“So, how did you persuade him? Did you honestly ask him to ‘lend us your prestige because other countries are noisy about the Orichalcum’?”
“Don’t be stupid!? If I did that, I’d look like some idiot Queen who can’t even handle diplomacy! I don’t want to show Suzuha-nii such an uncool side of me!”
“Then how did you ask?”
“I asked him to do it to ‘counter those idiots in the Old Military Faction’!”
“…Is that… not uncool…?”
The Duke tilted his head, but to Toko, it was perfectly logical.
Since Suzuha-nii had seen her at her worst during the coup—an internal mess—and had even saved her, she at least wanted to maintain the image of being a capable Queen in the realm of diplomacy. It was a matter of a woman’s pride.
“I worried about it too, but I absolutely hate lying to Suzuha-nii.”
“Well, it’s true that the Old Military Faction is a nuisance.”
“Besides, it serves as a warning to the domestic nobles, so it’s two birds with one stone. I have to show off that Suzuha-nii and I are in a ‘honeymoon’ relationship!”
In noble society, the Female Knight Academy is common knowledge as being under the Royal Family’s jurisdiction.
After all, its official name is the Royal Strongest Female Knight Academy. It is Royal.
They intended to graciously accept the full coverage of the branch school costs proposed by Suzuha-nii. Even so, the way a noble thinks is that the Royal Family has handed over a portion of their rights regarding the Female Knight Academy to Suzuha-nii.
Though, the inner workings are likely transparent to the truly capable nobles. T
he Duke suddenly remembered something.
“Hmm. But previously, you were worried about that man’s influence and tried to keep him away from the Frontier Margrave’s territory. Are you okay with that now?”
“Ah… that…”
Toko’s eyes clouded over gloomily.
“I mean, I was trying hard back then, you know? But I’ve given up now.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s obvious, isn’t it!? I kept him away from his territory for a tiny bit, and he ended up defeating the Wandering White-Haired Vampire and even brought back the legendary Elves! There’s a limit to how many achievements one guy should have! My stomach is already in tatters from the stress!”
“Then, will you let that man go?”
When the Duke asked, Toko’s expression turned dead serious in an instant.
“Absolutely not. Impossible. Letting Suzuha-nii go is impossible, even as a hypothetical.”
“In that case, what you just said wasn’t a complaint, it was just bragging about your man.”
“Wait—!?”
Toko waved her hands in a panic, trying to deny it with all her might.
But in the end, after moving her mouth soundlessly, she couldn’t manage a counterargument.
Well, it couldn’t be helped.
Even she understood deep down that it was nothing but bragging.
＊
While she can be a bit of a klutz when Suzuha-nii is involved, Toko is fundamentally a capable ruler. As is Duke Sakuragi.
They discussed several more concerns, decided on their policies,
and finally, the topic of the Other Continents came up.
“Lately, things have been looking suspicious across the sea.”
“…The Other Continents? Reports have indeed come in that the ports are getting noisy, but…”
Across the sea from the continent where Toko and the others live, there are other continents, collectively referred to as the Other Continents.
The most famous one is to the east, and several others have been confirmed, but not much else is known.
After all, diplomatic relations simply do not exist.
“No matter what happens on the Other Continents, it shouldn’t concern us…?”
“Well, normally you’d think so.”
When you go out into the open sea away from the continent, powerful magic beasts almost certainly appear and attack ships. In short, it’s too dangerous.
Of course, it’s possible to drive them off by bringing powerful mages along, but the cost is astronomical, and there’s always the risk of sinking in a storm even if you don’t meet a beast.
Furthermore, even if you go that far to reach an Other Continent, there aren’t many profitable trade goods.
—Thus, it was the common consensus among nobles and commoners alike that traveling to the Other Continents was nothing more than a rich man’s hobby.
However.
“What if Orichalcum was found? And with Elves as part of the package?”
“U-uhm…? That is…?”
“Don’t you think even war wouldn’t be out of the question?”
“…I want to deny it, but… hmm…”
“Right?”
And Toko had some unfortunate news.
It was information that a bellicose and powerful nation existed on an Other Continent.
“Duke, do you know about how the Eastern Continent was recently unified into a single nation?”
“No… I haven’t had the luxury of worrying about the Other Continents…”
“I was the same, so I only found out recently. Apparently, there’s an insanely strong Kengo, and that person crushed every rival nation and unified the continent.”
“…What is a ‘Kengo’?”
“I don’t really know either, but apparently it’s something like a Yuzuriha?”
When she heard that information, Toko found it strangely convincing.
If someone as strong as Yuzuriha was properly deployed in a war and went at full throttle, they could probably unify a continent.
“—So you mean they might start a war?”
“I don’t know that much, but the conditions are all there.”
“The rest depends on the value of Orichalcum on that Other Continent…”
On the Other Continent, Orichalcum might not hold as much value as it does here.
If that were the case, there would be no problem.
But if it was even more precious than it is on this continent—
“…This could be bad.”
“Right? After all, Suzuha-nii’s prestige won’t work on the Other Continents.”
“Obviously.”
For the nations of this continent, Suzuha-nii’s mere existence is a significant deterrent.
But because his achievements are so outlandish, they likely wouldn’t be believed by people from another continent.
It lacks all reality. If Toko heard that a “Kengo” from an Other Continent had single-handedly routed a million-man army, she would undoubtedly laugh it off.
“Well, at this stage, it’s just a possibility.”
“True. It is enough to keep it in the back of our minds.”
“Yup.”
But these kinds of bad possibilities usually end up coming true…
Toko thought this, but she didn’t say it out loud.
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4
The renovation work on the former monastery, which is being reborn as a branch of the Female Knight Academy, is progressing at a furious pace.
Skilled craftsmen from across the Margravate have gathered here, making this project their top priority. Under their guidance, a large number of workers are moving with brisk efficiency.
And, blending in among them… we were working too.
“I mean, why are both of you even here…?”
As I hauled stone blocks, I looked back with a deadpan, half-lidded stare.
Standing there was a pair of impossibly handsome young men.
One was short with blue hair in a ponytail, while the other had blonde hair reaching down to the waist.
Both looked as delicate as women, but their chests were as thick as a gorilla’s.
Their true identities were Suzuha and Yuzuriha-san, who had flattened their overly generous busts with sarashi wraps to disguise themselves as men.
“Since you are here, it is only natural that I, your partner, would rush to your side,”
“This isn’t work for a Duke’s daughter, is it?”
While my creed is that there is no such thing as a lowly profession, this match was just too poor. Besides, I personally don’t want to get scolded by Duke Sakuragi, you know?
“Brother is right. So, leave this to me and Brother, and you should head home, Yuzuriha-san,”
“Guh… N-No! Right now, I am Suzuha-kun’s Brother’s guard! To maintain that cover, we are simply performing joint labor!”
Yuzuriha-san struck a pose, flexing her right arm to show off her muscle.
The ten-ton stone she was supporting with just her left hand didn’t budge an inch—which is expected for her—but I couldn’t help but feel this was a colossal waste of talent.
“But what about you, Brother? Why is the Margrave himself working as a laborer at a renovation site?”
“It’s an inspection.”
Yes, I had the grand justification of an “inspection.”
Thanks to the massive influx of bureaucrats sent by the House of Sakuragi, my workload has plummeted. The days of Ayano-san and me wrestling with mountains of paperwork are a thing of the past.
Besides, the paperwork itself seems to have finally settled down.
Thus, lately, I’ve been moving my body under the guise of “secret inspections.”
Hearing my answer, Suzuha’s eyes sparkled with realization.
“I see! If Brother is keeping watch while working, you can immediately discover if there’s a traitor among the Duke’s men trying to secretly build a tunnel or a hidden room! As expected of you, Brother!”
“I wasn’t thinking that at all!?”
I really don’t think it’s a good idea to suggest people from Yuzuriha-san’s family are traitors right in front of her. Though, strictly speaking, it might be correct from a crisis management perspective.
However, Yuzuriha-san simply wore a weary expression.
“No, it’s fine, Suzuha-kun’s Brother… I hate to say it, but while the bureaucrats in the Duke’s house are capable, they are a bunch of eccentrics. It wouldn’t be surprising if they tried to build a secret room or two on a whim without telling anyone.”
“Seriously…?”
“That is why my assistant also expressed gratitude, saying, [‘It is a great help that you are keeping watch; the Margrave truly has a keen eye.’]”
What a turn of events.
I was just moving my body because I felt out of place being idle in the office, but apparently, it’s been interpreted as the result of deep, far-sighted planning.
It’s just a misunderstanding, though.
＊
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