I wasn’t sure if the Eastern Trade Union had really won the war with Nyrnal, but the people wanted to celebrate their victory. This small country hadn’t yielded to the powerful tyrant and had managed to defend its independence. That was probably enough of a victory for them.
When I thought about it that way, I could understand the desire to celebrate. They’d won this victory through much hardship, after all.
And so, they began their victory celebration. It was held in Khalkha, which was still in the midst of being rebuilt. Despite some of the buildings still being burnt, the streets were spectacularly decorated. People had set up shops in tents. The Senate’s assembly hall, which had escaped the fire, was converted into a tavern for the festivities.
At present, Lysa, Sérignan, and I were walking through the bustling streets together.
“The skewers look great!” Lysa said.
“Well, you two can eat all you want, since you won’t gain weight...” I grumbled. “How are your wounds, Sérignan? Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I’m fine.”
After the battle, I’d put Sérignan in a Regeneration Pod to heal her injuries, but I was worried that she hadn’t healed properly. This wasn’t the game world anymore, after all.
“For now, let’s celebrate our victory. We’ve beaten the Nyrnal Empire, and we should take pride in what we did. We’ve taken revenge on them.”
“Yeah, we did.”
The Nyrnal Empire had retreated to the other bank of the Phros and solidified their defenses there. It would be extremely difficult for them to cross the river now, so in a way, we’d successfully pushed them away. I wasn’t sure whether that was part of their plan or they had to go back to the drawing board after the failed offensive. Either way, we’d made them pay for their sneaky attack on Khalkha. That was good enough for now.
Nyrnal had annexed the former territories of the Kingdom of Maluk, which made their territory even larger. Even so, I had no intention of surrendering to Nyrnal. I’d oppose them to the very end.
“Let’s eat and drink and have fun!” Lysa said.
“Yeah! I just wish the other Swarms could join us,” I nodded, my voice sounding a bit morose.
Seeing them would be a little too shocking for the citizens, so we had them wait outside Khalkha. But Konrad’s mercenaries recognized the help they’d offered during the battle and had carried food out for them to eat. I thought that was quite nice of them.
Any enjoyment we experienced would be transmitted through the collective consciousness, so it wasn’t like we were hogging all the fun for ourselves.
“Sérignan, you put in the most work in that battle. Do you have any requests?”
“I’d like to eat meat. Any kind of meat will do.” Sérignan was a real carnivorous woman.
“Then let’s try those skewers Lysa mentioned,” I said.
“They do look good.”
As we stuffed our cheeks on meat skewers and fried food, we enjoyed the celebrations in Khalkha. People whose businesses had been burned down were out and about, selling their wares. The place where we’d eaten Hamburg steaks and mixed grill dishes before had converted into an open-air cafe, so we tried out all the dishes we hadn’t tasted yet.
We decided on some sweets for dessert. We had a cold treat that was lightly sweet and similar to ice cream, some donuts, and other confections. I consumed a week’s worth of calories that day. But it also meant I’d probably get fat, so I had some mixed feelings.
It’s fine. It’s not every day we get to celebrate like this. I should cut loose and have fun.
I’d endured one too many nerve-wracking situations, so I decided to forget about the stresses of war and enjoy myself.
“Yo, Yer Majesty!” a jovial voice called out to me.
“Konrad,” I said, turning to look at him. “I thought the senators were all overseeing the rites over at the assembly hall. Shouldn’t you be there?”
The Senate was currently electing its new chairman and holding a ceremony to celebrate our victory. And yet, Konrad was loitering around here instead. I imagined, given his personality, that he was bored with the ceremony, but...
“What are you saying? We owe ya our victory! The Senate hardly even lifted a finger. You’re our guest of honor today. Now, come come, everyone’s waitin’ for you. Don’t be late and spoil the festivities!”
“Fine. I just need to show my face for a bit, right?” I asked, a bit tiredly.
“Well, I dunno about that,” Konrad said with a grin. “I’m sure the senators will all want to get a look at you.”
“Ugh,” I groaned. “Guess I have to do it. But I don’t need a big welcoming party, okay? I mean, I didn’t really defeat the Nyrnal Empire in the end.”
“Well, the senators don’t seem to feel that way. They think that this war was proof that the Union managed to protect its independence. They see it as a victory.”
Yeah, that was what I figured. It was honestly kind of a headache. Honestly, the only thing I did was just nudge Nyrnal’s invasion army into a situation where they had to fall back. Otherwise, I could only sit back and watch as this country’s assets burned in the fires of the war.
“I’ll head over to the assembly hall, then. Sérignan, Lysa, let’s go.”
The two of them nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Allow me to escort you, ladies,” Konrad said with a suave tone that did not suit him whatsoever. He bowed, showing us the way to the assembly hall.
“I guess it wasn’t completely unharmed,” I commented as the building came into view. “I guess that makes sense, given that it was exposed to wyvern fire. It’d be weird if it went unscathed.”
Part of the building had crumbled, and the stonework was charred. Still, it was a well-built structure, and its continued magnificence stood as a symbol for the peace they’d earned.
“Now, go on in. Everyone’s waiting for you,” Konrad said, practically pushing us inside.
So much for his gentlemanly demeanor.
“Attention, everyone!” a voice echoed as I entered the hall. “Her Majesty Grevillea, Queen of the Arachnea, the very woman who conquered the Nyrnals, has arrived!” The speaker was a woman sitting in the Senate secretary’s seat. She went on, “The Arachnea proved to be a reliable ally for protecting the Eastern Trade Union’s independence. They stopped Nyrnal’s invasion and protected our homeland. This faction is our only worthy ally!”
Her words were met with cheering from the senators.
“All hail the Eastern Trade Union!”
“All hail the Arachnea!”
“This should push Nyrnal’s attempts to invade us by another century. So long as the Arachnea are on our side, they can’t lay a hand on us. No matter what monsters they bring, we will defeat them!”
“That’s right! We won’t yield to any tyrant, and with the support of our allies, we can oppose them! Glory to the Eastern Trade Union and the Arachnea! May we remain a proud, independent country forevermore!”
They raised their voices, praising the Arachnea and the Eastern Trade Union.
Stop it. I had my own reasons for fighting this war. I respect your independence, but it wasn’t that big of a consideration.
“All hail the Arachnea, our great allies!”
“A speech! Let’s hear your speech!”
All eyes in the room gathered on me. I wasn’t good at this, and I didn’t think I should say anything. But with all sorts of emotions brewing inside me, I took the stage.