I was the High King of the Keilland Region.
The High King.
Just because a High King had been crowned did not mean the Keilland Region would transform overnight. However, the fighting had ceased. And through the struggles to decide that title, I had grown close to the rulers of every land. As one might expect, crossing blades and then sharing a meal is a sure way to deepen bonds.
The sake and food we consumed were abundant thanks to our new commercial trade. It brought peace of mind. Distributing that peace of mind to the people... I supposed that was my primary duty as High King.
Fifty days had passed since my coronation. We finally moved to the new Royal Capital. As Lady Tiselle had promised, the city was finished. The High King’s Castle was more magnificent than any of the Territory Kings' seats. Centering on that castle were the Territory Kings' residences, noble villas, and the shops and houses of commoners lining the streets. It was a magnificent capital, one I could be proud of to anyone.
The one who built this city was Kurokuro-dono, an acquaintance of Lady Tiselle. He never showed his face, and I wondered if I should have thanked him personally. And what of the payment? I didn't have much to spare, but I intended to pay him properly. If possible, I wanted to ask for installments—perhaps over the next century or so. He was satisfied just because he was allowed to work freely? He was a remarkably selfless person. I wondered how a man like that could even make a living. Still, I was grateful it ended up being inexpensive.
Territory Kings from across the land gathered, for we had much to discuss. The most urgent matter was noble titles. Until now, these were separate kingdoms, but with unification, the disparity between the noble ranks of each territory became an issue. Even with the same title, a noble's actual power varied wildly depending on their region.
Lady Tiselle recommended a method where the High King granted new titles while the old ranks were maintained. For instance, a Count of the Jidoen Territory would henceforth be known as a Unified Baron and Count of the Jidoen Territory. Of course, since we expected the granting of titles to occur with every new King, we planned to have evaluations performed by the civil officials under the High King's authority.
Oh yes, we also had to think of a proper name for the country. For now, the name remained undecided, leaving things feeling a bit ephemeral. Beyond that, we needed to adjust the unique rules and long-standing disputes near the borders with neighboring countries. I decided to leave the details to the civil officials.
I presided over the Inauguration Banquet for the Royal Capital.
"Cheers!"
"Oh, Gozran King. I'm entrusting the Jidoen Territory to you in my absence."
"Leave it to me. Though, in truth, there isn't much to do beyond maintaining public order."
That was true. Internal affairs would be handled by the Unified Kingdom's civil officials, as would the collection of taxes. The Territory King's role was to maintain security and handle consultations regarding the people's grievances.
"No, no, maintaining the military is also important," another Territory King added. "If summoned by the High King, one must answer immediately."
The Territory Kings were expected to lead soldiers based on the size of their territory—or, more strictly speaking, their income. For the time being, a force sufficient to keep neighboring countries from looking down on us was enough. There was no need to go out of our way to start foreign wars.
According to Lady Tiselle's guidelines, we would focus on internal enrichment for a while. We had done nothing but fight until now, but from here on, we were comrades working together. I stood at the top as High King, but I intended to listen to everyone's opinions.
"I'm counting on you all."
"Hmm? When is the next Unified King Deciding Match, you ask?"
Lady Tiselle had told me to leave an interval of five years between matches. I would have liked to do it every year, but if the King changed too frequently, the neighboring countries wouldn't take us seriously.
"Hahaha!"
"Then, another toast to the High King!"
"Cheers!"
The conversation drifted back to nonsense. It was a pleasant feeling. It was a shame we had no new stories to tell, but our collective grievances against the Angel Race were endless. It gave us a strange sense of unity. I was happy.
"Lady Tiselle, Lady Tiselle. Would you care to hear some of our complaints about the Angel Race?"
The day after the inauguration banquet, Lady Tiselle gathered everyone in a large conference room. Apparently, there was to be an announcement. I wondered what it was—perhaps something regarding the future of the Unified Kingdom? No?
"The reason we came to this land," Lady Tiselle began, "was because we met the Third Princess of the Gozran Kingdom."
That was true.
"I heard much about this region from her. What surprised me most was the poor reputation of the Angel Race. Yesterday, I was able to hear those stories in detail once again."
That was well and good, but was this really something worth gathering everyone for?
"First, let me say this: I am sorry that the Angel Race has caused so much trouble for all of you."
"Hmm? There is no need for you to apologize, Lady Tiselle."
"No, it is not as if I am unrelated."
As she spoke, wings sprouted from Lady Tiselle's back.
"Because I am of the Angel Race myself."
The gathered kings and guards immediately dropped into defensive stances.
"There is no need to be frightened. I came to this land specifically to restore the reputation of the Angel Race."
"M-meaning?"
"I will properly apologize for the things that require it."
"However," I argued, "there is no need for you to apologize just because you're the same species. The ones who should apologize are the Angels who actually caused the trouble." Similar sentiments echoed from those around me.
"Then let us call the actual person to come and apologize."
"That's impossible! Would an Angel really go out of their way to come here and apologize? That's a fairy tale!"
"It's quite alright," she said calmly. "Annihilation Angel Tia is my mother."
The room fell into a deathly silence.
"Considering my mother's personality, she certainly wouldn't come all this way just to apologize on her own," Lady Tiselle admitted.
"R-right."
"But rest assured. Since my mother is there, my father is there too. If I ask him, my mother will come here and apologize for her past deeds."
Certainly, if that was the case, it might be possible... No, surely not. Would the Annihilation Angel really bow her head for something like that?
"My father is a man who loves his fields," she continued. "If damage was caused to the fields, he would scold my mother. Even if it happened before they ever met."
"What an accomplished father..."
"Similarly, I can call the three Genocide Angels."
"Eh?"
"We live together, after all."
Did that mean those three were coming too?
"I can also call Lady Suarlou and Lady Razmaria. It's fine. I have confidence. I'll have them apologize to you here. Oh, and if you like, I could even call the Angel Race Leader. They have the ultimate responsibility as the head of the race."
"Wait... stop right there!"
"What am I waiting for?"
"Just... give us a moment. We need to discuss this."
When I said that, the Territory Kings, guards, and civil officials immediately huddled around me.
"What should we do?"
"What do you mean 'what'? This is a disaster!"
"It's the Angel Race! Even if we trust Lady Tiselle, the other Angels are..."
"They're the Angel Race! If they apologize, they'll just end up hating us!"
"They'll definitely hold a grudge for being forced to bow."
"We have to stop her!"
"How? That giant Golem will come out!"
"We can't win against that thing. It's too strong."
"It's alright!"
The voice belonged to the guard who had been thrashed by the Golem before. He looked at Lady Tiselle and pointed toward the door.
"To the courtyard! Move!"
While Lady Tiselle tilted her head in confusion, we followed him out.
"Bring out that Golem!"
Lady Tiselle obediently followed the guard's challenge and summoned the massive construct.
"I've studied this Golem ever since it beat me!" the guard shouted. Lady Tiselle had been using the construct without hesitation against anyone who ignored the rules of the match. It seemed he had actually devised a plan.
"This Golem seems to move quickly, but it can only perform fixed patterns! Outside of those, it is incredibly slow!"
"Is that so?!"
"There are only twelve types of movements! If you move according to my instructions, we can handle it! A Golem like this isn't suited for facing multiple people at once!"
"Oh!"
"Furthermore, because it’s a giant, it has no leg techniques! It doesn't jump! And compared to its body size, its arms are short! At worst, if you lie flat on the ground, you can dodge its reach!"
"Wait," I interjected. "It was about to follow up on you when you were down last time."
"The movement for attacking a grounded target is an elbow drop. If it does that, it takes it forever to stand back up! There is no need to fear! Therefore, it’s a match! If we win, there will be no apologies from the Angel Race!"
The guard's shout filled the air. Honestly, I wish I had been the one to say that.
"Ah, Lady Tiselle. Is it alright if all of us here take it on together? Territory Kings, guards... and any civil officials who can fight? No problem? Weapons too? Alright, take up your steel! Let's go! For our future!"
Our battle against the giant Golem began. Truly, it seemed it could only perform set movements. As long as we followed the guard's instructions, we could avoid the attacks. And if we could dodge, we wouldn't lose!
Wait... Lady Tiselle was summoning something else. No, it wasn't another Golem—it was a giant sword. A weapon specifically for the construct. The weakness of its short arms vanished in an instant.
"Don't panic! This is within my calculations!" the guard screamed. "If it’s a downward swing, it’s easier to dodge than a swinging fist!"
That might have been true, but the giant Golem held the blade at its side. It was a horizontal sweep. It was swinging the blade parallel to the ground, mere inches from the dirt!
"Form a line behind me! Jump when I tell you! It's slow! Just watch the timing!"
Following his lead, we jumped over the giant sword. We cleared it! But the Golem continued its rotation, swinging a second time.
"Don't panic... now! Jump!"
We leapt and dodged the blade once more.
"We can do this! We're actually doing it!"
"We can dodge it! We can dodge it!"
A strange sense of unity washed over us. We dodged the third swing as well. Hahaha! There was no way we would ever accept an apology from the Angel Race!
"But at this rate, we can't actually counterattack, can we?"
"Don't think about that!"
"Focus on dodging or you're dead!"
"I-I'm reaching my physical limit..."
"Can't be helped! Old man, get on my back!"
"Are you sure?"
"If things get bad, I'm leaving the next jump to you!"
"Tch, fine!"
We continued to jump and dodge the Golem's spinning blade. The desperate exercise continued until the Dragon that claimed this area as its territory arrived to give its greetings.
Tiselle: "I was trying to apologize, but for some reason, it turned into a match." Erika-teze: "(They just don't want you to be humiliated, Lady Tiselle.)" Isree: "(Let's just watch.)" Dragon: "Um... you all seem to be having a lot of fun." High King & Rulers: "We're fighting for our lives!" Rational Civil Official: "If you'd stayed in the conference room, she couldn't have summoned the Golem, right?" Guard: "Silence! How could we resort to such cowardly tactics?!" High King & Rulers: "Yeah! What he said!"