Chapter 1: Let's Make an Educational Program (Silvan's Debut) Part 2

First was boasting about how they managed their domain. That was no
doubt largely because I had added the management of their domains into
their performance evaluations. Most nobles tried to show there were no
issues in their governance, and the more capable ones took the chance to
express exactly how wonderful their managerial skills were.
The evaluations were done by inspectors dispatched for that express
purpose, and they would get proper input from the people living in the
domain. That made trying to convince me at a banquet all but meaningless,
but it was human nature to want to take every chance they could get. If they
thought the king was keeping a close eye on them, and it led to an
improvement in their people’s lives, that was a good thing. Still, I got sick
of having to hear similar accounts at every banquet.
“Sire, allow me to go get a drink for you,” Aisha, my partner for the day,
offered in a small voice. The silver dress she’d also worn for the music
program she’d helped me host in Amidonia looked good on her now. She
must have sensed my exhaustion and was trying to be considerate.
I had just been feeling a bit parched, so I asked her to please do so, and
Aisha silently left.
The moment Aisha departed, there was a sudden change in the talkative
Moltov’s demeanor.
“...By the way, sire.”
His eyes were sharp, like a snake that had found its prey.
In that instant, I realized I had just screwed up. I’d been through this
pattern a number of times already. When the king’s partner left his side,
they saw that as their moment of opportunity.
“Would you mind if we talked somewhere else for a little while?”
“...Aisha isn’t back yet, you realize,” I said.
“It won’t take long. I’m sure the two of you will be able to meet back up
in no time.”
Having said that, Moltov took my hand and half-dragged me away from
there.
Yeah... This was definitely that pattern.
I don’t like this... Moltov may think this is his big chance, but I feel like
I’m on pins and needles here...
While I was thinking that, as I had anticipated, there was a single young
lady waiting for me when we arrived at our destination. She was
somewhere around sixteen years old. She was clearly a lovely young lady
of good upbringing.
“Allow me to introduce you, sire. This is my daughter, Siena.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Siena Juniro,” she said, curtsying.
...I knew it. They saw this as their opportunity to introduce me to young
ladies they were related to.
In every era, blood ties to the royal house had been a source of pride for
the nobility. If she became my queen, their house would be secure, and she
might even give birth to an heir. On top of that, because my betrothal to
Juna hadn’t been announced yet, as far as they were concerned, I only had
three fiancées. That number was, with the exception of special cases like
my predecessor, King Albert (he’d married into the queen’s family),
considered low. Because of that, every noble was desperate to sell me on
their daughters.
In the mere half year since I had been entrusted with the throne, I had
annexed Amidionia and had a lot of other big, showy achievements, so
people had big hopes for me. There were always a large number of marriage
offers coming in to the castle, and my chamberlain, Marx, was always busy
dealing with them.
“It pains me to always refuse them, so could you at least meet some of
them?” Marx had asked me with pleading eyes, but it’d sounded like a pain,
so I had taken a pass on that.
Even so, I still ended up having to deal with nobles who approached me
like this, intent on not missing their chance.
Of course, the nobles weren’t brazen enough to bring these sort of talks
up when one of my fiancées was right there, but whether it was Liscia or
Roroa or Aisha, they were always guaranteed to create an opening to do it.
My opinion of the nobles’ skill in that went right past exasperation and
entered into the realm of admiration instead.
Not having much other choice, I greeted the girl. “It’s nice to meet you,
Madam Siena. I am Souma Kazuya.”
“I have heard your great name before, sire,” she said. “I had heard you
were a great sovereign, blessed with both bravery and wisdom, but I am
relieved to see, meeting you like this, that you also seem like a kind
person.”
“The rumors about me haven’t just been exaggerated, they’ve sprouted
limbs and taken on a life of their own.”
“My, you make them sound adorable.” Siena wore a quiet smile. She
seemed like a simple girl. These types were always the hardest to deal with.
It was easy to brush off someone who was blatantly just trying to marry
into money and status, but I couldn’t be so cruel to a pure, innocent girl. I
mean, it was hard to tell if she was even aware this was an attempt at
matchmaking. Well, regardless of how she herself felt about it, her father
was definitely trying to marry her into money and status.
Moltov took me a short distance from Siena and spoke. “What do you
think of my Siena?”
“...She seems like a very pure and simple young lady,” I said. “Very
cute.”
“Oh, I see! If she pleases you, would you consider taking her as your
wife?”
“No, I already have three (four, actually) fiancées...”
“Whatever are you saying? You’re still young, sire. You should increase
the number of wives you have. For the royal house’s sake. If you’re
reluctant out of a sense of duty to Princess Liscia, then I wouldn’t mind her
being a secondary queen...”
Talking as fast as a machine gun, Moltov tried to push things along. Just
when I was thinking, Ugh, seriously, what a pain. Aisha, can you hurry up
and get back already? it happened.
“Hahh, ha, ha, ha! Hahh, ha, ha, ha!”
That passionate laughter suddenly echoed through the hall.
“Ivan?! That idiot!” Moltov, who only a moment before had the face of a
pleasant old man offering his daughter to me, now had a sour look on his
face as he glared up through the open ceiling at the second floor of the
banquet hall.
I followed his gaze to find someone standing on the balcony’s railing.
He was a man in his mid-twenties, tall and muscular. With his thick
eyebrows, sharp eyes, and shining white teeth, he had a strangely distinctive
face. He was a passionate young man, one who would not soon leave the
memories of anyone who saw him.
...No, seriously, who was this guy?
The man shouted and leapt down from the balcony. The moment he
did...
Ba-bam!
There was a big explosion right behind the young man. The flames rose
up, and there was a roaring blast that shook my stomach. For a moment, I
thought he was a terrorist and was about to panic, but for some reason, the
other guests around him just looked at the young man with wry smiles.
Huh? What? What am I supposed to make of this?
“Your Majesty!” Aisha finally found me and rushed to my side. “Sire,
this could be an attack! Please, stay behind me!”
“...No, there’s something weird about it.”
“Huh? What do you mean, ‘something weird’?”
I looked around, but no one seemed all that flustered. The majority of
them were just looking at the young man with wry or mocking smiles. On
closer inspection, despite how much fire there had been, the area where the
blast had gone off behind the young man wasn’t even mildly scorched.
“Oh my, silly brother.”
When I turned back, Siena was looking on with a troubled look.
“‘Brother’?” I repeated.
“Yes, sire. That would be my elder brother, Ivan Juniro.”
“Um... It looked like there was an explosion to me,” I said.
“That is my brother’s ability. It makes for a gaudy display of fire and
noise, but it is something like an illusion. There is no real force behind it.
Hee hee. Isn’t he cool?”
“Er... Uh, sure...”
If she was able to write that off as just “cool”... in some ways, this girl
might be pretty impressive.
I see, I thought. The people invited here were those who had regular
dealings with the House of Juniro. Naturally, they must be aware of the
family’s strange son. That was why, even when there had been an
explosion, they had only reacted with wry smiles.
Moltov shouted in anger. “Ivan! How can you act so rude in front of His
Majesty?!”
“Shut your face, old man!” Ivan struck a pose, and this time there was a
flash of lightning behind him. “You greedy old man, trying to take
advantage of Siena’s innocence to push her into a marriage! Even if the
heavens allow it, I, her brother, shall not!”
When he declared that, there was a fire in Ivan’s eyes. Literally; fire was
shooting out of his eyes.
...I dunno what to say. I was starting to have a bit of fun. Moltov, on the
other hand, was furious.
“To marry the king is the greatest honor a woman born into a noble
house can hope to achieve for herself! What’s wrong with a father wanting
his daughter to find happiness?!”
“Siena can decide her own happiness! It’s not something for you to
decide for her!” Ivan shouted.
“Shut up! You’re all show, just like your ability!”
“You have the same ability, old man! It’s in our blood!”
Their eyes met and sparks flew. Dark clouds formed between them and
lightning struck right in the middle. I’m not speaking in metaphor; these
things actually happened. And yet, there was no damage done. It was
entertaining to watch, as long as you weren’t involved.
I turned to Siena and asked her, “Hey, uh... Shouldn’t we stop them?”
“They do this all the time,” she replied with a grin.
“Oh, okay then...”
Even during our little exchange, the two of them kept heating up.
“Today is the day I finally beat some sense into you!” Moltov shouted.
“That’s my line! Bring it, old man!”
“Chowahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Dahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
As the two approached each other, a bunch of arms and legs appeared
between them, punching and kicking and blocking. It was like someone had
made a live-action adaptation of Dra**on Ball, and that got me pretty
excited. For a while, I watched them enthusiastically, thinking, Yeah, give
me more! But then...
“Nearly all of those limbs are illusions,” Aisha said. “It’s just their real
bodies in the middle, beating the crap out of each other.”
I went silent. When Aisha, who had seen through it with the kinetic
vision of a warrior, told me that, it kind of killed the fun.
Five minutes later, Moltov and Ivan collapsed, both of them falling faceup on their backs at nearly the same time.
“Urgh... Not bad, old man.”
“Hmph. I’m not so far over the hill that I’d let you beat me just yet.”
Okay, it was showy and all, but all they had been doing was whaling on
each other, so if they were going to pull that “rivals who’ve communicated
through their fists” routine on me, I wasn’t sure how to react... Well, not
like it mattered.
Anyway, I walked over to Moltov, who was collapsed on the ground.
“Moltov.”
“Wh-Why, sire! We’ve made a miserable display of ourselves! I beg
your forgiveness!” Moltov hurriedly got up and apologized humbly, but I
waved a hand and told him not to worry about it.
“I didn’t mind. It made for an entertaining sideshow. On that note,
there’s something I’d like to talk to you about...”
“Wh-Whatever might that be?”
“Forget Siena. Would you be willing to give Ivan there to me for the
good of the country?”
““...Come again?”” Moltov and Ivan both blinked in surprise at my
request.
◇ ◇ ◇
“...And, well, that’s how I hired our exercise guy, Ivan Juniro,” I
finished.
“You’ve picked up another weirdo, I see...” Liscia looked at me with
exasperation.
Yep, that was her usual response.
Out in the hall, Ivan Juniro the exercise guy gave the children a thumbsup, flashing his pearly white teeth as he said, “A healthy mind resides in a
healthy body. Come, children! Train with me, so you grow up strong, kind,
and hardy!”
Though Ivan said that, the children had conflicting responses. There
were kids who were all gung-ho about it; kids who were intimidated by his
excessive passion and driven to tears; kids who got scared and clung to
Juna... and, overwhelmingly the most common response, there were kids
whose little brains couldn’t process the man who had just appeared in front
of them and stood there staring blankly at him.
When she saw the state of affairs in the hall, Liscia asked me, worriedly,
“Hold on, Souma, is that going to be okay?”
“Umm... He’s a bit stiff, I guess? Maybe Ivan’s feeling tense?”
“This is supposed to be exercise time, right?” Liscia asked. “They can’t
do it like that, can they?”
True enough, it wasn’t looking like the kids would exercise for us.
In the exercise part of the educational kids shows I was basing this on,
there were kids who would run and roll around, attack the exercise guy, and
generally do whatever they wanted. But, “I think it’ll be fine,” I said at last.
“There’s a trick to it, after all.”
“A trick?”
“Heheheh... Hahaha... Bwahahaha!”
In a woman’s voice, a three-stage laugh echoed through the hall.
“Who’s there?!” Ivan looked around.
When he did, the children shouted, “There!” “Up there!” and pointed
upwards. There was someone standing on the second floor where Ivan had
been earlier.
“Make the children strong, kind, and hardy, you say?” the woman called.
“How risible! We, the Black Group who are bent on world domination, will
never allow it!”
Those lines that reeked of expository dialogue were spoken by a woman
wearing a mask that covered the top half of her face, a swimsuit-like outfit
with a cape that was open in the center to expose her cleavage, and end-ofthe-century style spiked shoulder pads. She had two horns sprouting from
her temples, dragon-like wings on her back, and a whip-like tail growing
out of her backside.
Ivan turned to the woman and shouted, “Just who are you?!”
“I am the evil female commander of the Black Group, Miss Dran,” the
woman announced.
Liscia, who was watching at my side, stared blankly for a moment, but
she soon came to her senses, turned to me, and asked, “That’s... Carla,
right?”
“No. She’s the evil female commander, Miss Dran.”
“Huh...?”
“That’s the evil female commander, Miss Dran, got it?” I said.
“Oh, okay then... Yeah, you know I’m not just going to accept it like
that!”
Even as Liscia throttled me, the story was moving along out in the hall.
Miss Dran spread her wings to intimidate Ivan. “If you make the
children get stronger, it could get in the way of the Black Group’s plan to
conquer the world. I will detain you before that happens, Ivan Juniro!”
With the highly revealing outfit, she was probably so embarrassed that
desperation had taken over. There was a real, heated passion in Miss Dran’s
performance.
Every time Miss Dran did one of her over-the-top actions, certain parts
of her would jiggle. The video quality of the Jewel Voice Broadcast wasn’t
all that good, so I didn’t think the viewers would notice, but... honestly, I
wasn’t sure where to look. I mean, Liscia was right there, glaring at me.
“Don’t you think Miss Dran’s costume is a little too risque?” she
demanded.
“Serina had full control over the design,” I defended. “I should mention,
I did tell her to restrain herself because this is supposed to be a kids’ show,
but... because I had asked her to help with producing the costume, it was
hard to reject it.”
“I knew it...” Liscia sighed. “If anything, wouldn’t Serina herself have
made a better evil female commander?”
“Could you say that to her face?”
“Not a chance!”
“I know, right?”
While we were talking about that, Ivan thrust a finger in Miss Dran’s
general direction. “World domination?! I will never let you get away with
it!”
“Hmph, you’re spirited, but what can you really do? Have at him, my
minions!”
When Miss Dran gave the order, a gaggle of men dressed all in black
appeared and surrounded Ivan. The key point was to have them keep a
slight distance from the children, so as not to make it seem too dangerous.
Ivan fell into a fighting stance, shouting, “Bring it on!”
With that as their cue, the men in black took turns attacking Ivan. Ivan
fought them all one-on-one.
Biff, bash, bam!
There was an exaggerated sound effect every time he hit one of the
minions. When hit, the minions would flip through the air, or spin to the
ground and collapse. It looked impressive, but the sounds came from Ivan’s
ability, and them being blown away was all an act, so there was no damage
being done.
Incidentally, the children were split half-and-half into those who were
scared, and those whose eyes were shining with excitement as they watched
Ivan fight. The sounds were pretty loud, after all. There was something to
be said for not making the effects too showy.
The children who were frightened naturally huddled with Juna and
Roroa, who told them, “Don’t worry, It’s going to be okay,” and, “That
guy’s gonna beat ’em up, so ya don’t have to worry,” in order to calm them
down.
Eventually, Ivan finished defeating all of the minions.
However, Miss Dran kept her self-assured smile. “Heh heh heh. You’re
not bad, Ivan Juniro. Well, what will you do about this, then? Come forth,
paper box monster, Danbox!”
“Danbooooox! ...That’s me.” With those words, a monster that looked
like a person made out of cardboard boxes appeared.
While it had slanted eyes made out of paper on its face... on the whole, it
looked kind of lame. Its silhouette totally made it look like it was
constructed out of Le** blocks, and there was a scratching sound every
time its joints moved.
Liscia looked coldly at Danbox. “Isn’t that monster a little low quality
compared to the rest?”
“We had passion,” I said. “What we lacked was time and budget.”
“It really is a harsh world, huh...”
I couldn’t make a full-sized kigurumi suit by myself. If I was going to
order it from somewhere, that would take time. That was why, this time, I
had ended up okaying that totally slapdash monster. It was a reminder of
how hard things must have been for the people who made the enemy
monsters in the early tokusatsu shows.
Still, while it might have looked kind of bland, Danbox was strong.
When it attacked Ivan, it lifted the 180 centimeter tall, 90 kilogram man as
easily as a surfer picking up a surfboard. Then, like a wrestler showing off
their strength, Danbox spun in place, maintaining its pose as it did.
That ridiculous strength that defied its appearance dumbfounded Liscia.
“That’s some incredible monster strength. Oh! Could it be, the person inside
is...”
“Yep. It’s Aisha.”
“What’re you making your future second primary queen do...?” she
groaned.
“It’s a bit late to say that when Juna and Roroa are both already in the
program. You want in, too, Liscia? If you act now, the role of Ivan’s
sidekick is still open.”
“Not. A. Chance.”
At that point, Ivan began to struggle. “Darn you, let me go!”
“I am Danboooox.”
“Gwah!”
Perhaps Ivan’s words had gotten through to the monster, because
Danbox nodded and threw him hard towards a wall that had been prepared
for just that purpose. When he slammed into it, Ivan punched through the
wall.
By the way, it was made of light materials to make it easy for him to go
through, so he was only a little hurt. However, Ivan acted as if he were
grievously injured, groaning in pain.
“Urgh, what a powerful monster...”
“Daaaan, bo, bo, box! That’s me.” Danbox laughed (?) triumphantly.
Ivan pulled himself out of the wall, stumbling, then turned to face the
children and shouted. “If this keep up, we’re going to lose. All of you good
children, lend me your power!”
Roroa and Juna explained to the kids what he meant.
“All right, everyone,” Roroa said. “Go and spin the glowin’ sticks we
gave ya. Shout, ‘You can do it!’”
“Let’s all send Big Brother Ivan our power,” Juna told them. “One,
two...”
“““You can do it!”””
At those two’s prompting, the children started using the glowing sticks
that were about the size of a piece of chalk to draw circles.
We’d handed out those sticks before the program started. They glowed
faintly because lightmoss, which was used in the city’s streetlights because
it absorbed light and then released it in the darkness, had been kneaded into
them.
Ivan continued to act like he was in pain as he turned to the children and
shouted, “It’s not enough! Not yet! Do it louder, I’m counting on you!”
It always gets kids fired up when an adult says they’re counting on
them.
This time, when they cheered him on, they were louder and more serious
than the last. “““You can do iiiiit!”””
“More! Even louder!”
“““You can do iiiiiiiiiiiiiit!”””
The children shouted until their throats were almost raw, and in the next
moment...
“All right! I’ve definitely received the kids’ energy!”
Ivan’s body was enveloped in a flash of light. Then, Ivan’s voice echoed
from inside the light.
“Transform!”
When it did, a set of metallic armor, bracers, and a modified sallet helm
with a full-face visor came flying from out of nowhere. Ivan stood still with
his arms and legs spread wide as the pieces “automatically” put themselves
on him. That cool transformation scene made the children cheer.
Meanwhile, at that time, I was behind the stage using my Living
Poltergeists ability to manipulate the metallic equipment. Yes, I controlled
Ivan’s equipment with my ability to make it look like he was automatically
being equipped with it. Because, at this range, I could do that even if they
weren’t dolls.
Liscia was watching me with the who-knows-how-many-th look of
exasperation I had seen from her today. “That’s a horrible waste of your
ability.”
“Hey, a trick is a trick, even if it’s just a party trick,” I said. “Now, time
to get going.”
“Hey, wait, Souma?!”
Once I had confirmed that Ivan’s gear was fully equipped, I moved next
to the Jewel Voice Broadcast’s jewel, making sure I didn’t appear on the
broadcast as I did. Meanwhile, in the hall, the flash of light subsided, and
the hero dressed in metallic equipment appeared. Ivan struck the
transformation complete pose, and shouted.
“Charge! Silvan!”
Once he had given his name, I spoke into the jewel so that only my
voice would appear in the broadcast. “Allow me to explain. When Ivan
Juniro the Exercise Guy receives energy from children, he transforms into
the metallic hero Silvan.” I clenched my fist as I explained with gusto.
It was a genre standard to have narration explain after the hero’s
transformation. I wasn’t going to do the thing where they go back and look
at the transformation process scene again, though.
With my role finished, I went back to Liscia’s side. She looked horribly
exhausted.
“I don’t know, it’s starting to feel stupid to say anything...”
“Tokusatsu is very much a ‘Don’t think, feel,’ sort of thing,” I explained.
“If you don’t think about it too deeply, just go with the flow, there’s nothing
more fun to watch.”
“...I’ll do that.”
Now then, turning the story back to the hall, the transformed Silvan was
strong.
Danbox had been toying with him earlier, but now he showered the
monster with a flurry of punches and kicks, keeping it on the defensive the
whole time.
Strong. You’re strong, Silvan, everyone had to be thinking. The children
were all worked up, too.
“Da, dan... box...” Eventually, Danbox stumbled and took a knee.
Now was his chance!
“Eat this, Danbox! Ultimate Thunderclap Kick!”
When Silvan unleashed a flying kick, lightning raced along the tip of his
foot. That lightning-infused kick stabbed into Danbox.
I know I keep saying this, but the lightning was a product of his ability.
It was, in effect, just a flying kick, so it didn’t hurt Aisha, the person inside
Danbox, at all.
However, Danbox stumbled backwards a few steps.
Leaving behind a cry of, “Da... Danboooooooox! That’s me!” it
exploded scattering parts in all directions.
Of course, all that really happened was that it hid while Ivan’s ability
generated the explosion effect.
With Danbox defeated, Miss Dran, the evil female commander who
hadn’t had much to do while she was watching the two of them fight,
stamped her feet in indignation as if she had just remembered what she was
supposed to be doing.
“Curse you, Silvan! I’ll let you off lightly this time! When I come back,
you’d better be ready!”
With those parting words, she turned and ran off the set to a spot where
the viewers couldn’t see her.
Once he had watched her go, Silvan took off just his full-face helmet
and thrust his fist out in the direction Miss Dran had gone. “You and your
evil organization who are plotting to take over the world, the Black Group!
If you’re going to come, then come! I will crush your ambitions time and
again!”
Ivan declared his resolve and then turned back to the children. Then,
with a smile that seemed a little suffocatingly passionate, he shouted,
“Okay, everyone! Let’s train with Silvan Energy Exercises so we won’t lose
to the bad guys! Stand a little ways away from each other so you don’t
bump into your friends!”
Moments later, a cheerful tune started to play in the hall, and Juna and
Roroa came in at just the right moment to split the children up. Then Juna
began singing along with the music.
If you want to grow up strong, do your Silvan Energy Exercises. ♪
“Now, let’s start by exercising our upper bodies,” Silvan called.
“Everyone imitate a shoujou!”
Eek, eek, eek, ook. Eek, eek, eek, ook.
We are shoujous. Eek, eek, eek, ook.
When Ivan moved in time with the music, the children imitated him.
This exercise routine involved imitating the various animals of this
world while Juna sang comical lyrics. Their lyrics were aimed at children,
but the exercises themselves were based on the radio calisthenics that most
Japanese people would be familiar with (the shoujou imitation was a lateral
bending exercise), so they should be a logical workout.
“You do a lot of ridiculous stuff... But this takes the cake,” Liscia
suddenly muttered as she watched the exercises. “This is an educational
program, right? What’s the meaning behind the short drama earlier and this
exercise?”
Not long ago, I bet she would have asked, “Is there some meaning in
it?” instead. But now, Liscia had asked, “What is the meaning?” It was a
only a few words’ difference, but there was a subtle difference of nuance.
In the first, there was an assumption that there was probably no meaning
to it. In the latter, there was a confidence that there must be some meaning
and that she wanted to know what it was. I could feel her trust in that subtle
change, and that made me a little happier.
“Of course there’s a meaning,” I said. “If we draw in their attention with
the short drama, more people will watch. The exercises are good for the
children’s health and development. I’m actively trying to spread them. But,
more than anything, what I want to spread is the word ‘hero.’”
“The word ‘hero’?”
That was just when, out in the hall, the interlude part of Silvan’s Energy
Exercises began.
Ivan turned to the kids and spoke to them. “You’re all doing great! Now
then, there’s something I wanted to tell you. To become a truly strong
person, you need more than just power. If you forget to be kind, too, then
you’re just a brute!”
Then he turned towards the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel, which is to say
towards the viewers, and spoke.
“The truth is, I’d like to be friends with the Black Group, too. If we
could talk things over, we might not need to resort to our fists. That’s why,
no matter who you’re up against, never give up on trying to understand
them. What do you do if they’re still unreasonable and violent, you ask?
That’s right! To make sure you can protect those close to you, do your
Silvan Energy Exercises!”
The interlude ended at the perfect time, and Ivan began exercising along
with the song again.
When she heard Ivan’s words, after closing her eyes for a moment,
Liscia said, “‘Being strong isn’t enough. Don’t forget to be kind, too. Never
give up on understanding one another’... This is what you wanted to get
across.”
She whispered the words again, as if reflecting upon them.
I nodded silently. “When you’re little, the words adults say to you have a
strange way of sticking with you, right? Especially if they’re coming from a
hero, those words will remain in some corner of your heart even when you
grow up. As a bonus, when we say these things to the children, we can
count on their caretakers hearing them, too.”
Then I dropped the lighthearted, joking attitude and adopted a more
serious tone.
“There’s a lull right now, but eventually every country will have to face
the Demon Lord’s Domain. These words are something I’m laying down
now to prevent that from turning into an utter quagmire that won’t end until
one side or the other is exterminated. Between Tomoe’s ability and the
information we’ve exchanged with the Empire, we’ve learned that we can’t
lump everyone in the Demon Lord’s Domain together. If possible, before
there’s any fighting, I’d like to hold talks with those that seem amenable to
them, like the kobolds who spared the mystic wolves.”
“Right...”
“I feel like, when that time comes, the number of adults in this country
who are strong, kind, and willing to not give up on understanding the other
side will decide this country’s fate,” I said. “If most of them can only think,
‘Exterminate the demons,’ we’re headed straight for total war. The more
people there are who think, ‘There must be demons who can understand
us,’ the more of other paths we’ll be able to see.”
When I said that, Liscia laughed a little, then poked me in the shoulder.
“I’m satisfied with the explanation, but... isn’t this all a bit idealistic for
you?”
“It’s a kids’ show, okay? I want the kids to have ideals. Wouldn’t you? I
mean, when kids are strangely realistic about things, that’s just unbearable
to see.”
“...I suppose you’re right.”
“Besides, it’s an adult’s job to look at reality so that the children can
continue to talk about ideals.”
It was the job of a king, too. While searching for a brighter future, I had
to prepare for the possibility that a dark future might come, too. In order to
remain kind, strength was an absolute necessity. I needed to raise the
strength of the nation, expand our arsenal, and set things up so that we
could endure a total war if it came to that. To create a nation that was like a
great tree with its roots firmly in the ground, one that wouldn’t shake even
when the storm came.
While I was thinking about that, it looked

Chapter end