The Mythical Hero's Otherworld Chronicles: Volume 6 E-Book

Tatematsuri

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The Mythical Hero's Otherworld Chronicles
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 321

Beschreibung

Emperor Greiheit is dead, cut down by his own son’s hand. What remains of the court struggles to contain the fallout of Stovell’s insurrection. Yet even in this hour of crisis, there is no time to rest. Six Kingdoms is carving a bloody swathe through the western territories with one of the largest forces Soleil has ever seen, bound straight for the heart of the empire. Hiro leads a desperate foray west to confront this terrifying new foe, aiming to buy Liz and the rest of his allies time to assemble their defense. But for all his schemes, the Black Prince may have finally met his match, for this time he faces not only overwhelming odds, but the legacy of one of the empire’s oldest sins...

Leseprobe

Prologue

The plain was awash with flame. Fiery plumes rose high from horizon to horizon. War’s gory maelstrom had descended on the world, laden with scents foul enough to confound the senses. The sky was clotted with black smoke. The earth was a sea of blood.

The nightmare continued without end, as far as the eye could see. A patch of newly grown wildflowers died where they budded. Beside them, a corpse smoldered, brutalized beyond recognition. A horse’s hoof came down among the myriad swords protruding from the body, crushing its ruined flesh to mulch.

“Is anyone alive out there?!” the rider cried. Blood poured from his side as he galloped on, fleeing over corpses that had been laughing comrades only a day before. He looked around desperately, but there was no life to be seen—only an endless field of charnel blossoms blanketing the plain.

“Curse it all! How could this happen? How?!”

Sensing encroaching danger, he leaned forward and spurred his horse as fast as it would go...but life is cruel by nature, and miracles rarely deign to arrive in a man’s darkest hour.

“Tell me, doomed soldier—to where do you run?”

Before him stood a girl holding a fan in one hand, her features oddly out of place on a battlefield and her attire wildly inappropriate for war.

“How is it that you can flee in so miserable a state?”

“Stay back!”

“There is nothing to fear. I am quite merciful. I offer the swiftest of ends.”

With a depthless smile and chilling words, the girl took a single step forward—and the soldier’s heart shattered. He had fought his way through countless killing fields and survived innumerable scenes of carnage, but something in that movement broke him utterly. Hope left his eyes and the blood drained from his cheeks. His mind was gone.

And then—

“Hyaaaaaaaaagh!”

He exploded. That was no simple turn of phrase. He quite literally burst apart from the inside out. A sickening noise shook the air, and ribbons of blood and gobbets of flesh rained down on their surroundings. Somehow, the girl remained untouched. Her lips drew into a beguiling smile as she flicked open her fan.

“You and your comrades have done no wrong, ’tis true—naught but the misfortune of being born on imperial soil. Yet that sin alone deserves a thousand deaths.”

The hour of ruin was at hand. The empire that had stood so steadfast for so long against every outside threat was crumbling at last. Now that events were in motion, they could not be halted. A human being could not stop a raging tempest in its tracks; they could only wait for it to pass. The sole recourse of the weak was to bar their doors and hold their breath.

“Butcher. Slaughter. Conquer.” She whispered the words like a prayer.

Screams echoed around her—not only one or two, but dozens, mingling and layering and swelling loud enough to split the sky. There could be no survivors here. The slightest exhaled breath would be met with thrusting spearpoints. Beasts stalked the battlefield, and they offered their prey no escape.

Even so, a valiant few still resisted.

“On your feet, men! All who can stand, to me!”

Like a conquering hero, his every swing sent corpses sprawling. Like a demon from hell, his every slice slicked the earth with blood. His unassuming appearance belied his overwhelming strength.

“Show these invaders no mercy!”

One of the champions known as the five high generals rallied the routed and charged into the fray.

“High General Vakish von Hass, the Shield of the West. Your head will make a fine prize.”

A woman stood in his way, splattered with blood from head to toe and wearing a ghoulish smile. She carried a war hammer longer than she was tall.

“Step aside, little lady. You won’t like what I’ll do to that ghastly face.”

“And you won’t like what I’ll do to your rib cage.” She braced her foot against the ground. Wind rushed inward, then exploded outward.

“Gaaahhh!”

“I see the five high generals are as mighty as they say. I had meant to leave only your head intact, but you’re sturdier than I expected.”

“This...cannot be...” Vakish fell to his knees. Blood bubbled from his mouth as he gazed down at the gaping hole in his torso.

“My, but you don’t die easily. I may get some entertainment from you yet.” The woman raised a hand. Her soldiers pulled out daggers, sporting wicked grins.

Vakish hacked up another gobbet of blood. “What are you...doing...?”

“Why, torturing you, of course. Aren’t you curious how long you can last?” Despite the cruelty in her words, her smile never faltered. “First we’ll pull out your nails, trim your ears, and cut off your nose.”

“Aha... Ha ha ha ha!” Summoning the last of his strength, Vakish hurled himself forward, sword in hand. “You rotten curs!”

His last stand was not to be, the weak defiance of a child. The bite of sharp blades in his flesh soon taught him the futility of resistance. Soldiers swarmed around him, submerging him in a maelstrom of hatred. The battlefield made no exceptions for the lauded. It was a place devoid of compassion, where anyone and everyone perished by steel.

At last, the commander’s head emerged from the press, cut free from his torso. A roar of elation rose from all sides.

“High General Vakish has fallen! Send word far and wide! String his head up high before every town! Let the imperials look upon it and tremble! Let them know that Six Kingdoms has come!”

Still, the soldiers did not stop. The commander might be dead, but they would not let the battle end just yet.

“Slay them all! Leave none alive! Cut down highborn and commonfolk alike!”

The call went out and the corpses piled high, sacrifices to satisfy countless years of resentment. The girl watched the horror unfold, and not once did the smile leave her face.

“’Tis time for our forebears to have their vengeance.”

Chapter 1: The Calm Before the Storm

The fourth day of the first month of Imperial Year 1024

A winter wind blew, bitter enough to cut like a blade. Anyone bold enough to venture outside could not keep themselves from shivering. A man could catch his death in such cold. Yet oddly, despite the unforgiving weather, a cloud of warmth hung over the imperial capital of Cladius.

The central boulevard was thronged so tightly with people that there was hardly any space left for more pairs of feet. The crowd trudged toward the main gate, laden with heavy packs and luggage. Their faces were tinged with desperation, as though they were being pursued by something. They made for the gate with a single-mindedness that could only be born of fear.

“Hurry it up!” shouted a merchant as he tried to barge through the column. “Six Kingdoms is coming to kill us all!”

In ordinary times, the man’s conduct would have earned him disapproving glares, but nobody chided him now. He was far from the only one forcing his way through the press. Many others were doing the same, pushing and shoving to be the first through the gates.

Countless pairs of hate-filled eyes glared at the crowd as it shuffled past. The watchers said nothing, but there was no doubt that they were nursing contempt for the departing throng’s mercenary allegiances. They were the city’s long-term residents. An army might be encroaching on the capital, but the crisis neither made them willing to abandon the homes they had inherited nor furnished them with the savings to emigrate to other lands. Besides, even with enough coin to start afresh and enough luck to make their escape, they could not expect to continue their current standard of living if the empire fell. Staying or leaving made little difference. Unlike the merchants currently filing out through the gates, their fate was tied to the capital itself.

“Coldhearted bastards, the lot of ’em. Have they forgotten we’re the Grantzian Empire? What could Six Kingdoms do to us?”

“You say that, but those rebels got right into the palace. I hear they dealt His Majesty a nasty wound.”

“Aye, and word is, Six Kingdoms has a hundred and fifty thousand men. The empire’s big, all spread out like, and the enemy’s all bunched up. It’ll take time to get our forces all in one place. Time we don’t have.”

The Grantzian Empire encompassed a vast amount of land, partitioned into five territories, with several neighboring hostile nations. The vast majority of its military strength was deployed along the border, dealing with the various minor conflicts that flared up on a daily basis. If it suddenly recalled all those men, the balance they maintained would quickly deteriorate. In such situations, it was the role of the five great houses to maintain order in their territories, but that was only possible if they were in a fit state to rule.

“House Krone’s rebellion stopped all the goods coming in. Now everyone who cares for their own hide is giving the capital a wide berth. And if that weren’t enough, we’ve got those Six Kingdoms savages knocking on our western border.”

“You reckon we can stop ’em?”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath. It’s lookin’ like House Maruk will take House Krone’s place, but seeing as half the central nobles turned rebel, they won’t have much of an army to call on. Our best bet is the western nobles, but the Divines only know how long they can hold out.”

“Word is the other nations are massing for war, and not just Steissen. If they all attack at once, the empire really will be done for.”

“And just after we made it another year too... What’s to become of us?”

The townsfolk turned uncertain gazes toward the imperial palace. The edifice gleamed as brightly as ever beneath a cloudless blue sky, high and proud and indifferent to the worries of the people below. At that very moment, the highest echelons of the empire were meeting within its walls. Stovell’s attack had rendered the throne room unusable, so a temporary center of command had been set up in the antechamber. There, Hiro and the rest of the royal family—along with a collection of powerful nobles—had gathered to coordinate their plans.

“What’s to be done now?” one of the nobles moaned. “His Majesty is dead, and most of the palace officials with him.”

The rebellion of several days prior had been explained to the people as the work of the former high general von Loeing. The details of First Prince Stovell’s slaughter of the emperor and his retainers had been suppressed so as to prevent panic. All that the people knew was that rebels had attacked the palace, leaving the emperor wounded and some number of officials dead.

“Indeed,” another agreed. “We face a nigh-unprecedented crisis...aside from the events of three hundred years ago, of course.”

“Even that hardly compares. Three hundred years ago, the empire did not have a hundred and fifty thousand men knocking at its door.”

Every nation had experienced similar events during the dark age of three hundred years prior, but even then, only the emperor had perished. The history books made no mention of his officials following him to the grave.

“The people might believe our lie for now, but we cannot conceal His Majesty’s passing forever.”

The truth would have to come out sometime, but it would have to wait until the next emperor was decided. Resisting the incursion from Six Kingdoms would require unity; the last thing the empire needed was for the imperial heirs to start squabbling over the throne. There was nothing to be done but shelve the matter for the time being. Even if a prospective emperor were declared, dissenting nobles would continue to back other heirs, potentially installing a coregency—a state of affairs that could split the empire apart.

The war against Six Kingdoms has to come first. We can decide on the next emperor after that...provided nobody else joins the invasion, that is.

Bordered by Six Kingdoms to the west, the Republic of Steissen to the south, and various smaller nations all around, the Grantzian Empire was built on an extremely fragile balance. If its enemies chose to join hands, they could carve up its territory in short order, and it would quickly be wiped from the map.

And if we want to avoid that...we have to get rid of the nobles who only care about fattening their own purses.

Treachery birthed treachery, and nobles who coveted power and status would be loath to relinquish what they had. Such people didn’t have a single patriotic bone in their bodies. At least some of them would be swayed by honeyed words. If promised that their own lands would be spared, it would be an easy matter to turn their coats.

But going about it too crudely will only move them to action. We’ll need to do this methodically. That said, with Six Kingdoms at our door, time is a luxury we don’t have...which means getting a little heavy-handed.

Hiro expelled a sigh as he looked over the assembly. Almost every face was heavy with worry for the fate of the nation. Only one man stood out, surveying the room with unruffled composure: Second Prince Lupus Scharm Selene von Grantz. Beloved by the people of the northern territories, who knew him as “the King of the North” or “Twinfangs,” his androgynous features drew the eye of all alike. Even more remarkable than his looks were his heterochromatic eyes—a quality known as the Baldick, said to be characteristic of heroes of myth. In Selene’s case, his left eye was blue and the right was gold, lending him a curious mystique. His sky-blue hair was soft as silk, and his limbs were lithe. Silver armor glinted from beneath his cape of brown furs.

The prince did not seem to have hostile intentions for the moment, but his true goals were, as ever, a mystery. He didn’t seem to have any interest in the throne, but he was fiercely protective of the northern territories he called home and appeared prepared to defend them by any means necessary. It would be far more prudent to remove him now than face his opposition later.

But it would be a shame to dispose of him when he could still be useful. First, I’ll take advantage of him as much as I can. Or until Liz’s position is secure, at least.

Hiro shot a glance at Liz. A deep shadow lay over her porcelain features. Her loss to Stovell seemed to be weighing on her mind, and the fact that Scáthach was yet to wake from her battle wounds could not be helping.

She didn’t manage to beat him, but the battle accelerated Lævateinn’s awakening, so it wasn’t a total loss. Still, there’s cause for concern as well. She’s not yet mentally mature enough to become an empress.

As she was now, she wouldn’t be able to command the nobles’ hearts. The sun showered its light equally upon all of its people. It did not reserve its attention for a special few. If she mourned one, she would mourn all. She cared for her people, valued her soldiers, loved her nation.

That’s something that a lot of rulers forget.

Liz was well capable of shedding tears for those she did not know. He himself was no stranger to her compassionate nature.

But that’s not what she needs right now. She can’t afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment.

One month ago, when the emperor was still alive, she could have taken the throne even with that naivete. Now, however, with the emperor dead and a foreign nation invading, it would be far, far more difficult.

The first quality people will look for in the next emperor is levelheaded decision-making. They’ll need to be able to analyze situations without being influenced by their hearts. Liz has made remarkable progress, but she still hasn’t learned how to suppress her emotions.

Bound by no one, ruled by no one, beholden to no one. Those were the qualities of an emperor, and the ideals for which those who desired the throne should strive. Liz was certainly strong enough, but strength alone did not beget a lion’s dignity.

And that’s not the only problem.

Hiro loosened his collar and heaved a sigh, casting a sidelong glance at Rosa. Her alluring features wore a grave expression, and not just because of the emperor’s death. Her plans to seat Liz on the throne would now require significant rewriting.

I’ve become an obstacle. I should have had her declare her support for Liz earlier.

Recent events had upended the order of succession dramatically. Stovell had led a rebellion on the capital, and even aside from that, he had already relinquished his claim to the throne. After him came Third Prince Brutahl, but the western nobles’ power was rapidly waning. Second Prince Selene had rarely visited the central territories—citing illness, but more likely due to a lack of interest in ruling—and as such was ranked low on the ladder. So who in this room was currently highest? Everybody present would point to Liz.

That was where the problem Hiro was mulling over came into play. Liz had no faction of her own. Nobody supported her claim to the throne. Without noble patrons, her position in the order of succession was only a number, and that made him, the next in line, an obstacle to her ascension. He had the backing of the eastern nobles, and the people loved him for being Mars’s descendant. What was more, in the short time since being inducted into the royal family by Artheus’s will, he had amassed an impressive string of military accomplishments.

If I declared myself the next emperor right now, nobody could stop me.

And yet...

That would split the empire in half. They wouldn’t just roll over and let me take the throne.

Hiro turned his gaze on House Maruk and the other nobles. The rest of the central nobles had already begun looking to House Maruk for instruction in place of the fallen House Krone. Evidently, they were not the loyal sorts. Even now, they were whispering among themselves anxiously, and it was not difficult to guess who they might be talking about.

“What hole did he crawl out of to show up now?”

“Well said. The man never left the emperor’s side...so where was he on that night?”

All of their eyes were on the sallow, thin-faced figure of Byzan Graeci von Scharm—the former head of House Scharm, the emperor’s right hand, and the uncle of Second Prince Selene. He had vanished during Stovell’s attack on the palace, only to reappear several days later as though nothing was amiss. He, too, was taking part in the council.

As Hiro watched, one of the nobles grew tired of whispering and approached the man directly. “Chancellor Graeci,” he said. “It’s a marvel that you survived the horrors of that night.” The barbs in his words were unmistakable, hinting at collusion between Graeci and Stovell.

Graeci’s expression did not move an inch. “It almost sounds as though you suspect me of something.”

“Who wouldn’t? Stovell butchered half of the people in the palace. The only survivors were women, children, and those who hid before the killing began...and yet somehow, His Majesty’s own right hand miraculously survived. Surely you can see why a man might have his doubts.”

Graeci shrugged dismissively. “At the time of the attack, I was absent from the throne room on His Majesty’s orders.”

“Oh? And what orders were those?”

“To increase the throne room’s guard. I was on my way to the entrance hall to fetch a detachment of imperial guards when Stovell arrived—and I did not escape unscathed, as you can see. The man struck quickly and mercilessly.” He seemed to shudder at the memory. “Fools that we were, we suspected nothing. We were even relieved to have a Spiritblade wielder in our midst. Quickly did we learn our folly. I suspect most died before they even realized that they were under attack. I myself lost an arm before I knew what was happening.”

Graeci clasped a hand around his left sleeve, showing that there was nothing within.

“I tried to swallow my pride and flee to warn His Majesty, but I had lost a great deal of blood, and I fear I passed out. Fortunately, a servant girl intervened to save my life, which is why I stand before you now—alive and ashamed.”

“Do you expect us to swallow that hogwash?!” Another noble slammed his hands on the table and rose to his feet. “Stovell wielded a Spiritblade! No man who stood in his way that night lived to tell the tale—none but you! How do you explain that?!”

Other nobles raised their voices in agreement.

“Mortal men are as babes before the Spiritblade Sovereigns. Would you have us accept that you only lost an arm? It defies belief.”

“I say he and the first prince were in it together. One arm isn’t too high a price to deflect scrutiny, now is it? And then everything would fall into place.”

Hiro broadly agreed with their suspicions. The chancellor was second only to the emperor in authority. If Stovell’s goal had been to plunge the empire into chaos, he would never have let the man escape alive.

Stovell was strong enough to kill Graeci with one hand tied behind his back...but without any evidence, we have no choice but to let this lie for now.

Besides, a wily old fox like Graeci would not be easily caught.

“This is absurd,” the chancellor snapped at his detractors. “Are you not ashamed to make such baseless accusations?”

The show of anger was a rare sight from a man ordinarily so unflappable. The whispers fell silent as his remaining hand struck the table.

“This is no time to squabble among ourselves. As we speak, these western barbarians trample upon the holy soil of the Grantzian Empire—bestowed upon us by the Spirit King himself!”

There was truth in what he said. Bandying accusations without proof was a waste of time, especially with more important matters at hand. The question of his guilt could wait. Recognizing this, the nobles fell silent.

“Now is the time for unity. His Majesty would weep to see this sorry display. If you still wish to accuse me of these preposterous charges, at least have the good grace to wait until we have ousted these interlopers from our lands!”

Hiro internally scowled at Graeci’s audacity, but truth be told, that the chancellor had survived was something of a silver lining. In the emperor’s absence, he was unambiguously the next authority in line, which would make it much easier to decide on a plan of action.

“May we now discuss the matter of Six Kingdoms?” The noble presiding over the assembly sounded unimpressed by the squabbling. Satisfied that nobody objected, he motioned to the civil tribune by his side for a sheaf of paper. “As you are all surely aware, Six Kingdoms’ forces number one hundred and fifty thousand, but our agents report that reinforcements are still arriving from their homeland. Their numbers may swell to two hundred thousand once all is said and done.”

The nobles listened quietly as he read, but cries of surprise filled the room as he reached the final figure.

“Two hundred thousand? If a force that size entered the central territories, how could we stop them?”

“Can we rely on reinforcements from the other territories?”

“It would take a month or two just to assemble them in the capital. Factor in readying them for battle, and we would need three months at the least.”

“That’s a long time... Could the western nobles hold out that long?”

The final question went unanswered. An air of unease fell over the antechamber.

Seeing the rest fall silent, the presiding noble cleared his throat. “It appears that Six Kingdoms has divided its forces in its attempts to subjugate the western territories. The report claims that they are running amok through the west, taking forts and towns one after another.”

“What of our forces who were maintaining order in Faerzen?” one man asked. “How could they allow the enemy purchase on our soil? Where is Third Prince Brutahl in all of this?”

“And what about High General Vakish?” another piped up. “Is the western border not his charge?”

The presiding noble’s lips tightened bitterly. “Third Prince Brutahl is trapped in Faerzen, along with the men he leads—representing the bulk of the western nobles’ forces. As for High General Vakish...he fought valiantly in defense of the border, but was struck down on the field.”

The empire’s five high generals symbolized its military might. Each had been personally charged with the defense of one of the five territories by the emperor himself. They were the nation’s last and most formidable line of defense against its neighbors. It was not difficult to imagine the fate of Vakish’s corpse. It would have been put to good use persuading the western nobles to lay down their arms.

So he’s dead, then...

Hiro had not known Vakish von Hass particularly well, but the Shield of the West had proved a useful ally during the recent attack on Draal. If not for him, Hiro’s plan would not have succeeded, and Liz would still be in the hands of the Faerzen Resistance.

“The border guard numbered fewer than ten thousand,” the presiding noble continued. “They would have faced almost impossible odds, and the Knights of the Royal Black were with Third Prince Brutahl. Even a high general could not have seized victory.”

“How did they sneak such a large force up to the border?” cried a voice. “Do you mean to tell us that we somehow overlooked a hundred and fifty thousand men? If they can move numbers like that without our knowing, who’s to say they aren’t already in the central territories? We must start planning our defense!” The man was trying to put on a brave face, but he was clearly nervous.

“They infiltrated the Faerzen Resistance, would be my guess.” Sensing that the discussion would stall without his input, Hiro gestured to the map on the table. “They split their forces up into small groups and had them join the guerrillas. Then, when the time was right, they withdrew them, reassembled them in some central location, and launched an attack on the border.”

Faerzen’s repeated conflicts had left the land pockmarked with ruined towns, villages, forts, and castles. There was ample space to hide an army if one wanted.

Still, the nobles weren’t satisfied with Hiro’s explanation.

“With respect, Your Highness,” said one, “a hundred and fifty thousand men is an extraordinary number to conceal in such a manner. It would have taken a dizzying amount of time, and they would have had to remain vigilant all the while so as not to be discovered. Forgive me, but your suggestion does not seem possible.”

“Then our enemy must have been determined enough to attempt the impossible.” Selene answered in an amused tone before Hiro could respond, resting one elbow on the table. “They have been planning this for years, if not longer. They spent decades, perhaps, laying the foundations brick by brick, taking care to elude our notice. Is that not so?” He smiled at Hiro in search of agreement.

“Exactly. Although it can’t have helped that the empire was distracted.”

A grand and intricate scheme had been at work to topple the empire, but it had been too swollen with pride to care about anything but invading other nations. Now the time had come to pay the price of its shortsightedness.

“What have we done to earn such hatred?” one of the younger nobles lamented.

“The empire is large, and its history is long. We have earned resentment from many quarters.” Another noble answered—an older man, more experienced at court, who knew why Six Kingdoms was invading. He sighed, not in exasperation at the ignorance of the young, but in sorrow for the empire’s sins. “Six Kingdoms’ grievances are particularly just. To borrow His Highness’s turn of phrase, one might say they have been laying these foundations for a thousand years.”

A chapter of history erased. A desperate flight westward from persecution. These were the stones upon which the ongoing invasion was laid. Six Kingdom was a nation built by those who had once served the Grantzian Empire with all their being: the descendants and followers of Hiro’s very own Black Hand.

As its name implied, Six Kingdoms was a multipartite state formed from a coalition of six kingdoms unified beneath a single high king. Three of those kingdoms could trace their lineage back to members of the Black Hand. The nation was diverse, with beastfolk, álfar, dwarves, and humans existing side by side, although its citizens were said to have a distinctive character, and it went without saying that none of the kingdoms had forgotten their ancestors’ grudges. Although the Black Hand’s disgrace had eventually been forgiven, the empire still refused to acknowledge their descendants, and their erasure from history had given rise to resentment beyond measure. In a sense, the current invasion had been a long time in coming.

As a hush fell over the antechamber, a figure who until then had been content to watch the discussion broke their silence at last.

“Shouldn’t we be talking about what to do next?”

All eyes turned to Sixth Princess Celia Estrella Elizabeth von Grantz. The silken strands of her crimson hair shimmered like living flame, and a fierce will blazed in her ruby eyes. Her dignified features still retained some youthfulness, but she carried herself with a compelling serenity, like a sculpture chiseled by a master craftsman.

“I thought we were discussing what to do about Six Kingdoms’ invasion.” She sounded unimpressed by the deviation from the matter at hand.

“Of course, Your Highness. I shall proceed.” The presiding noble cleared his throat and unfurled a scroll of parchment on the surface of the table. “Virtually all of the thirty thousand rebel soldiers have laid down their arms, but considering their unstable mental state, it would be challenging to incorporate them into our defense. Factoring in the punishments facing the nobles who took part in the rebellion, the central territories’ fighting strength has been severely depleted. We estimate that fifty thousand men could be ready for battle immediately.”

However, that was not the whole story. With despairing rebel deserters causing chaos across the central territories and bandits seeking to take advantage of the turmoil, civil order was rapidly unraveling. The figure of fifty thousand did not account for the men who would be needed to keep the peace.

“Accordingly, at present, the number of men we could realistically field stands at twenty thousand.”

“Twenty thousand cannot hold off one hundred and fifty,” another noble sighed. “We must wait for reinforcements from the other territories.”

“Agreed,” said a third. “There’s nothing for it but to summon aid from the north, the east, and the south. The west will simply have to hold out in the meantime.”

“That may be easier said than done,” Graeci said with a sour expression.

“How so?”

Hiro stood, holding a sheet of paper in his hand. “I have received a letter from House Muzuk.”

The name set the chamber astir. House Muzuk was the great house that ruled the south.

Hiro gave the letter a theatrical smack with the back of his hand, signaling for silence. “The Republic of Steissen is massing its forces on the border. Their numbers are unknown at present, but House Muzuk claims we are looking at much more than just ten or twenty thousand.”

“Impossible,” a noble retorted. “The Republic is preoccupied with a succession conflict. It is in no position to interfere in the wars of other nations.”

“I thought so too, but there is no denying reality. House Muzuk requests that we send the Fourth Legion with all haste.”

The commander of the Fourth Legion was none other than Sixth Princess Celia Estrella. The eyes of the room converged on Liz.

She pursed her lips and expelled a sigh. “I’m happy to send them. They can be ready at short notice. But that will mean we won’t be able to expect any reinforcements from the south.”

Perhaps peace could be brokered with Steissen, perhaps they would need to be driven back by the sword, but either way, resolving the matter would require time. Moreover, the Fourth Legion could not take orders from anybody but their commander, which was Liz—meaning that she would have to travel south and deal with Steissen in person.

“Lady Celia Estrella wields the empire’s only Spiritblade,” a noble opined. “It would be ill advised to send her away. Six Kingdoms is a far greater threat than those Republic bumpkins. I say that we leave House Muzuk to hold out on their own.”

Heads began to nod in agreement around the table, but Hiro begged to differ.

“No, she has to go. This isn’t the time to offend House Muzuk. If they turned against us, the empire really would be finished.”

The west was already crumbling. If the south collapsed as well, the rest of the nation would follow.

“But then... With respect, Lord Hiro, what is to be done about the west?”

“I’ll go. With those twenty thousand men.”

“Not so fast,” Liz interrupted, surprised. “What do you think you can do with a force that small?”

Hiro scratched his nose and smiled wryly. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to try anything reckless. I’m just going to slow them down so they don’t flood the central territories.”

“Slow them down?”

Hiro nodded. “A hundred and fifty thousand is an enormous number. It’ll take all the empire’s nobles to turn the tables. We need to gather all our forces in the capital, then launch a decisive strike.”

“So we’ll fight them in the central territories?”

“That’s right. As bad as I feel for the people of the west, they’ll just have to hold out. We need to focus on gathering our strength.”

Still, the more time passed, the worse the casualties in the west would grow. More and more nobles would lose faith in the empire, and some might even start working with the enemy. In order to avoid that, Hiro would head west himself with twenty thousand men.

“The people might be disappointed once they learn the size of our force.” Hiro turned away from Liz and looked over the council attendees. “But some of their concern will disappear once they hear that Mars’s scion is leading them.”

Hiro was one of the most important figures in the empire. His presence would send a clear message that Cladius had not abandoned the west, to nobles and commonfolk alike.

“Meanwhile, Third Prince Brutahl should stay in Faerzen and conserve his strength for the decisive battle. When the time comes, we’ll catch Six Kingdoms between two fronts and destroy them.”

That was only armchair theorizing, and more than a little optimistic, but right now it was more important to be confident than correct. He needed to drive any thoughts of betrayal from the nobles’ heads.

“The acting head of House Kelheit should return to the east and gather as many soldiers as she can muster. Meanwhile, Second Prince Selene should stay in the capital to help plan our offensive against Six Kingdoms.” He glanced at Rosa and Selene, who both nodded. “And we’ll have to appease the merchants somehow, or we’ll face public unrest and economic disruption. With the western trade routes now unreliable, I propose that we look for alternatives.”

“A fine idea,” Chancellor Graeci broke in, “but do you have something concrete in mind?”

Hiro nodded. Of course. “We can work with the Grand Duchy of Draal to avoid economic stagnation. We could also strengthen our trade links with the Kingdom of Lebering in the north. They have plenty of ore. Let’s buy it up at twice the usual price, on the condition that they favor our custom. Obviously that’s not a permanent measure, but it should stimulate the markets until the war is over.”

Graeci fell silent, stroking his chin. After a short while, he finally nodded. “I see. You mean to send the message that our allegiance is profitable.”

The first priority now was to prevent any other nations from joining the attack on the empire. If the empire could project a show of confidence to its neighbors, Six Kingdoms would find itself starved for allies, putting it under pressure.

The nobles began to nod in agreement, but Liz looked unsatisfied.

“Stimulating the markets I get. You’re expecting this war to drag on, so you want to ease its long-term effects. Fine. But I don’t see how that’s enough to turn the tables by itself. The west is under attack as we speak. Six Kingdoms could easily stabilize its position there and attack the central territories while we’re still putting together our defense.”

Her voice was clear and confident. She spoke without hesitation and stated her opinions without reserve.

“How can you even guarantee that the west will hold out until I’ve dealt with Steissen? You say you’re going to slow them down with twenty thousand men, but they have a hundred and fifty. If they split off a smaller force to keep you occupied, you’ll be the ones who end up stuck.” She looked him dead in the eyes. “What then?”

Hiro’s mouth fell open. For a moment, he forgot where he was. He had never expected Liz to be the one to call him out. He had kept the details of his plan vague in order to distract the nobles from its holes, but apparently there was no getting past her.

Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. She’s been making incredible progress.

She had been learning politics from Rosa and strategy from Aura, or so he was told. Nobody had put her up to this. She had simply thought his plans through, found problems, and voiced them of her own accord. He almost smiled and had to hold it back. She really had grown.

Then it’s only fair to meet you where you’re at.

He recovered his composure and prepared to ease her concerns—and perhaps her doubts.