How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 7

by Dojyomaru

  Komain was suddenly offering to serve under him.

  While Poncho was still at a loss for words at the sudden turn of events, Serina rose from her seat to stand in front of the kneeling Komain. Her eyes had that same intensity in them which had driven away the women looking to discuss marriage with Sir Poncho.

  While laying a gaze meant to make those it fell on shrink away on Komain, she said, “Is that...something you truly feel?”

  “Yes! I swear it on the honor of my people.”

  Komain looked straight back at her, eyes unswerving.

  Serina and Komain were ignoring the man who, normally, should have been the center of this conversation, in order to stare each other down.

  Poncho, as usual, was just flustered.

  Shortly, Serina slumped her shoulders in resignation.

  “It seems you’re serious... Very well.” With that said, Serina extended a hand to Komain. “I accept you. Welcome to the Ishizuka family table.”

  “Madam Serina!”

  The two exchanged a firm handshake. Their hearts had both been stolen by the same thing.

  On this day, the two who were entranced with B-grade gourmet dishes were bound by a tie stronger than any plate.

  Incidentally, Poncho, who had been left out of this, continued quietly eating soba meshi by himself.

  Furthermore, though this is but a side note, from the next day onward, there were two women standing behind Poncho when women came to talk marriage with him.

  Chapter 2: Urgent News and a Meeting

  The Republic of Turgis.

  It was a state situated on the southern edge of the continent Landia.

  On that continent, the average temperature dropped the further you went south. The southern edge of the continent, where the Republic of Turgis lay, was a land of ice and snow.

  It was a mountainous country, but compared to the Amidonia region, it had more flatlands and a greater amount of arable land. However, because the winters were long and the summers short, the period in which the land could be worked was limited, and crop farming wasn’t very prosperous.

  The people of this country were supported by livestock farming. The people lived off of free-range animals that could live in cold regions like yaks, woolly rhinoceroses, and mammoths.

  In this land, the majority of the population were beastmen belonging to what were called the Five Races of the Snowy Plains. The five races included the snow monkey, white rabbit, white eagle, snow bear, and walrus races.

  In those five races, as with other beastmen, the women looked like humans with animal ears, wings, and tails, but the men had faces that were fairly close to the actual animals. Interracial marriage was allowed, but it seemed the children born from such a union always took after just one of the parents, so there was no mixing of their unique features.

  The most common race was the white rabbit race, known for their high birth rate; the least common race was the walrus race, known for having an average height of over two meters.

  Those races intermixed to form tribes inside the country, but their distribution across the land reflected the different abilities each race possessed.

  The walrus and snow bear races, who could dive into the icy waters to catch fish, made up a large percentage of the population along the coast. The tribes living in the mountains, on the other hand, had a higher percentage of members of the snow monkey and white eagle races, who could easily handle the terrain. Finally, many of those who lived in the flatlands, working the fields in the short summer season, were members of the white rabbit race.

  There were human merchants and members of other races present, too, but the harsh winters made it difficult for the other races to live in the country. With the exception of slaves, they generally left the country before the roads were closed off by the snow.

  Almost like Snu*kin.

  Because the climate was so harsh, this country had never been destroyed by a foreign enemy.

  The air currents in the sky were always violent, and the temperatures were chilly even in the summer. Those facts kept air power such as wyverns away, and the icy seas prevented the use of sea power.

  Because of that, the only avenue of attack was by land, and if the country put up a strong defense and held out through the summer, General Winter would come and sever the enemy’s supply lines, forcing them to retreat.

  In addition, there was also the fact there was little to gain by seizing this country.

  They say that, in its heyday, the Gran Chaos Empire could have gone toe-to-toe with the Star Dragon Mountain Range, but even then, the Empire had never once considered an invasion.

  The Republic of Turgis was ruled under a primitive system of republic.

  First, the chiefs, who were the representatives of each tribe, gathered in a Council of Chiefs. Then, the Council of Chiefs voted to select the nominal representative of the country, their head of state.

  Matters of internal affairs were decided by discussion between the head of state and the Council of Chiefs, but foreign affairs (diplomacy, wars, and such) were controlled by the head of state.

  This head of state was usually a position that lasted for one generation, but with the approval of the Council of Chiefs, the title could be inherited. The current head of state in the 1,547th year of the Continental Calendar was apparently the second generation.

  Now then, having said all this about the Republic of Turgis, if we recall their relations with the Kingdom of Friedonia, they couldn’t really be called cordial.

  In search of unfrozen land and warm water ports, the republic was always looking to the north for any opportunity to expand. Even during the recent war between the Elfrieden Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia, they had moved their troops close to the kingdom’s southern border looking for an opening to intervene.

  I had deployed Excel and the navy close to the border, and that intimidation had been just barely enough to keep them from invading. If the war with the principality had bogged down, they surely would have attacked.

  There was no letting our guards down with them. Still, I didn’t want to quarrel with this country.

  If we attacked them, there was nothing for us to gain. Even if we occupied their territory, the ways people lived in the Kingdom of Friedonia and Republic of Turgis were too different. The kingdom was pretty cold in the south, but the republic’s winter was even more intensely cold. The people of the republic had adjusted their way of life to that climate, and no matter how capable a magistrate I may send, they wouldn’t be able to properly rule a country with a different culture, values, and way of life. And if we needlessly tried forcing our ways on them, it would just end in a rebellion.

  A country we didn’t want to be attacked by, but would be too troublesome to attack ourselves—that was the Republic of Turgis.

  This was precisely why I, as the King of Friedonia, wanted to build cordial relations with the Republic of Turgis. Fortunately, during the recent war, our forces hadn’t clashed directly with theirs. The sentiment of each of our peoples toward the other shouldn’t be especially bad.

  Now, if I could just experience their culture and thought, and find a reasonable way to give them what they wanted, I suspected I could build cordial relations.

  I knew this was a naïve hope. Still, a needless war would exhaust the country.

  Wars like the one we’d fought against the principality should be a last resort, not something that could be made the norm.

  That cube-like thing which had transcended human reckoning at the Star Dragon Mountain Range existed as an element of uncertainty, too. I never knew what might happen or when, so I wanted to avoid needlessly expending the power of my country.

  We were coming to the Republic of Turgis to see if that wish could be granted.

  We arrived at a town in the eastern part of the Republic of Turgis, Noblebeppu. This place, which was close to the border of the Kingdom of Friedonia, was a quiet inn town surrounded by mountains in the north and the sea to t
he south.

  It was toward the end of May, and the ice and snow blocking the roads had melted at last. The cold had lessened slightly, and it was a period that was, relative to the standards of this country, comfortable to live in. Because of that, there were many merchants from other countries, and the town was bustling.

  We walked through that town.

  Our group consisted of Aisha, Juna, Roroa, Tomoe, Hal, Kaede, and me, making for a total of seven people. Tomoe’s bodyguard, Inugami, had come with us, too, but he was currently elsewhere patrolling and guarding us, along with the rest of the Black Cats.

  To be completely honest, I had wanted Naden and Liscia to come, too, but Naden, as was typical of ryuus and dragons, couldn’t stand the cold, and Liscia had fallen ill after returning from the Star Dragon Mountain Range, so she was resting back in the kingdom.

  I was really worried for Liscia, but she herself had told me, “I’ll be fine, so go see the world like a king should.” I couldn’t have stuck around to tend to her after that.

  I was worried, but I had arranged for the best doctors in the country, Hilde and Brad, to look after her, so she’d probably be fine. If anything happened, Naden would come notify me. And in order to respond to Liscia’s feelings, I had to make a proper trip around the republic.

  “I’d heard it was cold, so I was expectin’ nothing but snow, but it’s not that bad,” Roroa commented.

  “It’s late in May, after all,” Juna said. “It still feels plenty cold, though.”

  Roroa and Juna were both dressed more heavily than they had been in the kingdom.

  Technically, for this trip, I was playing the role of a young merchant’s son looking for prospective trade goods. Tomoe was my little sister, and Aisha, Hal, and Kaede were adventurers we had hired. As for the remaining two, Roroa was an employee who worked for my family’s store, and Juna was my wife.

  Juna leaned in and asked me a question. “Um, is this okay? Having me play the wife over the primary queens...?”

  “It was a choice made with safety in mind,” I answered. “You’re skilled with both pen and sword, Juna, so I want you to keep your fighting abilities hidden in case something happens.”

  Even if we were attacked by ruffians, they’d probably have their eyes on Aisha, Hal, and Kaede, who were dressed as adventurers. They’d assume Juna was just a pretty girl. Then Juna would get them from behind because they’d let their guards down.

  It’s a bit late to say this now, but my fiancées were a little too combat capable. Now that Naden had joined them, their average power level had massively increased, too.

  “And, well, with that in mind, there were a limited number of people we might theoretically take with us on our trip that didn’t have any combat ability,” I said. “You don’t seem like someone we’d employ, Juna, and I’m not sure about forcing you into the maid role like Carla.”

  “I wouldn’t mind that,” she said. “Give me any order you wish, Master.”

  She brought her hands to her chest, smiled, and tilted her head a little, so my heart skipped a beat.

  “When did Lorelei turn into a maid café?!” I exclaimed.

  She was going to get me in the mood, so I wished she’d stop.

  “Well, Juna, you’re his fiancée, too, so I figure it ain’t a big deal,” Roroa said.

  “Is that right?”

  “Darn tootin’. And you’re the one playin’ the wife, so why not have him spoil ya rotten?” Roroa wrapped herself around my arm.

  “And you’re the employee, aren’t you?” Juna replied. “Is it really okay for you to hug the young master like that?”

  “Sure is,” she declared. “I’m an employee, sure, but I’m ‘the employee who’s aimin’ to become the second wife by supportin’ the young master, and maybe knock the first wife out of the picture if things go well.’”

  “Don’t go changing our backstory!” I objected. “And come on, that’s a weirdly messy backstory.”

  “So Juna’s gonna be callin’ me ‘you vixen.’”

  “I-Is that the sort of role I’m playing?”

  “Don’t take her so seriously, Juna,” I said. “Besides, in her case, Roroa should be a tanuki instead...”

  “Ponpokopon!”

  “Yeah, yeah. Real cute.”

  When I patted Roroa, who was miming slapping her belly, on the head, she grinned. Did tanuki in this world drum on their bellies...? Well, it wasn’t like the ones in my original world did that in real life.

  “Hee hee! When I see Roroa, it seems silly to hold myself back at all.” Juna hooked her arm around my other open arm. “We don’t get the opportunity often enough, so spoil me, too, darling.”

  “Erm... Sure. I’ll do my best to escort you.”

  While we were talking about that, Kaede, who belonged to a fox beastman race, was watching us from a little ways away with her head tilted to the side. “Vixen? Is that something Ruby will call me, too?”

  “In your case, she wouldn’t even be wrong,” Halbert said wearily. “Please, just try to get along.”

  “Well, we’ll have to bring a gift back for her, then. But, before you tell me that, try being that considerate yourself, Hal.”

  “Yes, ma’am...” Hal’s shoulders slumped.

  Ever since he’d taken Ruby as his second wife, he’d completely lost control of the situation. Well, not that I was one to talk.

  Next to Hal and Kaede, Tomoe was riding on Aisha’s shoulders. “Look, Aisha! There’s a place selling steamed potatoes over there!”

  “Oh, you’re right. They look delicious,” Aisha replied, drooling.

  Having been unable to go to the Star Dragon Mountain Range, if you excluded the no doubt difficult time she’d spent as a refugee, this was Tomoe’s first time traveling outside the country. She was eleven now, so she must be as excited as an elementary school student on her first overnight field trip to the forest or sea. She was standing out a little, but it looked like she was enjoying herself, so I let it slide.

  “Ah! Hey, darlin’... Er, no, young master. C’mere a minute.” Suddenly, Roroa pulled me over in front of a certain merchant’s stall.

  I looked, wondering what it could be about, and it appeared to be a place selling apparel. “Is there something you want? If it’s not that expensive, I could buy it for you...”

  “That’s not it. No, if you wanna buy me somethin’, I’m glad, but that’s not it. Take a look at what they’re sellin’ here.” Roroa lifted up one of the items on sale and held it out to me.

  When I took it from her, it turned out to be an ornate metal hair pin. It was designed with a tree motif, but... This was incredible. The designs being used were highly intricate. The details of each leaf were carved in, and I could even make out a bird sitting in the branches.

  “This fish earring over here has every scale carefully carved in, too,” Juna said.

  “This donkey broach, too,” Aisha said, setting down Tomoe. “The reins are done with a chain, but they’re really detailed.”

  They continued voicing how impressed they were. It was true; each of the products was finely detailed.

  The bunny-eared old lady who was running the shop spoke up. “Why, hello there, young’un. Those’re some fine young ladies ya’ve got with ya there. Why don’tcha buy ’em some of my wares as a present? It’ll show ’em what a man you are, y’know?”

  The bunny-eared old lady laughed heartily and spoke in that merchant slang I always heard as Kansai dialect. If she had rabbit ears, did that mean she belonged to the white rabbit race? Hearing about rabbit beastmen, I had imagined bunny girls, but... Yeah, well, there was a whole race of them, so of course there would be people of her age, too.

  I picked up one of her products and asked, “I like this one, and want to buy it, but is it a work by a famous craftsman?”

  “Nah, they make ’em at workshops everywhere. It’s nothin’ that expensive.”

  “Huh? At the workshop over there?”

  Could some
thing so intricate be made so easily? I had my doubts.

  Roroa puffed up her chest and proudly explained. “The accessories made in the Republic of Turgis are famous for their detailed ornamentation. A whole lotta merchants’ll come here in the summer lookin’ to get their hands on ’em.”

  “Turgis ends up gettin’ buried in snow durin’ the winter, after all,” the bunny-eared old lady put in. “We can’t go out very far, so many of us stay in our houses, doin’ work there. We’ve been livin’ that way for a few centuries, so we Turgish people are good at workin’ with our hands.”

  I see...so that’s how it is. While I was busy being impressed, Roroa grinned boldly.

  “Hey, young master. If Turgish craftsmen can do such detailed work, don’tcha think they’d be able to help with makin’ those things you’ve been thinkin’ about for a while?”

  “Those things...? Oh, those!”

  It was true, there was a thing I had been thinking of making for a while, but the development project hadn’t made much headway, given the level of the craftsmen in our country. But maybe the craftsmen of this country would be able to make them. If what the old lady said was true, there were highly capable craftsmen everywhere in this country. We might be able to not only develop them, but also push them into mass production.

  The Republic of Turgis... I’d thought they had nothing, but they were hiding immense potential. I turned to the old lady who ran the shop.

  “Ma’am, I’m going to buy a number of these, so could you introduce me to a craftsperson who lives near here, and is good at their work?”

  “Thanks for your business. Well, why don’t ya try goin’ to the Ozumi Workshop? Taru’s young, but capable. The kid’s a little shy, and can be stubborn when it comes to her work, but if I write ya a letter of introduction, you’ll be treated well.”

  “Please do. Oh! Roroa, Juna, Aisha, Tomoe, if there’s something here you’d like, you can buy it.”

  Roroa reacted immediately. “That’s my dar... Er, no, my young master! Whew, so generous!”

  “Thank you, darling,” Juna added. “Tomoe, would you like to choose ours together?”