Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Gap Between Ideals and Reality 

The town of Sirius was bustling with activity and life. New slave children were carried into the city over the last few days, and they were now swinging their swords desperately, so as to not let go of the fortunate fate they’d stumbled into. Those children that had finished their several months of training and gained their freedom were working hard to build their new hometown. 

Everyone was putting all their strength to build up this city little by little. Their dignity was stolen from them when they became slaves, and so the fact they were lucky enough to win their respect back through sheer effort gave them pride. 

But they didn’t know that the shadow of war was creeping ever closer to them from the southwest. 

Much like the other day, an emergency meeting was called. The presence of a guest that should not have been there made everyone sitting around the round table tense up. 

“That is all... I wish to hear your opinions.” 

After Ryoma read the letter Helena sent him from the capital aloud, the atmosphere in the room changed. The letter’s date showed it was written three days ago, meaning it got here rather quickly, given the distance between the capital and the Wortenia Peninsula. As it was a secret order of the highest importance, it was dispatched via runner, who had changed horses in every checkpoint to ensure he got to his destination as quickly as possible. 

“Ya already told us this would happen, Boy, but the way things always seem to happen exactly the way you say they will isn’t funny anymore,” Lione said with a terribly sardonic smile on her lips. 

Everyone else seemed to feel the same way, their faces thick with astonishment. In truth, they had no choice but to laugh wryly at the situation. The only person in the room with a truly composed smile on his lips was Ryoma. 

“The town’s expansion is well on track, and I believed we could finally start setting things into motion... The Queen Lupis Rhoadserians sure has a way of getting in our plans,” Gennou whispered, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the tumultuous activity outside the window. 

“I guess. But in the end, we have no choice but to go, and we’re better off with them calling for us. If they’d insisted on not asking us for help and gone on to lose because they sent their reinforcements out without us, we’d get caught up in this war anyway,” Ryoma said with a sneer. 

His words were about as awful as they could be. He was almost stating outright that the people in charge of the palace were terribly incompetent. Everyone in the room nodded. 

“Even with Lady Helena leading them...?” Gennou asked, to which Ryoma shook his head. 

“They wouldn’t lose if Helena was leading the entire army. Even if she did lose, the losses she’d take wouldn’t be too severe. But...” Ryoma turned his eyes to Lione, as if asking if she understood. 

“I getcha... Yeah, I can see that happening.” 

It’s said that too many cooks can spoil the broth. Put simply, it means that putting too many people in a leadership position makes things swing in unexpected directions. Discussion is important as matters play out, using each other’s opinions to correct problems that crop up. This was basic logic that even children were capable of understanding — an effective and indeed democratic way of thinking. 

But on the other hand, that method wasn’t always optimal. Having too many people with the authority for absolute command could be especially problematic. Despite her past accomplishments buying her the position of General of Rhoadseria, Helena Steiner’s position was by no means stable. No, considering Queen Lupis’s plots, Helena was likely walking on very thin ice. 

Given that situation, if Helena was sent to command the reinforcements to Xarooda, her authority would be very weak. Things would still be fine if her deputy was cooperative. But if she were given a fool who would argue with her over the right to command, the worst case scenario would happen and their army would split up before they even engaged the enemy. 

That was, of course, the worst outcome imaginable. The chances of things becoming that bad were slim, but even if things didn’t devolve into a full blown revolt, the soldiers’ morale would still suffer because of this. And since they were already greatly inferior to O’ltormea’s army, this would be a fatal blow. 

“So that means you have to go, right, Lad?” Boltz asked. 

“That’s what Helena’s letter said, anyway.” Ryoma shrugged. 

“It seems we’ve pulled the proverbial short straw,” Gennou remarked. 

“Yeah, sounds about right. And what a short straw it is...” Ryoma sighed. 

Even when a request is made with proper explanation, one could still refuse. But it certainly wasn’t as easy, since there would be consequences. The Kingdom of Rhoadseria was essentially a sinking ship. There could be no doubting that. The power structure Lupis was building was going to act against her, namely because of her lack of decisiveness. 

It was only natural for the royal house to expect to build an administration where the monarch stood at the center. After all, Hodram and Gelhart had stolen away their authority for as long as they did. But ideals didn’t always align with reality. And the problem was Lupis Rhoadserians’s personality. 

She’s not a bad person. No, I can even go ahead and call her a good person, and she’s not dumb either. She’s knowledgeable, and cares for her subjects. Normally, she’d be a fine ruler. 

Ryoma’s appraisal of Lupis was by no means negative. Her aides, Meltina and Mikhail, had their flaws but were still capable people. They were loyal to the royal house, and their martial prowess were among the greatest in the country. They were no scholars, but they were literate and capable of basic arithmetic. If nothing else, they weren’t incompetent. 

But in the end, her flaw is that she doesn’t know herself well enough... 

A certain quote from Sun Tzu’s Art of War came to mind. 

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. 

It was a well-known proverb that most people knew, even if they never read The Art of War, but it had a continuation. 

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. 

Put simply, collecting information before the battle was important, but understanding oneself was also important. By knowing both those aspects, one could win. And once one could tell if they could win a battle, the rest was easy. If, however, one judged they couldn’t win, they would know to avoid it, or seek another way to resolve things. 

But put conversely, what if one didn’t have a grasp on either the enemy or their own prowess? It would be the same as having an amateur play a game of chess blindfolded. One would lose before the battle even began. 

So what mattered was the question of what sort of person one was. What their strengths were and where their weaknesses lay. And had Lupis understood her weaknesses, she would not have tried to build a political system with her at the center. 

A monarch’s role was to make decisions and take responsibility for matters. But while her heart was kind and warm, it also meant she was lacking in decisiveness. Ryoma believed a better form of government for her would be to strengthen the authority of the prime minister and the other ministers while also introducing a parliamentary system. That way, she would retain her right to veto while abiding by her ministers’ decisions. 

There was the chance of despotism like in Gelhart’s case, of course, but so long as the royal guard and the knights responsible for the Queen’s security would secure military authority, it wouldn’t cause that much of a problem. And indeed, had Lupis consulted Ryoma without resorting to any petty plots, he would have told her to do as much. 

“We don’t want to get caught up in this, but do we really have to go no matter what? I’ll be frank, Boy. I’m not in favor of this.” Lione spoke as lightly as ever, but her eyes were serious. 

Lione and Boltz couldn’t act like this wasn’t their business. The two of them were single-handedly in charge of teaching and rearing children who were once sold as slaves. Those children would be the ones sent out in case war breaks out — and the ones whose lives would be placed on the line. 

Of course, if it was to protect Sirius, Lione would order them to die if need be. But she couldn’t be wholly content with doing it for the sake of a country as foolish as Rhoadseria. 

Lione does have a strong sense of obligation, after all... 

This red-maned mercenary woman in fact had quite the big-sisterly disposition. She led a mercenary group composed almost entirely of rough men despite being a woman, and that stood as proof of her caliber. She was fundamentally an amicable and extremely dependable person, but she did have one major fault. 

She stressed one’s obligations above all else. 

That made sense in its own way. When living a life where fighting to the death was an everyday occurrence, no one wanted to entrust their backs to someone who failed their social duties. And that was why Lione deeply despised Lupis Rhoadserians, who forced them into the no-man’s land that was the Wortenia Peninsula after they served her in the war. 

That wasn’t an emotion she put into words, of course. She had Ryoma’s position to consider, as he was still on the surface a noble who looked up to Lupis as his Queen. But Ryoma could understand her feelings from her expression and mannerisms. But he couldn’t afford to prioritize her opinion this time. 

“I’m sorry, Lione, but I can’t bend on this. I said we pulled the short straw, but we’re not going to war for Lupis or Rhoadseria here. We’re fighting to survive. We can’t avoid this if we’re to live on and reach for greater power.” 

“We’re doing this to prevent O’ltormea from invading... Correct?” Gennou asked. 

Ryoma nodded. 

“It goes without saying, but if Xarooda falls, Rhoadseria is the next one to be on the chopping board. Given the size of their territories and national power, the three eastern kingdoms can only hold O’ltormea back if they’re united. Myest and Rhoadseria alone will only be able to slow them down, but not stop them.” 

“I’d imagine,” Lione replied with a shaking of the head. 

She understood the situation as well, but the idea of saving Lupis in the process didn’t sit well with her. 

“So that’s where we stand... Still, I’m not going to just let that woman use me however she wants. I’ll be using this as a chance to squeeze her dry,” Ryoma said, his lips curling upwards viciously. 

A frightening expression, indeed. 

“Squeeze her for what? Money?” Lione asked, eyeing Ryoma suspiciously. 

“No, something that’s even more valuable than money. The town’s already pretty developed, so it’s time we set about thoroughly developing Wortenia. We’re going to need to migrate farmers and artisans with special skills. And I’m thinking of having them dispatch some civil officers, too.” 

Lione and Boltz exchanged gazes. 

“So you’re going to set conditions in exchange for joining the reinforcements?” Boltz cocked his head. 

That was something he never would have expected to hear, since he was a sword for hire for as long as he was. 

“Yeah. After all, we can’t rely on just slaves to build up our population. As big as we might seem, it won’t mean anything if our contents are lacking.” 

“I suppose... We finished setting up the walls and paving the roads, and we have homes ready. We’re ready to accept more people whenever they might come, but...” Boltz said, his words having a hint of confusion to them. 

In truth, Sirius’s population was made up of the Igasaki clan, the slave children they gathered from different places, and the mercenaries. Soldiers, mercenaries, ninjas, and their families. Some of the ninjas could function as blacksmiths, so repairing equipment wasn’t an issue, but without any farmers or merchants this was a rather homogenous town made up of only soldiers. The only exception was a few maids they’d been given from Count Salzberg’s estate. 

Boltz himself realized they couldn’t last like this for long. They’d need to develop farmlands and set up industries if they were to collect taxes. And so, Ryoma’s demand was by no means misguided. The question going through Boltz’s mind, however, was why now. 

Would Queen Lupis even accept that, anyway...? 

Ryoma’s outlook seemed to be the opposite, though. 

“I think that right now she’ll accept our demands, even if they’re a little exaggerated. Even if she is cautious of us building up our strength.” 

A person’s capacity to travel through this world was generally heavily regulated. This world’s technology wasn’t advanced, and so human hands were absolutely necessary for producing goods. In other words, one’s population translated directly to a governor’s power and authority. 

And because of that, governors greatly restricted their subjects’ freedom of movement. Put more accurately, they may accept people coming in from other territories, but they tried to reduce the number of people leaving their territory. Very few people could move away from the land they were born into. This was especially true with nobles who mostly had villages with small populations as their dominion, and all the more so with craftsmen. 

Technologies can’t be acquired in a day, and some can be outright hidden. Acquiring those techniques takes time and funds, and who one would give up their own just to help someone else? 

But now, Queen Lupis was left without any other options, and she might very well accept demands she normally wouldn’t. In fact, she was much more likely to yield to those demands compared to money or more land. 

“Oh, I see... You’re taking this chance to push the peninsula’s development further,” Lione said, to which Ryoma replied with a cold smile. 

“She went to the trouble of inviting me over. Might as well use that chance to squeeze everything I can out of her.” 

To Ryoma, Lupis was nothing more than prey, a foothold to push himself forward in this world. And with that smile on his lips, he turned his gaze to the one man who remained silent for the duration of this meeting. 

“By the way, Nelcius. Do you have any questions?” Ryoma asked. 

Nelcius’s expression was overtaken with confusion at those words, and he stood from his seat. His skin was a dark, bluish hue and his eyes were golden. His silvery hair shined in the sunlight. His chiseled features were clearly handsome and fair. 

He was like a sculpture brought to life — the very image of what people perceived the demi-human race of the elves to be like. The only exception was his massive, muscular frame, which compared favorably with even Ryoma. 

“I have but one question... Why did you call me here?” he asked with a low, calm voice. 

He only looked to be about thirty years old, but the feel of his voice felt much more aged. Normally, he probably came across as much more dignified and confident. But now he only came across as confused. 

“Is it a bother?” Ryoma asked, to which Nelcius shook his head silently. 

“No, I believe I’ve had the honor of listening to a very important conversation... But I can’t help but wonder why you called a demi-human such as myself to participate in this meeting.” 

Nelcius’s surprise was to be expected. This meeting was attended by the people standing at the heart of Baron Mikoshiba’s noble house, and he was the only stranger present. No... He wasn’t just a stranger. He was a potential, latent enemy. 

True, for the last few days he was engaged in talks regarding Wortenia’s future with Ryoma, which explained his sojourn in Sirius. Neither of them wanted the humans and demi-humans to fight over control of Wortenia, and in that regard, they certainly shared a common vision. 

But on the other hand, such a difference between two species wasn’t so easily bridged. 

Is he expecting us to offer them some kind of assistance...? 

If nothing else, Nelcius couldn’t help but suspect this. Ryoma simply smiled back at him. 

“Oh, don’t worry about it. We’re not trying to ask your people for anything here. For now, I just wanted you to be here.” 

“Huh...? What do you mean?” Nelcius cocked his head at Ryoma’s statement. 

It wasn’t as if he’d been asked for his opinion, or asked for supplies or aid. He was only invited here so he could listen in on their meeting. Nelcius thought he’d be informed of some kind of demand, but this development struck him as terribly unexpected. 

Meeting Nelcius’s suspicious gaze head on, Ryoma simply nodded. 

“Just watch us for a little while... All right?” 

And with those words, Ryoma concluded the meeting. 

Such a strange man... He shows no sign of fearing us. No, it is not that man who is strange, but rather... 

As Nelcius headed for the room he’d been sleeping in for the last few days, he thought back to the council he’d just attended. 

But why, indeed, did he tell me to be there...? 

None of the people in that room seemed to view Nelcius with hatred or disgust. Despite seeing a demi-human like him, not a single one of them contorted their faces with displeasure or eyed him with contempt. 

He’d noticed this ever so slightly since he first arrived in Sirius, but the citizens of this town showed very little signs of discrimination toward demi-humans. That wasn’t to say there were no such feelings at all, but at the very least there wasn’t enough prejudice to make someone take another’s life. 

And during the feast a few days ago, they treated me quite generously... 

They treated him well enough to successfully induce the atmosphere of eating, drinking, and speaking together. But at the bottom of his heart, Nelcius couldn’t bring himself to believe quite yet. He couldn’t deny the dejected feeling that filled his heart when one of the servants told him he was to attend the council this morning. He’s just another human, after all, he thought. But Ryoma simply regarded him with a friendly smile today, too. 

The elves and dark elves possessed unique knowledge in the field of endowed thaumaturgy. Knowledge passed down since ages past, which remained uninterrupted even now, many years later. Elves are born with an inherent capacity for thaumaturgy that could grant them enough power to match the average knight. Their latent abilities were great, and as such, hoping to use them as soldiers seemed like a natural conclusion. 

But the first time Nelcius met Ryoma Mikoshiba, the man showed no sign of craving either that knowledge or that potential strength. He didn’t ask for them to lend him their techniques or to dispatch soldiers. When Ryoma rescued Dilphina from the pirates and escorted her back to the village, he only asked Nelcius to visit Sirius once every two weeks. Nothing else. 

At first, he only had to come and stay there for a time. If someone spoke to him, he only gave curt, almost mechanical replies. But as he visited them more and more, he gradually began to respond to jokes, hold exchanges, and share meals with the people there. 

By now, their agreement for him to visit once every two weeks was in form only. The demi-humans had been given a residence to accommodate them, and there was constantly a group of several of them living there at any given time. Some of the younger members of the warrior clans — young by eleven standards, of course, as they were two hundred years old — had heard of the way humanity discriminated against the elves but never truly experienced it for themselves. And Nelcius saw how their interactions with the humans became more positive and assertive faster than he ever imagined. 

It’s hard to believe, but Dilphina’s report does support this... 

It had been four hundred and a few dozen years since the demi-humans warred against mankind in the name of their dignity and continued existence. Even for the elves, this was a long time ago. Of course, some among the warrior clans still viewed the humans with hostility and hatred. They were driven out of their beautiful homelands and had their families killed, and those weren’t grudges they could easily ignore. Some among the other warrior clans’ chiefs even outright disparaged Nelcius, calling him a traitor who chose to nestle closer to the humans. 

I see... He called me there to show me, Nelcius realized with a groan. To prove they have nothing to hide. That was his intent... 

This was Ryoma’s way of showing the humans intended to walk alongside the demi-humans. And he made that declaration not with words, but with actions. Nelcius intended to turn around and go back the way he came. He couldn’t let everything go exactly as this man says. 

Very well... I’ll do what you want for now, Nelcius thought, as his lips naturally curled upwards. 

If returning a grudge with a grudge was the way of things, then it only made sense to return trust with trust. Nelcius was, after all, the proud chief of a dark elf warrior clan. He couldn’t forget his grudge against mankind. 

But he couldn’t ignore the future spreading out before him, either. If it truly was possible for mankind and elvenkind to live together, they might be able to go back to the lives they had before the despicable Holy War. That emotion spurred him forward. 

A week or so after receiving Helena’s letter, Ryoma made his way to Rhoadseria’s capital of Pireas for the first time in a year. It was his first time being in a large city in a long while. Of course, the population and cityscape were no match for large cities he knew, like Tokyo or Osaka, but it was still quite the metropolis by this world’s standards. 

I guess that’s Rhoadseria’s capital for you... 

Epirus was in charge of safeguarding the kingdom’s north. It was a citadel city under the direct control of a noble, and boasted a surprisingly large scale. But the kingdom’s capital, however, clearly dwarfed it. 

“Can’t say the air’s too good, though...” 

As soon as he crossed the first gate, Ryoma frowned as he looked around town. His statements about the air of the city didn’t refer to the city’s smell. Of course, if one were to try hard enough, they’d catch the stench of filthy water, but that was true for all cities in this world. Large cities were well-maintained enough that the stench wasn’t intense enough to warrant commenting on. The typical Japanese obsession with hygiene could drive him to nitpick, but it honestly wasn’t a bad environment. 

What did Ryoma mean by ‘the air,’ then? He meant the oppressive atmosphere hanging over Pireas’s streets. Twenty or so soldiers watched over Ryoma as he rode his horse toward the castle. 

“Everyone looks rather restless, don’t they?” Sara remarked. 

“The stalls are rather inactive, too...” Laura nodded. 

The twins shared Ryoma’s suspicion. They looked around quizzically. 

“The question is, what brought this on,” Ryoma said, his gaze fixed on the road ahead of him. 

From what Ryoma remembered, after the civil war the streets were full of people and the market stalls in the plaza were always buzzing with activity, with the sellers always calling out to draw in customers. But none of those were in earshot now, which meant that despite being open, the stall owners had little desire to sell. 

Such a situation wouldn’t have happened under a proper regime. But still, on the surface people were walking around in the streets. 

There’s definitely more escapees out here, though... Ryoma’s gaze flitted to a mother and children squatting in one of the side streets. 

“Perhaps Queen Lupis’s reign isn’t going too well,” Sara suggested. 

“Could be...” Ryoma said, clicking his tongue as he glared at the castle ahead. 

She insisted on holding the hegemony all to herself, and this is what it leads to... There’s no saving her. 

Idealism was necessary for politics, and Ryoma wasn’t going to deny that. But what mattered when all was said and done wasn’t one’s ideals, but one’s results. It didn’t matter what your intentions were. So long as you couldn’t realize them, they would bring nothing but harm. 

“But I suppose that with these conditions, getting new residents shouldn’t be too hard.” 

Escapees were those that discarded their homes and land. They were quite similar to refugees, but unlike the latter, who were driven out of their land by war or religious pressure, escapees had their houses or land stolen from them over financial circumstances. 

But subtleties aside, both were people that lost their homes and had nowhere to turn to, leaving them with two choices. They would either be sold off as slaves, or die on the wayside with no one to take care of them. 

Sadly, unlike modern society, nations had no concept of welfare, and no non-profit organizations existed to support weakened populations. The weak had no way of getting out of their distress except with their own strength. And so, it was highly probable they would agree to migrate to the Wortenia Peninsula despite it being a savage, undeveloped land. 

“Queen Lupis will be able to get rid of nuisances. I doubt she would complain,” Laura noted. 

“Yes, it’s in our favor. But why did things become so much worse?” Sara wondered aloud. 

Like Laura said, it was likely Queen Lupis would approve sending away the many escapees to Wortenia, since they were a threat to the public order. Lupis would surely prefer to have them sent out to the peninsula instead of them shuffling through her capital’s streets. 

However, the question was, why did the number of escapees grow so much over the last year? Having some escapees wasn’t entirely unusual. Some were down on their luck or went bankrupt from gambling debts. Others fell ill and weren’t capable of working, losing their homes as a result. There was a notable number of such unfortunate people in this capital even a year ago. 

But even so, the number of escapees walking through the back alleys was even greater than a year ago now. And the fires of war hadn’t reached Rhoadseria yet. The number of the people driven to the streets stood as indisputable evidence that Queen Lupis’s regime had problems. 

“Maybe she cracked down on the nobles’ taxes. Or maybe it’s the bureaucrats being corrupt...” 

There could have been other reasons, but the most probable cause was Lupis held all the power, which meant that things were actually less organized on a micro level. 

Even in Japan, when the opposition seizes power, the authorities fall into mayhem... 

Ryoma harkened back to the news he’d seen in the days before being summoned to this world. At the time, the masses cheered the opposition on, believing their rise to power would improve things. Reality had a way of easily blowing such idealism away to the winds, though. 

Reformists raised the banner of their ideals, clashing with those who wished to safeguard their vested interests. And people in those situations had two methods to pick from. To either trample the other sides with sheer force to realize their ideals, or to throw aside their ideals and choose reality. This was one adverse effect of democracy, where candidates chant pleasant slogans to earn the support of the masses. 

And so, it was perhaps an obvious outcome that after a few years of being exposed to an opposition that only knew how to mouth ideals irresponsibly, the people ended up voting for the previous ruling party. 

But leaving talk of Japanese politics aside, it was obvious with a glance that Lupis’s regime wasn’t going well. 

They’re pretty isolated... 

If this was what the kingdom’s capital looked like, it wasn’t hard to imagine the state of the provincial areas ruled by the nobles. And this brought a certain issue to mind: Princess Radine’s movements. In times of such political instability, it was almost inevitable for a rival to rear their head in an attempt to break the status quo. 

And that would surely lead to another rebellion, regardless of if it descends into violent conflict or simply ends with a quiet change of government. That was one thing the Kingdom of Rhoadseria, which had the monarchy as its center, couldn’t avoid. When the civil war ended, Ryoma predicted Rhoadseria had four years to survive, but as it turned out, its lifespan was even shorter than that. 

I’d say I hope the fire doesn’t end up spreading to our land, but... That’s just not possible. 

As distant and neglected as Wortenia was, it was still part of Rhoadseria. And since it was part of the collective that was this kingdom, the expectation that the upheaval wouldn’t have implications for Wortenia too wasn’t a realistic one. 

I guess I’ll have to leave that to Boltz and Gennou... 

After receiving Helena’s letter, they’d already discussed a few countermeasures. Normally he’d bring all his aides along to participate in the reinforcements, but they couldn’t afford to leave Sirius empty. And so, he left the people he believed would be best suited to handle his internal affairs — Lione, who led the Crimson Lion mercenary group for years, and her right hand man, Boltz. 

At the time, Ryoma turned his gaze to Boltz, who stayed at the back of line. He seemed unsatisfied at not being sent out to battle, but Ryoma greatly trusted his ability to handle internal affairs. 

Boltz wasn’t properly educated, as he was born a commoner. But he knew much about the world from real experience, and had the wisdom to put that experience into use. His many years as a mercenary taught him how to read, write, and handle basic math. And given the situation, where most of their people were warriors and brutes, having someone with the capacity to handle internal affairs was rare and precious. 

Me meeting him might have just been coincidence, but I’m still grateful nonetheless... 

Ryoma crossed the castle’s drawbridge on horseback as he appreciated his luck at having become involved with someone like Boltz. 

They were led to a room where they could rest in, which was where Sara parted her lips to speak. 

“Master Ryoma... May I say something?” 

She spoke after confirming no one was around, which implied she didn’t want others to hear this. 

“Sure. What is it?” Ryoma smiled as he turned his eyes to Sara. 

“It’s nothing too serious... I simply wondered why you refused the aid Nelcius mentioned,” she said. 

She referred to the council they had a few days ago. Nelcius returned to the council room and made Ryoma a very generous offer. Specifically, he proposed they dispatch young elves to safeguard the peninsula as a way of mending relation between the humans and the elves. Ryoma refused the offer immediately, though. 

Ryoma didn’t tell anyone else about it, but Sara happened to be in the room at the time, and wanted to know why he refused. She’d tried to think of a reason herself since, but couldn’t come up with an answer. 

“Oh, you mean that?” Ryoma asked, nodding as if satisfied. 

So she couldn’t come up with an answer on her own. 

Ryoma couldn’t help but suppress a smile as he imagined Sara racking her brains in an attempt to figure out why he refused. 

I’m glad she’s approaching things like this, though. 

Ryoma had high expectations of Sara, and expected that she, as well as her sister Laura, would become even more capable aides to him. And to do that, their endeavors to think and come up with solutions on their own was indispensable. 

“What’s bothering you is that I refused Nelcius’s offer, and didn’t tell the others about it. Right?” Ryoma confirmed her doubts. 

“Yes, exactly.” 

As far as Sara heard from their exchange, Nelcius’s proposal seemed quite appealing. Both letting the younger elves help secure the peninsula and having the elves share their techniques would be a boon for Ryoma right now. Having the younger elves migrate to Sirius was especially good, since it aligned with Ryoma’s ideals. 

Everyone was well aware that Ryoma promoted peace with the demi-humans. If he didn’t, Ryoma would have launched an attack on the demi-humans by now, same as how he slaughtered the pirates. 

But Nelcius went to the trouble of offering on his own, and Sara couldn’t fathom why he’d refuse immediately. Him refusing in and of itself wasn’t that unusual. But she’d assumed he’d contemplate things, ask herself, Laura, and Lione for advice, and maybe refuse then. 

But he didn’t do that. He refused without taking the others’ opinions into account, and Sara didn’t know why. 

“That’s simple,” Ryoma said as if the answer was obvious. “It’s because Nelcius was testing me there.” 

“Testing you...?” Sara couldn’t mask her confusion. 

Nothing Sara heard in their exchange gave her the impression Ryoma was being tested. 

“Well you see, he was trying to see just how serious I am about making peace with the demi-humans. Why do you think I called Nelcius there?” 

Sara hesitated for a moment before speaking her answer. 

“To express... your desire to broker peace between us and the demi-humans?” 

Ryoma nodded wordlessly. She did understand his thoughts on the matter. 

“But if that’s the case, isn’t Nelcius’s offer a godsend for that peace?” 

“It is... But if we were to accept it, we’d be the ones in trouble.” 

“Trouble...?” Sara’s expression was dyed over with confusion. 

Ryoma cracked a strained smile and nodded wordlessly. 

I guess it makes sense she doesn’t get it yet. 

It was a difference in experience, or perhaps talent. Whichever it was, it was a trait that was necessary for a ruler. Lupis didn’t have it, and was prepped to lose everything for it. 

“It’s simple. We’re not showing any aversion toward the demi-humans, but that only applies to the people living in Sirius now. There’s no telling what newer commoners that migrate to Wortenia might think. Right?” 

“Well...” 

“And the problem isn’t just us.” 

“Meaning?” 

“There are some problematic folks to the south. People that assume God’s name when they speak,” Ryoma spat out, his voice thick with loathing. 

Hearing this, Sara immediately realized what bothered Ryoma. 

“The Church of Light...” she whispered. 

Scattered pieces of information clicked into place like parts of a puzzle in Sara’s mind. 

He’s right... Laura and I are from the central continent so we didn’t notice it as much, and all the people working under Master Ryoma right now are former slaves and mercenaries. None of us worship the God of Light Meneos that religiously. But that doesn’t mean the same will be true for any farmers or peasants that might migrate into Wortenia... 

The religious center for the Church of Light was in the Holy City of Meneus, located near the border of the southern kingdoms and the Holy Qwiltantia Empire. Due to the great distance from it, faith in the religion was more lax along the northern and eastern areas of the continent. But there were individual differences in how devout each person was, and a religious dispute could easily become an armed uprising. 

Of course, they were only commoners and farmers, and so suppressing any uprising would be easy, but their disgruntlement toward the demi-humans would only grow as a result. 

“Besides, Nelcius’s suggestion wasn’t realistic anyway. He’s definitely a chief of a dark elf warrior tribe, but he’s not a dictator. From what Dilphina told me, the elves have something like a parliamentary system. His opinion alone isn’t enough to make the demi-humans as a whole act.” 

Nelcius was certainly influential among the demi-humans, but he couldn’t easily mobilize soldiers on his own accord. And the history of the demi-humans’ persecution wasn’t going to be wiped away that easily. 

“Nelcius’s personal feelings aside, some of the demi-humans can’t let go of their grudge toward humans. It’ll take time for us to really reach a compromise. That’s true for our side too, of course.” 

“Then Nelcius’s suggestion was...” 

“A test to see if I’m viewing this whole affair realistically. He might acknowledge my ideal, but he wanted to see if I had the right and resolve to achieve it. If I’d have taken Nelcius’s suggestion right there, he would probably never believe me again.” 

As Sara saw Ryoma punctuate his words with a small smile, she felt something cold slither down her back. 

Just what is it that this man can see...? The thought crept up in her mind. A distant ideal, or the reality ahead of him? 

It was then that there was a knock on the door. A royal guard clad in full armor opened the door from outside and spoke to Ryoma. 

“Excuse me, milord. Please proceed to the audience chamber.” 

Apparently he came to beckon Ryoma to his audience with Lupis. 

“Now then, let’s get going,” Ryoma said and rose from his seat, wiping the smile from his lips. 

A thick, oppressive atmosphere hung over the audience chamber. The knights standing guard on both sides of the red carpet had their expressions strained with nervousness. Their anxiety was natural — the national hero who ended the civil war was about to come face to face with the ruler who elected to banish him. 

Present in the room were also the palace guard and civil officers, as well as influential nobles. Everyone’s gazes were fixed on the man kneeling before the queen and the aide behind him. Ryoma knelt before the throne, his face turned down, when Lupis’s voice rang out over his head with the sound of silk moving. 

“Raise your head.” 

Her voice was like the chiming of a bell. 

She’s as beautiful as ever... If a bit emaciated... Ryoma thought as he raised his eyes to gaze upon Queen Lupis. 

And she hasn’t changed much either... he thought as he looked at Meltina, who stood beside Lupis looking the same as she did when he first met her. 

“It’s been too long, Baron Makoshiba,” Queen Lupis said. 

“It has, Your Majesty,” Ryoma replied, raising his head with a serene smile as per her words. 

His expression didn’t betray a hint of the hatred, anger, or disdain he felt toward Queen Lupis. He acted with the manners of a noble and regarded her with an amicable smile. Upon seeing this, the tension filling the audience chamber slackened somewhat. 

No one put it into words, of course, but most of the top brass understood the antagonism that existed between Queen Lupis and Ryoma. They were concerned this audience might turn into a bitter exchange, but everything was more smooth and peaceful than they thought. Their relief was clear. 

But the words Queen Lupis said next made their expressions tense up again. 

“I believe Helena explained the situation in her letter, so let me cut to the heart of the matter. I want you to join our reinforcements to Xarooda as Helena’s aide.” 

Everyone present held their breaths at her proclamation. They expected her to only go into this matter after concluding some polite pleasantries, if only for the sake of form. Especially given everything that happened so far. But Lupis chose something else entirely. 

She went right to the point. 

This wasn’t a method the nobility — which stressed such polite processes — would normally willingly take. Ryoma, however, wasn’t one for pointless formalities and saw this favorably. As everyone around him swallowed nervously, Ryoma replied with a calm smile. 

“I graciously accept.” 

His answer was completely unexpected. Not just the people around them, but even Queen Lupis, who was the one to ask him, couldn’t contain her surprise. 

“Really? Of course, like we’ve already said, we’ll do whatever we can to provide supplies and equipment, but...” Queen Lupis recovered from her shock, directing a questioning gaze at Ryoma. 

They don’t trust me that much, huh... 

Aptly picking up on the suspicion in the gazes fixed on him, Ryoma clicked his tongue internally. Still, this time Ryoma was in the wrong. Given his actions in the past, it was obvious how everyone else would think of him. The words he said next, though, echoed through the room. 

“Of course, Your Majesty. I will surely answer your expectations.” 

“Are you serious...?” Queen Lupis’s eyes filled with anxiety. 

Her concern was to be expected. This was a clearly unreasonable demand, which was why she immediately affirmed their side would be assisting with supplies and gear. The better one knew Ryoma Mikoshiba, the harder it was to believe this sight. That was both because of his character, and mostly because the undeveloped lands of Wortenia were his territory. 

It was a land abandoned by the kingdom for many years, and had no citizens to take taxes from. Realistically speaking, there was no way he could have soldiers to dispatch after having that land forced onto him. Most everyone present in this room expected Ryoma to refuse Queen Lupis’s order. The only one who didn’t think so was Helena, who knew Ryoma more personally than the others and had a stronger grasp on his personality. 

“But I have a few requests to make, Your Majesty,” Ryoma said. 

A buzz of whispers once again overcame the audience chamber at those words. 

Yes, that much is to be expected... Lupis thought as she took a deep breath to calm her heart. 

She seemed calm on the surface, but expected Ryoma to outright reject her request. She was instead taken aback by how easily he accepted, but Ryoma wasn’t all that naive, of course. His face, which looked older than it truly was, was fixed in a pleasant smile. His physique was large and solid, but he looked quite ordinary overall. 

But Lupis knew all too well that the man before her eyes was a dangerous, carnivorous beast. 

It was only a year and a half ago that Viscount Gelhart — then a Duke — presented Radine as the past king’s, her father’s, daughter, propping her up as his banner. At the time, Queen Lupis was essentially powerless. She had only two royal guards, and no cards or weapons she could play in her hand that would secure her control over the royal house. 

Eighty percent of the knights were under General Hodram’s control, and the only ones Lupis could rely on for years were Mikhail Vanash and Meltina Lecter, the two in charge of her security. Her situation was utterly hopeless. 

But it was then that he appeared before her. At first she was cautious of Ryoma, thinking that he was sent there as part of some ploy by the nobles. She only accepted his offer not because of trust, but simply out of the resignation that if she did nothing, she had no future to begin with. She’d hoped he’d be good for something, and acted entirely out of a defeatist attitude. 

But after their first meeting, Ryoma swiftly turned the situation around. He managed to bring the neutral faction’s nobles to their side. And after that, he drowned thousands of soldiers as he formed a bridgehead along the river Thebes, a feat that would earn him the moniker of “The Devil of Heraklion.” A crafty, vicious, cold-hearted man that would stoop to any means to achieve his goals... 

But despite that name, he always treated Lupis with dignity and sincerity. He never once lied to her. If nothing else, he was much more trustworthy and reliable than the flippant nobles. 

And yet, I betrayed him... 

On the surface, she granted him noble status as a reward for his achievements in the war, and gave him dominion over the Wortenia Peninsula. But Lupis knew better than anyone that action was in fact brought on by her fear and suspicion of him. 

Granting him an abandoned, undeveloped land with no prospects of tax wasn’t an act of hospitality by any stretch of the imagination. And that was, in fact, an open secret among Rhoadseria’s ruling class. 

“State your terms.” 

Lupis was prepared. She was the one to make that decision, and so she would have to bear the responsibility for it. Lupis had decided to accept any conditions so long as it would save her country, no matter the pain they might bring. 

She had no other means of protecting it anymore. 

That night, Ryoma visited Helena’s room. The two of them sat on opposite sofas, their gazes linked. 

“We meet again, sooner than I thought,” Helena said, gazing upon Ryoma’s face with a motherly smile. 

“Yes. I was surprised, too.” Ryoma nodded. 

The lamp sitting on the table illuminated Helena’s face. 

She’s gotten thinner... 

As they spoke, Ryoma fixed his gazes on the wrinkles on Helena’s face. He’d only seen her from a distance in the audience chamber so he didn’t notice it, but apparently she’d been working herself hard. 

“Has your warning become pointless by now?” Helena said, referencing the prediction he gave her before they parted last year. 

“Yes. I’ll be honest, Helena, I didn’t think things would deteriorate this much... I don’t even know what to say...” Ryoma spoke his mind without glossing over the facts. 

It was Ryoma that made Helena retake her post as general in exchange for exacting revenge on General Albrecht for the murder of her family. He had placed her upon the sinking ship that was the Kingdom of Rhoadseria, and he wasn’t going to shirk the responsibility of having done so. 

“I knew it... We should have had Viscount Gelhart executed...” Helena whispered with a sigh. 

“No, looking at the situation right now, even if we had abandoned Mikhail and killed Viscount Gelhart, things wouldn’t have changed by much.” Ryoma shook his head. 

“Is she unqualified as a monarch?” Helena’s gaze sharpened as she fixed her eyes on Ryoma. 

This was effectively slander against the country’s ruler. Ryoma didn’t seem at all apologetic, though. 

“I won’t say she’s completely unqualified, but I do think she doesn’t entirely have the aptitude,” Ryoma shrugged. “Well, if someone she could trust were to hold power and she would simply be a symbolic figure, things might be different.” 

Helena’s eyes lost that sharpness, and her expression turned morose. She was overcome with regret. 

“Yes... It would be better both for this country and for her Majesty that way. If only someone like you could support her...” 

Those were Helena’s honest feelings, but at the same time it was but a fantasy one could only pointlessly hypothesize over. While he did make great achievements during the civil war, Ryoma wasn’t even a citizen of Rhoadseria. This country was fixated on the ideas of pedigree and bloodlines, and the nobles and knights would greatly object. 

And as obsessed as they were with their bloodline and pride, their overbearing prejudice toward the commoners was just as intense. Some of them believed themselves to be privileged individuals chosen by God. And those people would never accept a noble who was elevated from commoner status as one of their own, even reluctantly. 

Ryoma, however, was different. He was a mercenary of unknown background. He may have been given the rank of Baron by the Kingdom of Rhoadseria, but that was only done to keep him at bay so he didn’t cause any trouble. That he was given the Wortenia Peninsula, with its unique terrain, kept their complaints silent. Normally, a commoner would never be promoted to such a title. 

That country would never let Ryoma take a commanding position. Helena was from a commoner’s background too, of course, but in her case, she built her achievements across many years and made many allies to support her. Her name had even spread to the neighboring countries. Her position was all too different from Ryoma’s. 

All the facts made it so what Helena had said was effectively impossible. But she couldn’t help but feel frustrated by it all. The idea of ‘what if’ bound her heart. 

“Well, enough of that...” She sighed with a stiff expression and turned to face Ryoma. 

In the end, this was just discussing hypotheticals. Regret would do nothing to change the reality of things. 

We need only do what we can right now. 

Because right now, Rhoadseria was being menaced by a great power. 

“So? Why did you ask for those terms?” 

Lupis accepted all the terms Ryoma stated during the audience. That much was within expectations, since Ryoma prepared those terms so they wouldn’t come across as oppressive. That much was clear from the fact she accepted them without having to consult the ministers that attended the meeting. One could say this was because Ryoma lowered his terms, but they had no way of knowing that. 

“Did anything come across as suspicious, Helena?” Ryoma smiled as he answered her question with a question. 

His expression didn’t make it seem like there was some kind of implicit intent. Helena knew better, though. 

“Suspicious? Of course not. If anything, your terms were too inconspicuous.” Helena stressed the last two words. 

“You’re blaming me for not being suspicious? That’s unreasonable,” Ryoma said, his smile turning wry. 

Ryoma’s response was understandable. He could accept being questioned if anything he did came across as alarming, but he didn’t. Helena’s expression didn’t change, though. 

“Ryoma... What are you thinking?” Her eyes were serious and unwavering. 

She wasn’t going to back down until she heard a convincing answer. 

Well, damn... I guess Helena would find it suspicious, though... 

Ryoma couldn’t help but crack a self-deprecating smirk. There really wasn’t some kind of big ulterior motive behind it. He simply made an offer meant to increase their slim chances of victory. It was he, after all, who was about to set out to the battlefield and put his life on the line. And the army he led wasn’t strong enough to turn the tide. 

A few hundred soldiers couldn’t hope to influence a battlefield where multiple countries clash. The most they could do was take advantage of an opening to score a crippling blow, but the main force would be Helena’s knight order or the reinforcements from Myest. 

As such, it made sense to decrease the burden on Helena. All he really did was make things slightly more advantageous for them, and as a fee for all the trouble he would have to undertake, it was exceptionally cheap. 

Guess I have to tell her. Having Helena suspect me might come back to bite me... 

Ryoma heaved a small sigh and asked. 

“You mean the war funds?” 

Ryoma asked Lupis for the right to migrate escapees and commoners with specialized skills — like farmers and blacksmiths — from the capital and its surrounding regions to the Wortenia Peninsula. And he also requested a month to prepare for the dispatch. 

Lupis did view his request to move the commoners to be a bit problematic, but not enough to actually object or refuse. But moving away the escapees would help restore public order in the capital, and a month was a short amount of time to prepare for the dispatch. 

In which case, Helena was concerned about the fact that Ryoma asked Lupis to convert the support she proposed into a paltry sum of barely ten thousand gold coins. 

“Didn’t I tell you our side would handle equipment and supplies?” Helena turned a questioning gaze at Ryoma. 

In all honesty, the pretense of the money being war funds felt unnatural and forced, and the sum was far too small. Helena knew Ryoma needed funds to develop Wortenia, but if that was the case, she preferred he simply say so. Everyone knew that Ryoma was being asked for the impossible in this situation, and no one would complain if he brought up financial support as a condition for his participation in the reinforcements. 

There was no need for him to request that sum in place of the war funds, and having the kingdom provide them supplies and equipment would be much easier, even if he could manage it on his own. 

Helena’s natural smile, though, was simply met by another smile. 

“You’re right, having the kingdom handle supplies would have been easier... But after seeing the way the capital is, I’m too anxious to rely on them with this.” 

“What do you mean?” Helena asked, tilting her head. 

“Exactly what I said. Her Majesty doesn’t have control over the entire capital right now. Do you think I can really trust her to gather and manage supplies from across the country when she can’t even manage the place she should be in direct control of?” 

Helena’s expression stiffened. 

“Well, Her Majesty won’t be gathering them herself...” 

As Ryoma shrugged with a wry smile, Helena felt something cold slither down her spine. 

This boy... He realized this much just by looking at the state of the capital? 

The reforms in Pireas weren’t going well, that much was for certain. No, they weren’t just not going well. They were effectively in a standstill. Pireas was traditionally run by the captain of the royal guard, and so it didn’t have a lot of interaction with the nobles and bureaucrats. 

As a result, Lupis’s intent of consolidating the power in the hands of the monarch was met with resistance from the nobility and bureaucracy, who feared what existing power they did have was about to be greatly limited. From their perspective, a novice who didn’t know the first thing about governing was using the monarch’s authority to encroach on their domain. 

That’s the only image they had of her. 

Had Viscount Gelhart died, perhaps they would have given up. But he was still alive and propped up Princess Radine as a member of the royal family, and that meant that even with his rank lowered from Duke to Viscount, his power and authority were greater than ever before. 

To be exact, he effectively took over the position of a minister. Counts Zeleph, Bergstone, and other nobles of the neutral faction had officially taken those positions after a long period of decline. But the ones following their orders were the same middle- and low-class bureaucrats that worked under Gelhart when he still had power. And if they were to turn their backs on the regime, the country wouldn’t be able to function properly. 

In fact, ever since the decision was made to dispatch reinforcements to Xarooda, only two thirds of the required gear and provisions were gathered in the capital. Of course, they could get supplies from Xarooda, but they couldn’t rely entirely on the country in need of reinforcements. It only made sense to prepare as much as possible on their own. 

And indeed, Myest’s proud knights led the vanguard, with large wagons full of supplies behind them. They had not just food and gear, but also extra horses and medical supplies to tend to wounded soldiers to help Xarooda’s army. It was a show of Myest’s financial power, which it owed to having Pherzaad, the largest trade port in the western continent. 

“Ryoma, you...” Helena was left speechless. 

Even at that young age, the man before her knew the subtleties lying behind a military. An army was essentially a massive living being. It devoured large amounts of supplies and gears, and produced nothing. And if it wasn’t fed sufficiently, that creature would go berserk. Few people truly realized this, even within the military. Only those in the higher echelons knew. 

But for all her surprise, a certain suspicion crept up in Helena’s heart. 

Just where... is he intending to get those supplies, then? 

There was no doubting the supplies were absolutely necessary. And it was evident Rhoadseria’s government couldn’t provide them, so she could understand why Ryoma elected to convert it to military funds. But any amount of money was meaningless if no one sold him the supplies he needed. 

Helena was leading a knight order, while Ryoma was leading several hundred soldiers. Between the two of them, they had less than three thousand men, but no merchant in town could supply for such a large force. 

They would need to order from a firm of considerable size, and no company would accept such an order from a first-time customer. Without some real achievements to show, no company would take their order, since supplying such an army carried risks. 

Ryoma, however, simply laughed her doubts off. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Ryoma said as if it truly was a trifling matter. “Actually, I already talked it out with them. They just need us to pay them later.” 

“Huh?” Helena could only manage that response. 

“I already have things arranged with a company in Epirus. Though I’ll admit that was just a stroke of luck. But anyway, they’ll provide us half a year’s supplies.” 

“I see... Hence the month you asked for.” Helena said, heaving a deep sigh. 

Worrying about it was pointless... 

In the end, it really was trivial. The smiling young man sitting before her had already prepared everything before arriving in the capital. The only way it was possible was that he assumed he might be called and prepared ahead of time. 

Ryoma chose to work for this country, of his own will. And that was something Helena should have been happy about. But given the way he was treated in the past, it simply didn’t make sense. 

Just how long... No, that’s not it. What is he doing this for? 

The doubt bubbled up within Helena, but she didn’t ask Ryoma. Something gave her the feeling that if she were to ask... everything would fall apart.