Side: Innis - First Princess of August
"Man, that was magnificent! Don't you agree, Old Master Feigel?"
I was more excited than I had ever been in my life.
For a human to fly through the sky, even using magic, the absolute limit is hovering slightly off the ground... Well, an inhuman monster like Headmaster Poppuri can fly, but that is the exception of exceptions no matter how you look at it.
And then there were Dragon Knights who could command dragons. They were exceptional as well, but they had the advantage of being able to carry people through the sky.
Thanks to that, I flew in the sky!
Wy-chan was intelligent, flying higher and faster just as I desired. To be able to read a human's intentions so thoroughly—as expected of a dragon!! To make such a creature your companion and race across the battlefield together—that was truly man and dragon as one! A genuine Dragon Knight, indeed!
"Indeed it was..."
Yet Master Feigel, who had flown alongside me, gave me such a half-hearted response.
Good grief, this is why old people are such a pain!
"When something is fun, shouldn't you just honestly admit it's fun? In the end, isn't research itself merely the pursuit of what is enjoyable?"
"That may be so, but we do have our own proper procedures here. I had intended to formally negotiate a dragon ride for a later date, you know?"
"What are you saying? You wouldn't have included me among those riding on that day anyway, right?"
"Well, naturally."
"Reports from third parties are utterly unreliable. If this were merely an exceptional horse, that would be one thing, but how could I possibly entrust the evaluation of a dragon to subordinates? The unprecedented revival of the Dragon Knight—is there anyone at the central hub of power, amidst all its swirling conspiracies, who could evaluate it correctly?"
"...And you believe you can, Princess?"
"I am certainly better suited than my subordinates. After all, I have no higher position left to climb to. You could call me uniquely qualified. Thanks to that, I was able to force my way through, wasn't I?"
Well, satisfying my curiosity was the biggest reason, but unless I had a convincing justification, I'd be unable to move freely later.
Honestly, I was born into quite a troublesome position.
Still, Master Feigel looks dissatisfied.
Can't be helped—I suppose I'll piece together some proper sophistry for him.
"Power isn't the only issue. More importantly, people who serve a country tend to overestimate their own nation's strength. They can't admit that they're weaker than a neighboring country, and even if it's the truth, they have to hide it for the sake of the nation's foundation. Do you really think a subordinate could make such a statement?"
"...Not unless they had nerves of steel."
"Exactly. Even generals at my level worry about how the people around them will evaluate them. Among our retainers, the only people capable of making a proper assessment of Wy-chan are Lalaina, the Magic Swordsman who used to be Vixen's superior and is currently accompanying Father, and Minister Doston."
Naturally, Lalaina isn't here, so I cannot have her ride Wy-chan for an evaluation.
As for Prime Minister Doston, while not quite as advanced in years as Master Feigel, he is still quite old. Furthermore, given his position, his workload is immense, making it impossible for him.
"Haah. I understand what you're saying, Princess. But as the person responsible for you, I have to offer at least some words of caution."
"I know. I apologize for causing you trouble, Old Master."
Yes, this exchange was practically part of our routine.
After all, we've gone through this exchange countless times.
"So, Princess. Now that you've ridden the dragon yourself, what was your impression?"
What a sharp old man.
He immediately switched gears, his gaze becoming sharp... That is precisely why he is so reliable, though.
"To be completely honest... It would take a minimum of a thousand men just to defeat Wy-chan alone."
"Fumu. At the level of the Academy's faculty?"
"At bare minimum. And that's assuming a surprise attack with all thousand striking simultaneously—even then, whether they could defeat it is uncertain."
"Then, truthfully, it cannot be defeated."
"Indeed. I hate to admit it, but it might even surpass a Magic Sword Wielder. Even our Lalaina would struggle."
"To that extent?"
"First of all, attacks won't reach it. That is the primary difficulty. Second, dragons possess a special magic that protects their rider. Since it safeguards the rider, any naive dream of piercing them with arrows is foolish. And finally, above all else, the dragon itself is remarkably intelligent. It comprehends our intentions, and if it senses danger, it can judge the situation on its own. A tactic like provoking only the Dragon Knight to drag them down to ground combat would almost certainly fail. Even in the unlikely event that someone framed the master under false charges and executed them, I highly doubt the dragon would submit to us. That dragon possesses genuine loyalty and a true heart. Horses have hearts as well, but that dragon is in a class of its own. Anyone who treats it as a mere animal or monster will suffer a painful retaliation before long."
The legendary Dragon Knight—the legends certainly did not exaggerate.
With that dragon alone, they might even be capable of bringing down an entire nation.
They could gradually wear down an enemy from above, little by little, while the enemy would have to remain on constant alert day and night thanks to that incredible mobility.
"I do not know Wy-chan's exact means of attack, but it likely possesses something like a dragon's breath. It is hard to imagine it conveniently engaging us in close quarters."
"Indeed. The literature says dragons breathe fire."
"More importantly, aren't there already monsters capable of breath attacks in the monster forest managed by the Academy?"
"There are. The Black Wolf uses fire, the Ice Bird uses ice, and the Thunderbird even uses lightning."
"They were troublesome enough. But coming from that dragon... considering its size is more than a whole magnitude larger, it would be naive to assume its power is merely on par with theirs."
"Precisely. And that transportation capacity is simply absurd as well."
"Ah. Setting aside myself, Master, and Amanda-kouhai, it maintained that speed even while carrying over ten people in the cage. As a military force, any army would break its neck trying to obtain it, but it's impossible."
"Impossible indeed. If we lay a finger on it, that damned hag will come flying in."
"Quite literally. If that happens, we would be torn to shreds by their combined force. So, that is my assessment. You may use it as a reference when our selected subordinates evaluate the dragon later."
I wonder how much of the truth they'll be willing to tell.
While I appreciate their patriotism, misjudging our military strength for the sake of pride is not the right path.
"Now then, let me ask something from my end. Master Feigel, how did the guests look to you?"
Apparently, Master Feigel possesses a special skill that allows him to see someone's status.
This is a fact known only to a select few within the Kingdom of August, making him just as vital a figure to our nation as Dragon Knight Amanda. His skill is extraordinarily useful, particularly when it comes to gathering information about enemies.
"Let's see. Dragon Knight Amanda herself is not particularly strong. At best, she is around Your Highness's level."
"What do you mean, 'not particularly strong'? Do you think people at my level grow on trees!?"
"There are plenty of them at the Academy, aren't there? Could you win against one of the instructors?"
"...That depends on compatibility."
The Academy's instructors were personally recruited by Headmaster Poppuri.
Even though I held a single-digit rank back then, the gap in power between me and the instructors was wide enough that they could easily handle me.
Well, looking back, I believe it was a matter of tactical composition, so if given another chance, I wouldn't lose so easily.
"Compatibility... Indeed. At best, I could manage four or five instructors myself. Plus, that damn old hag is lurking behind them."
"I can't imagine defeating the Headmaster. Hmm. So Amanda-kouhai is about that strong. No, for someone her age, possessing that much talent is remarkable."
"Indeed. If it weren't for the Dragon Knight issue, I would have tried to recruit her myself. However, when I said she wasn't particularly strong, that wasn't what I meant."
"...What do you mean?"
"All I'll say is that Dragon Knight Amanda and her husband, Eoid-dono, are the weakest people among that group."
"WHAT!?"
I raised my voice without thinking.
I knew they were strong enough to serve as escorts for Dragon Knight Amanda—However, I never imagined that Amanda-kouhai would be the weakest among them.
"What are you saying? Certainly, I can tell that Yuki-dono and the women surrounding him are strong. But Samantha-dono and Cleana are still students, aren't they? Aren't they around the same level as Amanda? And what about those small children—are you telling me those young girls are seasoned veterans too?"
"Yes. Literally speaking, Amanda-dono and Eoid-dono are the weakest among them. You saw Cleena's strength with your own eyes, didn't you? A simple Fireball produced that level of firepower. Could Your Highness produce that kind of power?"
Indeed, acting on the Master's advice, I had permitted a playful test of skill to measure her abilities and observed it—that level of destruction is not something easily unleashed.
...I understand that all too well myself.
"Well, as Your Highness likely understands, we must assume something occurred. That was how Cleana's power exploded so drastically. I cannot see the bottom of it, but at worst, even I might struggle against her."
"...What do you mean? Doesn't your skill allow you to determine an opponent's strength?"
"I believe I told you this a long time ago. When the difference in strength between two people is too great, there are times when I can't see the other person's strength."
"Ah, just like with Headmaster Poppuri... Don't tell me...!"
"Exactly. Aside from Amanda-dono and Eoid-dono, I cannot grasp the strength of anyone in that group at all."
"Are you saying that not only that mercenary band, but even Samantha-dono and Cleana might be on par with Headmaster Poppuri!?"
"Yes. Which is likely why the kingdoms of Jilva and Enaria went out of their way to concoct stories about them inheriting royal bloodlines just to establish a framework to support them..."
"Was all to avoid turning that mercenary band into an enemy!?"
"That's how we should interpret it."
"Good grief. So this is the real reason..."
I took another sip of my tea.
It had gone completely cold, but it was just right for moistening my dry throat.
"The real reason... Indeed, that's probably it. The Headmaster went so far as to personally ask them to accompany Dragon Knight Amanda as her guards. We should assume they already have the Academy as a backer."
"That's not all. Considering that Samantha-dono, who originally had no connection to this, accompanied them, it's safe to say Rhodei also has ties to that mercenary band."
A mercenary band with the backing of three major powers and the Academy?
Just what on earth must one do to make such a thing possible?
Normally, they would have been absorbed by one of those nations... No, but if what Master Feigel said was true—if every individual member was on the same level as Headmaster Poppuri—then there was no way they could simply control them.
But how did they determine they possessed such strength...?
I hardly believe that people with skills like Master Feigel exist in every nation.
...No, wait. There were rumors demonstrating their power, weren't there?
"...If I recall correctly, there were those unbelievable stories about them storming the royal castle in Jilva, and slaying powerful monsters during the attack on Enaria."
"There were indeed. Though, in my personal opinion, all of them were true."
"I completely assumed the Jilva incident was a false rumor, and the Enaria attack was just propaganda to broadcast their own military strength..."
"Ah, I see. It is just as Your Highness says."
For some reason, the Master agreed with my statement.
"No. Isn't the truth simply that the mercenary company did all of those things?"
"And that is how it ultimately turned out. Now that the mercenary band shares distant royal bloodlines with both Jilva and Enaria, the raid on Jilva's castle becomes an internal affair caused by family, and the defense against the Enaria attack becomes a story of relatives slaying powerful monsters."
"Ah... I see."
I ended up responding just like Master Feigel.
But he was right.
They hadn't twisted the facts themselves. They had simply changed the position of the people involved so that the facts could be presented favorably.
The raid on Jilva's castle may have happened, but since it was carried out by relatives, it can be brushed off as a rumor. And the attack on Enaria was repelled by relatives, so claiming it as their own nation's military achievement isn't wrong for propaganda purposes either.
"But does that mean they're the kind of opponent who leaves those countries with no choice but to respond like this?"
"Indeed. They were forced to witness overwhelming, uncontrollable power right before their eyes. So, even if it carries almost no actual binding force, they granted them the status of blood relatives without succession rights. Otherwise, their own nation's prestige would have hit rock bottom."
"Naturally. If a mere mercenary band raided one nation's royal castle, and saved another's capital from an attack... no matter how you look at it, vassal states and neighboring nations would see it as a golden opportunity to raise their flags in rebellion."
The five great powers currently in existence, along with one demi-human nation, were the largest nations on the continent. But that's not maintained by military and governance alone—It exists because there's authority to justify it.
If people stopped fearing or respecting them, then no matter how strong they were, others wouldn't obey them. To preserve that authority, they resorted to such extraordinary actions as adopting a mercenary band into their families.
"...But I've never heard any rumors of such a powerful mercenary band before."
"I asked them about that myself. Although they call themselves a mercenary company, as you can see, they're the sort who travel from country to country, examine various documents, and search for treasure. They probably haven't achieved many spectacular military victories."
"Ah, now that you mention it, they did say something like that. But where on earth did they acquire such strength?"
"Well, that's the one thing I have absolutely no idea about."
For a while, we both drank our tea in silence.
Outside, it had already grown dark, and the stars were shining brilliantly.
"Come to think of it, are the guests having dinner?"
"Yes. They said they were looking forward to trying August cuisine."
"Fumu. They don't seem hostile at the moment. If we act too tense around people like that, we'll only make them suspicious of us."
"Indeed. It is best to entertain them as calmly and naturally as we always do."
As we always do, huh...?
"In that case, starting tomorrow, I shall personally entertain the mercenary band."
"That's..."
"There should be no issue, right? Even if they are merely figureheads on the surface, they share blood with the royalty of both Jilva and Enaria. If I do not handle them personally, we risk facing pressure from both nations and the Academy."
"...That is certainly possible."
"However, what shall we do about Amanda-dono?"
"In that case, we can simply have her accompany us. According to Vixen, he promised to guide them around the city. I shall step in and guide them in his place. Given their positions, Yuki-dono and the others are Amanda-dono's escorts. No one can complain about us acting together. Under the original plan, we intended to separate her from her escorts to investigate various matters, but to think the escorts themselves are the far more critical factor... How troublesome."
"Troublesome things certainly happened while His Majesty was away."
"Indeed. But why did my father have to go on an inspection tour of the countryside at a time like this? It's not as if it's the front line."
"...He must have had something in mind. Besides, Lalaina the Magic Sword Wielder is with him, so trouble is unlikely to arise."
"That's exactly the problem. He deliberately took one of August's strongest assets with him to the provinces. And he recalled me from the border to replace her, didn't he?"
"...Princess. Could it be that you're supposed to find a marriage partner?"
...Come to think of it, there was a message mentioning something about an arranged marriage.
Master Feigel certainly didn't miss the way I averted my eyes.
"Sigh. I understand Your Highness's desire to fulfill your role as a leader on the front lines, but more important than that, preserving the nation means keeping the royal bloodline alive, you know?
"I-I know that. But there is simply no one who catches my interest!"
"Good grief. I haven't heard a word about you attending any marriage meetings... Don't tell me you heard about the Dragon Knight's arrival and simply put all that off until later...?"
"N-No, that's not it! I was properly preparing for the matchmaking meetings. I was thoroughly looking into the candidates!!"
Yes, I properly bundled the marriage proposal letters on my desk with a string and tossed them into the shelf.
So I wouldn't lose them!!
"Then who is your prospective partner?"
"T-That is... a Duke."
"Which Duke's son would that be?"
...I have no idea.
"Sigh. This is a far bigger problem than the Dragon Knight or the mercenary band."
"What are you saying? My younger brother will inherit the throne, so there is no problem at all!"
"What royal family in the world encourages their princess to become an old maid!?"
"Y-You called me an old maid, Master!?"
"Good grief. Even my foster daughter managed to find a man—and she's flat as a board."
"Guh..."
Indeed.
Notices periodically arrive from my other friends announcing that they have gotten married.
Those I called close friends back at the Academy are now mothers to children as a matter of course.
Am I really becoming an old maid?
No, that can't be... My figure is great—my chest is full, my waist is trim, and my hips curve out nicely. I should be overflowing with feminine charm... Then why haven't I gotten married?
"I just haven't met the right person yet!! That's it! It has to be!! So once this matter is settled, I'll actively accept marriage proposals..."
"Oh! So you've finally made up your mind?"
"However, before that, I must properly resolve this situation! So first, I will go inform Amanda-kouhai and Yuki-dono's group of tomorrow's schedule. Yes, let's do that!!"
Saying so, I burst out of the room.
"Ah, she ran away!?"
No! This is by no means running away.
This was simply a tactical advance toward the rear!!
