Hello.
I am the Conquering King.
The king of Jidoen Kingdom.
Ah, no, the domain king of the Jidoen territory, I suppose.
Not yet?
Changing it on our own would cause confusion, so we will change everything at once after the unification king is decided.
Understood.
-0-
After the meeting ended, a banquet was held to welcome the gathered kings.
Thanks to trade with a merchant guild connected through Ekaterize-sensei, there was a huge supply of food.
There was more alcohol than anyone could drink.
It turned into a loud feast of drinking and singing.
There were three major topics at the banquet.
The first was the unification king and the battle to choose one.
That is only natural.
That was the purpose of the meeting, after all.
The second topic was magic.
Magic is rare in this region.
Everyone was excited.
The third topic was etiquette taught by Ekaterize-sensei.
The civil servants who accompanied the kings were especially interested.
Hmm?
The female officials seemed less interested in etiquette and more curious about the products of the merchant guild Ekaterize-sensei is involved with.
I do not really understand it, but it seems to be related to beauty.
After that, it was mostly the usual foolish talk.
I have heard it all before, but without shared topics, conversations do not flow.
Still, it is a little scary that Lady Tiselle, Ekaterize-sensei, and Lady E3 are listening in so closely.
-0-
About fifty days had passed since that meeting.
At the location designated by Lady Tiselle, civil servants sent from each country gathered and began preparing for governance after unification.
At the same time, the battles to choose the Unifying King were held across the region.
The representative from my country is me.
Partly because I am the strongest, but also because I want to accept the result if I lose.
Fortunately, I have kept winning so far, and I remain among the eight who advanced to the final tournament.
Tomorrow, these eight will fight, and the king of the winner’s country will become the Unifying King.
I steel myself.
I will definitely win.
But before that, there is the eve festival.
At the eve festival are the eight representatives chosen by their kings.
All the kings and their guards are also present.
They are here to watch tomorrow’s final battle.
Even those who were already eliminated are clearly interested in who will become the Unifying King.
Once again, amid the loud drinking, singing, and revelry, the usual foolish talk grows lively.
It is a little frightening that Lady Tiselle, Ekaterize-sensei, and Lady E3 are once again listening in.
Hm?
Lady Tiselle has summoned the kings of the countries whose representatives remain in tomorrow’s final tournament.
We then move to the conference room.
What is this about?
「Before the Unifying King is decided, there are three things we need to discuss. No, four things」
If it were after the decision, people might say they were never told.
「First, external wars are prohibited for the time being. This is to allow internal governance to progress, but also because we received food and supplies from the Yunodenna Kingdom on the condition that external wars be banned」
So that is how it was.
「Of course, if the other side attacks first, you may retaliate」
That makes sense.
In that case, fine.
「Second, I ask for tax incentives in trade with several merchant guilds. They agreed to trade with us under those conditions」
I see.
Well, matters like that will be handed entirely to the civil servants, so I do not worry about it.
It should not turn out badly.
「Third is the matter of the Unifying King’s capital」
Would it not be fine to use the Unifying King’s own territory?
「If we do that, the civil servants would have to relocate every time the Unifying King changes. That is inefficient」
Well, I suppose that makes sense.
「So, we are planning to build the Unifying King’s capital here. It happens to be vacant」
Lady Tiselle spreads out a map and points to a single spot.
……
Wait, Lady Tiselle.
That place is not vacant.
It is a forbidden area.
「A dragon?」
Yes.
「It is fine. We have already obtained permission」
…What?
Permission from whom?
「From the dragon. It is an acquaintance of mine, an impure dragon」
………………………………
「We also plan to have it protect the capital. There is a water source nearby, and once a road is built, the area should develop」
Th-that might be true, but…
Um, an acquaintance of a dragon?
「I will introduce you later. They seem to be busy with various things, so it is hard to find the time」
That may be so, but…
L-let us not think too deeply about it.
「As for the construction of the capital, one of my acquaintances will be handling it as well. It should take shape within thirty days」
Thirty days?
Will that just be a few houses?
Ah, no, the civil servants are around twenty from each country.
That should be more than eight hundred people.
That would not be enough, would it?
Still, I do not think Lady Tiselle would say something careless.
She will manage somehow.
When it comes to using one’s head, it is better to leave it to her.
「Finally, the fourth point. ‘Since you have made it to the final tournament, your reputation is already sufficient’, ‘How about losing around this stage’, or ‘At least absolutely avoid winning the championship’. Anyone who advised you to do so, regardless of status, please hand them over as a civil servant to serve the Unifying King」
What?
Is that really allowed?
Several people did say something like that to me.
The other kings also seem to have someone in mind.
「They are capable people who can see what lies ahead. Those are exactly the ones I want working under the Unifying King. Ah, there is a chance they may run away, so make sure they do not escape」
U-understood.
I will manage somehow.
Once Lady Tiselle finishes her message, we return to the eve festival hall.
Tomorrow’s battle, I will definitely win!
-0-
The final tournament.
Basically, anything goes.
It was a fierce battle.
But I won.
I went from Conquering King to Unifying King.
That is good.
And then, the victory celebration.
No, the banquet celebrating the birth of the Unifying King.
Thank you, thank you.
I will work hard to make the Careland Region prosperous.
After the greetings, it turns into lively foolish talk again.
Serious matters can be handled by the civil servants.
The other kings are much the same.
Hm?
Lady Tiselle is calling again.
This time, just me.
「There is something I would like to ask」
What is it?
「I have been curious for a while now, but every time the banquets get lively, you all speak badly about the Angels, do you not?」
Ah…
It is true that most of our foolish talk is complaints about the Angels, rather than outright insults.
「Do you have some kind of grudge against the Angels?」
If you ask whether there is a grudge, then yes.
Not me personally, but my ancestors.
That was… a hundred years ago?
Maybe around a hundred and twenty years ago.
An angel infamous as the Angel of Annihilation exterminated a flying monster.
That monster was causing trouble for everyone, so we were grateful that it was defeated, but…
The aftermath of the battle ruined fields and houses all over the place.
「…I see」
As I was talking, the other kings… ah, from today they are territorial kings.
The territorial kings joined the conversation.
「It was not just the Angel of Annihilation. There was also a trio called the Angels of Holocaust, who caused similar destruction」
Some places even had their terrain changed.
「Are there other stories like that?」
Of course there are.
I did not experience them myself, but I have heard them many times.
The banquet celebrating the birth of the Unifying King turned into a grand complaint session about the Angels.
Ekaterize-sensei and Lady E3, you do not need to take notes so desperately.
Hahaha.
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