Genjitsushugisha no Oukokukaizouki - Volume 18 - Chapter 10.1

Chapter 10: Shared Pain

That night, Fuuga spoke in front of his generals.

“We don’t have time to spare taking Red Dragon City,” he said. “There are a lot of real schemers in the Kingdom of Friedonia, and Souma is one of them. If we give them time, there’s a risk they’ll come up with a plan we can’t see through. In order to prevent that, we must tear out his throat faster than expected.”

“So you’re suggesting we leave Red Dragon City alone?” Gaten asked, and Fuuga nodded.

“That’s right. But we’ll leave a force to make sure they don’t hit us from behind... Krahe.”

“Yes, sir!” Krahe stepped forward as he was called.

“You fought the Kingdom’s wyvern cavalry, right? Is it possible to stop them?”

“Yes, sir! The equipment they use to accelerate midair is troublesome, but I suspect it must also put considerable strain on the rider. It seems unsuited to be used for long periods of time. If we hang in there and exhaust our opponents, we might not achieve air superiority, but we can at least prevent an attack from the rear. Please, allow me to take on the task.”

Krahe’s eyes were filled with determination. The way the Kingdom’s air force had played with him that afternoon had stirred up his pride as an air combat specialist.

“Next time, I’ll win for sure,” he added.

Fuuga nodded. “Then we will entrust General Krahe with his aerial unit as well as a force of ten thousand land troops. If the soldiers in Red Dragon City try to give chase, defend us and crush them.”

“Yes, sir! As you command!”

And so it was decided that Krahe would stay at Red Dragon City while Fuuga led the main force to Parnam himself. No cities were left between here and the capital, so the showdown between the two leaders was on the precipice.

Or so he thought, but then something even Souma hadn’t anticipated happened...

◇ ◇ ◇

I was in the governmental affairs office in Parnam Castle, doing desk work again today, like always.

Even in wartime, paperwork never let up. In fact, war created more necessary paperwork, and I was having Liscia and Yuriga help me handle what came my way. I’d entrusted matters of strategy and military command to Strategist Julius, Commander-in-Chief Excel, and Ludwin’s advisor Kaede, so it wasn’t an issue for us to focus on paperwork. But that didn’t mean we weren’t concerned about the ongoing situation.

Even at this very moment, my people’s blood was being shed. I prepared and prepared, trying to make sure nothing I hadn’t predicted would occur, but it was nerve-racking to work when I felt this uneasy. Especially now that I didn’t have the children to soothe me.

Aisha and Naden rushed into the room.

“Your Majesty. The Great Tiger Empire gave up after attacking Red Dragon City for just one day!” Aisha reported. “They left behind only a small force to keep our forces in check and are now heading towards Parnam!”

“Julius and the others say they’re ready to meet them in battle whenever they need to,” reported Naden.

They must have gotten messenger kuis from Serina, who was observing from up in the sky.

I laid down my quill and thought, I see... So Fuuga and his people didn’t get fixated on capturing Red Dragon City, huh?

“This is close to our worst predictions. I thought they would wait and see for at least two or three days,” said Liscia.

“They give up too easily,” Naden snorted. “The Great Tiger Empire’s troops have no backbone.”

“No, I think they didn’t want to let you buy time,” Yuriga speculated. “I couldn’t tell you whether that’s because of a suggestion by Advisor Hashim, though, or if it was my brother’s wild instincts.”

It was just me, Liscia, Aisha, Naden, and Yuriga here, which meant that all my wives remaining in the capital were gathered in one place.

“Things are running slow, but...it shouldn’t be too much longer,” I said with a sigh, looking up to the kamidana shrine I had as a decoration in the office. “Mao. How are the preparations?”

“It will still be a little longer.”

“Whoa?!” Yuriga backed away as the image of Mao suddenly appeared in the room and responded.

Liscia and the rest weren’t surprised, but that was probably because of how long they’d been around me. Yuriga had been in this country a long time too, but it was only relatively recently that we could start letting her in on everything, and it’d be some time before she got used to it.

“What’s your overall progress?”

“Around ninety percent. The materials have been gathered, so I believe it should be finished today or tomorrow, but it will take even longer to transport them to each location.”

“We’re really cutting it close...”

My shoulders slumped. I’d wanted to finish it before Fuuga attacked Parnan, but that was looking to be difficult. I asked Mao to continue her work, then asked her to leave (or disappear, rather, since she was a projection).

I leaned back in my office chair and let out a long sigh.

“I wish they’d wasted time a little longer...”

“Red Dragon City is an important location we can’t let fall. We defended it tightly, but maybe we should have asked Carla and the others to fight a more painful battle?” Liscia suggested.

I shook my head. “No. Neither Fuuga nor the Great Tiger Empire is such an easy opponent that we can defend against them while pulling our punches. If we had let down our guards even a little, Red Dragon City would have fallen and horrible things might have happened.”

“You’re right...”

“With the pair of Sir Fuuga and Durga, it might be possible for him to take the castle alone,” Aisha murmured, crossing her arms.

Fuuga’s ability to unleash lightning strikes on the level of a dragon’s, paired with Durga’s high mobility, was a dangerous combination. If a fort wasn’t adequately prepared, he’d easily smash through the gates himself. In order to defend against his wild strength, the defenses had to be super tight and able to make the enemy question if something had happened to Fuuga.

I rose from my chair and spoke to the other four. “Anyway, there isn’t any place where we can defend between Red Dragon City and Parnam. Fuuga and his people will be approaching here in no time. I’m sure Excel is already preparing to meet them in battle, but we should go too.”

“Yes.”

“Yes, sire!”

“Roger that!”

“Okay.”

Liscia and the others all nodded. The time had finally come to face Fuuga head-on. Or so I’d thought...

“What’s the meaning of this?!”

After Fuuga and his men gave up on attacking Red Dragon City early, we received reports they were on their way to Parnam the next day. After hearing one report in particular, I stormed into the war room with Liscia and Aisha in tow.

Julius was there with a grim expression while Excel hid hers behind a fan, and Kaede looked around anxiously.

I strode over to Julius.

“There are no defensible cities between here and Red Dragon City! The only thing left to do was to meet Fuuga in battle near Parnam! That’s why we agreed not to leave any troops in the castles and fortresses along the Great Tiger Kingdom’s path!”

“Yes...I suppose we did,” Julius said, his expression unchanged as he nodded.

Now that he’d admitted it, I got up in his face without even trying to hide how livid I was.

“Then why are there units holding their positions?!”

In the report I’d received, there were units still remaining in the abandoned fortresses and evacuated towns along the invasion route.

“Your Majesty... Please calm down,” Excel interjected in a soothing tone.

However, I couldn’t settle down at this point.

“None of those cities or castles can withstand such a massive army!” I exclaimed, seizing Julius by the front of his shirt. “If they hold out there with their meager forces, they’ll just be overwhelmed and crushed by the enemy! You need to recall those units immediately!”

“I...” Julius paused. Looking me straight in the eyes, he finished, “...cannot do that.”

I’d given him a royal order. There shouldn’t have been anything strange about it, yet, unbelievably, he was refusing.

I blinked in surprise.

“Why not...?”

“Because they wished for it themselves,” Julius answered, grinding his back teeth.

“Themselves? Who is leading the remaining units?”

“General Owen Jabana and my own grandfather, General Herman Newmann.”

Old Man Owen and Old Man Herman?! They’re only supposed to be participating in this operation as individual commanders. Why are they defending a place like that?!

I glared at Julius. “You said it was their own will, right? Do you know something, Julius?”

“Yes... They called me aside to speak before this war began.”

With a pained expression, Julius began to recount the story.

◇ ◇ ◇

“What is it you want to talk about, Grandfather Herman?”

One day, as war with the Great Tiger Empire neared, Julius visited Herman’s domain in the Amidonia Region.

The other day, he’d received a message saying, “I would like you to come to my house without telling His Majesty or Roroa. It isn’t an emergency, but please do come as soon as possible.”

Once Julius arrived at Herman’s manor, the steward led him to the sitting room. Another man—a mountain of rippling muscles—was also present with Herman.

I’ve seen him around the castle before. Souma’s personal trainer, Sir Owen, I believe.

As Julius thought to himself, Herman spoke.

“Good of you to come, Julius. Well, have a seat,” he said, indicating to the sofa across from them.

Despite feeling suspicious, Julius sat down.

“Grandfather. Things are busy right now, but is there something you need? With war about to break out with the Great Tiger Empire, I’m not free at the moment...”

“I know. There’s something I wanted to say about that war.”

“There is?”

Seeing the suspicion on Julius’s face, Herman and Owen both looked at him with warm eyes.

Then, keeping his eyes on Julius, Herman said, “Julius. You’re His Majesty’s strategist now, aren’t you?”

“Hm...? I am. What of it?”

“Then do you understand His Majesty’s weakness?”

Julius mulled over Herman’s words. When asked the question, Julius thought Souma had so many that it was hard to answer. But Herman and Owen were waiting for him to respond, so Julius did.

“If we’re talking about weaknesses... He has no martial abilities and occasionally comes up with off-the-wall strategies but then has to leave the details to his retainers. He doesn’t stand out as a king and can’t talk back to his queens. He has so little fixation on his authority that he lets Halbert and me talk to him casually. When it comes to personal charisma, he not only has less than Fuuga or Queen Maria, he also loses to Head Kuu, Queen Shabon, and Queen Sill too.”

“A rather harsh assessment.”

“But we, his subordinates, are more than able to make up for those shortcomings. The true value of a ruler is not in his own talents but in the quality and number of people serving him. On that singular point, Souma is a ruler who outstrips even Fuuga and Queen Maria.”

Julius’s assessment of Souma was frank at this moment.

In terms of ability, Souma might have strange ideas stemming from another world, but Julius felt he had the advantage over Souma in martial arts and strategy. However, his reign had been short-lived, while Souma’s appeared secure. The way Julius saw it, the main reason for this was because, although there were differences in the respective power of their countries and the situations they’d found themselves in, Souma had been able to hire capable subordinates, evaluate them, and put them to work.

In the Principality of Amidonia, Julius had pushed away his capable sister—Roroa—and his friend Colbert, surrounding himself only with militaristic types, like his father, Gaius, had. That narrowed his field of view, and his reign had collapsed not long after he inherited the seat of sovereign prince. However, while in the Kingdom of Lastania, he was supported by Tia and her parents, the king and queen, and blessed with trustworthy comrades like Jirukoma and Lauren. By reconciling with Souma and Roroa, he’d been able to protect the country from the demon wave.

The things that Julius had learned through his failures and frustrations were things that Souma had been able to do all along. Julius believed that was what qualified him to be king.

Herman gave Julius’s answer a satisfied nod. “I’m sure you’re right. As your grandfather, I’m proud you’ve come to that point of view... But therein lies the trap His Majesty falls into.”

“What do you mean by that...?”

“His Majesty is able to hire capable subordinates and trust them to do the tasks he sets them to. In short, that means he’s a man who values his subordinates... Too much, sometimes.” Herman looked straight at Julius as he continued. “That is His Majesty’s greatest weakness. He cannot treat his subordinates like pawns.”

Julius gulped. He was as smart as Hakuya; that was why he knew what Herman was getting at and why he had been summoned here alone... Looking at it in light of the country’s current situation, he was able to find the answer.

“Sir Julius. You understand it too, right?” said Owen, who had remained silent up until now. “The full details haven’t made their way down to us, but we can tell His Majesty, the Black-Robed Prime Minister, Duchess Walter, and yourself have been working on a strategy for war with the Great Tiger Empire. And I know you want to do whatever you can to buy time for that plan.”

Julius didn’t respond.

“Now, if it’s a matter of buying time, there is one way to do it. Have his subordinates fight to the death and risk their lives by buying that time.”

“Well, yes, but... That’s not what Souma wants!”

“I’m sure it isn’t.” Owen nodded in agreement. “His Majesty cares for his subordinates. With the high regard people hold him in, if he said, ‘Die for the country,’ many would, but he’s not the type who could say it. It’s a likable trait. However...if he is unable to buy enough time, and the showdown with the Great Tiger Empire comes before his plan is ready, then it might result in even greater sacrifices. And if it does, his subordinates will be the ones to suffer.”

“And so...you two are volunteering to be the sacrificial pawns?”

Julius shook his head. It was out of the question.

“You know that Souma would never allow it,” he told them.

“Of course, we aren’t planning to get permission. We will act at our own discretion based on the situation we see in front of us. The soldiers and subordinates we’ll bring have been carefully chosen and volunteered to come.”

Owen put on a sardonic smile.

“There were more than I expected, you know. This battle with the Great Tiger Empire... It will be a disaster if we lose, but even if we win, many of us old soldiers will no longer have any place to shine. With the Great Tiger Empire removed, nearly all the countries in the world are now our allies. I’m sure His Majesty has thought about what’s to come in the world after this, but we don’t have the stamina or life span left to follow him there. When you get as old as we are, it’s hard to change how you live. So, at the very least, we would like to lay the foundation for young people’s futures.”

“But...”

Julius searched for a counterargument but couldn’t put one into words. He was the better debater, yet these two weren’t speaking with logic but with conviction. He couldn’t think of anything he could say to convince them.

“Grandfather Herman. You’ll make Roroa sad. And Tia too.”

What ended up coming out of Julius’s mouth was a trite appeal to the feelings of their family. The normally stern-faced Herman broke into a smile at that.

“Just hearing you say that, I can go without any regrets.”

“Don’t be silly! Are you fine with that? Making your granddaughters cry?”

“I’m speaking from the heart. I was able to see you and Roroa, the two grandchildren that my daughter left me, reconcile and walk forward together. On top of that, Roroa gave birth to Leon with His Majesty, and you had Tius with Madam Tia. As a warrior, I never knew when I might drop dead on a battlefield somewhere, yet I lived to see my great-grandchildren. Could there be a more satisfying life than this?”

“His Majesty is like a grandson to me,” Owen said, letting out a boisterous laugh. “Because I’m the one who trained that weakling into a man. The time I saw him ready to pick a fight with some thugs, I was overcome with emotion. So for me, all of His Majesty’s children are my great-grandchildren.”

Owen focused his gaze on Julius.

“Sir Julius,” he continued. “We don’t mean to cast our lives away for nothing. If His Majesty’s plan goes smoothly, we will quietly carry out his orders. However...if we see there are delays and time must be bought, then we will act of our own accord. I wanted you and Duchess Walter to know that.”

“Duchess Walter knows?!”

In light of the fact that word hadn’t made it to Souma or Julius, Excel must have chosen to maintain her silence in case what they were suggesting proved necessary. It was against Souma’s wishes, but Souma was the one who had made this country into a place where they each worked in their own ways, distinct from what he intended, for the betterment of the nation.

Even if Souma got angry later, being able to act on their own initiative was this country’s strength. Julius had no choice but to give up on persuading them, and his shoulders slumped.

“Here are two letters from me,” Herman said. “If anything should happen, give them to His Majesty and Roroa.”

Owen handed him one of his own. “Mine is for His Majesty.”

A pained look washed over Julius’s face, but he eventually accepted the letters and put them in his pocket. He could only hope that there wouldn’t come a time when he had to give them to their recipients.

◇ ◇ ◇

However, contrary to Julius’s hopes, he gave those letters to me.

With quivering hands, I opened the envelope sealed in wax with the House of Jabana’s crest and pulled out the letter inside. One-third of it was an apology for acting without orders. He also requested that I not blame Julius or Excel, who’d only stayed quiet out of respect for his feelings and shared no responsibility for his actions.

The remaining two-thirds were about his memories with me.

He talked about how he’d enjoyed training me as my personal educator and sounding board; how happy he was to ride the bicycle that Roroa and I used around the courtyard; how thrilled he’d been when my kids called him Grampy Owen... It was a bit all over the place.

Around the time my eyes got so dewy with tears that I couldn’t make out the letters anymore, I saw this at the bottom of the letter.

“I think that even if we hadn’t rushed into this foolishness, you already had a plan in the works that would beat the Great Tiger Empire. However, a flawless victory is not necessarily the best one. It leads the victors to hubris and leaves darkness in the hearts of the defeated. The knowledge that both sides had losses makes the winner remain cautious and brings comfort to the losers.”

He finished with this line:

“Your Majesty... Please, do not forget this pain. It is my last lesson to you.”

“Old Man Owen...”

I handed that letter, wrinkled by how tightly I’d held it, to Liscia and Aisha. They covered their mouths once they read it and tried not to be overwhelmed as the tears flowed.

We hadn’t read Herman’s letter yet. He probably had similar things to say, and I wanted to read it together with Roroa when this battle was over. Yes. Once the battle is over.

“Eek?!”

Kaede jumped in surprise as I looked at Julius, Excel, and my advisors... My expression must’ve been pretty scary. I slapped myself once across the face, and looked straight at Julius and the rest.

“I won’t blame anyone right now. Owen and Herman wouldn’t want that. But I’m going to give you a piece of my mind! Once this war is won!”

“““Yes, sir!”””

Everyone answered me with a salute.