Does that mean that even if I develop the rifle, the tiny bullets won’t have much power behind them? I thought. A unit of riflemen is sounding less and less practical. Well, I don’t want to turn this country into a gun society, so I don’t really mind.
Hakuya continued, “In a world like this, there is a group on which magic and bombing by wyverns does not work, cavalry charges cannot get past, and because they are human-sized, they cannot be targeted with cannons. This group in black armor slowly advances forward. From their enemies’ perspective…”
“…that’d be mildly horrifying, yeah,” I said. “They’d look like the armies of Hell.”
In an open field battle, they’re probably invincible, I thought. If I could fight in somewhere like a hill or swamp with bad footing, or if I could lure them somewhere with loads of traps and break their formation then surround them…
But these ideas all relied on me fighting a defensive battle. It was difficult for the attacker to choose where to fight. In that sense, I could see why they talked about their every step expanding the territory of the Empire.
“Besides, the Empire has other powerful units in addition to the Magic Armor Corps,” Liscia said, glaring out towards the enemy. “They have the griffon knights, which rival not just wyvern cavalry, but dragon knights in power. They have a unit of mages that overwhelmingly outnumbers and outclasses ours. They have a combat-trained unit of rhinosauruses. If we’re fighting the Imperial Army, it means taking all of those on at once.”
Why, yes… yes, it would, I realized. The enemy had more than just the Magic Armor Corps.
It was the shallow thinking of an amateur that had let me believe that if I could pick the location of the battle, I could win.
“…We really are no match for the Empire, huh?” I said.
“Souma…” Liscia looked concerned, so I gave her a smile.
“It’s not going to happen yet,” I told her. “Eventually, I’ll build this into a country that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them.”
I clapped my hands, giving the signal.
“Now then, how about we go and welcome Madam Jeanne?”
They were in the audience hall in Van.
In this space, with colors and decorations much more ostentatious than those in Parnam, the younger sister of Empress Maria of the Gran Chaos Empire, Jeanne Euphoria, and the eldest son of Sovereign Prince of Amidonia Gaius VIII, Julius, stood on a carpet several steps below where I sat on the throne.
So this young man was Julius. He looked to be in his mid-twenties — a beautiful man with calculating genius, like Hakuya, but Julius came off as even colder. He seemed to be suppressing his emotions, but in his eyes I could see his enmity towards me flickering like a pale blue flame.
In contrast, Jeanne was truly magnificent. This was enemy territory for her, so the courage she had shown in coming here with no bodyguards, only Julius in tow, deeply impressed me.
As we greeted these two, we were arrayed with Liscia and Hakuya on either side of me, Aisha behind me diagonally, standing by as a bodyguard.
Seeing that, Jeanne cocked her head to the side. “This is a surprise. I had expected our meeting to have a large number of soldiers watching.”
“If I brought too many soldiers to the meeting, it would only make you two uneasy, wouldn’t it?” I asked.
“I see,” she said. “You’re a courageous one.”
Jeanne said it as if she was impressed, but inside, I was smiling wryly.
It was just that I had read a historical chronicle (whether it was Records of the Grand Historian, or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, I don’t remember) in which a certain ruler had welcomed an enemy envoy with an attitude similar to Jeanne’s. That envoy had said things like, “Is it a show of respect in your country to place so many troops with you just to meet with one person?” and “Or are you a coward who doesn’t feel safe without his soldiers protecting him?” It had humiliated that ruler, and I’d just happened to remember it, but… I decided not to let Jeanne in on that fact.
“Of course, with that one behind you, you must feel quite safe.” Jeanne perceptively looked at Aisha. Perhaps it was because they shared something in common as warriors, but she had accurately judged Aisha’s ability. “She’s a fine warrior, I can tell. I would ask for a match with her, but it might prove difficult for me to win. You have a fine vassal, Sir Souma.”
“…Thanks,” I said.
There was no way for me to tell how serious she was with her praise, but judging from how tense Aisha looked, Jeanne was not to be underestimated as a warrior, either.
“You, as well,” I went on. “It’s very courageous of you to face the king of another nation without bringing an entourage of guards. Did you not worry that I might have you assassinated here?”
“I have come as an envoy of peace,” Jeanne smiled. “Why should I need fear I would come to harm?”
I could tell she was quite the actor. She might not have guards with her openly, but perhaps covert operatives had slipped in to keep watch over her. Even now, somewhere we couldn’t see, they might be competing fiercely against Juna and her marines.
Next, I looked at Julius. “This is our first time meeting. I am Souma Kazuya.”
“…I am the Sovereign Prince of Amidonia, Julius.”
Not hiding the hostility in his eyes, Julius gave himself that title. He must have inherited it on the death of Gaius VIII. With us occupying Van, he likely hadn’t been formally crowned yet, but I (as a provisional king) was in the same boat, so I didn’t point it out.
“Now then, let’s hear why the two of you are here,” I said.
Julius immediately opened his mouth. “Let me get straight to the point. I want you to return Van at once.”
“Sir Julius…” Jeanne looked troubled by his outburst, but Julius continued, not caring.
“Our nation is signatory to the Mankind Declaration. In the text of the agreement, it says, ‘The moving of national borders by force will be deemed inadmissible.’ The Elfrieden Kingdom has occupied Van by means of force. As such, in accordance with the declaration, I have come here with Madam Jeanne, an envoy dispatched by the Gran Chaos Empire, to seek the return of Van and the surrounding area.”
“That sounds awfully selfish.” I rested my elbows on the arms of the throne and my cheeks on my palms, glaring down at Julius. “You started this by invading Elfrieden first. First you attempt to expand by force, and then, when you lose, you turn to the Mankind Declaration for protection, clinging to the power of the Empire to seek the return of your territory. Don’t you think that’s pathetic?”
“The decision to invade Elfrieden was one my father, Gaius, made on his own,” Julius said stiffly.
“You accompanied him on the campaign, so you share in his crime,” I said. “Besides, before we start negotiating the return of your territory, isn’t an apology for invading my country in order?”
“Urkh…”
“Sir Julius,” said Jeanne. “Sir Souma is right. We are in the position of requesting that he return your land. We have to start with you showing your sincerity.”
Julius seemed deeply mortified by the thought, but with his one lifeline, Jeanne, pressing him to do it, he grudgingly, ever so grudgingly, bowed his head. “…While the invasion of your country was solely the decision of our former ruler, Gaius, it was my own lack of virtue that kept me from stopping him. Allow me to apologize for that.”
It didn’t sound like much of an apology, but it seemed it was all that could be expected.