A few months after the end of the war, when the Lemurian Empire was still in a victorious mood, the palace of the Kingdom of False was silent.

　The only sound was the sound of one man's shoes.

　Golden hair, jade eyes. A handsome face. And long ears.

　In human terms, he was in his early thirties.
　Considering the fact that she is an elf, her age is barely over 100.

　The man's well-developed muscles are clearly visible even through his clothes, and he has a heavy longsword hanging from his waist to back it up.

　The man slowly walked through the crowd of bowed heads and sat down on his throne.

　"Raise your face.

　The voice of the man, King Farus, echoed in the silent palace.
　King Fahls' face was expressionless, and his subjects were twitching with fear.

　"Yazdegerd.

　King Fahls called his name, and Yazdegerd shuddered.
　King Foulds commanded quietly.

　"Come here.
　"...... Yes, Father.

　Yazdegild slowly stood up and, struggling to move his trembling legs, knelt beneath King Fahls.

　What do you have to say for yourself?
　"No, Father!

　Yazdegild hissed.

　"I tried to fight Lemuria to the end!　I tried to fight Lemuria to the end, but Shaheen imprisoned me and made a humiliating peace!　All because of Shaheen's ......

　Yazdegerd couldn't say the last word.
　Yazdegild couldn't say the last word because King Fars had him by the neck.

　"You stupid son of a b*tc*!

　King Foulds threw Yazdegild with all his might.
　Yazdegild's body flew like a ball and slammed hard against the wall.

　"Chi-chiu ......
　"Don't ever call me father again!　...... I would have forgiven you if you had apologized honestly!

　Yazdegild's expression was one of despair.
　Ignoring Yazdegild, King Foulds calls out to the two men.

　"Coward, Shaheen.
　"Ha!

　Coward and Shaheen obeyed King Fahls' command, and stepped forward to kneel before the throne.
　Coward had just been freed from the Lemurian Empire three days ago.

　Coward, I thought I left you to guard and babysit me while I went to Sindhira.
　"Yes. ...... I'm sorry. I couldn't stop His Highness Yazdegerd. This is all my fault.
　"Oh, yes, ...... you know exactly what I mean. You will be punished accordingly.
　...... Yes, I'm prepared.

　King Fars then looked at Shaheen.

　Shaheen, I entrusted you with the protection of the kingdom of Khayastan.
　Yes. ...... Now that the war with Lemuria has been decided, I have lent my troops to Lord Coward, believing that a reasonable force is necessary to achieve victory. ...... However, the Emperor of Lemuria took us by surprise and attacked the underdeveloped kingdom of Khayastan. ...... It was all an error in judgment on my part. Your Majesty.
　That's right, it's your fault.

　And King Fahls will bring them both to justice.

　"Coward, Shaheen. All your lands are confiscated. Your property shall also be confiscated to compensate for the damage caused by this war.
　"...... Yes.
　And I'd say ...... for the hangman's noose.

　King Foulds then breaks off and snorts.

　"I can't put all the blame on you.

　King Foulds says plainly to Coward, Shaheen, and the rest of his subjects, "If all your subjects oppose it, you will have no choice.

　If all my subjects had opposed me, this matter could have been prevented. The blame is heavy, but not all of it lies with you. There were others, both military and civilian, who could have stopped the ...... Yazdegerd.

　He then glared at his subjects.
　Some ...... of the vassals who had fanned the Yazdegerd behind the scenes were in a cold sweat.

　"It was also an error in judgment on my part. I didn't expect Yazdegild to be so weak in the trenches. And I didn't expect ...... Hadrian's successor to be so good. Even if Yazdegerd hadn't made a fool of himself, it might have only been a matter of time before the Lemurian emperor attacked.

　King Fars then looked down at Coward and Shaheen.

　I know better than anyone that you two are excellent generals. You were both defeated not because you were incompetent, but because your enemy was superior. And you have served me and brought me many victories. I can't ignore those achievements and blame you for a single failure. Hence, .......

　King Foulds comes to a final conclusion.

　The sentence against you is suspended. And the rank of general will remain unchanged. ...... Defeat Lemuria in the next war. At that time, I will return the confiscated territories to you.



　Upon hearing the verdict, Coward and Shaheen wept silently.
　With tears streaming down their faces, they answered their master.

　"Thank you for your generous punishment, .......
　"...... We will certainly live up to your expectations and defeat Lemuria.

　Hearing the words of his two vassals, King Fahls nodded his head in satisfaction.

　"Very well. ...... Be sure to answer for your loyalty.






　"How can I help you, Your Majesty?
　"Thank you for coming, Befnum.

　Then, after passing judgment on all the military and civilian officials, King Fars summoned an old man to his chamber.
　The name of this old man, who was over 230 years old, was Befnum.

　He is the highest-ranking general and vizier of the Kingdom of Fars, and has served since the time of the previous king.

　He is the right-hand man of the King of Foulds, and is known as the ...... "Wand".

　"I want you to read this.
　"What is this?
　It's a report on the policies of the new Emperor of Lemuria and his various actions during the recent war. Give me your honest opinion.
　I see. ...... I'll be with you in a moment.

　After saying that, Befnum read the thick report.
　After Befnum had finished reading the report, which took about an hour, King Fahls asked again, "What do you think?

　"What do you think?
　What do you think?" "He's a tricky man to make enemies with.

　Befnum replied.
　Befnum replied, "He is a difficult man to make enemies with.

　He seems to have innovative ideas and the drive, intelligence, and command to implement them. But that doesn't mean that he changes everything. ...... He is also conservative, maintaining what he judges to be good for the status quo. And not only does he repress, he also compromises at times. ...... He seems to be a very flexible person.

　I agree with you. I agree with you. The religious reform and financial reform were truly major policy changes. However, he did not deny all the policies of the previous emperors, and he inherited many of them. He seems to have a great ability to accurately assess the current situation and respond to it. And ...... will stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

　Both of them appreciate the new Lemurian emperor's abilities.

　On the other hand, ......

　"But this man seems to be quite vain. On top of that, he's self-centered and selfish. He doesn't think about others at all. ...... No, he does, and then he tramples them down for his own convenience.

　"This is also evident in the military activities in our territory. The only reason he refrains from looting is to protect his own reputation and to make rational decisions to facilitate military operations. In fact, in some areas, he has forcibly requisitioned goods against the backdrop of force, destroyed temples of the Holy Fire religion and stolen goods. ...... He is not what you would call a good man. It's all for your own reasons, your own mood, your own reputation.

　The two men disparaged the character and personality of the new Lemurian emperor.
　But ......

　But it seems that he is widely supported by the nobility, clergy and commoners alike.
　"He seems to have a keen ability to perceive people's minds. The Lemurian emperor's high ability is the result of his ability to understand people's minds well, his personality that can trample over people's minds without hesitation, and his rationality.

　A monarch who doesn't understand people's hearts will be disobeyed by his subjects no matter how rational and brutal he is.

　A monarch who cannot trample on people's hearts, no matter how rational and understanding of people's hearts he is, cannot do the 'right' thing because of his kindness.

　A monarch who lacks rationality, no matter how brutal he may be and how well he understands people's hearts, cannot make the most of it.

　And you seem to have a lot of guts. You must have a very bold mind or a lot of self-confidence to be able to make that kind of change.
　"I heard that it was the Emperor of Lemuria who shot Coward in the back. If the story is true, it means that he has the courage to stand on the front lines of the war himself.

　A man with the courage of a lion and the cunning of a fox.
　That was their assessment of the Lemurian emperor.

　But ...... I know one man who resembles the Emperor of Lemuria.
　"Yes?　Who's that?
　"Your Majesty. Our great king.

　When Befnum said this, King Fahls smiled.
　Then he stood quietly.

　"A troublesome enemy. But every enemy has a weakness. And there is no enemy I have not defeated.

　King Foulth glared in the direction of the Lemurian Empire.

　"Emperor of Lemuria, Hercule. You may now bask in the glory of your victory. ...... I will surely defeat you.




　The great king who brought the Kingdom of Phallus to its zenith.
　He was one of the three greatest monarchs of the early Middle Ages and one of the three protagonists of this era.

　Three times in Lemuria, five times in the Kuro Pit, and seven times in Cyndira.
　He was also a great general who won many battles.

　He was also a great politician who developed the bureaucracy, maximized the power of the king, reduced the power of the lords, and dramatically increased agricultural productivity through flood control projects.

　He was also a man of culture who protected various arts.

　He was also a cultural figure who protected various arts, and a great sovereign who had eight great generals at his side.

　The name of this great ruler is Sasan.

　He was the conqueror of the world, the "Sun King" Sasan VIII.

　He is a great hero of the Pharisees who will be remembered for a thousand years to come. ......

　He is one of the lifelong rivals of Hercule I, the Holy Light Emperor, the champion of the three continents.






　I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk.　Or is she still angry about the oppression of the Messiahs?

　Sasan VIII asks Behnam about the pretty girl he had quarreled with before the Sindhira expedition.


　Sasan VIII is the daughter that Sasan VIII loves and spoils the most for some reason. ......

　"......About that, actually, ......

　When he heard Behnam's report, Sasan VIII's face turned red with anger and he shouted.

　"That stupid girl ！！！！！　Find her!　She'll beat me a hundred ...... no, she'll beat me a thousand!