Victory, And Watching The Parade

Capital city of the Polia Kingdom, Pullea — Royal Palace Conference Room.

“Pwahaha—!”

The man laughing heartily was none other than Hugo di Polia, King of the realm. Now in his forties, he bore the air of maturity, and his eyes radiated confidence. After all, his kingdom had just won a grand victory in the war against the Nubea Kingdom.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty!”

“Truly an auspicious triumph!”

“It was all possible thanks to Your Majesty’s wise reign!”

“Your insight is unmatched, Your Majesty! Hahaha!”

The gathered ministers all flattered the king, offering their praises. In any victorious kingdom, the king’s authority would be at its peak. Though the royal authority had always been strong in Polia, it now loomed even larger. Everyone knew this, so they couldn’t help but be cautious in his presence.

“Has there ever been a day as joyful as today? Summon the victorious admirals and captains to the palace. We shall host a grand victory banquet!”

The king’s declaration was met with enthusiastic approval. However, amid the cheers, one man carefully raised a concern. It was Duke Gwens—the Queen’s father, and maternal grandfather to the First Prince.

“Your Majesty, the empires have begun to move in troubling ways. I fear what their next steps may be.”

“The empires, hmm…”

The king’s previously cheerful expression darkened. He’d expected this. He couldn’t ignore the likelihood of imperial interference following their victory. Undoubtedly, they would try to limit the war spoils and the territories taken from Nubea.

“How far do you think their demands will go?”

“They will almost certainly push to reduce the war reparations and limit the territorial acquisitions from the Nubea Kingdom’s colonies. They may also try to restrict how many of the captured or seized warships we can keep.”

At Duke Gwens’s explanation, the king’s mood soured further. The idea that others would dictate what he could or couldn’t claim after his kingdom’s victory was infuriating. Yet he couldn’t simply refuse to heed the empires’ demands.

Even with Polia’s strong navy, they couldn’t possibly contend with all four empires. Any attempt to resist might cost them everything.

“So we’ll have no choice but to endure their interference?”

“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“Our sincerest apologies!”

Everyone bowed their heads with grave expressions. Seeing this, the king made an effort to calm himself. After all, they had won against the Nubea Kingdom and would still gain war reparations, colonies, and seized ships. In the end, it wasn’t a loss—but a modest gain.

“More importantly, it seems our navy has grown quite strong.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. The strength of our fleets utterly overwhelmed the Nubea Kingdom’s forces.”

“At this rate… could we even take on one of the empires and win?”

“Well…”

The previously confident Duke Gwens now looked troubled. As impressive as Polia’s navy had been, the idea of defeating an empire in war still felt unrealistic. At best, he thought they wouldn’t lose too badly—but winning outright seemed impossible.

“Your Majesty! I believe it is entirely possible!”

“Indeed, Your Majesty! The results of this war speak for themselves!”

“If we had to deal with just one empire—not all four united—what would we have to fear?”

As Duke Gwens hesitated, marquises and counts stepped forward with flattery, insisting that Polia could defeat an empire. They knew it wasn’t true, but they wanted to appease the king’s pride. The king’s expression brightened again.

“Oh? Then it seems our kingdom is no less than an empire after all. If only they hadn’t all ganged up on us…”

The king sounded as if he’d be willing to go to war with a single empire. Everyone present silently hoped he didn’t mean it. After all, the gap between a kingdom like Polia and the mighty empires was immense.

The empires all controlled vast territories, with populations in the hundreds of millions. Even though Polia’s population was the highest among the kingdoms—an estimated 85 million—it still paled in comparison.

That said, going up against Polia wasn’t easy, even for the empires. Then again, it could be that the kingdom only looked strong because Nubea had been a weak opponent.

With the king’s confidence swelling, the meeting eventually came to a close. And a month later, the victorious fleet returned to the coastal waters of the capital.

Crowds numbering in the hundreds of thousands had gathered at the coast to welcome the fleet.

Hooooooon—! Hoooon—! Hooooon—!

The deep sound of ship horns rang out again and again, blending with the cheers of the masses that filled the shore. Watching the endless line of ships, Ian felt a strange sensation stir inside him—excitement, perhaps?

“Prince! Look at that! Isn’t it amazing?!”

Armin’s eyes sparkled as he gazed out at the armada. His enthusiasm as a naval enthusiast was on full display. Ian realized he might’ve gotten swept up in that energy himself.

‘Still… it’s quite a sight.’

Seeing the battleships and cruisers lined up at the forefront, their sheer presence was overwhelming. This was more than a celebration; it was a statement of victory. It also served to legitimize the war domestically.

“Your Highness, the parade is about to start. We should go.”

“You’re not staying to watch more?”

“The ships will be docked here for a few days. We can come back. But if we don’t head out now, we won’t get a good spot. When else will we get to see a victory parade in person?”

Ian nodded in agreement. Though the crowds were thick, they’d avoided the densest parts near the beach, so getting away wasn’t too difficult—just time-consuming.

Preparations for the city parade had taken hours, but they managed to secure a decent viewing spot.

‘I guess this makes up for skipping today’s training.’

The truth was, he had moved to this place out of genuine curiosity. If it had been for something he wasn’t interested in, he wouldn’t have come at all. Even as a prince, Ian found himself with little attention from the royal family—free enough to go out and watch the parade like a commoner. The spot they secured was a terrace on the third floor.

It was a café, and many people had already taken seats there. According to Armin, the tables cost a premium—something extra had to be paid—but he called it an investment to enjoy the parade in full. As always, he was someone who spared no expense when it came to things like this.

“I hope it starts soon.”

“Yeah, same.”

Sipping the cold drink on the table, Ian couldn’t help but think of the party being held later that evening. Normally, he wouldn’t care in the slightest, but this time a royal decree had come out requiring all members of the royal family to attend.

‘Even if I go, I’ll just be decoration. Why even bother summoning everyone…?’

“Armin, did you get your formalwear ready?”

“Of course! I prepared everything in advance. Once I’m home, I’ll wash up, change, and head to the party with my parents.”

The victory party was expected to be a grand one, with nearly every noble family in the capital attending. Armin would also be present, though as a baron’s son, he wasn’t going to be seated anywhere important.

“Don’t people say things about you hanging around me?”

“They do. But I get less nagging than from my brother, so it’s fine.”

As the second son of House Glang, the family’s attention was entirely on his older brother, leaving Armin mostly overlooked. In that sense, his situation was quite similar to Ian’s. Perhaps that was part of why he stuck so close. Of course, the biggest reason was simply Ian himself.

“Oh? Looks like it’s finally starting! Look over there!”

The sound of trumpeters could be heard in the distance. It marked the beginning of the parade. Glancing past the terrace, Ian could see the roads below packed wall to wall with people. All of them had come voluntarily.

‘Just goes to show how much joy people are feeling over the kingdom’s victory, huh?’

Even Ian had felt excitement earlier when seeing the fleet; surely these people were even more moved. As the music grew louder, the military band came into view, marching rhythmically down the wide boulevard.

True to form, they marched in precise formation, playing trumpets, drums, and other instruments. The deep, steady beat of the drums seemed to make the crowds even more ecstatic.

Paper confetti began falling from rooftops, swirling through the air. Behind the band, naval officers and sailors followed, arranged in square formations as they marched.

As was typical of the Polia Kingdom’s uniforms, they wore white and red. The sight sent the crowd into a new frenzy.

WAAAAAAAH!!

“Long live the Polia Kingdom!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

“Long live Marquis Belloster!”

Along with cheers for the king and the kingdom, the crowd erupted in applause for Marquis Belloster, the hero of the naval battle. As admiral of the 2nd Fleet, he had commanded the entire operation.

He had been the one to defeat the Nubea Kingdom’s fleet, earning him the reputation of a master of naval warfare. In fact, he had gained the most fame and honor in this war—and incidentally, he was also the maternal grandfather of the Second Prince.

The sailors continued their bold march, and the crowd responded with kisses blown toward them and flower garlands draped around their necks. The sailors, in turn, seemed genuinely delighted by the praise.

“They really do look amazing like this.”

“Yeah, makes me feel like coming out here was worth it.”

“You think so too, right, Prince? I’m really glad I came. I think this is one of the most meaningful moments of my life.”

“Is it that big a deal?”

“Of course! Do you think one day I could be in a parade like that?”

“Dunno. You’d probably have to go to war first.”

“Right? Do you think another war will happen by the time I’m grown up? If it does, and we win, I might get to be in a parade like that, too!”

The kid was really saying dangerous things. If there’s another war by the time he grows up, it’ll be on a massive, possibly world-scale. Judging from this world’s current state—with no large-scale global conflict yet—a major war might not be far off.

Thinking about the horror of such a war, it was painful to hear him speak so hopefully about it.

‘This kid really has no idea. In times like that, it’s best to be far from the center of it all. Somewhere weak. Somewhere peaceful.’

Ian wondered if maybe he should take Armin with him one day. If a war did break out, disappearing for a while could mean coming back after it ended. While that thought lingered, more soldiers continued to march by.

They said more than 50,000 troops had been mobilized for the parade. Groups of thousands passed in turn. Eventually, all units passed by, and in the distance, Ian could spot the Victory Gate where the procession would end.

“That’s everything, right?”

“Yeah, we saw it all.”

“Then let’s head home. If we run into each other at the party, we’ll talk then.”

“Sounds good to me.”

After that exchange, they left the café and returned to their respective cars. Since the parade was still ongoing, they had to take a detour—but Ian managed to return to the palace without being late. The front gate was occupied with the ceremony, so he entered through the back.

He arrived at one of the many secondary residences used by the royal concubines, where his mother and younger sister were already waiting to greet him. They had known he was out watching the parade, so they only asked if he enjoyed it. His little sister, Charlotte, pouted to be picked up, and he happily scooped her into his arms.

Though he was only thirteen, Ian had already grown to 165 cm, making it easy to lift her. Even though he had psychic powers, he also trained his body occasionally. Mostly, it was light exercise like running or push-ups, but that was enough to stay in good shape.

With that, Ian bathed and dressed in his formalwear in preparation for the evening’s grand victory party.