I couldn’t exactly blame him for holding on to that kind of hope. He must have been scared.
He probably thought that the world outside Palerius island had been obliterated by the Phrase, just like the islanders did.
The king of Primula smiled and took a step forward. He extended his hand to me. He seemed pretty down-to-earth.
“Welcome to my kingdom, friends. Allow me to introduce myself properly, I am King Ludios Primula Palerius.”
“I’m the grand duke of the Duchy of Brunhild, Mochizuki Touya. This is Doctor Regina Babylon, and these girls are my fiancees, Elze, Yae, and Hilde.” I reached out to shake the man’s hand. I couldn’t tell if the surprise on the man’s face was because of him learning that I was royalty, him hearing the doctor’s name, or him realizing just how many fiancees I had.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Take a look at this.” I used my smartphone to project a video into the air.
“Oho?!”
“What in the world...” We’d drawn the curtains and closed off the room. The only people in here were me, Elluka, Fenrir, my fiancees, Grand Chamberlain Every, the prime minister, the king, and the knight captain.
I was showing them a recording of a bunch of crystal monsters fighting against massive, mechanical knights.
“These monsters are the Phrase. But the golden ones are mutated offshoots of the species. Right now our world is being invaded by both. For the most part, we’ve managed to repel them every time they’ve attacked.” I looked around at the people in the room. They were staring in disbelief. But frankly, I didn’t care if they believed. I was just here to deliver logic and facts.
“And I know that these monsters have started showing up in your world, too. Eventually, they’ll start pouring through in tens of thousands.”
“Are you certain about that?”
“Yes. I’m sorry for delivering such blunt news, but the only thing that could possibly fend these things off in this world are legacy Gollems.” I felt bad for the people, but I couldn’t exactly lie to them. When the two worlds joined as one, this was inevitable.
“...Then if what you say is true... What do you expect us to do, Grand Duke?”
“I want your country to support my efforts in taking these monsters out. I want this country to unify with other countries. In my world, the vast majority of countries have joined together in a league of nations. I’d like to see if the countries in this world could do something similar...”
“You can’t expect us to just be at peace with countries like the Holy Empire! They’re the same as any other invader!” The knight captain smacked his fist against the table. He was a grizzled looking man in his forties. His red hair was very apt for such a hothead.
“I know it’s difficult to reconcile with enemies. That’s why we need to reach a state of negotiation first.”
“I think if the other side is unwilling to listen, this will be fruitless. It’ll escalate to a military conflict no matter what.” The abnormally gaunt and thin prime minister chimed in with his opinion. He felt like he’d completely resigned himself to fate. I could understand why he felt the way he did.
“Alright, then. All we have to do is show them a little force, right? Then we can force them to hear us out. How about that?”
“Oho? You mean to crush the Holy Empire, then?”
“No, no. Not that. I don’t want to do that, it’d be a major pain in the ass. I’d have to deal with the fallout.” I shook my head at Babylon, who was cackling like an idiot. The prime minister was startled by my casual words, but quickly gave me a wry smile.
“It’s all well and good to fantasize... But it’s not as if you could defeat the Holy Empire.”
“Uhh... I mean, I could. If it’s just a country, I could go ahead and wipe them out no sweat. What I really hate is the fallout afterward, where I’d have to figure out what to do with the broken nation. I don’t really enjoy the idea of conquering nations and expanding territory, honestly.” I shrugged slightly, but my words left the Primulan people stunned.
That was just how I felt, though. I was having trouble with Brunhild, and that was a relatively small nation... I didn’t want to think about having more territory. I had to be really careful not to accidentally become royalty in the Reverse World. “S-So, Grand Duke... You said you could save us from the Holy Empire, even so?”
“Sure. But the Frame Gears I showed you, those giant knights... They aren’t designed to be used against humans, so I won’t deploy them.”
“Then how do you intend to stop those savages?!” The knight captain yelled again. He and the prime minister weren’t exactly treating me with respect. Elze and the others seemed irritated by their behavior, too.
Now that I was having Doctor Babylon talk with them on my behalf, it’d probably be fine, but their attitudes were a little rude for my liking.
To be fair though, I could understand their doubts. I’d just showed up and say “What’s up fellas I’m royalty from another world!” As I mulled over such things, the king of Primula reprimanded the knight captain.
He’d gotten a bit mad at the outburst, which was fair. It made a king look bad if his confidants were out of control.
I tried to steer the conversation back on-topic, so I turned to the king.
“Who’s in charge of the Holy Empire’s invasion?”
“Er... That would be the second heir. Is that right, Prime Minister Beroah?”
“Quite. The second heir to the Holy Throne. Listin La Triharan.”
Oh...? An heir? That’s perfect.
“Okay. We’ll just kidnap him, then. If we can hold him as a hostage, we can just force negotiations.”
Everyone except Doctor Babylon and my fiancees opened their mouths in disbelief. They raised their brows and stared at me as if to ask what I was even suggesting. I knew I was saying we should perform a kidnapping, but it didn’t seem that bad.
“He can freakin’ teleport, people! It would be fairly simple for him to warp into the enemy camp and steal the commander.” Doctor Babylon explained it in concise terms. She was pretty much correct.
It was definitely cowardly, but it was simple enough to work well. I didn’t exactly want to kill all the invading soldiers... No matter what happened, that imperial commander would end up disgraced, so kidnapping was the path of least bloodshed.
“If... If you could do such a thing, the Holy Empire may well withdraw...”
“Let me just make one thing clear, though. If I kidnap this second heir for you, then our only demand will be a ceasefire. I don’t want you taking advantage and asking for ransoms or anything. Obviously, we’re not going to hurt or kill the hostage, either.” I wanted to end the war, not trash another country. I didn’t want them using me for selfish ends.
“And what if they invade again after we return him?”
“I’ll just pepper some threats in when I return him. I’ll say that next time I’ll come for their god-king or something.” I had realized at some point that I sounded much like a villain, but there was no going back at this point.
“...You’re certainly forceful, Grand Duke.”
“I think it’s a better tactic than having any more people die. In the world I’m from, countries rarely even have conflicts with each other anymore. Like it or not, this world will have to follow suit as well. Countries that don’t co-operate will end up collapsing.” I glared softly toward Prime Minister Beroah. To be fair, I didn’t exactly mean it. I wasn’t about to let any but the most irredeemable of nations fall.
But I also couldn’t be everywhere at once. Even if I wanted to save something, I couldn’t always manage it.
“Then... Grand Duke. What do you want us to do after all of this, exactly?”
“Once things have settled, I want you to ally with my country. It’s not like we have any presence here, though. I’m not really sure how you’d feel about an alliance with a Duchy in another world.”
“That’s not a problem. I trust you to
a degree. My bloodline hails from the Otherside, after all. I don’t doubt that such a place exists based on the evidence, and the good words Elluka has for you.” Hmm... To a degree, huh? Guess I still don’t have their full trust, but it’ll do for now. They might believe I’m a guy from another world, but aren’t necessarily convinced I’m a royal.
“Display map. Show the location of the current battle between the Primula army and the Holy Empire’s army.”
“Understood.” My smartphone projected a map of Primula into the air and began to zero in on the location.
Reyvan, huh...? Some kind of fortress city? Seems like the Holy Empire’s army is coming in from three directions.
“That seems dangerous, it does.”
“Yeah. Seems like they’re barely holding the enemy back...” Yae and Hilde muttered to each other upon seeing the situation. It seemed to be a fortified location, but I wasn’t sure if it’d last much longer against an onslaught of Soldats.
“Search. Triharan Holy Empire’s Second Heir.”
“Searching... Twenty-three found.”
“That’s twenty-two too many...”
“Hrmph...” I grumbled while looking the map over. It meant the search criteria was too broad. Since it was based on my perception, it identified twenty-three people I could mistake for the target. An imprecise spell as ever.
“Do you know anything about what this second heir looks like? Or if you had some kind of image that’d be great. I need to narrow the results.”
“Er, well... He’s nineteen. He supposedly has a fair and beautiful face. His hair is blonde, too! Ah, and he has a pale complexion due to being sickly. He should also be wearing the Imperial Emblem of his family.” A blonde hunk, huh... Sure would be nice if I was born like that. I sighed internally as I asked to see what the emblem looked like.
It was two swords crossed together above a two-headed lion. I kept that image in my mind and repeated the search, it provided me with one result.
That meant he must have been the target.
“Alright, I’ll be going.”
“Oh, take me with you as well.” Doctor Babylon suddenly asked to tag.
“And us, too!” Elze piped up as the other girls nodded.
“Uhh... Sure, I guess?” I definitely didn’t want to leave everyone sitting around. Grand Chamberlain Every and the others were obviously still a bit suspicious, so I didn’t want them to be left alone.
It’d be better for my own peace of mind if we were together, anyway.
“Alright... The distance is this much... In this direction... I think... [Teleport].” I took my companions with me immediately and teleported off. We landed right in the middle of a tent within the enemy camp.
Since I learned how to use my divinity to travel across worlds, my precision with [Teleport] had gotten considerably better. I could basically do it perfectly within a certain distance from me at this point.
A young man stood in front of us, staring in surprise at our sudden appearance. He seemed to match the description of the second heir, Listin. His hair was a beautiful blond. He basically looked just like the kind of princely man you’d see in manga aimed toward women.
There were also two women in the tent with us, they seemed to be maids.
“Wh-Who are you?!”
“Uhh... I guess we’re representatives from Primula? Would you be Listin, Second Heir to the Holy Throne?” The prince immediately drew his sword and pointed it toward me.
“Intruders! Guards!”
“Yikes... [Prison].” I set up a barrier around us within the tent, sealing off the outside.
Soldiers rushed toward the tent with their weapons drawn, but found themselves blocked by an invisible wall within.
“Hiyaah!”
“Oh. Careful, Touya-dono.” Listin charged toward me with his sword but Yae reached out and grabbed the blade, twisting it upward and disarming him. It pained me to say it, but my fiancees were clearly becoming something more than human as well.
“Sorry about that, Yae.” I grabbed the stunned heir and cast [Paralyze] on him.
As he slumped to the ground, an older-looking knight yelled from outside the tent.
“Bastard! What are you planning to do with our venerable heir?! Return Sir Listin to us at once!”
Oh good, I do have the right person. I’m glad there weren’t any mix-ups.
“For the time being, stop your advance into Primula. We’ll be keeping ahold of your precious heir until then. I’ll return him only when the Triharan Holy Empire is completely out of this country. Understand?! You won’t ever see him again if you don’t listen to me!” I yelled my demands out toward the men crowding the tent. The men gnashed and snarled, and directed hateful glances toward me. I kind of wanted them to stop, because I could sense their sorrow... It made me feel like the baddie.
“Truly the words of a villain...”
“That is just how Touya-dono is, it is...”
“...It’s certainly not chivalrous, but war forces hard decisions... I shall avert my eyes this once.”
“Geez...” C’mon, guys... This isn’t that bad, is it? For some reason, the doctor was grinning down at the fallen heir, as if she knew something we didn’t. I’d cast [Paralyze] on him, so he should’ve still been conscious. He could clearly see and feel Babylon prodding and staring at him.
“Oho... Eheh... Aha... Now I see... Ohhh my... This is most interesting.”
She was muttering stuff while patting the guy here and there. Since it was beginning to border on sexual harassment, I dragged her away from him. I didn’t want the other side to think we sexually abused hostages...
“Touya. We should bring these maids with us so they can tend to the hostage. We can’t just leave it all to Primula, after all.”
Babylon spoke up. She had a point.
“You two, please come over here. You can help take care of him while he’s in our custody.” The two maids nodded and started walking forward. I modified the [Prison] to let them pass through, and once they got close they pulled out knives and attempted to stab me in the neck.
I’d expected as much. I calmly dodged their attacks and took them out with [Paralyze]. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew a battlefield was no place for a regular maid.
“Alright, we’ll be taking the heir with us now. If you retreat from Primula, he’ll be returned without any harm done to him.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I do. I won’t let anyone in Primula touch a hair on his head.” The man who spoke to me was the same older knight from before, I could sense more intensity behind his feelings than anyone else. I wondered if he knew the heir more closely, perhaps he was a teacher or something. It didn’t matter, since I was done with all I needed to do.
I used [Teleport] to move the [Prison] and its contents back to the room in Primula we’d come from.
When we appeared out of nowhere, the Primulan government kicked up a fuss. They weren’t startled by me, but rather by the three paralyzed people on the ground.
“G-Grand Duke... Are these...”
“Yeah. The Triharan Holy Empire’s Second Heir, and two of his maids.” As I explained the situation, I quickly frisked the heir for weapons. I passed his blade, which had the imperial emblem on it, to the king of Primula. That proved it was the genuine article.
I had Doctor Babylon frisk the maids, but she started to massage their breasts halfway through, so I punched her in the head.
“You should be able to hear me. You’re in the royal castle of Primula. I’ll free you in a moment, so please don’t do anything rash. I’ll make sure nobody from Primula hurts you.” The man nodded his head as much as he could when I spoke to him. Seemed like he understood. I cast [Recovery] on him to undo the paralysis.
He gradually realized he could move his body again, and he stood up. It was only then that I realized just how short he was.
“...You aren’t from Primula?” The young man surveyed me with frightened, suspicious eyes. Given
that I’d kidnapped him, I could understand his wariness.
“No, I’m not. I’m just a person who wants to end this conflict. That’s why I’ll fight the Primulan side if they hurt you, too.”
“...I feel the same as you. This conflict is pointless. If humiliating me as a hostage is what it will take, then I will accept such a fate.”
Huh. Didn’t expect that... Seems like he’s reasonable. As I pondered to myself, I felt Doctor Babylon tug at my coat. I wondered what she wanted. She very quietly whispered something into my ear.
Wait... Huh?! No way!
I stared at the man in front of me. What Babylon had told me was true... But the only question was... Why? “What is it, Touya?”
“Nothing...” Elze was curious, so the doctor went and whispered the same thing into her ear. Then, she whispered it to Yae and Hilde. The three of them shot open their eyes in shock. They’d realized the same thing as I.
“Ah... Your Highness. Can you arrange a room for him, please? I’ll brief him on the full situation in private.”
“Hm? A-Ah... Of course.” The king of Primula was still staring at the sword in his hands. He must’ve still been shocked I’d kidnapped someone so important so easily.
The hostage and his two maids still had [Prison] cast around them, so nobody could touch them. Once they were made aware of that, they obediently followed a few knights to their room.
Me, Babylon, and my fiancees also followed them. The Primulan government needed to discuss how to proceed, and I didn’t want any part in that... That’s what I told them, at least... But I actually wanted to check something else.
I entered the hostage’s room and expanded the [Prison] to cover the entire area, blocking any sound from leaking out. I didn’t want anyone else to hear what I was about to say, after all.
“...I’ll introduce myself properly, then. I’m the Grand Duke of Brun... Actually, forget that. I’m Mochizuki Touya. You can just think of me as a wandering mage. This is Elze, Yae, Hilde, and Doctor Babylon.”
“A mage?! That explains all the strange things you did... I see.”
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 14 Page 16
