How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 5

by Dojyomaru

  With those parting words, she turned and ran off the set to a spot where the viewers couldn’t see her.

  Once he had watched her go, Silvan took off just his full-face helmet and thrust his fist out in the direction Miss Dran had gone. “You and your evil organization who are plotting to take over the world, the Black Group! If you’re going to come, then come! I will crush your ambitions time and again!”

  Ivan declared his resolve and then turned back to the children. Then, with a smile that seemed a little suffocatingly passionate, he shouted, “Okay, everyone! Let’s train with Silvan Energy Exercises so we won’t lose to the bad guys! Stand a little ways away from each other so you don’t bump into your friends!”

  Moments later, a cheerful tune started to play in the hall, and Juna and Roroa came in at just the right moment to split the children up. Then Juna began singing along with the music.

  If you want to grow up strong, do your Silvan Energy Exercises. ♪

  “Now, let’s start by exercising our upper bodies,” Silvan called. “Everyone imitate a shoujou!”

  Eek, eek, eek, ook. Eek, eek, eek, ook.

  We are shoujous. Eek, eek, eek, ook.

  When Ivan moved in time with the music, the children imitated him.

  This exercise routine involved imitating the various animals of this world while Juna sang comical lyrics. Their lyrics were aimed at children, but the exercises themselves were based on the radio calisthenics that most Japanese people would be familiar with (the shoujou imitation was a lateral bending exercise), so they should be a logical workout.

  “You do a lot of ridiculous stuff... But this takes the cake,” Liscia suddenly muttered as she watched the exercises. “This is an educational program, right? What’s the meaning behind the short drama earlier and this exercise?”

  Not long ago, I bet she would have asked, “Is there some meaning in it?” instead. But now, Liscia had asked, “What is the meaning?” It was a only a few words’ difference, but there was a subtle difference of nuance.

  In the first, there was an assumption that there was probably no meaning to it. In the latter, there was a confidence that there must be some meaning and that she wanted to know what it was. I could feel her trust in that subtle change, and that made me a little happier.

  “Of course there’s a meaning,” I said. “If we draw in their attention with the short drama, more people will watch. The exercises are good for the children’s health and development. I’m actively trying to spread them. But, more than anything, what I want to spread is the word ‘hero.’”

  “The word ‘hero’?”

  That was just when, out in the hall, the interlude part of Silvan’s Energy Exercises began.

  Ivan turned to the kids and spoke to them. “You’re all doing great! Now then, there’s something I wanted to tell you. To become a truly strong person, you need more than just power. If you forget to be kind, too, then you’re just a brute!”

  Then he turned towards the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel, which is to say towards the viewers, and spoke.

  “The truth is, I’d like to be friends with the Black Group, too. If we could talk things over, we might not need to resort to our fists. That’s why, no matter who you’re up against, never give up on trying to understand them. What do you do if they’re still unreasonable and violent, you ask? That’s right! To make sure you can protect those close to you, do your Silvan Energy Exercises!”

  The interlude ended at the perfect time, and Ivan began exercising along with the song again.

  When she heard Ivan’s words, after closing her eyes for a moment, Liscia said, “‘Being strong isn’t enough. Don’t forget to be kind, too. Never give up on understanding one another’... This is what you wanted to get across.”

  She whispered the words again, as if reflecting upon them.

  I nodded silently. “When you’re little, the words adults say to you have a strange way of sticking with you, right? Especially if they’re coming from a hero, those words will remain in some corner of your heart even when you grow up. As a bonus, when we say these things to the children, we can count on their caretakers hearing them, too.”

  Then I dropped the lighthearted, joking attitude and adopted a more serious tone.

  “There’s a lull right now, but eventually every country will have to face the Demon Lord’s Domain. These words are something I’m laying down now to prevent that from turning into an utter quagmire that won’t end until one side or the other is exterminated. Between Tomoe’s ability and the information we’ve exchanged with the Empire, we’ve learned that we can’t lump everyone in the Demon Lord’s Domain together. If possible, before there’s any fighting, I’d like to hold talks with those that seem amenable to them, like the kobolds who spared the mystic wolves.”

  “Right...”

  “I feel like, when that time comes, the number of adults in this country who are strong, kind, and willing to not give up on understanding the other side will decide this country’s fate,” I said. “If most of them can only think, ‘Exterminate the demons,’ we’re headed straight for total war. The more people there are who think, ‘There must be demons who can understand us,’ the more of other paths we’ll be able to see.”

  When I said that, Liscia laughed a little, then poked me in the shoulder. “I’m satisfied with the explanation, but... isn’t this all a bit idealistic for you?”

  “It’s a kids’ show, okay? I want the kids to have ideals. Wouldn’t you? I mean, when kids are strangely realistic about things, that’s just unbearable to see.”

  “...I suppose you’re right.”

  “Besides, it’s an adult’s job to look at reality so that the children can continue to talk about ideals.”

  It was the job of a king, too. While searching for a brighter future, I had to prepare for the possibility that a dark future might come, too. In order to remain kind, strength was an absolute necessity. I needed to raise the strength of the nation, expand our arsenal, and set things up so that we could endure a total war if it came to that. To create a nation that was like a great tree with its roots firmly in the ground, one that wouldn’t shake even when the storm came.

  While I was thinking about that, it looked like the exercises had finished. Ivan said, “Well done!” and patted a nearby kid on the head. The host, Juna, took over from there.

  “How did you like the program we just brought to you, Singing With Big Sis? This time, we are shooting inside the castle, but we’re thinking about doing live broadcasts from theaters around the country in future, too. When we do, we’ll be looking for children to sing and exercise with us, so all you mommies and daddies out there, bring your kids to come play with us! Now, until next time, everyone together now...”

  When Juna gave the signal, the children, Roroa, Ivan, and Little Musashibo, who’d subtly snuck back in for the ending, all faced the camera and waved.

  “““Bye, bye!”””

  With everyone’s voices, this world’s first educational broadcast came to a close.

  “It’s so hot... Just let me die...” Pamille moaned.

  “Good work out there, Pamille,” Juna told her.

  Pamille, who had been inside Little Musashibo, was now groggy from the heat. The kigurumi suit must have been pretty hot inside. Juna was there fanning her.

  Next to Pamille was Carla, holding her knees and sobbing in the fetal position.

  “Having to be broadcast in that getup... I’m so embarrassed I could die.”

  It seemed that having that super skimpy Miss Dran outfit broadcast had left her in a state of shock.

  ...Yeah, I could kind of sympathize. Serina could be such a complete and total sadist.

  “Whose fault was this?” she burst out. “Yours, master?”

  “You’re turning on me?! That costume was Serina’s decision, okay?!”

  “Ahahaha...” she laughed in a strange voice. “Well, you know, they say a superior is responsible for decisions their subordi
nates make, don’t theeeey?”

  Carla had eyes like some sort of yandere character. I was worried I might get taken out with a squish, or a crunch, or a stab, stab! (I was scared to even describe what I was imagining, so I tried using onomatopoeia instead.)

  “Calm down, Carla!” I shouted. “If you kill me, you’ll die, too!”

  “I’m so embarrassed I could just die... I’ll take you with me...”

  Oh, crap, I thought. That look in her eyes, she’s kind of serious.

  “Aisha, help!” I yelled.

  “Madam Carla! We’re in the castle, in the castle!” Aisha shouted.

  “Don’t stop me, Madam Aisha!” Carla screamed. “If I don’t kill him, I can’t die myself!”

  While Aisha was holding her in a pinion, I made a hasty retreat.

  Why was I catching all the flak for Serina’s sadistic tendencies? Well, it was just Carla venting her hopeless embarrassment as anger, no doubt.

  ...Probably.

  Now, to get straight to the point, Together With Big Sis was a hit.

  Especially with the adults.

  I know I’d made it with children as the target audience, but for some reason their parents, guardians, and even adults with no children at all were even more passionate about it.

  For the women, it was Little Musashibo’s adorableness, and the slightly-too-passionate-but-still-hot Ivan’s appeal.

  For the men, it was the coolness of the first tokusatsu hero they’d ever seen, paired with the sexy villainess played by Carla.

  Well, even in Japan, there were sometimes mothers who got even more hooked on a program than their children because they were watching it for the hot actors. It was probably something like that.

  That being the case, in the Kingdom of Friedonia, on days when Together With Big Sis was on, rather than children begging their parents to go see it, you would often see parents begging their children.

  W-Well, either way, kids were seeing the program, so it was all good, but I got a cold look from Liscia when she found out the situation.

  “‘It’s an adult’s job to look at reality,’ he says.”

  “W-Well, hey, what’s wrong with adults having dreams?” I stammered.

  Liscia stared at me silently.

  “...No, seriously, how did it turn out like this anyway?” I muttered.

  I felt like the bizarreness level of Friedonia had gone up just a little.

  Intermission 1: The Black Robed One and the Little Sister General, Now Negotiating

  —One day in the 2nd month, 1547th year, Continental Calendar

  On this day, the pride of the Kingdom of Friedonia, the Black-robed Prime Minister, AKA Hakuya Kwonmin, was holding a meeting with the Gran Chaos Empire’s Little Sister Princess and commander of the great armies, Jeanne Euphoria, over the Jewel Voice Broadcast using simple receivers. In negotiations between the Kingdom and Empire, any matters deemed not important enough for King Souma and Empress Maria to hold direct meetings over were generally handled by these two.

  Today, the meeting began with an apology from Jeanne.

  “Sir Hakuya, first, allow me to apologize for the delay in selecting the Empire’s ambassador to Friedonia.” She went on, “There is no one who seems especially fit for the post, you see. If we’re looking for someone trustworthy enough that we can reveal our secret pact to them, yet able to see the Kingdom as an equal partner in the alliance, it’s just not easy...”

  “The general opinion is that our country is not fit to be called your equal, you’re saying?” Hakuya asked.

  “If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”

  “Not at all. It’s a matter of fact that there is a clear difference in strength between our country and the Empire, after all.”

  “It goes without saying, both my sister and I are relying on the kingdom, Sir Souma, and yourself.” Jeanne smiled.

  Hakuya gave a forced laugh. “I think that is clearly overestimating us.”

  “Is it really? When it comes to our vassals... I think they’ve been prejudiced by coming from a country that’s swelled to be too large. Far too many of them have confused landmass with the power and dignity of a country.”

  “Did you consider that they might not be entirely wrong?” Hakuya asked.

  The more land a country had, the greater its population. Increases in land and population could be tied directly to gains in production capacity. The country’s production capacity was directly linked to its military prowess.

  But Jeanne shook her head. “It’s far from correct. Do you think Sir Souma would say such a thing?”

  “...He wouldn’t, no. The thing His Majesty seeks most is ‘people.’” With a slightly pensive look on his face, Hakuya continued. “Before, when I asked His Majesty, ‘What led you to make gathering personnel your first priority?’ he told me this: ‘The people are your moat, your stone walls, and your castle.’”

  “‘The people are your moat, your stone walls, and your castle’... I see. It’s a good saying.” Jeanne gave an approving grunt.

  Hakuya said, “Well, it’s not something His Majesty came up with himself. They were apparently the words of a military strategist in the world he came from.” He was spilling the beans about the source, but in his heart he could understand why Jeanne had grunted like she did.

  Souma had also said this: “That was said by someone who actually existed in my world, a daimyou... That’s a word that means someone who was a capable military strategist and a feudal lord, just so you know. At around that time, the political thinker Machiavelli was saying the same sort of thing in a land far to the west. That in times of peace, it’s better to tear down walls, that is.

  “Walls are only useful in peacetime when the people rise against you. If you rely on walls and rule with cruelty, the people will turn on you, and they will invite foreign powers into your land. So a prince is safer not to build walls but to win the people to his side instead, apparently. It’s interesting that there were people in the East and West saying roughly the same thing at the same time in history.”

  Souma had laughed, but his words left a strong impression on Hakuya. It was very much the sort of thing that Souma, who took lessons from history to inform his policies, would say. Because Souma had learned from the words of the ancients, he had gathered a diverse group with many “gifts,” and that included Hakuya.

  Jeanne nodded. “My sister said something similar, too. ‘The people are the foundation of the country.’”

  “It seems we both serve good masters.”

  “Though, in my case, she’s also a relative... I do think she’s a good master, though. Even if she can be a bit unreliable at times.”

  When he saw the wry smile on Jeanne’s face, Hakuya recalled his own master who normally focused on efficiency, but never threw away his compassion for those close to him. He sometimes thought it inefficient, and it could be frustrating to deal with at times, but he strangely did not find himself wanting to make him abandon that compassion.

  “I more or less feel the same way...” Hakuya said. “It’s our job to support them when that happens.”

  “You’re right about that. Now, let’s get down to business.”

  The negotiations started.

  Jeanne began. “Now... I believe we were to discuss trading our wheat for your seasonings—soy sauce, miso, and the like. We have no issue with that. My sister is quite fond of that seasoning you call ‘soy sauce.’ It goes really well with fish dishes.”

  “It goes well with meat dishes, too,” Hakuya said. “Let me teach you some simple recipes.”

  “I’d be grateful for that. Now, you want wheat in exchange, but I was led to believe that your food crisis had been resolved, hadn’t it?”

  “That is correct, but we still have some uncertainties about our surplus. We want to import food in case this year’s harvest is poor.”

  “I understand. ...By the way, we would like to make those seasonings ourselves eventually. Could I ask you to dispatch s
ome tradespeople?”

  “The mystic wolves still have a monopoly on sales within the country, so... it would depend on what compensation you were offering,” Hakuya said.

  “I can understand that. How about the method for mixing a special compost that increases crop productivity?”

  “I believe that would do. I think I will run that by His Majesty and get permission.”

  “Next... Following the example of the Kingdom’s Jewel Voice Broadcast, we tried producing programs here in the Empire, too.”

  “Hmm... How did that work out for you?”

  “The singing programs and such were mostly well-received, but I never would have thought the most popular one would be a program that follows what my sister did during the day. I have no idea what’s supposed to be interesting about that...”

  “Well, they do call her a saint, after all,” said Hakuya. “I’m sure Madam Maria must be loved as much as the Prima Lorelei is in our nation.”

  “For all that her personal life is a mess, she does have a pretty face, at least,” Jeanne conceded. “I’ll give my sister that.”

  “I don’t know if it’s only her face... but her sister Madam Jeanne is beautiful, too, after all.”

  “...I would never have expected such flattery to come from your mouth, Sir Hakuya.”

  “Hm? I don’t flatter people at the negotiating table, you know,” Hakuya said.

  “Ohh...”

  “Hm?”

  —Ten minutes later.

  “Um, about Sir Souma. Is he, perhaps, already developing some interesting technology of the sort we would never imagine?”

  “...Now, I wonder about that,” Hakuya said.

  “Hee hee. We can pay a considerable sum, so could you perhaps release even a small part of the details to us?”

  “Well... if you would reveal to us how the Empire’s main force, the griffon squadrons, raise and train their mounts, as well as give us a number of breeding pairs, I could consider it.”