Kierbit told me the story of the Garlet Kingdom’s collapse. Apparently, the nation had fractured into four distinct factions.
First was the "Obedient Faction," which intended to continue following the guidance of the Angel Race.
Next was the "Departure Faction," which sought to "graduate" from the Angels' oversight.
Then there was the "Hostile Faction," which had branded the Angels as enemies for abandoning the kingdom.
Finally, there was the "Independent Faction," which didn't care about the Angels one way or the other and simply aimed to build a powerful state.
That was Kierbit’s summary of the situation.
"I see... So, the peaceful group that wants to maintain the status quo is the Obedient Faction, right?" I asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Kierbit replied. "They’re planning to follow us, migrate into the Demon Kingdom, and then establish an independent nation of their own."
I was wrong. They weren't peaceful; they were radical.
"And just so you know, they're the largest of the four groups," she added.
Wasn't that the worst-case scenario?
Since I didn't know the actual scale of the Garlet Kingdom, I couldn't immediately estimate the headcount when she said they were the largest faction, but it was certainly more than a hundred or two. Even if the country had split, we were still talking about a national scale—likely tens of thousands of people.
Anyone could see that an exodus of that size would cause massive problems. Even I knew that much.
Building Village Five had been hard enough. Hopeful residents had gathered from all over, and conflicts broke out constantly due to differences in race and lifestyle. Thanks to Yoko’s tireless efforts, things never spiraled out of control in Village Five, but...
Could the Demon Kingdom actually absorb a migration of that magnitude? No, judging by the kingdom’s history, they would probably go to great lengths to accept them if the migrants intended to submit to the Demon King’s laws. However, if they were planning to declare independence after moving in, there was no way they’d be welcomed. That wasn't a migration; it was a rebellion.
I needed to contact the Demon King... no, I should clarify the details first. What was the current status? Had they already started moving?
"The fellow Angels who got entangled with the Obedient Faction are currently holding them back," Kierbit explained.
That was a relief. But wait, were the Angels who got "entangled" going to be all right?
"They’re there because they wanted to be, so you don't need to worry about them."
I couldn't quite grasp Kierbit’s meaning, so I glanced toward Tia. Ruincia, who was standing beside her, leaned in to explain that those who stayed behind did so because of romantic entanglements.
"They couldn't marry because of those notoriously strict trials, but they have stayed together for eighty years regardless. The man in question is a human, so he is nearing the end of his natural lifespan. Because of that, the Angel involved refuses to leave his side."
"I... I see."
"Forgive me for interrupting," Ruincia said, stepping back. "Kierbit-sama, please continue."
Prompted by Ruincia, Kierbit picked up the thread.
"That man is the uncle of the current King of Garlet. He’s the younger brother of the Former King. He holds significant influence within the kingdom, and he is the one effectively preventing the Obedient Faction from departing."
"Effectively?"
"The basic stance of the Angel Race is to be advisors, after all," Kierbit said.
So the one actually doing the legwork to stop them was the Former King’s younger brother. Hmm. Wait a minute. If he was nearing the end of his life, did that mean the Obedient Faction would start their migration the moment he passed away?
"I'm afraid so."
"W-well, if it would help, should I provide some World Tree Leaves?" I offered.
"That’s kind of you," Kierbit said. "But the man himself wishes to welcome the end of his life naturally. His Angel partner has accepted it as well, so we can’t exactly postpone the inevitable just for our own convenience, right?"
She was absolutely right. I stood corrected.
"Anyway, there's a problem even more urgent than that," Kierbit continued.
"An urgent problem?"
"The Obedient Faction moved to a coastal region with the intention of migrating. They haven't left the country yet because they were stopped, but the eastern side of the kingdom is now essentially under their control."
I suppose that made sense. In that case, was the problem a conflict with whatever group had lived in the east originally?
"Well, there's that, too, but... umm..."
Kierbit looked like she was struggling to find the words and looked around for help. However, all the other Angels pointedly looked away. It seemed they had decided beforehand that Kierbit would be the one to deliver the news. Kierbit sighed, looking defeated.
"Regarding the territory the Obedient Faction is ruling... or rather, the name they've given their group..."
"Yes?"
"They’ve renamed the region and are calling themselves the 'Village Six Kingdom'."
I went silent. That was certainly... a unique name for a kingdom.
"Right? Hahahaha..." Kierbit laughed nervously.
"Make them change it immediately," I said.
"I thought you'd say that."
"Of course! Anyone who knows us will think the Village of the Great Tree is involved."
"And people who don't know us... might assume it's a kingdom that grew out of six villages," Kierbit added.
That might be true, but I didn't want to invite unnecessary trouble. It felt a bit presumptuous for me to dictate a foreign country's name, but surely Kierbit or Malbit had the authority to make them change it. I couldn't have them using the name "Village Six Kingdom."
"That’s where we have a request for you..." Kierbit said.
"A request?"
"Actually, we also realized that name was problematic and intended to order them to change it, but..."
"You intended to? Did you not do it yet?"
"Well, for example... and this is just a hypothetical... how would you feel about the name 'Village of the Great Tree Kingdom'?"
"What?" I stared at her. "We're talking about the territory ruled by the Obedient Faction, right? Absolutely not. I mean, I know it's not strictly my place to say, but the Village of the Great Tree is a name we cherish here. I don't want people using it without permission."
"Yeah, we thought so. And that leads to the request. We want you to think of a country name for them."
"Me? You want me to name the Obedient Faction's territory?"
"If we just tell them to change it, there's no telling what they'll come up with next," she explained. "Given their mindset, there's a high chance they'll pick something else we'll hate. We figured it's better to just impose a name on them from our end. But if we come up with one and you end up disliking it anyway, we thought it would be faster to just leave it to you from the start."
I see. I understood Kierbit’s reasoning. However, I really didn't want the heavy responsibility of naming a nation. I asked the Angels to provide a list of candidates so I could simply choose from among them.
"Understood. Here is the list of candidates."
"Wait, already?"
"We came prepared."
They handed me several thin boards covered in tiny handwriting. There were well over a hundred names listed. And looking at them, none seemed like they had been chosen at random; each name had its origin, meaning, and justification written next to it.
Was I really supposed to pick one from this list?
When I asked, Ruincia gave a sharp nod. The Angels immediately sprang into action, bringing out a massive wooden board. Country names were written all over it, each surrounded by a carved groove. They propped the board against the wall, and Ruincia handed me a knife.
In other words...
"We’ll throw this and go with whichever name it hits! By the way, if you miss the board entirely, the name will be the 'Aaaa Kingdom'!"
The Angels were cheering and getting excited, but this was a terrible way to decide something so important. Also, I noticed a spot in the middle labeled "All."
"What’s 'All' supposed to be? Are you going to string every single candidate together? You’re joking, right?"
Despite my protests, I was forced to throw. The knife thudded into the board, landing on "Orthodox Garlet Kingdom."
Ruincia clicked her tongue quite audibly.
"For a group that causes the Village Head such grief, 'Aaaa Kingdom' would have been perfectly sufficient," she muttered.
She was terrifying.
Just to be safe, I confirmed that the Departure, Hostile, and Independent factions weren't causing any trouble. They weren't. Honestly, at this point, I felt like supporting any of the other three. Even if it was none of my business.
Kierbit: "I really didn't know which parts would bother the Village Head the most."
Suarlou: "Paje! Paje!"
Suarliu: "Mother, apparently 'All' is the trend these days. Let’s add 'All' to the list."
Suarkou: "'All'... You mean like Jugemu?"
Razumaria: "Getting a country's name wrong is a massive diplomatic taboo, so giving them a ridiculous name might be an excellent form of harassment."
Malbit: "Imagine doing paperwork and having to write a name that long every time... Personally, I was rooting for 'Aaaa Kingdom'."
Ruincia: "Writing four 'A's is such a chore, though. Maybe we should just go with 'A Kingdom' instead?"