Published at 25th of November 2019 11:30 am

Volume 12, Interlude 2 - Part 2

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Having lost the master that they should be protecting, the Lifelia Kingdom Army went into a routed state.

The Gelmedo Imperial Army commenced their pursuit.

The battlefield changed into a melting pot of cries of agony.

And from that sort of place, there was one group that was leisurely withdrawing.

A carriage that an Earth Dragon was pulling──It was an imperial carriage, and despite being a large-sized, box-shaped carriage, it was moving faster than a messenger cavalry soldier.

The one gripping the Earth Dragon’s reigns on the driver’s seat, was a large man with a side parted haircut and black rimmed glasses. His face had the atmosphere of being a very earnest researcher, but his body was a mass of muscles.

He was the commander of the Royal Palace Chivalric Order, Maximum Abrams.

「Noa-sama, it looks like the King has died.」

A beauty with androgynous features was seated next to him. It was Duke Noa Gibun, who had a major position even as a general.

He shrugged his shoulders.

「So it would seem……The Lifelia Kingdom Army, which is inferior even at the best of times, has abruptly dropped in spirit.」

It was probably due to the news of the King’s demise being spread to the soldiers.

A young man showed his face from the window that connected to the passenger cabin of the box-shaped carriage. He was a Dwarf with his silver hair standing on end.

He was the present age Hero, Allen.

「Was that alright? Didn’t we have the duty of protecting the King? I was still fighting, you know?」

From his side, this time, a brown haired woman showed her face. There were marks that went from her forehead to her cheek.

She was a young Demon girl, and she had a Magi Gun on her shoulder.

「You idiotー, there’s no way there would be any mistakes in what Noa-sama does, right? He isn’t you after all, Allen!」

Behind her──In the passenger cabin of the box-shaped carriage, there was someone sitting in a seat with their arms folded. It was an Elven man wearing a deep red long coat and holding a jet black long sword.

He was Thanatos the Immortal.

「……Even if that is the case, I would like an explanation. The commander might have been convinced, but running away even though I haven’t lost, that does not sit well with me.」

In the seat opposite of him, a child──or rather, a young Grasswalker girl who looked like one, was seated there. She was swinging her legs.

「Hohou? So Thanatos-kun, you’ll go against Noa-sama if you don’t agree with the reason for going against ordersー. Way to goー. As expected of a man with a rebellious spiritー. So coolー.」

「Tsk……I didn’t say that.」

「Then, there isn’t a need to listen to the reason, right?」

「The introductory remarks change! If you don’t know your position or objective very well, you’ll end up saying something slightly off, or have a vague and generic expression to say. Can your soul burn with such lines?」

「Well……It’s not like I’ve ever burned my soul or whatever……」

Allen clenched his fist.

「That’s right! That’s totally right, as expected of you, Thanatos! As I thought, you just can’t get motivated into something if you don’t know anything about it, right!?」

A Pantherian woman, who was seated even further back, made a retort with an exasperated looking face.

「……Has anyone ever seen Allen with an appearance that said “I can’t get motivated” at a time for battle? Rather, wouldn’t he try to fight even if we stopped him?」

「Ha ha ha! For you to be praising me! You’ll make me blushー」

Allen smiled and his face went red.

The young Grasswalker girl pointed at him.

「It’s an idiot. There’s an idiot here.」

Returning to the driver’s seat──

Maximum Abrams wrinkled his brow, looking moody.

「There is some truth to his words as well. If our positions are not understood, in Allen’s case, it seems like some fights will be picked with some unnecessary opponents.」

Noa made a wry smile.

「I see, that would be troublesome……The situation is quite complicated. It’s understandable that you would be perplexed by the sudden change in orders.」

「It was not as planned, is that what you mean?」

「That’s right……I suppose it is about time to tell you about it. It will probably take several days to reach our place of destination even with the legs of an Earth Dragon after all.」

Noa brushed up his bangs.

Maximum kept his gaze facing forward, and awaited his words.

「If you would.」

「──For certain reasons, I possess the knowledge of a civilization much more advanced than the Lifelia Kingdom’s.」

「Yes.」

「I call this 《Gift (Heaven’s Gift)》. Using knowledge of a higher-power, I climbed up to the position of Duke, and obtained the real power of the Lifelia Kingdom……In terms of the future, it might even be possible for me to become royalty.」

「I thought that you would become one.」

「But, coming this far, there is something that I finally understood. I am powerless.」

Maximum tilted his head.

「Possessing authority that rivals the Lifelia King, and leading us, the Royal Palace Chivalric Order, and yet you are powerless? But, for example, when compared to the Magimatic Sols of the Empire──is that what you are saying?」

「No……Those were unexpected but……they were nothing more than the trigger.」

「Then what is it?」

Noa made a self-deprecating-looking smile.

「A gathering of people is something that is beyond help. Even the King, who is an absolute monarch, can’t freely handle the country. For example, to change the tax system, approval from the nobles is necessary. Even for the justice system, the educational system, the currency system, social status, logistics, medical care, and the organization of the military! The nobles and the Church who protect multiple layers of vested interests get in the way.」

「Despite being king……」

「I attempted various things but……」

「The taking over of the Church, was in the process of success.」

「The bunch from the Cardinal Institute had ran too far in self-interest. I should have taken measures much faster but……to think that the High Chief Priest would return alive.」

「As for the result, isn’t it fine? The current age High Chief Priest is an upright and clean handed person, and her power of miracles is excellent as well.」

「And thanks to that, the organization of the Church became firm, and I became unable to interfere with it. Looking at it in the long-term, the reformation will be delayed by 50 years.」

「……It sure is difficult.」

「At any rate, feudalism can’t be changed from the top──that is what I realized. It has to be from the outside, or from the bottom. From there, I tried to give power to the masses.」

「I see.」

「However, this world has magic. And the fighting strength between a regular person who hasn’t done any training and a high leveled soldier is too different.」

「Naturally. If it were me, I don’t feel like I would lose even if I were to go up against an entire town.」

Noa nodded at Maximum’s calm analysis.

「Yeah……」

「I do have one question though──Is the country’s system something that needs to be changed?」

「If I didn’t know of another one, I probably would have felt that the current one was reasonable, normal, and ordinary……Both the discrimination and poverty, are terrible things. Only a portion of nobles live in elegance, while poor people die like stray dogs. That is not something that can be allowed.」

「Duke, I thought you had noble origins.」

Noa made a thin smile.

「……I guess there’s no reason to keep it a secret any longer……The truth is that I was born as a commoner. Using my knowledge, I amassed a fortune as a merchant. And then, I bought the position of a first-born son who died from disease from a poor regional noble. I took the place of a man who didn’t go outside very much.」

In the Lifelia Kingdom, the buying and selling of social status was prohibited. Even if they were an adopted child, a commoner couldn’t become a noble. Not to mention that assuming a name was unmistakably a criminal act.

A King that could judge him was no longer around though.

Maximum spoke with a calm voice while still looking forward.

「I am surprised.」

「You don’t look like it though?」

「It is because honestly, it was faint but……Duke, I felt that you did not resemble your parents.」

「Fufu……In that case, you’ll be surprised from hearing this──My real father was a bandit, and was beat to death by a Local Knight. My mother was a prostitute and died by the roadside from disease. The baby me, didn’t have the means to save them.」

Maximum opened his eyes wide.

「That……does not sound like a joke.」

After curving his mouth in satisfaction from that reaction, Noa continued his story.

「I thought──I will obtain authority, and try to change this country……However, I realised that it would be impossible, even if I were to become the King.」

「……」

「If both remoration from the top and revolution from the bottom are impossible, then it has to be from the outside──If an enemy strong enough that the nobles would lose their armed forces were to invade, then it might become a ventilator that can change the immobilized national polities.」

Going “Ha!”, Maximum realized.

「The Great Demon King!?」

「As expected, not even I am not free enough to revive that……but, I merely urged His Majesty to prioritize the royal capital’s defenses.」

「I did feel that something was out of place by the fact that reinforcements weren’t sent to the west……So you had that sort of ulterior motive.」

Since the time that the Great Demon King Modinalaam attacked, he already desired a subversion of the state──or at least a situation close to that.

However, that scheme didn’t work out.

「To think that it would be crushed in Faltra City.」

「So you mean Diablo.」

Noa grimaced.

「Just what is he thinking!? Despite having that much power, he is absolutely reckless. Just when I think he created a debt of gratitude with the High Chief Priest, he settles down in the small nation of Greenwood. And when I think that that was his objective, he protects Faltra City.」

「Just the other day, he entered hostilities with the Caliture Feudal Lord’s army for the sake of Kobolds……there was a report saying that. And that Geibalt was seriously injured.」

「He is impossible to understand!」

「However, he is strong. He is a dangerous person.」

「I understood that well enough in the audience from the other day. I can’t carelessly interfere with him, and it’s probably impossible to take him in too. He didn’t seem like the kind that I can have a conversation with.」

「So it won’t work out like how it did with us huh.」

Even though a year hadn’t even passed since the Royal Palace Chivalric Order was formed, it already felt nostalgic.

Noa made distant eyes.

「A majority of the State Knights are the sons of nobles, so when push comes to shove, they will be on the noble’s side. Therefore, I instigated His Majesty, took up that authority, and organized the Royal Palace Chivalric Order……Gathering you all who had a cold reception for being Demi-Humans, I gave you all legendary-class armaments.」

「Yes……Well, the cold reception wasn’t all due to race though.」

Allen was a battle maniac after all, and Thanatos’s speech and conduct were eccentric.

The others were all similar, and all had personalities that couldn’t adapt to group action.

Noa gathered them, and because he was leading them, they were now together like this──that is what Maximum understood.

That Noa expressed a smile.

「Since long ago, my luck has been good……when my parents died, I was picked up by a merchant. When my business succeeded, a poverty-stricken noble became my client, and just at that time, his eldest son at about the same age as me had died from an illness. And this time──just when the reformation went into a deadlock, the Empire invaded.」

「Was our loss within your calculations?」

「I said it, didn’t I? If things can’t change from below or from above, it has to be from the outside.」

「Indeed……However, is this alright? The Gelmedo Emperor is someone that would turn the citizens of the occupied nation into slaves.」

That didn’t seem like it would be compatible with Noa’s ideology of trying to make discrimination and poverty.

He nodded.

「Naturally, that won’t be acceptable.」

He seemed to have already formed an idea.

This person, he looks further into the distance than myself──that is what Maximum understood.

「I shall follow you, no matter where you go. And become your sword.」

「Fufu……How reliable. Oh right, in addition to having talked this far, I guess I’ll reveal one more thing.」

「What is it?」

Noa took off his white mantle.

He opened the front of his military uniform.

「My true self is, neither innocent, nor a duke……nor a male.」

On his chest, there were definitely bulges.

「……!?」

Maximum stared too much to the side from astonishment that he nearly drove the imperial carriage off the road.

In the passenger cabin, among the ones that were silently listening to the story, the young Demon girl raised a scream.

「No waaaay!?」

「Are you serious, what about the balls!? The balls!?」

Allen, who was about to extend his hand to her crotch, was slapped by the Pantherian woman.

Noa laughed holding her stomach.

The imperial carriage that the Royal Palace Chivalric Order rode on, headed west.

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