Getting To Know The King: Introduction

The shortage of deputy governor personnel that had come up in the meeting the other day… unlike the shortage of diplomats or development department personnel, I thought this was a job that even locals… no, that locals would be able to handle better.

Being competent was important, but more than that, it was a job where diligence made the difference.

The work itself was like that of a civil servant, and the basic policies were carried out according to instructions from the nation. Of course, they could adopt various policies based on their own judgment, but that much was left to them.

Currently, as the broad policy, each region was advancing policies centered on infrastructure development, with particular focus on roads and waterworks.

Thanks to that, unemployment across Einheria had been steadily decreasing, and it seemed that every region was enjoying an economic boom.

The source of the funds for all those public works projects being pushed so aggressively was apparently something Kiriku and Ilmitt had been earning for us… but I had not heard the details.

They seemed to be using mana stones, but apparently they were not selling the mana stones themselves, so I basically let them do as they pleased. The amount they were using was tiny compared to the amount I had accidentally used too…

I had gone a little off topic, but… regarding the deputy governors we were currently lacking, it was decided that we would appoint people from the former Lumoria Kingdom, Est Kingdom, and Fregis Kingdom, where governance was going relatively well, and dispatch them to each region.

However, in connection with that… or rather, along with it… Kiriku told me that the former king of the Fregis Kingdom wanted to speak with me. Even if Fregis had been the last to be annexed, it probably was not very good that I had still not met someone who had once been a king, so I accepted the request.

And today, at Einheria Castle, I met the former King of Fregis for the first time.

“Teleportation is an incredible technique. Once you experience this, traveling slowly by carriage feels ridiculous.”

A well-tanned, muscular middle-aged man said that bluntly as he sat heavily on the sofa in front of me.

This was not the Audience Chamber, but a reception room. I had invited the former King of Fregis as a guest, not in the form of a fallen king coming for an audience to show submission.

“Indeed. I traveled by carriage for the first time the other day, but honestly, it was just tiring, and I could not feel any advantage to it at all. If I had to ride in one of those, walking would be better.”

“Oh? I thought you were a shut-in king who barely ever left his castle, but do you prefer moving your body?”

For some reason, the former King of Fregis sent me a challenging look.

Was he a martial-minded old man, just as he appeared…?

Well, leaving that aside… I could feel Lynferia’s anger gauge, as she stood beside me as my guard, rapidly shooting upward at this old man’s attitude.

He had been acting like this since right after entering the room, so I had warned Lynferia to hold herself back… but it might be better to move the conversation along before she exploded.

“I had no business in the direction of the Fregis Kingdom. Recently, I went west and east, you know? Though it was an instant journey using teleportation.”

“Oh? The Kingdom of Largray and the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, then. Come to think of it, those two countries were not annexed through war, were they?”

“Neither country attacked Einheria. We ended up sending troops to the Kingdom of Largray to rescue its people, while as for the Lufelon Holy Kingdom, they joined under us as a result of friendly discussions from the start.”

“We were too busy with our own affairs, so I do not know the details of that situation, but it is impressive that you expanded your territory this much in such a short time.”

“There were many short-sighted countries that bit the moment I showed even the slightest opening. Once I gave them a somewhat harsh punishment, my territory had simply increased.”

“You are rather relaxed for someone who has crushed five countries.”

“We were not the ones who crushed the Kingdom of Largray, you know? That was their own fault… no, I suppose the ones who attacked us also brought it on themselves.”

At my words, the former King of Fregis made an annoyed expression.

“From what I heard, you yourself stood on the battlefield in the war against the Est Kingdom. Why did you not come to us? With that teleportation of yours, you could have come to our side as well.”

“I was busy with a separate matter during the final battle against the Fregis Kingdom. Besides, there was no need for me to appear against the Fregis Kingdom, was there? Our Grand General entertained you quite thoroughly, and that was enough, was it not?”

Saying that I had something more important to do than the final battle was a rather insulting remark, but his expression did not change much from before.

He was probably deliberately bringing up dangerous topics too… though I did not know what his aim was.

“…Tch. It is true that Lord Arandor was a magnificent strategist. I never expected him to break down the coordination between our forts and towns to that extent.”

Although he clicked his tongue, the King of Fregis said that while, for some reason, softening his expression.

Arandor’s way of fighting had not been a brute-force breakthrough at a single point, but rather crushing key points so that coordination within the Fregis Kingdom became impossible, then systematically wiping out each stronghold.

Among the armies that brought down the three countries, his had the largest number of soldiers at twenty-five thousand, and from what I had heard, Arandor’s way of skillfully using them and keeping the Fregis Kingdom Army bewildered from start to finish had truly been splendid.

“Come to think of it, King of Fregis. I heard you stood on the battlefield too?”

“…You may call me Graham. There is already no king in Fregis anymore.”

The former King of Fregis… Graham, said that decisively, but contrary to the admirable humility of those words, his eyes were glittering, and he looked like he could attack at any moment.

“Then, Graham, is it true that the king himself stood on the battlefield and charged across the front lines?”

“Of course. By having the king stand at the front and charge faster than anyone else, the people continue forward with the king’s back as their guide. That is my way of being a king. A king is one who leads. That does not change even on the battlefield.”

I see… we had only met a few minutes ago, but that way of thinking seemed to fit this old man perfectly.

But I definitely thought it was wrong for a king to charge into the very front lines of a war, you know?

The people around him must have been desperate to protect him with everything they had too. Still, it was far too dangerous… I was amazed that this man had survived until now.

“King of Einheria. What do you use to make yourself worthy of being king? Where does your kingly path lie?”

As I was thinking that, Graham threw a question at me.

I felt like I had this kind of conversation before… was it with the former king of the Est Kingdom? I had one with Efaria too… do kings absolutely have this conversation with each other?

I was bad at conversations of this sort because they scraped away at my heart… though this time, I had prepared myself knowing it would probably become that kind of talk, so I was still all right.

“A king is one who provides. He is an existence who reaches places beyond the power of the people, removes their anxieties, and provides peace.”

At my answer, Graham furrowed his brows.

“You say a king is one who protects and shelters the people? Those are hardly the words of a king in a chaotic age who continues to annex other countries. But people who grow used to being sheltered and protected will rot. The future opens only beyond cutting a path forward and continuing to advance.”

“It is true that if you stop advancing and choose stagnation, all that remains is decline. I agree with the part about the future opening only to those who continue advancing. However, there are not so many people who can chase the back of a great king and run in the same way. A king who looks only forward and keeps charging ahead cannot look back at those who have fallen behind him. A strong personality fascinates people, but humans are not so simple that they can run endlessly on that alone.”

Some people might be led by a powerful personality, follow after them, and push forward in an attempt to eventually surpass them… but only a truly limited few can do that.

The vast majority cannot keep up with it and end up letting themselves be carried along by the current, living by inertia.

Fervor was an extremely powerful emotion, but it had little staying power.

“That is why I prepare the place. I do not become the trigger for people to move forward. I create the foundation for them to move forward… that is my duty as a king.”

“You say becoming the foundation that allows the people to stand on their own is what a king is?”

“They can use the foundation I have made and freely proceed in whatever direction they wish on their own feet. I will continue making that foundation endlessly wide, endlessly solid, and endlessly high. Even if the people fall upon it, I will enlarge the foundation together with those fallen people.”

“You mean to say you will not produce even a single dropout? That is something not even a god can accomplish. It is not even at the level of arrogance. It is simply the nonsense of an infant who knows nothing.”

I was zero years old, so I would not deny that I was an infant…

“Kukuku… that is precisely why it is good. Graham, you were a king who stood at the very front ahead of anyone and charged forward, were you not? As a king, I am running farther ahead than anyone else. How is that different from your way of being a king? The one who runs at the front always has an uninhabited wilderness ahead of him, an unexplored domain no one has ever reached. Can you, of all people, call me just an idiot for trying to challenge that?”

“…”

“Unlike you, I do not guide people with my back and make them accompany me down my road. I will create roads that allow the people to advance in every possible direction. As a result, my country will become a country rich in diversity unlike any other.”

“You would not even decide the direction the country should face, and would leave it to the free will of the people? Can such a person be called a king?”

…As long as I could install the mana collection devices, I thought everyone could live however they wanted.

I was fulfilling my own objective too… and though it might be something of a thank-you for that, I intended to properly prepare at least a foundation for them, you know?

“Of course. I am trying to be king according to my own will. Besides, you underestimate the people too much. What they lack is environment and knowledge… if I can give them that, those who merely indulged themselves in their former status will become relics of the past in an instant.”

“…Your way of being is hard to tell whether you believe in the people or not. You say it is impossible to keep chasing ideals and keep running, yet if you prepare the place, they can raise themselves endlessly?”

“Who knows? But not even being able to notice the opportunity to make an effort is not the way my country should be. Of course, I have no intention of looking after those who choose to drop out of their own accord.”

I would not go so far as to say I would produce no dropouts. In the end, it depended on each person.

I had talked about this sort of thing with Efaria before too, had I not…?

“…I have generally understood your way of being as a king. It seems far more difficult than my path… but if it can be accomplished, the country would certainly prosper. But can you do it?”

Graham once again turned a challenging look… no, a provocative look toward me.

To that old man, I merely shrugged.

“Rather, other than me… no, other than this Einheria, what country could accomplish it?”

“You say Einheria has the vessel to realize your absurd ravings?”

“Of course. But to realize that ideal, the vessel that is me and Einheria alone is not enough. That is why, Graham… lend me your hand. I need your power.”

“My power? Einheria has a vessel, and it has a king who holds an ideal, does it not? Why would you need the power of an outsider?”

“Outsider? What foolish thing are you saying? You are already the king of a fallen country that has submitted to Einheria, are you not? Your power already belongs to Einheria.”

When I shook my head and replied to Graham, who said that as if playing dumb, Graham snorted.

“If my power already belongs to Einheria, then there is no need for you to ask me. You need only order me to wield my power.”

“That is not true. What I seek from you is for you to wield your power fully. It is for you to willingly become my strength. Even if I forced you to obey by command, I would only obtain results of a corresponding level, would I not? Especially with a type like you.”

Personnel appointed from other countries had low loyalty, after all… if things went badly, they might betray us immediately.

Even if not, there probably were not many eccentric people who would eagerly work hard for the sake of the one who destroyed their own country.

That was why I wanted Graham, who was popular in the Fregis Kingdom, to properly accept things and work as a vassal of Einheria.

If Graham became motivated and served Einheria, surely many talented people would acknowledge Einheria.

“…You think I have not accepted it?”

“Of course. That is why you said to let you meet me… though I do not know whether you intended to judge me or to accept things. Or were you planning to kill me and make a desperate gamble of it?”

“…Even if I killed you now, the situation would not be overturned. But it is true that I wished to judge you. The people of the Fregis Kingdom are simple. There are no small number of them who praise Einheria, which defeated them. But… as a king, I have not yet yielded to you.”

Saying that, Graham bared his teeth and showed a savage smile.

His face was as vicious as Bangagonga’s… I thought it was far too unsuitable as a king’s smile.

“I understand the path you walk as a king. I thought I would not mind cooperating with that ideal… but it is still not enough to convince me.”

Well, we had only just started talking, so of course it was not. Like trust, it would require time. I did not think anything would be settled in this single meeting today.

Efaria suddenly trusting me with everything was the strange case… though I felt somewhat sorry for bringing up Efaria every time… I should invite her to our dining hall sometime.

She had quite liked Einheria’s food, after all.

“Therefore, fight me. Show me your power! Depending on that, I will decide whether to lend you my strength!”

While I had been thinking about Efaria for a moment, this old man started saying something absurd… why did it turn out like that?