How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 11 (Premium)

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How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 11 (Premium) Page 14

by Dojyomaru


  “...I think I can understand.” Hakuya agreed with me. “The girl is clever. Her ability to study was nowhere near the level of Little Sister or Ichiha, but she possesses a mind capable of flexible thinking and imagination. You might say she’s adaptable... She possesses a skill for seeing through to the true nature of things. The way she praises the way you reign, but is also wary of it, is another sign of that... Ahh, I see. You think you can use her as a deterrent against Sir Fuuga?”

  Hakuya nodded in fascination, perhaps having seen through what I was planning.

  “It’s true that if you show Madam Yuriga what this country is capable of, she will warn Sir Fuuga not to fight with you. Perhaps she is already warning him through her letters.”

  “Hrmm,” Liscia crossed her arms and groaned. “I get what you two are saying, but... I’ve never met this Fuuga. From everything I hear, though, he doesn’t sound like the type who would stop because his sister warned him against something, you know? I mean, if he was, Souma would have no reason to be so wary of him.”

  Liscia had struck at the heart of the matter, and I nodded.

  “That’s right. I think Fuuga would likely be able to throw Yuriga away for his ambition. But he wouldn’t like doing it. There’s a slight difference in nuance between ‘not hesitating,’ and ‘not being able to hesitate.’”

  Think of the similar great man, Oda Nobunaga.

  He killed his younger brother, and murdered the families of his wife and his sister’s husband, so he’s remembered as a cruel and merciless demon king, but he could be awfully soft on those close to him. He forgave his little brother and Matsunaga Hisahide several times for betraying him, and offered that same Hisahide and Azai Nagamasa the opportunity to surrender up until the very last moment.

  Ultimately, Nobunaga dominated the era by destroying whoever he had to destroy, but he had a strong heart, and it wasn’t like he didn’t struggle with that.

  “Having to do it over his little sister’s objections should put some psychological pressure on him, if only a little. If we’re going to face that man, I feel we’re going to need to build up every little advantage that we can.”

  “It’s a tough one... But do you think Yuriga will actually oppose him for us?” Liscia asked.

  “That’s the problem, isn’t it? What do you think, Hakuya?”

  “It is hard to say at this stage,” Hakuya said, shrugging his shoulders as if giving up. “In the end, that will depend on who Yuriga thinks would win in a conflict between you and Sir Fuuga. If she decides Sir Fuuga would win, we won’t be able to use her as a restraint on him. If she thinks you would win, or perhaps that Sir Fuuga would have difficulty winning, I expect she will do whatever she can to stop him. The latter would be good for us, but...”

  “That’s the ideal outcome... but we’d have to show her a certain amount of our real power to convince her our country is strong, right? It’s still too early to show her something like the Hiryuu, obviously.”

  “Yes. That’s why we should have her participate in events like this symposium. To show that we are studying fields that other countries aren’t is one easily-understood signal that we are ahead of the other nations academically.”

  “We should proactively show her what we can, huh...?”

  Well... that’s the only way to do it, I guess. I thought. I don’t know what will happen between our countries in the future, and I can’t be sure what decision Yuriga will make when that time comes. If possible, I’d like her to see us as a country they don’t want to tussle with...

  “All we can do is watch and wait for now. We’ll have to show her what we can afford to in order to make her see this country’s power, and keep a watch on her. Hakuya, you keep your eyes sharp, too.”

  “I intend to, of course.”

  When Hakuya bowed, Liscia let out a sigh and said, “The girl is clever, but we’ll just have to hope she’ll act as a good deterrent for us.”

  I agreed with Liscia from the bottom of my heart.

  In the afternoon, on a day some days after the guardians had that discussion.

  Having finished her classes at the Royal Academy, Tomoe and the other students had gathered in the grand auditorium following after-school homeroom. They were here to clean up and bring in seats in preparation for the Monsterology Symposium to be held tomorrow. This world did not yet have folding chairs, so they had to bring in the wooden ones they usually used in the classroom.

  Later, when he heard about this, Souma considered developing a folding chair. Mass-producing them would be expensive, and they were doing well enough moving the wooden seats they already had around, so he decided to put it off.

  While Tomoe was setting the chairs up in neat rows on the carpet, Lucy came along with a one under each arm and laid them down with an “Oof!” Then she sat down in a chair herself.

  “Augh, this is exhaustin’.” Lucy sighed, hanging her head. “The chairs’re heavy, and too far away.”

  “You okay, Lucy?”

  “I dunno if this is a symposium, or a symbolium, or whatever it is, but what’re they makin’ a frail young maiden work like this for? And where’re Yuriga and Ichiha at a time like this?”

  “They both have clubs. The teacher said that takes priority, and Ichiha’s in the Monster Research Society, so he must be especially busy.”

  “I get that, but it’s killin’ me goin’ back and forth over and over to get chairs. I ain’t never carried anythin’ heavier than a sack full of wheat before, y’know?”

  “That’s pretty heavy, isn’t it? More than a chair, I’d say.” Tomoe pointed that out with a wry smile, and Lucy cocked her head to the side.

  “If you add in how awkward they are to carry, isn’t it about the same? How about you, Tomie?”

  “Me? Hmm... I haven’t carried a lot of heavy things, but I may have pulled some.”

  “Pulled them?”

  “Back when I was a refugee, we all pulled a heavy cart together.”

  “.........”

  The ease with which that emotionally taxing story came out left Lucy speechless. It reminded her once more that Tomoe lived quite the odd life in her twelve years, and she put her hands together and bowed apologetically.

  “Aw, I’m sorry.”

  “Ahaha... Don’t be. With Mr. Jirukoma and Ms. Komain leading the refugees, we hardly lost anyone, and we’ve been treated well ever since we came to the Kingdom. Things were hard back then, but it’s not that unpleasant of a memory.”

  In Tomoe’s case, that was largely because her family had been there with her. Many of the refugees had been separated from their families, but because the kobolds had spared her, Tomoe was able to evacuate.

  Once they came to the Kingdom, the kind but indecisive King Albert had given them tacit approval to stay, and a small amount of support. Then, once Souma took the throne, Tomoe became Liscia’s adopted sister, and the refugees were accepted as citizens of the Kingdom.

  The kindness of many people had allowed her to be where she was now. The thought of this warmed her heart. Those had been days of uncertainty, where she never knew what tomorrow would bring, and she would not willingly go back to them, but there was nothing in them that made it painful and sad just to remember them.

  Now, all it made her think was, “Oh, yeah, that’s a thing that happened, isn’t it?”

  I hope I can repay the kindness I was shown someday. To the former refugees, and the kobolds in the north, too. The first step to doing that had to be the Monsterology Symposium being held tomorrow.

  While Tomoe was thinking about that, Lucy suddenly cried out in surprise, “Whoa?! Just how many of those things can you carry, Velie?”

  When she looked over, Velza had brought a stack of five chairs. The wooden seats weren’t designed to be stacked, so the pile was awkward and shaking. Still, Velza carried it with a cool look on her face.

  “This is nothing. I still have a long way to go before I’m anything like Lady Aisha.”

  �
��No, no, what’re you comparin’ yourself to the strongest person in the Kingdom, the Kochiji Queen for!” (Bop!)

  “Ow...!” Lucy bopped Velza with the back of her hand for comedic effect, and the impact made her tower of chairs lurch even more.

  ““Whoa?!””

  While Tomoe and Lucy cried out in surprise, Velza was concentrating.

  “Oof, there...”

  The tower was shaking to and fro, but Velza managed to balance it and stop it from collapsing, to which Tomoe and Lucy broke out in applause. When the shaking completely subsided, Velza laid down the chair tower, and the three of them dismantled it together.

  “Oh, right, I believe you two were saying something about clubs earlier?” Velza asked as she lined up chairs.

  “Oh, yeah, we were. Ichiha and Yuriga are both in clubs,” Tomoe replied. “Aren’t you going to join one, Velza? You’re really athletic, so I’ll bet you’ve had invitations from all those clubs.”

  “It is true that I move well, but... I’m not that interested. I am thinking I would rather join the Cooking Club.”

  “Huh? Cooking?”

  “Yes. If I consider my future, I believe it will be necessary.”

  Velza said, her cheeks reddening a bit.

  Come to think of it, Velza said she came to this academy so she would be fit to serve a certain someone. From the way she’s acting, is it someone she loves?

  Tomoe was already twelve. The time in life when you first take an interest in romance. She wanted to hear about it in detail when she got the chance.

  But Velza joining the Cooking Club, huh...? If you considered the fixation she’d shown on the food served at the fruit parlor Lucy’s family operated, it might be a more natural fit than you’d think.

  “Have you not considered joining anything yourself, Tomoe?”

  “Hmm... I wouldn’t mind joining Ichiha in the Monster Research Society, but... How about you, Lu? Aren’t you going to join a club?”

  “If there were a Lady Roroa fanclub, I’d be joinin’ it.”

  “Fan club?! There are fan clubs?!”

  “No way. That’s why I’m thinkin’ of makin’ one myself. Lady Roroa’s popular, so I think I can get members, and if we make it somethin’ business-related, for public purposes, I think I can get it approved. Ahh... Big Sister Roroa.”

  A look of bliss fluttered across Lucy’s face. It seemed meeting the genuine article at the castle had only intensified her love for Roroa.

  “Ahh, if only I could see you again. Lady Roroa, are you the wonderful mother goddess?”

  ““She’s the queen! And wait, she’s leveled up from last time?!””

  Tomoe and Velza could only smile wryly.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  “Oh! That’s Yurie over there, ain’t it?”

  “Ah! You’re right.”

  Having finished preparing the grand auditorium, the students dispersed. The three were discussing where they might drop by after school when they passed by one of the sports grounds inside the academy. Out on the field, the trio spotted Yuriga with her club. They were divided into two teams, using their feet to try and seize control of the ball. It looked like soccer at first glance, but if that were what it was, the sounds they were hearing would be strange.

  Shoom...! Whoosh...! Ring!

  Rumble... Kaboom!

  It was hard to imagine they were playing soccer from these noises. If Souma were here, he’d think, “Is this a factory, or the runway at an airport?”

  This was to be expected though, since they were, in fact, not playing soccer. What they were playing was a new sport, created by merging the rules of the sport called soccer that Souma had brought them with a new rule allowing all non-offensive magic.

  It was aptly named Magic Soccer.

  “Yuriga, I’m going!” A female dragonewt player kicked the ball high into the air.

  She looked familiar, and she was. She was the senior who had chased Yuriga through the air to recruit her into a club on the day of the entrance ceremony. Yuriga had escaped then, but it seemed she had eventually caved to the other girl’s enthusiasm and joined.

  The ball flew to a height even an amateur could tell might be too high (about ten meters in the air), and Yuriga kept after it, taking advantage of her ability to fly. Then, getting in position for an overhead kick, she wrapped the wind around herself.

  “Goooooooo!”

  Shoooom!

  Yuriga’s powerful shot flew straight towards the goal.

  “I won’t let you!” The goalkeeper opened her hands wide, and the ground in front of the goal rose up, taking the form of an earthen doll.

  The girl who was goalkeeping was a user of earth magic, like Genia, and had summoned a golem that was three meters tall. No, it had been spread thin to better protect the goal, so it looked less like a golem, and more like the creature Nurikabe from Japanese folklore.

  The ball, wreathed in wind, struck the Nurikabe-like golem. When it did...

  “Break throuuuugh!” Yuriga bellowed, and the Nurikabe-like golem cracked.

  “No way?! My golem!”

  The shot tore through the Nurikabe-like golem, and into the net. A whistle blew to indicate a goal had been scored, and the team that scored it celebrated with high-fives.

  “The scrimmage is over! Take a break!” A long whistle blew as one dragonewt club member made the announcement, and the other members started to disperse.

  Yuriga, who had been mobbed by her side because she scored the point, was set free, and fluttered over when she noticed Tomoe and the others had been watching.

  “Well, if it isn’t Tomoe and the gang. What, is the auditorium set up already?”

  “Yeah. That shot you made was cool.”

  “Well, of course it was.” Yuriga puffed up her still underdeveloped chest with pride. Looking towards the auditorium, she said, “About the symposium tomorrow. It’s all right for me to go and see, right?”

  “Huh...? Oh, yeah. The audience seats are open to the public. But Ichiha and I are both going to be in the seats for people involved in the symposium, so you’d be watching on your own.”

  “That’s fine. I’m sure there will be people watching me, too, though.”

  “I think so, too, but...”

  Yuriga put her hands on her hips, laughing as if she had just remembered something. “When we went to Lucy’s fruit parlor before, the ice seller who came to restock the ice room was singing something. That’s because of that song battle you held, isn’t it?”

  “.........”

  She was totally on the mark, and Tomoe didn’t know how to respond when it came up so suddenly.

  The Work Songs Society had received state support after the experimental skirmish called a song battle, and part of their research on improving magic used in daily life had been made public. Incidentally, the song the ice seller had been singing was from Souma’s old world, and was one that made you want to build a snowman when you heard it.

  “Even when your brother’s policies seem pointless, they do have some meaning to them. Now that I know that, I can’t afford to look away,” Yuriga proclaimed while Tomoe remained speechless.

  Uh, oh. I can’t let things like this shake me. Coming to her senses, Tomoe shook her head. I’ve got to do like Juna told me. At times like this, I...

  “Always smile, so your opponent doesn’t know how you truly feel. Always act with composure, and only let the one you love see your weaknesses.” That was what Juna, her vision of an ideal woman, had taught her.

  Tomoe smiled at Yuriga and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “...What’s that pasted-on smile for?”

  “Oh, nothing really.”

  “You’re kind of pissing me off... Anyway, I’ll be watching from the guest seats tomorrow.”

  “Sure. Please, do as you like.”

  Yuriga looked dubiously at the smiling Tomoe. Smile and stare collided.

  “Wh-What, what? What’s goin’ on
here?” Lucy stammered.

  “...I was stunned for a second, too,” Velza muttered. “I need to train myself more.”

  The unease flowing between these two who were, on the surface, just having a peaceful chat gave Lucy and Velza the chills.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  It was the day of the Monsterology Symposium, and the auditorium at the Royal Academy was packed. The theme had been narrowed to monsterology, but experts in various fields had been called in to hear their opinions, so there were quite a large number of people gathered. In addition, there were ten times that number of spectators who wanted to watch and listen, so it was likely the largest gathering this auditorium had ever held.

  In terms of seating arrangements, the main guests of this event, the authors of the Monster Encyclopedia, Hakuya and Ichiha, were seated at a table in the center of the stage. Also sitting with them was the head of the Monster Research Society, a young man who was petrified with nervousness. He had been brought in solely because he headed the club Ichiha belonged to, and I had to feel bad for the guy being put under the spotlight like this.

  At the table on the right were the members of the royal family: Liscia, Roroa, Tomoe, and me. The left table held the headmaster of the Academy; Ginger, the head of Ginger’s Vocational School; Kuu, the son of the head of the Republic; and Souji, a Lunarian Orthodox bishop. Because of the VIPs gathered on stage, Aisha, and Kuu’s servant Leporina were there as bodyguards, while Carla and Ginger’s wife Sandria were there to assist with other tasks.

  There were rows of long tables in front of the stage, and researchers of Monsterology and all the other fields were gathered around. Among them, there were familiar faces like Genia the Overscientist, and Merula the high elf. This symposium was basically going to be an exchange of opinions between us on the stage and those researchers and experts at the tables in front of us.

  On the other side of the researchers and experts, there were chairs filled with those who had come to observe. Given that this was being held at the Royal Academy, a large percentage of them were students. Yuriga was probably in there, too. The symposium was also being broadcast to Empress Maria of the Empire over the Jewel Voice Broadcast.

 

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