Just looking at Yanhaan, I could tell that she respected me. It wasn’t quite like the reverence owed to me as regent—rather, it felt like respect for someone who knew the truth of things. Throughout the ages, artists never truly bowed to someone just because they were a ruler, for a ruler who didn’t understand beauty was no more than a servant in comparison to that beauty. Thus, to be a true king, one had to know the real nature of beauty. The great kings of old had an eye for it and had considerable collections of art. Those collections weren’t just displays of wealth. Maybe this tea ceremony was an accidental rehearsal for something of that nature. “By the way, Yanhaan, you didn’t put any drugs in this tea, did you?” “No, I would never. I may be an apothecary, but lacing the tea would profane the ceremony. If you want, I can drink the rest of yours.” “That’s not necessary.” The fact that I had a unique profession was a miracle either way. “A tea party is for spending time with other people, but tea ceremony is the ultimate confrontation with oneself. I think you had that figured out without realizing it. On rare occasions, people like you find themselves severed from this world.” I might have doubted those words if they were coming from a priest, but they sounded natural to me in the moment. “Next time I need to make a big decision, let me do this tea ceremony again.” “Certainly. Mostly politicians have made use of it up till now.” The dragonewt woman smiled cheerfully. “I see. It seems you’ve met quite a lot of the capital’s politicians…” I then proceeded to ask her what I needed to do to strengthen my hold on the capital. “This is just me speaking as a merchant, buuut…” Yanhaan gave a leisurely but interesting answer. She was no average person, after all. She’d have made an outstanding politician herself. “Yanhaan Grantrix, I think I’ll have a good position for you. Don’t let me down.” Afterward, Laviala and the others did the tea ceremony themselves, but Laviala came out looking disappointed. “It was really bitter,” she grumbled. “I just don’t get it…” “I thought elves had a special connection with plants, though.” “That doesn’t mean we like things that are bitter…” “By the way, was there anything strange about the experience?” “All I can remember is the bitterness,” Laviala said, sticking out her tongue in disgust. With the civil service exam’s results, we had our first round of bureaucrats. Most of them ended up as low-rung government workers. And at the same time that they were dispatched, we prepared for the second round of testing. I had Kelara and Laviala helping me. Kelara chose the questions. Laviala basically did anything else I needed, but she knew quite a bit about weapons and armor, so I borrowed from her knowledge to include questions about those topics. “Surely you don’t need to have so many tests? The government seems to be working with just the bureaucrats we have now. We still have some from before anyway.” “Laviala, I don’t want more bureaucrats just so I can keep the old status quo.” “The more bureaucrats there are who were chosen by His Excellency, the greater his share of influence in the capital will be. I believe that may be what he’s thinking.” Kelara saw the truth with ease. Laviala looked a bit annoyed, like she’d just been slighted. “I’m a soldier, after all. I never thought I’d come to the capital in my whole life.” “Relax. You know Kelara didn’t mean anything by that.” I soothed Laviala by stroking her head. A new regent announcing policy changes just because he was new would definitely stir up discontent. There were always plenty of people who resisted change. That discontent would lead directly to government instability. Looking back on history, many governments had quickly fallen when they provoked backlash for the radical measures they took. A government’s legitimacy and usefulness were of secondary importance. For example, reforms that raised taxes brought furious opposition from the people. Nobody would happily accept something like that. It would also be a bad idea to challenge the rights of the capital’s nobles. Human beings were conservative creatures. Change frightened, and the current king, Hasse, was a prime example of change. Anyway, as for how I’d expand my power, I needed to increase the proportion and number of my supporters. I wouldn’t make any changes in the existing power structure. I’d just steadily change out those in charge to be people under my thumb. Hasse and his cohorts felt at ease because there hadn’t been any changes to the system. They thought I’d be like all the previous regents—nobles who’d maintained their power while protecting the dynasty. By the time they knew what was happening, I’d have control of everything. With the exams, I couldn’t be criticized for picking favorites, since the examinees who were hired wouldn’t be from my hometown or have any other connection to me. The former king surely wouldn’t sit idly by anyway, so I’d quickly strengthen our forces. If the royal capital—not just Maust—was my base of operations, then total power would be close at hand. Just then, Lumie and Seraphina came in. “Ah, I see you really are coming up with exam questions.” “The princess said she wanted to observe, so I brought her here,” Seraphina told me. Her smile was the smile of one who was plotting something. “Well, well, whatever is the matter, my dears?” I said with joking melodrama. Still, I really did have a lot of wives now, even considering my position. Aside from Fleur, who was resting in Maust after giving birth, my wives were all here with me. Kelara wasn’t officially a concubine, but it was an open secret anyway. “Yes, you must be a truly happy man to have such beautiful wives waiting on you,” said Seraphina. “The princess is getting prettier all the time, too.” “Yes, I will make sure I won’t embarrass you when I’m by your side, Your Excellency!” Lumie joined hands with Seraphina, smiling with delight. She seemed to have taken to Seraphina. “And another one of your wives came from Maust today, too.” Seraphina signaled behind her with her eyes. Fleur came in shyly. “Oh! Fleur, I never expected you’d come, too!” I opened my eyes wide. I’d thought it’d be some time before I’d see her again. “Yes, Lady Seraphina had it arranged…” Fleur was a brave girl, but since she’d gone around me to do this, she looked a bit unsure of herself. It’s generally considered proper to keep one’s husband informed, after all. “Forgive me for not telling you beforehand.” “Fleur, I’m not upset, so don’t worry. Besides, this is one of Seraphina’s schemes, right? You’re not the one to blame here.” “It’s not a bad thing, so I wouldn’t call it a scheme. It was just a little…project, is all.” Seraphina smiled, really seeming to enjoy herself. The culprit had confessed willingly. To be honest, it was a real comfort to have a wife who toyed with me like this. The higher you ascended in the ranks, the more distant people became. As regent, sometimes I felt like an executioner. Apparently to hold great power really was to be alone. Fleur must’ve had a long trip, so I hugged her gently, stroking her bright-pink hair. “How’s the baby? Is she healthy?” “Yes, she’s with her nurse now. She’s a little fussy, so her nurse seems to be having a bit of trouble, though.” “I see. This might be too soon, but I guess Meissel doesn’t have children yet, so maybe our daughter can lead the Wouge clan someday. Of course I want to raise her as a member of my own clan, too.” “You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Fleur chided. “There is no way to know how things will go yet. We have to worry about what the former king is doing, too.” On the other hand, she looked relieved. “To be honest, I wanted to come to the capital. I mean, you’re changing history wherever you are, dear. I want to watch as it changes.” She was a bit hesitant as she called me “dear.” “You would’ve made a fantastic general if you were a man… Too bad.” This girl had Wouge blood. They were an honorable line who had defended their territory on their own for generations. “Then I could start training as a warrior now. There is no law saying only men can be warriors.” “I can’t lose you in battle. No thanks. Even Laviala’s almost died more than once.” “Oh, don’t bring that up again! I survived because of my skills.” “Yes,” I replied, “I guess there aren’t any heroes who died in their first fight. There’d be nothing to record.” All of us laughed at that. Anyway, I’d figured out the reason for Seraphina’s scheme. “You wanted to get all my wives together in one place like this, didn’t you, Seraphina?” “Ah, you’ve found me out. Yes, because you seem so focused on politics you don’t have time to pay attention to your wives.” She giggled. From behind her came maids bearing snacks. “Since we’d all be here, I thought, Why not have a consort party? The princess said she wanted to properly greet all your wives anyway. Though since Miss Laviala and Miss Kelara are officers, it’s hard for them to get time, too.” Hearing her name, Kelara grimaced, as if to hide embarrassment. I hadn’t technically made her one of my wives yet. She was more like a lover than a wife. Currently I officially treated her as a military officer of the Hilara clan. If I officially designated her a wife, it would be hard to appoint her as my officer. Laviala was somewhat similar. However, her being my milk sister made her sort of like both my officer and my family, so everyone just overlooked that aspect. Also, Seraphina had deliberately used the term consort, but that was something only a king had, so it was technically disrespectful. Nobody was going to tell on her for making a joke, though. Lumie had a formal sort of look on her face. “Yes, I certainly would like to get to know everyone. Miss Fleur, I have heard from Miss Seraphina of your amazing insight.” She suddenly took Fleur’s hand. When they stood next to each other, Lumie looked like she could be her little sister. “Yes, I hope we can get along well, though I am ashamed of our difference in status. I am merely the daughter of a petty lord.” “We need not talk about that. We are all here to support His Excellency’s clan.” Lumie smiled innocently. Next to them, Kelara and Laviala were dividing out the snacks. Seeing everyone lined up like this, I couldn’t help but admire how capable all my wives were. Their desire to support my clan didn’t seem like just lip service, either. It wasn’t uncommon in history for wives to engage in diplomacy. They all gave me strength and love, although the latter went without saying. “You look rather impressed. Do you approve of my idea?” Seraphina seemed pleased with herself. “I do. I’ve been completely absorbed in my work, so it’s nice to do a little something like this from time to time.” “Take the rest of the day off. Let’s all chat over some snacks.” “My children are still little, but it’d be nice to bring them here sometime.” “True. Honestly, I’d like my child to succeed you, but we’ll have to see. You’ll probably have even more kids anyway.” Seraphina’s gaze felt almost like a warning. “S-sure, yeah. We’ll just have to see…” Then, Seraphina stood on tiptoe and whispered quietly in my ear. “You haven’t spent the night with the princess yet, have you?” Don’t say that here! “Not yet. That can wait.” “Still, having too many lovers would complicate matters, you know?” “That’s not going to happen—uh, too much.” Given the whole situation with Yadoriggy, I couldn’t make any promises. If I mentioned I’d even taken a spy as a lover, Seraphina would be appalled. Seraphina’s party went on quietly and leisurely. My wives had fun talking among themselves, too. Fleur asked Kelara several questions about the capital. For her, it seemed, the capital was a remarkable place. After all, it was the setting of most stories for women. “Once things calm down a bit, we could go enjoy the water in the ravine on the city outskirts,” I said. Laviala’s ears twitched. “Lord Alsrod, I’m sure you realize that would be best avoided. Assassins can’t all be stopped outside. What’s more, it’s difficult to close off all paths to a ravine anyway.” “I know. I wouldn’t expose my wives to danger, at least.” “By the way, there is a major diplomatic concern in the near future.” Laviala suddenly put on her officer’s face. “The meeting with Orsent Cathedral, right?” Orsent Cathedral ruled Fortwest Prefecture and was the greatest power in the capital area. “They can muster twenty thousand devotees from the capital area alone and up to a hundred thousand from all their strongholds in the kingdom, so I hear.” “Not to mention, unlike forced peasant conscripts, people fighting for their beliefs would be strong willed,” Laviala continued. “They didn’t used to have a lot of military training, but supposedly their troop and weapon qualities are getting better and better.” “Right now they’re our ally, but, well, who knows what will happen?” I slowly sipped some wine. The sweets I’d eaten before made it taste bitter. That lot ostensibly didn’t fight battles unrelated to their faith. In fact, they actually hadn’t interfered in the royal conflict around the capital. It’d be nice if they continued like that. Never trust the priests. They pretend like they’re in the right, but the things they do from the shadows are pure madness. It’s better to be open and fair about your lunacy, like me. I’m not sure you can call that fair…but I know what you mean. Religious forces were both a kind of nobility as well as rulers, and in that way, our world was probably not much different from any other. Assuming they were a group of pure faith would get you into a world of trouble. Orsent Cathedral, in particular, originally came to power when a heresy called Orsentism, led by a man named Orsent, grew in strength. And the rank of archbishop had been inherited by successive generations of the founder’s clan. Thus, they weren’t really different now from the clan of any other lord. New religious movements were fundamentally more likely to arise in cities, where there were lots of people. Urbanites sought out new religions more than people in farming communities. Drifters were more common in cities, too, and such people didn’t believe the older faiths would save them. It was a natural turn of events that such a movement should arise in the populous capital area. Once, when different royal houses were fighting each other, the king and his family mobilized the Neo-Summoners—a militaristic sect in the temples—allowing them to defeat the opposing nobles. Afterward, however, the Neo-Summoners set up a sort of vigilante group in the capital in a move to take control of the city. Though it was only for a few months, the capital found itself in an extremely peculiar situation where its police authority was in the grips of the Neo-Summoners. The group held sham trials, apparently leading to merchants and others of heterodox faiths being killed. In the end, some capable nobles suppressed it, and most of the Neo-Summoners’ leaders were purged. The situation had verged on disaster. The Neo-Summoners had since mellowed out, but it paid to be vigilant when dealing with religious forces. “Excuse me, Miss Laviala, let’s not discuss politics right now.” Seraphina chided us, thinking the conversation too difficult. “We’re here to relax. You’re going to give me a stiff neck. It’d be better manners to talk about these snacks or something.” “It’s still my job… Cutting loose isn’t very easy for us elves…” “All right now, no excuses! If he doesn’t take the time to relax, our dear regent won’t have any respite from work; he’ll collapse of exhaustion!” Yeah, she does have a point, I thought as I listened. “Here, have some more to drink, Miss Laviala,” urged Seraphina. “Let’s enjoy ourselves, like we’re carousing in debauched revelry!” “No, that would get us into trouble!” protested Laviala. “So many temples would be angry with us…” Oh, for the love of… Let’s not get too depraved here… It won’t do my reputation as regent any favors anyway. “Taking everything so seriously will only bring us trouble, though. Not from enemy lords, but from elsewhere.” Even Seraphina could turn serious at times. “Such as?” I asked. “There’s a new king. Merchants are coming to the capital from Maust, too, and a conflict of interests is brewing within. The same sort of thing happened in my own prefecture, too.” Three seconds later, Seraphina was smiling again as she went to get Lumie a drink. “Here, Princess, today’s party is informal. Don’t feel bad about getting a little tipsy.” “The nuns at the convent always told me not to drink alcohol…” “Don’t worry. Once you’re past ten, it’s fine. You’ll start feeling good in no time.” “Hey, hey! Don’t make her drink if she doesn’t want to!” As I intervened, Lumie came and hugged me tightly. “Alcohol still frightens me…” “Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone force you to drink as long as I’m here. Seraphina, this is no way to teach a child. Do anything to corrupt her, and I’ll relieve you as tutor and entrust her to Fleur!” “You’re right. I’ll be more careful. But I would like you to be thankful.” “Huh? What do you mean?” At times like this, I couldn’t tell if Seraphina was just being herself or if she was planning something. “Look, you and the princess seem to be closer now.” As Lumie clung to me, she did have the face of a girl in love for the first time. “Your body is so muscular… My brother’s was a bit squishier…” I wasn’t sure how I felt being compared with Hasse, but Lumie’s long tenure in the convent meant she had never seen a man’s body. “I’ve spent a lot of time on the battlefield, so this is just the result. It’s only natural that His Majesty wouldn’t have a warrior’s physique—after all, the king can’t go to battle all the time.” “Th-that’s true… But why do I feel like I’m out of breath when we’re close, instead of relaxed…?” I placed a hand on her head. “I don’t think that’s something you can learn in a convent.” I decided I’d like to gradually get closer to this wife of mine. I was a bit annoyed to see Seraphina smirking in the background, though…
Chapter 28
16 min read