How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 1

by Dojyomaru

  “Liscia, so long as a king has the people on his side, he’s safe.”

  This was another lesson from Machiavelli. According to him, The best possible fortress is not to be hated by the people.

  A prince has two types of enemies. Traitors within, and foreign enemies without.

  If you have the support of the people, traitors can’t gather supporters or incite the people into rebellion, so they’ll just have to give up. On the other hand, if you’re hated by the people, there will be no shortage of foreigners willing to assist them in your eventual downfall. So Machiavelli says.

  “Even if I lose my title, so long as the people are still there, there’s a chance for revival,” I said. “On the other hand, if the king is the only one to survive, without any people left to support him, he’ll just be eaten up by another foe himself.”

  “...It’s a hard world, huh,” Liscia murmured.

  “That’s reality. Well, anyway, the aqueduct and sewer systems were easy enough to make, but when it came to the sedimentation ponds... Ah, let’s go sit over in the shade.”

  There wasn’t much point standing around while we talked, so we went over to sit in the shade provided by some trees in the park.

  Not long after we sat down, Aisha was leaning against a tree and beginning to nod off. She probably couldn’t keep up with the complicated subject matter. I had to question whether it was okay for someone who was supposed to be my bodyguard to be doing that, but, well, knowing Aisha, she could probably protect me in her sleep. I kept talking.

  “I couldn’t let raw sewage drain into the river. Domestic sewage often has pathogenic bacteria and parasites in it, you see. In order to protect against those, we need to let the water sit in a place where it can filter through sand and pebbles... in other words, a sedimentation pond.”

  “P-Pathogenic bacteria?” Liscia cocked her head to the side. It seemed those were unfamiliar words for people in this world.

  Well, there was probably no need to get too sensitive about it just yet. The people of this country had no concept of pollution. That was because, with this country’s standards of living and level of technology, even if they dumped untreated sewage into the river, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

  However, as the country grew and its technology advanced, there were sure to be problems with pollution. The sooner I tackled that problem, the better. The Japanese people had learned about pollution by experiencing Minamata Disease, Itai-itai Disease, and Yokkaichi Asthma. There was no need for the people of this country to experience anything like that.

  “So, did something happen with these sedimentation ponds?” she asked.

  “Right, so I used the Forbidden Army to dig holes for the sedimentation ponds...”

  “What are you making Sir Ludwin and his men do?” she exclaimed.

  Well, if I’d hired workers, that would have been expensive, and I’d wanted to teach the soldiers of the Forbidden Army “combat engineering” skills. Digging holes, filling them up, reinforcing them. It was the perfect practice for digging trenches. It seemed battles in this world were still fought on the open field, so a group that could use trench warfare tactics like in World War I would stand head and shoulders above the rest.

  Anyway, I digress.

  “While I was having them dig, we came across a large pile of monster bones.”

  “Bones?” she asked.

  “Yeah, bones. Dragon bones, giant bones, all kinds of bones.”

  It’s like a monster graveyard, one of the soldiers doing the digging had said.

  Dragons, giants, gargoyles, and more. There had been a large quantity of clearly non-human bones just scattered around haphazardly.

  By the way, of the creatures I just listed, dragons were the only ones that weren’t monsters.

  Dragons had a degree of magical power that was incomparably higher than what wyverns had, they were intelligent, and apparently they could even take on human form. They had a pact of mutual non-aggression with the human race, and had built their own country in the Star Dragon Mountain Range. The chief of the Star Dragon Mountain Range, Mother Dragon, was strong even by dragon standards. She was said to be an incredibly beautiful specimen, and was even worshiped by some people. Basically, dragons were terrifying god-beasts, but they were also another race, just like humans and dragonewts were.

  Anyway, let’s get back to the story.

  According to the scholars who investigated those bones, they were in a geological stratum from thousands of years ago.

  “So, there was a dungeon there?” Liscia tilted her head quizzically, but I shook my head.

  “I said they were in a certain geological stratum, didn’t I? Thousands of years ago, that place would have been the surface.”

  “The surface...? No, you can’t mean... Sometimes monsters do come out from a dungeon, but never on so large a scale. Outside of the Demon Lord’s Domain, monsters never swarm over the surface like... Ah!” Liscia gasped, shaking her head as if trying to clear it of the thought that just occurred to her. “Hold on! The Demon World only appeared for the first time ten years ago!”

  “In other words, this means, even before that, there was an era when monsters roamed the surface,” I said. “If you think about it, there are dungeons all over this continent with monsters living inside them. For some reason, the monsters that lived on this continent thousands of years ago vanished, and some small portion of them survived by secluding themselves in dungeons. That’s the idea that the scholars came up with.”

  This was like discovering that there were dinosaurs still living in some unexplored region of the world. Or like seeing a pandemic of a virus thought to be eradicated. Though, whether that hypothesis was right or not remained to be seen.

  “Well, what then?! The monsters and demons that destroyed the Northern Countries didn’t ‘come here,’ they ‘returned,’ is that it?!”

  “That, I don’t know,” I said. “It’s dangerous to jump to that conclusion at this stage.”

  What were we trying to fight against? What were our enemies? It was a question where choosing an easy answer wasn’t going to cut it.

  “Also, there’s one more thing bothering me...” I went on.

  “There’s more?!”

  “Even setting aside the issue of the bones, I needed to get that sedimentation pool made. So, I had the scholars keep archaeological records of the bones that were dug up. The thing is, a full skeleton’s worth of the largest and best preserved dragon bones has gone missing. Even though I know it was disassembled for display and sent to be stored at the Royal Parnam Museum...”

  “So, it was stolen, then?” Liscia asked.

  “That would be good news... Well, no, not good news, but still. With a full, 20-meter-tall dragon skeleton, even if you disassemble it, it’s not going to be easy to transport. Despite that, there’s no sign that it was taken out of Parnam. And yet, the bones are still missing now. It’s as if the full set suddenly started to move, took wing, and flew away.”

  “Ah! No, it couldn’t be! A skull dragon?!” she cried.

  “That’s what the scholars suspect.”

  A skull dragon. Apparently, there were monsters like that.

  They say a raging dragon can level a kingdom. Dragons have vast stores of magical powers within their bodies, and those reserves remain in their bodies after death. Normally, the magic power gradually drains out, but when a dragon dies with regrets (or, rather, when its body is left in a bad environment for too long), on rare occasions, it may turn into a skull dragon.

  These skull dragons are designated by the country as Special A-Class harmful creatures. Winged ones can fly, even though they have no membranes between their wings, and they spread a miasma that brings death to all living things. They can also use the dragon’s Dragon Breath technique from when it was alive, so when one appears, it is a living (unliving?) disaster that requires the full mobilization of a country’s military to defeat. That alone was reason for smaller countrie
s to go to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, where the dragons live, to seek assistance.

  However, this time, things were different.

  “If that were it, Parnam would already be enveloped in miasma,” I said. “The scholars performed a magical test to make sure there was no risk of that happening, after all. There shouldn’t have been any magic left in that fossil.”

  “I see... That’s good.”

  “Still, that’s why I don’t get it. Where did those dragon bones vanish to?”

  It had already been close to a month since the dragon bones vanished. Despite that, there was still no sign of them, so did that mean they had been carried outside the walls somehow, after all? If so, what was the purpose? There was apparently little use for the bones once the magic left them. They had lost their value as a magic catalyst. The best that could be done with them was to put them in a museum (of course, I would need permission from the Star Dragon Mountain Range for that) and use them as a tourist attraction.

  I didn’t get it. That was why it bothered me.

  I lay down on my side. Liscia frowned at me, but I didn’t care.

  “You’re getting your clothes dirty, you realize?” she commented.

  “They can be washed. Besides, considering my position, I can get someone else to wash them for me.”

  “A king can’t let himself get dirty all over,” she said.

  “Yeah, I’m sure dignity is important and all, but... it’s a pain in the butt.”

  “As one of the people who forced this on you, it’s not my place to say it, but give up and accept it.”

  “Right, right. Whew, having time where I’m off completely sure is nice.” I stretched my arms and legs wide. How relaxing it was to not have a single part of my spirit working.

  Now that I thought about it, I had been working constantly since coming to this world. There were things to do, things I ought to do, things I had no choice but to do, piles and piles of them, and so I had been using my head all the time. Having this sort of time where I didn’t need to think about anything... it was the best.

  “Ahh... I wish I could just melt away and return to the soil,” I murmured.

  Liscia was silent. After seeing me like that, she seemed to think for a moment, then hesitantly said, “Do you want... to rest your head in my lap?”

  ◇　◇　◇

  I sat with my knees bent, resting Souma’s head on my thighs.

  When someone rests their head in your lap, they can either do it with their body lying horizontally or vertically from your perspective. This was the vertical variety.

  When I peeked down at him, my face was reflected upside-down in his eyes. Souma’s head was lying between my two thighs, and it tickled a little.

  “Th-This is... kind of embarrassing, you know.” Souma’s face was a deep shade of red.

  ...I was sure mine was, too.

  “Who do you think this is most embarrassing for?” I asked him. “The person giving the lap pillow, or the person using it?”

  “I don’t know... Maybe it’s ‘for the people watching,’ don’t you think?” he said.

  “Ha ha ha! You could be right.”

  If Aisha hadn’t been asleep, what expression would she have made?

  When she saw us looking like a couple who were engaged, would her face have turned red? Or would she have said, “Princess, I’ll not allow you to do that! If anyone is to be his pillow, it will be me!” or something oblique like that?

  When I saw the fondness that girl showed Souma, sometimes I felt there was something more than just loyalty there...

  Somehow, I suspected that out of those two options, it would have been the latter of the two.

  “...Do you think we look like we’re engaged?” I asked.

  “Well, in name only,” he said.

  “In name only...”

  Any time it came up, Souma always told those close to him that our engagement was just temporary, and he was only holding onto the crown for a little while. Once the kingdom was reasonably stable, he probably planned to abdicate the throne to me. I felt like that was the reason he always carefully explained the reforms he was carrying out to me. I think I understood enough of who Souma was as a person to figure out his intentions there.

  Souma didn’t desire excessive wealth or fame. He just wanted to live in peace and quiet. For Souma, being a “king” bound by “noblesse oblige” was the exact opposite of his calling in life. Even though my father had made the decision, I felt awful that we had pushed this burden off onto him.

  ...But, right now, this kingdom was changing to center around Souma.

  This country, which had been thought of by the surrounding nations as a moldy old kingdom that never changed, was now changing. It was thanks to Souma that we had been able to cope with the deepening food crisis. As for Hakuya, Poncho and the others, they had only volunteered to serve because Souma was there. Even if the throne were abdicated to me, could I keep them all tied down here?

  But besides that, more than anything, I myself wanted Souma to stay in the kingdom. And so...

  “Souma... Does it bother you to have me as your fiancée?” Those words naturally came to my lips.

  Souma’s eyes went wide, and he turned his bright red face to the side. “...It’s not fair for you to put it like that.”

  “O-Oh, yeah?” I stammered.

  “Then are you fine with it, Liscia? Having me as your fiancé?”

  “I don’t mind.” I was a little surprised myself that I was able to say it so clearly. Though, after I did, I felt just a little embarrassed. “You know, I think you’re better suited to rule this country than I am, Souma.”

  “Even if I’m suited for it... are you going to get engaged to someone you don’t love?”

  “Isn’t that what it means to be royalty?” I asked.

  “I’m not royalty. Besides... I’d rather marry for love.”

  “Then... do you hate me, Souma? Can you say for sure that you’ll never fall in love with me?” I asked.

  “Urgh... I told you, it’s not fair when you say stuff like that. The thing about men is, if a girl shows even the slightest hint of liking them, they’ll fall for her. That’s the sort of creatures we are. If a beauty like you says that to me, Liscia... there’s no way I wouldn’t start to feel conscious of you.”

  Souma had said something that sounded like an excuse. He was surprisingly calm and realistic in his duties, so it was funny to see him flustered in a situation like this.

  I giggled. “You can make the country move, but you’re hopeless when it comes to this.”

  “...I lack the experience. In so many ways.”

  “I spend all my time in my studies and military duties, so I haven’t had much experience either, you know?” I said.

  “Don’t act like it’s the same for guys and girls. Our base specs when it comes to love are completely different.”

  While we were talking about that, a hesitant voice spoke up. “Um...”

  When I turned around, Aisha had woken up at some point, and she was looking at us with a wry smile that looked like it had been concentrated to three times the usual intensity.

  “How much longer do I need to pretend I’m asleep for?” she asked.

  ““...””

  We both leapt into the air.

  ◇　◇　◇

  After leaving the park, we walked around the castle town some more. It was noon and we were getting hungry, so the three of us decided to head to the singing cafe where Juna worked.

  As we walked down a cobblestone path, Liscia said, “So, about what we were talking about earlier...” and asked me a question. “You mentioned changing the laws, as well. What was that about?”

  “Oh. What I did was convert the smaller roads into pedestrian paradises and nationalize garbage disposal.”

  “...I’m sorry. I have no idea what that means.”

  Well, no, I suppose she wouldn’t have. They both tied back into the hygiene and sanitation
problem, though.

  “Well, first, let me explain the pedestrian paradise thing. This one’s simple. I prohibited carriages from using anything but the largest of thoroughfares. Carriages that carry merchandise receive a special exemption, but only for a few hours in the morning. We’ve been walking in the middle of the street all this time, and nobody’s run us over yet, right?”

  “Now that you mention it...” Liscia looked all around, not spotting a single horse.

  “This provides an easy reduction in the number of horse accidents, creating a safe environment for people to shop, which helps to stimulate the economy, but... the main goal was to clean up all the horse dung.”

  “Horse dung?” Liscia repeated.

  “When a horse is on the move, you generally just leave its droppings behind, right? Well, that dung dries out, gets picked up by the wind, and it harms the lungs of those who inhale it. The more unsanitary a place was to begin with, the more likely horse dung is to be left alone. If we limit the horses to the main roads, it makes collecting their droppings easy. This ought to bring down the number of people contracting pneumonia considerably.”

  “Huh?! That’s all it takes?!” Liscia exclaimed.

  “...Yeah,” I said. “‘That’s all’ it would have taken to save lives.”

  “Urkh...”

  It may have been a harsh way to say it, but I couldn’t have her writing off something that would mean the difference between life and death for people with a “that’s all it takes.”

  “Well, in some ways, I can’t blame you,” I said. “The concept of hygiene doesn’t exist yet in this country. In fact, only two of the medical professionals I’ve met with understood it.”

  I think I’ve mentioned before that because this country had magic, its technology was sort of all over the place. Well, that was true in the field of medicine, as well.

  As you might expect from a fantasy world, this place had what was called recovery magic. By converting magic into certain wavelengths within the body, it heightened the body’s natural healing ability. It was effective in treating external injuries, such as scratches, cuts, and bruises. Really impressive practitioners could even reattach an arm that had just been severed.