“By the way, Toko. Since we’re on the topic, there’s something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“I heard you’re planning to move the royal capital to the Lohengrin Margrave’s territory in the future.”
Toko blinked in surprise.
“I haven’t told anyone about that yet—oh wait, there was one person. Did you hear it from the Duke?”
“Technically, it was from the butler Sebastian.”
“Well, yeah, that’s the plan. Though I have no idea how many years it’ll take.”
“I don’t get it.”
Yuzuriha shook her head.
“I actually lived there for several months, so I know—it’s an absolute backwater. The terrain is terrible for logistics. Sure, mithril and orichalcum are tempting, but relocating the capital? Isn’t that going too far?”
“Normally, I’d agree, but…”
“…Don’t tell me—it’s because of Suzuha kun’s elder brother?”
“Obviously.”
Yuzuriha’s gaze urged her to explain further.
Toko shrugged slightly.
“If the Lohengrin Margrave were just another noble, I’d never consider moving the capital. Too much hassle. We’d just strictly control the circulation of mithril and orichalcum, manage troop numbers, delegate the annoying oversight, and crush any rebellion immediately.”
“That’s the bare minimum, I suppose.”
Listening to just those words, Yuzuriha couldn’t help but internally chuckle at how it made Toko sound like some tyrannical, ruthless queen. But if she couldn’t do even that, she might as well confiscate the territory and make it royal land outright.
After all, an orichalcum-producing region is far too valuable a prize.
“But why not just claim it for the royal family from the start?”
“The compensation would be astronomical—we can’t afford it.”
“Fair point.”
Indeed, if traded for just one orichalcum mine, even Yuzuriha’s father, the Duke of Sakuragi, would willingly hand over their vast dukedom. And it’d still be a bargain for the ducal house. Though if such an offer actually existed, the odds of them relinquishing their ancestral lands would be fifty-fifty. That’s how priceless the continent’s sole orichalcum vein is.
“Well, that’s how it’d go with normal nobles. But what I’m saying is—none of that applies to SSuzuha-nii.”
“Why not?”
“Even if there were signs of rebellion, how exactly would we crush him?”
“Point taken.”
Yuzuriha quickly ran through the possibilities—yeah, absolutely impossible.
In her mind, she vividly pictured millions of allied royal forces getting utterly demolished by Suzuha’s brother. Nope, no chance of winning.
Even if she—the so-called “Killing Goddess of War”—had a million clones, she still felt Suzuha’s elder brother would win. That’s just an unwinnable game.
“But Suzuha kun’s elder brother has little interest in the Lohengrin territory or orichalcum. If you asked, wouldn’t he just swap territories?”
“No can do. Like I said, the compensation’s unaffordable, and if we settled it casually, outsiders would think the royal family disrespected him. That’d be the worst outcome.”
“That would indeed be bad.”
“Besides, I think relocating the capital would ultimately have more benefits.”
Yuzuriha couldn’t believe her ears at Toko’s unexpected words.
“So you’re saying that even without these circumstances, you’d actively want to move the capital?”
“Exactly.”
“I don’t get it. Sure, there’s the absolute defensive power and security from having Suzuha kun’s elder brother there, but that hardly outweighs the logistical nightmare.”
“That’s not the only reason. But Yuzuriha, aren’t you forgetting something else?”
“Like what?”
Prompted, Yuzuriha thought about it.
Well, Suzuha’s elder brother has countless amazing qualities, of course.
His cooking is delicious, his massages are divine, and…
“Still can’t figure it out? —Leadership.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. Suzuha-nii has been teaching Suzuha combat forever, and recently, he’s been training you too. He’s basically both of your master.”
“Well, I can’t deny that for now… though eventually, we’ll be equal partners.”
“That’s irrelevant. Anyway, Suzuha and you are now among the top five strongest on this continent—excluding Suzuha-nii. Do you think anyone else could’ve made that happen?”
“Absolutely not.”
“So doesn’t that mean his leadership is the strongest?”
“Wait, Toko. That… might be true…?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
From what Yuzuriha knew, Suzuha’s brother wasn’t the type to be particularly skilled at teaching combat.
If anything, he was more of a self-taught genius, often giving intuitive instructions like, “When the enemy’s punch comes whoosh, if you feel a tug, hold it ugh, then release bam!”
Yuzuriha made a conflicted face.
“Hey, Toko. I’m really not convinced here…”
“But come on. Training with Suzuha-nii gets you motivated, the massages are amazing, and you end up stronger. No denying that, right?”
“I can’t argue with that, but…”
“So, I’m thinking of setting up a branch campus of the Royal Elite Knight Academy for Girls there. In the Lohengrin Margrave’s capital, of course. If we can produce even half a dozen knights as strong as you or Suzuha, that’d already be overkill as a military force.”
“Hmm…”
Yuzuriha understood what Toko meant.
Her partner’s leadership… aside, there was no doubt training with him made people exponentially stronger. But—
“That would cut into my training time with my partner—!”
Secretly, Yuzuriha vowed to scheme a way to sabotage Toko’s plans.
6
After crossing countless mountains and rivers, we finally arrived at the Holy Theocracy.
Toko-san had warned me beforehand that it was like a city-state, but… it was way more impressive than I’d imagined.
For starters, security was ridiculously tight—just getting inside the city was a struggle.
Thanks to Toko-san’s queenly influence, we got special treatment and skipped the line, but apparently, commoners on pilgrimages often had to wait a full day just to enter.
And that wasn’t even the worst part. The central district—where the Grand Cathedral stood—was completely off-limits to most people.
By “most people,” I mean everyone except high-ranking clergy (bishops and above) and royalty officially recognized by the Holy Theocracy. So, obviously, I was out of the question. But even Yuzuriha-san, the eldest daughter of a ducal house—or her father, the actual duke—weren’t allowed in. That’s how strict this place was.
In other words, the only way our entire group could enter was as part of Toko-san’s retinue.
“So, what do you think? Pretty insufferable country, huh?”
“Ahaha… Well, Yuzuriha-san, I feel like you could just force your way in if you wanted.”
“If you’re suggesting we do it together, I wouldn’t say no.”
“I am NOT suggesting that!?”
We continued bantering like this as we made our way into the central district.
Given how extreme the entry restrictions were, I shouldn’t have been surprised that the place was stunning.
It was like stepping into a painting—row after row of extravagant, grandiose cathedrals, each more lavish than the last.
And at the heart of it all stood the most dazzling cathedral of them all, where we were to have an audience with the Saintess.
“Toko-san, the Holy Theocracy’s leader is the Saintess, right?”
“Officially, yeah. But in reality, the Pope, the Cardinals, and the Archbishops all have their own power struggles. Sounds like a mess.”
“That’s… kind of depressing.”
“Well, at least the Saintess’s on good terms with my country. The others? Not so much.”
Maybe that was why—when Toko-san went to meet the Saintess, Yuzuriha-san and I were allowed to tag along. Suzuha and the others, though, had to wait in a separate room.
＊
I was practically gawking like a country bumpkin as we entered the audience chamber.
And when the Saintess appeared, my jaw dropped.
Because standing before us… was Toko-san.
Well, not literally—but she looked exactly like her. Wearing a pure white dress, a delicate tiara, and with the same breathtaking figure.
“Huh… Two Toko-sans?”
“Hehe~ Surprised? The Saintess of the Theocracy… is my older sister.”
“Indeed. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Margrave Lohengrin.”
“Oh! Y-Yes! Likewise!”
Flustered, I quickly returned the greeting.
As the Saintess spoke, I learned that she had been born with even greater magical power than Toko-san.
Because of that, she had been sent to the Holy Theocracy as a child to be raised as the next Saintess.
After overcoming many trials, she had finally assumed the role.
“I see… That’s amazing!”
When I voiced my honest admiration, the Saintess—who looked so much like Toko-san—gracefully shook her head.
“No, Margrave Lohengrin. You are far more extraordinary.”
“N-No, not at all—”
“There’s no need for humility. I may not know much of foreign affairs, but even I have heard of your deeds.How you annihilated the Ogre horde and saved this continent. How you stopped a coup and saved Toko’s life.”
“That was just luck!”
“Even if luck played a part, both were feats that even Yuzuriha—who stood right beside you—could not have accomplished. How many men in this world could achieve what even the Godslaying War Maiden, Killing Goddess, could not?”
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