Side Story: The King of Centralen

Ever since the Est Empire declared war, I had been hearing nothing but a string of dismal reports. It was putting me in a foul mood.

Today, yet another man with a grim expression arrived to deliver a report.

“Your Majesty, a messenger has arrived with a report on the war situation.”

“Umu. Speak.”

“Sir! Against the Est Empire, which has invaded our territory in the Bulzeni Region, our forts have fallen one after another. Currently, only five percent of the Bulzeni Region remains under our control.”

“Enough! What in the world are they doing?! Why were the defenses so neglected?!”

Upon hearing the report, my rage reached its boiling point. I slammed my fist onto the desk with all my might. A dull pain throbbed through my hand alongside the heavy thud of the impact.

“Th-that is, well... The application for reinforcements had actually been submitted six months ago, but it was held up due to procedural issues.”

“Who was it?! Who was the one dawdling?!”

How could anyone stall such an important request? If I didn't punish the culprit, the country would surely fall into ruin.

“Th-the thing is, every single application was rejected...”

“I asked you who did it!”

“Th-that is... I simply cannot say, not with my own lips...”

What on earth was this foolish man talking about? If I didn't know who it was, I couldn't very well punish them, could I?

“Eei, enough! Out with it!”

“Th-that is...”

“Speak! If you do not, I’ll have your head!”

“Eek! I-it was you, Your Majesty!”

“What?! Are you suggesting that I am such a fool?!”

Of all the things he could have said, trying to pin the responsibility on me was absolutely beyond the pale!

“Guards! Take this insolent man away!”

“Understood!”

At my command, the foolish man was dragged out. He would likely be executed before long.

That reminded me. Speaking of fools, there was that delusional student who didn't know his place. Well, no matter how much skill he thought he had, he would surely be nothing more than a corpse once he reached Bulzeni.

I didn't particularly care what happened to a student that confused, but it was a grave problem that such an idiot was allowed to attend the Higher Academy in the first place. Very well—once this war is over, I shall personally provide some guidance to ensure such morons can no longer enroll.

Yes, that is for the best.

“A messenger, sire. The Zaus Kingdom has attacked from the south. A request for reinforcements has arrived from Duke Ramslett.”

“That man is currently back in his own territory. Tell him to handle it himself.”

“B-but sire, they report the enemy numbers at one hundred thousand. The Duke has never requested reinforcements before...”

One hundred thousand? That was practically the entire mobilized force the Zaus Kingdom could send on an expedition. There was no way such a thing was possible. It was clearly a convenient lie intended to minimize the damage to his own private army.

Come to think of it, that man had been making a fuss about his daughter lately. Honestly, getting so worked up over a simple broken engagement.

I could understand being annoyed at losing a pawn if she truly was missing, but that only happened because he failed to educate his daughter properly. In the first place, I couldn't fathom why she would get into a carriage associated with the Est Empire of her own volition.

In all likelihood, she had been coasting on her status as a duke's daughter and went man-hunting, only to get herself into trouble. That was why my son, who possessed the Divine Protection of the [Hero], had abandoned her.

To go as far as to shift the blame onto my son—claiming the [Hero] himself had plotted against her—was simply outrageous.

And then there was the uproar over the Imperial Seal. I had merely let my son, the future King, use it a little. If I said there was no problem, then there was no problem. To think the Duke couldn't even grasp that.

Everyone around me was a fool.

That being said, it was a fact that we would be in trouble without House Ramslett for the time being. Their military was elite, and their lands served as the kingdom's largest breadbasket. Therefore, the best course of action would be to use this opportunity to whittle down House Ramslett’s power.

“Tell Lord Ramslett this: No reinforcements will be sent. He is to defend our territory to the death, no matter what.”

“Understood, sire!”

“A messenger, sire! Regarding the Bulzeni Region—the war situation has taken a turn for the better!”

“Is that true?!”

“According to the reports, a young man calling himself Allen, an adventurer of House Ramslett acting on Your Majesty's orders, has achieved a string of overwhelming victories! Word is that this young man is actually a student; the people are already praising Your Majesty's brilliant foresight!”

Umu? Did I do that?

Well, perhaps I had. A Great Ruler is one who constantly makes the right decisions, after all. A feat of this caliber was likely just a daily occurrence for someone like me.

“It was I who chose him. Therefore, he is not an adventurer of House Ramslett, but my adventurer—an adventurer of the Royal Family. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Hahaha. I don't know who this boy is, but I'll certainly use him for all he's worth!

“A messenger, sire! We have recaptured the Fortress City Cardacia in the Bulzeni Region! It is reported that the adventurer Your Majesty dispatched played the leading role in the victory. As expected of Your Majesty! Everyone is in awe of your incredible discernment!”

Umu. Quite right, quite right. I felt remarkably good today.

“Very well. I shall grant you a reward for this news.”

“I am deeply honored, Your Majesty!”

Rewarding good subordinates to boost their morale—this, too, was the duty of a King. Sometimes I frightened myself with my own competence. Today was one of those days.

“A messenger, sire! Duke Ramslett reports that he has repelled the one hundred thousand soldiers of the Kingdom of Saus Army.”

“Just as I thought.”

“...Huh?”

The Duke’s personal army was ten thousand strong; even if he mobilized every last soul, he might have reached twenty thousand. There was no way he could have pushed back a force of one hundred thousand with those numbers.

This proved that the initial report of one hundred thousand had been a lie. As I suspected, Lord Ramslett was getting a bit too big for his boots. It was time for him to exit the stage.

“No, I am merely musing to myself. Tell Lord Ramslett he has done a satisfactory job.”

“Understood. Also, regarding the matter of the adventurer Your Majesty discovered, the one who was so instrumental in pacifying the Bulzeni Region...”

“Hm? What of him?”

“Duke Ramslett is demanding negotiations regarding the boy's rewards.”

“What? He has some nerve trying to snatch away my adventurer. Very well. Tell Lord Ramslett to come here in person.”

“Understood!”

I didn't know who this adventurer was, but since he had crushed the Est Empire, my own royal army was almost entirely unscathed. On the other hand, even if Lord Ramslett had repelled Zaus, he wouldn't have escaped without heavy losses.

Which meant the time was ripe to cut him loose. I no longer had any need for such a treacherous vassal.

The only remaining issue was how to govern the southern territories once he was gone.

With that thought, I began to draft my plans for the future.