The time has flown by and it's now November.

　The fortresses that had been left to Ismea have been completed and have grown to an adequate level for soldiers to use.

　The restoration of the farmland that had been in disrepair has been completed, and now about a third of the villages have begun to be farmed in rotation.
　The other two-thirds will take some convincing to get in, but I'm sure they'll be convinced when the results come in.

　The paper production system and rock salt development facilities are in place and mass production has begun.

　Cilicia merchants, including Ains-san, are buying large quantities of paper and rock salt, so the As territory's pockets are warm.
　It looks like they won't have any trouble paying off their debts either.

　



　





　What do you think we should do?
　Are you asking me that?

　Bartolo gave him a dubious look.

　'Why don't you talk to your own people?
　'They're bound to be in favor of me if there's a chance I'll be king, so of course they're not helpful.

　I knew before I heard it anyway.
　And they won't understand that I'm worried that you're going to get hurt.

　And I have a few concerns about talking to them.

　That's where Bartolo comes in.
　From what I've heard from King Rosais, he's one of the few vassals who knows what's going on.

　I thought I'd ask him about it since he seems to have a lot of life experience.

　'I know your situation, though, because I've heard about it from King Loseys.

　I can't decide that....

　'As I recall, you're worried about a war coming up?　Well, there's a high probability of warfare, but that doesn't mean it's guaranteed to happen. If you do well, the war might not happen.

　Indeed.
　It was not a sign that a battle would necessarily occur.

　It's just a possibility.
　If I'm good at convincing or disabling Rigal Dibel, I might be able to do it.

　But that would be very hard to do.
　The As are now a third of all the great clans.
　That means that two-thirds of them will go to the enemy.

　And it's highly doubtful that a third of them would side with me for sure.
　If it were me, I'd decide on the day.

　Besides, King Domorgal's country has made no secret of its southward ambitions.
　That country will certainly take advantage of the chaos and attack us.

　''No I can't decide.
　I put my head in my hands.

　'Well, try not to regret it.'
　Bartolo stood up, as if to say there was nothing more to say.





　Deep in the deep forest.
　The deepest part of the Romano Forest, the place called the Forbidden Forest.

　The so-called Gryphon's territory.
　The Gryphon's den there I was inside the castle according to the Gryphon.

　I see...that means you want to mate with that lavender-furred female named Yuria. But Yulia is the daughter of the pack's boss, and if you mate with her, you'll be the boss. Someone doesn't like the idea of the new guy being the boss, and you could get into a fight with him. So you're bothering me?
　'That's about right but can you say it a little more obliquely?　Mating........or at least getting married. And you make it sound like I'm having trouble falling in love with a monkey or a female dog....

　The females and the fur and the herd and the bosses and the....
　There are a few more ways to say it.

　You know, women, hair color, country, king.

　This is because of the poor translation of The Blessing of the Divine Word. Animals and humans are made of the same material and have the same soul, so I don't see why we have to use different words. And from my point of view, dogs, monkeys and people are no different.

　That might not change from a beast that's half hawk, half lion god, but....

　"You want to mate with a female named Julia, don't you?
　'Well the term mating bothers me but it does.

　The gryphon snorts as it replies.

　'Then so be it. 'What's the problem?'
　That's why there's going to be a war, isn't it? Maybe Ron and the others will die too.

　When I answer that, the gryphon's eyes widen.
　For some reason, he looks unhappy.

　'Whether or not Ron and the others will cooperate with you is their own decision. It's not your business. I don't see why you should care about infighting among the pack. All you have to do is win. Or are you about to lose?
　'No I think we'll probably win in the end, but...'

　The population of the territory of Ath is 30,000. King Rosais's direct domain is 70,000. Together they are 100,000.
　The population of the other great clans' estates is about seventy thousand.

　They will win in the end.
　But there will be a lot of death.

　''Didn't you once tell me that anyone who kills their own people and doesn't think anything of it is a freak?
　Yeah. You said it. Human beings are creatures that live in packs. The problem is that they don't feel guilty about killing their own people. That makes it harder for them to keep the law in the herd. The abnormal cannot live in a herd. That would be fatal to human life. But not you.
　...What's the difference?

　Gryphon says.
　'You are the ruler. You are the lawgiver. You are not a herdmaster, you are the mover of the flock. You are not the rule of the flock. Therefore, I don't care if you're an anomaly or not. You must be a freak. Otherwise, you can't protect the flock from predators. Now that you're in charge, you should be able to do what's best for the flock. And I don't care what kind of sacrifices you have to make to achieve that. Do you understand?
　....

　The griffon says, "And that's it," he adds.

　'Human death?　What's the problem?　You're a stranger to me. And you've been killing for your own survival and to protect your children. What difference does it make now?
　I don't think you can equate my desires with the problem of lives at stake...
　It's the same thing. It's the same thing.

　The griffon snickered.
　Then he looked straight at me.

　'Look. If there's something you shouldn't do, you couldn't have done it in the first place. But the gods have given us the option of slaughtering our own people for our own desires. Then it is okay to do so. A lion takes a flock and then kills the children of the previous ruler. A fish, forgetting that they are your children, will eat them from the side that gave birth to them. And has the heavens ever punished you for this behavior?　There will be none. Then it's okay if you do.

　The griffon speaks in a matter-of-fact manner.

　'We have the right to do whatever we want we are given the freedom to do it. You are free to rebel against the unreasonableness in front of you, and you are also free to accept it. This world (toy) is for you. You can do what you want with it. You can play modestly, you can play flamboyantly, or you can destroy it with your own hands, which is an option.

　The griffon looks at me admonishingly.

　'Don't be afraid. Take heart. No one has the right to accuse you of anything. There are only winners and losers in the world. Just keep winning. Do as you please. I have done as I please. Long ago I drove a herd of cattle into the sea, blew up a mountain, and ate people to death for fun. What's the harm in that? Look, force has no obligation. There is only right. You stake out your ego. You want the girl, you take the girl. If you want territory, take it. If you want money, take it away. If you want peace, take it away. The bad ones are the ones who couldn't protect what's theirs by themselves and couldn't choose a strong man as their protector.

　The griffon's sermon to me was never going to end.

　"A man's life is shorter than mine. We don't get a do-over. Then try not to regret it. Regret for getting a stranger into trouble is a fleeting thing, but regret for missing your girl will haunt you until the day you die.
　It's...

　I sure don't like that.
　The thought of Julia being taken away from me by Rigal Dibel is repulsive just thinking about it.

　'Let's say you put the boss's position and his mating with a female on the right-hand side of the balance. It's not the lives of unrelated people that you should put on the left side of the balance. It's the regret you feel for killing an unrelated man and the regret you feel for letting another male take your female. Now, which way do you lean?　Well, in your mind, it looks like the answer is already good.
　....

　I close my eyes and think.
　I picture Yulia's figure.

　Yulia's smile, her limbs. Memories of good times. All of them are things I don't want to let go of.

　Then I open my eyes.

　''Thank you. Gryphon-sama. I've come to a conclusion. I'm off.'
　Yeah, go ahead. You won't regret it.

　I started running.
　It would take me a day to get out of the Gryphon's domain.

　Once we're through the forest, we can ride to King Rosais' palace just in time to get there.
　We must hurry.






　"You're closing in. Have you made up your mind?

　Even though it was the middle of the night, King Rosais was quick to respond.
　I guess King Loseys also wants to hear my conclusion quickly.

　And on King Losais' right hand side is Julia, and on his left hand side is Mr. Raimondo.

　'One thing first. I have wasted five months of precious time to come to a conclusion. I'm sorry. And thank you for your time. And I know it's a brazen request on top of that, but....

　I bow deeply to King Rosais and say.

　'Give me Princess Julia.'

　Then he quickly turned to Julia.
　Julia's eyes widened and she put her hand over her mouth in surprise.

　'I'm going to make you mine. You don't mind?
　Yes!

　Then Julia hugged me.
　My body falls backwards.

　This guy is pretty heavy........

　Alms!
　Julia tries to press her cherry-red lips against mine.
　I control it with my hand.

　'Hey, you can say that later...'

　King Rosais and Mr. Raimondo are staring at me.

　Julia finally seemed to notice when I told her and quickly moved away.
　Her face is bright red.

　'Since you didn't want me to continue?
　I was looking out for you.

　They say with a grin.
　These two are quintessential brothers, aren't they? They have bad personalities.


　I get up and sit back down on the floor.
　Seeing that I have a serious face, King Rosais gets a serious look on his face too.

　'Let me ask you two questions. What if I refuse?
　We've kidnapped Yulia by force. The rest of us will work with King Domorgal to destroy this country.
　I say with a straight face, and King Rosais twitches.
　Then Julia blushes.

　'Even in jest, but I'm glad I didn't say no. Now for the second. May I ask you about the reason for your sudden change of heart?
　'Is that the reason ... no, I wanted Yulia from the beginning. That's why I was happy to be king. And the fact that I was a king I guess I didn't think it was a bad idea, now that I think about it. With the power of a king, you can help a lot of people. You can repay Ron and the others. But ... I wasn't prepared for it.

　I gave them all kinds of reasons.
　Deaths, people getting hurt, people getting hurt.

　But that wasn't the point. I was just scared. Too much power.
　Ever since I became a rich man, people have looked at me differently. Now I can kill my own people with my fingertips. Just like Rigal Dibel.

　Becoming King will give you even more power. I was scared that it would change me.
　I was just afraid.

　In short, I was an indecisive, unprepared coward. To be honest, Rigal was probably better than that.
　And I'm also afraid of the existence of the 'Great King's Blessing'.

　I can't help but feel that this thing is rewriting something inside me.
　But I can't keep running around forever.

　If I don't do this, I will regret it for sure. That's why I have to face the power, and I have to face this "great king's blessing" and divide it up.

　As a step towards that, I'll get Julia.
　I just use my power for myself.

　I will kill everyone connected to the Dibel family in order to obtain a woman named Julia.
　This is my punishment.

　I will no longer be swept up in power and frightened.
　I will lose my friends, and Tetra, and everything else to that son of a b*tc*.

　So I'm going to do it before he does.
　And I'll show you how to overcome the power.

　"Oh, you're a hard thinker, aren't you? So who's the one who pushed you to take that step?
　It's not a person.
　A griffon. Well, that's good. I'd prefer it if you were the King. And by the way, let me ask you, what do you want to do when you're king?

　What I want to do.
　I don't hate luxury, but I don't love it either. Women are also enough to have Tetra and Yulia.
　If I had to choose, I would say....

　How about the unification of the Adelian peninsula?
　Peace and power to take it away. Isn't that what he said? Master Gryphon.





　Well, the problem is the timing of the announcement, the wedding and the coronation. Is there any hope for you?
　'It would be more convenient if I got it all done at once. Let's get it all done in two days.

　Normally, weddings are held a few months after the announcement.
　This is because the great families also have to prepare souvenirs and so on.

　Well, Tetra and I got it done right after the war was over because of our inheritance.

　I think Rigal Dibel won't have time to raise an army in two days. We can gather an army right after the coronation and destroy all the powerful families that didn't attend the coronation. Is that the idea?
　'Well, that's pretty much it. If we're going to revise it, we'll have to gather our troops beforehand before we announce it.

　It's going to be a bloody wedding.

　'The time is now?　As for me, I'd rather give it to you while I'm still alive. I can't die in peace, you know. It'll make you feel safer too, right?
　'I, too, King Rosais it is more convenient for me to do so while your father-in-law is alive. But as for timing....
　'No achievements, so tough. Is that what you're saying?

　I nodded.
　I haven't made any tangible achievements since I became a lord.

　It's impossible for me to succeed to the throne at this stage. Preferably after a great achievement.

　I would also like to put down the civil war and bring the country together as soon as possible. In order to do that........I think it is necessary to clean (.......) all the Dibelites at once. So it's better to do the crafting first.
　I have no reason to fight you after I inherit the throne. You just need to decide on a winner from the start.

　I see. Well, I've been having a bit of trouble deciding what to do with your accomplishments. ....Actually I have a good story to tell you, do you want to hear it?
　Excuse me?
　"Soon, King Domorgal's kingdom will be invading our land. You will have full command of your army and you will defeat them.

　What's the best part of that... well, if it means making an achievement, maybe it's the best...
　Isn't that a bit challenging?

　"The expected enemy force is about 15,000. We can only take out about 4,000 to 5,000.
　'I don't remember you being able to send out that many troops when King Ferrum was in power... are you okay with that?'

　That time it was a mess of diplomatic maneuvering.
　There's a good chance they'll do diplomatic maneuvering this time, too, and they can't get the help of the Dibelian overlords, can they?
　Especially if I'm the Supreme Commander.

　"No problem. One minute we're invading King Domorgal's country, the next minute we're invading King Evil's country, and the next minute we're invading Belvedere's country. We've already made a deal with both countries that we won't attack them. And since we know that the enemy will attack us this time, it's easier to gather an army. Our direct control area alone can gather five thousand men. You have a standing army of eight hundred, don't you?　Rake up another thousand and two hundred in the draft.

　One thousand two hundred....
　If you ask me if we can or can't do it, we can.

　There's no reason to say that we can't have both recruitment and conscription, and I'm not saying that either.
　If you say that we will provide food and weapons, we can gather them without much opposition.

　''This is seven thousand. 'That's about five hundred we can expect from the big family. That's seven thousand five hundred. It's not easy but we'll have to do it. Are you sure?
　'It depends on the strategy. By the way, how many cavalry does your father-in-law have?　I'm a hundred.
　I've thought about organizing. But we can't train a large number of them. It's easier and less expensive to make three hundred heavy infantry than to make a hundred cavalry. Just in case, I have about fifty of them for guarding the territory.

　Hmmm, that's not much. It's hard to tell.
　It depends on whether the opponent has cavalry.

　"King Domorgal's country borders the Kingdom of Rozelle. The Kingdom of Rozelle is a Gaulish kingdom. It has a fairly large cavalry. I'm sure King Domorgal will keep his cavalry in the country to counter that.

　So you're saying that the number of people they bring in is small or absent.
　Well, we can make a plan then.

　We'll talk about this later.
　Yeah. The problem is manipulation. What are you going to do?

　I explain the maneuver to Rigal Dibel.
　A smile appears on King Rosyth's face.

　'I see. You've got a bad character too.'
　'I haven't decided on a specific method yet, though. I need to increase my faction in other ways as well. As for that........
　"Of course I will cooperate. The only people who know about your claim to the throne are myself and other members of House Rosais and other trusted families, including Bartolo. You will not speak of this to anyone else. And be careful what you tell your men.

　If the information leaked out, it would be detrimental to your case...
　It can't be helped.

　
　Julia said, raising her hand.
　Naturally, my gaze is focused on Julia, who is tugging at my arm.

　It feels like I'm being watched too.

　'Um ... about the blessing ... but for now, Alms, can I talk to you?
　No, that's okay. I'll tell you.

　I explain my blessings to both King Rosais and Mr. Raimondo.
　Both of them have surprised expressions on their faces.

　
　You have a very useful blessing nonetheless.

　It's embarrassing to hear that.
　After all, Gryphon-sama has dismissed the effect as shabby, and I've been dismissed by Gryphon-sama a lot.

　''So let's get to the point........actually........''
　Julia said with a slightly puzzled expression on her face.


　''Rigal Dibel also has the 'Great King's Blessing'...''

　Huh?
　Seriously?