by Dojyomaru
“By this, you mean... a wooden sword?”
What Sur was holding up was a sword made of wood. What was more, it wasn’t the sort of orthodox double-bladed sword used in the kingdom, but one modeled on the katana which was the main style in use in the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. On top of that, there was some sort of writing or symbols carved into the handle.
“His Majesty called this a souvenir bokuto,” Sur said.
“Oh... Of course Souma would be involved.” Halbert said shaking his head in exasperation.
When Sur had started talking about traditional art, but then said the most popular item was a bokuto, he’d gotten the feeling. If it was the sort of thing where he couldn’t tell at first glance what the point was, it had to be Souma.
“Then what’s engraved on the handle was him, too?”
“Yes. He says they’re the characters that would represent the name of this forest in his world’s language,” Sur showed them the hilt and explained.
Halbert and Ruby couldn’t read them, of course, but there were four kanji, 神護之森, carved into it.
Incidentally, Souma had considered carving in the name of that one lake in Hokkaido, since no one could read what it said anyway, but when he imagined soldiers training diligently with one of those wooden swords in hand... Yeah, no, he’d turned that idea down himself.
Sur offered the bokuto to Halbert. “Sir Hal, would you like one for yourself?”
Halbert stared at the proffered bokuto.
Ruby thought, What are you staring so seriously for? But... eventually, Halbert quietly took it.
“Huh?! You’re taking it?! It’s just a wooden stick, isn’t it?!” Ruby reacted to Halbert’s actions with wide-eyed shock.
“I don’t know why! I don’t get it, but I really wanted it!”
Sur nodded as Halbert tried to explain himself. “I understand. There’s something you find strangely exciting about it, as a man.”
“That’s right! If you see something like this, you can’t not take it! Is there some sort of magic placed on these characters?”
“I don’t really feel any magical power,” Ruby said dubiously. Red dragons were sensitive to magical power.
Most likely, what Halbert and Sur were feeling was the same thing that all those boys who bought a souvenir bokuto on a field trip did. However, Halbert didn’t know that was a thing, so he felt like he had been charmed somehow. This was the terror of the souvenir bokuto.
While they were having that inconsequential discussion, something burst out of Sur’s house.
Halbert, being a warrior by nature, readied himself to fight the instant it happened, but when he realized it was a small child, his tension eased...
However, that was a mistake.
“Lord Hal!” the child cried, landing an energetic tackle to the stomach.
“Guhhh!” Halbert let out a groan.
“Hal?!” Ruby cried.
He used his hands to give the worried Ruby a sign he was okay.
The one now hugging Halbert was a little dark elf girl.
She was maybe twelve. Her hair was cut short, and she had a cute face. With no regard for Halbert’s reaction, the girl rubbed her face against his abdomen.
“Lord Hal! I’ve been wanting to see you!”
“Erm... Are you Sir Sur’s daughter?” Hal said, remembering Sur had mentioned she wanted to see him. This girl who’d performed a flying tackle-hug had to be her.
The girl let go, and politely bowed her head. “Excuse me for that. I am Sur’s daughter Velza.”
Velza raised her face and grinned.
“I do not know if you remember me, Lord Hal, but I am one of those you saved from beneath the sand and dirt. Thank you so much for that.”
And she bowed her head once more.
Halbert was flustered. “No, it’s nothing you need to thank me for. I only followed Souma’s orders...”
“It still made me happy. I will never forget the day you saved me. Nor will I forget you, Lord Hal, or my debt of gratitude.”
“I dunno what to say...” Halbert was overwhelmed by the girl’s persistent thanks.
“Heh heh. She’s a real polite girl, isn’t she?” Ruby, who’d been left completely out of it, said to Sur. “She’s so small, but she really has it together.”
“Tell me about it. When did that tomboy daughter of mine get to be so pol—Gwah!”
“Sir Sur?!”
Mid-word, Sur began writing in pain. Velza had kicked a piece of wood lying by her feet, and it had landed a direct hit on Sur’s shin.
Through all of that, Velza never once dropped her smile.
When Halbert and Ruby saw Velza smiling like that, it reminded them of an angry Kaede, and a chill ran down their spines.
Because Halbert and Ruby were both straightforward in their personalities, they often had fights without it getting ugly, but if they ever stepped over the line, they knew they were in for a lecture from a smiling Kaede. This girl’s smile was just like Kaede’s was at those times.
Velza ran over in front of Ruby. “Um... Would you happen to be Lord Hal’s wife, perhaps?”
Ruby was dumbfounded for a moment, but then she nodded.
“Yes. I am Ruby the dragon. I’ve formed a dragon knight’s contract with Hal. Because the contract between a dragon and a knight makes them life partners, you could say we’re engaged.”
When Velza heard Ruby’s response, she clapped her hands. “Oh, my! You’re that dragon, Miss Ruby? To think he has become a dragon knight! That’s Lord Hal for you.”
Having said that with an innocent look in her eyes, Velza took Ruby’s hands.
“I want to join the National Defense Force like Lord Hal in future. If possible, I want to be assigned to Lord Hal’s unit. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”
“R-Right...”
It seemed Ruby was not entirely displeased to be referred to that way.
Seeing Velza worm her way into Ruby’s good graces in no time, Halbert sensed the situation moving forward somewhere where he had no control.
Wh-What is this...? This feeling like the moat around my walls was filled in without me noticing...?
While Halbert was thinking that, Sur, who had recovered from his pain, plopped a hand down on Velza’s shoulder with a sigh.
“It’s rude making our guests stand outside forever. How about we take this indoors?”
“Oh, my! You’re right! How careless of me. I was so delighted that Lord Hal was here, I got worked up despite myself. Now, let’s go, Lord Hal, Lady Ruby.”
Velza took Halbert and Ruby’s hands and showed them inside the house.
If anyone else saw it, it would look like a little sister having her big brother and sister indulge her. Halbert and Ruby didn’t feel bad about having a little girl adore them, either.
However, behind the two who were being led by the nose by Velza, Sur wore a wry smile.
Goodness me, he thought. She must take after her passionate mother... If you don’t take her by the reins, you’re going to be in for a rough ride, Sir Hal.
While thinking that, Sur followed the three of them inside the house.
◇ ◇ ◇
That evening, with pleasantries with Sir Wodan out of the way, Aisha, Naden, and I went to visit Aisha’s mother’s grave.
In the God-protected Forest, people were buried at the bases of trees. Their custom was to return their bodies, which were raised on the forest’s blessings, to the forest.
We heard the rustling of branches and the buzzing of insects.
I knelt in front of the tree where Aisha’s mother lay at rest, my hands together, praying in the Japanese style. Like I had sworn to Sir Wodan, I would protect Aisha from sadness to the best of my ability.
So, please, give me your daughter, I prayed.
After staying like that for a short while, I stood up and looked at Aisha and Naden.
“I have something to say to the two of you.”
“Wh
at might that be, sire?” Aisha asked.
“What? Why so formal?”
They both gave me blank looks. I chose my words carefully.
“It’s about... after we’re gone.”
They both opened their eyes wide in silent shock.
This was something the two of them were going to have to face eventually, after all.
“If you let your guard down, even a member of a long-lived race can live a short life,” I said. “What Sir Wodan was saying makes perfect sense. However, the more likely outcome is that Liscia, Juna, Roroa, and I will end up leaving you two behind. I make this request having thought about what that means myself.”
I looked into their dumbfounded eyes and continued.
“Please... Don’t be lonely. I’m happy to have met you two. I don’t want to make this moment one that you reminisce on sadly while thinking, Things were better back then.”
The two of them said nothing, just keeping on listening to me speak.
“I want you two to be happy when you remember. Ideally, you’ll be able to smile and think, I’m happy now, but I was happy back then, too. Once we’re gone, stay connected to our children, and to the long-lived people you know like Carla and Excel... and if you find a good partner, I don’t mind if you get remarried.”
The two of them looked down and said nothing.
“Make sure you’re always connected with someone, and don’t be lonely,” I said. “Not ever...”
Aisha and Naden hugged me without a word.
They neither accepted or rejected what I was saying. Because we each understood all too well how the others felt.
If they were in my position, they might have thought the same thing I was. If I were in their position, I’m sure I’d have felt the same as they were. So there was no need for a response.
If the two of them remembered me saying this later, it might give them the push they needed if they ended up feeling lost when the inevitable happened. This was the best I could do for them. Their lack of response must have been their own way of being considerate.
I patted them both on the back and, with a laugh, I said, “I’m never letting go of you for as long as I live, though. I’m gonna be with you until you’re sick of me.”
“Okay,” Aisha said. “Let’s be together as long as we can.”
“We aren’t going to let go of you easily, either,” Naden agreed.
They both had tears in the corners of their eyes, but they were smiling.
“Let’s be sure we make children, too,” Aisha added. “I’ll do my best.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Definitely.”
“One won’t be enough, either,” Aisha went on. “You’ll have to work hard, sire.”
“S-Sure... I’ll do my best.”
Seeing Aisha get so enthusiastic, I felt a bit overwhelmed.
Naden joined in, too. “If we have a ryuu, we’ll have to leave it in the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so I’d prefer a dragonewt, if possible. I’d like to give birth to at least one ryuu to show my gratitude to Lady Tiamat, so... Oh! But if it’s a dragonewt, that would be a member of the sea serpent race, right? What do we do if it grows up to be like Duchess Walter?”
A child like Excel, huh...
“Let’s all work together to educate our child so that doesn’t happen,” I said fervently.
“Indeed,” Aisha agreed.
“Roger that.”
With that, we laughed while continuing to hug each other.
After Returning to the Country Arc – 5: Memorial Festival
— At the end of the 8th month, 1,547th year, Continental Calendar —
It happened in Royal Capital Parnam, on a day when the summer heat was still far from fading, in the large room in Parnam Castle where the bureaucrats who handled finance worked (AKA the Finance Room).
In one corner of that room was a set of sofas in a reception area, and these were currently occupied by Roroa Amidonia, the former Princess of Amidonia, who was now a candidate to become Souma’s third primary queen, and the Minister of Finance Gatsby Colbert, both of them with dour looks on their faces.
There were a number of documents sitting on the table between them. These documents were the source of their current headaches.
“What will we do, princess?” Colbert asked.
“Ain’t nothin’ we can do,” Roroa said, leaning back in the sofa and looking up at the ceiling. Unusually for the ever-cheery Roroa, she looked depressed. “Sure, I said, ‘If any of you out there’ve got some an interestin’ festival to share, just you let us know.’ I told the bureaucrats to come up with event ideas that could get the money movin’, too. But still... ain’t this one kinda bad?”
Roroa looked at the words on the document she had picked up with a face that looked like she had bitten into something unpleasant.
Colbert felt exactly the same way. “You’re right. If done wrong, it could cause a major problem that would shake the foundations of this country.”
“I know, right? Honestly! Festivals are supposed to be for gettin’ the economy goin’, so I want ideas that’re more fun.”
As Roroa slumped her shoulders and sighed, Colbert sympathized. He had been her associate since they were in the Principality of Amidonia, and was likewise an expert on economic matters, so he knew exactly how she felt.
“Then... do we ignore this one?” he asked.
Colbert’s considerate words made Roroa hesitate for a moment, but eventually she resigned herself and shook her head quietly.
“No can do, I’m afraid. It’s gathered a good number of signatures, hasn’t it? I’d be scared to ignore it.”
“...That’s true.”
“Besides, if we let you or me be the final word of whether we end up doin’ an event or not, that may end up leadin’ to unneeded trouble. Our positions bein’ what they are,” Roroa added in a self-mocking manner.
Unable to watch her any longer, Colbert worked up his spirits and said, “I think it’s best to consult with His Majesty here.”
“We’re gonna get Darlin’ caught up in this problem? ...I don’t wanna.”
“Well, if we are going to carry out this project, we will need to receive permission from His Majesty, regardless. It’s only a difference of whether it happens sooner rather than later.”
“Well, yeah, you’re right, but... havin’ it be me goin’ to ask him about it, and makin’ Darlin’ feel that way... Won’t he end up thinkin’ I’m a troublesome woman?”
Roroa’s worries had, at some point, transitioned to those of a teenage girl.
Even with her unique financial sense, and even if she could make decisions that decided the fate of the principality, Roroa was still a seventeen-year-old girl. It was only natural she’d be concerned how the man she liked saw her.
For Colbert, who saw Roroa like a little sister, her attitude brought a smile to his face. “From what I know of His Majesty, he won’t treat you badly over something as small as this, princess.”
“Ya mean it?”
“If you’d like, I could bring it up with him myself.”
“...Nngh, I’m thinkin’ I gotta do this myself.”
Roroa made her decision, stood up, resolved herself, and went to see Souma.
As he watched her go, Colbert cheered her on in his heart.
◇ ◇ ◇
“The ‘Gaius Memorial Festival’?” I repeated.
Roroa was silent.
I had been doing my paperwork in the governmental affairs office again today, as per usual, when Roroa had come in and presented me with a document that was a few pages long.
While thinking the usually energetic Roroa seemed awfully reserved today, my gaze had fallen to the papers, and... there was the title “‘Gaius Memorial Festival’s Draft Proposal.”
Gaius... huh.
By Gaius... it means Gaius VIII, right?
Gaius VIII. The man who was Roroa’s father, as well as the Prince of Amidonia.
The Principality of A
midonia had lost more than half its territory in a war with the king before the last one. In order to avenge that humiliation, Gaius had started instigating trouble inside the kingdom and aiming for an opportunity to take revenge.
Then, when I was having a disagreement with the former General of the Army, Georg Carmine, Gaius had seen his chance and lead the forces of the principality to invade the kingdom.
The forces of the principality had passed through the Ursula Mountains, our southwest border with them, and laid siege to the central city of the southern grain producing region, Altomura. Gaius had intended to take Altomura while Georg and I were fighting, and annex the surrounding grain producing region to his country. I was sure of that.
However, this was a trap Hakuya had set up using a fake insurrection by Georg to lure Gaius out. In order to root out troublemakers from inside the kingdom, we had first needed to reduce the influence of their supporters in the princely family of Amidonia.
After ending Georg’s fake insurrection and bringing the three dukes into line, we had immediately declared war on the principality.
Then, making it look like I would launch a blitz invasion of Van, the capital of the principality, I had waited for the forces of the principality that retreated to defend their capital at a plain near Van.
Then, finally, the forces of the kingdom and principality had clashed outside Van.
Looking at the result, the more numerous forces of the kingdom had defeated the forces of the principality who were exhausted from their retreat, but with Gaius’s forces showing serious grit in the battle.
Even with the forces of the principality in a state of total collapse, Gaius and his closest retainers had launched a suicide attack to allow Crown Prince Julius to escape, and closed in on the kingdom’s main camp, with me in it.
Because of my extreme situation, I had forced myself into the role of “king” so thoroughly at that time that I hadn’t felt anything, but... looking back now, it made me shiver.
In the end, due to the assistance of Carla and a number of other factors, the blade of Gaius’s revenge had never reached me.
Gaius had fallen on the battlefield, and I had survived without further incident, but one misstep, and I would have been the one to die there.
Gaius had become enough like a fierce god of the battlefield at that point to make me believe he really was one.