How a Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom

Chapter 3: The Women of Each Country

It was a lovely afternoon in winter, with clear skies and warm sun. While Souma and the bureaucrats were still suffering under a homicidal workload, three of the queens were enjoying a spot of tea in one corner of the courtyard. Or to be more accurate, one of his queens and two future queens.

“Would you like another cup, Aisha?”

“Oh! Um, thank you.”

Maria poured the tea herself, and Aisha humbly accepted it.

In terms of their future hierarchy, Aisha would be ranked higher, but she paled in grace and dignity exuded by the former leader of a great nation like Maria.

Maria smiled, now turning to her fellow queen candidate.

“And you, Yuriga?”

“Ah! I’m not done with my current cup, so I’ll pass... Thank you,” Yuriga politely declined, seeming incredibly tense as she did.

The three queens present were Second Primary Queen Aisha, Fourth Primary Queen Candidate Yuriga, and Third Secondary Queen Maria. Wanting to serve the tea herself, Maria had asked the maids to stand down, so it was really just the queens to themselves.

Sitting down, Maria gave Yuriga a serene smile. “I’ve been wanting to have a good, long chat with you because we’ll be marrying Sir Souma at the same time.”

“R-Right... I see,” Yuriga replied, her face tensing. Internally, she was sweating bullets. I’d really rather not...

Yuriga was the younger sister of Fuuga Haan, the man who made Maria’s empire collapse, after all. The fallen empress and the sister of the man who had taken her down—theirs was a relationship that could easily become antagonistic. Yet they were both about to marry the same man. Yuriga had never heard of two people sharing such a strange fate, not even in all the books she had read before.

Is this my lot in life as the sister of a hero? Yuriga lamented.

It wasn’t just Maria though. There were too many others close to her, like Ichiha and Sami, whose relationships with Yuriga had been complicated by her brother’s actions. If there was a god, Yuriga would have wanted to give him an earful about how unfair it was.

“Yuriga,” Maria called her name.

“Y-Yes!” Yuriga stammered, snapping back to her senses.

“Hee hee, you don’t need to be so tense,” Maria said with a chuckle. The smile on her face did nothing to ease Yuriga’s anxiety.

“No, telling me that isn’t going to make this any easier...”

“I’m not going to eat you or anything. Look, if I tried to hurt you, Aisha would stop me. Right?”

“Huh?! Is that what I’m here for?!” It was Aisha’s turn to react with wide-eyed surprise.

“Hee hee, I was joking,” Maria said with a wink and stuck out her tongue.

This exchange made Aisha and Yuriga both realize that regardless of their relative positions in the hierarchy, they’d never be a match for Maria. Her charm and poise with which she teased them were on the same level as that of the venerable Excel.

Maria sat up straight, then bowed her head to Yuriga.

“Yuriga... Thank you.”

“Huh?!” The suddenness of it made Yuriga panic. “Whoa, what?! Raise your head!”

“No, I feel that I should thank you properly.” Maria raised her face and looked Yuriga in the eye. “I’m told that you helped with the plan I came up with, and Souma accepted.”

“I didn’t do it for your sake, Madam Maria...” Yuriga replied, turning her head away petulantly. “I only did it because I thought it would help my brother too. That’s all.”

Yuriga hadn’t stopped the Kingdom of Friedonia from intervening in the war between the Empire and the Great Tiger Kingdom. This was despite the fact that from the Great Tiger Kingdom’s perspective, the engagement between Souma and Yuriga was a tool to keep him out of the conflict. Yuriga had even been told about the plan before Hakuya found his resolve and had agreed to cooperate.

“My brother’s plan was to make you surrender and take the country, its people, and the bureaucracy all for himself. But you had no intention to surrender,” Yuriga explained, still looking away. “Even if he had taken the whole of the Empire, it was clear that he wouldn’t be able to maintain it, and the country would fall apart if he made enemies of your supporters. That being the case, he was better off taking some of the land and a portion of the bureaucrats, giving him a definite victory while still allowing him reconciliation with you. Simply put, it was a faster route to his dream of conquering the Demon Lord’s Domain.”

“Wow, you certainly thought this through,” Aisha said, utterly impressed. Despite her unparalleled martial prowess, she had no sense for politics whatsoever.

However, this sincere praise, born of that lack of sense, was embarrassing for Yuriga.

Clearing her throat noisily, she said, “It just goes to show you that Tomoe and Ichiha aren’t Mr. Hakuya’s only students.”

“Oh, of course.”

“My job was to tell my brother all this after the war and lower his hostility to this country and Sir Souma. If he gets into a conflict with this country, it will hurt both sides greatly, so I’m making sure he knows that.”

“Wonderful. I can see you’ve got a good head on your shoulders,” Maria said, clapping her hands and smiling. “You understand your brother’s ideals, yet can still make choices grounded in reality. You remind me of my own little sister Jeanne. Sir Fuuga is lucky to have you.”

“Y-You’re giving me too much credit.”

“That’s not true at all. I want to be friends with you because you’re like that. Although, you may feel some sense of guilt towards me.”

“N-No... Not really...”

“As I said before, I’m grateful to you, and I hold no grudge. If we couldn’t be friends because you feel guilty about what happened, that would be a real pity.” Maria rose from her seat and leaned over to take Yuriga’s hand. “We’re going to be family, so I’d like to build a sisterly bond with you.”

“Urgh...”

Yuriga was intimidated by how fast Maria was trying to get closer to her. She shot Aisha a glance, begging for help. However, Aisha just munched on tea sweets and shook her head.

“I don’t think she has ulterior motives,” Aisha said after swallowing. “She is a lot like Madam Juna, so it’s best to let her do what she wants. Nothing bad will happen.”

“Uh, that’s not what I wanted to hear...”

“Listen, Jeanne’s left my side, and I just sent Trill back home too. I need a caring little sister to pay attention to me,” Maria said, pressing one hand to her cheek with a sigh.

Yuriga clutched her head. “I’ve only ever had a big brother. Is this what big sisters are like?!”

“I’m an only child myself, so I couldn’t say,” Aisha said with wry amusement as she reached for another cookie. “But when I’m around Madam Roroa, Madam Naden, and Madam Tomoe, it does make me want to dote on them like little sisters.”

“Like little sisters... A family, huh?” Yuriga got a pensive look on her face.

Maria cocked her head to the side. “Is something the matter?”

“Considering my situation, I’d arranged my marriage to Souma so that I could do as much of what I want to do as possible. I don’t think it was the wrong choice, but...after being so calculating about marrying him, I’m wondering if I can be a good wife. You know, Sir Souma and his family are tight-knit, and it seems like you understand each other well too, Madam Maria.”

“Yuriga...”

It seemed Yuriga had caught the marriage blues before the wedding.

“Sir Souma is kind. He’ll scold me when I make a mistake, and even apologize after. He’s fixed me a snack late at night more times than I can remember, and I think I like him. But at the same time, he feels more like a nice friend of my brother’s... I’m marrying him for my own convenience, and it makes me wonder if that’s really okay...”

“I think...you feel that way because you care about him, you know?” Maria smiled as she reached out and patted Yuriga on the head. “You have a somewhat unique situation, but he’s told you that even once you’re married, you’ll be free to do as you please for a while, right? If you were to have a change of heart at some point, I’m sure Sir Souma would accept it. I think you should take your time and not rush to an answer.”

“Ha ha, she’s right, you know?” Aisha agreed with a laugh. “We all had our own circumstances when we married Sir Souma. I’m told that Madam Naden once asked if the love that starts out prearranged by someone else isn’t real love. This might surprise you, but any number of things can end up deepening a relationship. I don’t think you need to worry so much.”

“Madam Maria, Madam Aisha...”

Listening to the two of them had slightly alleviated Yuriga’s concern.

Maria started giggling. “Though, I’m going to get in my share of flirting with Sir Souma first.”

“Er, flirting...?”

“Nothing’s holding me back now, so I’m going to do what I want! In love and in work! It’s time for me to take back all those years of my youth I spent supporting the Empire!”

As Maria clenched her fist and made this impassioned speech, Yuriga felt her image of the fallen empress of a destroyed country crumble. Even with her country split and herself far from her former lands, Maria was still herself, shining powerfully. Watching her made Yuriga’s own worries seem silly.

“Ha ha... Is that right?” Yuriga said with a slight laugh.

“Well, if you’re uneasy about being a wife... We have just the thing,” Aisha said nonchalantly as she savored her tea.

Maria and Yuriga both cocked their heads to the side. Aisha looked around to see that no one was watching before beckoning them closer. They did so, leaning in so their faces were close to hers.

Aisha covered her mouth with one hand and whispered, “We queens all receive...special lessons...”

What she went on to explain made the other two flush red. And they both agreed they would definitely participate next time.

Third bridal training course, date unscheduled...

◇ ◇ ◇

The war between the Empire and the Great Tiger Kingdom in the 1552nd year of the Continental Calendar changed the world.

There had been a three-way competition between Fuuga’s Great Tiger Kingdom, the Empire’s Mankind Declaration, and the Maritime Alliance. However, with the fall of the Empire and its exit from the Mankind Declaration, there were only two factions remaining. The Great Tiger Kingdom became the most powerful country in the world, with the land, population, and personnel of the northern half of the continent. Meanwhile, the Maritime Alliance welcomed the Euphoria Kingdom, founded from the remains of the Empire, as a new ally, increasing their strength as well.

Furthermore, with Souma—the head of the Maritime Alliance—marrying Maria, and Black-Robed Prime Minister Hakuya marrying Queen Jeanne of Euphoria, coordination between the two states deepened, allowing them to effectively rule as if they were one nation. The people of these two countries called the new nation the “Gran Friedonia Empire,” and Souma came to be called Emperor Friedonia.

In order to compete, Fuuga followed Hashim’s suggestion to rename the Great Tiger Kingdom of Haan the “Great Tiger Empire of Haan,” and began calling himself Great Tiger Emperor Fuuga Haan.

It was an era where two emperors—one north and one south—vied for power. Although, Souma was only being called an emperor by the people, and Fuuga only assumed the title because his retainer suggested it, so neither emperor was that attached to being called one. Every country had to adapt to this new bipolar world.

In an effort to stabilize their expanded territory, the Great Tiger Empire developed a new bureaucracy around their top bureaucrat, Lumiere. Using the skill at public works she had developed in the Empire, she took advantage of the mobility of Malmkhitan’s cavalry to lay out a transportation network. It unfolded at a pace far greater than the road network Souma had built during the first year after he was summoned.

“Sir Kasen. The next document, please.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

Lumiere was in the governmental affairs office of Haan Castle, surrounded by piles of documents with her feather pen.

Fuuga had the charisma to sway others and his martial prowess was absolute, but he had no particular gift for governing. (It’s not that he couldn’t govern, but he was unmotivated and inefficient.) That’s why Hashim and Lumiere ran the administration of the Great Tiger Empire now. However, Hashim also had to handle diplomacy and political strategy, so domestic affairs fell squarely on Lumiere’s shoulders.

Lumiere used Kasen Shuri, the Crossbow of the Tiger—who had been picked out as her assistant due to his youth and ability—as an extension of herself in the battle against all this paperwork.

Sigh... Now I see why Madam Maria always kept a bed in the governmental affairs office. When there’s this much work, it’s hard to go back to your own room. Lumiere let out a sigh as her hands kept moving. And she handled diplomacy, political strategy, and even requests from the people like performing as a lorelei on top of this. I always knew she was great, but she was even greater than I imagined... I can see why she wanted to abandon all this work. If only she had the opportunity...

And Fuuga and Lumiere were the ones who gave that opportunity to Maria. Now that it was over, she could see that all of the factions had been working to let Maria abandon her country. Lumiere had been indignant when she first realized her empress had been the one to give up on her, but at this point, she was over it and working towards her own goals.

I want to control a great nation from within the bureaucracy, and win glory by accomplishing mankind’s dream of completely liberating the Demon Lord’s Domain. My goal hasn’t changed. That’s why I parted ways with Madam Maria and my friend Jeanne. Now I must make it a reality so I can hold my head high in front of them.

“Sir Kasen. Please take this document to Sir Hashim.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!” Kasen was overwhelmed by Lumiere.

He had stood at the side of fierce, courageous generals like Fuuga and Shuukin who shone like stars, so he thought that he was used to seeing great people. He believed that even if he were faced with famous generals from other countries, he wouldn’t be frightened or falter.

Now that he was being cowed by an administrator, it confused him.

Madam Lumiere is incredible, Kasen thought.

And for some reason...seeing Lumiere single-mindedly throw herself into her work reminded him of how cool Fuuga and Shuukin looked, leading the charge on the front lines of battle. If we were to put this in terms of Souma’s old world, Kasen might have been like a new hire at a company, infatuated with a career woman.

“What are you doing? Please, get going immediately.”

“Huh?! S-Sorry!”

Once Lumiere called him out for his dawdling, Kasen shot out of the room with an armful of paperwork. It was another thing that made him look like a new hire.

Thanks to Lumiere’s efforts, the Great Tiger Empire was able to rapidly overcome the bottlenecks imposed on it by the instability that came with acquiring new territory.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile, there was another woman struggling to manage her state...

It was the newly crowned queen of the Euphoria Kingdom, Jeanne.

Jeanne was in her own governmental affairs office, surrounded by paperwork...and sick of it.

“Sir Hakuya... Could we please take a break already?”

Jeanne was an irresistible force on the battlefield, but her aptitude for paperwork wasn’t very high. Her groaning made Hakuya, who was with her more as an instructor than an assistant, feel sorry for Jeanne, but that didn’t stop him from giving her a new document to work on.

“Please. At least look through these papers and sign off on them. They concern the reorganization of the Gran Chaos Empire’s fleet and the regular stationing of the Maritime Alliance fleet in this country.”

“The fleets are our ‘shield’ now, after all...” Jeanne said as she accepted the paperwork.

“Indeed.” Hakuya nodded. “They’re a gift your sister left us. An incredibly valuable one at that.”

In the fall of the Empire, the Euphoria Kingdom had lost its northern lands, Lumiere and her bureaucrats, and half of their air force. However, because Maria had taken steps to ensure their naval forces were concentrated in the south, their fleet was mostly intact, barring some ships that had been owned by the lords of the northern coast. While those naval forces were obviously no match for the Kingdom of Friedonia’s—owing to that country’s use of island carriers—they were at least equal to the Nine-Headed Dragon Kingdom’s fleet.

Considering their shrunken nation, the amount of maritime power at their disposal was a little excessive. Because of this fleet, if Fuuga were to attack them again, they could use their ships to withdraw, or launch powerful attacks against his poorly guarded coastlines. The Euphoria Fleet was a shield that deterred their enemy from attacking, and also a sword.

Suddenly, a new voice said, “Hee hee! That’s what you called me for, isn’t it?”

Jeanne turned in the direction of the voice, and there stood a buxom beauty with blue hair and a little pair of antlers on her head. It was the commander in chief of the Kingdom of Friedonia’s National Defense Force, Excel Walter.

“Oh, I’m sorry to make you come all this way,” Jeanne said. She moved to get up so she could bow her head, but Excel gestured for her to stop with her fan.

“You’re the queen of a nation now. You mustn’t go bowing to a general from another country.”

“R-Right... But...”

“Duchess Walter is correct. There’s no need for you to bow,” Hakuya said nonchalantly as Jeanne tried to figure out how to respond. Then he turned his cold eyes towards Excel. “You had ‘free time on your hands,’ yes? I’m told that you’ve been having Sir Ludwin assume your duties as commander in chief of the National Defense Force and letting Sir Castor command the navy.”

“Hee hee, it’s important to train your successors, you know?” Excel said with a laugh, covering her mouth with her fan.

“Yes,” Hakuya agreed with a fake smile that looked like it had been plastered to his face. “That is why you’ve been invited to come and command the Euphoria Fleet.”

“You and your lord are both dead set on not letting me have a peaceful retirement, I see.”

“I will take that as a compliment,” Hakuya replied.

Although they were both smiling, neither thought it was sincere. That said, this conversation was possible because they each knew that the other was intelligent, and the reasoning behind their actions. However, Jeanne, who understood none of this and was watching the two schemers smile at each other, wanted nothing more than to clutch her head.

Sister... Being a queen is too great a burden for me... Jeanne thought.

Excel tapped her fan. “Well, you had best get all this sorted out quickly. You have other important duties to attend to, don’t you?”

“Other...important...duties?” Jeanne was confused. Excel looked at Hakuya with a chuckle.

“I mean your wedding, of course.”

The moment she said that, Jeanne turned a bright red and Hakuya grimaced. Their reactions only made Excel smile with greater cheer.