In the 1,546th year of the Continental Calendar, King Albert of Elfrieden had abdicated his throne.
Albert, the now-former king, had been a mediocre individual, but owing to his gentle nature, he had been respected by his vassals and the people. However, also owing to this gentleness, he had not implemented the drastic policies that would have rooted out the corruption of wicked vassals. Thanks to this and a variety of other, overlapping causes, the kingdom had fallen into a slow decline.
This Albert had turned over his throne to a hero said to have been summoned from another world.
The hero was apparently named Souma Kazuya.
At the same time as Albert had entrusted the throne to Souma, he had also arranged for the betrothal of his only daughter Liscia to the new king, ensuring Souma’s hold on power. This Souma, who the throne had been turned over to, had yet to be formally crowned, but he was, in effect, the king, and had embarked on a series of political reforms.
With this sudden change of kings, there had been those who had suspected usurpation at first, but, with the support of Liscia, he had righted the wrongs of his vassals, gathered new personnel, improved the food security situation during a time of shortages, and installed a domestic transportation network to boost shipping capacity. With the steady implementation of these policies and more, Souma was gathering the support of the people. For a hero he was rather plain, but as a king, he was a superb. That was the people’s appraisal of him.
However, Souma’s reign was not to be smooth sailing in all aspects.
First, the three dukes who controlled the land, air, and sea forces of Elfrieden (there was also a force other than these, the Forbidden Army, which served the king directly) had still not sworn loyalty to Souma.
The lion beastman who was General of the Army, Georg Carmine.
The sea serpent who was Admiral of the Navy, Excel Walter.
The dragonewt who was General of the Air Force, Castor Vargas.
Ever since the change of kings, these three had taken their armies and secluded themselves in their own territories.
Because this was all taking place in another country, their exact intentions remained unknown, but it was clear that their relations with Souma were strained. In particular, there were rumors that the general of the army, Georg Carmine, had been gathering forces in his territory, making his position in opposition to Souma clear.
In addition, the nobles who had been investigated by Souma for corruption were pushing back against him.
Those engaged in serious wrongdoing had been stripped of their titles and had their lands and assets seized. Those whose crimes were even more severe were to be jailed or otherwise punished.
The corrupt nobles were not happy about this and had attempted to take their assets and flee the country. However, the borders had already been sealed, and, with no other alternative, they had gathered under Georg Carmine, who was in open opposition to Souma.
Thus, with the discord between Souma and the three dukes rising to the surface, the citizens of Amidonia were in high spirits. There were plausible rumors that King Souma had begun to raise troops to subjugate the three dukes who would not step back from their rebellious position. The kingdom was experiencing a conflict between the king and his vassals.
This was a situation that had the Principality of Amidonia watering at the mouth. It looked like an unparalleled chance to pursue their national goals, to “reclaim our stolen land” and “take revenge against that kingdom.”
Because of that, among not only the soldiers but the general populace as well, the overwhelming consensus was that: “Now is the time to invade the kingdom!”
In this militaristic state, the army came first and the lives of the people second. Priority was given to the military when funding was handed out, meaning that the people did not become more prosperous. Of course, there must have been discontent from this, but the people were taught that “all of our suffering is the fault of the Elfrieden Kingdom, who stole our land.”
Rather than direct their anger towards the politicians or the army, instead they directed it at the Kingdom of Elfrieden. No matter how badly they were misgoverned, it was always that kingdom’s fault. From a statesman’s perspective, there could be no situation that was more ideal.
Furthermore, this belief that “that kingdom is responsible for our difficult lives” led naturally to a belief that “our lives will become better if we can defeat the kingdom.” That was precisely why, given this seemingly-ideal opportunity, there was growing momentum to invade the kingdom.
Having caught wind of that momentum, bold words could be heard on every street corner.
“Finally, the time has come for us to fight that kingdom!”
“That’s right! We will bide our time no longer!”
“The brave and manly Lord Gaius will never lose to that whelp!”
“A war, huh…”
While many people were spoiling for a fight, there were also those who felt uncertain about the war that seemed to be drawing closer. They feared that they themselves, their homes, or their families might get caught up in it.
However, right now, the public sentiment in this country wouldn’t allow them to voice those worries. They had no choice but to suppress their anxiety, entrusting themselves to the flow.
One person silently watched the people from the shadows of an alleyway.
This person was wearing an ochre robe, the hood covering their head entirely, so it was not possible to see their expression. However, they were of slight build and stood less than 160 cm tall. The person sighed at the way the people of the city were acting, and then walked off at a brisk pace.
The person was heading towards a shop. From the goods in the show window, it seemed to sell men’s apparel. The sign out front read “The Silver Deer.”
The person entered the shop, and the moment they drew back their hood, two braided twintails appeared. The hood had been hiding the adorable face of a young girl.
Next, a middle-aged man with graying hair who was dressed like a bartender emerged from the back. This man had a gentlemanly demeanor and upon seeing the young girl, he greeted her with a “Welcome back.”
“What did you think, Lady Roroa?” he added. “How did things look in town?”
“There ain’t no two ways about it, Sebastian… it’s terrible,” the girl said.
The girl who addressed the owner of this store in merchant slang (a fake Kansai dialect) was the first princess of Amidonia, Roroa Amidonia.
“Nearly everyone’s lookin’ forward to the comin’ war,” she continued. “They’re thinkin’ this King Souma is young and can’t keep his people in line. They haven’t even thought that my old man could possibly lose.”
“Lord Gaius is strong and manly, after all,” the store owner said.
“He just looks rugged, that’s all,” said the princess. “Even if he is strong, that’s just one man.”
Even though they were father and daughter, Roroa was merciless in her criticism. Between Roroa, who had great economic sense and wanted to use the money she had earned to rebuild the country, and Gaius, the militarist who wanted to pour the funds into military hardware, there was a wide divide in their ways of thinking.
It was sad to see such a gulf between parent and child, but Roroa, as the first princess of this country, found herself in a position where she had to do more than simply lament that fact. As one who stood above others, she had to take action to prepare herself for any eventuality.
Perhaps out of consideration, Sebastian asked in a friendly tone, “Well then, Lady Roroa, how do you read this Souma character?”