Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 43 - Chapter 2

The Empress’s Work

Friday, November 4th

Clan was watching a live broadcast from Forthorthe’s Parliament. A new law related to the PAF that she had created was being discussed. The matter at hand was the introduction of tax incentives for purchasing PAF or other similar new technologies for medical use, and depending on the outcome of the deliberations, there might even be a need to develop a less expensive PAF. It was an important issue that Clan couldn’t ignore as either royalty or an engineer.

Fortunately, the deliberations on the new law, which had been the focus of Clan’s attention, went off without a hitch. Parliament had decided in favor of making it easier for citizens to purchase PAF. Satisfied with the result, Clan took a break and absentmindedly looked on at a newly begun discussion. She wasn’t particularly interested in it at first, but then something interesting happened.

“The next questioner is Marclay from the House of Commons. The floor is yours.”

“Pardon me. I am Marclay.”

Forthorthe’s Parliament had a bicameral system, made up of the House of Commons and House of Lords. The House of Commons had more legislative authority, with the House of Lords functioning as a type of checking mechanism. The person currently standing at the speaker’s desk was Marclay from the House of Commons.

“The other day, a letter was delivered to my office. The sender was a news reporter named Danesford Laren, and it regarded an interpretation of a particular law. After close consideration of its contents, I concluded that it is a very important matter that requires a fair and sincere response.”

A hologram of Danesford Laren was displayed behind Marclay. He was a skilled reporter with plenty of scoops under his belt—and also Nalfa’s brother. The moment she saw him, Clan had a bad feeling.

“Normally, it’s standard for a question from a journalist to be answered during a press conference, but this matter contains important truths and questions that have a direct connection to the benefit of the people. So I notified the Speaker that I would like to take some of my time to use this occasion to ask the relevant authorities.”

Regardless of their achievements, a journalist would normally not get to bring up their question during the Parliament’s deliberation. There were, of course, situations in which the government cooperated with a reporter in the pursuit of justice, but that didn’t seem to be the case this time.

Clan’s bad feeling grew stronger. Danesford’s name in particular stuck out to her. He’d once elicited a blunderous statement from Theia, so she couldn’t quell her concern.

“As of the day before yesterday, I, the Speaker, after negotiations with the Ministry of Justice, concluded that it would be appropriate to deliberate this matter at the Parliament.”

The Speaker was backing up Marclay. A deliberation meant that the proceedings would be officially recorded. Statements made would come with a legal responsibility. That was how important the issue at hand was, and it was a sign that this was something the people should know.

“Marclay, please continue.”

“I shall. The question I received from Danesford concerned the legal interpretation of the Blue Knight’s special exception.”

When she heard that, Clan’s expression changed. This is about Veltlion’s special exception?

The question related to a serious matter concerning Koutarou. Moreover, that question had come from Danesford. Once she realized that, Clan decided to inform Koutarou and the others.

The deliberation began by clarifying how the Blue Knight’s special exception functioned legally. The conclusion: the rights granted to the Blue Knight by Alaia could not be removed. As they were written into the constitution, they took priority over the law. The deliberation itself concerned how to resolve the Blue Knight’s special exception clashing with the law.

“...so even if the law is amended, the rights granted to the Blue Knight in the past would still apply. Is that correct, Minister of Justice?”

The debate over the law and the special exception was about to end. They were currently confirming whether or not a legal reform restricting the rights of the citizens would also restrict the Blue Knight’s.

“The Ministry of Justice’s interpretation is that the Blue Knight’s rights would be maintained. If I were to give an example... If the Blue Knight were to cultivate land that had no owner, he would obtain ownership based on the cultivation laws of the past.”

“Allow me to confirm: has that land cultivation law been abolished as of present?”

“It has indeed. Today, the law allowing private ownership of cultivated land is no longer in effect.”

The law in question had existed two thousand years prior. Back then, Forthorthe had only had a small economy and little national power. Realizing that it would be difficult to prevent an invasion from another country in that state, the emperor had created a bold law dictating that whoever cleared unowned wilderness or forests and developed farmland would gain ownership of them. Originally, the wilderness had to be owned before it could be turned into farmland, so the cost was too high. Therefore, the emperor had hoped that lowering the cost would speed up development.

Based on the results, the law had worked well. Land was practically being given away for free, so the nation lost a lot of money at first, but with the increase in farmland came an increase in tax yields, so the free land ultimately led to an uptick in profit. Later on, once significant improvements had been made, the law was abolished—since there was only so much land, they couldn’t afford to overdo it.

However, the Blue Knight could still claim ownership of free land he cultivated, because his special exception prevented that right from being removed.

“Thank you very much. Now, in light of our discussion so far, let us move on to the main question.”

They had finished talking about how the Blue Knight’s special exception affected the law, but there was still more to cover. Specifically, Marclay’s question—meaning the question sent in by Danesford. They were moving on to the main topic.

“During Forthorthe’s tumultuous period, it was very important for royals, nobles, and knights to leave behind descendants. With war and disease running rampant, the death rate was exceedingly high, and important people had a duty to leave behind more offspring.”

The question concerned the war after Alaia had ascended the throne. Back then, Forthorthe, like Japan during its Warring States period, had spent most of its energy on war. And with sanitation problems at the time, the average life expectancy was less than forty years. This caused problems with succession.

“Because of this, the laws allowed royals, nobles, and knights to take multiple wives.”

Without heirs, the family lines would die out. That was true for both royals and knights. The only solution was to have more children; therefore, polygamy was permitted. Or rather, it was a duty. That was how they protected their family lineage, and in other words, the nation.

“Those laws were naturally abolished and no longer exist. With wars and epidemics being far less common, life expectancy has increased.”

Forthorthe now had a monogamous system. Polygamy was only necessary during wars or epidemics, and once society restabilized, the system became unnecessary. As the overall awareness of rights began to improve, the law was abolished shortly before the nation’s modernization.

“So, I would like to pose a question, Minister of Justice,” Marclay said and paused to take a breath. He then slowly continued. “We all know that the Blue Knight is faithful and has not decided on a spouse... but in light of the discussion so far, is there any need for him to decide on a single partner?”

The moment Marclay posed that question, silence filled the chamber. Before now, the Parliament had been quiet but not completely silent, with neighbors whispering and exchanging opinions. Now, however, it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The question had caught the attention of every member, and likely every person watching the broadcast as well.

“Minister of Justice.”

“Yes, the Ministry of Justice interprets the question as follows: based on old, already abolished laws, the Blue Knight can take multiple wives.”

In that moment, cheers rang throughout the room, practically shaking the very building. That was a breach of etiquette in the Forthorthe Parliament, but nobody minded. Even the Speaker raised their fist up high with a smile. The Blue Knight could marry the princesses right away—that was Danesford’s new scoop, which would shake Forthorthe.

Because of this, the session was called to a close, with proceedings scheduled to continue the next day. All parties were likely busy changing the contents of their deliberations. Naturally, all the news outlets were covering the same topic. The majority opinion was that Danesford would likely clinch the Journalist of the Year award next year as well. With the citizens stirred to a feverish excitement, congratulations for the Blue Knight’s marriage were put up everywhere. The entire empire was in an uproar, and so were Koutarou and the others.

“Wh-What the hell is this?!” Koutarou almost fell over in surprise from the commotion that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Fortunately, he was able to brace himself with his arms and avoided falling.

Meanwhile, Theia was in a great mood as she clung to Koutarou’s back. “Well done, Danesford Laren! I always knew you were a fine journalist!” She’d been attacking Koutarou with a sleeper hold, but now she was clinging to him with her legs and left arm, thrusting her right fist up in a cheer.

“You said you hated Danesford...”

“I do not. Someone who serves the empire so well deserves nothing but praise.”

“You shameless little—”

“Ohohohoho!”

While the two argued, Sanae ran up to them, her eyes sparkling. “Koutarou, Koutarou! When are we having the ceremony?! I want to wear a dress!”

“But Forthorthe’s laws have nothing to do with me! I’m Japanese!”

“Whaaaaaat?! Let’s at least have the dress and suit made!” If anything, Sanae was more interested in the wedding dress than the ceremony itself. Of course, she wasn’t the only one full of enthusiasm.

“I am not sure if my bad feeling was right or wrong... Anyway, I am at a loss...” Clan sighed in embarrassment as she watched the Parliament fall into confusion. It wasn’t like she was unhappy that one of their obstacles had disappeared. If anything, she’d wished for it. But it had happened so fast and so suddenly... She wasn’t mentally prepared, and confusion hit her before joy.

“Kiriha-sama, what do you think about this?” asked Ruth.

“I think things are going to get interesting.”

“You seem sort of indifferent.”

“This is a secret, but I was planning on marrying Koutarou even if I had to force it,” Kiriha answered.

“Actually, I was too.”

“Nevertheless, I am glad that it can be done properly now.”

“Yes, I feel the same way.”

The pair were relatively unconcerned. They had already decided how they would live their lives, and this incident had little influence on that. Of course, it wasn’t like they weren’t happy; they just weren’t as affected as Theia and the others.

“Maki-chan, it looks like we can become Satomi-san’s wives too,” Yurika announced. She was relieved. She’d actually been a little worried that she didn’t measure up to the other girls like Harumi or Theia. But if the law was on her side, it didn’t look like she would have to return to her life of instant noodles.

“Wives?” Reality hadn’t sunk in for Maki yet. She had only been thinking about protecting Koutarou, so she couldn’t imagine getting married to him and starting a family.

“Meow!”

Maki did, however, have a vague wish of wanting to start a family and become a mother. Snoozy played a big part in that. And Snoozy being in a good mood was in response to Maki’s feelings.

“Sakuraba-senpai, won’t this just push Satomi-kun into a corner?” asked Shizuka. Unlike the group of girls rejoicing, she was a little worried. Laws aside, Koutarou’s ethical viewpoint hadn’t changed.

“If that time comes, we will step back. It’s not the formalities that we need to protect,” Harumi said and smiled at the worrying Shizuka. She didn’t feel that formalities were a big deal, and she wanted to protect their love and bonds.

“I’m no match for you, Sakuraba-senpai...” Shizuka answered with a wry smile. She could feel Harumi’s deep love and absolute trust in Koutarou, which was why the other girl didn’t care about the system. Harumi was convinced that it would have no impact on the outcome, and faced with her certainty, Shizuka had no choice but to raise the white flag.

“Isn’t that great, Nal-chan? Now the rest is up to you!” Kotori said with a bright smile. She was worried. She’d thought that Koutarou would be able to accept Nalfa but hadn’t been confident that there was enough time. They would have had to use more forceful means in that case, but fortunately, it didn’t look like that would be necessary.

“I... I’ll do my best...” Nalfa cast her gaze down and blushed, but she was still relieved. She had been worrying about the time frame, just like Kotori. Brother, this is too early for such a scoop...

Her brother’s scoop had cut off her escape route. She could no longer use a lack of time as an excuse. There was no longer any need to give up, so in a sense, she was being cornered.

“The number of females becoming mates, huh? Humans worry about strange things. It’s different for us dragons.”

“It’s love, ho!”

“I can understand love. We have that too.”

“The process of evolution must have developed a different conception of how to form a herd, ho!”

“Hmm, how interesting.”

The haniwas and Alunaya spoke as if it didn’t concern them. Nevertheless, seeing their friends enjoy themselves was a welcome sight, so they looked on with amusement.

“Kou, it’s time to accept the consequences.” Kenji was also enjoying the situation. It had absolutely nothing to do with him, and it wasn’t a bad thing either. Koutarou was normally teasing him about his problems with women, so now was the time for his counterattack.

“Shut it!” Koutarou replied.

“I look forward to giving a toast at the wedding. I’ll be making full use of the techniques I learned in drama club to give a moving speech, so get excited. Even you will cry.”

“No, thank you! There’s no need for you to think about that yet!”

“But serious talk, Kou... Is there even a point in resisting anymore? They’ll probably change the laws if they need to.”

“I don’t care! I’ll do things at my own pace!” Koutarou alone tried to resist the situation. Unfortunately, as long as he was in Forthorthe, he was on his own when it came to this issue. As Danesford’s huge scoop shook the empire, Koutarou wondered if the scoop had truly originated with the journalist.

“You put this into his head, didn’t you?” Koutarou began at the start of the meeting.

Elfaria, the current empress of the Holy Forthorthe Galactic Empire, shook her head with a smile. “I wouldn’t dare.” However, her smile was so cheerful and phony that Koutarou’s suspicions only grew stronger.

“Liar! You’re the only one who’d aim for something like this!”

He suspected that Elfaria had presented Danesford with the news, which would lead to a further revitalized economy and support for the royal families, so there were a lot of benefits for her.

“You don’t understand your own value, Layous-sama. The people of Forthorthe are constantly thinking of ways to tie you down here. Danesford’s actions are just a representation of the people’s desires.” With a wry smile, Elfaria shook her head again. She was insisting that the scoop had manifested through public sentiment, but Koutarou couldn’t accept it.

“The will of the people is awfully convenient for you.”

Elfaria always wanted a festive atmosphere. As empress, it was her job to bring the economy up. Stirring up a consumer mentality among the citizens was especially important now, so soon after the civil war.

“To be honest, I won’t say that I’m not happy,” she answered.

“See!”

“But please consider that if I had presented this scoop to Danesford, I would have chosen a more effective time and place for it.”

“That’s—”

Koutarou’s objections stopped short. He had a feeling that Elfaria was right about that. For example, she would have chosen the launching ceremony for the new Blue Knight, or maybe even somebody’s birthday. Either way, she would have used a big event to make the announcement and would have made the festivities grander. Or perhaps she would have used the situation to ease the shock of some major incident—for example, if the old Vandarion faction launched an attack that left many casualties and left the citizens depressed.

“You’re right... Sorry for doubting you.”

He had to concede that the timing wasn’t the greatest for the announcement to have the biggest effect. It would likely end up being little more than a bit of commotion. That was too sloppy for any plan Elfaria might make, so Koutarou acknowledged his mistake and apologized.

The empress, however, was unhappy. “It is pretty irritating that you would accept my explanation so readily.” Rather than trusting Elfaria, it seemed more like Koutarou held her cunning and calculating nature in high regard. As a woman, she wasn’t thrilled with the prospect.

“What do you want from me? Actually, what do you people even want me to do?”

Koutarou was troubled by the situation. While he understood that Elfaria wasn’t the one pulling the strings, he had no clue what her goals were.

“You can do as you please. Just know the Parliament can guarantee that nothing will stand in your way.”

Forthorthe’s citizens were ready to give Koutarou everything, if he desired it. That was in part because of the rule Alaia had put in place, and in part because of the vast debt Forthorthe owed him. But those weren’t the main reasons. Allowing Koutarou so much came from the citizens’ trust in him. They believed he wouldn’t abuse the rules or trample on their goodwill.

“Come on...”

“You have done enough to deserve it. Considering how Forthorthe would have ended up if Vandarion’s coup had succeeded, a blunder or some selfishness on your end is no problem, Layous-sama.”

Given what Koutarou had achieved, the people were willing to overlook quite a lot. The price for preventing Vandarion’s dictatorship was enormous, and if what had happened with Alaia was included, the debt was too big to even process.

“Selfishness, huh? So, for example... if I were to say that I wanted to marry you, would that happen too?”

How selfish could he really be? The biggest selfishness that Koutarou could come up with on the spot was marrying the empress... meaning he would become the husband of the current empress and obtain massive influence. It could even be considered a takeover of the empire.

Elfaria was at a loss for a response, which was unusual. She understood what Koutarou was saying. He was only talking about gaining authority by marrying the empress, the sovereign. But for just a moment, Elfaria considered something else that left her speechless.

“That’s right. If you wished for it...” In the end, she answered the question as Koutarou had meant it, although she mixed in a little bit of her true intentions. The law took no issue with the Blue Knight marrying the empress. Of course, it would require the consent of both sides; there was no way it could be forced. Yet Elfaria only mentioned Koutarou’s intentions, and the reason for that was the same reason she was at a loss.

“Wait... you mean my privileges have that much power?”

Elfaria’s answer had gone beyond Koutarou’s imagination. He was too surprised to notice Elfaria’s delicate feelings behind her answer.

“Yes. They were decided by Empress Alaia, of all people, after all.”

Elfaria smiled as if nothing had happened. Although they had unintentionally overflowed, these weren’t emotions that she wanted Koutarou to be aware of. She didn’t want to be a burden to him.

“Jeez... Being told I can do whatever I want is the most troubling thing of all.”

If even marrying the empress was allowed, Koutarou could probably demand anything he wanted. It was an overwhelming sense of authority, and with it came an overwhelming amount of expectation from the citizens. Terrifyingly, if Koutarou were to misuse that power, he could cause chaos on a galactic scale. It was far too dangerous for a mere high school student.

“I feel the same all the time.” Elfaria laughed happily. She was already back to her usual self.

“I guess the empress has it rough...”

Koutarou realized that Elfaria’s job reflected the problem he himself was faced with now. And as empress, the danger in her case was even greater than in Koutarou’s... not to mention she had to use that power on a daily basis.

Even though it looks like she’s always playing around, Elle is a proper empress...

Koutarou felt like that was something to be respected.

Elfaria chuckled. “Not as rough as a legendary hero.”

From her point of view, an empress’s job wasn’t nearly as hard. Elfaria was the one hundred twentieth empress, but there were only a handful of heroes. Naturally, she didn’t have the confidence that she could save Forthorthe like Koutarou had, especially when he’d done so twice over. Elfaria couldn’t help but find it funny that he didn’t understand that.

Of course, Koutarou hadn’t stopped by Elfaria’s office just to complain and drink tea. He’d come for a proper reason, which began with listening to a report from Ceilēshu, who had come into the office later.

“I would like to start by reporting on DKI Logistics-related activities,” she announced.

Lately, Ceilēshu had been working as something of a secretary to Elfaria. Due to circumstances during the civil war, she’d already abandoned her claim to the throne. She’d once told Koutarou that this kind of work suited her, and though Koutarou hadn’t thought much of it back then, he could understand how she felt now that he was starting to understand how hard the empress had it.

“I see, so the transport ships have started running?”

“Yes. Since last week, DKI Logistics and its business partners have started improving logistics in remote regions of space,” Ceilēshu said fluently. Her voice was beautiful and clear, almost like she was singing. She was a daughter of the Sarioon family, who had long emphasized the arts, so she’d trained her voice from an early age.

“Partners?”

“Yes. DKI Logistics doesn’t have enough transport vessels on its own to meet the increasing demand, so part of the volume is being outsourced to companies that meet strict standards.”

DKI Logistics had plenty of transport vessels around Forthorthe, but they couldn’t all be sent to the remote regions of space, as the previous transport routes still needed to be maintained. The number of vessels required fell far short of the number of new vessels the corporation had bought, so the company outsourced some of their operations to others in the same business.

“Because of that, corporations that have cleared the examination are using the Blue Knight-related business certification mark on the transport ships flying around the remote regions,” Ceilēshu said as she projected new footage. It was of a space station in a remote region that served as a local hub. Lots of spaceships could be seen docking there, while those that had finished unloading were departing. Their hulls featured not only their own corporations’ logos, but also a cute one with the motif of a knight in blue armor. That was the “Blue Knight-related business certification mark.”

“We are still being flooded with requests from corporations wishing to participate in the program.”

Forthorthe had a lot of corporations that worked in the transport industry. Large companies that operated in a large area in particular were rushing to obtain the mark. That mark served as a significant point of attraction for citizens. It also led to an increase in transportation routes in remote regions of space because companies that didn’t have any transportation routes to those locations couldn’t obtain the mark.

“What examinations?”

“We can’t approve any corporations that wish to make use of Layous-sama’s name for their own profit, so we examine them to ensure that they are legitimate organizations,” Elfaria clarified. She figured that if they were going to lend out the Blue Knight’s name, then the corporations should at least be clean. Those that didn’t meet this standard, such as companies with inadequate accounting surrounding their taxes, were rejected. In fact, there were cases of major corporations being rejected and then reapplying with a plan for improvement.

“I know that face... Elle, don’t tell me...”

Elfaria looked like she was enjoying herself. Her smile practically said, “I got you,” so Koutarou had a hunch.

“Yes?”

“Is this what you were after from the start?!”

“Whatever might you be talking about?” Elfaria wore a refreshing smile. It was truly beautiful and bright, except that it smelled of trickery.

“Don’t play dumb! You made the mark so you could take a scalpel to an industry that required improvement anyway, didn’t you?! You’re the one using my name to do business!”

Elfaria had been the one to suggest the mark. She’d said that it was to prevent anyone from misusing the Blue Knight’s name, but there was actually more to it: to make citizens question corporations that transported to remote regions yet didn’t have a mark. This led to an assumption that the corporation’s internal situation made it impossible to apply for one. Therefore, the larger the corporation, the more they had to apply for certification.

It was essentially making use of Koutarou’s fame to force a new standard on the transport industry—and without creating new laws, at that. It was ultimately just DKI Logistics demanding that its subcontractors confirm the legality of their business. That way, there was no need to go through Parliament and nobody would complain. It was a very easy way to achieve the same effect as changing the law.

“I wouldn’t dare. You are only looking at the results, Layous-sama.”

“Liar! Your face is telling a different story!”

“It happened to lead to an improvement in the transport industry, but it’s certainly not something I was aiming for.”

Elfaria looked like she was having the time of her life, wearing an adorable, childlike smile. Koutarou felt like he was talking to a friend around his age. Ceilēshu was looking at the two with half admiration, half exasperation.

I am amazed that Her Majesty thought this far ahead...

Ceilēshu wasn’t confident that she’d be able to proceed with things as effectively as Elfaria. Even with a powerful card like the Blue Knight in hand, she wouldn’t be able to use it like Elfaria would. Ceilēshu once again felt that she wasn’t suited for politics, and that giving up her right to the throne was the correct call.

Besides... Layous-sama is amazing, noticing all that just from looking at Her Majesty’s face...

There was a strange bond between Elfaria and Koutarou that didn’t allow anyone to step in between them. Koutarou wasn’t looking at her the way that he looked at a coworker or superior. Nor was it like he was looking at an enemy or rival. Ceilēshu struggled to describe it, but it was because of that bond that they were in this situation. It was completely different from the normal dynamic between a knight and empress.

“I wonder...” said Koutarou.

“It really was by chance. And it certainly isn’t anything bad,” Elfaria insisted.

“That’s... I guess that’s true.”

Koutarou wasn’t actually angry. As long as the PAF’s profits were returned to the world, it was necessary to confirm the legality of the chosen method. He was simply complaining about her hidden agenda taking him by surprise.

“Next time, talk to me about it first rather than springing it on me.”

“It truly was just by chance.”

“If it wasn’t for that awfully cutesy face, I would have believed you.”

“Oh my.”

Elfaria would only show herself like that to him. It was different from when she was with Theia, and if there were a few more people around, she wouldn’t act like that even in front of Koutarou. Ceilēshu could only hope that he realized it.

“Oh well, you really are just... No, that’s not right.” Koutarou sighed, but as he did, he realized something.

“What is it?”

“You are serving this country well. I’m sure Her Majesty Alaia would rejoice.”

In the end, Elfaria was working for the country. She might have been an empress with significant authority, but there was still a limit to what she could do and how much time she had. Having an ace up her sleeve was necessary from time to time, given how difficult politics could be. Koutarou understood that now. So his words changed the nature of Elfaria’s smile just a little.

“It is an honor to hear you say that, Layous-sama.”

After Ceilēshu confirmed that the two had reached a lull, she smiled a little before continuing with her report. “An unexpected result of the mark is that tourists have begun to show up to look at the transport ships.”

At the moment, only ships in the remote regions carried the mark, and there were cases of tourists traveling to see the mark for themselves. Local businesses were busy responding to the increased demand in tourism by preparing spaces for taking commemorative pictures with the ships and more.

“How could anyone expect that?” Koutarou had never imagined that tourists would take an interest. All he could do was smile wryly at the report.

“I wonder if we should start a passenger line. The transport routes are losing money, after all.” Elfaria believed that if there was a flow of people, they should take advantage of it. A restoration was about more than just reconstructing buildings; they also needed people to spend money.

“On our planet, I believe they modify transport ships to make space for passengers.” Koutarou thought of the ferries that were run on Earth. They were typically transport ships, but there were cases of some being remodeled to make room for passengers. While they might not fit many people, they could still transport some. He figured spaceships might allow for the same.

“That could work as a temporary solution.” Elfaria also felt that it might be better to add cabins to transport ships rather than preparing separate passenger ships, which could prove to be a problem if the demand decreased. But with modifications, a transport ship could simply be returned to normal.

Koutarou and Elfaria’s discussion covered a broad range of issues. Starting with transport ships, they discussed the futures of DKI and PAF, military matters, and more. Koutarou was the commander in chief and Elfaria was the empress, so it was not surprising that they had a lot to discuss.

“Do you think they’ll make a move to break him out too?”

They were currently talking about Ralgwin. He had regained consciousness just the other day, and an interrogation would take place after he was able to recover further. He was in a hospital for the time being but was scheduled to be moved to an isolated facility for serious criminals. Ralgwin would be put on trial, but he was an important source of information, so it was necessary to keep him safe in a secure location and prevent him from escaping.

“I am sure that Fasta-san will plan to attack when he is being transferred. That is more likely than her attacking the facility he will be moved to.”

They couldn’t afford to ignore that the enemy was plotting to free him. And considering the circumstances, there were likely multiple factions going after him: the old Vandarion faction as well as a smaller organization under Fasta.

“I thought so. Then the question is if they can time their plan to match the transfer.”

“If anything, it is highly likely that Grevanas and the Gray Knight will be absent during the transfer.”

“True. With their forces, they could attack the facility itself.”

“In their case, it would be better to wait until Ralgwin is fully healed.”

“Yeah. They wouldn’t need to take such a risk when he’s only just woken up.”

Koutarou and Elfaria were thinking that it would likely only be Fasta going after Ralgwin during the transfer. With her lack of forces, it would be smarter to attack then, when there were fewer guards on hand. Conversely, the old Vandarion faction had a much larger force, and it would be riskier to get Ralgwin caught up in the commotion after he had only just left the intensive care unit. Nothing good would come of forcibly rescuing him, risking his wounds reopening and him ultimately dying. In their case, it would be best to wait until his wounds had healed.

“Of course, there’s also going to be the problem of the anti-government organizations. There’s still a chance they will attack,” said Elfaria.

“Right, the other parties will have that to consider too,” Koutarou agreed.

Ralgwin wasn’t just an important person—him being the leader of the organization complicated the situation. It might have looked like it was merely the old Vandarion faction, but in reality, it was both the military organization led by Ralgwin and several merged anti-government organizations. So it was hard to imagine they would function for a long period of time without a leader. If those groups took too long to make their move, the people in charge would undoubtedly change. And if they failed, the organization would fall apart.

Elfaria believed it was possible that they might rush the rescue to avoid that possibility. “Is something the matter?” she asked.

“This is between us... I want Fasta-san to be safe, but at the same time, it feels wrong to reduce the guard.”

Koutarou had complicated feelings on the matter. According to laws and procedures, Ralgwin should be put to death. But deep down, he wanted Fasta to achieve her goal. He couldn’t help it after seeing her dedication up close.

“Considering the circumstances, we would need to go beyond the standards of serious criminals,” Elfaria warned him. She had heard about Fasta’s situation, and she did feel a degree of sympathy. If Koutarou were captured by the enemy, Elfaria would want to save him no matter her foe. But she went against her feelings and spoke of stricter measures. She was truly an empress.

“We’ll need to keep a quick response team on standby in case Grevanas and the Gray Knight make a move,” Koutarou replied.

Just like Elfaria was an empress, he was the Blue Knight. He ultimately stuck to his beliefs. It wasn’t a matter of who the enemy was; it was who he didn’t want to betray that mattered.

“Then I will instruct the military to form a plan of interception.”

“That’s good. Hey, Elle...” Koutarou had been thinking about something for a long while, and after a heavy sigh, he looked at Elfaria.

“Yes?”

“Are you always worrying about things like this?”

He had come to understand how hard her job was. There was no infallible decision. In this case, they were facing a conflict between emotion and law. Even beyond this particular case, there were always choices that were at odds, and Elfaria was torn between conflicting demands. She was being pressed to make decisions without enough time to consider everything thoroughly. There was no guarantee that her decisions were correct, but as empress, she had to believe they were.

“Yes,” she answered.

“And then you sent Theia to me... I’m starting to understand how hard it is for you. Politics is a difficult game, huh?”

Koutarou smiled wryly. Truthfully, he didn’t think that he would be able to live under constant pressure like that. And it told him how amazing Elfaria was. The fate of a galaxy rested on her shoulders. He had no choice but to acknowledge it.

“Why are you acting like it has nothing to do with you?” she asked.

“It doesn’t. My job is to fight. I’m not suited for politics.”

Elfaria seemed unhappy, but Koutarou was relieved that he was a knight. All he had to do was protect her. He could consult with her, but he felt the role of a knight suited him well.

“That might be true now, but if you marry a royal, politics will become your job too, Layous-sama.”

Elfaria’s eyes sparkled. If Koutarou married Theia or Clan, he would become royalty too, which meant political activities would become routine. He was only able to act like politics had nothing to do with him for now.

“I-I don’t have any intention of getting married yet!” Koutarou involuntarily flinched at the disturbing gleam he sensed in Elfaria’s eyes.

“Ah, yes. You won’t marry ‘yet.’ Hehehe...”

Elfaria’s smile beamed at him. There was no way Koutarou would discard Theia or Clan. Or Alaia and Harumi. So even if left to his own devices, he would voluntarily jump into the spider’s web. Elfaria was convinced of that. Not to mention she was laying several traps to speed up the process. The only question was how many traps Koutarou would fall into, and when that happened, she would wrap him in several layers of soft and warm threads, refusing to let him go.