The first thing that must be done is to unify the country.
　The legacy of a slightly flamboyant purge has lingered.

　What I need to do is to relieve the tension.

　Nevertheless, the As family and the Rosais family members are taking the lead in this effort.
　The former Dibelites are also very loyal, and some of them even sent hostages to us.

　Time will tell on this one.


　What I need to deal with is diplomacy.
　The countries that border our country are King Belvedere's lands to the south, and King Evil's lands to the west. And the country of King Equus in the east (the tribe of Equus) and the country of King Domorgal in the north.
　They are splendidly surrounded on all sides.

　The country of King Equus is currently friendly, and the country of King Domorgal is hostile.
　And the countries of King Evil and Belvedere are a little less friendly.

　Just as King Domorgal's country was a threat to our country, King Evil's country and King Belvedil's country is a huge threat to King Rosais' country.

　Originally (before I ascended the throne), King Rosais' country had a population of about 170,000, while King Evil's country and King Belvedil's country were each around 100,000.
　Even with this, there was a considerable difference in national power.
　But up until now, the country of King Loseys was plagued with domestic and foreign troubles, and as far as I was concerned, it was not able to wield its national power.

　But then a new young king, me, was born.
　I don't know the population of King Loseys' country exactly because I haven't done a census yet, but it's currently about 230,000.
　Well, just like I only have a rough idea of the population of other countries, both countries will only have a rough idea of our country's population, but it's easy to imagine that its national power has increased significantly after the battle with King Domorgal's country.

　And national power is not something that can be expressed in terms of population or agricultural income alone.

　King Evil's country possessed iron-making technology at an early stage and surpassed King Rosais' country in quality.
　The country of King Belvedere, due to its proximity to the cities of Cilicia, surpassed our country in building technology and political system.

　However, this superiority was about to collapse.
　Our country is now able to manufacture iron tools and to recruit Cilician workers.

　And above all, we have a centralized system.

　King Rosais' country has made great progress in that in the last civil war.
　They can assemble an army several times faster than any other country.

　And I've only recently risen so rapidly that I'm not known for who I am.
　Both countries will be scared to death of me.

　Now that I've set myself the goal of uniting Adelunia, I intend to merge the two countries, or reduce them to a vassal state or clan.

　However, it is still too early to tell.
　We want to concentrate on internal affairs, not on war for a while.

　Besides, what is truly frightening is the possibility of a siege.
　In multiplayer strategy games, it's not uncommon for players to be beaten by neighboring countries if they win too poorly.

　In history, the famous ones are the siege of Nobunaga and the congressional plan.

　In short, it's very important to get along with your neighbors.






　The first place I headed to is King Equus' country.　
　It's an important ally of mine, but just in time I received an invitation from Muzio. A wedding.

　Yes, that bastard is finally getting married.

　The last time I went to King Equus' palace, it was me. And then, the next time, it was King Equus who came to my coronation.
　So this time, I'll be the one going to King Equus.

　I will be accompanied by Julia, Raimondo, and Rosward and their bodyguards.
　The others are staying at home.



　The first person I will greet is King Equus. And then I will greet Methyl, the crown prince.
　I'm told that I'm superior in rank to him.
　Since I am higher in social standing than them, they come to me first.

　It's been a long time. It's been a long time, King Rosais. Allow me to return the favor.
　I'm glad to see that Mister Methyl is looking well, too. By the way, how is your mother?

　I said it on purpose so that my third son, Redus, could hear me.
　It was meant to be a bit mean and a check on me.

　To put it bluntly, I'm now a king, so the weaknesses held by King Equus are meaningless.
　In other words, I have the upper hand now.

　''Thanks to Yulia-sama, I feel better now. I'm really glad.
　Methyl smiles with a heartfelt smile.　
　The rumor that he's not excellent in martial arts and has a quiet temperament but is a gentle crown prince.......seems to be true.

　If he's willing to become King Equus, he'll continue to be a good ally and stand shoulder to shoulder with us from now on.
　And it's a problem if he's too capable.



　And the next person to greet is Muzio, the star of this event.

　You are very welcome. ''King Rosais.''
　'Well, it's only natural for a person to go to a friend's wedding.

　Muzio and I shook hands with each other.
　I'm not going to use any foul language with the king of a country, because this guy can read the air a little bit. Still, it's a pretty rough tone.

　"This is Raquel. She's going to be my wife.
　Muzio pointed to a woman who was standing behind him.

　'Nice to meet you. King Rosais. The last time I was sick in bed I wasn't able to say goodbye to you. My apologies.
　No, no, don't worry about it.

　Raquelah bows her head politely.
　She has long black hair and droopy eyes that look serene.
　And her breasts are huge. That's the biggest size I've ever seen.

　If the Tetra is a light cruiser and the Uriah is a heavy cruiser, this guy is a crossbow battleship. Long live the big ship big gun principle.

　Well, I like breasts, but I'm not that obsessed with size, so for me, I don't have any feelings beyond surprise.

　I ask Muzio for an earful.
　''Speaking of which, what happened to the reverse scale?''
　'I'm giving that to you at the wedding. Don't you ever talk to me.

　I see, so it's a surprise.

　"The wedding lasts three days. I hope you enjoy it.
　Muzio gave an unsuitable bow.


　Now, the third prince, Redus, is next.

　''It's been a long time. King Rosais.
　"...Yes, Lord Redus. You seem to be in good health...

　What the hell is this guy ... why is it so dark?
　His eyes are dead. It's giving off a very unapproachable air.

　I was going to say something, but Redus had bowed and left.
　What the hell?






　The wedding took place over three days.
　The first day was a banquet. The purpose of the banquet was to deepen the friendship between the Equus clans. This time, my country was included in the circle.

　The second day was a temporary wedding.
　The second day, a provisional wedding, where they pledge their vows to their families, people and vassals.
　The vows to the gods are done separately.

　The most lavish of weddings, however, is this one.
　Gifts are sent to the bride and groom to congratulate them on their wedding.　

　By the way, 60 percent of the gifts are sheep, 30 percent are slaves and the rest are horses.
　It's just like the Equus tribe.

　By the way, they gave wine and olive oil to the bride and groom.
　They gave wine and olive oil to the bride.

　And I gave the bride a necklace of garnet boxwood and the groom a dragon Damascus steel sword that I asked Ains to give him.

　But the garnet necklace was a mistake.
　It's a nice complement to the ornaments made of reverse scale that Muzio gave to Raquera. But I guess it's a good thing, isn't it?

　And then the third day. A real wedding.
　In short, a marriage vow to the gods.
　Well, not much fun. You sacrifice a sheep and a bunch of sorcerers say a prayer and say, "Thank you, God, ancestors. We are going to get married. We will now work hard for the Equus tribe" or something like that.

　Honestly, it's boring to me. Because I'm from King Rosais' country and I don't know the ancestors and gods of the Equus tribe.
　But Yulia seemed to be having fun. Well, as long as Julia is having fun, it's okay.




　The next day, Julia and I split up.
　Julia was to examine the Three Queens again, and I was to reconfirm our alliance with King Equus and Crown Prince Methyl.

　'Then King Equus. Once again, I am Almus as Rosais, the new king of King Rosais' kingdom. It's a pleasure to meet you.
　Yes, please.

　We shake hands for a while.
　Then I look at the methyl crown prince. He is taking part in this discussion because he is the next king.
　That way, if anything should happen to him, the alliance can be handed over more smoothly.


　''First of all, the three hundred soldiers in the last war were saved. I would like to thank you again. They exceeded my expectations.
　I say this from the heart.
　In fact, that power is amazing. I wouldn't put it past you.

　'When it comes to horses, there's no better country on the Adelian peninsula than our country. That's just as it should be. Well let's talk about trade first, shall we?
　'What our country wants is wool and horses. The same as before. The rest of them seem to appreciate wolf pelts and the fangs and scales of a violent dragon.

　As a matter of fact, there is nothing that we want so much that we want to spit on.........
　Even horses and sheep can be raised in King Loseys' country.

　What I want is military strength. That's all I want.

　I see. Well, it's wheat and wine as usual. And if you can afford it, we want you to give us your ironclad. The Ruphus don't have ironclads like we do. We'll be better off with them.

　Hmmm ... well that's about as good as it gets, right?
　It's horrible to have those fangs turned on us but that's a bit of a stretch now.

　It's easier than being asked to send out reinforcements. I don't think our country, which is mainly made up of infantry, will be able to fight a war between nomads as far as I'm concerned.

　'All right. But we can't send out too many of them. We have to send our own troops first.
　I know that. Please do as much as you can. Yes ... by the way ...

　King Equus places a white stone like object in front of me.　
　No, it's got a little pink tint to it. Is that.....

　It's rock salt from our own lands.
　Huh....

　Hmmm, this guy is in trouble.
　When the price of rock salt goes down, our country's revenue goes down. Rock salt is one of the pillars of our treasury.

　"The problem is we don't have the technology to dig it out efficiently. "The problem is that we don't have the technology to dig it efficiently," he said. Could we get some technical support?　I'll give you rock salt on the cheap instead.

　It's cheaper ... I mean, it's probably cheaper than the list price.
　That's not a bad deal for us, either. If we sell to the Cilician at a higher price, we'll make enough money, and it'll solve the trade friction.
　But why?

　It was Methyl, who had been silent earlier, who answered my question.
　'There are Lupus tribes to the south of our country. Because of them, our country cannot trade with the Cilician people. And Cilician people never come to this country to buy. So we thought we might as well leave it to the people of King Losey's country. Besides, we are not very good at business.

　That makes sense.
　The Equus want wheat and wine, not gold or silver coins, much less goldsmithing or Persis glass.

　So it's more profitable to barter with King Rosyth's country.......is a funny way to describe it, but it's a desirable outcome.

　I guess we'll make more profit and there's no particular reason to refuse. Or rather, the deterioration of relations is more of a problem.

　'I see. It's in our interest to do so. Yeah, we can help. As for the specific price...''

　The meeting that day lasted until midnight.






　'Oh ...'
　Ledus was alone, holding his head in his hands.
　His face had the color of exhaustion and the aftermath of tears.

　He looked like a baby that had been cried over. No, he was actually crying. He.

　Why did Redus cry? It was because of Muzio and Raquela's marriage.
　In short, heartbreak.

　The history of Ledus' love for Raquela goes back about ten years.
　It would take me tens of thousands of words to put into words, but I'll spare you the trouble of writing it, so I'll leave it at that.

　Incidentally, Lakeyla doesn't even think that Ledus likes her as much as she does.
　The only person she looked at was Muzio, and as far as she was concerned, Ledus and Raquel didn't even talk to each other.

　From Lakela's point of view, "Redus?　Ah, the Third Prince. What about it? Level.

　So why didn't Redus share his thoughts with Raquelynn?　Because he was a chicken?
　There's that, too.

　Redus is confident in his martial arts, but he can't take a step forward at the right moment.
　Indecision might be the right word.

　But that's not all.
　The reason is simple. It's the problem of factions.

　Within the Equus tribe, there were three factions.

　One faction was that of the Third Queen and her son, Crown Prince Methyl, who was of low birth status but gave birth to the first boy.　
　The second was the faction of the Second Queen and her son Muzio, who was of high birth status and gave birth to the second boy but did not seem to be interested in succeeding to the throne.
　The third and final faction was that of the first queen and her son, Prince Ledus, who was the last to give birth to a son, although he was of high birth status.

　When Ledus was about seven years old, the first queen's faction was larger, and it was even said that Ledus's appointment as chief was a certainty.

　However.
　The second consort had fallen in line to support the third consort.

　There were various reasons, but two were given.
　One is that the second consort had no desire for power and she wanted to put everything on the third consort rather than risking her life.
　The other is the second queen's father.
　The second queen's father was a warlord, and he thought that since there was a foreign enemy called the Lupus tribe, he couldn't take over the country over a trivial matter.

　Therefore, the father of the second queen decided to follow the custom of the Equus tribe that the son of the third queen, Prince Methyl, would be his successor.

　The proof of this alliance was the betrothal of Muzio to Lakela, a relative of the Three Queens.





　In short, for Ledus, Raquella was a relative of his political opponent.
　It's impossible to tell someone how you feel about them, and there's no way in hell I'm going to marry them.

　''Ah ... ah ... ah ... I don't care about the chief ...''

　It's not that Ledus is desperate to become the chief.
　He has a desire for power as much as anyone else, so of course he wants it, but if anything, he wants to be Raquelah.

　It's not the son who is striving for the most, it's the mother who is striving for the most. Well, it's a common story.


　"What a wonderful idea for you!　Oh my God, now you can get both the Chief and Rakeela!

　A strangely high-strung voice caught Redus's ear.
　When Redus turned around, there was a woman with dark hair.

　From the color of her skin, he could tell that she was a person from around here...or at least not an Adelnian.

　The woman approaches Ledus.

　'Stop!　Ooh!
　Redus's mouth suddenly stops working.
　No, it's not just his mouth. He doesn't listen to what he says as if his whole body has been turned to stone.

　The woman grabs Ledus's cheek with both hands.

　'Hmph, it's no use. You can't get out of it too soon since you've fallen into my spellcraft. Even so, the level of spellcasters is low. That's why Princess Yulia will easily find out about the curse.

　The woman's eyes meet Ledus's.
　Redus's eyelids don't twitch. Looking away is no match for him.

　'Come on, you should do it. It's easy. Kill your father and kill your two brothers. Kill all those who oppose you. It's easy to do. I'll tell you how to do it. And you'll have both the position of Chief and Mistress Raquera. Yes?

　The woman spoke that to Redus for a while and then left.

　Redus, who was left behind, hurriedly looked around to see what was happening.

　''Huh?　What happened?　I don't remember....
　Redus scurried around for a while, but nothing changed.
　It was as if time had flown by.

　Redus sat down on the floor, wondering.






　'Hmmm, I guess it's good. I'd say two months at the shortest. Well, I'll have to set up other countries as well. It's a steady job at everything.

　The woman - Mari walked across the meadow, stepping on a skip.

　The reason she was able to invade preparedly was because of the airborne intrusion. Originally, Ellie is a black flying dragon, so it's hard to stand out, and since she can control the wind, there's no way she'll be noticed by the wind pressure. There is also the presence of an internal collaborator.

　''Well, it's a relief that Redus-kun is a soft bastard. Normally, he wouldn't go that easily.''
　Hypnosis with witchcraft. This is not easy to do.
　First of all, you can't make him do something he doesn't want to do, and usually he'll notice you while you're imploring him.

　It's easy to brainwash someone by forcibly tying them up and allowing them to repeat the process over and over again, but if you kidnap Redus, it's a big deal.

　But fortunately, Redus himself is someone who has little tolerance for such things, and at the same time, he was mentally overwhelmed.
　And he wants the position of chief and the woman.

　It doesn't take that much effort to motivate him a little.

　''The problem is that I'll be found on the way... yeah!　Why don't you just break in proudly in the position of being a guest from the Roselle Kingdom? Contact Ledus in the form of consultation........that's better!　Let's do that!