The sole purpose of the Great Alliance was to fight off invasion from cross-continental enemies. The members would work together by sharing knowledge of their weapons development and conducting joint military drills, but the alliance would not interfere with disputes within the continent. They’d have to form their own pacts for that. As such, being left out of the pact didn’t change anything for the empire.
…At least not officially. In reality, no one would be dumb enough to believe that, least of all politicians. The members of the alliance were collaborating on developing revolutionary new weapons. They were forming amicable ties to support each other in times of need. Most of the influential countries on the continent were a part of the alliance, and being excluded from it meant the empire was going to be left behind with their old, outdated arms.
To make matters worse, their failed invasion got them labeled as both a dangerous country that couldn’t be trusted and as a weak idiotic country that couldn’t even pull off a surprise invasion attack.
Mitsuha pointed out, “Their country is falling apart, their government is unstable, they’re strapped for cash, and they’ve completely lost the trust of their people. They really do have no choice but to go for broke, huh… It’s easy to ridicule them as fools, but I can sympathize. They’re backed into a corner and forced to take a gamble they know is stupid.”
Sabine nodded in agreement.
The empire wasn’t truly out of other options. For instance, they could’ve groveled to every member of the alliance and signed treaties that were advantageous to them. But Aldar’s very foundation was built on oppressive diplomacy backed by their great military strength. Humbling themselves to other countries would completely undermine that. The leaders, nobles, and military personnel took pride in the empire’s strength, and would never tolerate such an act.
Sucks, but that’s just how the world works.
“What should we do, Mitsuha?”
“Hell if I know…”
There was nothing she could do. Aldar and Dalisson were foreign countries. If the target was Zegleus, Mitsuha would do all she could (without endangering herself) as a noble to protect those dear to her. But she had no reason or need to get involved in a foreign dispute.
Dalisson and Zegleus were on amicable terms, but they didn’t have anything like the Security Treaty in Japan that would compel one side to fight for the other in the event of a war. Also, Mitsuha’s promise to Princess Remia was only that she’d rescue her friend if she was in physical danger. She said nothing about aiding her country in a war. The promise was meant to be nothing more than an intimidation tactic against domestic subversives.
When I said I would protect her from “invaders from another country or the demon king’s army” and whatnot, I literally meant I would protect only her, not her country or her citizens. It’s a promise between the two of us as individuals. Not an international agreement.
The delegation’s promise won’t save Dalisson either. It only states that our kingdom would prioritize Dalisson when sharing new military equipment, not that we would fight for them. I could promise Princess Remia personal security all I want, but I can’t get involved in a foreign war without permission from my king.
Using my position as the Goddess’s envoy and the Lightning Archpriestess to rescue one person won’t cause any problems, but interfering with foreign conflict will. I’m a noble of Zegleus, after all… So the most I can do is jump to Princess Remia when the enemy soldiers arrive at her doorstep and whisk her away to wherever she wants to seek asylum. Oh, I’d be willing to take the young prince and some retainers, too.
In any case, I might as well meet with the king about this…
“So yeah, that’s why I wanted to speak to you.”
Mitsuha was at Sabine’s house, also known as the royal palace. She was talking to the king privately.
“It’s not like I can do anything, but I just wanted to get a grasp of the situation,” she said.
The king looked confused by Mitsuha’s words. I don’t think I said anything weird…
She elaborated, “I know this conflict doesn’t involve our kingdom, but Princess Kak-Kak-Kak’s country is a member of the Great Alliance. Letting it get occupied or annexed by an enemy nation could be bad for the alliance, right? And if Dalisson goes down, another country could be targeted next.”
“Princess Kak-Kak-Kak?” The king was perplexed. “What’s that? Some kind of mythological monster?”
Whoops, that’s the nickname I use with Sabine…
“Um, I meant Princess Remia.”
“You are not to call her that in front of anyone else. Do you understand me? Do not. I mean it!”
“…Don’t worry, I know…”
“Why did you pause?! Do you think I’m kidding?”
Oh, drop it already…
“Anyway,” the king said, “don’t do anything without my express permission, Mitsuha. If you get any ideas, talk to me first. Got it?!”
“Yes, of course that’s the plan─oh, but in the event of an emergency, I will rescue Princess Ka─I mean, Princess Remia using Traversal without your consent.”
“Yes, I see why that would be necessary. Feel free to save the prince, the chancellor, and their retainers as well.”
That would give Princess Remia enough to establish a government in exile. Leaving her brother behind would be like handing the legitimate heir to the throne on a silver platter, so the siblings needed to escape as a set. Saving Princess Remia alone wouldn’t be pointless─it would save her life─but from the standpoint of her country’s future and the happiness of her people, it would accomplish nothing.
I can’t wipe out the imperial army by myself. Well, technically I could. It’d be a cinch if I hired Wolf Fang again or dropped giant boulders from the sky onto the enemy’s stronghold… But while I’m willing to kill for self-defense, I don’t like going out of my way to take others’ lives. I’m not a homicidal maniac.
I’ll only kill if there’s no other option to protect myself or those dear to me.
“Mitsuha!” Sabine burst into the room. “Remia just called!”
Because of the delicate nature of the topic, only the king and the chancellor were present in the room. The crown prince, first princess, and Sabine were told that the meeting was of no particular importance─the three were merely catching up on each other’s lives─and that their presence wasn’t required.
Despite that, Sabine barged into the king’s office without knocking. If any of her siblings had done that, they would’ve been harshly scolded. Sabine, however, existed outside the law.
Is the king too soft on her? Not that I’m one to talk…
Regardless, it seemed like Sabine had interrupted the conversation with appropriately urgent news. No one could fault her for that.
“It’s not time for one of her scheduled calls, is it?” Mitsuha asked.
Remia had an arrangement with Sabine to call on the radio at the same time of day, once every three days. This one wasn’t the right day or time for that.
“It’s not,” Sabine shook her head. “I know you’re here in the capital, but I’ve been leaving the radio switch on for the past few days just to be safe. I thought Remia might try to contact us outside of the usual time…”