Chapter 138: The Kyoto Faction
Just as I was taking a breather after finishing the meeting with the Osaka Faction… or rather, with King Nagira, Mei’s voice echoed once more.
『A communication request has come in from the underground city of Kyoto via a limited link. What would you like to do?』
At her voice, everyone’s eyes widened, and as we looked at each other, the Prime Minister questioned Mei.
“Just that alone doesn’t give us a grasp of the situation. Timing-wise, it’s likely because they learned about our earlier discussion with Osaka, but do you know by what means they found out?”
『Yes, King Nagira also issued a proclamation to the hostile Kyoto Faction. It was only a unilateral notification, but in that process, they seem to have determined that we are the cause. I predict a high probability that they will propose a cooperative relationship.』
Hmm, so the remaining one is with the northern nation that’s been at war with the Empire for ages. The country’s name is Yamato, so judging by the name, they probably have a cooperative relationship with the surface dwellers too. Though I don’t know what kind of relationship.
“Wh-why would he do such a thing? The Kyoto Faction also has an Ark, or whatever it’s called, don’t they?”
True. If they teamed up with us, the Osaka Faction would be the ones in trouble, right?
Agreeing with Pops’s voice, I waited for Mei’s reply.
『King Nagira is overconfident in the power of the Divine Soldiers. Even so, he seemed convinced he could win with ease. If all combat actions were left to the AI, the calculation is that three units could roughly contend, but looking at the research institute’s database, he estimates the Ark’s capabilities at about half. He likely believes reports that were further exaggerated from the research institute’s data. This can be said to be one of the negative consequences of his strong dictatorship.』
Oof, he really piled on the exaggerations, huh? I hear even non-exploitative companies do that, so it’s pretty common. In any case, King Nagira, who raised his own threat level, is the most at fault here.
But, didn’t you have the AI run calculations?
『I also performed calculations, but I was made to calculate based on the assumption that a human would be giving orders. Foolishly, on top of that, I also received the insult that I was just putting on a brave front.』
Ooh, Mei-san is speaking more monotonously than usual. The feeling that she’s angry is intense.
“I-I see… If that’s the case, let’s connect with them. It’s better to have more allies.”
Yeah. Just as Pops says, it’s a no-brainer. If the Empire is defeated and this ends, the passage to the north will open up, and being in a situation where we’ve fought together then would give both sides a completely different level of reassurance. All that’s left is to pray they’re not troublesome opponents.
『Understood. I will convey your acceptance of the communication… As a result of conveying it, they said, “Due to the urgency, if there are no issues on your end, we would like to connect in two hours.”』
“Ah, that’s fine. Please take care of it, Miss Mei.”
『Yes. Understood.』
After that, while we were chatting with Mei for a while, we received a report that Unit 3 had returned, but in the process, a troublesome fact came to light.
“Huh? Isn’t annihilating them, including the Empire, supposed to be easy?”
『Yes. The probability I stated earlier was the damage estimate within Belfast. The second-ranked Lloyd the Swift and the first-ranked War God Honoka possess means to defend against or evade our attacks.』
“Huh? Then, isn’t the damage estimate higher?”
『No. If attacks continue indefinitely, their Magical Power will eventually run out. It’s unclear by when this recently restored ship could finish them off, but the possibility of them launching a suicide attack on Belfast alone in a heavily depleted state is almost nil, judging from their personalities. Even if that were to happen, they would likely be taken down by Lease’s forces. If they break through that, we will narrow our targeting and aim for a certain kill within Lease’s territory. I demonstrated the possibility of them surpassing that the other day.』
Ah, I see. The damage estimate within the Kingdom of Belfast. Lease is in Lestall territory, after all. Uwah. I can’t laugh at King Nagira now. I was getting complacent, thinking it was a sure win.
『There is no need to worry. Excluding a slight possibility, we can buy time with suppressive fire, and once this ship’s energy recovers, we can finish it. Currently, only Master has the potential to bring down this ship.』
“No, no, there’s absolutely no way for me, you know? I can’t even take on the Empire’s first and second ranks.”
『No, it is a matter of firepower. My Master possesses abilities that can counter this ship from both defensive and offensive aspects.』
Ah, with the Maso’s defense and the scale of the Magic Circles, huh? That might make sense, I thought, and when I nodded in reply, everyone looked aghast.
“Rui, you… seriously…?”
“I always thought Prince Rui was an amazing person, but to that extent…”
“My goodness… His Highness never ceases to amaze me. To think he could even surpass the power of a god…”
No, no, it’s impossible! It’s just that, in terms of firepower, I’m the only one who can scratch it, right? Also, Marquis Arbane, it’s not a god, you know?
I sought Yuri’s agreement, but she just struck a smug pose, saying, “If it’s Rui, then it’s only natural!”
Hmm. Ever since I made that bomb, I’m still being treated like a superhuman. They’re definitely confusing the power of Magic Tools with my own individual strength. Maybe I should use that cheat training to ridiculously raise my abilities, just in case…
『The scheduled time has been reached. Commencing video communication with Kyoto.』
While I was thinking about such things, Mei’s voice echoed, and communication with the Kyoto Faction began. Just like before, the Prime Minister would take the lead, and we would only interject if there was something we couldn’t agree to. Well, either way, the Prime Minister has been taking the approach of seeking our decision.
At that moment, light shone, and once again, human figures made of light were projected in the middle of the auditorium. Three people, likely dignitaries, stood in front of three ordinary chairs. Among them, a particularly conspicuous young woman stepped forward.
“Pleased to meet you. I am Fujimiya Minako, representative of the underground city of Kyoto. Thank you very much for responding to our urgent request today.”
“Pleased to meet you. I am Aso Goro, serving as Prime Minister for the Neo-Tokyo Faction.”
As the people on both sides of the video feed introduced themselves one after another, all eyes turned to me, so I also stood up and announced myself.
“I am Louis von Belfast, First Prince of the Kingdom of Belfast.”
“I am Yurishia von Rasbel, second daughter of the Shogun household, from the Kingdom of Belfast.”
I gave a slight bow and quickly sat down to avoid drawing attention, and things seemed to proceed without me being particularly noticed, creating an atmosphere that the main topic was about to begin. Then, Fujimiya-san immediately stood up and began to speak.
Alright, I’ll just watch from the sidelines, I thought with relief.
“I believe you are already aware of what I wish to discuss today, but it is to stop Osaka’s rampage. As you can probably tell from their boasting about being a ‘Nation of Gods’ and such, they have become arrogant and conceited.”
Wow, she’s young. She’s definitely in her early twenties at most, right? Probably a teenager? Since Yuri and I are here too, it doesn’t feel that out of place, though.
“Indeed, it seems so. According to Mei, it will be in about a week. We also wish to proceed with discussions urgently, so this is helpful.”
“Oh, that is delightful. In that case, could we perhaps request the disclosure of mutual data regarding the war?”
“Oh my… From your reaction, it seems you are not aware. We were under the impression that you would propose a joint struggle using the Arks…”
When the Prime Minister said that, she glanced alternately at the two middle-aged men flanking her.
“Uhm, first, if you do not know this information, there is no point in proceeding with the discussion. Mei, please provide the information on the Divine Soldiers to the Kyoto representatives.”
『Understood.』
The three of them silently continued to look at the information that was sent. Then, when one of the men asked Mei about the reliability of this data, he exclaimed, “One hundred percent… That’s absurd! At this rate…” and stood up, followed by the other two, who also clutched their heads.
“This is a situation that far exceeds our assumptions. There are many things that concern me, but it is clear that, at present, you are the enemy of our enemy. I would very much like to hear what you were saying earlier. Our Mei also concluded that there is no other way than to deploy the Ark and conduct a maximum efficiency attack based on AI judgment. However… even that won’t be enough, will it…?”
She asked us, her expression showing a hint of being on the verge of tears.
“No. I cannot disclose the details, but we have succeeded in capturing Unit 3. The other units will also likely become usable. Therefore, we are in a situation where we can resist, even on our own.”
“I-Is that so! Then, can we assume you will also agree to a joint struggle!?”
“Yes. If there are four or more Arks, an encirclement would also become realistic. However, we would like to receive some form of benefit for deploying more on our side. Of course, a form that is not unreasonable is fine.”
Seeing her troubled expression, Pops added, “Ah, you really don’t need to overdo it. Even something like establishing friendly ties with Yamato would be fine,” and she regained her smile.
At his words, she said, “Thank you very much. In that case, I would like to consolidate the information, so please excuse me for a moment,” to which the Prime Minister nodded, saying, “Indeed. We’ve covered a fair amount of ground, so shall we take about a ten-minute break?”
After that, the audio was immediately muted, and everyone looked away from the video feed.
“Your Majesty, I believe you could have pushed for a bit more. Are you sure about this?”
Prime Minister Aso probably intended to push for a bit more. He asked Pops with a slightly surprised expression, but it was Duke Fastall who responded.
“First impressions are surprisingly significant. Considering the distance and what we can reasonably request, we judged it to be appropriate.”
“I see… indeed. Perhaps I was a little too hasty.”
As he chuckled a bit bitterly, Pops interjected with support, “That’s not the case at all. It was the same earlier, but Aso-dono, you’ve been managing the situation so skillfully.” Duke Fastall and Marquis Urbain also chimed in.
“However, it’s quite something… As soon as His Majesty and His Highness returned, not only was the country reborn, but its national strength, or rather, its standing, has changed terrifyingly. Negotiations proceed surprisingly easily.”
“Hey, hey, Urbain, enough with the flattery. No matter how you look at it, it’s Rui, isn’t it…”
“Hey!? Why are you pinning it all on me!?”
When I retorted that, Pops and Yuri gave me a reproachful stare, while the others averted their gazes.
Why? If it were me, I’d just be pointlessly groveling and end up being looked down upon. I might be the reason we were reborn, but the improvement in our standing definitely isn’t because of me, you know?
While we were having such idle chatter, ten minutes passed in a flash, and the mute was turned off again.
“First, we thank King Belfast for his kindness, and we shall accept your proposal. We only convey information to Yamato occasionally, so we are unsure to what extent we can meet your expectations, but is that acceptable?”
“Of course. Our greatest desire is to have a friendly relationship with your country.”
“My, how delightful. In that case, all the more, the wall that is Osaka standing between us becomes detestable.”
“Hahaha, we are pleased as well. The more friendly nations, the better.”
After that, the Prime Minister once again took the lead, and while exchanging light information, we discussed our respective situations up to now.
It seems the Kyoto representative was originally a member of a government organization that acted alongside Lesta-kun. Apparently, the Lestall side also had a government organization attached to them, but there are also those who established themselves to monitor the Osaka forces.
I also got to hear the reason why a woman around my age, whom I was a bit curious about, was in the top position. Apparently, she’s a direct descendant of the last Prime Minister from a thousand years ago and now serves as a symbolic figure. In the confined space underground, to avoid fostering any strange dictatorial sentiments, her family was apparently chosen as a symbolic bloodline, separate from the two political parties. They say that was the system from the most stable era. Hearing that, I understood, ‘Ah, so she’s in a position similar to His Majesty the Emperor.’
Unfortunately, it seems the people who remained in Lestall perished long, long ago. They say it was likely due to an influx of Monsters from a Dungeon collapse. That’s rough. If deep-level Monsters swarmed out, even surface dwellers wouldn’t be able to withstand them.
And so, having safely concluded the talks, we, who had achieved the mission of establishing friendly relations, were exuding a relaxed atmosphere.
“Still, their representative is amazing. To be working so admirably at that age is quite something.”
“Indeed. Her age is probably not much different from Your Highnesses.”
“Our Mary probably still wouldn’t be a match for her…”
As they were making such comments, Yuri started acting suspiciously.
“Yuri, it’s okay. I’m worse.”
Yeah. My flaws will probably be the ones that draw attention. Yuri-chan, who could manage relatively well even if she became queen, would likely be secure.
“B-but if that’s the case, then all the more reason I…”
“‘That’s why…’ I whispered secretively into Yuri’s ear.”
“If I can get out of becoming King, you can stay comfortable as you are now, right?”
“Ah, I see. So that’s why you were… Rui… but…”
Yuri-chan seemed to be struggling with something. Well, if I don’t get a younger brother, her turn will come eventually, though. When that time comes, we’ll manage somehow. I’ve gotten a little used to these kinds of situations recently, too.
And so, with all our business concluded, we were supposed to return to the village, but only Yuri and I ended up stopping by Lease on the way back to share information with the generals. I tried saying, “We have vehicles now, don’t we?” but apparently, they want to hide the presence of Japanese people in Lestall for as long as possible. They know they can’t hide it for long, but they say it would be best if it’s after the matter with the Empire is resolved.
Ah, because they brought people over from Oldam. In that case, we’ll have to have a certain number of discussions with the Prime Minister and the others, huh.
If that’s the reason, then it can’t be helped. Taking off with Maso, Yuri and I headed to Lease to report the matter to the generals.