Chapter 19

The country was a mess, and that was a fact. I could point out any number of failings. Of course, things were already disastrous by the time Paffus VI took the throne, so while he probably wouldn’t accept blame for everything, as the monarch, he couldn’t avoid being criticized for it. I continued, “Even in the capital, the struggle for power has led to continuous replacement of the chancellor, assassination of government ministers, and more. This proves that everyone serving the king is only thinking of their own gain, not of the people. If you make a hut using rotten supports, it will fall apart. It has to be remade. And so…” I looked Hasse firmly in the eye. “There is no one who should be king but you. In order to rebuild the Kingdom of Therwil, I ask that you please take the throne. I, Alsrod Nayvil, am prepared to lay down my life to see it done.” I could see a fire light in Hasse’s eyes. No doubt this man had also dreamed of becoming king; lighting that fire was certainly not difficult. No matter how unstable the throne was, almost anyone would want to be king. “Very well. I, too, have found the current king’s behavior to be most insufferable. I shall become king and restore the Kingdom of Therwil to its former glory!” “That’s the spirit. Now, let’s go ahead and spread word both here and abroad that you are the crown prince.” “What do you mean, my lord?” “If many lords of other realms come to pay homage to you, everyone should see your majesty for what it is.” “I see!” Hasse’s eyes burned ever brighter. He must have spent the majority of his days not knowing what tomorrow would bring. If he could have a ceremony unifying the nobility under him, it was no wonder he’d be pleased. “First, let us write to lords everywhere, requesting they come pay respects at Maust Castle. I will also send my own letter to them.” Needless to say, if the lords of other lands gathered at Maust Castle, they would see my majesty, as well. If we captured the royal capital, everyone would expect me to take the position of regent at least. Of course, I expected some trouble for the ceremony. Seraphina, for one, looked uncertain. “Darling, I understand what you want here—really, I do. But try putting yourself in my father’s shoes.” Her father—my father-in-law—Ayles Caltis, the Count of Brantaar, was expanding his territory by continuing to attack northward, while being allied to me. “If he comes to Maust Castle to pay respects to Lord Hasse, people might see that as him bowing before you. I mean, your territory is bigger now than his, but still…” “True. I suppose it’s not enough to leave it to you, is it?” Of course, whether such a highly influential man in this region as Ayles came would completely change anyone’s impression of me. I wanted him to come at all costs. “You’ll need an excellent gift. Otherwise, I think he’ll say he’s ill and decide not to come.” “Fine. I’ll get him a present, then,” I replied plainly. And so I promptly sent my father-in-law a letter. As it turned out, Ayles accepted my terms. Five months after Hasse came to Maust Castle, we held his ceremony, with the rulers of other lands assembled. “I shall be the next king. This cannot be denied.” Several rulers came to Maust Castle that day: the lord of Olbia Prefecture, home of my sister’s husband, Brando Naaham; the lord of Icht Prefecture, where Hasse had been in hiding; Ayles Caltis, ruler of Brantaar Prefecture, also known as Mineria; and others. They certainly weren’t lords from all over the kingdom. Still, Ayles and I controlled over three prefectures between the two of us, and if you considered the prefectures represented by the lords who came, the number was almost ten. In particular, many small lords, like the ones neighboring Icht Prefecture or Ayles’s territory, came to the ceremony out of fear of retribution should they not attend. This way, it was easy to tell who in neighboring domains would obey and who would oppose me. I was undeniably powerful enough that I couldn’t be ignored as a threat to the current king. And then, my gift was presented to Ayles. “Ayles Caltis, to reward your unwavering loyalty up until now, as the crown prince, I grant you the title of marquess. Nobility titles shall also be given to each member of your clan. I am additionally appointing you as the pacification governor-general of West Therwil. Let all rebels be slain!” Ayles said, “I am most grateful for this gift” and accepted the title. Yes, I’d made him a higher rank than myself. I’d just given him even greater justification to carry out his wars of invasion. Naturally, the kingdom wouldn’t recognize such a thing, but since the king was too weak to come attack this far away anyway, it didn’t make a difference. Leading the crown prince east, I’d take the fight to the king. Because Ayles Caltis had come to Maust Castle, I took the opportunity to hold a meeting. When he was holding his grandchild, his face was that of a jolly old man, but when he was alone with me, I could see the ruthless man I knew he was, even when he wasn’t saying or doing anything. “I never expected you to take out the Rentrants so soon. Your talent is truly frightening.” “Judging by the terrain, I decided going straight through the mountain pass would turn things in my favor. Capturing the forts was somewhat of a gamble, but since they weren’t expecting it, I figured it was a good bet.” “Yes, and that’s what’s so frightening about you.” A bitter smile crossed Ayles’s face. He’d turned somewhat grayer than the last time we’d met. “I consider myself a decisive man. I’ve even prevented rebellion before by purging anyone I found suspicious, even my top vassals. I’ve got plenty of confidence there. But you’re frighteningly good at war itself…” The primary emotion behind his bitter smile seemed to be real fear. “Just like when you defended Fort Nagraad. You show a genius ability for battle itself. Otherwise, your designs on Nagurry would’ve taken at least five years. You used war as a weapon to make quick work of them in the blink of an eye…” “I take action, believing the gods are on my side. After all”—I took a sip of the alcohol on the table—“a hero capable of building a country ought to have divine protection from the start. If they weren’t so blessed, everything would end halfway through.” “Building a country, huh…? That may not be as ludicrous as it sounds…” Ayles let out a sigh. “I just ask you not to take my sons’ and daughters’ lands. I love my other children besides Seraphina, too.” “Go ahead and keep expanding for yourself, sir—I won’t interfere. I wouldn’t treat my wife’s father so coldly. You have my word.” “Very well,” Ayles replied. Thus, in reality, I came to be above Ayles. Hasse’s claim that he was the crown prince seemed to have caused quite a stir in the royal capital. The royal dynasty announced its decision to strip the titles and territory of all the lords who had come to visit Hasse, though obviously it didn’t have the power to enforce it. No lord around me could challenge me head-to-head, so it wasn’t even a threat. The currently ruling Paffus VI had been stripped of his rank when he rebelled against Grandora III in the first place. In other words, even the king’s orders had only a relative value by this point. “…With the royal line split in two, even the king’s orders are rather meaningless, aren’t they?” remarked my concubine Fleur. She was reading the letter that had come ordering I hand over the crown prince. I was lying on her lap. After the big job of instating Hasse and assembling the other lords, I’d wanted a breather. “They certainly are. The lords who are on the king’s bad side can turn things around by supporting the opposition. That sort of thing has happened over and over throughout the Hundred Years’ Rebellion, so the king’s authority has fallen even lower. As they say, you reap what you sow.” “The temples are in a frenzy, too. Especially the temples that have always been guaranteed control of their estate by praying for the royal family’s stability—apparently they’re not sure whether to side with you or not.” “You’ve really helped me get the temples’ land sorted out. Thanks, Fleur.” Her negotiation skills were truly remarkable; she’d met with many temple priests and summarized the situation for me in detail. I now knew quite well which temples were my allies and which were my enemies. Thus, I also knew which I needed to protect and which I didn’t. “I am glad to be of service.” I got out of my seat and held Fleur close. “Enough with the formalities. You’re one of my wives, too. Call me dear, at least.” “Thank you very much, d-dear…” Seraphina and Laviala were still tired from giving birth. I visited them both regardless, but I was invariably spending more and more time in Fleur’s room now. It wasn’t all about indulgence, though. Fleur had a very shrewd sense for politics, which proved extremely helpful. I needed to make concrete plans for invading the capital next. “Come to think of it, one of Lord Hasse’s vassals is quite a capable individual, one who had long worked very hard to ensure Lord Hasse and his family could live comfortably. I also heard this vassal is a dwarf.” “A dwarf? He has a dwarf?” Fleur had a different way of looking at people than I did. When I thought of dwarves, I could think only of bearded warriors, even if they weren’t all like that. Among them were even famous garden designers specializing in landscape architecture. “Oh, and she’s a dwarf woman. Apparently, she’s not a court lady but rather a female knight who entered his service. I believe her name is something like Kelara Hilara.” “Dwarves have the weirdest names. But I got it. I’ll see if I can meet her.” To be honest, though, I was doubtful. I didn’t think there was anyone so capable among Hasse’s vassals. If they were skilled, surely they could’ve found someone else to serve. Maybe he just preferred this knight? However, when I summoned her to me, she was not at all what I’d expected. “I have arrived, my lord. My name is Kelara Hilara, guardian knight of Lord Hasse. I come from a line of tax collectors from a poor village in the west. Four generations ago, we came as soldiers to the capital, where I was raised together with Lord Hasse.” I’d had the impression that many dwarf women were small, but her height wasn’t much different from mine. Her skin was the distinctive dark brown of dwarves, and her voice and mannerisms were just as refined as those of a young noble of good birth. “I heard you took care of ceremonies, following the old ways befitting the royal family, even while Lord Hasse lived as a wanderer,” I replied. “May I ask you about those old customs?” “Understood. Well, first is the ceremony of the new year…” Kelara began to describe all the yearly ceremonies without skipping a beat. What was shocking was that not only had she memorized the order of the ceremonies, but she even talked about what to omit and what to replace it with, based on her knowledge of where the ceremonies came from and past precedents. “…And so it’s proper etiquette to bestow a sword upon the vassal, but as its history only traces back to about a hundred years ago, I made it more old-fashioned by omitting that element. Next is—” “No, that’s enough. I get it.” Damn, she’s brilliant! Kelara, huh… I’d like to hire her. I’ve never had anyone like her in my servitude before. “Dame Kelara Hilara, if possible, will you not serve me as well? Until a few years ago, I was just a small rural lord, you see. I don’t know much about ancient customs, so I don’t even know what I need to follow as a count. If I bring shame on myself, so be it, but if I’m not careful, I might bring shame on the crown prince.” It was good to be at least half-genuine about these sorts of things. I was nearing a position where I could no longer ignore good manners. It certainly wasn’t a plus to be thought of as a country bumpkin who was only good at war. When I got to the capital, I wouldn’t be able to gain the confidence of the aristocracy. Historically, barbarian-like warlords had taken the capital several times before, but because they hadn’t respected the rituals, they’d been hated by the aristocracy and nearby lords, eventually leading to their own downfall. “If you’ll have me, my lord.” Even the smallest of her mannerisms gave me the impression of a royal guard. She also smelled faintly of incense—very fitting for a female warrior. I do not trust her, although I cannot say exactly why. Oda Nobunaga looked scornful, though—not that I could see his face, of course. She reeks of Mitsuhide. He was also well-educated and clever, but he turned on me. Of course, Mitsuhide was already much older than this young lady at the time. Oh, so she reminds you of someone who betrayed you. Not only did he betray me, he killed me at Honnouji. Ho-no-ji? Is that a place or something? I mean, this Oda Nobunaga fellow seems like the type to do whatever he pleases, so it’s no surprise he had some traitors among his ranks. Be careful. Anyone who’s mastered the old ways is a conservative. And conservatives will eventually clash with a revolutionary like you. That’s more or less a given, so I’ll have to be careful. Someone who never misses a prayer at the temple certainly isn’t going to be saying the royal dynasty and everything with it needs to be destroyed and remade. “Now then, Kelara, I’ll grant you land, as well. I won’t force you to serve only me or make any other equally ridiculous demands, so don’t worry.” “Thank you very much.” Kelara thanked me politely, but she wasn’t smiling. For one person to have multiple masters was not impossible, so there shouldn’t be a problem. It certainly would be bad if she was the crown prince’s lover, though. I might as well check to be sure. It would be foolish to incur his ill will for that. “By the way, the crown prince won’t be jealous of your service to me, will he? If the two of you have any sort of intimate relationship, I’ll keep my distance.” “You needn’t worry about such trifles. The crown prince isn’t interested in dwarves. Ever since the first king, it’s been said that members of the royal family are forbidden from having children with elves or dwarves.” “I see. I apologize for the absurd question.” For now, I was glad to be free of that worry. Afterward, in my spare time, I learned about various etiquettes and academics from Kelara. I was sure I’d had at least a minimal education, but only one befitting of a rural lord. Kelara had apparently had the best education in the capital hammered into her from an early age, and even in exile, she was around scholars. By now she must’ve had enough knowledge to make a name as a scholar herself. Of course, this was all in my spare time. My attack plans were also making steady progress. I first extended my reach to Icht Prefecture, located inland to the east. Icht had no powerful lords, and some of the small lords had come to pay respects to Hasse, meaning I could make use of Hasse’s authority. The problem was the lords who hadn’t come to submit to Hasse—I’d have to take them down one by one. On the other hand, also to the east, but on the coast, was Siala Prefecture, about two-thirds of which was controlled by the Antoini clan. Siala had one powerful count, but not one powerful enough to pose any threat to me. Besides, there were other powerful and mostly independent viscounts in the prefecture. All I had to do was disrupt their unity, and things would simply fall into place. I carried out the invasion of Icht Prefecture somewhat cautiously. The reason was that I needed time to firmly remake Nagurry as my own territory. If my territory expanded too quickly, the mechanisms of control would remain in a state of chaos. Thinking of the future, I steadily strengthened my control over the port towns. By putting them all under my direct rule, I concentrated wealth for myself. With that wealth, I expanded the numbers of my guardsmen to make them into the strongest troops around. During the year or so after Hasse formally became crown prince, I placed nearly all of Icht Prefecture under my control. At twenty-two years old, I became lord of three prefectures. I was another step closer to taking control of the capital. I spoke alone with Laviala about where to send troops going forward. Not only that— “I think it’s about time I made my return to the battlefield!” —but Laviala had her own fervent wishes. Indeed, she’d spent all of the past year fulfilling her role as both mother to our daughter and wet nurse to Seraphina’s son. Laviala herself knew better than anyone that these were her top priorities, and so she had faithfully performed her duties as needed. At the end of the day, however, her real profession was Archer. Apparently, she had never ceased to think of herself as a combatant. “I never once neglected to practice my archery whenever I had the time. I’m sure I can be of help the moment a war breaks out!” “It’s not your skills I’m concerned about. It’s just, when it comes to war, you’d have to be away from the children…” There was no way to justify bringing children a year and a few months old onto the battlefield. “Well… I’d have to have someone else look after them, just for that time…” “I can’t say I’m happy to take my own wife to the battlefield, but that’s your nature as a warrior…” I didn’t have any right to stop her when I’d always willfully put myself in harm’s way. Regardless, I wasn’t the type to just roll over for nothing. Just then, I had an idea. “All right, come with me in the next war. It’ll be in Olbia. The enemy isn’t even that strong.” “Oh? I thought you were going to carve a path to the capital.” “I’m sure I’ll attack Siala eventually, but first I’m going to put Brando Naaham in my debt. I hear a group of lords is trying to ally against him.” Once I’d secured my southern flank, I’d attack east. “Also, I’d like to try using the dwarf woman Kelara as a commander.” There was no good time to test people with unknown skills when all your wars were critically important, so uninspiring wars like this were valuable, too. Brando Naaham would be happy, too; as an extreme example, arriving with three or four thousand soldiers would be quite intimidating to the enemy. “Ah, that scholar knight?” Laviala’s gaze turned icy. “Do you perhaps mean to take her as a wife? A woman like that doesn’t make a good consort, you know.” “Hey, hey, I’m no lecher… Besides, I can’t be going only to your room all the time, either.” I was making sure to visit Seraphina’s, Fleur’s, and also Laviala’s chambers so they wouldn’t feel as if I was neglecting any of them. Of course, all three of them were beautiful, so it wasn’t as if I hated our visits. I knew of past kings who’d run themselves ragged or shirked their duties because they’d spent too much time with their consorts. I was being careful not to let anything like that happen. “S-sorry… I understand your position, too. Lady Seraphina and I chose Miss Fleur because we thought she would be good for you… But you must get lonely with so few women around…” “Don’t worry—there’s nothing going on between Kelara and me. I’m only using her because she’s capable.” “By the way, I heard Lady Altia was blessed with a child, too. A girl, apparently.” Now it was my turn to look annoyed. “I swear, if I’d been born a king, I would’ve put her in a convent for sure…” “You’re every bit as selfish as I am, Lord Alsrod.” “Excuse me? I think you need to be punished.” I suddenly reached around her side. “Lord Alsrod, I told you I’m sensitive there… Ah, that tickles! I said no! Ah-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!” Oh, I know it does. We’ve been together long enough by now. Leading 3,500 troops, I advanced south. I wasn’t joining up with Brando Naaham, but instead I was going to attack the confederation of lords in northwest Olbia to keep him from getting pincered. The area was mountainous, just like the rest of Olbia; guerrilla tactics in a place like this would be hell to fight off. “Kelara, I’m giving you three hundred men. Give it your best.” “Understood.” Let’s see what you can do. Royal guards typically didn’t have experience commanding a large number of troops. However, as long as she was in my camp, she might have to lead a few thousand in some cases. I wanted to see whether she could handle it. Laviala, on the other hand, went into the countryside once I gave her permission. Perhaps because of her elf blood, apparently she actually got more motivated when the fighting took place within a forest. The enemy wasn’t that strong anyway, so I figured it’d be all right. After a while, Kelara returned, looking unfazed. She was so calm, it was almost as if we weren’t on a battlefield. Her expression was just as if she were reading a book. It wasn’t a commanding look, either; she had more of the air of a civil servant than of a general. Of course, an uncivilized mountain-man type wouldn’t really be fit to lead a large army anyway. “You came back awfully soon. Did it not go well?” “We slaughtered three enemy generals.” “Wow! That’s great for such a short time!” Results, indeed. With the fight taking place in a mountainous area, it was practically impossible to destroy the enemy completely. Keeping that in mind, it was fair to say she did very well. “Is your profession something helpful in battle perchance?” I asked. If you think about it, since she was a female knight, it wouldn’t be unexpected for her to have a job like Fencer or General. “No, I don’t have any such special talents. All I did was use what I thought to be the best tactics per the writings of military strategy both past and present.” Calm and collected as always. “In a way, that fighting style is perfect for you. Can you keep it up?” “Yes. I will do whatever my lord commands.” Eventually, Kelara went on to kill over five more enemy commanders. She had more success than Laviala, who’d only recently returned to the battlefront. Of course, Laviala was more of a lone wolf, so it was like comparing apples to oranges. We’d dealt a huge blow to the enemy lords, and with almost no harm to our side. Brando would certainly be thankful. The operation was a huge success. I’d gotten to see what Kelara could do, in particular. It wasn’t anything flashy, but her ability to reliably defeat the enemy was worth admiring. If she was this good, she wouldn’t make any big mistakes if I gave her a large army. “You did better than anyone else in this war,” I said to Kelara as we rode back from our victory to Maust Castle. “It is an honor to hear you say so, my lord.” Speaking of, I’d forgotten to ask her something before: “Kelara, just what is your profession?” “Actually…it’s a highly peculiar job, so many people don’t believe me…” Kelara looked just a bit gloomy. So even a woman like her gets uncomfortable at times. “I won’t question it. Tell me.” “Yes, sir. I’m not quite sure of its meaning, but my job is ‘Akechi Mitsuhide’…” My heart skipped a beat. I was sure I’d heard that name somewhere… This old conqueror was right on the money. Hey, don’t congratulate yourself just yet. Alsrod, be careful. This woman may betray you. Her job is Akechi Mitsuhide, after all. I, however, actually thought this made things interesting. This “Akechi Mitsuhide” or whatever would be mine to command. He was one of Oda Nobunaga’s top vassals anyway, right? That was proof he would be incredibly useful. “Kelara, can you hear this…Akechi’s voice?” “No—can professions even speak? And yet, with this job of mine, I find it easier to remember things about old palace customs. It’s like I can naturally recall what was written where…” “Yeah, you’re right! Hearing voices would be totally ridiculous, wouldn’t it?” It seemed her job was fundamentally different from my Oda Nobunaga one. Maybe it was just related to the skills of this Akechi Mitsuhide to whom it referred? I suppose only a man of my caliber can be self-aware as a profession. A job that could talk was certainly more amusing. I mean, two heads are better than one, and more than anything, it was a great way to pass the time. Let’s get to the capital soon, Oda Nobunaga. Of course. The throne is yours to take. END