They might be heroes in Vanel, but they’re nothing more than military men to a foreigner like me. Whatever authority they have as Vanelian nobles couldn’t matter less to me either. That might sound hypocritical given that I’m using my status as a foreign noble in this land, but I’m only doing that to speak and negotiate with them on equal terms. Unlike them, I’m not using my status to boss around anyone from another country.
“That party’s gonna be nothing but a pain in the ass,” said Mitsuha. “I’m not going. Or are you willing to fight off anyone that bothers me, be they a royal, a duke, a marquis, a faction leader, a cabinet minister, or a merchant? If anyone so much as hints that they’re looking to exploit me, I’ll leave this country and set up a new base elsewhere. I hear Noral is really nice this time of year.”
The marquis was at a loss for words.
Sweet, that should be enough to get him to drop it. I really wouldn’t get anything out of that party. The merit of free food will get canceled out and then some by the tragedy of my Waist Size Story.
Oh yeah, there’s something I need to ask him about.
“Um, Lord Mitchell, I heard the rumors of the Goddess’s saints─the divine soldiers from the expedition fleet. Have you heard if their families received any kind of reward?”
“You sure are polite when you want something out of me.”
I mean, duh. I was being sassy with him before, but that’s because he was trying to force me into doing something I don’t wanna do. You obviously have to be polite when asking for something, unless you’re a king or whatever.
“Why do you want to know about that?” he asked.
I should’ve known he’d ask. He wouldn’t miss a chance to learn something about me that would be useful in future negotiations.
“Oh, it’s just that I have a friend who’s an acquaintance of someone on the fleet.”
That wasn’t a lie. Colette and Sabine had met some of the crew members through their Vanelian language studies.
“I see… This will probably be officially approved and announced in a few days, but the crew members will be granted a portion of the reward for the captured ships and a special bonus, plus medals in accordance with their individual ranks… This will all be given to the bereaved families, of course.
“The money won’t last forever, but the families’ status as relations of war heroes will. That’ll open them up to endless job opportunities. I’m sure anyone would be happy to hire them as long as they’re willing to work.”
“That’s a relief…”
The guys from the expedition fleet will be thrilled to hear this.
A group of men were gathered around Mitsuha, sniffling and sobbing.
She’d just told the former Vanelian crew members about the money and medals their bereaved families─well, technically the crew members aren’t dead, but their families don’t know that─would be receiving. The tears were expected; they may never be able to return home, but knowing that their status as war heroes meant their families would never want for anything and their siblings would have no trouble finding good marriage partners had to be reassuring for them. Their hard work had set up their families for life.
The families of the former Vanelians who weren’t at the naval battle would receive the same treatment as well, of course. Everyone in Vanel assumed that the expedition fleet was being manned by the entire original crew. Or their souls, to be more accurate. That included the families of the men who reached the shore on the first three cutters and were currently locked in a dungeon in the capital. Those soldiers weren’t any different from the rest of the crew; being assigned to man the cutters didn’t make them bad people.
Mitsuha felt bad that they were being incriminated like the merchant who falsely proclaimed himself a governor-general while their crewmates were working high-paying jobs and finding girlfriends. By now, all of the former Vanelian sailors knew about Mitsuha’s Goddess powers too so there was no need to keep them isolated for information control. However, they were the only ones who’d seen the might of a submachine gun, and the kingdom apparently needed a few prisoners from the invasion. Allowing all the invaders to work as ordinary citizens would be questionable from a diplomatic standpoint. They wanted to at least detain the leader and a handful of his subordinates.
The former Vanelian sailors were overjoyed to hear that the family of the unscrupulous merchant wouldn’t be receiving any money or honor. They didn’t have the highest opinion of the man who curried favor with the king and roped them into a reckless voyage for a get-rich-quick scheme that cost him nothing other than bribe money.
For the merchant, the risk was well worth it. A successful voyage would’ve meant fame, high social standing, and immense wealth. The only drawback was that failure meant death.
His crew members, on the other hand, were merely fulfilling their duties as soldiers. That meant that even if the voyage succeeded, they would’ve gotten nothing other than a story to tell their grandkids. Failure, meanwhile, was likely to result in a senseless death on foreign waters. All because of one idiotic merchant’s reckless ambition.
While they did end up surviving, they’d never be able to return home and see their families and loved ones again. And whose fault was that? The merchant’s, of course, for having the gall to call himself a governor-general and announce an occupation, essentially declaring war on this land.
I can see why they hate his guts. I’ll bet they mutter his name every night, seething for revenge like a certain girl with no name. They’re celebrating because they couldn’t stand the idea of him taking their glory.
Oh well, that merchant’s currently in a dungeon in the capital, so… Wait, why does everyone look a little shifty? Oh, my mention of the merchant probably reminded them of their imprisoned comrades. Those men were just as much a part of the crew as anyone else, and the only reason they’re not free is because they had the misfortune of being chosen for the landing team. That probably makes these guys feel guilty about how much better they’re having it out here.
That said, I’m sure they know they’re not in a position to protest, and that politically, some sacrifices were necessary. They probably discussed among one another about how they could help the imprisoned comrades─their role models, beloved subordinates, and close friends. The smart ones would’ve shut that down, though, with arguments like “Do you want to take their place in the dungeon?”
You need two things in life: hard work and luck. Soldiers especially rely on the latter.
For now, I just hope these guys will overcome their circumstances and savor their good fortune. You never know when your luck might turn. It could be in your hands one minute, then gone the next…
“…That concludes my report,” Mitsuha said in the conference room of the royal palace.
“Hmm…”
Ten days passed since the naval battle. The reason the meeting didn’t happen sooner was because she had to pretend she was making the long trip from Bozes County and keep up the front that frequent Traversal was harmful to her. Regardless, her cover story went untold. Nobody asked. They probably assumed she’d take that long to arrive to the capital.
The seven attendees in the small room were Mitsuha, the king, the chancellor, Marquis Eiblinger, the crown prince, the first princess, and Sabine. Count Bozes was absent because he was in his territory.
I get why the crown prince is present, sure. Attending meetings like this is a good learning experience for his future, and it’s wise for the heir to have a full grasp on matters in case the king gets injured or sick. But why the heck are Sabine and her sister here? This is a top-secret gathering to discuss highly classified information.
The reason the king didn’t raise a ruckus about Mitsuha’s life force during her report was because she’d gotten his permission beforehand to use Traversal for the battle. “It’s my duty as a noble of this country to make the sacrifice,” she argued and won him over.
…Actually, the real reason he approved it was probably because Sabine didn’t react at all when I said I was going to use Traversal. She’d never let me give up such a big chunk of my life force. The king must’ve realized that Traversal doesn’t cost me that much. That goes for the chancellor and Marquis Eiblinger too.