Extra 56: Manga 54 SS Sinking Metropolis
“Move the defense force and the royal knights as well! They are not only 100 or 200, you know!”
“Have the adventurers join too! It is a national crisis, no questions asked! If they refuse the drafting, just threaten them that they will be forever prohibited from entering Limia grounds from here on, and they will nod!!”
“Why wasn’t there a single report about a massive army like that until they got to that distance?! Is there a spy inside the country?! This is a breach of duty. I demand an explanation from the royalty! A convincing explanation!”
“Don’t spout nonsense like responsibility and explanations in an emergency where the capital might fall!”
“The royal family of Limia must follow the procedures at any moment when they are to wield their supreme authority! Not allowing a dictatorship that ignores nobles is directly correlated to the benefit of the masses!”
“Look at reality! If you force the drafting of adventurers, you will definitely lose their trust! Do you know just how much of an opening that would create for the other nations?! It is as clear as day!”
“Everyone, please calm down! The most important thing right now is to defeat those demons! For the sake of our Limia Kingdom not ending as a fallen nation like Elysion!”
“What has happened to the follow-up reports?! Why are the people who headed out to scout the situation not coming back to report?!”
“We have had people from my army and valorous ones with excelling ability do the scouting!! We have, but…not a single one is coming back!!”
It was a big ruckus as if a beehive had been poked.
The headquarters of Limia that was set in the capital for the conquest of the Stella Fortress were at the peak of chaos.
Even if it is the headquarters, it is the capital.
The actual command center of the units is led by the frontline base close to the Stella Fortress.
With just one glance, you can tell that the Limia Kingdom is not a monolith, and you could tell that there was an optimism that didn’t match their current situation of a war between races.
And now, they are in this pathetic state after the demon army has concentrated close to the capital and started advancing.
The Hero that had landed into these lands, Otonashi Hibiki, not being able to concentrate on learning about warfare and strategizing is in part because of the serious disease that encroaches this abundant kingdom.
A way too deep crevice between hyumans and demi-humans.
The teachings of the Goddess which are heavily biased but many hyumans follow.
The widening disparity between nobles and commoners due to the richness of the nation.
Numerous nobles swarm onto the sweet nectar of the nation while claiming it is for the sake of the kingdom, and the unsightly political strife continues without any signs of ending.
The royal family already doesn’t have the authority to shut it down with one threatening roar.
The Hibiki at that time thought she was watching the setting sun of a major power.
That’s why she trained herself, accumulated experience, and at her side in every battlefield, she would have one of the princes, Joshua, as her ally in the reformation of the nation, the restructuring of the system, and went around speaking about her knowledge and ideals to make the kingdom even stronger and wealthier.
Of course, she wasn’t all words.
She actually moved and showed that her words were not just naive ideals.
With a type of charm power called Charisma given to her by the Goddess helping out as well in her persuasion.
Hibiki also dismantled sturdy vested interests, and she became an existence that was marked by powerful nobles in the bad meaning of the word.
If Hibiki knew that the famed nobles gathered in the headquarters of the capital are complaining as they pleased about the situation and panicking all around, her sour stomach might have receded a bit.
However, it is missing the core.
Right now what’s heading towards the capital is a fully armed army of demons.
If they were to invade the capital just like that, it is clear what tragedies await.
They were simply shouting about the whereabouts of the responsibility and reflexively shouting whatever opinions come to their mind without anyone to put them together.
One of the nobles of the western territory of Limia that was not part of the headquarters team but a member of the defense unit, Resin Yunesti, sighed while armored.
“I see. Seeing this state, I can understand why the Goddess would think about reforming Limia by bringing the Hero-dono.” (Resin) “Resin-dono, even if it is in a low volume, saying something like that here is not good.”
“Oh…is that Oswal-dono? How unlucky of you, being in the capital at this time,.” (Resin)
Resin spoke lightly as if somewhat aloof.
He has already made his child the family head, so the instances where he has to make contact with subordinates as a teacher have increased. His current life right now is basically extra time to do what he likes.
He is decently happy and having a decent amount of fun.
Resin was even thankful towards the Goddess despite himself for being able to live a blessed life.
It is exactly because it is him that he still didn’t change his attitude much even if he is in front of the eldest son of the Hopelace household, who are well-known around nobles of the Limia Kingdom as the family you don’t want to get glared at more than even the royal family.
“I am a member of the royal knights on this occasion, so there’s no telling yet whether this is bad luck or not.” (Oswal)
“…True. We will do our best so that Oswal-dono can think that it was good luck.” (Resin)
Resin puts a fist on his chest armor as if in jest.
“…How rude. My intentions were not to insult your professional duties, sir.” (Oswal)
Oswal made a shocked expression for a second and then apologized to Resin.
He is currently under the command of the royal knights.
However, he is not exactly an official one.
Oswal is currently moving from post to post under the orders of his father, for the sake of his future.
However, if you are from the royal knights that protect the king and the royalty, you should be the last ones facing danger. Oswal guessed that Resin’s response referred to those truly simple and rash words of his.
He himself isn’t that much of an ambitious and greedy person.
It is just that his father is like that.
He admired his father who was loved by the people and had amplified the power of the Hopelace family.
As long as he is going to become the head of the Hopelace household that’s at the top of the great nobles, Oswal has to learn about the behavior of his father and copy it well.
There might come a time when he has to make a decision by his own will, but right now his esteemed father is still present.
That’s why he is obediently walking the path he has paved for him.
Oswal had come to an understanding that right now it is that kind of time.
“Hahaha, I acted a bit nasty there. To think I would make the coming head of the Hopelace household apologize. Looks like I now have a good story to brag about in my house too.” (Resin)
“Resin-dono…” (Oswal)
In the past, Oswal was drilled the basics of a soldier by him.
The swordsmanship and ability to command of Resin are higher than that of Oswal.
On the other hand, Resin doesn’t have a good amount of magic power and isn’t good at using magic, but he has obtained exemplary defensive skills against magic so, in the end, Oswal hasn’t been able to win in battle against Resin even once.
He has simply allowed one hit due to his family name.
But…
Once that job of Resin was done with, Oswal stopped being one soldier of his unit, and he once again treated him purely as a person of a higher family.
That felt weird for Oswal.
If it were someone he doesn’t care about or internally hates, he wouldn’t mind.
But to have Resin -a person he admires- treating him as a superior felt off.
“Then, I will go. We must teach the demons their place after all. Let’s both protect what we have to protect.” (Resin)
“Yes. May fortune be with you, Sergeant.” (Oswal)
“…What a nostalgic way of calling me. Please get along well with my son and the others as proof of having perfectly protected this capital, Os.” (Resin)
“I promise.” (Oswal) The sergeant face of Resin he hadn’t seen in a while made Oswal feel a bit of relief.
““?!””
At that moment, a powerful golden light illuminated the window.
This vivid light shocked everyone and made them look outside.
The golden pillar pierced the middle point of the capital and the demon army.
Everyone was speechless -even the outspoken nobles, Prince Joshua, Resin, and Oswal.
That’s because it resembled ‘that’.
The sight when Hibiki descended as a Hero at the temple. For the people living in this world, the golden magic light holds a special meaning.
The light pillar slowly grew thinner and…disappeared.
“Oooh…”
“The Goddess.”
“She has wielded her powers to save us!”
“You damn demons! No matter how many lowly schemes you make, we have the Goddess on our side!”
“Slaughter them all! Slaughter them all and remind them of their place!!”
Comments flew about and it turned uncontrollable again.
Oswal moved his gaze back to Resin, but he wasn’t there anymore.
He has returned to his unit and will be fighting the demons.
If it is a golden magic power light, it is impossible for it to be part of the demons’ plan.
He must have seen it as one of the few opportunities they had.
Oswal felt the same way.
There was a prince there who was going around here and there, arranging the opinions of everyone.
To Oswal, those eyes of him looked as if he had come back to his senses.
He almost leaked out a chuckle there.
“…Nobles, huh.” (Oswal)
What was spreading before him was the very sight of the ugly underbelly of nobles.
However, if asked whether it is possible to maintain this massive and rich Limia Kingdom with only the king and the royalty, the answer would be that it is impossible.
With just them alone, they wouldn’t even be able to maintain even half of the nation.
In the end, nobles are a necessary existence in Limia.
Oswal also doesn’t think that the current state is a healthy one.
But he also has no intention at all of letting go of the vested interests obtained from wars just because it is the correct thing to do.
Right now, at this very moment, the royal family and the nobles of the Limia Kingdom are decaying nicely.
Decay is of course not a good thing, but it at the same time is the desired result for the royal family, nobles, and the people.
That’s why it is happening.
This is how Oswal thinks about it.
He is not thinking about becoming a family head that brings about change within the annals of history.
He simply wanted to pass his time in peace under acceptable levels while accepting even decay -together with the Hopelace household.
The face of his little brother that had been recently hit by the naive ideals of the Hero surfaced in his mind, and he furrowed his brows imagining himself being sandwiched by his father and little brother.
“I think peace has enough worth in its own right though. I gotta reunite with my father and little brother first though.” (Oswal)
The royal knights that had caught up were moving along under the command of Joshua.
The conquest of the Stella Fortress.
Their respective battles continued.