Twelve years ago, in the spring of the 722nd year of the Kingdom's history, the Kingdom of Lunamilia came into conflict with the neighboring nation of the Republic of St. Ferdinand¹, and as a result, a war broke out.
The republic's argument at the time was that the kingdom was trying to use the wisemen to do something bad, and that our country would march in to stop them.
Of course, there was no evidence of such a thing, and even the wisemen themselves had not heard of it, so everything was just a false accusation from the Republic's side.
At this time, the unstated true intention of the republic's side was probably the rich land of the kingdom.
The steep mountains surrounded by the sea of trees contained a lot of magical elements, and the fresh water flowing down from the mountains contained a lot of nutrients from the mountains.
And the nourishment from the fresh water is spread over the land as if it had been gouged out, making the land of the kingdom suitable for various industries to the extent that it did not matter where it was cultivated.
Moreover, the land facing the sea was an ideal harbor, with the steep mountains acting as a natural breakwater.
On the other hand, the land in the neighboring nation of the republic is mostly wasteland, blocked by the roots of trees in the adjacent sea of trees and the ferocious demons that emerge from them, making it unsuitable for cultivation.
While relying mainly on imports from other countries, the country educated monks and soldiers who used the country's unique power called Horiki² and dispatched them to various countries to spread the religion recognized by the country, and so the country was able to survive on the donations collected by each church.
By the way, this power called Horiki is not well known because it is not clearly stated, but it is thought to be the power called Qi that can be acquired by mastering physical arts.
In the past, more than a hundred years ago, there were several wars between the Republic and the Kingdom, but those wars were the result of the actions of one country against the other, which led to a war.
In fact, the cause of the war between the Kingdom and the Republic at that time, which was left in a book over a hundred years ago, was that the demon race that came to the Kingdom from the sea, ran rampant in the Republic, and the Kingdom side protected them.
In the Republic Ddiscrimination against non-human races has taken root, while in contrast, the Kingdom, with its thriving trade, interacted with various species.
In the kingdom, they were treated no differently than ordinary humans, but once they stepped out of the kingdom and into the neighboring legal country, other races were treated like slaves.
According to the records of the kingdom, the reason why the demon tribe went into a rage was because their beloved family members were captured by the people of the Republic, sold as slaves, and then brutally killed on the spot when they went to save them.
Anybody would be outraged if such a thing was done to them.
As a kingdom, we had to help the weak and discourage the strong, and as a legal nation, we had to protect our identity.
However, this war has none of those things.
Therefore, the Kingdom could only say that it was incomprehensible.
Even so, the kingdom sent a messenger to clear up the misunderstanding quietly in order to avoid a war, but the Republic refused.
The head of the supposed messenger was sent back to the kingdom along with a document that implicitly declared that there was no point in trying to deceive them and that they should be annihilated quietly.
In the meantime, a certain disease began to spread in the kingdom.
It was the “Dead tree Disease".
Because the country was closed, it spread quickly.
And then, as if on cue, the forces of the Republic marched into the territory of the kingdom.
The first to face the brunt of the attack was the Sylvest frontier county, located at the entrance to the country and ruled by one of the wisemen.
Until then, it had been an unspoken rule that the wisemen would not participate in the wars of the country.
However, when he saw his territory sinking into the fires of war due to the selfish arguments of the Republic, which was completely different from the wars that his territory had suffered from in the past, he, as a wiseman, decided to fight thoroughly for the first time.
As a result, he was able to reach the battlefield earlier than the Royal Army due to his location, and his large-scale annihilation magic drove the Rebublican Army to the point of destruction.
By the time the Royal Army rushed to the rescue, the battlefield had already been burned to the ground.
Until then, it had been known that wisemen possess tremendous power, but it was said that the wisemen who were reborn from humans were not so strong.
The reason for this was that the other confirmed wisemen were either beasts or elves.
As a result, this war changed the world's perception of all wisemen.
As a result of this defeat, the Republic, whose national power had been reduced, approached the Kingdom, which had been exhausted by the disease, and asked for a ceasefire.
It was such a self-serving statement as, "The epidemic in the kingdom was a divine punishment, and that the Republic marched into the kingdom without realizing it, and they regret it very much.” however, the kingdom accepted the proposal, thinking that it would be good for the war to stop.
The following autumn, the two countries signed a ceasefire agreement.
This is how it happened 12 years ago and how it all turned out.
Just by looking at this, you can clearly see how selfish the Republic is.
The kingdom's fault this time was that they had not been able to build up friendly relations with the Republic because they had little contact with them, using the excuse that they were a country closed off by steep mountains, and another reason was the kingdom's weak attitude.
It may be difficult to get along with a country that has been at war in the past due to various reasons, but if we had managed to do so, we would not have been looked down upon by the Republic, attacked for random reasons, and almost had our land ransacked.
The kingdom could have filed a complaint against the Republic for compensation, but the Kingdom prioritized rebuilding rather than such a thing, and as a result, the Republic is still behaving in a manner that cannot be called equal to the kingdom.
The reason for this may be that they don't want to get involved with that country too much.
But the truth is that the king himself, who had ended up sacrificing his friends, had been a fool for too long.
... But what is the king going to do now that he thinks that one of his friends has just come back?
God has no intention to intervene in their lives.
After all, to God, humans are no better than ants.
The only people who care that much about the community of ants in a worm cage are young boys or people who love ants.
The gods of this world are somewhere in between.
If you ask me if I like people, I would say that I find them interesting.
I observe them because I like them to some extent.
So, I decided to create a world that I liked in a role-playing game, a world that I happened to be interested in, and I modified the world to have a similar atmosphere.
I tried to create strong individuals.
I also created various species.
For God, there is no timeline.
To God, when Augusto Werstein died, Takada Youko was still alive as an actress, and when he let Takada Youko die by mistake, Augusto Werstein was getting married to his only wife.
Plunging Takada Youko's soul into Augusto Werstein's body was just a cruel interest, like a schoolboy plunging a firecracker into a frog's butt.
For a god who has existed for eternity, it is nothing more than a way to kill time.
As long as it's fun, that's all that matters.
God laughs.
He was observing the existence who had been set to lead the country to war, the existence who had incarnated into the body of an existence set to be a mere bite, an existence of what was a pathetic woman.
He observed them as they stared at each other, thrilled.
I don't know where I am, but if I look around, I can see some noblemen chatting amicably in a garden alley.
A gentle breeze came through, just enough to keep my hat from blowing away, and it made a refreshing sound as it swayed the trees and flowers.
The miscellaneous smells of people gathered at the party are swept away, and the scent of nature hits my nose.
But my mood is far from refreshing, if anything, it's worse.
It's different from a white one piece, it’s kind of like, well that.
It's something like the clothes worn by priests and the like in foreign horror movies and dramas. That.
He was an old man with a kind smile on his face who was dressed in a white color.
He is the Prime Minister of this country who may have poisoned Augusto-san and may have played a part in starting the war.
A marquis, in Augusto-san's memory, is the next highest position after a duke.
It's really confusing because you can't tell the difference between a duke and a marquis unless you use Kanji, and I wish they would be abolished³.
While thinking about this, I look at the old man in front of me.
There are some differences in appearance, such as deeper wrinkles and an increase in their number, perhaps because the age of the man is different from what I remember, but the atmosphere he exudes has not changed at all.
His bangs used to be swept back, but today they are slicked back.
His back hair used to be nonexistent, but now it’s lightly swept, how to say it, there are Yankees with this type of hair, right.
Well, maybe it's because of his age, but it doesn't have much volume.
He looks like a really kind old man.
He seems to have a smile on his face and his eyes are always squinted, except for the occasional thin opening.
When he looks at me, his eyes suddenly meet mine, and he is not smiling at all.
I was annoyed.
I already can’t afford any time, so why are you here now, old man?
“My if it isn’t the Prime Minister. I apologize for not being able to greet you yesterday."
I acted as usual.
The performance was the same as always: dignified, calm, and unconcerned.
It's not a good idea to let my voice shake or show any signs of impatience here.
Even if you can't afford something on the inside, you need to act as if you can have time to spare on the outside.
You can't show even a shred of weakness.
I mean, I didn't even think to want to show it.
Augusto-san's memory is truly amazing.
This indescribable stench, the hostility I could feel, and the discomfort that seemed to cling to me.
All of these things were still the same, and nothing seemed to have changed.
In fact, if this is the case after hiding it, it will be a big deal when everything comes out.
There is a possibility that it is piling up.
"No, no, it wouldn't have been in the best interest of the Duke to remain in the hall during that commotion, so it can't be helped."
The person in front of me said this with a smile and a very calm expression and voice.
I see, you've implicitly accused me of running away.
He said it couldn’t be helped, but his eyes were not smiling at all.
But for the Augusto-san of now, his specs are already all over the place, so even if it’s for a moment, it’s obvious.
…… Besides, this guy seems like he’s on equal footing while looking from above.
I don’t understand why I have to be told it can’t be helped by you.
That's for me to say, and you have to affirm everything because of your position, essentially.
Do you have any idea of the hierarchy of the aristocracy?
It's that thing, like saying that the customer is God, that it's wrong for the customer to say it, but the store owner should say it. No, well that's different, but it’s something like that
It's not discrimination or anything like that.
It's neither distinction to maintain order.
It's also not to protect pride or anything like that.
Rather, such things are unnecessary and a hindrance.
According to Augusto-san's knowledge, the higher the rank of a nobleman, the more responsibility he has.
In particular, the invisible pedigree of being a member of the royal family, which is Augusto-san's bloodline, comes with him even if he marries into another family.
The dukedom is an insurance policy in case something happens to the royal family, in case of the worst.
Originally, there was also the position of Grand Duke, but this only occurred when the royal brother or brother-in-law descended as a vassal noble.
When the current king ascended to the throne, the Grand Duke, being the brother of the previous king, was very old and had died shortly before the war broke out, and his children and family also died of wartime illness.
In other words, it's a house that no longer exists.
That's why the Duchy of Werstein is now the only spare.
They are the furthest thing from the royal family, and yet they are the closest thing to a spare.
That's why we must never let the family break up, and that's why the blood of the Wersteins is heavy.
A legitimate bloodline is a deterrent in itself, and has tremendous influence.
In other words, it has more responsibility than other noble families, and it is an incomparably heavy position.
It would be wrong to poison the head of such a family and then talk to him in a superior manner.
Augusto-san's position, which I was able to guess from memory, carries a responsibility that could move the country.
And that is a duty.
That's why he's second only to the royal family.
That's why only the royal family can intervene with the duchy.
After all, it’s the only relatives.
...... It's not a simple matter of pride, pride, or willpower being damaged.
The history of the country, the way of life of many people, and other fundamental aspects of the country are being disregarded.
That's what I'm upset about.
I can't speak for Augusto-san, who was out of his mind, but as a complete stranger, I knew Augusto-san, the king, and the queen, who had been working hard up until then, by vague memory, and I was nothing but angry.
...... If you make fun of the duchy, you are making fun of the royal family and this country.
I'm not sure if this guy understands that.
I don't think he does.
If he did, normally one would realize.
Aah, it's hard for an idiot I guess.
I feel sorry for him.
Why is this kind of person in charge of the country, who made this decision, ah, the previous king, he really has no vision.
Why didn't the current king let this old man quit, ah, because the country might not run because the decent people were taken in by the faction too.
This old man is a real scoundrel.
"Hmm, thank you for saying that."
I continued to act as if I had all the patience in the world, without showing any of the thoughts that I had laid out in my head in the blink of an eye, nor the swearing and abusive language I had used.
I'm really pissed off, but I think I should be completely unfazed and give him the benefit of the doubt.
"I had heard that you had fallen ill, but you seem to have recovered quite well, I’m relieved."
The old man, who had a gentle smile plastered on his face with a relieved expression, nodded his head in agreement and replied as such.
What’s with this guy, his sarcasm is super.
What's he talking about when he's the one who poisoned me.
I'm sure he’s definitely not relieved at all.
Ah serious, what the hell is he talking about.
I'm going to beat him.
While I was thinking about such a thing, I was ostensibly completely unfazed, and rather thinly, I made an expression of a smile on my face.
"I'm sorry to have caused you so much concern, but as you can see, I've even back to my normal weight."
I said smoothly, returning sarcasm for sarcasm.
Well deserved, the man you wanted to kill, Augusto-san, is now a wise man, such a precious existence in this world, no?
You’re rather grateful though right? Aren't you happy?
Hey, hey, how do you feel now? Hey, how do you feel now?
... I don't know the original story behind this, but it's whatever.
But it's so frustrating, isn't it? I'm sorry, but it totally backfired on you, didn't it?
While I was inwardly making fun of the old man in front of me, the calm part of my brain lamented.
If you hadn't poisoned him, Augusto-san wouldn't have died.
Thanks to you, I’m a wiseman.
The hell are you doing, you old bastard?
"No, no, but it’s quite nostalgic. It's like we're back in those days."
In response to my words and attitude, he showed the same smile, but with a gentle voice and a nostalgic attitude, and for a moment he had an abhorrent feeling in his gaze.
Eh, what? Frustrated? You're frustrated?
Suck it up.
The old man's words made me feel a little better.
“You mean about twelve years ago?"
"Yes, that's it. I've aged a lot, but…"
“I’ve aged as well. Compared to then, I’ve aged just as much."
For a moment, I thought about making fun of him, but I decided not to because it would be a complete boomerang remark, and I tried to keep it safe.
Even in the midst of such a conversation, my over-spec mind could not stop thinking.
Twelve years ago, during the war, the Grand Duchy was cut off due to illness, and Duchy of Werstein was also hit hard by the disease.
And more recently, they had even tried to poison the head of the family.
The common denominator is royal bloodline and high status.
In addition, the current king of this country does not have any concubines, or side chambers, or anything like that, so there are only five members of the royal family at the moment.
As the king, he needed a lot of spare siblings or even half-brother children as insurance for the next generation, but even when the queen hadn't been able to have children for a long time, I remembered that the idea of having side chambers had been rejected.
Of course, it was this old man and his faction who rejected the idea.
They said that they couldn't have a person in the castle who would break up the relationship between the king and queen.
And the client for the Augusto-san’s poisoning case was this old man.
I was horrified at the inevitable guess that came to my mind when I thought of that.
"Well, well, the Duke is still young.
“Am I?"
“That’s right, that’s right."
I look at the old man, trying very hard to keep up the same act.
... I wondered if this old man was connected to the neighboring country.
I didn't think it was possible, but when I thought more about it, a lot of things became clear.
But if that's true, doesn't it mean that it’s been like this since Augusto-san was still a student?
Isn't it possible that this has been planned to happen for a long time, while been slowly eroding him?
I don't have any evidence, but I have a feeling.
If that's the case, then it's understandable why Augusto-san had been so wary of this old man.
I didn't even want to know what the hell he wanted.
While I was frightened, I still thought that I should somehow plan a countermeasure, when I suddenly felt someone approaching me, and my consciousness returned to reality.
Inwardly, still as expected I’m afraid of this frightening old man, but I couldn't let that show, so I desperately as if putting on a costume, without changing my attitude or expression, I sent a glance at the person who was coming, somewhat making light footsteps.
Then the old man noticed it and turned his gaze there as well and smiled cheerfully.
“Oh my, if it isn't Julietta-san, how can I help you?"
"I saw ojisama, so I came to give a greeting."
The person who appeared was a very beautiful girl of about 18 years old with a kind smile.
She had long, fluffy blonde hair that was more pale pink than the queen's blonde hair, with the sides braided.
A hair ornament with a large pearl, prominently decorated in silver.
I’m not sure what it is, but it looks like a catsuit and a chain, with the chain intersecting in a diamond-shaped grid, hanging down to cover the back of the head, glued together and decorated with pearls.
The dress was rose pink, designed to look like a princess.
Something that only a young, thin girl would wear.
"Hmm, I see, ah, that’s right, Werstein- koshaku-sama, let me introduce you, this is my granddaughter, Julietta."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Werstein- Hoshaku-sama.
My name is Julietta Reinbach, granddaughter of Ragsdew Reinbach. Pleased make my acquaintance."
Prompted by the old man, the girl greeted him in a lovely voice that sounded like a ringing bell, and gave him a lady's bow.
However, she was indeed his grandchild.
She looks at me from a very superior perspective.
There was not a single word of excuse or excuse me even when she appeared in the middle of a conversation.
It was a shady smile, inherited from the old man.
I had a bad feeling about this.
I'm afraid of the old man, so I'll think about him later, but for now, I should analyze this girl.
“Hmm, my my, if it isn’t a beautiful young lady. The Prime Minister must be very proud."
“My...! I can't believe the Duke would say that…"
When I tried to agitate her, she turned over shyly and put her hand on her cheek, as if she was troubled, and giggled.
However, the emotion in the gaze that met my eyes for a moment was, if anything, darker.
It was not a good feeling for a young girl to have.
It wasn't a grudge or anything like that, but something incomprehensible that was clearly out of the ordinary, like stagnant greed or something like that.
To be honest, it was weird.
It was as if an animal in the skin of a very pretty girl was standing in front of me.
What should I do, this one looks dangerous too.
"If you don't mind, Duke, would you be willing to dance with Julietta for a song? She's at a good age, but my granddaughter has yet to find a suitable partner."
"Oh, no! Please don't do this, Grandfather, it's not good for the Duke to have a little girl like me as his partner."
The old man's words accompanied by a fufufu laugh, gave me goosebumps, though only on the inside.
And this girl, why is she acting like it’s not a bad idea at all, stop it.
In the meantime, I have a bad feeling about this, so I think I'll just say no in a safe way.
"Hmm, if a man like me dances with a beautiful woman like her, it might affect her future marriage.
I'm not proud of it, but my reputation is at the bottom of the earth. For her sake, I’ll have to decline."
I say it calmly and matter-of-factly.
This may make me sound cold, but that's a good thing.
I'm sure that no matter how good-looking I am, she wouldn't like to be treated like this.
I mean, if I danced with such a young girl, I'm sure I'd be misunderstood as someone who's trying to rape a young girl.
“My... How kind of you...! But you don't have to worry about it, you know. I don't care about that at all."
The girl who asserted this, tilting her head like a little bird while laughing daintily, was very sparkling.
Why, I’m the one who cares at this point.
How can you listen to my words and make such a statement.
Seriously, what are you thinking, this little girl?
Even if you don't care, I’m an ojisama with a very bad reputation, this is important socially, read the atmosphere.
No, it can’t be, you’ve read the atmosphere and it turned like this?
After all, she's the old man's granddaughter, so there's definitely something behind this.
That's a very good possibility.
In fact, right now, the girl is coming closer and closer to me.
I felt nothing but disgust at the thin, white hand that was being offered to me to escort me to the venue, as if she didn't expect me to refuse since she was introduced by the old man.
If I were to take this girl's hand, it would be just what the old man wanted.
However, if I forcefully refused her hand, that would be a problem as well.
So, what to do?
It's simple.
I'm the elder, so I should rebuke her wisely.
I think of that good looking actor I admire so much.
His acting is sometimes gentle, sometimes dandy, and sometimes sexy and powerful.
Without grabbing the offered hand, I stepped forward and placed my left hand on the girl's left shoulder.
Then following I put my face next to her ear and whispered lightly.
“That’s no good?"
“Eh...?"
For a moment, the girl probably didn't understand what was said.
Her voice spilled out confusedly like so.
Then as if wrapping up in a low and charming voice, mixing intimidation into my tone I whispered.
"It's not right for a beautiful young lady like you to give up defending herself.
A man will always be a man, and therefore a beast."
"... Oh!"
The girl, who was trembling and her face turned red, looked her age only at this moment.
It looks like it's pretty effective.
No, well I don’t know the original source.
“Well then, excuse me."
I walked past the girl, said a quick greeting to the old man, and left.
Ah, that was a pain in the ass!!
[1] : 聖フェルディナンド法国(Hijiri ferudinando-hōkoku) - actually translates as France, but that’s weird so I took the separate means of 法(ho) and 国(Koku) which can be read a Kuni, aka country. Also found a different writings for it 報国(Hokoku) which means patriotism; 邦国 which means country, state/ various countries; originally I wondered if this was just saying empire, because kingdom is oukoku but empire is actually teikoku, so I had to go for a mid field, and went back to the France translation and although (it might not fit too well and) republic actually has another reading, aka 共和国(Kyōwakoku) I decided to use it to refer to it when and when only hokoku is written
[2] : 法力 - the literal meaning is actually Legal power
[3] : something I mention in the glossary, their prounounciation and kana is the same こうしゃく(Kōshaku) but their kanji is different 公爵(duke), 侯爵(marquis); btw Kanji is basically the use of Chinese characters in Japanese writing
Dandy middle-aged man whispering near your ear like that has some destructive power >:D
Author really² over did the inner monologue...
Thanks for the chapter TL
Thanks for the chapter!