Just then there was a knock at the door. The sound alone gave me a fairly good idea of who was on the other side. “I’m sorry, Laviala. These are still working hours, so anyone can come in.” Laviala quickly straightened up, though she seemed a bit unsatisfied. When I opened the door, Kelara was standing there. “The tentative plans for the invasion of the Northlands are finished, so I brought them over.” “Good work, but you shouldn’t bring that here when I’m on an expedition.” Her timing was a bit unfortunate. Laviala looked like she felt we’d had our date interrupted. “You told me to bring it right away once it was finished.” “You’re right, sorry. Give it here. Laviala is here, too, so that’s perfect. Let’s discuss it for a bit.” Those plans were, plainly speaking, to subjugate the northern lords who had yet to bend the knee to me. Naturally, the plans were ostensibly to subjugate the lords not bowing to the king. At the moment, the regions not under the king’s authority could be divided into two main areas. One was the Westlands. This was where the former king, Paffus VI, had fled to, so it represented a powerful enemy. Of course, the Westlands weren’t totally united to begin with. The Westlands were in an internal conflict for supremacy. Outwardly they had Paffus VI as their king, but quarrels remained. On the other hand, the Northlands were so far away from the royal capital, they always tended to be culturally backward. Perhaps that was why they were still at the stage before unification by a small number of powerful lords; instead, minor powers were crawling everywhere like ants swarming on candy. “The plan is to first take out the Margrave of Machaal in Machaal Prefecture. I don’t know if he’ll surrender right away or if he’ll resist to the end. Still, if we take them out, the petty lords will be sure to give themselves up.” “I believe that is not a bad plan,” Kelara replied without so much as a smile. No one would guess she was my lover from her stoic demeanor. “Umm…I have a very simple question… Do you mind?” Laviala raised her hand. “Sequentially speaking, shouldn’t we be attacking the powerful enemies in the Westlands?” she asked. “The lords of the Northlands are farther away, for one, and they’re not particularly a threat, either…” “That is true. I can see your point as well, Lady Laviala. The greater danger is in the west, where they’re supporting the former king.” Apparently Kelara’s relaxed attitude had further annoyed Laviala, who looked a bit put off. This was a compatibility problem. Kelara was a female officer with the distinct air of a royal capital native. “Your face tells me you already knew that, Miss Kelara,” said Laviala. “Sigh… I always feel like I’m getting left behind.” “Not at all, Lady Laviala. You are a remarkable individual, and I believe His Excellency loves you very much. At the very least, more than he loves me.” What a caveat. I didn’t remember saying anything like that. “Th-that’s true…,” said Laviala. “I do have a feeling Lord Alsrod visits my room far more…” It’s not a competition! Think of how awkward this is for me! “Yes, I…do wish I could talk with His Excellency more at night, but I have a cold personality, so maybe he’s avoiding me.” True, Kelara wasn’t exactly warm and friendly, but these words clearly had thorns. I’d thought Kelara wasn’t the type to worry about such things, but apparently that had changed, too, over time… “Kelara, that’s the first I’ve heard.” “I didn’t think it was worth mentioning. Let’s continue with the plan. May I go first? If there are any mistakes, please correct me.” “All right. Go ahead…” Kelara spread out a map she’d brought with her and proceeded to point to various spots with a rod. “We will advance from Maust Castle like so.” “Right,” Laviala said. “That makes sense given our path. But I still don’t know the answer to my question.” Yes, that still didn’t answer why we were attacking the Northlands lords. Kelara then smoothly moved her rod to a lord near Maust Castle. “It is possible this will cause Ayles Caltis, Marquess of Brantaar, and Brando Naaham, Count of Olbia, to raise their armies.” As my sister’s husband, Brando had received the rank of count and the title of Count of Olbia four years ago. “No, would they really…?” Laviala scowled. I had told her such a conflict might happen someday, but she probably hadn’t really thought about when. “That’s what this is about. The real enemy is people relatively close to my domain capital, who deep down don’t fully submit to me. These guys will think of trying to get rid of me when they get the chance. While they think of me as an ally, they don’t want to be beneath me in the end.” “So you mean if there’s going to be a big rebellion while you’re attacking the Westlands anyway, you’d rather attack the Northlands first to draw them out? Because it would be a safer war in terms of scale?” Sure enough, Laviala was pretty smart herself. She could assess the situation very quickly. “Of course, this is a supposition, presuming the worst-case scenario. If His Excellency’s in-laws don’t start a rebellion, then that is a happy outcome in itself.” “No one would openly steal gold coins from a table in a crowd. But if there were no onlookers present, some people would stealthily swipe the coins. In a word, I’m going to test my in-laws—tell them, If you’re going to kill me, now’s your chance.” I knew from my rappas that my in-laws almost certainly didn’t think well of me. That didn’t mean they’d start a rebellion, though. Surely most lieges hadn’t gained the total confidence of their subordinates. It might’ve been more common that their subordinates served them without liking them. Thus, I didn’t know unless I tested them. “I understand what you’re saying. However, if they killed Lord Alsrod now, that area would fall into total chaos. I can’t imagine it would do them much good.” “Well, not everyone thinks that much about the future, you know.” I intended to build a new era, but even people without the same mettle could get in my way. Having destroyed the Santiras, I returned to the royal capital. I didn’t quite receive a hero’s welcome, but it was a nice welcome nonetheless. Upon my return, I went immediately to His Majesty King Hasse I to exchange victory greetings. I didn’t want to make him think I was slighting him by any means. Hasse I may have been thickheaded, but he had ruled for some time now, so his attitude was more kingly than before. Not all the kings in the Kingdom of Therwil’s long history had been competent. The bureaucracy was in order well enough to be capable, even if it wasn’t outstanding. “The kingdom is one step closer to unification, thanks to you. Let us keep pushing on together as brothers.” Hasse said brothers because I was married to his little sister, making us brothers-in-law. “You are still in your twenties. If we continue to remake this realm together over the next ten or twenty years, unification will certainly come someday.” “Indeed. Although this is just my hope…I would like to fully unify all our lands in about five years.” Back when things had calmed down after we took the capital, I had hoped unification would happen in roughly a decade. This was the midway point, in other words. “Five years, eh? I will certainly look forward to it. The people can call me the Restorer. I like the sound of that,” Hasse said profoundly. There was a thin line between becoming a restorer and becoming the last monarch of the Kingdom of Therwil. Of course, this king didn’t seem to have many suspicions about the latter. It would be perfect if I could continue deceiving him to the end. I had essentially used these five years to gain his trust. Power gradually converged on whoever commanded the army when the army was constantly getting sent out to war. Of course, there was a chance that might lead him to worry about giving me too much freedom. As a matter of fact, plenty of people in the past had gained enough power through repeated victories that they could secede from the king or even oust him. However, doing that too early in the game would only lead to regional power in the capital area, as no matter how much justification he had, lords far away would see the new king as a simple usurper. It would be impossible to maintain enough power to subjugate the entire realm. And then, at some point, he’d be defeated by some foe and have to flee from the central area to the countryside, only to be killed somewhere—this was one way things often went. Thus, it was the right decision to work with the king toward unification, for now. Yes, Oda Nobunaga was saying it, too. Are you listening? Make use of upper authorities while you can. Ashikaga Yoshiaki was a pain to deal with, but I never killed him. Truthfully, I didn’t quite want to exile him, as that’s enough trouble as it is… I even suggested we make his son the next shogun, but he refused… I know. I don’t intend to make the same mistakes as you. I don’t appreciate your tone, Alsrod. I don’t remember ever mishandling Yoshiaki. Until I became more powerful than him, I never once totally vanquished him. Even so, there was an alliance against you, right? So you were in some ugly situations. I don’t feel like making more enemies than I have to. Oda Nobunaga cackled. The reverberations inside my head were rather annoying. Liar. At your core you can’t get enough of war. You’re even sending troops to the Northlands because you want to fight against your own kinsmen, right? You want to cross swords with everyone who can fight. It was hard to say for sure. Maybe I couldn’t totally deny it. You might say Mineria’s leader, Ayles Caltis, was the first general I’d admired, as well as the first wall I’d come up against. As the Nayvil clan had been on the brink of collapse, I’d awoken to my power. Ayles Caltis must have been around his midforties by now. Left alone, he would weaken both physically and mentally. I…did actually have a desire to fight him before then. Do as you like. Your wife might hate you from the bottom of her heart, or she might surprisingly say nothing—it’s difficult to tell. Oda Nobunaga had defeated his own father-in-law in a siege, so he seemed to be somewhat sentimental about this sort of thing. Of course, he’d banished the son of the man who’d killed his father-in-law, so there wouldn’t have been any problem morally speaking. My post-victory report continued. “Also, Sir Regent, I have a question,” the king said a bit hesitantly. “Yes, what is it?” “Are you getting along with Lumie? As her brother, I wonder about her. And she got married as a naive thirteen-year-old, so I thought misunderstandings might abound…” Ahh, so he was wondering about that. In a sense, the king might’ve been more at liberty to worry about his sister now. When I’d first met him, he’d had nothing, and he had been thinking only about becoming king. Once one’s basic needs are met, he can concern himself with greater matters beyond himself. As I could give him a favorable answer about this, I was relieved myself. “Well, then, allow me to speak frankly.” I put on a solemn face. “S-sure…” “When we were first married, she still was somewhat childish, but now that over five years have passed—to be honest, I never imagined she would become this beautiful. Perhaps her royal blood is to thank.” Hasse looked relieved. Just then, someone slipped out from behind the curtains. I didn’t sense hostility, so it wasn’t even frightening. I’d already known someone was there. “Ah, it so pleases me to hear that. My heart was racing.” Lumie showed herself. She put her hand to her breast in relief, and indeed they were big enough to call breasts now. I’d never thought they’d grow this much… Some court poet or someone had said she was now the most beautiful woman in the capital, and they weren’t wrong. With age she had naturally become more beautiful, and intermingled was the gleam of intelligence together with her inborn kindness. She might truly be the ideal princess. Her hiding-in-curtains habit hadn’t changed, however. “Don’t be bothering His Majesty too much, Lumie.” “Oh? But you said you have to do whatever you can to win in war.” When she laughed like that, she seemed a bit like the little girl she had been when we first met. Damn—this was supposed to be a political marriage, but I’ve really fallen for her. Seraphina would get a kick out of this. After spending some time with Lumie, that night I went to Seraphina’s quarters. When I’d first met Seraphina, she must’ve been fifteen or sixteen. Several years had passed since then, but she didn’t look any different. That was because of my profession, Oda Nobunaga. All my wives stayed gorgeous for me. I really had to thank him for this. “Oh, you want to be with me? Shouldn’t you spend the night with your proper wife?” Seraphina giggled at me from her chair. Her indomitable attitude never changed. But Seraphina must’ve had a good idea of why I was here. “I’m going to fight to unify this realm, Seraphina. I’m sure you understand that, too.” “Of course I do. You know I told you when we got married I wanted to be with a man who would be king.” Seraphina came over and leaned against me. Her tendency to test me with suggestive eyes hadn’t changed, either. “If your family and clan had to be destroyed for that to happen, would you be able to accept it?” I asked, separating my body from hers a bit. “Your father might rebel against me, and when that happens, I plan to take him on full force. Not knowing when Brantaar might betray me will jeopardize my future plans. Especially when it’s my father-in-law, others might secede as well.” Seraphina’s face turned somewhat grim. She didn’t say anything immediately. I waited patiently. No matter her answer, what I had to do was already decided. Faint tears welled up in her eyes. “How strange. Before, I thought I didn’t care what I sacrificed if only you were king, but now that it’s my reality, I’m so afraid. I wonder if everyone I know might die…” I said nothing, silently hugging Seraphina close. I knew that was the most I could do. Unfortunately, no matter how much it saddened her, I couldn’t let up on how I treated any rebels who appeared. And so all I could do was be silent. Seraphina must’ve cried on me for some time. I’d known she was delicate, but she sure felt light. She seemed like she might melt away like candy. “This is all assuming he takes up arms against me, of course. I swear to you I would never do such a thing as kill him on suspicion of treason.” If I did that, even people who obeyed me would lose their trust in me. After that would come a hell in which no one would follow me. It was definitely a better idea to guarantee that you’d protect anyone who obeyed you. “No, I’m sure my family will attack you. They’re not flexible enough to accept the new world you’re making, darling.” Seraphina went over to a locked cosmetics box in the room. What she retrieved wasn’t cosmetics but, oddly, a letter. “Read this, darling.” I immediately took a look at the letter she passed me. “It says he wants to show me hospitality in his home and that you should come along.” “Hospitality is a code word in the Caltis clan,” said Seraphina. “It means ‘destroy.’ It’s a little trick to reduce risk should it be found.” So he’d been slipping it into what appeared to be trivial family communications. When it was mentioned among a multitude of other topics, nobody would notice. “I’ve got several letters urging me to send info, too. I think he really does mean to do it.” “Thanks for telling me. You really do understand me better than anyone.” I kissed Seraphina on the lips. Then, perhaps having made up her mind, she sat in the chair. “Actually, I know the answer, but I’ll ask you anyway,” she told me. “Sure, as you like. You have the right to do that.” I was certain she’d ask me not to attack her family or to spare their lives. But that was naive of me. I’d forgotten Seraphina was a much more passionate person than that. “Kill me for treason,” Seraphina said with a smile. “Then you’ll be able to attack the Caltis clan without any reserve. If I’m here, your judgment might be compromised.” Apparently Seraphina had thought of this as a way to resolve her conflicting emotions. I sighed and forced a smile. I couldn’t feel angry. “What is your profession?” “Um, Saint…” It raised luck by 30 percent for people close to her—that was what a Saint’s ability was supposed to be. “Exactly. You are a saint to me. A person who kills the saint protecting them is a hopeless fool. I don’t intend to live so foolishly. You only get one life, after all.” “You won’t even divorce me and send me away…?” “I’m not foolish enough to divorce a person as enchanting as you. I want to keep you as my own.” I wondered why I was seriously trying to cajole my own wife, but it was quite true that I didn’t want to lose her. “If I were your only wife, that would be a convincing argument.” “You’re the one who brought me a concubine so that I could build more alliances. I’m grateful to you for setting me up with Fleur. You’re also the one who was so enthusiastic about me marrying Lumie.” The tension had relaxed enough for me to make such quips. Also, Seraphina had given me an idea. “Seraphina, I am sorry to bring this up now, but I want to take another wife.” “Of course. Who did you have in mind? You know I’m open to these things.” “Soltis Nistonia’s daughter should be of age now.” Before my big military operation, I wanted to pave the way just a bit more. Soltis Nistonia was a powerful lord in Siala Prefecture who’d helped me as I’d expanded my influence along the coast. After the Antoini clan—who’d been ruling most of the prefecture—lost to me, he had become the greatest power in Siala. Furthermore, the other day I’d received news that the vagabond head of the Antoinis had died of illness, essentially snuffing the clan from existence. Economically, lords holding seaports far outstripped landlocked lords with the same land area. Letting him control all of Siala would represent a risk of betrayal, so I hadn’t done that, but it certainly was a golden age for the Nistonias now. I’d actually met Soltis’s daughter, Yuca, once before, back when I’d invited his family to Maust Castle in order to form an alliance. In case they were killed at the castle, he had left his son back home and come with the rest of his family. Among them was Yuca. Several years had passed since then, so Yuca must be in her midteens. She was still unmarried, perhaps because my power had covered the surrounding area, meaning they hadn’t really needed to think about cooperating with other lords. I wanted to also be able to transport troops and supplies by sea in the upcoming war. To that end, I wanted to reaffirm my ties with the Nistonias, especially since they had originally ruled in that area, making them my conquered vassals. The more insurance against betrayal the better. After listening to what I had to say, Seraphina asked, “So do people say this Yuca girl is beautiful?” “No such rumors have reached my ears. If you’re in doubt, look into it yourself.” I first invited Soltis to the royal capital in order to discuss the marriage. My pretext was that because he was still a viscount, he should come to receive the rank of count. I convinced the king to allow the investiture right away. Soltis thereupon became the Count of Siala. After the celebratory banquet, I summoned him to an empty room and had the conversation. I called Seraphina, Fleur, and Kelara to entertain him. I hadn’t invited Laviala on this occasion, but she came anyway. Apparently Lumie was playing with my kids. “…And so I would like to have your daughter as a wife. I’d have trouble answering if you asked why I have so many wives… But just think of it as serving the relationships of the respective clans. My own daughters and son are still too young anyway.” “You’re so lusty, you can’t get enough women, right, darling?” said Seraphina—it was hard to tell if she meant it or if it was a joke. She must’ve at least half meant it. On the other hand, Fleur was calmly refilling Soltis’s cup. “Perhaps this is not my place, but currently it would make little difference to your relationships with nearby lords whether you married your daughter to them or not. That being the case, marrying her to His Excellency would not be a bad option, I think.” Fleur always did things logically, in all likelihood because of her efforts to keep the smallish Wouge clan alive. Small- to medium-sized clans quickly got destroyed when they didn’t think of the consequences of their actions. A single mistake would lead to instant destruction. “Well…I am very honored by the proposal itself…but there is something that worries me for a completely different reason…” Soltis was starting to get some gray hairs, but he still served as the Nistonia clan head. His son wasn’t old enough to inherit all authority yet. “Good gracious, what could that be?” Fleur asked without smiling. I’d brought Fleur here because no one was as good as her at getting down to the point. She was much more useful than some unskilled bureaucrat. Laviala, incidentally, was sitting there purely to watch. No matter how much she’d tried, she had always had a simple honesty to her—or to phrase it another way, her rural habits never went away. To a born-and-bred denizen of the royal capital, all of us besides Kelara were country bumpkins. “Well…this is embarrassing to say…but seeing Your Excellency’s wives’ faces, my daughter is completely outclassed—or rather…” Judging from Soltis’s expression, he didn’t seem to be joking at all. “I haven’t yet transferred clan headship to my son, but he is already married, and I even have grandchildren. So there is no worry about the continuation of the clan, but because of that, when thinking of my daughter’s happiness, I want her to be married to a husband who will love her.” “I see,” said Fleur. “You mean to say you don’t want your daughter to become His Excellency’s concubine in name only. You wish for better for her.” Soltis answered Fleur with a bashful “That is correct.” I hadn’t expected to feel the way I did. I could very clearly tell Soltis genuinely wished for his family’s happiness—that itself wasn’t strange at all. In fact, it was utterly natural. I, however, had long since set such feelings aside. Perhaps I hadn’t really forgotten it, but I also hadn’t given that sort of thing very much thought. I wondered if I’d feel that way when my children came of age. Or would the slow aging from my Oda Nobunaga profession make me always feel the same way I did now? I wasn’t sure how to respond. To be sure, I was quite blessed in terms of wives. Laviala, who had always treated me as a little brother, as well as Seraphina and Fleur—they were all truly beautiful. Lumie had grown to look absolutely angelic, and my lovers Kelara, Yanhaan, and Yadoriggy all had their own different attractive qualities. At this point, if I were asked if I could love an unremarkable girl if I took her as a concubine, I wasn’t entirely sure. If word got to Soltis that I was being neglectful of his daughter, giving him a bad impression of me, it sure as hell would defeat the purpose. “I see,” Fleur said. “I think that is a natural concern to have. Well, would you please let us meet with your daughter once? I will show her around the royal capital, just as we showed her around the castle in Maust.” Soltis agreed. After he left the room, Kelara asked me, “Will you postpone the Northlands invasion?” “It won’t be long from now.” Soltis’s daughter, Yuca, came to the royal capital sooner than I’d expected—twelve days after my meeting with Soltis. He must’ve sent a horseback messenger to his territory right away, not wanting us to think he was hesitant. He may have gone to some unnecessary trouble because of us. Unsure how to feel about meeting Yuca, I decided to quiet my mind with Yanhaan’s tea ceremony. As a matter of fact, I’d had a tea ceremony room built within the royal palace; it was a pain to visit Yanhaan’s residence every time. Because of my position, I had to be careful of assassins and such anyway. As we partook of our tea, we didn’t speak more than was necessary. Tea ceremony was a time-honored ritual in which mundane hierarchical relationships disappeared. I slowly drank all the dark-green tea. Today’s tea seemed just a bit bitter, but maybe it was only reflecting my mental state. “You seem troubled. I can tell just by looking at you,” Yanhaan remarked as I finished drinking. Guru is a word that perfectly described Yanhaan’s face during tea ceremony. She was both dignified and benevolent, as if to say, I am the master of this art. It didn’t at all seem like the look of a person who had built a fortune in business. “I’m going to meet with Soltis’s daughter. Seems it’ll be an interview, so it’s got me distracted.” We’d finished our tea, so it didn’t matter if we discussed something here now. “Astray and in doubt every time, no matter how many times you’ve gone through it—that is love.” “In conventional wisdom, sure, but I never thought I’d feel this way myself. I want to hear what you think.” Yanhaan narrowed her eyes a bit and showed a faint smile. She was outstanding as a bureaucrat, as well, but her expression now was totally unbureaucratic. “If it seems to be an intervieeew, then why don’t you try to act as you would for one?” Yanhaan answered slowly. “If that is what your heart says, I think you ought to take things as they come instead of resisting. What are your thoughts on the matter? There are nooo correct answers when it comes to love anyway. The more you try to find them, the more you will fail.” Those words fell heavily onto my heart. “All right. I’ll try doing that.” “Indeed, sir. You are human, too, Your Excellency,” Yanhaan said, smiling. It was time to meet Yuca, and she would come into the room where I was waiting. I had Kelara there also, as Yuca might get nervous if it suddenly became one-on-one. Finally, the door opened. I gulped. Which of us would be more nervous? I tried to see what she looked like, but I couldn’t see her face. She was shielding it from view with her hands. I thought she looked somewhat like a captured criminal. “S-sorry… I’m not used to this sort of thing…” “Nobody is. Why don’t you try taking a deep breath?” Kelara gave her pertinent advice. Yuca really did take a deep breath, and then she removed her hands from her face. I was struck by her rare blue hair, and her eyes were similarly blue. Part of her seemed almost doll-like, but she certainly wasn’t unattractive at all. She was quite a graceful young lady. “You have beautiful hair,” I remarked, and then wondered if that was too dull a compliment to give. “…One of my ancestors fell in love with a merchant’s daughter in another continent, so I hear…which is why it’s this color…” “The Nistonia clan does rule the seas, after all. That has to happen sooner or later.” “Yes… I’m very nervous… It feels as though my heart might leap out of my chest.” Her trembling wasn’t simply adorable; it made me want to care for her. “Miss Yuca, please have a seat. I’ll fetch you some tea. What would you like?” Kelara waited on her for me. Afterward, I asked Yuca several questions about herself. She said she wasn’t very strong-bodied, so she had almost never played outside or done anything physical. And so, she said, going to Maust when she was young had been a novel experience. To be frank, I got the impression this young girl really didn’t know much about the world. The women I’d met up till now had had the strength to forge their own destinies, but Yuca didn’t have such a will to take charge. That said, I knew Yuca’s disposition was typical of a noblewoman. Men and women alike usually considered an indomitable spirit like Seraphina’s unladylike, and certain qualities developed only in someone like Fleur, who had carried the fate of her entire clan on her shoulders. This Yuca girl was the result of a completely normal, loving upbringing. Now, as was a noblewoman’s lot in life, she would become a political tool. In that sense, I hadn’t had a normal romance myself. A normal romance, eh? That might not be so bad. “So, Miss Yuca, do you have any dreams or aspirations?” I tried asking her a variety of questions in interview form. I did my best to cast my position as regent from my mind, as that really would make it hard to have a normal romance. “Dreams? Umm…” She continued to dither as she racked her brain. If I’d asked Seraphina, she would’ve immediately answered with something ambitious like wanting to be a monarch. “Miss Yuca, if nothing comes to mind, please don’t strain yourself,” Kelara gently told her as if she were Yuca’s longtime servant. “Oh right, I remember now. I do have this one dream.” Yuca seemed to have come up with something. “I want to have and raise a healthy child.” That certainly wasn’t an answer I had been expecting, and Kelara looked puzzled as well. “Why do you say that?” If I didn’t know, I had to ask. That was how you conducted an interview. “Well, I’m…a very ordinary person, you see… Ah, I’m not trying to be self-deprecating; I simply think it must be the truth. With both of you in front of me, I can tell you live in a different world than I do…” Yuca glanced at Kelara and me and then looked down. “I’ve never thought I was a particularly outstanding person,” Kelara said with a straight face. I thought that might actually make Yuca feel worse. Kelara was very well-mannered, but she often underestimated herself. “I’ve never done anything heroic, nor am I particularly clever… I’m truly just a lord’s daughter. Every time I heard about Lady Seraphina or Lady Fleur, I thought they were such strong individuals.” Yuca spoke without confidence, but it was very clear she was doing her best to express her honest feelings. “But I couldn’t possibly accomplish the sorts of things they have. And my body is feeble, too. I have only learned a minimum of etiquette at the castle; I truly have nothing else. They say a lady is her clan’s diplomat, but I don’t think I would be well suited to that, either…” Yuca became more and more pessimistic as she spoke. It must’ve been this girl’s personality. “So with that being the case,” she continued, “I would like to leave it to my children.” Yuca lifted her head slightly. “I can’t be an extraordinary person myself, but maybe I could raise my children as heroes. I think then there would be meaning in my life. Besides, I can teach them about weakness, so perhaps that would in turn help me raise them to be strong…” Just then, Yuca’s face brightened, like a flower bursting into bloom. Her dream was undoubtedly abounding with a mother’s love. Her smile was genuinely attractive and simultaneously very reassuring. Had I been born a lowly commoner and stayed that way, I probably would have wanted to spend my life together with a wife like this. Of course, Yuca was ordinary only in regard to her skill set; if anyone said her looks were ordinary, the gods would smite them. She was endowed with enough beauty and kindness that she could be used in a religious mural with no embellishment necessary. I want to make this girl happy, I thought, as if by reflex. No, there was still something haughty and regent-like remaining there. I want to be happy with this girl. Then, if we could have a relationship where we could laugh together at the little things, maybe my heart could be at ease. “That is a very selfless and wonderful dream to have,” Kelara complimented her in a sort of interviewer-like way. “No, it’s also perfectly selfish.” Yuca instantly turned the compliment on its head. “My body is quite frail, so I’m not confident I can have children or even live long enough to raise them. So my dream includes the hope I can watch over them until they’re grown.” Yuca’s poignant smile just then made her look all the more doll-like. In fact, it even seemed like she was an expensive doll someone had made in her likeness. What an utterly helpless woman. Hey, don’t add your commentary at a time like this. You’re totally out of place here. She does, however, have a certain indefinable charm. Sometimes it’s nice to have a woman like her around. I agree. I knew my profession would see it my way. She knew she was weak—she probably knew it so well it made her angry. Looking at it another way, that was a great strength. People who knew they were weak didn’t make great mistakes. They were much stronger and smarter than people who mistakenly believed they were strong. “I-is that answer acceptable…? I’m sorry to speak of something so uninteresting…” Yuca’s expression turned timid once again. “No, that was very interesting. I think Kelara here would say the same.” “Yes. I believe I have a lot to improve on myself. I must be more diligent.” She wasn’t smiling, but she was surely speaking from the heart. Kelara must’ve thought it was refreshing, as I did. Yuca had lived in a different world from us military officers. “We will get in touch with your father again soon. Thank you for coming today.” “Ah, certainly… Er, Your Excellency…” As she stood up, Yuca looked in my eyes in an anxious, pleading sort of way. “I don’t think you will be able to make a pathetic woman like me your lover…but please, do not forsake my father and the Nistonia clan…” She was awfully hunched over, so even though it was probably not something to laugh at, I felt like I was about to. “You needn’t worry. I would never forsake a lord who is loyal to this kingdom.” After she left, I spoke with Kelara about our impressions. “What do you think? Be honest; I won’t get upset.” “I think that young lady would have found happiness a bit more easily had she not been born into an age of war.” “After you spent all that time wandering with His Majesty, I shouldn’t be surprised you’d say that.” People unfit for conflict would be born even in times of war. They were usually sacrifices to the violence. “I didn’t see her as just some weakling, though—so I’d like to try bringing her happiness in my own way.” Kelara nodded slowly. “Well, I didn’t think Your Excellency would scrap the marriage discussions anyway.” “Wait… You’re trying to call me a womanizer, aren’t you…?” I felt like I was perfectly faithful to my wives. “At the least, I haven’t ever made you unhappy…right?” “N-no…,” Kelara said, a bit bashfully. “Recently, I did wish you would lust after me a little more, but that would upset the balance, wouldn’t it?” More and more I realized Kelara was surprisingly possessive. I immediately notified Soltis Nistonia that I wanted to take his daughter as a concubine. He seemed somewhat incredulous, taking the trouble to come verify it with me. “Is such a girl good enough for you…? If you just want to pin down the Nistonia clan, you need not marry her if you don’t want to. I won’t think anything of it if you decline…” “No, I’m in love with her from the bottom of my heart. Please do not worry. I also don’t intend to choose a wife out of obligation. My only concern is her frailty, but that can’t be helped. Instead of making priests pray for her, I’ll pray all I can myself.” I now had a good idea of why Soltis had been worried. He would feel sorry for her if she were spent on just a loveless political marriage. In that case he’d rather let her build a nice family with another man, even if he didn’t have much power. “My dear count, I truly do care for her. I’ll make her as happy as I am able. Don’t think this is just a formality,” I declared plainly, my expression serious. When Yuca came to me, however, she also still looked unconvinced. “Am I good enough for you…?” she asked me, just as her father had. “You don’t realize what charm you have. If you degrade yourself any more, you’ll be insulting the man who chose you.” “Ahh…I’m sorry… I just couldn’t believe someone like me could become Your Excellency’s concubine…” Yuca had been nervous for some time, so I had to reassure her, stroking the stiffness out of her body. Later that day, Seraphina let me in on a secret: “Men are fascinated by women they’ve never experienced before. Just like an epicure.” That was a hell of a way to put it, but maybe she wasn’t so far off the mark. “You’re awfully savvy,” I said to her. “Even if there were a woman just like you, I don’t think she could compete.” “With my sass, you mean?” I’d probably never have this kind of exchange with Yuca, but that didn’t bother me. Everyone had their strong suits. “Well,” Seraphina said, “we should take some time to show your new concubine around Maust Castle again.” “Sure, but I’m especially busy lately, so I don’t have the time. I don’t even have the time to play with my kids.” Indeed, with my closer ties to the Nistonias, I would now finally get the Northlands operation underway. If it succeeded, half of the realm would be mine. I gathered my army to Maust Castle, and I finally sent them northward in early summer. I had old Commander Kivik look after Maust Castle in my absence. He was eloquent and not at all senile, but with his age his legs and back were getting worn out. His beard and hair were completely white; he even seemed like a deity enshrined in a temple. “When Kivik dies, I want to give him a grand funeral and burial, but he just doesn’t die.” “Lord Alsrod, how disrespectful,” Laviala admonished. “But it is true that if he lives too long, it’ll be time for his grandchildren to take the reins, which might be hard for his son Mr. Little Kivik.” “You said essentially the same thing I did.” Kivik had helped me do great things for so long, but I couldn’t send him to the front lines at his age. This was probably the first big job I’d had for him since I’d let him lead my troops into the capital the first time. “How is that going for you, Little Kivik?” I asked him as we marched. I called him “Little,” but he was older than I. He must’ve been almost forty. “I need to ease my father’s mind by making a name for myself as soon as possible.” Little Kivik was more of an average person than Kivik; he didn’t have a warrior’s spirit. Just like his father, though, he had long served me, even if he hadn’t garnered as much attention doing so. As far as time of service, the Kivik family would come second only after Laviala. “Don’t worry. Even after you do, Kivik isn’t going to want to retire. He won’t be satisfied unless he’s running around in battle all his life.” “I’m sure he will, but then he will undoubtedly end up dying in battle.” “Nevertheless, he must be over seventy years old by now. At that age, it might be best to let him die in whatever way he likes. I’m sure he won’t have any grudges against us then.” “Your Excellency, it’s not a joke from the clan’s—” Little Kivik’s words stopped there, probably because I didn’t look like I was joking. “Little Kivik, I know your father is infirm, but I’m not saying he’s less able to command.” I needed to make Little Kivik understand that very clearly. “Why would I entrust my castle to a nobody? Do you think it’s just an honorary post?” “No, certainly not… All the more so because it may be the scene of battle, in the worst-case scenario…” “And that’s what this is about. I’m giving him an important job in which it doesn’t matter if he is immobile. Now give me your best effort as well.” “Yes, sir!” Little Kivik shouted, seeming ashamed. He wasn’t as capable as his father, but the man was more youthful than he looked. He might have more glory days ahead of him. All the people of the Kivik clan might come to have a big role in protecting the Nayvil clan if they made great contributions in the wars to come. “By the way, how old is your son?” I asked Little Kivik. “My heir is thirteen years old.” “So just about old enough to go to battle, huh?” “I’m afraid he is quite timid.” Beside me, Laviala said, “Having a little timidity is more reassuring,” as if to caution me. I suppose I do go out on the front lines too much… “True, but this sort of thing really gets my blood pumping.” As we advanced on the Northlands, the farther north we went, the more fired up I became.
Chapter 36
37 min read