Expedition Results
Eltia Kingdom
One week had passed since Ashtar's expedition into the Demon Realm. News of their victory finally reached the Eltia Kingdom as well.
"Reporting! Duke Ashtar of the Empire has marched into the Demon Realm, crushed three legions, and Saint Olivia has captured the Four Heavenly King Berna alive! Crad Castle has been reclaimed!"
That report did not take long to spread across a kingdom worn down to the bone by war against the Demon King.
"Like father, like son and granddaughter, it seems."
The King of Eltia breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Had Ashtar fallen, the Four Heavenly Kings might well have returned in force simply for the crime of having supported them. But Ashtar had won—and reclaimed even Crad, the very foothold for any invasion of the Demon Realm. The ones with fire at their heels were now the Four Heavenly Kings themselves.
Moreover—
"I hear the second son even held off Seto's army when they invaded Ashtar lands."
According to the rumors, they had sent their main force into the Demon Realm and still managed to repel Seto's troops with what remained. That was a greater feat than even Eldacrad's Ashtar had achieved at its peak.
"Send a private envoy to Ashtar with our congratulations, and a formal delegation to His Imperial Majesty to celebrate the Empire's victory."
Ashtar had done them a true service. Of their own accord they had struck at the Four Heavenly Kings and dragged the conflict into open war—and then they had won. The Four Heavenly Kings would never let that pass.
"With this, war between the Four Heavenly Kings and Ashtar—no, between them and the Empire itself—is all but certain. Our kingdom need only recover its strength in the meantime."
"You are right."
The immediate crisis had passed. All that remained was to rebuild enough strength to weather any future invasion by the Four Heavenly Kings.
"I would also like to meet this Olivia, the young lady of Ashtar."
"Not a bad idea. A woman of that caliber would make a fine ally for you to cultivate, my princess. Anyone who can bring down Berna would be a powerful friend to the kingdom."
The princess currently stood as a war hero celebrated throughout the realm—naturally first in the line of succession. Securing the support of Ashtar's daughter, the Empire's Saint who had captured a Heavenly King, would only strengthen her position further.
Maltiel, second in the line of succession, understood this perfectly. For the sake of the throne itself, he chose confrontation over agreement with his sister's view.
"Then would it not be wiser to have the soldiers lay down their arms and return to the fields? Every granary in the kingdom stands empty. Now is the time to shore up our foundations."
He was not wrong. They barely had grain enough to feed the destitute. Even the nobility had gone without proper meals for far too long.
But Revia saw it differently.
"Filling the granaries is simple enough—we borrow mages from the Empire and have them cast blessings. Just because the Four Heavenly Kings have turned their eyes on the Empire does not mean we can afford to let our guard down."
"Our people can no longer even count their dead, and the entire land lies in ruin. Preparing for war again now is nothing short of inviting destruction! Blessings? You mean to lean on the Empire once more?"
Somehow her younger brother Maltiel seemed determined to obstruct every move she made. What was wrong with him? He clearly coveted the throne, yet the gap between their achievements was already as wide as heaven and earth.
"We stand together on the Demon King front. The Empire is our ally. We are not selling our nation to them—what is so terrible about that?"
"The more we depend on the Empire, the worse this country will fare!"
Dependence on the Empire? The very premise was flawed.
"That applies only to vassal states. We are proper allies. In hard times we help one another. We even quietly passed scripture to the Imperial Church behind the Holy Kingdom's back—what is so wrong with that?"
"That was—!"
Why must he act so childish? On the surface the kingdom was far smaller than the Empire, yet the two nations stood as equals in alliance.
"Enough. Stop quarreling, Revia."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"You will lead a delegation to the Empire. Congratulate His Imperial Majesty on the victory and assess the Empire's situation while you are there."
A royal command. Serving as envoy was no problem, but "assess the Empire's situation"? What exactly did that mean?
"Its situation, sire?"
"The imperial succession. And meet Olivia as well."
The imperial succession. Of course. Talk of the next emperor would soon begin in earnest. His Majesty wanted her to cultivate friendship with whoever might wear the crown—in short, a command to secure the Empire's support. It was as good as naming her the heir.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
She had been expecting this for some time. It was no hardship.
And the nobles had overheard every word.
"So His Majesty has settled on the princess as heir."
"After such achievements, her becoming queen is only natural."
"She was always on good terms with Lord Noah as well, was she not?"
If the kingdom fell they would all die with it, so the nobles had scraped together every last coin to fund the war. Now that the fighting was all but finished, they scrambled to curry favor with the future queen Revia, hoping for even the smallest privilege.
"Tch."
Watching it all, Maltiel's gaze was anything but kind.
Holy Kingdom
Word of Ashtar's victory reached the Holy Kingdom through the Holy Knight Order that had been dispatched there. The Pope rejoiced loudly, declaring it a victory for all humanity.
"Ashtar has reclaimed even Crad Castle... Remarkable. Truly remarkable."
The cardinals and high priests, however, did not share his pure delight.
"This is no time for celebration, Your Holiness."
"What do you mean, Cardinal? If this is not cause for joy, what is?"
Surely it was something to praise. What was this about?
"The one who defeated Berna was none other than that rootless Saint of the Empire, was she not?"
"Indeed."
"Not our own Saint, but the Empire's Saint struck Berna down. The Imperial Goddess Church can no longer be ignored."
That... might indeed prove dangerous. Bernoa, once sent from the Holy Kingdom to the kingdom and then to Ashtar, had fallen. The Empire's Saint had defeated that same fallen Bernoa. In the worst case, the Holy Kingdom's Goddess Church could find itself eclipsed by its imperial counterpart.
If this affair causes the Goddess Church to spread rapidly through the Empire...
At a glance it was troublesome. The prestige of the Holy Kingdom itself was at stake. Left unchecked, the Imperial Goddess Church might grow strong enough to threaten their own.
"True enough."
"We must take countermeasures."
Countermeasures? Was there really anything that needed doing? Leaving it alone seemed perfectly fine.
"Can we not simply leave it be?"
"Pardon?"
"The kingdom and our Holy Kingdom remain the heart of the Goddess Church. Even if the Empire's Saint defeated Berna, the prestige will be fleeting. Without roots, it will not last."
Even if the Empire tried to spread its own Goddess Church, how many would truly follow? History and tradition could not be ignored so easily. Even if the Empire sought to crush the Holy Kingdom by force, legitimacy could never be erased. And a Goddess Church run by a Pope and Saint who only fleeced money behind the scenes? Laughable.
"Mmm... You may come to regret this."
Regret? He doubted there would be anything to regret. The cardinal simply fretted too much.
There was still unfinished business. Settling matters with the Ashtar family. It was something that should have been handled long ago, yet the trip to Ashtar territory had never been planned in the first place. Various incidents had piled up since then. Now that things had settled somewhat, both sides had things that needed saying.
"Before we head to the capital, I have something to say."
"Yes."
"Your achievements this time are simply too great."
"I suppose so."
I already knew that. Capturing Berna had earned me the right to put her to use, but that alone would not be the end of it. I had captured Berna and reclaimed Crad. That signaled a new golden age for Ashtar—and the beginning of the Empire's territory carving into the Demon Realm itself. Having ushered in Ashtar's prime and thereby the Empire's, how exactly was anyone supposed to wash their hands of this?
"There is the matter of Bernoa as well, though her survival is useful to us too. As for what Ashtar ought to give you as its Saint... I am not certain."
I had never done any of it for rewards in the first place.
"Then might I at least receive some of the family's ancient texts?"
Ashtar was a house with a long history. There might well be things worth obtaining.
"If that is what you want, that much can be arranged."
Now was the time to say it.
"And this is something I am only now telling you."
"What is it?"
"Honestly, you have been acting overly affectionate lately, as if trying to make up for everything you never did before, and it makes me uncomfortable."
Unnaturally kind, inviting me to meals far too often, talking far too much. This was no small matter. The Duke wanted to bring Olivia back into the family fold. Whatever had happened to aristocratic restraint, this was the result. Frankly, it was so irritating it made my skin crawl.
"……."
Huh. He took it more calmly than expected. He simply nodded and kept listening.
"You were indifferent. Dragging me all the way to the battlefield while acting like this is... unpleasant. There is no way to hide my achievements after this. This is not something that ends with you, Father. His Imperial Majesty will hear of it as well."
I had defeated a Heavenly King. Word would definitely reach the capital. It was far too high an achievement for a mere territory to reward on its own.
"...Yes. Having brought down a Four Heavenly King, His Majesty will commend you personally."
Some strange office would probably be foisted on me again. In the worst case they might even try to grant me a separate fief. I could refuse rewards by leaning on my status as Saint, but there was no stopping the name Olivia from spreading throughout the Empire.
"I will still have to visit Ashtar territory often because of the mage corps, but please treat me as you always have. Indifferently. I hate having to say these tiresome things, but as I told you at the start of the semester, I have already proven my worth, have I not?"
I had proven it ages ago. Honestly, had I not worked quite hard enough by now?
"Olivia."
The Duke's voice was utterly quiet.
"I think that level of distance is best for both of us."
At my words his eyes flickered ever so slightly. Perhaps he regretted it. He had probably believed that once this expedition ended, things would return to how they once were—that we would at least go back to something resembling a normal family.
"Very well. If that is what you wish."
The Duke closed his eyes and nodded. Exactly this much was good. He was still the head of the house that had given birth to Olivia, so I could not exactly punch him. I restrained myself.
"Then I will take my leave."
"Even so... if there is ever anything you desire, tell me at any time."
Mm. That much should be fine. Considering the indifference Olivia had endured all this time, material help was something I could ask for without guilt.
"Olivia. I—"
This time it was Katrina, who had been standing like a pillar the whole while.
"Mother... is a bother. It seems you have been watching me through Claire."
Katrina's face went white. No, she really was a bother. Getting tired of peeping on her daughter all the time, was she? Just handing over Claire would already count as fulfilling the entire mother role, thank you very much.
"Ah, if you absolutely insist on doing something useful—"
"What is it?"
"Noel of the Hero Party seems to have taken a liking to my younger brother. How about arranging something between those two?"
That much should be fine, right?