“I dunno,” she said. “The things I’m hearin’, they aren’t his personal accomplishments, they’re the accomplishments of his subordinates. That’s why he’s so hard to figure out. He does seem like a king who’s good at listenin’ to his vassals, though.”
With those words, Roroa put her hands on her hips and groaned.
“If we’re startin’ a war with someone we can’t get a good read on, that’s dangerous. That doesn’t change just because the king and the three dukes ain’t gettin’ along. Whether it’s territory, or power, or population, the kingdom’s got us beat in all three. And, of course, there’s the number of soldiers they can field, too. We’ve got ourselves a lot of mineral resources, so the quality of our equipment’s good, but… that’s about all we’ve got goin’ for us.”
With Roroa giving that pessimistic assessment, Sebastian asked, “…Lady Roroa, do you believe this country will lose?”
“I told ya, I dunno,” she said. “War’s not my area of expertise. Still, though, what I do know is that if we lose, it’s gonna be real bad for us. It ain’t just the kingdom that we’ve gotta worry about. There’s that irritatin’ theocracy to our north, the Papal State of Lunaria, and then there’s the Turgis Republic, who’re lookin’ for any opening to advance north. We’ve got an alliance with the Mercenary State of Zem to our west, but I’m not sure they’ll be much help for us if we end up on the back foot.”
The Papal State of Lunaria was the headquarters of Lunarian Orthodoxy, a religion which stood, next to Mother Dragon worship, as one of the two largest faiths on this continent. That country was ruled by the Lunarian Orthodox Pope, who was both a temporal and religious authority, and they had a system of values that was markedly different from other countries. There were many followers of Lunarian Orthodoxy in the Principality of Amidonia, and with some agitation, it was possible the state could topple their principality.
The Turgis Republic to the south was a land of frigid cold. During the long winter, their lands were buried in snow and their seas locked with ice. Because of that, in their quest for unfrozen land and warm water ports, they were always keeping an eager eye on the north for any opportunity to expand.
The Mercenary State of Zem was a unique country. They professed eternal neutrality, yet obtained mutual security guarantees by dispatching their mercenaries to every nation. They had dispatched mercenaries to the principality as well as all the rest, but… mercenaries were motivated by profit. If their country ever found itself at a disadvantage, there was no way to know how seriously the mercenaries would take the fighting.
If the worst should happen, and they were to lose, how would these three countries react?
That was what worried Roroa.
“The sentiment that’s taken hold in this country right now is the worst,” Roroa said with a sigh. “There ain’t nobody thinkin’ about what’ll happen if we lose. Even though, in the worst case scenario, we could be invaded by three of our neighbors at once.”
She thought it over, then said:
“That’s why I’m gonna do what I’m gonna do. Even if it means partin’ ways with my old man, I have to be ready if things go south…”
As she said that, she flashed Sebastian a big smile.
“So, there ya have it, Sebastian. Help a gal out, will ya?”
“…I suppose I’ll have to, won’t I?” Sebastian said with a shrug, as if trying to sound very put-upon. That was the appearance he projected, but he had already resolved himself to throw his lot in with this girl. Sometimes Roroa’s actions betrayed her youth, but she had a certain charm that drew people to her.
Sometimes, I think it’s a pity she was born a woman… he thought.
Had Roroa been able to take the throne, might this country have become a more comfortable place to live in? Sebastian couldn’t help but wonder.
As for Roroa herself, she had already moved on to thinking about the next thing.
“Well, now that that’s settled, we’re still short of hands,” she said. “I’d like to spend a little more time looking for collaborators, I think.”
“…And you have your eye on someone in particular?” Sebastian asked, having sensed something in the way Roroa spoke, and she gave him a mischievous laugh in return.
Some days later…
At his castle in the princely capital, Van, the Sovereign Prince of Amidonia, Gaius VIII, had gathered the principal military commanders of this country in the audience hall. Gaius rose from the throne, addressing the assembled commanders.
“The time is come! Let us gather our forces on the southern border with Elfrieden!”
That was the declaration that opened the war with the Elfrieden Kingdom.
Gaius had received reports that the gulf between Souma Kazuya and one of the three dukes, Georg Carmine, had become unbridgeable, and that it was only a matter of time before the two clashed. Soon enough, the kingdom would be thrown into chaos. In that chaos, they would take back the lands stolen from them fifty years ago.
“At the same time as Georg launches his rebellion, we will begin our invasion of Elfrieden!” he announced. “Our target is the grain-producing region in the south! Now is the time to take back the lands stolen from our forefathers!”
“““Hurrah!””” The gathered commanders let out a cheer.
Finally, the time had come to take revenge for their past losses against the kingdom. These commanders, who were military men to the core, couldn’t help but feel their blood boiling and seething inside them. In that environment…
“Please, wait, Your Highness!”
…a single man spoke out in opposition, walking forward to kneel before his sovereign.
It was the young Minister of Finance, Gatsby Colbert.
With his rare sense for economics, he had been entrusted with the post of Minister of Finance despite only being a young man in his mid-twenties.
While Roroa’s talent lay in spending money to get the economy moving, Colbert specialized in eliminating wasteful spending and freeing up funds that way. While they took different approaches, these two worked together to cut what needed cutting and to spend where spending was needed. They were the ones who were just barely keeping this country’s economy from tumbling over the brink.
“Oh, it’s you, Colbert.” Gaius turned a stern eye on him. He was clearly displeased.
When Gaius, a man who even generals who had survived many battles feared to anger, turned that gaze on Colbert, a mere bureaucrat, Colbert began to tremble. Still, he worked up the courage to offer his advice.
“I say this with all due respect, sire,” he managed. “Please, reconsider invading Elfrieden! The people of our nation are suffering from a food crisis and a poor economy! If we start a war now, our people will starve!”
“I know that,” the king snapped. “That’s why seizing the grain-producing region is so urgent.”
“Wars require a vast expenditure on the part of the state!” Colbert protested. “If you have that much leeway in the budget, you ought to be able to import food from abroad! Rather than fight a war we don’t know if we will win or lose, and which, even if we do win, we don’t have any guarantee our efforts will pay off, isn’t this the time when we should build our strength and…”
“Silence!” Gaius roared.
He walked over to the bureaucrat and kicked him hard enough to send the man flying.
“Urkh…”
As he looked down at Colbert sprawled out on the floor, Gaius had a look of rage on his face.
“You domestic affairs ministers always say the same thing! Work on domestic affairs, now’s not the time for this, that’s all I ever hear! Look where that’s gotten us! It’s plain to see how exhausted our country is! Yet, in contrast to us, that kingdom, despite stagnating somewhat under the fool who was their last king, have begun to rebound with this new king coming to the throne!”