Genjitsushugi Yuusha no Oukoku Saikenki

It looked like she was at least willing to respond.

Um... Are you mad?

Im not mad... Im indignant.

I do apologize. But we cant speak when we dont know who might be listening. We had no intention of leaving you out of the

Thats not it. Jeanne cut off Hakuyas explanation and turned to face him. The one Im indignant at is myself, for being so useless.

Jeanne crossed her arms over her chest, and cast her eyes downward, looking sad.

For as long as my sister upholds her ideals, the Kingdom will walk alongside the Empire... It was King Souma who said that, and now hes talking about invading the Nine-Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. That on its own should have been enough to make her furrow her brow, yet, for some reason, my sister accepted his request.

Thats because... No... Hakuya was about to say something, but stopped himself.

It appeared as if you and King Souma had become totally different people, and my sister had cast aside her ideals... I have no idea what all of you were thinking.

Jeanne shook her head.

But what I do understand is that all of you have something that youre thinking about. Its just a matter of me not knowing the situation. Thats... intensely frustrating. Especially when my sister was able to correctly discern your intentions from only a few small hints.

Hakuya let out a small sigh. Madam Maria is a smart woman. We hadnt anticipated her seeing through us like that, either. Even if it made relations tense for a while, so long as Maria continued to act like her usual self, that would have been fine. But, having more or less figured out what we were up to, Maria promised to cooperate. Its terrifying just how perceptive she is.

My sister is too easygoing in her personal life, but shes a very smart person. Jeanne smiled weakly. Thats why we rely on her. Too much. When I see Sister constantly shouldering the burden of being empress, I want to be there to help her, but... if only I had more strength.

Unable to find the words to say, Hakuya gave her an empathetic look.

Im sorry. For whining to you like this.

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No, I understand.

They were both in the position of having to support the leader of their nation. Souma was exceptionally good at delegating tasks to those who had the capability to do them. He had gathered so many people they called him a personnel maniac, and that meant they were able to pursue policies in a variety of different directions. The downside was that it was harder for him to do his work as king outside, and he looked rather plain to the people, but if the state was well-run, the people werent going to complain about that.

But... What if?

What if Souma had possessed Marias ability and charisma? If he could do everything on his own, wouldnt he have done so, and pushed forward on his policies instead of recruiting personnel? Because it was faster that way? Solving issues all on his own would have earned him more popularity, and led to greater expectations for him. The more he lived up to peoples hopes, the greater those hopes would become...

I see... Madam Jeanne is... It must have felt irritating, watching a sister like that. Maria was such a genius that Jeanne couldnt even say, I wish you would rely on me more.

Watching my sister perform as a lorelei in addition to her political duties, it made me think. Isnt this closer to what my sister really wants to do? There was a pain in Jeannes voice. The failure of the combined offensive of the forces of mankind led by the Empire, and the death of the last emperor... Sister ascended the throne in a time when the people were gloomy and dejected. She told me, I want to make the people smile. That was what motivated her to bring the Empire together once more, and give them the hope that was the Mankind Declaration.

...I think thats incredible.

Sister only wanted everyone to smile! Perhaps... Perhaps she didnt even want to be empress. She seems so full of life when shes singing and dancing, and the people love to see it. Honestly, I wish I could let her do nothing but that, but... its not an option.

There was nothing Hakuya could say in response to the sadness in Jeannes voice. As a foreign national, he had little flexibility, and as a high ranking member of the Kingdom, he couldnt speak carelessly. If there was one thing he could do, it was quietly listen as Jeanne vented.

Suddenly, Jeanne slapped her own cheeks.

Madam Jeanne?!

Not long after that, a bewildered Hakuya and happy Jeanne came into the room. Jeanne was pulling Hakuya along by the sleeve. It looked like she was feeling better now.

It seems like your sisters in a better mood.

Maria had also noticed them, and was smiling softly. Speaking of little sisters, is Trill doing well?

Yeah. A little too well. Shes hard at work on developing the drill with Genia. I actually wanted to bring her along, but she firmly refused...

I thought it would be a good chance for the three sisters to get together, but...

Not a chance! If I were to meet my sisters now, Id surely receive an extended lecture about not interfering with Big Sister Genias married life! Big Sister Jeanne is so strict, I might even be taken back to the Empire! I absolutely refuse to accompany you!

...Trill wasnt having it.

Granted, I couldnt be too firm with her given her own status. I had Jeannes permission to be strict with Trill, but I wouldnt have wanted to upset her and delay the drill development project as a result. That was why I was letting her do as she pleased, within reason. If things got out of hand, Id have her sisters scold her, though.

Maria chuckled. Thats so like her. Always free-spirited. I envy her a little.

Speaking of free spirits... Everyone here is acting pretty free-spirited, huh?

I looked around, and people from the Kingdom and Empire were mingling in quite a chaotic scene. Naden was passionately regaling Krahe with the story of how the two of us met. Her face was a little red, and her eyes were unfocused. She looked tipsy.

So, like I was saying, Souma, he told me I had individuality. It... made me really happy.

Oho, I see, I see. That is a wonderful way to have met. Here, have another drink.

...Hic.

It looked like Krahe had wheedled her into telling him everything. Well, him knowing how the two of us met wasnt going to cause any problems. There were guards nearby, so if it sounded like she might divulge anything that ought to be kept secret, theyd probably stop her. But Naden... if she still remembered this when she sobered up, she was going to be writhing in shame, wasnt she?

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the room, Mio was knocking back a stiff drink.

Urgh... What am I even doing here...?

M-Madam Mio? Arent you drinking a little too much? Owen commented, attempting to stop her.

Mio shouted, You think I could get through this without drinking?! and helped herself to another. I was surprised enough that the Elfrieden Kingdom and the Principality of Amidonia had been unified, but were on friendly terms with the Empire now, too...? What happened to the Kingdom while I was away? I feel like a traveler coming back home after a decade, and shocked by how everythings changed... Hic.

A lot happened. Oh, geez, youre drinking too much. If youre hungover, the gondola ride is just going to be that much harder on you, you know?

Though Owen was trying to calm her down, she wasnt listening to him.

Hrm... If it was going to be like this, maybe I should have brought Colbert and her mother, too... Mios mother didnt seem like the type to be intimidated by this type of thing. Before parting ways with Colbert, Id had the opportunity to speak with her briefly.

When I asked her what she thought about Georg, shed said, This is the path that tactless man chose. No matter what others think of him for it, Im sure it was the best choice he could have made. As his wife, I can only believe in him, and accept it. What a strong woman. I doubt the sight of her daughter drowning her confusion with alcohol would have fazed her.

Looking around closer, I found our bodyguards Aisha and Gunther glaring at one another.

.........

......... (Munch, munch.)

Gunther stared Aisha down, standing upright and unmoving, while Aisha was returning the stare, but held a plate with a variety of dishes on it, and munched on them as she glared back at Gunther. Seriously, what was I looking at here?

Um... Why is Gunther glaring at Aisha? I asked Maria.

Oh, Im sorry. That stern look on Gunthers face is normal for him. He likely wanted to speak to his fellow bodyguard, but couldnt find the words, and their eyes happened to meet, so he couldnt look away... I suppose?

The next day, we each returned to our own countries. Gimbal, King of Zem, came to visit in the morning, so he, Maria, and I were bidding one another farewell.

Sir Gimbal. I thank you, in my capacity as empress, for providing us a place to talk like this.

I thank you on behalf of the Kingdom, too. We were able to have a fruitful meeting as a result.

As Maria and I both thanked him, Gimbal shook his head. If the Kingdom and Empire are on good terms, we wont be caught in the middle of your wars. Well, assuming you two dont happily invade us together, that is.

Hed said that jokingly, but a lot of truth is said in jest. Gimbal wanted to avoid us being so hostile to one another that his country became the battlefield for our wars, but he didnt want us to be so close that we decided to invade him together either. Thats why he provided a place for us to meet, doing both of us a favor, while letting him probe what our relationship was like. He was a seriously tricky one to deal with.

Maria and I both replied with plastered-on smiles.

Like I said before, if you remain genuinely neutral, the Kingdom will not start any trouble with you.

Hee hee, the Empire wont be breaking the Mankind Declaration when we were the ones who issued it to begin with.

Gimbal replied with an equally fake smile. Ha ha ha, thats reassuring to hear. If you wish to use this place for conferences in the future, just say the word, and Ill lend it to you anytime.

Thank you for that.

Were grateful for it, Sir Gimbal.

We all shook hands as our retainers looked on. It was a theatrical way of showing we had a relationship of trust, but that sort of display was important, too.

And so, we each returned to our own countries.