I’m A Fan

Viewpoint of Efaria-Falk-Lufelon, Holy King of the Lufelon Holy Kingdom

“I’m glad, your complexion has improved.”

“Has it?”

Faran, who had returned to the room from the bath hall, said that as she looked at my face.

Certainly, when I looked at my own face in the large mirror in the bath hall… it had been terribly gloomy and pale, but perhaps it had improved a little.

“Before we talk, would you like to have something to eat?”

“No… if I eat, I feel like I’ll just get sleepy this time, so let’s talk first.”

I appreciate Faran’s concern, but if I fall asleep now, I definitely won’t wake up until morning.

Faran and the others will likely have various negotiations to handle as well, and we need to align our opinions today.

Faran fully understood that necessity too, so she did not press the matter further and instead changed the atmosphere to a serious one.

“Very well. Then first… starting with the biggest matter. Are you serious? About offering up everything…”

“Of course. At that time, I was speaking not as Efaria, but as the Holy King. There can be no withdrawal.”

“But… to desire becoming a vassal state, much less annexation… no, I understand perfectly well that we are in no position to even speak of an alliance…”

“That is correct. Well, if the other party were not Einheria, then perhaps the conditions my uncles devised… conditions such as granting mining rights to several mines or ceding territory near the border… might have allowed us to form an alliance on terms of four to six… no, perhaps three to seven. But do you think such lukewarm conditions would work on this country?”

“…”

Faran showed an extremely stiff expression.

I understood that feeling very well too… if Einheria were an ordinary country, the conditions I just described would be considered highly favorable.

Three to seven… of course, it would be an alliance under terms unfavorable to the Lufelon Holy Kingdom… ordinarily, such terms should never be accepted… however, we are the ones seeking help right now. These were the painful terms my uncles managed to devise, hoping that if it would save the country, then so be it.

However, this country called Einheria is different.

It is a country that did not even exist a few months ago, but its overwhelming military power is enough to show ease even while facing three nations.

It is not fighting a three-nation allied army, but attacking three nations in separate locations at the same time, so our military officials back home would probably laugh at the sheer absurdity of it.

Though its territory is that of a small country, in military power, economic power, cultural power… in every respect, the gap between it and our country, or even any neighboring nation, is likely incomparable.

As for military power in particular, might it not even be capable of clashing head-on with the Kingdom of Sorakil, a nation considered a middle-ranking power?

That country has one hero in its ranks… but the King of Einheria, who is said to have slain a dragon, must also be that kind of hero.

As he is a king, it is impossible for the King of Einheria to lead the charge himself, so the question would be how they would contain the hero of the Kingdom of Sorakil… that alone would likely determine whether Einheria could defeat the Kingdom of Sorakil. Of course, that is only if they were ever to fight.

Against an Einheria like that, there is no point at all in trying to settle matters with a few rights or cessions of land.

If Einheria wished, all it would need to do is turn the army that defeated those three nations toward the Lufelon Holy Kingdom.

“We had our people gather information on Einheria before we left the country, but there was not enough time to investigate it in that much detail… that is precisely why my uncles decided to seek my asylum or cooperation by using rights and territory as bargaining chips…”

“Yes. The plan was to gain some favor by mediating a peace with Einheria while it was being invaded by three nations, and then conclude either an alliance or a treaty. In the original plan, or rather expectation, Einheria was supposed to be driven into an increasingly desperate situation as time passed… so we believed they would jump at our offer of mediation for peace…”

To begin with, if Einheria had been such a weak country, it would not have been worth having as an ally… in that case, we had planned to go even farther west and seek shelter under the sphere of the Commercial Alliance.

Fortunately, neighboring Einheria turned out to be the ideal counterpart, so our journey ended up being short.

“And once we opened the lid, the three nations that invaded were instead facing the danger of destruction… and inside Einheria, it is so peaceful and secure that it hardly seems like a nation at war, and perhaps because of wartime demand, the economy is also on the rise… there is nothing to criticize.”

When I said that in exasperation, Faran gave a wry smile as though she too was utterly at a loss.

“However, Efi. I find it difficult to believe the homeland will agree.”

“It won’t be that easy, will it? Especially those in the Chancellor’s faction will absolutely refuse to hear it, and Uncle is certainly not going to look pleased either.”

However, I do not believe it is by any means impossible.

“That is only natural… after all, they were trying to preserve the legitimate royal bloodline by sending it to another country.”

“Certainly, preserving the family line is important. But will the day ever come when the people accept again a royal family that abandoned the country and fled? We vowed to rebuild, yes… but we had no concrete plan for how we would actually do it.”

“…”

“What Uncle sent away was not the Holy King, but his niece Efaria. Well, if I were to bear a child in exile… then it might be possible to launch a war under the banner of reclaiming the Lufelon Holy Kingdom by appealing to legitimacy… but will the Lufelon Holy Kingdom even still remain by that time? It may well have been devoured by the Kingdom of Sorakil and turned into barren land.”

The Kingdom of Sorakil is a nation that excels at intrigue… it undermines other nations and turns them into its own sustenance… I will not say that is wrong in itself, but even if one is going to exploit another, I would prefer they do it a bit more skillfully.

Basically, the Kingdom of Sorakil only deals with the nations it undermines by squeezing them dry.

Of course, a country does not collapse in just a few years, but over ten or more years it is slowly drained, and once exhausted, that country is eventually destroyed by the surrounding nations. If our country were not an exclave, the Kingdom of Sorakil would likely send in troops itself.

“And yet the Chancellor and the others should understand how the Kingdom of Sorakil operates…”

“If one looks at it from the perspective of the individual, there is certainly plenty to gain from siding with the Kingdom of Sorakil. There are, after all, those who will pursue their own desires even at the expense of country and people.”

“That is not the kind of thinking one expects from someone in the position of Chancellor…”

“It was Father who appointed the Chancellor.”

“His late Majesty was a kind man, one who loved and trusted people.”

“As a king, I think he was unreliable and lacked decisiveness, but there is no question that he was a kind king beloved by the people.”

At my words, Faran let out a sigh.

“Efi… I understand that you are trying to be strong as a king, but it lacks persuasiveness when it comes from you, who used to cling to His late Majesty so completely.”

“…”

At times like this, acquaintances from before one can even remember things are troublesome…

Being teased over something I can do nothing about now gives me a deeply helpless feeling.

“… No matter how wonderful Father was, it is undeniable that he was too soft as a king. Well, perhaps this applies not only to the Lufelon Holy Kingdom… no, perhaps to all the Holy Kings throughout history, but what is needed in this age is the strength to protect the people.”

The Holy Kings have, generation after generation, often been called kings of compassion or wise rulers, while kings called strong or ruthless have been few.

In an age without conflict, in a time of peace, that may have been a title more precious than anything else.

But it does not suit the world of today, when signs of war can already be seen… and in that sense, a strong king like the King of Einheria may well be called the child of the age.

I still do not know whether it is true or false, but they say the king himself slew that Ground Dragon. As far as I know, there has never been a strong king more straightforwardly easy to understand than that.

Moreover, he possesses the shrewdness to conceal that strength… and he conceals it only lightly enough that one can infer it if one investigates a little… this is likely a sieve.

Anyone unable to uncover even that much is not worth allying with. That is probably what the King of Einheria is saying.

In that sense, it may have been fortunate that we were able to connect with Einheria at such an early stage.

“Strength, is it… certainly, if it is this country called Einheria, then there are likely no enemies among the neighboring nations, and if we are to place ourselves under someone’s protection, it seems the best possible choice. Even so, however, many of the nobles will not accept it.”

“And why is that? Is it because my experience is lacking and my perspective has become too narrow? To me, this seems the best course…”

It will require explanation, but I believe Uncle will probably accept it as well. And the nobles of the Regent’s faction too… perhaps about half of them would agree?

The nobles of the Chancellor’s faction will certainly oppose it, but not every one of them is necessarily siding with the Kingdom of Sorakil just because they belong to that faction. If we win over such people, and then remove the Chancellor and the others who are traitors to the nation…

“I too understand, rationally, that what you are saying is the best course, Efi.”

“But your emotions will not accept it?”

Is it that their pride as nobles gets in the way?

“That is part of it, yes, but what I feel most of all is fear.”

“Fear… do you mean that if we become a vassal state or are annexed, we do not know what demands will be made of us?”

I think that is something we should negotiate carefully… and I believe they are unquestionably more reasonable than the Kingdom of Sorakil.

“Of course that too, but more than anything, we simply know too little about the country called Einheria. A military state led by a strong young king. We know that the country is stable and that its rule is good. A nation of the hero who killed a dragon. We know this country only through such symbolic fragments. Einheria is an unknown country that suddenly appeared beside us. It is not a long-familiar neighbor. Can we really trust an opponent when we do not know what it is thinking?”

“… I see. You are quite right, Faran. I saw this country of Einheria with my own eyes, and I witnessed the character of the King of Einheria for myself, so I judged him worthy of trust… but for those who remained in the country, this is an unknown great power.”

“I suspect they are far more wary of Einheria now than they were when we first left the country.”

They thought it was a weak nation that was being invaded by three countries and would have much of its territory cut away, but instead it crushed the invading armies with ease and then invaded those countries in turn… not merely seizing territory, but seeking to conquer and destroy them entirely. It is only natural to be wary.

“Will they really approve of currying favor with such an unknown country?”

“Was it not Uncle and the Regent’s faction who first tried to borrow the power of Einheria? To say now that they want to withdraw because the other side is dangerous… I do not think much of that.”

“They sought to protect the country even if it meant sending Efi into exile and ceding land and rights. But if they end up handing over the Lufelon Holy Kingdom itself, is that not putting the cart before the horse?”

“At the very least, Einheria is not like the Kingdom of Sorakil, a country that merely feeds on the nations it brings down. You can tell that from how the people and nobles of the former Lumoria Kingdom are treated. And if we come under the umbrella of military-minded Einheria, then the very power that made our people feel threatened will now protect us. Whether we are annexed or become a vassal state, the King of Einheria would never use the Lufelon Holy Kingdom like a disposable pawn.”

“Why can you say that so confidently? I do not believe that from such a short meeting, you could have learned that much about the King of Einheria.”

Since Faran asked suspiciously, I paused lightly, recalled my conversation with the King of Einheria, and began to speak.

“… I believe the King of Einheria is strong, filled with ambition, and severe toward those who oppose him. That is obvious if one looks at the Lumoria Kingdom, and at the three countries currently at war with him.”

Faran nodded, indicating she had no objection.

“However, even if they are from the enemy camp, he treats with great generosity those who surrender and swear obedience. I have heard that among the nobles of former Lumoria, there have been almost no deaths besides those who died in battle. It seems that a number of those guilty of wrongdoing were executed, but nearly all the nobles, including the chief retainers, were absorbed into Einheria, and are living almost the same lives as before.”

“We heard that sort of thing not only from the former duke who received us in the old royal capital, but also along the road.”

Receiving Faran’s agreement, I gave a small nod and continued.

“They say that the Einheria army does not engage in looting, down to the last common soldier, and that the people suffer no harm whatsoever… can such an army truly exist?”

“… Even as propaganda, I thought the story was exaggerated to an absurd degree.”

“But from what we investigated, is that not the truth?”

“… I could scarcely believe it at first. But when we confirmed it with the people in the regions where fighting had occurred, it was true…”

“Maintaining military discipline… from my perspective that seems only natural, but I often hear that in an actual battlefield, it is difficult. Rather, would not those who know the battlefield understand better than anyone how impossible such a thing is?”

“… Yes. I am a civil official, so I do not know the battlefield myself, but I have heard such stories from civil officials with military experience.”

Seeing Faran nod with a solemn expression, and feeling my spirits rise, I continued speaking still further.

“A fully disciplined and formidable army, and standing above it is the King of Einheria, the dragon-slaying hero. There is no room to doubt that strength, and the country’s governance and economy are both excellent. As an ally… no, as a sovereign to look up to, there is no one greater. If Uncle and the nobles also come to know this country and the King of Einheria, I am sure they will reach the same conclusion.”

I ended up speaking with a bit too much heat, but I truly think anyone who sees this country would come to the same opinion.

As the ruler of a weak small country like mine, it shines too brightly for me even to feel jealousy. That is how utterly extraordinary I believe this country to be.

“You seem rather worked up… have you taken such a liking to the King of Einheria?”

“Yes… we have only just met, but I believe I respect him to such an extent that it would be presumptuous to call it admiration from one king to another.”

“… I see. Is that why you proposed marriage?”

“… Proposed marriage? Who did?”

What in the world is she saying all of a sudden?

“You did, Efi.”

“… Whatever are you talking about?”

When did I ever propose marriage? More importantly, why has this become that sort of conversation?

“Didn’t you say it during that meeting? That you would offer up your body, your heart, your everything. That was a proposal that slipped in amid the confusion, wasn’t it?”

The moment I understood what Faran meant, I hurriedly denied it!

“No! That’s not it!”

“Of course, a marriage between rulers would be difficult… ah, so that is why you also said you’d give him the country…”

With a hand on her chin as if she had figured it out, Faran said something outrageous!

“I told you that’s not it! And I never said body and heart!”

“I think you said almost exactly that…”

“That is not what I meant!”

When I shouted that, Faran let out an amused laugh.

Seeing that smile, I suddenly felt utterly exhausted… or rather, it felt like I had remembered a fatigue I had temporarily forgotten.

“I understand your thinking now, Efi. I will inform the others in the delegation as well that we will proceed in the direction of entering their sphere. I will do my best to secure the best terms possible, but I will need your cooperation too, understood? Whatever you do, do not simply accept all of their conditions without resistance.”

“I do understand at least that much.”

For some reason, Faran said something outrageous again with a mischievous smile… no, I know she was joking, but still…

Becoming a vassal state or being annexed is not such a simple matter… the lives of the people are at stake, and there is no room for lovestruck thinking to intrude.

“And I will also send word to His Highness the Regent myself.”

“I leave it to you.”

“Leave it to me. I’ll be sure to tell him that Efi has fallen for the charms of the King of Einheria and is trying to sell the country.”

“That is slander! You sound even more like a traitor than the Chancellor would!”