveless dress, but I have nothing for it to hang on, so I was told I couldn’t.”
Juna and Pamille both seemed to be staring off into the distance.
It makes sense for Pamille to feel that way, but is Juna bothered by the fact she seems older than she actually is, too? Setting her appearance aside, with the mature way she acts, it’s hard to believe she’s nineteen years old, after all.
Now that I thought about it, I remembered a line in a movie I had watched a long time ago that said, “Treat an older woman like she’s younger than you, and a younger woman like she’s older than you.”
Juna’s a year older than me, so rather than having her indulge me all the time, I need to find ways to let her rely on me once in a while, I thought.
Juna cleared her throat in an attempt to get us back on track, then continued with the introductions. “Now, last but not least, this is Nanna Kamizuki. As you can see, she’s a beastman.”
“Heeeey! ♪ I’m Nanna! ♪” the cat-eared girl cried with a toothy grin.
She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen. Compared to the other two, she had dressed up less, wearing a simple tube-like outfit. On her face she wore face paint, like a soccer fan. If I were to judge solely on her appearance, she looked like a girl from a tribe that made their living fishing.
Glaive was about to tell her off for the simple and innocent way she was behaving while before the king, but I gestured for him to stop. That was because I detected an odd accent.
“Is she not used to the speaking the language of this continent, maybe?” I asked.
Juna rushed to cover for her. “That’s exactly it. It seems she immigrated to Elfrieden from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago and has been living with a group of hardy fishermen in a seaside village ever since. So, if she acts a little rude at times, please forgive her.”
I see... So she’s an immigrant from the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, huh?
Many of the countries on this continent used a common language in addition to their national languages, but there were isolationist countries too, like the ones in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago, which only used their national language.
“I understand her situation, but... can she sing like that?” I asked.
“Have no worries on that front,” Juna assured me. “She’s been singing sea shanties while out fishing, so she has a powerful voice, one that’s both feminine and masculine, and if you give her a cool song to sing, she can easily outdo me. I believe she’s a good match for those ‘anisongs’ you taught me, sire.”
“Oh... Can she sing something?” I asked wistfully.
“Yes,” said Juna. “As a test, I taught her one. Nanna, could you sing for us?”
“Sure! ♪ Just leave it to Nanna.”
At Juna’s request, Nanna enthusiastically burst out singing. The song was the opening to a mecha anime sung by a female vocalist. Setting aside the choice of song, the stirring melody was a good match for Nanna’s voice.
“By the way, Liscia, do you understand what the lyrics mean?” I asked.
“I don’t,” she said. “It’s like listening to a song in a language I don’t understand. But I can tell that it’s a cool song.”
“Well, as long as that comes across, it’s fine... I guess?” I said.
I can have Juna come up with lyrics for it in this world’s language later, I guess.
When she finished the song, Nanna looked to me with a broad smile. “Your Majesty! ♪ How was I?”
“...Yeah,” I said. “You were amazing.”
“Glad to hear it! ♪”
Nanna waved her hand as if to say, “My turn’s over now, right?” and then quickly went back to her position.
She’s a unique girl... She isn’t timid, she’s not like anything they’ll have seen, and the way she moves in broad motions is bound to look impressive on screen. She might just be the most suited to being an idol of everyone here.
With the introductions now finished, I thanked Juna. “You’ve brought in a good group of people. Thank you.”
“You’re too kind,” she said.
“Okay, all the actors have gathered now,” I went on. “With these three, as well as Juna who can handle the soft, mature songs, we’re going to create Elfrieden’s first entertainment program. We won’t just be broadcasting to Elfrieden, though, we’ll broadcast to the Principality of Amidonia, too.”
“To Amidonia, too?” Liscia asked.
In response
to the questioning look on Liscia’s face, I nodded. “Yeah. I mean, we did manage to get our hands on Amidonia’s jewel, after all.”
Of all the things that had fallen into our hands when we’d taken Van, the one that had pleased me the most had been a jewel for the Jewel Voice Broadcast. This was the only broadcast jewel Amidonia had, and it could be used to deliver a signal to every receiver in this country.
The broadcast jewels were apparently artifacts from an ancient civilization. While they still couldn’t be manufactured, there were a good number of them out there. With the exception of the small countries, like the ones that made up the Union of Eastern Nations, and the self-ruling territory of the wise dragons in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, most countries had them.
However, fundamentally, you couldn’t receive transmissions from another country. Of course, that made sense, otherwise information intended for a domestic audience would leak outside the country’s borders. Although technically, if you changed the wavelength settings on the receiver or jewel, it was possible, so maybe it was a little like radio frequency in that way.
In other words, now that we had obtained Amidonia’s only jewel, that meant that we had a monopoly on broadcasting rights to every receiver in Amidonia.
If we used a jewel brought from Elfrieden, too, we would be able to simulcast Elfrieden’s first entertainment program in two countries. What sort of changes would this broadcast bring to Amidonia? Or would it have no effect at all?
We would have to wait until the actual broadcast to find out.
◇ ◇ ◇
The capital of the principality, Van, lacked a fountain plaza with viewing equipment for the Jewel Voice Broadcast like the one in the royal capital Parnam.
The receiver was on the edge of Van, in an open field that was a plaza in name only. That was because, in this country, the Jewel Voice Broadcast was only used once at the beginning of each year when the Prince would say, “We must never forget our resentment towards Elfrieden. The retaking of our stolen lands is a national priority,” or something like that, stating the general direction of the country.
Because those who failed to attend the broadcast at the opening of the year could be charged with the crime of disrespecting the state, even if they were sick, even if they were old and bedridden, everyone needed to view that broadcast even if it meant they had to be strapped to a chair and carried there. And so, today, the young king of Elfrieden who had captured Van said he would be using the Jewel Voice Broadcast.
Most of the people, having undergone decades of indoctrination, did not have a favorable impression of the kingdom. However, now, many of those same people were gathered in the field to watch the broadcast. They likely believed that if they didn’t watch, they would be charged with a crime, as years of custom had dictated. There were even some who tried to carry in their sick, only to be told by the guards, “Don’t push yourselves so hard,” and be turned away.
In the evening light, with the sun low on the horizon, the gathered people of Van wore expressions half of apprehension and half of indignation. Because those of the knighthood and nobility had all pulled out of Van, only the general populace who had nowhere else to go remained.
Here and there throughout the crowd, the masses could be heard whispering to one another about their worries for what was to come.
“Damn the King of Elfrieden... What does he plan to do, making us all gather here?”
“I caught a glimpse of him when he was entering the castle, but he didn’t look very strong...”
“Don’t be deceived by appearances. This is the man who made Prince Gaius dance in the palm of his hand.”
“He’s using the Jewel Voice Broadcast, right? What the hell does he want to say to us?”
With no proper information to go off of, their speculation took increasingly wild turns.
“No... Don’t tell me he’s planning to conquer all of Amidonia, so all of us men will be conscripted and sent to the front lines...”
“No! Without me here as the breadwinner, what’ll my family do?!”
“We’re an occupied people. We can’t be surprised if that’s what happens.”
“No, that’s not even the worst thing that could happen. He might demand we hand over our women and children as slaves. Or that we hand over every beautiful woman in this domain.”
“I’ve heard strong guys tend to have strong urges like that, after all.”
“Seriously? I shoulda hid my wife before coming here.”
“You dolt. Nobody’s ever gonna want your wife.”
“What’d you say?! ...Ah! Hey, it’s starting.”
Suddenly, the receiver in the middle of the field began displaying an image.
The people thought they would see the uniform-clad image of that young king, but contrary to their expectations, they saw a beautiful woman with dark brown hair and elven features sitting in a chair. She rested her crossed arms on the long table in front of her, and, for some reason, the broadcast showed her not straight-on, but from an angle to her left. Naturally, this meant that her head was turned at an angle.
Her pose, which was like that of the Mona Lisa, brought out her alluring beauty and was especially effective at capturing the hearts of the men of Van. It felt to them as if they were sitting at a bar and this woman, who had been sitting next to them, had turned to them to talk. Now she spoke.
“Good evening, everyone. I am Chris Tachyon.”
◇ ◇ ◇
“This is News Elfrieden. In this information program, we will be bringing the latest news from Elfrieden and its surrounding countries to you, the people. Now, for our first story...”
Chris began reading her script in the impromptu news studio that had been set up in Van Castle’s governmental affairs office. I call it a news studio, but we had really just gotten together a long table and a chair. Still, with the other furnishings already in place, it looked the part.
Aisha and I were watching Chris from the corner of the room where we wouldn’t be picked up by the jewel.
Aisha pulled on my sleeve. “Um... Why is Chris being broadcast at an angle?”
“Uhh... Stylistic beauty?” I said.
I remembered a female newscaster from my world who had delivered the news in this position, so I had tried to include it. However, during rehearsal, Chris had complained to me, saying, “I feel like I’m going to get a kink in my neck,” so this was probably going to be the first and last time we would shoot the program from an angle.
The news Chris was reading out now was a report on the events of the war up to this point.
She explained in a neutral tone that, as a punitive action against Gaius VIII and his son Julius, who had taken advantage of instability in the kingdom to invade, King Souma of Elfrieden had launched a counter-invasion and struck down Gaius VIII.
Aisha tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Wouldn’t it have been better to deliver this information in a speech of your own, sire? You might have been able to raise your profile in this country, like you did with that program on ingredient gathering.”
“The situation is different this time,” I said. “We aren’t only broadcasting to the occupied territories around Van, we’re broadcasting to the rest of Amidonia, as well. No matter what the king of an enemy state says, the people of the principality aren’t going to listen to a word of it. It’s better that they hear it from a third party.”
Though, when I had discussed the script for this news with Hakuya, there had been the idea of using, “For all of us, His Majesty, our Dear King...” and exaggerating the details, but it had made me sound like some tin-pot dictator, so I’d rejected it.
Well, anyway, as we were talking, Chris continued reading out the news with those smooth reading skills and pleasant voice of hers that had come with Juna’s seal of approval. “The armies of the kingdom are presently occupying the capital of the principality, Van, but hostilities have, for the moment, ceased. In regards to this state of affairs, H
is Majesty, King Souma of Elfrieden, has released the following statement:
“‘This has been a war of subjugation against Gaius VIII, who invaded my country. It is not my wish to spread the fires of war further or to harm the citizens of the principality. We will provide support to the people living in the area around Van to allow them to get on with their lives. Furthermore, as Van has been annexed as a territory of the kingdom, I promise that the same food aid and infrastructure spending will be carried out here.’
“In advance of that, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Mr. Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta, will be distributing foodstuffs in Van starting tomorrow. He asks that everyone in Van invite their family and neighbors to come with them.”
◇ ◇ ◇
“How dare they do this?!”
In a city close to Van, the crown prince of Amidonia, Julius Amidonia, shouted out angrily.
Having escaped from the earlier battle, Julius was in a city near Van, waiting with the remnants of the principality’s forces for the Gran Chaos Empire’s armies to arrive. Julius smashed the receiver with a swing of his sword, then immediately gave an order to his subordinates.
“Dispatch messages to every city with orders not to watch this ridiculous broadcast.”
“““Yes, sir!”””
His subordinates all ran off to dispatch the messengers at once. Once he saw that they had all left, Julius turned to glare in the direction of Van. He hopes to win over not just the people of Van, but of all Amidonia, with his honeyed words, does he? I must not let him!
Julius firmed up his resolve.
Still, even though he’d dispatched messengers, it wasn’t as if they could reach every city instantly. Furthermore, with his defeat in battle, Julius had lost much of his influence and so his orders were only carried out in the city he was presently in and those which were very close to it.
In other words, most of the cities in Amidonia were watching Souma’s broadcast.
The reactions of the Amidonian citizens who saw it could be broadly divided into two categories.
First, there were the people in Van, who were relieved to hear that they would not be conscripted and sent to fight on the front lines, or to have it demanded that they turn over their assets, wives, or daughters.