Azdaja, whose existence Julis had become aware of only after getting involved in governmental affairs, was, so to speak, the lingering ghost of various integrated enterprise foundations. Essentially, it consisted of the worst parts of two now-defunct organizations and was believed to have been involved in all manner of worrying incidents.
Any trouble with the likes of them was no small matter.
“…Just tell me one thing. You’re not trying to get involved with the integrated enterprise foundations, are you?”
“Well…for the time being…I’m probably fine…I guess?”
Ayato’s unconvincing response left Julis wanting to hold her head in her hands. If it came to that, her plans for the future would all have been for nothing.
“…Listen, Ayato. There’s something I want to tell you,” she started after regaining her composure.
Ayato straightened his back. “Oh, first things first—congrats, Julis. I didn’t expect you to become queen so soon.”
Julis flashed him an honest smile in response, even if the way he had cut her off just now had gotten a little on her nerves. “Hee-hee… Well, I suppose so. I didn’t either.”
Ayato blinked in surprise.
“Everything leading up to this, it was all my brother’s plan. I know he might act like he doesn’t know what’s going on, but he’s actually very astute. Frustratingly so, sometimes.”
Originally, Julis had wanted to change the country by assisting her brother, Jolbert. She had always known that she might eventually succeed him on the throne, but that time, if it ever came, would be a long way off, she reasoned.
But one day, he simply offered to abdicate. When Julis had reacted with mute astonishment, Jolbert had fixed her with a helpless smile while his wife, Maria, cuddled him on her knees.
“Julis,” he explained. “You must have noticed it. Thanks to you, the crown’s rights have been expanded considerably, and we’ve gained a certain amount of leeway. But unfortunately, I’ve reached my limit. I’ve been on friendly terms with the integrated enterprise foundations for a long time, so I can’t garner enough support for more reforms. So…I’m going to expose all the corruption and scandals that have taken place up till now, and blow myself up along with the dogs who run those corporate behemoths. I’ll need you to take care of things from now on.”
His expression, as he said all this, was one of quiet acceptance.
Naturally, the political and business spheres in Lieseltania had been thrown into chaos, so as soon as Julis ascended to the throne, she laid the groundwork to bring the integrated enterprise foundations to heel and succeeded in passing several important pieces of legislation.
“One of them was a bill to abolish the monarchy, which will transform Lieseltania into a republic during my lifetime.”
Lieseltania had been revived to serve as a puppet state for the integrated enterprise foundations, so it would have made perfect sense if it had simply ceased to exist. But so long as there were people who called the country their home, they ought to have the right to decide their own futures.
So Julis had become queen in order to prepare the state for that eventuality.
And that future couldn’t be achieved simply by bowing down to the integrated enterprise foundations.
But while the crown might have more power, Lieseltania would never be able to compete with the IEFs themselves. The only organizations capable of contending with them on that scale would be other IEFs.
“My experiences in Asterisk were enlightening. Its six schools all compete for supremacy, but ultimately, they achieve a careful balance. So I thought maybe we could try to replicate something like that here—and in fact, I’ve already passed a bill to do just that.”
Lieseltania would be no different from Asterisk—a playpen for the six integrated enterprise foundations to each seek supremacy in the form of profit.
The IEFs existed to pursue profit before all else, after all. To that end, they often joined together to cooperate on certain projects. They were like beasts seeking out ever-greater riches. Ultimately, their goals were to exterminate their competitor organizations and expand their own economic spheres to encompass every corner of the world. Instinctively, that was all that mattered to them, and any external cooperation or compromise was, as far as they were concerned, merely a means to an end.
Julis’s role was to soothe the beasts, at times to coax them, and occasionally, when need be, to chastise them.
“Of course, it’s a dangerous path to tread. One wrong step, and it could have serious repercussions for the whole country. And there’s no telling what might become of me,” she said with a sigh, turning back to Ayato, who had been listening in silence all this time. “By the way… Are you still… Are you still busy wandering the world?”
Ayato looked puzzled for a moment by this sudden change of topic, but he crossed his arms and fell deep into thought. “Hmm, yeah… Actually, I was thinking it might be time for me to settle down for a while…”
“W-well then…! Going back to what I wanted to talk to you about… Um… H-how about…you stay with me…?”
“Huh…?”
“N-n-no, not like that…! As a bodyguard! Right, I’m looking for a skilled bodyguard! Like I said, there’s no guarantee that something bad won’t happen to me or those I care about in the future… And as you know, I’m not a Strega anymore. It would be hard for me to protect myself, let alone anyone else.”
“Oh…” Ayato looked up sadly. It seemed as though he was about to say something, when Julis interrupted.
“Th-that’s fine, though. I’m not putting on a front here—I really don’t have any regrets.”
Ever since that day—since her championship match against Orphelia—Julis had lost her Strega abilities. The reason remained unclear. Maybe it was because she had pushed herself so far beyond her limits, or maybe it was because she had caught a glimpse of the other side. Her strength as a Genestella still remained, so she wasn’t completely powerless, but her combat proficiency had dropped precariously.
And yet—
“It’s true, I can’t make my fire flowers bloom anymore. But I have a friend who’s nurturing another kind of flower, one even more suited to me. That’s enough.”
With those words, Julis turned her gaze to the other side of the lake beyond the garden. There, tending to colorful flowers in a greenhouse by a small orphanage, lived a woman with white hair and red eyes—her best friend, and like Julis, a Strega who had also lost her powers. That was what Julis had wished for as the champion of the Lindvolus.
Noticing Ayato’s warm gaze, Julis cleared her throat. “So, back to the main topic… What do you think? If you still want to learn more about Genestella and regular people, in a sense, this country might very well be the best place to do it. After all, you won’t find anywhere else with a Genestella as the head of state,” she said with both pride and a hint of self-deprecation.
“What you’re saying is that you’re starting a new battle here, this time as queen?” Ayato asked.
“…Well, I guess so. Something like that.”
The enemy wasn’t the integrated enterprise foundations.
They were behemoths, beasts—but they were also a system. They were inherently neither good nor bad, but could be either when the moment called for it. If there was really an enemy here in need of defeating, it was the current state of the world and the people who had made the system what it was. And that, no doubt, was the same exact thing that Ayato was trying to uncover.
“Then I can’t say no,” Ayato said, his smile unchanged from that day. “I swore to protect you, Julis.”
“…!”
She could feel her face turning red, and she lifted a hand to hide her embarrassment.
“I’m queen, you know? Aren’t you supposed to kneel and kiss the back of my hand?”
“Heh-heh, that’s not a bad idea… But I can think of something else even more suitable.”
Julis wanted to be on an equal footing with Ayato. This wouldn’t make any sense otherwise.
“…Got it.”
Ayato lifted his right fist and gently pressed it against hers. Then, their gazes met—and they both began to laugh.
Just then—
“Oh, Master Amagiri!”
Flora’s high-pitched voice echoed through the garden as a group of familiar faces headed toward them.
“Oh, Ayato. You came.”
“Oh dear, we can’t have you holding a clandestine meeting with the queen, now, can we?”
“U-um, Ayato. You look really strong…”
“Ooh. No running off on your own, Your Majesty.”
“…Goodness gracious, it’s getting crowded all of a sudden,” Julis said, placing a hand on her waist and breaking out into an unusually relaxed grin.
“Let’s go, Julis,” Ayato said as he tried to step forward.
Julis, however, was determined not to let him go ahead of her, and so she positioned herself by his side.
✦ ✦ ✦
Standing next to him. Walking beside him.
That was her wish now—and she would surrender it to no one.
✦ ✦ ✦
