Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles Volume 16, page 1
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Prologue: Reunion
Rio arrived at the Galarc Castle with Christina and Flora. Using his position as Honorary Knight, he smoothly bypassed all the necessary procedures to be shown to King Francois in a drawing room, its use restricted to royalty.
Apart from Rio, Christina, and Flora, those present in the room were Satsuki, Second Princess Charlotte, and everyone who attended the earlier marriage interview (Liselotte and her parents, Duke and Duchess Cretia; King Francois; and Duke Huguenot, Roanna, and Hiroaki, the representatives from the Restoration).
Incidentally, the first to come running after Rio brought Christina and Flora to the castle were Roanna and Duke Huguenot. Hiroaki hadn’t moved as quickly, in contrast to them, and had joined up with them belatedly before they all made their way to this room.
Once everyone seated themselves, King Francois turned to Rio with a near exasperated look. “You truly exceed my expectations, Haruto.”
The others in the room all had similar expressions.
“I sincerely apologize for creating a commotion...” Rio replied with a look of shame.
“It’s a compliment. You’ve surpassed my expectations so much that the first feeling that comes to me about you is astonishment,” Francois said with a cheery grin.
“It is exactly as I said before, no? I was certain that Sir Haruto would add to his list of distinguished services before long,” Charlotte said proudly, a look of delight spreading across her whole face.
Francois chuckled in response. “I was surprised back when I heard you returned from the airship with Lady Miharu by flight, but this incident has surpassed that. At any rate, it is wonderful news for both the Restoration and the Galarc Kingdom that Princess Christina and Princess Flora are alive. I should have prioritized my commendation before my surprise. Well done. This is truly a tremendous feat.”
As he thanked Rio, Francois directed his gaze towards Christina and Flora, who were seated to Rio’s right, before moving on to look at the section of the drawing room occupied by the representatives of the Restoration—Duke Huguenot, Roanna, and Hiroaki—in turn.
“The Restoration is extremely thankful for Haruto’s deeds as well.” Duke Huguenot bowed his head deeply and briefly expressed his strong feelings of gratitude. He must have been truly relieved, letting out an audible sigh.
“I’m so glad you’re safe. Truly...so glad...” Roanna had tears in her eyes as she looked at Christina and Flora. Seated beside her was Hiroaki, who congratulated the two on their survival, albeit in a slightly sullen voice.
“It’s great that you’re alive.”
His biggest crush had just rejected him, so his mind was in a complicated state. Liselotte was also in the room, but he seemed to be intentionally keeping her out of his field of vision. However, the fact he had returned to the room at all meant he felt either curiosity or concern about what happened to Christina and Flora.
“Thank you for worrying about us. We were able to return safely thanks to Sir Haruto, as you can see,” Flora replied to Hiroaki and the rest of the Restoration with a gentle expression.
When Haruto’s name came up, Hiroaki snorted with an annoyed look.
“Please tell us what happened, from the beginning to the end. How did you two go missing in the first place? How did Haruto get involved in all this?” Francois asked, looking at Rio and the princesses.
Christina exchanged a look with Rio and sighed heavily. “Based on what you’re saying, it sounds like the message from Rubia didn’t arrive after all.”
Francois looked puzzled. “What...?”
“I will explain everything that happened to Flora and myself. It’ll be a long story, so please let me finish speaking before asking any questions.”
With that preamble, Christina began to explain what happened.
Chapter 1: Report
There were so many things to cover in Christina’s explanation that simply retelling the whole sequence of events took over ten minutes.
“And that’s all from me,” Christina said, wrapping up her summary of everything that took place.
“Hmm... It is a joyous occasion that you both have returned to us safely, but this is an awfully concerning matter. There’s no doubt the Proxia Empire played a part in the entire incident...but there’s a severe lack of definitive proof.” King Francois sighed with a stern frown.
“Yes. The mercenaries that appeared on our airship, in the Paladian village we were teleported to and at the Rubian fortress we visited, were all men with a connection to the Proxia Empire.”
Whenever an unpleasant task had to be done, disposable mercenaries were used to hide the identity of the kingdoms involved. This was a commonly used tactic, but being on the receiving end of it was a source of endless frustration.
Duke Huguenot raised his hand after a beat. “I have one thing to report regarding that.”
“What is it?” Christina asked.
“After Your Highnesses were abducted, your airship arrived at Rodania and caused an uproar. It was during this time that a man resembling Reiss, the ambassador from the Proxia Empire with known ties to Lucius, was spotted inside the central office. Celia was the one who reported this to me.”
Christina’s eyes widened in wonder, then glanced at Rio before asking after her well-being. “Professor Celia did that? Is she okay?”
Rio also seemed surprised and worried, as he had a stern look on his face.
“Yes. He apparently disappeared as soon as she spotted him.”
“I see.”
Christina, Flora, and Rio all sighed in relief.
“There’s the possibility she was mistaken, but if it really was him, he must have snuck into the central office with some kind of goal in mind. Unfortunately, that is the full extent of what I know, but it may be related to all of this,” Duke Huguenot said.
I’ll have to ask her what happened once I return to Rodania. Perhaps Aishia was the one who protected her. Rio imagined the situation and vowed to return as soon as possible.
“At any rate, we currently lack the evidence to accuse the Proxia Empire. The only place we can really pinpoint would be the Rubia Kingdom. Their actions have broken the alliance agreement with not only the Restoration, but our kingdom as well—their movements hereafter will be a source of interest to us,” Francois said with a cold smile, his anger simmering quietly.
The Rubia Kingdom’s actions were an act of rebellion not only towards the Restoration, but towards the Galarc Kingdom as well. It was a much more serious matter than just having their trust besmirched.
“The Restoration intends to officially protest the Rubia Kingdom’s actions,” Christina said.
“Galarc will also make an official objection towards the way our honorary knight and alliance princesses were treated,” Francois confirmed.
“So you’ll declare your concerns. Isn’t that pointless?” Hiroaki interrupted in a cynical tone.
“Yes, most likely so. The alliance is as good as broken already, so there’s a high chance they’ll ignore our objections,” Christina replied in a cool voice.
“Expressing your concerns while knowing that is just incompetence, isn’t it?” Hiroaki grumbled sullenly.
“Indeed, this could have immediately triggered a war under different circumstances. But unfortunately, Rubia is a minor kingdom located far from us. If we mobilized the army, we would have to traverse across the land of other kingdoms, and there isn’t that much to gain from occupying a minor kingdom like Rubia. Invasion would be an extremely inefficient means of retribution, great hero,” Francois said, admonishing Hiroaki with the magnanimity of a king.
“The Restoration as it is now doesn’t have the strength to invade such a distant kingdom either,” Christina added.
“But if you just sit around idly after expressing your concerns, the other side will just look down upon you,” Hiroaki grumbled persistently.
“Of course, we intend on retaliating in some form or another. Spreading word of the Rubia Kingdom’s actions to our neighboring allies is a given, but... Hmm...” Francois brought his hand to his chin and thought for a moment. When his eyes landed on Rio, he suddenly chuckled to himself. “What if we sent Haruto to go on a rampage in the Rubia Castle? No doubt they’d be struck with terror if the man who single-handedly helped the two princesses to escape from their grasp came back for retaliation.”
Rio froze, pressed for a reaction. “Surely you jest...”
“Hey! Don’t involve Haruto in any of your strange ideas, Your Majesty,” Satsuki said, immediately scolding Francois.
“I’m joking, of course. As king, not even I have the authority to mobilize Haruto.”
“Even if you had the authority, don’t do it. It’s way too dangerous.” Satsuki made sure to emphasize her point despite Francois’s chuckles.
“Hah. I don’t know about Proxia, but if you sent that guy to cause a scene in Rubia, they’d be the ones in danger,” Hiroaki scoffed, dampening the conversation.
“That...may not be that far from the truth, but Haruto will still be in danger. He’d be antagonizing himself if he did such a thing,” Satsuki said with a pout.
Christina was in agreement with Satsuki. “The Restoration wouldn’t possibly allow Sir Amakawa to do something so dangerous after being so indebted to him either.”
“Hmph...” Hiroaki snorted, unamused.
“With all due respect, I believe everyone thinks too highly of me...” Rio stated hesitantly.
Just how does everyone see me?
From the sound of the conversation until now, they seemed to think he was capable of storming a royal castle by himself—and dealing severe damage to the other kingdom.
At that, the entire room blinked blankly back at him. It was as though they were all asking what he was getting at.
“Say, Liselotte,” Charlotte suddenly said.
“Yes, Your Highness?” Liselotte replied immediately.
“Sir Haruto’s first public appearance was before the monster attack on Amande, right?”
“If you’re referring to when I first met him, then that would be correct,” Liselotte said, nodding.
“Since then, Sir Haruto’s list of feats have extended beyond imagination. He subjugated a powerful minotaur and repelled the breath of a demi-dragon with his enchanted sword. He defeated the strongest knight of the Beltrum Kingdom and instilled fear into a five-thousand-man army of pursuing troops, forcing them to withdraw. On top of that, he’s now eliminated the infamous veteran mercenary, Lucius. Considering the number of these exploits, can you still claim that we’re overestimating you, Sir Haruto?”
Charlotte listed off Rio’s most prominent exploits, then turned to Rio with an elegant smile.
“It’s an honor to receive such praise, but when it comes to raiding a castle alone... I’m sure the Rubia Kingdom has its own formidable warriors,” Rio replied awkwardly.
If he prepared himself beforehand like when he rescued Celia from her wedding, he could potentially do it regardless of the strength of his opponents. However, that didn’t mean he could make such a public showing during times of peace. Rio wasn’t presumptuous enough to declare he could do it without any basis or knowledge of the opponent’s strength.
“If it’s renowned warriors of the Rubia Kingdom, then the first to come to mind is the Princess Knight, Princess Sylvie. However, from Princess Christina’s testimony, it doesn’t sound like Princess Sylvie could ever best Sir Haruto,” Charlotte pointed out.
“But there was a boy at the Rubian fortress who may be the fifth hero...” Rio reminded her of Kikuchi Renji, the boy he fought with at the fortress. Honestly speaking, not even Rio could grasp the true strength of the heroes.
“But you defeated that hero too, no?” Satsuki asked, cocking her head.
“I wouldn’t say I defeated him. I wanted to avoid getting too deeply involved, so I retreated before we could finish...”
After Rio answered Satsuki’s question, Hiroaki interrupted with a look of suspicion. “Was that guy really a hero?”
“Most likely. He had a halberd that could control ice, so I believe it was his Divine Arm.”
“Tch... A hero shouldn’t be losing so easily in battle. How pathetic.”
“You seem discontented by the hero’s defeat, but were you able to win against Haruto yourself?” Satsuki asked Hiroaki.
“Huh? Tch...” Hiroaki frowned. He opened his mouth to retort but recalled his past defeat against Rio and swallowed his words with a click of his tongue.
“How was the battle between the fifth hero and Sir Haruto in the eyes of you two?” Charlotte turned the conversation to Christina and Flora with a look of intense curiosity in her eyes.
Christina was the first to reply with an awkward glance at Rio’s expression. “Sir Amakawa took him on alongside the skilled mercenaries who were former subordinates of Lucius’s, but it looked to me like Sir Amakawa overwhelmed them from start to finish.”
“Yes, he was wonderful.” Flora nodded furiously, eyes sparkling as she replied.
“I’m sure it was an incredible sight. I wish I had been there to witness it—I’m so envious of you two.” Charlotte puffed up her cheeks and sighed sadly.
“Umm, you’d have to have been kidnapped to be there, Char.” Satsuki calmly pointed out the problem in her words.
“Bah. So envious indeed. Playing the hero more than actual heroes every single time...” Hiroaki grumbled bitterly. Roanna seemed to have overheard him, as she had a stiff expression beside him.
“We seem to have derailed the conversation a bit, but in all honesty, it would be more productive to have Haruto act alone than for me to increase military funding and have our army strike. But as I said before, I have no intention of doing such a thing.” With a wry smile and a hint of his true thoughts, Francois redirected the discussion back on topic.
“Damn right. Who cares about this guy’s great exploits or whatever. We were talking about what we’re gonna do to these Rubian guys for looking down on us, right?” Hiroaki immediately went along with Francois’s lead, not wanting to listen to praise for Rio anymore.
“If the fifth hero really is affiliated with the Rubia Kingdom, things become slightly complicated. For now, we’ll spread word of Rubia’s wrongdoing across other nations while requesting an explanation of the incident and the identity of the fifth hero. After that, we’ll consider imposing realistic and constructive sanctions—this should be the right course of action,” Francois explained.
“I agree with that. The Rubia Kingdom cannot be forgiven for this, but if they really have a hero on their side, we need to go through the correct procedure,” Christina expressed quietly.
“Indeed. That aside... I understand you were pursuing your longstanding enemy, but you did well rescuing Princess Christina and Princess Flora from their debacle, Haruto,” Francois said, looking at Rio in wonder.
Because Christina explained everything that had happened from her point of view, there was a lot of information missing about how Rio found the two of them. Thus, Francois was probably curious about that sequence of events as well.
“I obtained information on my journey suggesting that Lucius was in the Paladia Kingdom. After I made my way to the Paladian capital, I heard that First Prince Duran happened to be holding an event...” Rio explained briefly. Getting into too much detail would only complicate things, so he hid the fact he had snuck into the Proxia Castle and crossed swords with Emperor Nidoll Proxia.
“An event, you say?”
“It was a challenge where whoever could withstand one blow from Prince Duran was entitled to a reward. I decided to participate for the chance to ask about Lucius. I figured a renowned fighter like Prince Duran would have connections to a mercenary like him.”
“I see. And so you easily withstood the blow from Prince Duran,” Charlotte immediately assumed.
“That is correct. He told me where I could find Lucius—and that happened to be the village where the two princesses were.”
“Hmm. I find it questionable that he passed you that information, but...Prince Duran claimed the Paladia Kingdom wasn’t involved in the princesses’ kidnapping, right?” This was something Christina had mentioned earlier.
“How much do you actually believe in his words?” Francois asked.
“He was a rather difficult person to read, so I don’t trust him myself. However, I believe there is credibility to his claim that the Paladia Kingdom was not involved.”
“And why is that?”
“If Paladia had been involved in our abduction, there would be no need to teleport us to a shack in the middle of a deserted forest. They could have easily sent us to the Paladia Castle and confined us there.”
“That’s true. A very likely possibility. And thus, incomprehensible...”
“What do you mean...?” Christina seemed to sense something.
“Even if Paladia is unrelated to the abduction of Princess Christina and Princess Flora, the mercenary group behind everything is related to the Proxia Empire... And yet there is no clear motive here for Proxia.”
“...”
No one present noticed, but for a brief moment, something bitter flashed across Christina’s expression.
“What’s so incomprehensible about that, King Francois? I don’t quite get your point.”
Stop beating around the bush and get to the point—Hiroaki glared at Francois as though to say that. Francois continued without paying him any mind.
“If Lucius abducted the two princesses under the Proxia Empire’s order, he would have teleported them to the imperial castle instead of the Paladian forest. That would be the most secure way of confining them. There is a high risk of exposure when leaving them in a foreign nation—even temporarily—and he approached a foreign royal for help, although on a personal level. If Proxia ordered this, then Lucius was either unable to change the teleport destination from the Paladian forest, or he had some kind of goal in sending them to that forest in particular...” Francois offered his hypothesis under the premise of Lucius moving on the Proxia Empire’s orders. However, the incident this time just so happened to be unrelated—Christina and Flora were abducted purely for personal reasons.
