How a Realist Hero Rebuilt The Kingdom

Book 14: Chapter 3

The failed attempt on Fuugas life broke the Union of Eastern Nations. While there had already been signs of it coming, the botched assassination made the anti-Fuuga forces move more proactively, resulting in a clear division into two camps. In terms of the number of people, there was nearly no numerical difference between the pro- and anti-Fuuga factions. However, if counted by the number of states, the anti-Fuuga faction had nearly double the number of nations in it. This was because even if an individual supported Fuuga, if the rulers of the state they belonged to were a part of the anti-Fuuga faction, they were forced to be anti-Fuuga as well. In fact, the more pro-Fuuga the people of a state were, the more likely their leaders were to join the anti-Fuuga faction. They hated that their own power base was waning, and it was affecting their ability to govern.

All of this meant that the leaders of countries that were confident in the power of their military and nation tended to oppose Fuuga, feeding the growth of the anti-Fuuga faction. The anti-Fuuga faction had three leaders: King Shamour Sharn of the Kingdom of Sharn, the largest nation in the Union of Eastern Nations; Mathew Chima of the Duchy of Chima; and Bito Gabi of the Kingdom of Gabi.

Shamour, in particular, was well aware that his country was the most powerful in the Union of Eastern Nations, and he could not allow a situation where only Fuugas accomplishments were acknowledged to continue. This was not solely Shamours own decision, but also the will of the people of the Kingdom of Sharn. The people of Sharn saw themselves as the center of the Union of Eastern Nations. They were not happy to see the Fuuga factions forces succeeding, and supported King Shamour in his opposition to them. Even if Shamour had not intended to oppose Fuuga, the people beneath him might have forced him to do so anyway.

Duke Chima and King Gabi, on the other hand, were taking proactive measures because of their connection to Gauche Chima, the man who had attempted to assassinate Fuuga. Mathew was Gauches father, while Bito was the master Gauche had served. They were both assumed to have been involved in the plot. In regard to that matter, each had released a statement declaring, Gauche acted alone. He was not given any orders to act. This was partially true, as Gauche had gotten ahead of himself, but now that Fuuga had determined they were his enemies, the truth of the matter was no longer an issue.

Once a confrontation with Fuuga was inevitable, Mathew moved proactively, using his web of diplomatic entanglements to grow and unite the anti-Fuuga faction. However, in a surprising turn of events, of all the countries Mathews children had gone to serve, the only ones that openly joined the anti-Fuuga faction were the Kingdom of Shamour, where his second son Nata served, and the Kingdom of Gabi, where his third son Gauche had served.

In the south of the Union of Eastern Nations, near the border with the Kingdom of Friedonia, was a small state known as the Kingdom of Roth.

In a castle within the capital city of Roth, King Heinrant Roth stroked his white beard as he held a meeting with King Lombard Remus, the young monarch of the neighboring Kingdom of Remus. Heinrant was of a gentle disposition, while Lombard was young and full of promise for the future.

Two girls had joined the kings at the table. Aside from the fact that they tied their hair on opposite sides, the girls were almost identical. Next to Lombard was Yomi. She was an excellent mage, and a literate girl with an abundance of knowledge. To Heinrants side was Sami. Like her elder sister, she was also an excellent mage and a lover of books, and she also excelled at arithmetic.

These twin sisters had been won by Lombard and Heinrant at the awards ceremony. The elder of the two, Yomi, had received a proposal from Lombard soon after offering her services to the Kingdom of Remus. While they had yet to be wed, she was his fiance. King Heinrant, meanwhile, had taken a liking to the younger sister, Sami, and adopted her as his daughter. Today, the four of them were seated around one table, discussing what they would do going forward.

But is this really okay? Lombard began. Duke Chima is in the anti-Fuuga faction, right? Shouldnt we side with him...?

Absolutely not, Yomi and Sami said in unison, causing Heinrants eyes to widen in surprise.

Hes your father, isnt he? You arent conflicted about this?

We do feel conflicted. But the answer is still no, Yomi and Sami spoke as one, their faces serious.

I received a letter from Big Brother Hashim.

It said, You dont need to follow fathers wishes. And...

Then, speaking in unison again, they said, Join Fuugas faction if you can, but if not, at least remain neutral.

What?! Sir Hashim supports Sir Fuuga, then?! Lombard said in surprise, but soon shook his head. No, but Sir Hashim is Duke Chimas eldest son. He must be working together with him even now. I cant believe he would tell us to join Sir Fuuga despite that.

Could it be that Sir Hashim has some plan in mind? Heinrant asked, but Yomi and Sami shook their heads simultaneously.

We dont know.

Big Brother Hashim is the most prudent of all us siblings.

We cant predict what hes thinking. Thats what makes him so frightening.

The looks in Yomi and Samis eyes told Lombard and Heinrant that their brother Hashim was no ordinary character. In light of that knowledge, Heinrant asked, But Sir Fuuga struck down your brother, Gauche. Dont you hate him?

Dont worry about our feelings. We werent that close, Yomi and Sami said in unison again.

Big Brother Nata and Big Brother Gauche were proud of their strength. They looked down on us for being bookworms.

They told me math was a depressing hobby.

They were especially harsh on our youngest brother, Ichiha. We didnt want to get involved, so we stayed out of it though.

Mutsumi was always defending him. I like Mutsumi.

Sir Ichiha who went to the Kingdom of Friedonia, huh...? Lombard said with a sigh.

Word of Ichihas accomplishments in the Kingdom of Friedonia had made its way back to the Union of Eastern Nations. He had written the Monster Encyclopedia together with the Black-robed Prime Minister, distinguishing himself as the foremost expert in the study of monsters. Thanks to Ichiha, they had become more efficient at gathering and using monster parts, which had produced untold wealth for the Kingdom. This was all rumors, though, so it could have been somewhat exaggerated. The fact that Ichiha, once known as the only Chima sibling without any talent, had undergone such a drastic transformation must have galled all the elites who had been at the award ceremony that day.

Its a shame to have let such a valuable resource get away... Lombard lamented.

They say it was King Soumas younger sister who recommended him. We should praise her insight.

I suppose she lives up to her other name as the Wise Wolf Princess.

When they heard the two kings were talking about that, the sisters puffed up their cheeks.

Lord Lom, do you regret choosing me?

Father, would you have preferred to adopt Ichiha?

Seeing the girls anger, Lombard and Heinrant both smiled.

Of course not. I couldnt imagine marrying anyone but you, Yomi. Even if I was given the chance to choose again, I am sure you are the one Id pick, Lombard said, throwing his arm around her shoulder.

I feel the same, Sami. Having a daughter like you, at my age, is the greatest happiness Ive ever known, Heinrant said, patting her on the head.

Yomi and Sami took on contented looks, like kittens who had just gotten scratched under their chins. They all relaxed for a little while before Lombard found his resolve and said, If you can accept it, Yomi, then I would like to side with Sir Fuuga. He is a man of rare caliber. I aspire to be more like him; not as a king, but as a warrior. Id love to fight alongside him.

I accept it. Do as you feel is right, Lord Lom.

Lombard nodded and said, Thank you.

Meanwhile, Heinrant said, I think...Ill remain neutral. We have relations with many states and houses that belong to the anti-Fuuga faction. I have no intention to oppose him myself, but I cannot attack them. Ha ha ha... I must be getting old. If I were just ten years younger, I might have been able to make a decision like yours, Sir Lombard...

As he let out a self-deriding laugh, Sami cupped his hands in her own.

I think thats good. I love this side of you, father.

Because its so unlike our real father? Yomi asked teasingly, and Sami laughed.

You got it.

And so, the Kingdom of Roth chose to remain neutral, and the Kingdom of Remus sided with Malmkhitan. Mathew was intensely disappointed to find that, despite sending his daughters to serve there, he could not secure them as allies. While the number of states in the anti-Fuuga faction grew, the repeated rejections by his own family made Duke Chima feel a sense of urgency, and he even sent a letter to his youngest, Ichiha.

However, Ichiha was not the only child to have gone from the Union of Eastern Nations to the Kingdom. Fuugas younger sister, Yuriga, was also staying there as an international student. And Fuuga had sent her a letter too.

The weather had been unstable for the past few days. I was in the governmental affairs office with Liscia and Hakuya when we called the three kids, Tomoe, Yuriga, and Ichiha in. Once they arrived, I informed both Yuriga and Ichiha that they had received letters from their homes.

First, in Fuugas letter to Yuriga it said:

Duke Chimas third son, Gauche, came for my life, and I killed him.

It was straight and to the point. Further, he also wrote:

In the near future, I will raise troops to defeat the Kingdom of Gabi and Duchy of Chima which tried to kill me. Things in the Union of Eastern Nations are about to get violent, so dont come home. Talk to Souma and have him protect you from any anti-Fuuga elements inside the Kingdom that might take you as a hostage.

Once I had read the letter, I sighed and looked at Yuriga.

Its so like Fuuga to only write the facts, and about his concern for your well-being. Normally, youd expect him to ask you to probe into whether or not I was going to intervene.

Hed never write something like that in a letter you were clearly meant to read... Yuriga replied. If you had been planning to act, I intended to send him the message subtlyin a way you wouldnt notice. Im sure my brother was counting on that when he sent this sort of inoffensive letter.

You know, I think I like this girl, Liscia said, seemingly impressed by Yurigas forthrightness.

They had similar personalities, so she must have felt a certain sympathy for Yuriga. If their positions were reversed, Liscia would likely do the same things.

A subtle message? Were you going to send your brother a sack of beans tied at both ends?

Huh? What does that mean?

Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself...

There is a legend that says before the battle of Kanegasaki, Nobunagas little sister Oichi sent him a sack of red beans tied at both ends as a way to subtly inform him that the house of Azai, which she had married into, intended to betray him. Well, in this world, they didnt have the Battle of Azukizaka, which the sack of red beans was an allusion to, so there was no way shed get it. Besides, if Yuriga was Oichi in this analogy, then as the people who were holding on to her, wed eventually be destroyed...

Getting back on track, I read the letter from Mathew to Ichiha next. It said:

The attempted assassination of Fuuga was Gauche running off on his own. Fuuga has started making moves to use the assassination attempt as a pretext to purge anti-Fuuga elements in the Union of Eastern Nations. That man is finally revealing his hidden ambitions. We will unite the anti-Fuuga faction around the Kingdom of Sharn, the largest nation in the Union, and strike down Fuugas ambitions before they swallow us whole. Our forces now number three times Fuugas.

That was likely an exaggeration, but he had grown the number of allies on his side considerably. It just showed how many rulers felt threatened and offended by Fuuga.

And at the end of his letter it said:

Once Fuugas ambition has covered the whole of the Union, he will no doubt turn his fangs towards the Kingdom of Friedonia. That is just how dangerous of a man he is. When we have wiped the Fuuga faction from the Union, we would like to form a cordial alliance with the Kingdom.

Well, basically, he was saying, Wed love it if youd join us, but please just dont side with Fuuga, I guess. I agreed that Fuugas ambitions wouldnt end with uniting the Union, but still...

He wrote this letter to you, didnt he? Isnt he concerned for his son?

Thats just how father is... Ichiha said with a sigh.

Hakuya took both letters.

Between both of these and the intel we gathered ourselves, I can more or less see what happened. Most likely, Duke Chima and King Shamour were secretly working to bring together the anti-Fuuga faction to assassinate Fuuga. However, Duke Chimas third son, Gauche, was too eager for glory, and moved alone in a failed attempt to assassinate Fuuga. Instead, he was killed. Fuuga decided to take revenge on the anti-Fuuga faction, forcing Duke Chima to speed up his plans...

Youre probably right, I agreed. Things were moving faster than Id anticipated, and it was giving me a headache. This Gauche guy had definitely moved the clock forward on this era in a big way.

The two letter recipients had no responses. They stood quietly, absorbing the information.

Yuriga, Ichiha... Tomoe looked at them both, her eyes full of concern.

Speaking of headaches, I had to consider how this was going to affect the relationship between these two.

Yurigas brother had killed Ichihas brother. But that was brought on by Gauches attempt to assassinate Fuuga, and contrary to my expectations, Ichihas father Duke Chima was involved. On top of that, the one that Ichiha loved most, his big sister Mutsumi, was Fuugas wife. If she hadnt left him by now, that had to mean Mutsumi supported Fuuga.

Collectively, the situation was a real mess... With all the crisscrossing familial and hostile relationships, they must have been confused how to act towards one another.

For as long as youre in this country, Ill guarantee safety for both of you, I said, breaking the tension.

They both looked at me in surprise.

Its already been decided that Ichiha will be serving here. As for Yuriga, shes been entrusted to us by Fuuga. Thats why I want to make your safety our top priority, I imparted. With that in mind, I want to hear both of your thoughts. Do you harbor any hostility or resentment towards each other?

I... Ichiha was the first to speak. ...dont hold this against Fuuga. Gauche never treated me well... When you told me he died, it felt like it had nothing to do with me. If anything, I resent my father more. The way he didnt hesitate to attack the man Big Sister Mutsumi married... Its just horrible.

I see... And you, Yuriga?

I cant forgive this Gauche or Duke Chima for trying to assassinate my brother, she said, crossing her arms and looking away. But I dont feel anything towards Ichiha. My brother made it out fine, and Big Sister Mutsumi, who likes Ichiha, is still on my brothers side. If he says he doesnt hold a grudge over my brother killing Gauche, then Im not going to say anything about it.

Though she said it that way, I felt like I detected a hint of stubbornness.

Liscia. How would you interpret what Yuriga just said?

I didnt know how I should act towards Ichiha after hearing my brother killed his. Im relieved to hear he doesnt hold a grudge... sounds about right.

That hit the nail on the head, and Yuriga blushed. H-Hey!

Nice one, Liscia, I thought. You understand her because youre so similar.

Thank goodness...

Tomoe, who had been quietly watching as things played out, started to cry. She must have been worried about her two close friends all this time.

Im so glad, she said between sobs, you two dont hate each other...

I-Im not going to end up hating you two! Yuriga stammered.

Y-Yeah, Ichiha fretted. Were going to be just fine, so please, dont cry.

Yuriga and Ichiha panicked as they tried to console a bawling Tomoe. Tomoe really had been blessed with such good friends.

While I was busy being happy for her as a member of her family, Hakuya said, Now then, sire. What do you want to do about this?

What do I want to do? Well stick to our original policy and not get involved.

No, I guess thats not gonna be good enough, huh?

However, the assassination plot that was the cause of all this was an act of terrorism, and must be decried. I want to release a statement saying we cannot accept changes to the status quo brought about by terrorism.

Is that okay? Wont you be seen as pro-Fuuga? Liscia asked, sounding concerned, but I shook my head.

We have to do it. Because this incident started with an act of terrorism, whether Duke Chima and his people intended for it to happen or not, we cant justify Gauches actions. Whether Fuuga ultimately wins or loses, that remains unchanged.

If I were to bend my principles on this out of fear of Fuuga, it would leave a lasting effect on my ability to rule.

Thats the way it is, Ichiha. Are you okay with that?

Ah! Yes. I cant approve of what Big Brother Gauche did either.

With Ichiha on board, we proceeded as we had discussed. But if...someday, the Kingdom of Friedonia is destroyed by Fuuga, I might come to regret this decision. I might think, If only I had banded together with Duke Chima and the rest to put him down... But that was only one of many possibilities.

Seen from the past, the future is always a series of coincidences.

Seen from the future, the past always looks like it was inevitable.

Then what of the present?

For that...we just have to trust in our own choices.