The small exchange said much about the balance of power in their household, though to anyone watching, even moments like this looked like flirting.
Cian let out a weary sigh. “Even though I’m the king now, nothing seems to go my way. I think I finally understand why my dad abdicated the moment I turned fifteen.”
After the reorganization of the continent, Souma had worked tirelessly to advance the world’s development, but he had swiftly handed over the throne when Cian came of age and then retired from Parnam Castle.
“The world’s stable now, and you have talented retainers,” Souma had said. “The military’s under the control of the royal family and Excel, so you’ll have no trouble there. As long as you listen to Ichiha and Tomoe’s advice, you should be able to rule without issue. But if I stay on the throne, people might try to burden me with titles like hero, great man, or saint, the way they did to Fuuga and Maria. I’m leaving the rest to you, and retiring from being king.”
That had been on the day of Cian and Kazuha’s fifteenth birthday. During the banquet held in their honor, Souma had made his sudden declaration before the family and all the gathered retainers. For Cian, it had been a complete shock, but Liscia, the other queens, and key officials had already been informed, so they received the news calmly. What was meant to be a birthday celebration had turned into a double event: Cian’s ascension to the throne, and a tribute to Souma’s years of service.
Not long after the coronation, Souma had quietly left Parnam Castle and moved into a mansion in the nobles’ quarter of the capital. Liscia and the other queens had joined him there, using the mansion as a base to pursue their own interests while supporting him.
Even in retirement, Liscia continued to serve as his secretary, as though nothing had changed. Cian often thought that his mother would have followed Souma anywhere, even into hell itself. Aisha still stood by Souma as his bodyguard, though lately she’d begun to pester him for a child of her own, much to his dismay. Juna remained active in the world of music as a legendary lorelei. Her son, Kaito, had inherited her artistry and striking, androgynous beauty, debuting as an orpheus under her careful guidance. Roroa had officially handed her business empire to Leon and Flora, yet she continued to manage it from behind the scenes while raising her daughter, Misora. Naden worked as a weather forecaster, and still ferried Souma through the skies on her back whenever he needed to travel.
The family had all gone their separate ways in pursuit of their own paths, and Naden’s cooperation was essential in helping each of Souma’s wives spend time with him in turn. Her daughter, Rinoa, had inherited the longevity of the sea serpent race and was being educated by Excel so she could one day serve as a lasting protector of the kingdom. Maria continued to dedicate herself to charitable work while supporting Stella, who’d been adopted by her younger sister Jeanne and Jeanne’s husband, Hakuya. (The Euphoria Kingdom faced an even more severe shortage of royals than Friedonia did.)
Yuriga was raising Suiga, Fuuga’s son, along with her own daughter, Sayuri, all while maintaining her career as a professional mage soccer player. Rumors had begun circulating that Shuukin and Lumiere were preparing to make Suiga king of the Great Tiger Kingdom of Haan, and the thought of parting with him filled her with quiet sorrow.
As for the last of Souma’s wives...she was a state secret, so best not to delve into that here.
After abdicating the throne, Souma himself had devoted his life to scholarship, taking up a post as a special professor at the Royal Academy to study and preserve the knowledge of old mankind. His research focused on recording and passing down as much of his old world’s history, culture, and customs as possible.
With assistance from Mao, the leader of the Seadians, whose database contained a selection of digitized books from Earth, Souma began translating them. Though they represented only a fraction of Earth’s vast history, the first work he chose to translate was Machiavelli’s The Prince. It was a text he remembered clearly and had drawn from during his own reign, so he decided to preserve it for Cian and the rulers who would follow.
Souma added his own commentary and examples from his years as king, publishing it under the title The Prince (with Annotations by Souma). In addressing the book’s harsher passages—those once condemned by the church as demonic—he provided his own measured interpretations, producing a work that, while slightly biased, earned attention as “a former king’s guide to governance.” It became an unexpected bestseller across the continent.
Afterwards, Souma turned his focus to translating songs, manga, and other works of entertainment where mistranslations carried less risk, and he began teaching translation studies to his students. Whenever news reached him of a relic of old mankind discovered in a dungeon or somewhere in the northern lands, he would fly there at once to study it and assess whether it posed any danger. Thus began Souma’s second life, one of research and rediscovery.
“Isn’t Big Brother off in the northern hemisphere right now?” Tomoe asked.
Cian nodded. “Yeah. With Momma Maria and Momma Yuriga...and maybe Momma Juna too? Some of the family stayed behind, but Momma Liscia and Momma Aisha went with him. We’re expecting a report from them later today.”
“Everyone’s still so full of vigor,” Ichiha said with a touch of envy. “They seem even more energetic than when they lived in the castle.”
Cian gave a resigned shrug. “They’ve got it good. I want to retire early too.”
“Oh my,” Tomoe said with a teasing grin. “Then you’d better start making babies soon. Once the next generation grows up, you can hand things over to them, you know? Maybe I should go check on Lady Sharan’s health.”
Cian fell completely silent.