Chapter 4: Getting Closer
I didn’t join up with the pursuit unit organized to chase Bautore after he escaped from Ronaf Castle.
I had deliberately let just Bautore escape after the battle that wiped out the Royal Brijitian Army. It was part of my plan to occupy Brijit. Yes, this was to be the last operation—the one that would wrap up this war for good.
It was also the first idea that came to mind after I boasted about occupying Brijit in front of the King of Runan. Once I was able to raise Rozernan morale and secure a victory, it was just a matter of using the enemy’s retreat to my advantage.
It’s a gamble, of course.
It wouldn’t be possible to occupy Brijit in such a short time without gambling. No matter how great our victory was, if we chased our fleeing enemies into the Brijitian Kingdom proper, we’d be forced to take a number of domains one at a time.
Unlike that lengthy approach, this plan will let us take Brijit all in one go! Gamble or not, it’s worth giving it a shot!
I gathered the commanding officers of the Runanese reinforcements for a meeting about my plan.
“As I’m sure you’re all aware, the Brijit Kingdom lies to the south of Rozern, and there is a huge mountain range between the two countries.”
When Brijit and Rozern were formed after the fall of the Ancient Kingdom, they drew their border along the mountain ridge. These impassable mountains were known as the Kryl Mountains.
“Trade between Brijit and Rozern used to be conducted along the eastern edge of the mountains, and that’s where the defeated Brijitians retreated to.”
The capital of Rozern was in the northwestern part of the kingdom. Bautore had to head southeast first in order to retreat to Brijit’s royal capital. On top of that, the capital of Brijit was in the southwest of their territory. With the Kryl Mountains to the north and the coast to the south, it capitalized on the land as natural barriers to repel invasion.
Because of that, the King of Brijit had to detour far to the east to go around the impassable mountains, before heading west again.
“I intend to overtake our enemies as they flee. The plan is to head due south from the Rozernan capital, occupy the Brijitian capital before they get there, and greet the retreating enemy when they arrive.”
I planned to take the capital with a ruse, which amounted to this: basically, we would pretend to be the fleeing Royal Brijitian Army in order to enter the capital before the enemy could arrive.
Enemy uniforms littered the ground after the intense battles we’d fought.
“But Commander! The Kryl Mountains are famously impassable. Stories of their peril are known even in Runan!” Fihatori sounded concerned.
“Consider it a challenge. If we can cross the border first, we can occupy the Brijitian capital, kill their king, and throw the entire nation into chaos all at once. The Brijitians were our targets all along, weren’t they? If you consider what will happen if we’re successful, you’ll see it’s worth taking on the challenge. Besides, I believe we can do it with our current morale. Listen to me, Fihatori. Whether the men can cross the mountains or not will ultimately rely on the skill of their commanding officers. This is a job for you and me. Don’t you have any desire to push your own limits?”
Fihatori mulled over what I’d said for a moment.
“If you insist, then I’m ready to try. It’s certainly true that if we succeed, then it will only be a matter of time before Brijit falls. With their king dead, the Three Swordsmen slain, and so many of their men fallen in battle...”
“There you have it. Include that in your report to the duke, would you?”
“You knew about that?!” Fihatori asked, surprised.
“In your position, it’s only natural you would be sending reports to him. Do what you have to do and then start getting ready. I’ll bet it gets incredibly cold up near the mountain ridge, so make sure that we have warm clothes. Our battle’s only just begun, Fihatori.”
“I’ll use everything I’ve learned in my military career to prepare for it.”
Fihatori nodded, then left the meeting room with the other officers.
It won’t be simple, of course. But crossing the Alps won Hannibal crushing victories during the Punic Wars, and I can’t imagine the Kryls are any steeper than the Alps. So, we’ve got to do it! So that I can make this world mine.
Euracia opened her mouth to speak. “May I go with you?” She had apparently wanted the other officers to leave before she asked this.
“You?”
“Yes. Please, let me come!” Euracia nodded forcefully.
I wasn’t too keen on the idea, though. It wasn’t a battle worth dragging her along to. Besides, her wounds from before still hadn’t healed, the bandages she wore still in place.
“Rozern’s already won the war. So I don’t think a princess like you needs to risk her own life for this. Besides, you’re injured. Wouldn’t crossing the mountains in that state...be a bit much for you?”
“No. Brijit is Rozern’s enemy. They massacred the people in the border towns before this. When you look at it that way, I feel it’s naturally my duty to see this through to the end. Please. I can rest after it’s done!”
Well, she’s got a point.
Whatever the case, no one could deny she’d played a huge role in this war. Without her raising their morale, it would have been difficult to get the Rozernan soldiers to act, and we wouldn’t have been able to push the enemy into a crisis so easily.
If she was this eager to come, I couldn’t justify saying no.
*
Thus began the advance on Brijit.
The temperature fell as we climbed into the mountains. This cold was going to be the greatest obstacle to crossing the Kryls. The soldiers and these low temperatures did not get along. This world generally had temperate weather throughout the year. Even the winters were warm. That’s why the troops were struggling so much against this cold.
In fact, I suspected that the reason the Kryl Mountains were considered impassable was simply because of this cold. Frankly, though, I felt like Japan’s winters were chillier. That’s why I could handle it just fine, but the soldiers couldn’t.
They shivered as they tried to bear the cold. I could tell they weren’t used to it at all. I’d heard the mountains were steep, but they weren’t as bad as I’d expected. They weren’t as high as the Alps. Maybe two thousand meters or thereabouts.
That’s way lower than even Mt. Fuji. Still though, the terrain here was treacherous. I had my 30 Second Invincibility to fall back on in a pinch, but some of our men fell to their deaths off the cliffs, or were crushed under the weight of rocks crumbling from the mountains above.
Our troop numbers had dropped a little because of this. With their wits dulled by the cold, some of the soldiers ultimately slipped to their deaths.
When we stopped our march for the night, Fihatori and the other commanding officers had shrunk into themselves for warmth. This was wreaking havoc on the Morale that we’d worked so hard to build up.
At some point, their Morale score had fallen to 70. The promise of enough reward money to ensure they’d be set for life once we occupied the Brijit Kingdom seemed to keep them enduring, though.
We lit campfires, but they still had to get pretty close to the flames in order to feel any warmth. Even Jint made himself small and kept quiet.
“You okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah. This is no big deal.”
“You’re shivering, aren’t you?”
“No. I’m deliberately moving my body. Not shivering.”
“Okay, then.”
It seemed pretty obvious he was shivering, but whatever. He was just being stubborn. As we were talking, Fihatori came over.
“Commander, perhaps you should use this...” he said, offering a heavy blanket.
“Fihatori.”
“Yes?”
“What do you think is the most important thing for a commanding officer to have?” I asked him a somewhat sudden question.
“Bravery, I think. There’s nothing a commander can do if he’s frightened.”
“Bravery’s important too, of course. But the most important thing is the trust of his men, wouldn’t you say? With trust, they’ll naturally come to obey him. So I won’t be needing that blanket. The men need every last one they can get.”
If the commander was the only one with a heavy blanket, all that would do is earn him the resentment of his men. If anything, I needed to show them I was suffering just as much as they were.
I needed to stop their Morale from falling any further, after all. I went around to each thousand-man unit, moving together with the soldiers. We ate and shivered together. Obviously, I never used a blanket. I slept together with them, shivering in the cold. I also gave speeches to each unit to boost their motivation.
“You must all be tired from walking today. I am too. I’m sorry to gather you all like this when we’re finally able to take a break, but there’s something I should make clear. We’re all suffering here. Me too. Even so, I’m managing to endure the same conditions as all of you. So I’m sure you can take it too. If you can endure, Brijit will be ours. That means the reward will be yours too. Your names will be recorded in history as the soldiers who crossed the mountains to occupy Brijit. Become witnesses to a history your descendants can pride themselves on!”
I went around encouraging the men with talk of the rewards and glory they would have once they returned. It definitely lowered the number of soldiers complaining. The look in their eyes changed, and their Morale score never fell any further below 70.
We went off the road, forging our own trail by breaking branches and cutting down trees. We endured the cold and kept on walking. I intended to live alongside my men until it was over. It was tough, of course, but I sucked it up and tolerated it because I wasn’t going to get my hands on Brijit otherwise.
But unless I showed up with a whole pile of blankets, things weren’t going to get any better. I’d halted the precipitous decline in Morale, so now it was time to work on practical steps to remedy the situation.
Is there some way to conserve warmth until we can make it past this area near the summit?
I remembered an instructional video that I’d seen online ages ago. I didn’t know if it would work, but it was worth a shot. So, I went around to each unit again.
“Fihatori! We’re going to heat rocks the size of a man’s head in the fire. I want you to take the men and gather as many as you can!”
“Wait, Commander! If we heat the rocks, we’d burn our hands! That sounds dangerous...” Fihatori shook his head in shock at what I was asking of him.
“That’s not a bad idea either, you know? Do you want to try it?”
“I-I’ll pass.” Fihatori was confused.
“Obviously. If you were to carry them directly, you’d burn yourselves. Once the rocks are up to heat, we’ll gather them all in one place and then put out the campfire. Then, once a new fire has been built, dig a hole where the old one was!”
I started digging with the other soldiers at once. We stopped quickly, though. It wouldn’t be good for the hole to be too deep.
“Throw all of the heated rocks into the hole!”
Heated rocks take a long time to cool, especially under the ground already heated by a campfire.
“Cover the hole with dirt!”
The rocks were soon hidden from sight. I tried touching the dirt placed over them. It felt like things had worked out pretty well.
“Try lying down here.”
Fihatori was quick to do just that, far more convinced by this idea than when he thought they’d be carrying heated rocks.
“Commander... It’s warm!”
“Oh, it is? But you were just saying u heating the rocks would be dangerous, weren’t you?”
“No, if this is what they’re for, then that changes things!”
“Now that you get it, it’s time to get up. We have appearances to keep up as nobles.”
“B-But...”
“Neither you, I, or the other officers are to use it. This is for the men!”
I dragged a reluctant Fihatori to his feet, then had the soldiers heat rocks and bury them the same way.
Obviously, no matter how well the rocks held their heat, it still only lasted for a limited time.
“Take shifts heating as many as you can. If you can lay down for even ten minutes that should warm you up.”
It’s important for the commander to show he’s doing something, even if it’s not actually all that useful, right?
As I went around letting the thousand-man units see this, Morale improved, rising another 5 points to a score of 75.
*
Thanks to doing everything in my power to encourage the soldiers, we made it over the peak and started working our way back down the mountain. The farther we descended, the warmer it got.
Obviously, we lost some men to the precipitous terrain, but that was well within the range of expectations. But even though we’d been able to cross the mountains, it would have been hard to move right on to invading Brijit—at least under ordinary circumstances. Normally, the Brijitian capital would be defended by a massive garrison.
Not now, though.
I’d destroyed the massive army that Bautore personally led in the invasion of Rozern, and also killed the Three Swordsmen. With Bautore still working his way around the mountains to retreat, he wouldn’t be making it back to the capital for a while yet.
That meant Brijit’s capital was practically unoccupied.
So, as long as we got there before him, we’d won.
The enemy capital was right at the base of the mountain. As we hurriedly descended towards our goal...
“Huh...?” Euracia, who had been following us through this cold so silently I almost forgot that she was there, suddenly cocked her head to the side.
“Is something the matter?” I asked.
“Um... The ring suddenly started shining. It’s only shone when opening the treasury before now...”
There was, indeed, a white light emanating from her ring.
That’s when it happened!
The ground began to tremble like an earthquake, the tremors sending cracks through the ground beneath her feet. The land crumbled out from under her, and she fell.
If she falls from here, she’ll surely die!
“Fihatori, keep advancing! Prepare for battle in front of Brijit’s royal palace! I’ll catch up once I’ve saved the princess!”
Shouting that in the spur of the moment, I immediately leaped off the cliff without a second thought.
“Commander!”
Obviously, I wouldn’t do something like this without a plan. I’d have been an idiot to throw myself off such a high cliff if I wasn’t totally confident in my ability to survive it.
I’ve got a skill, after all. A skill that lets me survive any fall!
Once I’d jumped, I quickly found her, still falling. But she was far away.
We’re falling at roughly the same speed, so it’s going to be impossible to catch up to her like this.
And so I summoned Daitoren and used Crush on the ground. But this time, I didn’t throw the sword, just performed the motion. Empowered by my use of Crush, Daitoren dragged me along with it. As a result, I was able to catch up to her in midair. Just before I did, I nullified the effect, and took her in my arms.
“Euracia!”
“Erhin...? Why?!”
“Don’t ask! Just hold on tight!”
Timing’s going to be key here. The invincibility only lasts for thirty seconds.
Timing it so that I triggered 30 Second Invincibility just before we hit the ground, I landed with no more trouble than if I’d taken one step down a flight of stairs.
There was no physical shock to my body, so obviously Euracia was fine too. She looked at me in utter disbelief.
“Wh-What in the world...?”
“It’s a mana skill. Like a skill that lets me land anywhere, you could say?”
“Oh, the one you used when you jumped from the castle walls! But still... How could you jump with so little hesitation? It’s too dangerous!”
“You’d believe me if I said the sun will rise in the west, right?”
“Huh?”
“Well then, believe this. Believe it no matter what. I jumped because I knew I could save you. It would be unthinkable not to save a comrade who’s fought alongside me when I was perfectly capable of doing so.”
“Wh-Whaaa... But...”
Euracia puffed up her cheeks a little and stared at me. I felt like her face had gotten a lot more expressive than it used to be. But I couldn’t stand the silence when she was looking like that, so I set her down on the ground.
Euracia’s legs must have been shaking, because she immediately sat down. I left her there and looked up at where the cliff had collapsed.
A massive gate had appeared in the cliffside, and it was still shaking as it emitted a white light. That’s what had caused the earthquake on top of the cliff.
“More importantly, do you know anything about that gate?” I asked.
“No... It’s my first time seeing it,” she replied, looking at her ring, which shone as if resonating with the mana circle of the massive gate.
The ring reacted to it, then. That probably means this gate is deeply connected to the relics of the Ancient Kingdom. In that case, I can’t afford to overlook it.
“Well, let’s go up to the gate, then,” I suggested. “It’s not like we can climb the cliff...”
“That’s a good idea!” Euracia nodded, then stood up once she regained enough composure.
Together we approached the gate, which was still vibrating.
“Do you mind if I try opening it like the treasury?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Once I nodded, Euracia pressed the palm of her hand against the gate, her expression tensing slightly. The mana circle drawn on the gate let out a burst of light and the shaking stopped as the gate opened up.
“Huh?! It really opened!” Euracia exclaimed. “But this is Brijit Kingdom territory, so why would the key to Rozern’s treasury work?”
“That ring is a treasure from the Ancient Kingdom, so maybe current domains have nothing to do with it? The Ancient Kingdom covered the entire continent.”
“Oh, that makes sense!”
The Nameless Sword I gave to Jint was from the Ancient Kingdom too. There might be something useful in here.
The place had aroused my curiosity.
“Equip your sword, Euracia. Let’s check out what’s inside the gate. Exercise all due caution, okay?”
“Understood.”
I stepped through the gate warily, since there was no guarantee that this place was safe like the treasury. As I did, the passageway leading deeper inside lit up, cutting through the darkness. Little mana circles shone on the ceiling.
“Huh...” Euracia followed with a tense expression on her face, looking around the cave in bewilderment.
“It’s a good thing there are lights... It looks like there aren’t any side paths, so let’s head straight towards the back.”
Once Euracia nodded her agreement, we walked down the passage for a while. It was a straight corridor with nothing to see but mana circles on the ceiling. It had been well over half an hour at this point, so now I was using an ordinary sword in place of Daitoren.
That leaves 30 Second Invincibility as my only lifeline, and I’m only able to use it one more time.
The situation was far from reassuring, but we kept on going, never encountering either danger or a way out until—finally—something changed.
There was a wide, open space at the end of the narrow tunnel.
We looked at one another, and then we both nodded.
With a gulp, we set foot into that space.
That’s precisely when it happened!
“Eeeek!”
“Whoa!”
Suddenly, the ground opened up and we fell.
A pitfall!
Infuriatingly, we had just stepped into a classic trap. Unable to tell how deep it was in the darkness, I activated 30 Second Invincibility despite myself. That used up the last of my skill points, but I had no choice. If there were metal spikes or bamboo spears at the bottom, I’d be skewered to death otherwise.
I also took Euracia in my arms, just as I had when we’d fallen from the cliff earlier.
We had been walking pretty close together, so it was easy to get my arms around her without using a skill like Crush this time.
I may have been imagining it, but it felt like she was clinging just as tightly to me until, at last, my back impacted the ground. For better or for worse, there had been no need for me to use my invincibility skill—there was nothing on the ground where I landed.
The hole that had opened up in the floor quickly closed, leaving us in darkness.
It was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything.
The walls were smooth, without anything we could grab onto—and from what I saw before the hole closed up, the ceiling was too high to reach by jumping.
What a perfect hole for us to starve to death in.
“Are you okay, Euracia?”
I couldn’t see in the darkness, but I had fallen back-first while holding Euracia after using 30 Second Invincibility, so she had ended up lying on top of me. It was that position that seems to happen all the time in rom-coms. I also felt something soft and bouncy asserting its presence.
“I’m fine. How about you? You seem to have ended up underneath me...”
“I’m all right too.”
As I sat up, despite not meaning to, we ended up hugging one another in a seated position.
On top of that, I was touching something voluminous. This had to be the softness of a breast. Her assertive bosom sent my brain into a tizzy, and I seemed to have surprised her too, because we both pushed each other away at the same time.
“A-Anyway!” Euracia stammered. “What is this hole? It’s too dark to see anything down here... It’s kind of...”
“Scary?” I suggested.
“That’s not it. But being trapped in the darkness...”
Yeah, that makes sense. The darkness itself isn’t a problem. I mean, she had no problem spending the night out in the mountains. Is she claustrophobic, then?
“It’s not scary, but I don’t like it. Not being able to see anything makes me feel more lonely... I feel like I’ve been living all alone ever since my father passed away. I mean, I haven’t been able to treat my brother like a little brother ever since he became king...”
“It’s okay. You may be trapped, but you’re not alone, right?”
“The way you say that...! Honestly... You’re such a bad man! I should have expected no less from a villainous lord.”
“Wait, how does that follow? All I said was that you’re not alone.”
When I asked that...
“N-Never mind!” Euracia hurriedly stammered.
Not being able to see her expression, I couldn’t tell what had gotten into her all of a sudden.
“You sure are an odd one, Your Highness. Well, anyway, maybe we should count ourselves lucky to have a quiet moment like this in the middle of war?”
“Erhin. What are you talking about? How is falling into a trap good luck?”
If it weren’t for the darkness, I would probably have gotten a good look at Euracia being genuinely confused, but instead I only heard her voice.
In response to her question, I explained, “Being trapped down here is giving us a chance to talk, isn’t it? Just the two of us, huh? I’m pretty happy about it, actually. We’ve always been moving around with the soldiers, so we haven’t had any chance for this sort of thing.”
“Stop it, you dummy! What am I supposed to think when you say something like that? Anyway, I don’t like it when you call me ‘Your Highness.’ Call me Euracia instead.”
“Huh? Haven’t I been calling you Euracia all along?”
“You called me ‘Your Highness’ just a minute ago!”
Because I was joking with you.
“That was just me fooling around, emphasizing how weird you were acting. I don’t want to treat you like royalty, so I call you Euracia when we’re not in public. That’s my right, since I won the bet we made in Eintorian.”
“Do you want me to stab you with Rossade in the darkness?” Euracia replied coldly.
Please don’t do that. In this situation, I’d die.
Despite her tone, the fact we were still so close our shoulders were touching was probably a sign of our mutual trust for one another.
I trust her because I’ve seen how she lived in the game, as well as everything she’s done since I met her—but I don’t know how much Euracia trusts me. It’s got to be at least a little, given how close we are. Honestly, that doesn’t feel half bad.
“But...”
“Hmm?”
“You’re the first person who’s been willing to call me by name and not treat me like a princess. Honestly, you’re such a villain.”
It sounded like she was praising me, but what was with that bit at the end there?
“Why do you keep calling me a villain? What nerve, after I helped save your country!”
“I respect you for that!” Euracia shouted emphatically.
Respect, huh? If making a capable woman like her my retainer was all that I wanted, then that respect wouldn’t be a bad thing. In fact, it’s something to be welcomed.
But somehow, that didn’t feel like enough. No, it wasn’t enough at all.
“But more importantly, Erhin...”
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Euracia’s tone grew serious.
“If you have a skill that will let you escape on your own, please, just go, and don’t worry about me! I wouldn’t want to hold you back.”
Obviously, I had no clue how to respond to that. Where was I supposed to go by myself? Was this what she’d been thinking?
“Did you forget what I’ve been saying all this time? If you say something like that again, I’ll get mad.”
“But...!”
“When I said that it might have been lucky we got trapped here, it’s because I have a way of getting us out. We can escape from here. Obviously, it’ll take some time because I need my mana to recover first. In five hours I’ll be able to use my skill again and I think it’ll let us escape.”
“Is that true?”
“I wouldn’t lie about this.”
“Well, okay then.”
Yeah. Five hours. In five hours, I’d be able to use Crush again. Once it refreshed, I planned to use it to smash through the ceiling and escape.
“But, ‘I’ll get mad’... Pffft!”
At that moment, I heard a slight laugh in the darkness. In all this time before now, her expression had never changed. She had been the very picture of a lonely princess shouldering the fate of her kingdom all by herself. And now she was laughing?!
“Euracia, you just laughed, didn’t you?”
“Oh, come on! How am I supposed to remain professional if you’re going to say stuff like ‘I’ll get mad’?! No one’s said that to me since my father did when I was a little girl... What have I been putting on this act for all this time...?”
“Did you just drop an incredible revelation like it was no big deal? You’ve been putting on an act all this time?”
“Yes. You might call it the act I needed to put on in order to live as a princess. My father told me to always act with dignity, so that no one would look down on me. At some point, my expression became all stiff, and I started putting on an act whenever I was in front of other people.”
“So, if you just laughed, does that mean you’re done with acting?”
“Just in front of you, for now.”
“Only in front of me?”
“Yes. If you’re someone I can respect more than my father...then I don’t mind. That’s something I decided a long time ago. I obey the people I’ve decided to trust. I chose to trust you when you commanded it, so I’ll obey you. So, don’t run away, okay?”
“As if I’d run away. I’ll be by your side, no matter what.”
Her high Command and Charisma will be a great help in war. But even without those talents I’d be grateful to have her at my side.
“H-Hold on... I’m not proposing to you!” Euracia cried.
“Oh...! Yeah. I take it all back, then!”
Now that I think about it... What am I talking about, saying I’ll always be by her side?
I didn’t know what to say now. There was a long silence between us.
“Hold on, did you just laugh again? You just stifled a laugh, didn’t you?!”
“I did not! I was just at a loss for words. I’m always so weird when I’m around you... Ever since you pulled on my cheeks to try and force me to smile!”
“I shouldn’t have done that.”
Yeah, I wanted to see her smile. But to think she’d laugh in the darkness like this. I feel like I’m missing out, not being able to see it.
“I’m sorry. Well, anyway, let’s rest a little for now. It will take another five hours for my skills to recover, so it’s a good opportunity to recuperate too. I know I’m tired, but you probably haven’t slept properly after our march through the cold mountains either, right?”
It wasn’t cold here, so it was a perfect place for a rest. Although we were trapped in the darkness, that also meant there were no other threats.
“Let’s do that.”
Hearing her approval, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.
Waves of exhaustion rolled over me, and I was overcome by drowsiness.
*
When I awoke, Euracia was sleeping on my shoulder. It probably happened naturally as she drifted off.
“If she’d just be like this more often, she’d feel more like a princess...”
To be fair, she has to be even more worn out than I am. She hasn’t slept much during our trek through the mountains, or at any point during the war, really.
Leaving her be so as not to wake her, I called up the system. The text itself lit up so that I was able to read it without issue. On checking, I found Crush had recovered. That meant we could escape now. Possibly because of me moving, Euracia slipped off my shoulder and fell slightly.
“Ah...!” Her eyes shot open as she made a noise like a high school student who had briefly nodded off in class.
“You’re awake?”
“Was I sleeping?”
“Yeah. Like a log.”
“I-I was... Is that so...?”
“But more importantly, my mana’s recovered. It’s about time we got out of here.”
With her awake now, there was no reason to stick around. I stood up immediately.
I’m going to bust a hole in the ceiling with Crush. A pitfall is a trap where the ground opens up beneath you, so I’ll crush the bit that opens and break us free!
I aimed Crush at a forty-five degree angle.
“Euracia. Hold on tight to me. And don’t let go no matter what.”
“Like this? Or is this better?”
“Like that is fine. Here we go!”
I activated Crush. The motion instantly took us flying up through the hole it blasted in the ceiling. At last, we were free from the trap. The light of mana circles on the corridor ceiling welcomed us—no sight could’ve been more gratifying after all that darkness.
“Wow! That was incredible! I never would have thought you could use your special attack this way.”
“I know, right? But don’t fall for me, okay? You aren’t my type,” I said with a shrug of my shoulders. Euracia raised her hands in anger.
“What’s this, out of nowhere?! You aren’t my type either!”
Something was clearly different. She was more open about her emotions than before.
“Did you realize there’s drool on your face, Your Highness?”
Euracia looked shocked at this revelation before quickly turning away. Shocked and embarrassed. It was a natural human expression. It had been too dark for me to see when she’d laughed for a brief moment inside the trap. So this was the first time I was seeing her face so expressive. Like I’d expected, her face looked totally different when it was full of emotion compared to the stiff expression she’d had up until now. It had been like looking at a cute doll before, but now it felt like the doll had come to life.
“Th-That can’t be right!”
“You’re tired. It happens. Anyway, I think this is the first time I’ve seen your face look like that, instead of your usual tense expression... You know, you’re way cuter like this.”
“That is not true! And ‘cute’...? First you say I’m not your type, and then this?! It’s not fair! And my name is Euracia, not ‘Your Highness’!”
“I just called you that as a joke, you know? Didn’t you get that? Your Drooling Highness!”
“Urgh... You’re such a villain!”
Even the way she raised her hands angrily was adorable in this situation.
“Anyway, let’s head in deeper,” I said, beginning to move cautiously. “Test the ground with your sword as we go, just to be safe.”
After some time, we came to a massive hall. The floor of this chamber was dominated by a gigantic mana circle, making it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary place. Euracia’s ring was silent—apparently it only responded to the gate. As she entered alongside me, Euracia cocked her head to the side.
“This place is kind of strange,” she said.
“What do you mean? Do you sense something?”
“The amount of mana in the air is different. Denser, you might say...”
It’s dense with mana? Does she mean there’s more here than elsewhere? I can’t sense mana myself, so I wouldn’t know.
“Isn’t it good that there’s a lot of mana? Seems like it’d be useful for training.”
“When there’s a lot of mana, your mana recovers quickly, but the maximum amount of mana you can store in your body is determined by your natural talent for wielding it. Of course, even without talent, it’s possible that you could potentially raise that limit by training diligently for a long time, but I’ve never heard of it happening in a short time just because the air was particularly dense with it...”
Yeah, that makes sense. Increasing the maximum amount of mana your body can store would mean raising your ability scores. A-class or B-class commanders can store way more mana in their body than your average person. It’s on an entirely different level like that.
“Wait... Whaaaaa?!”
But this time, her reaction was even more strange. The way she responded to things was changing moment by moment.
“It’s weird. The mana... It’s violently shaking inside of me...! Huh? Wha?”
Euracia closed her eyes, still standing. At the same time, the gigantic mana circle on the floor shone white! Euracia abandoned herself to the flow, putting her hand out in front of her. As she did, a round blob of energy appeared over her hand. It was blue, the same color as her own mana. There was a change to Euracia’s ability score as the blue mana was sucked into the palm of her hand! Her Martial rose from 87 to 89. An incredible +2 increase.
“Your maximum mana just went up, didn’t it?”
“Yes. I felt the mana flow into me...and increase my capacity. What in the world...?”
Euracia looked at me with considerable surprise. How should I know what’s going on? Not even being able to sense mana, I had no answer for her.
“By the way,” she added, “after that sudden increase, I don’t sense mana anymore.”
“None? At all?”
She gave a firm nod.
That would mean this mana circle has the effect of raising a person’s maximum mana value. That wasn’t a thing in the game, but maybe it’s something like a bonus quest or a bonus item?
The mana circle began to shine again. That meant it could raise another person’s mana—mine, specifically. But it wasn’t like I used mana myself. That’s why, unlike with Euracia, it changed nothing for me. I opened up the system and kept staring at it, but nothing changed.
“How is it for you?” Euracia asked, approaching me. I didn’t know how to respond.
What about Daitoren? It’s an item with white light. And it has its own level too.
This mana circle also gave off a white light. So they were the same type. Both the bonus item Daitoren and this mana circle were created by the game’s management team! I thrust Daitoren into the mana circle. Well, if it can’t do anything for me, I might as well try it on this.
That changed something.
Usually, Daitoren only shone with white light when using Crush.
But it emitted a powerful white light as it resonated with the mana circle, and also spawned countless little white lights that filled the space around us.
Daitoren is now level 2.
Daitoren’s Martial cap is now 105.
Messages popped up one after another!
True Crush has been created.
Instantly kills or incapacitates an enemy with up to +5 Martial.
Also neutralizes the opponent’s mana skills.
A Martial cap of 105. Daitoren boosted my Martial by +30 for half an hour, but up until now that +30 could only bring me to a maximum of 100. That meant if I equipped Daitoren when I had a Martial of 70, it would raise my Martial to 100, and if I equipped it when I had a Martial of 71, it would only raise it to 100, not 101. That cap was just raised by 5 whole points.
In other words, if I equipped Daitoren when I had a Martial of 75, it would raise my Martial to 105. That would put me on the higher end of S-class.
Of course, if I equipped it with a Martial of 76, my Martial would still only be 105. If Daitoren goes up to level 3, that cap would probably rise again too. So far, this all made sense to me. But as for the new skill it had generated, it said that it could neutralize an enemy’s mana skills, but what exactly that meant was unclear.
Did it neutralize them and attack? Or just neutralize them?
Although, come to think of it, the game never had abilities that were both offensive and defensive.
“Hmm... How mysterious.”
Euracia looked at the shimmering white lights that had filled the hall, a contented look on her face. With all those motes as a backdrop, she shone almost like a goddess. How could I have told her she wasn’t my type? Honestly, that was a total lie. Was there a man in this world who wouldn’t have been captivated by her charms? If she had been born into my old world, she was attractive enough that she could have aimed to become a top-class celebrity. On top of that, she also had a certain nobility to her. Her regal nature elevated that pretty face of hers several times over, making her feel unattainable.
Yeah, she’s even out of my league. This world is like a game. Uniting the continent will have to come first. I don’t think I can achieve unification by also pursuing romance on the side. That’s why conquering this world has to be my priority for now.
Once that’s done, then I can look to the future.
Will I go back to my own world? Or keep living in this one? Yeah, that’s the question. Maybe I’ll get the choice once I finish my conquest? This world used to be a game. They’d better at least give me the chance to make that decision.
Anyway, this goddess looked on, mystified, standing by my side as she watched Daitoren absorb the light motes.
“That has to be a hundred times more light than for me... Did it just get a hundred times stronger?!” she asked, her eyes full of hopeful expectation, as if my gain was her own.
“No, of course not. Just a little, okay?”
The mana circle vanished after Daitoren’s level went up. It was no longer active. Did that mean it had a limit of two people? We must’ve used up all the mana the circle was releasing. In that case, maybe there were places like this in other kingdoms.
It seemed highly probable. Since it responded to Euracia’s ring, that meant it was built by the Ancient Kingdom. And if that was true, it was unlikely they’d only ever built one of them, here in Brijit, the southernmost territory. What if there were even more incredible facilities in the capital of the Ancient Kingdom?
That would be excellent.
If I could find them, wouldn’t I be able to raise not just my abilities, but those of my retainers up to the limits of their talent? In the game, I was able to boost their abilities with items. Did this mean that kind of fun character-raising feature was still in play here? If so, I figured this was all part of the bonus. Everything related to the Ancient Kingdom was.
The problem was I didn’t know where they were.
Come to think of it, could it be that the treasures that the Twelve Houses split among themselves—the twelve treasures, including Jint’s Nameless Sword—are hints to their locations? No, hold on. Those twelve treasures can’t just be hints. Hmm. I have absolutely no idea.
It was Euracia’s ring that found this place. The pendant-shaped item that I used to access the gold vault under Eintorian Castle didn’t react to this kind of facility at all. That likely meant that the facility inside the castle wasn’t built in the time of the Ancient Kingdom. It was a treasure amassed by generations of Eintorians, seeking to regain their former glory after the fall of the Ancient Kingdom. That being the case, as things stood, Euracia’s ring was my only means of finding places like this one.
“Euracia. That ring of yours... Could I borrow it sometime?”
“This? Of course, I wouldn’t mind lending it to you...”
“Oh, great!”
“But I can’t.”
She wouldn’t mind, but she can’t? What’s that mean?
As I was wondering that, she held the ring up in front of my eyes.
“Ever since I first put it on, I haven’t been able to take it off. Father tried to remove it, but couldn’t...”
“Huh? Really?”
“Yes. We always thought this ring was the key to the treasury, so it should have gone to my little brother, the king... But once I put it on, it wouldn’t come off. I guess you could say that, after that, it was decided that I would be the one to hold on to it...”
Sure enough, it didn’t want to budge. It was like it had merged with her finger.
Does this mean she was the key to all the bonuses? Assuming there’s only one ring, that is.
“Do you need it so badly you have to look so serious?”
“Uh, well...”
Because it was connected to the bonus items, the urgency of my need for it must have shown on my face.
“Then allow me to cut it off. Losing a single finger won’t kill me,” Euracia said plainly, taking hold of Rossade.
“Wh-Whoa there, settle down. What’re you saying? You just need to help me when I need it. No need to chop your finger off.”
“Are you sure?”
“Uh, yeah. I’m sure. Don’t say crazy stuff like that. I don’t want your finger...”
“Hmph! You want to say you don’t need a finger from a woman who’s not even your type? Is that it?”
Uh, no this isn’t about that. I don’t need any fingers.
She kept on staring at her hand. If I left her like this, she might really cut it off, so I decided it was time to change the subject.
“Anyway, let’s get out of here. If this was really made in the time of the Ancient Kingdom, there must be an exit on the Brijitian side too.”
If this facility was like the treasuries in the Eintorian and Rozern Domains, this place was likely connected to somewhere in the Brijitian capital too. If so, and if we could infiltrate the city through that point, that would be a far more certain death blow to Brijit than us going back and trying to chase after the United Army. It might be a risky bet, but it was one I was strangely convinced I would win.
*
After that, we walked for another half a day before finally reaching the exit. As I’d predicted, it was connected to a wall in Brijit’s royal palace. Nobody had ever imagined there was a hidden corridor behind the wall, so everyone was shocked by our sudden appearance.
“Intruders! Assassins!”
The palace guards moved into action, but they were no match for Euracia’s Martial, or for mine when I was using Daitoren. Given that our goal was just to run away, not to wipe them out, it was impossible for them to stop us.
“Are you okay, Euracia?”
“Yes! I’ll have my revenge for Rozern!”
“Okay, let’s keep going all the way to the gates.”
We escaped the palace and fled to the castle gates. Because that secret passage was connected to the inside of Brijit’s palace, it made things simple. Even more so than when I fought to hold the gates open at Lynon Castle. That’s because Bautore had taken the vast majority of the Brijit Kingdom’s manpower with him, leaving the palace with far fewer defenders than Lynon Castle had.
I’d given Fihatori orders to descend the mountain and set up camp in front of Brijit’s royal palace. In a way, this had ended up serving as a test of his capability. Would he be able to lead an army and be of assistance to me? Jint lacked any talent for leading forces. That’s how I was feeling as we fought our way to the gates, anyway. We slowly started to open the massive gates of the Brijitian capital. This was a castle bereft of its lord. It was basically empty.
“Euracia, we probably don’t need to fight anymore. Look outside.”
Once I saw what was out there, I was convinced. Even if Fihatori was part of Ronan’s faction, he was still a highly capable commander.
“Oh?” Euracia came over to where I was standing and looked outside.
She must have seen it too: Fihatori, standing at the front of the army, with the massive flag of the Runanese Army. My eyes met with his, and I nodded.
“Everyone, advance into the castle!” he commanded the Runanese forces that had crossed the mountains.
Jint was already rushing forward before he gave the order, and the open gates of Brijit welcomed the battle fiend inside. The result was that we occupied the Brijitian capital in less than half a day. It was a hollowed-out shell, with only the palace garrison left to defend it. There was a large noble class in Brijit, but they were only nobles. There was nothing they could do without troops to command. Obviously, our main enemy was still out there, swimming free, so I left their flags flying from the castle towers as I returned to the palace.
Now all that remained was the big fish—the King of Brijit.
There was just one last battle to go.
*
In order to make sure she looked good for the final battle, I pointed out to Euracia that her hair was an awful mess. I wanted her to look properly majestic.
“Hey, do you plan on showing yourself in front of the enemy looking like that? You’ve got an image to maintain. Shouldn’t you go into the final battle looking awesome?”
“Huh...? Do I look strange somehow?”
“There’s a mirror in the room over there. You should see it for yourself.”
After giving me a dubious look, Euracia trudged off to the room I’d pointed to. Then, sure enough...
“Huh? Whaaaaa?!”
There was a cry of disbelief. She totally looked like a ghost. She had messy hair like the famous one that came crawling out of TVs. Yet she was still beautiful.
“Wh-What in the world...?”
Hands trembling, Euracia began brushing her hair in front of the mirror. But she was making a mess of it. This was a woman who’d lived with nothing but a sword in her hand. Her maids had always done her hair for her.
“You’re not brushing it properly... Do you think you can get it back to how it was that way?”
“I-I can manage that much...!”
It was only getting worse, so I snatched the brush out of her hands.
“Our intel says that the King of Brijit will be arriving soon. There’s no time, so I’ll do it for you.”
“Huh? You will?” She looked at me uneasily.
Obviously, there were maids in this castle. But we couldn’t trust them in the slightest. It wasn’t completely out of the question that they might suddenly try to assassinate Euracia while brushing her hair. That was just an excuse, though. I mostly just wanted to do it myself.
“Just sit still and give me a chance.”
I gently stroked her hair from top to bottom with my palm. Her pretty hair swayed in my hand. Then I used the brush, gently working my way down. Little by little, I got all the flyaway hairs under control. It would’ve been best if she could wash her hair first, but there wasn’t time for that. In which case, the next best thing to do was to either tie it back or braid it.
“I’ll braid it for you the way you normally have it.”
“You can do that...? Unbelievable. Even I struggle with that a little!”
Unsurprisingly, she wouldn’t admit outright that she couldn’t do it. Well, it was only thanks to my little sister that I knew how. My mother was always busy with work, often leaving me to look after my sister, so I’d learned how to do her hair thanks to that. I’d had to do it for her all the time when she was in elementary school.
Now she was over twenty and could look after herself, but back then she’d always been asking for complicated styles. She was a real pain in the butt.
Little sisters are the worst.
Anyway, that’s why I was confident I could do Euracia’s hair for her. I set to work, doing the best job I could.
“Well?” I asked.
“It looks nice... But... Just how many women did you have to get close to, to get this good? Running your fingers through their hair...”
She looked at me suspiciously. Clearly this was a misunderstanding.
“That’s not how it is. You’re the first one outside of my family. There may be lords out there who have a bunch of women serving them at their leisure, but I’m not one of them. Love is important to me.”
“Huh...?” Euracia looked at me with disbelief.
What’s going on with her image of me?
“Liar.”
“I’m telling you, it’s true.”
“What kind of love?”
“What kind...? The kind that makes your heart race just thinking about your lover, even when they’re not around?”
“Hmm... You’re that pure, are you?”
“Yeah. What, are you the type that could marry or go out with just about anyone?”
“Of course not!”
“Well, how about throwing away your status as princess for love, then? If you stay in Rozern, you’re eventually gonna get married off to some noble or royal from another country that you’ve never met. You know that right?”
“That’s the one thing I don’t want. If that ever happened, then I’d slit his throat on our wedding night and kill myself too!”
She’d kill herself? Extreme, much?
“Uh, or you could just reject the political marriage in the first place. Or run away if that wasn’t an option!”
“You mean run away after I killed him?”
I mean you should run away before you end up going to his place at all, obviously. And you know that too. Honestly, this woman...
“You wanna fight?” I asked.
Euracia looked away.
“You...smiled just now, right? Like you’re enjoying it!”
“Whatever do you mean? I did no such thing.”
I tried to call her out on her blatant smiling, but she was back to her usual princess face, denying it in an instant.
*
Faced with the terrible results of his invasion, Bautore had been left with no choice but to give the order to retreat and run for his life. Less than two thousand men were able to escape with him. It was clear to anyone that continuing the war was impossible. Because of that, he was retreating to his own domain now.
“We’re going home to Brijit! We’ll be back! We’ll never forget what happened here! Never!”
Bautore gritted his teeth and ran for home. Obviously, the Royal Rozernan Army gave chase. Escaping his pursuers with great difficulty, Bautore returned to his own country.
The Rozernans didn’t keep following across the Brijitian border. Bautore snorted at their timidity.
“They really are no big deal. These cowards can’t cross the border because they fear to tread on Brijitian soil! Gah hah hah hah!”
Bautore still believed this defeat had been caused by his own bad planning. The enemy weren’t so impressive! With his usual self-confidence, he believed that so long as he didn’t let his guard down, he still could reoccupy Rozern.
As much as he hated to, he recognized that his losses were considerable. Seething with rage and with a single-minded focus on how he would absolutely be coming back for revenge, Bautore shouted, “Isn’t that right, men?!”
His men, however, felt differently. They didn’t want to see any more of the Runanese reinforcements that had crushed them at every turn. These soldiers, with bellies filled with nothing but water, couldn’t possibly be of one mind with Bautore.
“What’s wrong?! Why can’t I hear your voices?!”
Enraged, Bautore cut down the closest soldier.
“We can’t do anything without spirit! Now, let me hear you raise your voices!”
When they saw this, the nearby soldiers forced themselves to cheer out of a simple desire not to be killed themselves. But it was the worst thing he could have done. His Command, which had been maintained by his personal charisma up until now, rapidly plummeted...from 97 all the way to under 70.
Obviously, he didn’t realize this.
He’d led his men in this heavy-handed way, enduring starvation until they reached a domain on the other side of the border. He was thinking about it simplistically, believing the problem would be solved once they had eaten.
“We’re going back to the capital! We’ll prepare our forces and then have our revenge!”
“Of course, sire! I swear we’ll have our revenge!”
Isenbahan agreed with him in order to protect his own life. Internally, he was thinking that maybe he would be best to make plans to flee the country as soon as they got back.
And so, Bautore finally returned to the Brijitian capital. However, he was met with silence at the gates.
Seeing this, Isenbahan cried out in surprise. “Why has no one come out to greet His Majesty on his return?!”
That’s right.
It was normally expected that not only the nobles, but all the servants of the palace would greet the king when he returned. They had sent a messenger ahead when they arrived in a nearby domain. Because they weren’t returning victorious, there was no need for a grand celebration, but tradition demanded they at least all come out to greet him.
This was nothing less than an affront to his rights as king. Bautore’s face turned red with indignation as he approached the gates. For some reason, the massive gates of the Brijitian capital were unmanned, without the garrison or even a gate guard anywhere to be seen.
It was awfully quiet inside the capital too.
No one walked the streets. His people were nowhere to be seen.
The soldiers gazed around as they entered the silent city. They looked to one another, cocking their heads to the side in confusion. Their commanders did the same.
“What in the world...?” Isenbahan murmured, a look of suspicion on his face.
Once they had all entered the capital, harboring these doubts, the gates suddenly closed behind them. At the same time, soldiers who had been lying in wait came rushing out of the alleys and other places they’d been hiding. Men who had been hiding atop the castle walls also came down in front of the closed gates, cutting off their escape route.
These soldiers were not Brijitian. Incredibly, the men in uniforms of the Runanese Army had suddenly appeared in the center of the royal capital.
“Y-You curs! How...?! How are you here?!”
Bautore was speechless at this unbelievable development. Of course, Erhin was standing at the vanguard of the Royal Runanese Army.
*
It was finally time to put an end to this war.
The gates were closed and surrounded by soldiers. There was nowhere to run. The King of Brijit had no hope in this situation without Ganeif. He couldn’t fight against twenty thousand men in the completely enclosed space of the walls. There was no denying he was completely surrounded.
“A mere cur like you, stop me? Impossible! I am the master of this continent!” Bautore bellowed in my direction.
I wasn’t even looking at him anymore. He was just a genocidal maniac. Nothing more, nothing less. Unlike Valdesca Frann of Naruya, he wasn’t a strategist, or a man of great character who could have still inspired awe and respect in me.
“Attack! Wipe out the Brijitian remnants!”
At my command, the Runanese troops that were surrounding the Royal Brijitian Army rushed out from all over. A one-sided battle soon commenced. Euracia ran towards the King of Brijit. Her Martial score was already about equal to his, but Bautore also needed to take on the rank-and-file soldiers at the same time.
In other words, he was no match for Euracia.
This is the price for your massacres in Rozern!
In vengeance, Euracia impaled Bautore through the throat with Rossade.
“Yeaaaaaaahhh!” The Runanese soldiers cheered at the death of the enemy’s king.
The Brijitians who saw it began surrendering, their fighting spirit vanquished. No, they’d never truly had the will to fight to begin with. That’s why this war essentially ended the moment their king perished.
“Woooooooooo!” The Runanese soldiers let out an even more excited cheer.
Standing among them, I shouted, “This is all thanks to you people. I am sure you’ll be paid your due reward. So feel free to get drunk on victory. I’ll even allow you to drink alcohol today. But you mustn’t lay a hand on the people of Brijit. I intend to prosecute war criminals to the fullest extent of the law!”
*
Fihatori slammed his hand down on the table. The King of Runan had ordered Erhin to return.
Hearing news of this before Erhin, as a retainer of the Ducal House of Ronan, Fihatori shook his head. He didn’t like the king’s decision. There were another fifty thousand troops being sent to reinforce them, so it was only a matter of time before the domains of Brijit surrendered.
As such, the king wanted to recall Erhin before the occupation began so that he could give all the credit to a member of his dynasty.
“I never realized our country was this rotten.”
As far as Fihatori was concerned, at this point Erhin was a comrade who’d fought alongside him. Not only had Erhin been open with him, he’d even entrusted Fihatori with command of the front line, where it was easiest to distinguish himself.
That’s why Fihatori had opened his heart to Erhin. He only meant to monitor him at first, but he’d totally changed his mind along the way. Fihatori had also fought alongside Erheet Demacine, a fellow retainer of the Ducal House of Ronan.
He respected Erheet too, of course, but Erhin had two things Erheet didn’t: the power to unite his troops, and a strategic mind.
To that end, Fihatori burst into the provisional office with the intention of persuading them to change their minds.
Even if that ended up going against Duke Ronan’s wishes.
*
I started preparing to go home. There had been a rapid shift after we took the Brijitian capital. The King of Runan, hearing reports of what happened, had dispatched an impressive fifty thousand more troops. He’d only given me thirty thousand to protect Rozern and destroy Brijit. Once he saw that it was becoming a reality, he’d hurried to send more.
Was that his greed, causing him to focus on the big prize dangling in front of him instead of the danger of Naruya?
I predicted this, of course. His greed will be the ruin of Runan. If he sends troops to Brijit, that will make it all the harder to fend off the impending Grand Subjugation from Naruya. And once Naruya takes the capital, I plan to absorb the leaderless domains of Runan!
That would mean conflict with Naruya, surely, but it would all come down to a battle of strategy. As such, I didn’t have time to waste here now that my objective was accomplished.
Of course, I hadn’t fully occupied Brijit. But that was a job for the newly dispatched Runanese troops.
And the King of Runan wants it that way too, I’m sure.
It defied common sense to replace the commander who had taken care of the most vital and dangerous work, but I was actually appreciative of the snub.
Naruya is the real enemy—one that a minor opponent like Bautore isn’t even worth comparing to. I’ve done what I set out to accomplish, so I can go home without regrets. I can always retake this domain later.
“They’re ordering you to return to Runan at once as soon as the fifty thousand men arrive!”
“If that’s what they want, I guess I’ll have to return, then.”
Noticing my utter lack of emotion about this, Fihatori frowned.
“Once they’ve recalled the commander who occupied the Brijitian capital, I expect Duke Ronan’s subordinates to arrive en masse. You’re not going to tell me you don’t know what that means, are you?”
What it means, huh?
There was no way I couldn’t have known. The king and duke meant to occupy all of Brijit, then steal the credit for my accomplishment.
“Before I answer that, you’re one of Ronan’s men, aren’t you? I’m surprised to see you’re so concerned about me.”
“No... This is different!”
Fihatori unexpectedly shook his head. It was as if he truly thought what they were doing was beyond the pale. Fihatori Delhina was a talented man, to be sure. The problem was that he was a retainer of the Ducal House of Ronan.
He was a count, but one without a domain of his own, which meant he was lower ranked than I was in the peerage. There were a lot of landless counts. Especially ones serving as retainers to high nobility, like the duke.
That’s what he was.
If he kept his mouth shut, this might even be an opportunity to receive a domain of his own. Unlike me, who wasn’t part of Ronan’s lineage, he was one of the duke’s retainers. Most of the credit for what I’d done was probably going to him. If he was saying this to me in spite of that, did it represent a change of heart?
That’s not a bad thing. I always welcome talented people.
Fihatori had been an upstanding leader in the battles we fought.
He’s shown me he can do wonderful work.
He also excelled at following orders precisely.
But it’s too soon.
Considering his circumstances, I can wait a little longer before having him join me.
With that thought, I shrugged. “Well, it’s fine. I have no desire to get embroiled in political struggles. Anyway, I expect you’ll be getting a domain in Brijit after this. Congratulations. Heh heh.”
“I don’t think it’s any laughing matter! And I could never! I won’t accept such a reward while you receive nothing, Commander!”
“That’s not the way to do this.” I shook my head. “If you’re really concerned about what’s in my best interest, then stay in Brijit. If you’re given a domain, take it. And continue to swear loyalty to Duke Ronan. If you’re able to amass power in your domain, then I’m sure you’ll be able to help me out someday.”
“What are you talking about...?”
“There’re more important things right now. The rewards to be paid to our men, for one thing. I kept talking about how they’d be rewarded to keep them motivated.”
“But will His Majesty make good on that promise? Based on what I know of his personality...”
Fihatori’s eyes suggested it might be impossible.
Yeah, that’s right. There’s no way that the King of Runan’s ever going to pay the soldiers those rewards.
“He likely won’t. But it’s important to be true to your word. If I don’t keep my word, then I doubt the soldiers who served me so well this time will ever listen to me again.”
It’s incredibly important to win the men’s loyalty. Especially since I mean to absorb Runan’s manpower later.
“If His Majesty won’t pay, I’ll have to reward them personally. I’ll send the money, so could you make sure the men get it for me?”
“Of course I will. By my honor, I swear to make sure the other nobles can’t embezzle it. But are you really going to head back like this? If you were to stay, then...!”
“You’ve got to look at the big picture. If you get too caught up on the little things, you’ll miss out on it.”
As I said that, shaking my head, Fihatori looked back at me with his mouth hanging open like an idiot.
*
He wasn’t the only one questioning things. Euracia was too.
“Erhin, I wanted to ask you something.”
“And what might that be?”
“Um... What is your objective? I want to learn about your ideals. Because I can’t imagine you’re the kind of person who’d be satisfied as nothing more than the lord of a small domain.”
She picked up on that, huh? She’s got a better eye than I gave her credit for. Fihatori didn’t seem to have figured it out, though.
“What is it you dream of? Could it be...” Euracia looked both ways to check that no one else was around. “You hope to become the King of Runan?”
Honestly, her words surprised me. Because while she was wrong, she also wasn’t too far off the mark.
“You’re thinking too small.”
“Huh...? Did you say small? Runan is small?”
“Setting that aside... In regard to my ideals, they’re nothing too grand. Happiness for me and my comrades...that’s all I want. The continent is in a state of chaos. Most nations will invade each other if they see the slightest opening. That’s why the havoc of war never ends. The only way to find happiness in an era like that...is through unification. If the continent is united as one, then peace will naturally follow.”
This was just me saying things in a grandiose manner. My actual goal was to beat the game. That meant unifying the continent. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if we got peace as a result?
It was obvious, looking at history, that the era of unification that followed the Sengoku Period was better for the people. Comparing life in the Sengoku Period to life under the Tokugawa Shogunate in the Edo Period, the latter was obviously better. A world where war raged every day was totally different from one where there was continuous peace, even if it was only on the surface.
Especially since this continent was originally one country.
“That’s why I intend to fight. To end all war. Of course, even after unification, there will be another war someday. But between a country where there’s times of peace, and a land that’s at constant war with itself, anyone should be able to see that the former is preferable. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Once the land was united, it wouldn’t be easy for another war to start. Assuming that the unified kingdom was governed by a reasonable administration, peace would probably last for centuries. That’s how it was in Earth’s history, after all.
Euracia just stared at me. “Peace for Rozern,” she said at length, “and for everyone on the continent... Is that what you’re talking about?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Everyone, without distinction.”
“Is that possible?”
“Who can say? It’s what I’m going to work towards. So, if you want to cast aside the Rozern name, and work with me as just Euracia, you’re welcome anytime.”
Euracia blinked for a moment at this proposal.
“The scale of this discussion has gotten a little too big for me. Who in the world are you?!”
“More importantly, Euracia...”
“What? Please, don’t confuse me anymore!”
“No, no, this is about something else. Come to Eintorian anytime you’d like. You’ll always be welcome there. You have no friends, right? I’m offering to be your friend.”
“What are you saying?! Of course I have friends!”
“Oh, yeah? Who?”
“There’re...maids I get along with!”
“Can you call that having friends?”
“Urkh...!”
Euracia began shaking. It seemed I’d hit her where it hurt.
“I don’t know!” she shouted angrily and stormed out of the room.
*
In Runan’s royal palace, the King of Runan greeted me with great satisfaction. “Gah hah hah hah!” he bellowed. “I always believed in you. Excellent work. Just marvelous. You really did it!”
“You did well, Erhin.” Duke Ronan didn’t hesitate to praise me either. The problem was that praise was all I was getting.
They seemed disinclined to give me any reward. Their intentions were so transparent. Honestly, they surely thought I was a sucker.
“I take it all of Brijit shall fall into Runan’s hands soon, Your Majesty?”
“I suppose so. The extra troops I sent seem to be doing well. Gah hah hah hah!”
“No one can deny that I was the one who made it possible for them,” I declared to the king’s laughing face.
The king and Duke Ronan looked to one another, as if the moment had finally come. The smiles faded from their faces. It felt like they were already planning to dispose of me once the war ended.
“Hmm, couldn’t they, though? You never know, really. It might have been possible without you. Perhaps Fihatori could have done it by himself.”
The king was spouting nonsense. They didn’t come greedier than this.
“Sire, I won’t ask much of you. And I know it’s my fate to keep fighting on your behalf. I may not have done much of import, but could I ask for some reward, no matter how small?”
When I mentioned future wars, the king coughed a little. He looked like he’d realized, like it or not, he had no choice.
“Yes, I suppose so. You’ve accomplished something. Nobody’s denied that. You’ll have to be rewarded. Yes, a reward. Will a gold bar do?”
Oh, screw you. I’ve got all the gold I need. More than Runan’s economy.
“You are the one who can use that gold best, wouldn’t you agree, sire? Could I, perhaps, have a domain on the Brijitian coast instead?”
“A domain on the coast?”
“Yes. There’s a place called Loctoin. I hear the coast is beautiful there.”
“Loctoin? Hey! Fetch a map at once!”
Soon, a map was spread out in the audience chamber, one on which I could point out that domain for them.
“Why a domain on the coast?” Ronan asked, seemingly reluctant to give me even this tiny scrap of land.
“I’ve always wanted to own a domain on the coast. A quiet, little stretch of land by the seaside. I intend to set it up as a resort. I’d say that will lure in some fine women, wouldn’t you?”
“Aah, right. I’d forgotten you were so excessively fond of women. Well, it seems small enough we could give it to you, but...”
“Then could I ask to have a document to that effect made here and now, pressed with the royal seal?” I asked.
“Sire, I don’t believe there’s any need for such haste. Erhin, could you return again tomorrow?”
Ronan’s greedy. He won’t let even a small domain slip away so easily.
I nodded, not having any other choice. The next day, I came for another audience with the king. It was obvious what Ronan had been up to the night before. He’d ordered a thorough investigation of the land I requested.
He knew that they were going to have to give me something to keep using me in future wars, but he had no intention of giving me a domain from which I could expand my power base.
“I discussed the coastal domain you requested with His Majesty,” Ronan said, pointing to one spot on the map. “I’ve picked out an even better place than the one you mentioned. A domain by the name of Bertaquin. There really is nothing there, so you’ll be able to blow off steam there without attracting public attention. Heh heh heh. A secluded beach, completely surrounded by mountains. No matter what you do there, no one can easily flee, right?”
He pointed to a spot in a remote corner of Brijit. A little seaside city. Honestly, you couldn’t even call it a city, and the domain was totally surrounded by mountains. Really, mountains were about all the domain had in it.
“I can have that domain?”
“Yes. We’ve prepared a rescript pressed with the royal seal. It took a lot of work to find the best domain for you. Do you not like it?”
“P-Perish the thought...!” I said, laying it on thick.
The two of them both looked at me as my expression clouded over.
“I gratefully accept, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, you do? I’m glad you like it, then. Gah hah hah hah hah hah!”
The king let out a roaring laugh, thinking he’d managed to fob off a worthless domain on me in place of any real reward. Mentally, I sneered at him as I accepted the rescript and left the palace. Yeah, that’s right. The joke was on him.
Bertaquin, which had seemingly nothing to speak of, was precisely the domain that I’d wanted all along.
I had predicted that if I asked for a seaside retreat, they’d give me the most worthless piece of land on the Brijitian coast. That’s just how the king and Ronan were. Ronan was probably laughing at my mistake in mentioning using it as a resort when he picked this domain for me. He figured that, given Bertaquin was ideal for my stated purpose, I couldn’t possibly say no. Obviously, I never had any intention of refusing.
In fact, Bertaquin had the most abundant iron mines on the continent.
Eintorian had to import iron because of a lack of it, but those imports were managed by the royal family. That had made iron rather difficult to come by. Iron was a strategic resource, and every nation managed it judiciously. As such, being able to harvest it from my own domain was a massive gain.
Of course, Brijit hadn’t known about the iron in Bertaquin either.
In the game, the mine was only discovered once the territory was developed, and then it overflowed with iron. So only I knew about it at this point.
Yes, indeed.
This iron was what I’d wanted more than anything from this war.
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