How a Realist Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom: Volume 9 (Premium)

by Dojyomaru

  “...Huh? That’s all?” Hal sounded disappointed. He must have expected a more detailed explanation.

  Seeing Hal like that, Kaede shut him down. “Hal, our forces outnumber the monsters, and our equipment is superior. It’s a simple plan, but in the current situation, it is the most certain and effective tactic we can use.”

  “S-Sure... I get it.” Having been given a reasonable explanation, Hal stayed quiet.

  Well, Kaede was giving it her stamp of approval, so she was probably right.

  I told everyone, “We will join up with the main force led by Ludwin tonight. Hal, Kaede, Ruby, you will be fighting under Ludwin’s command. As for Tomoe... I’d be worried about leaving her in this castle, so I’ll keep her at my side, I think.”

  “Okay, Big Brother.”

  “Aisha, Juna, Naden, please join the main force, too.”

  ““Understood.””

  “Roger that.”

  “Are there any other questions?” I asked.

  “Over here, Bro.” The first hand to shoot up was Kuu’s. “Is it okay for us to fight this time?”

  “No, that’s not happening. I was so short-handed that I wanted your help in the Kingdom of Lastania, but now we have the forces to overwhelm the enemy. This time, I’d like you to sit tight.”

  Kuu clasped his hands behind his head and pursed his lips. “Tch. Well, can we stay here in Wedan Castle, then? I want to watch how the Union of Eastern Nations’ forces fight from this side.”

  “I don’t really mind, but... don’t go joining the front line just because we’re not around to see it. If anything were to happen to you, I could never face Sir Gouran.”

  “Ookyakya! I know that.” Kuu nodded, but I couldn’t help but worry.

  I looked over at Leporina. “Leporina. I feel bad giving you what sounds like an order when you’re not my retainer, but keep a close eye on Kuu for me. If he looks like he’s going to join the front line, can I count on you to do whatever it takes to stop him?”

  “Urgh... I don’t know that I can stop him, but I’ll do my best,” she said.

  “Please do. If you want, you’re welcome to shoot out his legs with that bow of yours.”

  “Ookya?! Bro, isn’t that a little harsh?!” Kuu protested, but I decided to ignore him. If Kuu got hurt badly, it was liable to turn into a diplomatic incident, so I wanted him to show some restraint.

  I figured that, for now, I was done with giving orders.

  But...

  “Um, Souma.” Ichiha, who had been sitting in on the meeting, hesitantly raised his hand.

  “What is it?”

  “Um... would it be all right if I went, too? I think if I was in the Kingdom of Friedonia’s camp, I could safely get a look at living monsters from up close.”

  “Huh? ...I wonder.”

  Knowing Ichiha’s rare gift when it came to monsters, I wanted to give him the opportunity to observe them. But, well... It was true, the main camp would be safe, but was it okay for me, as an adult, to be bringing a small child who was from another country with me?

  I hesitated, but it seemed Ichiha was serious about this.

  “I’ll go ask Father for permission myself. How about it?”

  “If Duke Chima gives permission, I guess it’s okay,” I said slowly.

  I personally wanted to have Ichiha learn more about monsters, so if he could get permission, it was probably fine.

  While I was thinking that, suddenly Yuriga stood up. “Then I’m going, too! I want to see how the Great King of the South fights!”

  She puffed up her underdeveloped chest as she made that declaration, but if she wanted to see me fight, uhh...

  “I’m just going to be sitting put in the main camp, you know?” I said. “It’d be an inconvenience for everyone else, too.”

  “You are? Then I want to see how you command...”

  “I leave commanding to Ludwin. I’m seriously just going to be there.”

  “...Is there even any reason for you to be on the battlefield?” With an exasperated look on her face, she came right out and hit me where it hurt.

  “Hold on, Yuriga, don’t you think that’s being a little rude to Big Brother Souma?” Tomoe complained, looking upset.

  However, Yuriga snorted derisively, showing no sign that bothered her. “When my brother stands on the battlefield and performs courageous feats, everyone follows him and is ready to fight to the death. Isn’t that what leading people is all about?”

  “People will fight for Big Brother without seeing him fight,” Tomoe said. “Aisha, Hal, and everyone else, they’re all fighting on their own initiative.”

  “Leaving everything to other people? Isn’t that a bit lame, for a king?” Yuriga complained.

  “It is not!”

  When Yuriga shrugged as if trying to provoke her, Tomoe bared her canine teeth in open anger. This might have been the first time I’d seen her make that face.

  I patted the growling Tomoe on the head with an “It’s okay,” before I said to Yuriga, “Well, if we’re talking about who’s cooler, Fuuga wins that one, sure. I’d love to be able to fight like he does, and I admire his strength.”

  “Well, obviously,” Yuriga said with a smug look.

  It was cute seeing a kid so proud of her family like this. Though it did mean she was selling me short.

  “But I’m not Fuuga, and I can’t become like him. That goes for everyone else, too. No matter how much they admire and follow him, no one can be Fuuga but Fuuga. If they insist on trying to become like Fuuga, they’re going to die an early death.”

  Something about that may have rung true with Yuriga. “That’s...” She came up with no response.

  That was because Fuuga acted as if he was living too fast.

  He went into the Demon Lord’s Domain alone; he charged into the middle of swarms of enemies by himself... Fuuga was still alive because of who he was, and anyone who tried to imitate him would die.

  “Try as I might, I can only ever be me,” I told her. “That’s why I’ll defend the country and my family my own way. That means borrowing other people’s help in the areas I’m weak in. That’s somehow been able to let me keep the country going through everything that’s happened so far. I don’t care if it’s lame; if I can defend what’s important to me, I think that’s good enough.”

  Yuriga stared at me blankly. “You’re... a weird king, huh.”

  “I’m well aware.”

  “Hmm... Well, now I want you to bring me along in the main camp even more.”

  “Why?! I told you I don’t fight, right?!”

  “I mean, you’re a completely different type of person from my brother, so now you’ve got me curious why people would follow you. Come on, it’s fine, right? I’ll get permission from my brother.”

  When she looked at me with pleading eyes, I shrugged my shoulders. Guess I had no choice. Having just given Ichiha permission, I couldn’t tell Yuriga she was the only one not allowed.

  If I refused, it was possible she’d suspect I was giving Ichiha favorable treatment.

  “If you actually get permission from Fuuga...”

  “All right! Well, I’ll go get permission, then!” No sooner had she said that than she dashed out of the room.

  Her initiative to act on things the moment she said them might have had something in common with Roroa.

  They were both little sisters, too.

  Later, because both Duke Chima and Fuuga gave permission, we ended up bringing three little kids back to the main camp with us.

  Fortunately, Tomoe (a mystic wolf), Ichiha (a human), and Yuriga (some sort of crow tengu-style beastman) reminded me of a dog, monkey, and pheasant.

  Were we going oni-slaying? Who was Momotarou?

  We did have a Red Oni on our side, though.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Thick clouds covered the sky, and the strong wind felt cold on the skin that day.

  In the camps of the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations near t
he walls surrounding Wedan’s city, the commanders from each country that had led an army here were raising their voices to inspire their troops.

  “Listen! Reinforcements from the Kingdom of Friedonia will soon arrive!”

  “These reinforcements are a grand army of 50,000, and the battle for Wedan will no doubt end today! In short, today will be our last chance to earn battlefield glories!”

  “Once the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia arrive, there will be no place left for us to distinguish ourselves! We can’t let Malmkhitan’s cavalry hog all the glory!”

  “The reward is Duke Chima’s six children. That means only six countries can be rewarded. We all must strive to be one of those six!”

  “““Ohhhhhhh!”””

  Battle shouts rose up from camps here and there.

  Learning of the impending arrival of the Kingdom of Friedonia’s forces, the generals of the Union of Eastern Nations were attempting to raise their fervor for one last show of glory.

  The soldiers moved into action in response to their generals’ incitement.

  Up on the walls surrounding Wedan, watching those forces of the Union of Eastern Nations, was Kuu.

  “Ookyakya! They’ve all gone mad! They must want to take the beautiful Madam Mutsumi for themselves pretty badly!”

  “You say that, but the truth is you want to join in, too, don’t you, Young Master?” Leporina said, sounding exasperated with the playful Kuu. “Lady Mutsumi was pretty, after all.”

  “Hmm? I’d love to go wild down there, but I’m not really interested in Young Miss Mutsumi. I’m more into the type of cute girls who’ll make me want to protect them despite myself.”

  “Is that the type of girl Taru is?”

  “She used to be a crybaby, remember? She’s gotten stubborn now, though.”

  “Now that you mention it... That’s right.”

  Kuu, Taru, and Leporina were childhood friends. Leporina could remember those days long ago.

  When they were children, Taru had been shy and a crybaby, always hiding behind Kuu or Leporina. Kuu would try to get her to laugh, doing naughty things, spinning his wheels, and just making Taru cry even more. Then Kuu would be hit by his father Gouran, and Leporina would be lectured, too, for her failure to control him.

  It must have been around puberty that their relationship had taken a turn.

  Kuu could only communicate his affection to Taru in a joking way, Taru couldn’t be true to her feelings even when she felt affection for Kuu, and because Leporina knew their feelings for each other, she maintained a position that wasn’t cruel to Taru, but which let her stay at Kuu’s side.

  Before she knew it, a strange three-way relationship had formed between them.

  Will this relationship change someday, too? If possible, I hope it can take a form that all three of us want. For that, do I need to make a move myself?

  It happened while Leporina was pondering that question.

  “Oh! Is that him over there?!” Kuu stood up, saying that as he looked at a specific point on the battlefield.

  When Leporina followed his line of sight, there was a white tiger racing across the battlefield. It was Fuuga’s mount, Durga. Did that mean the speck on its back was Fuuga?

  Fuuga and Durga looked like a ship sailing smoothly across a sea of monsters.

  While watching that scene, Kuu let out a sigh. “Fuuga Han, was it? I can see why he had Bro worried. Man, it sure is a wide world out here. To think there was an incredible guy like that hiding in it.”

  “Is he incredible? He’s certainly strong, I agree...”

  In response to Leporina’s skepticism, the corners of Kuu’s mouth turned up in a slight smile.

  “He’s not just strong. The guy’s pure. You could call him the greediest man in the world. He’ll reach out for what he wants over and over, trying to grasp it. Even if it’s in the fire, and it’s something that will burn him badly if he tries to take it. Seriously, he’s scary.”

  Despite saying that the man was scary, Kuu seemed amused.

  “Even when it comes to things Bro or Empress Maria would hesitate to touch, he’ll reach for them without hesitation. On the day that he has more power than he does now, his pure greed may cover this whole continent. Ohh, this is scary, scary stuff.”

  It was a bit too abstract for Leporina to understand what Kuu was trying to say. However, one thing she could say for certain was that Kuu was convinced about something.

  “Is this your intuition, Young Master?”

  “Well, something like that, but I’m confident. He embodies the life I idealize. He’s chasing a huge dream, and he’s got the power to make it real. If I could live like that, it’d feel great... but if he becomes an enemy, he’ll be trouble.”

  When he said that, Kuu’s smile vanished, and he glared straight in Fuuga’s direction.

  “The Republic of Turgis is cold, and the currents in the air make it so wyverns can’t fly. That’s been a problem for us, but at the same time, it’s had the benefit of preventing outside countries from attacking. Even if they could conquer us, we’d be hard to rule, so there’s little for them to gain. That’s why Bro and Madam Maria wouldn’t think to attack us.”

  “...And Fuuga would be different?” Leporina hesitantly asked.

  Kuu sat down and crossed his legs. “His dream becomes the dream of those who follow him. If he were dreaming of unifying the continent, then if it meant a little... no, even a lot of losses for no return, I’m sure he’d invade. Just to make his dream come true.”

  “No...”

  “If you were to ask Bro, he might have a different perspective, but that’s how it feels to me. We can’t take it easy. There’s no guarantee Bro or Madam Maria will stop him for us. We’ve gotta build a country for ourselves that won’t lose, even if he comes to invade us.”

  Leporina was silent.

  There were already hints of a ruler-like dignity in Kuu’s eyes, making Leporina lose herself in them despite herself. She didn’t know if he was aware of it himself, but by going outside the Republic of Turgis, Kuu had been steadily maturing.

  Leporina pressed on her chest as her heart pounded.

  In order to stay with Master Kuu for all my life, I must... be prepared.

  At some point, the flames of determination had begun to burn in Leporina’s eyes, too.

  At that time, the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations began to stir. That was because they had spotted the 50,000 strong forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia on the other side of the swarm of monsters.

  Thus, the demon wave moved toward its final stage.

  ◇　◇　◇

  Did it happen a little after noon?

  “How’s that? Can you see it now?”

  Around the time that the kingdom’s National Defense Force finished deploying and began to encircle and exterminate the monsters, Aisha was standing in the main camp with Tomoe and Ichiha sitting on her shoulders.

  The reason they were riding on her shoulders was because the little ones had said, “We can’t see the battle very well from here.”

  We were deployed on the high ground, so we could see the entire army’s movements, but because we had shields set up in front of us to stop arrows, among other things, the children’s short stature made it impossible for them to see.

  “Okay, we can see much better now,” Tomoe said. “Thank you very much.”

  In contrast to the delighted Tomoe, Ichiha seemed more hesitant. “Y-Yes, it’s true we can see better, but... I’m not so sure about making the candidate to become the Kingdom of Friedonia’s second primary queen do this...”

  However, Aisha said, “This is nothing,” and laughed it off. “You two weigh next to nothing, so don’t worry yourselves about it.”

  “No, um... It’s not about the weight, it’s about how inappropriate this is...”

  He was having a woman who was going to be a queen let him ride on her shoulders, so I could understand how Ichiha felt. But our country was prett
y easygoing on that sort of stuff, you know. Me included.

  I would act appropriately for my position when I was performing official duties, but I really didn’t like the idea of acting self-important around the clock. If I didn’t take a load off when I could, my shoulders felt stiff.

  “Aisha’s saying it’s fine, so it’s probably fine, don’t you think?” I told Ichiha with a wry smile.

  “S-Souma!” he protested.

  “Come on now, you came to sketch monsters, didn’t you?” I said. “You’ve got to actually do it.”

  “Urkh... Okay.”

  Ichiha put the drawing board around his neck, and his charcoal began racing across the paper.

  “She doesn’t have to let them sit on her shoulders,” Naden, who had been watching the three of them from beside me, suggested, crossing her arms. “Couldn’t I just transform and fly? The kids should be safe in the gondola.”

  I wouldn’t be going out onto the field of battle myself this time, so it seemed she was stuck in the main camp with nothing to do. I gave a dissatisfied Naden a gentle pat on the head.

  “If you did that, I’d have to assign wyvern cavalry to escort you, wouldn’t I? Every member of the wyvern cavalry we brought is participating in battle, so we can’t cause any more trouble for them.”

  “I’m pretty sure with both me and Aisha there, we’d be fine no matter what flying monsters came.”

  “If you were taking the two kids, it’d be in a gondola. It’s dangerous fighting while you carry a gondola, right? I mean, if anything were to happen to Ichiha while we’re taking care of him for Duke Chima, it’d be a big problem.”

  “...You have a point.” It looked like Naden was convinced.

  But, as we were talking...

  “Aren’t you people a little too relaxed here?” Yuriga, who was also beside me, looked at us with cold eyes. “This is the final battle with those monsters, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you be more tense, more...? That’s it, serious! Don’t you need to act serious?”

  “You say that, but it’s just a matter of surrounding and crushing them now...” I said.

  This time, while the forces of the Union of Eastern Nations were holding the enemy back, the forces of the Kingdom of Friedonia were going to attack in the crane wing formation. The units on the left and right wings would gradually fan out, encircling and eliminating the enemy. It was a simple plan.