The morning after the dialogue with the Saint Faith, when the sun has come up to light the fields and paddocks, a carriage pulls up at the Holy Kingdom.
“——Leticia-sama, please watch your step.”
“Thanks, Ram.”
Stepping down from the carriage are two young people, a man and a woman.
Leticia Lindria, governor of the Holy Kingdom’s Godba Territory and Kasorla Territory, and the prime minister serving those lands, Ramza Crantzelt.
Leticia currently governs not only the Godba Territory but the Kasorla Territory as well.
Following a request from the Kasorla side, who had lost their leader after the death of ‘the Worm Empress’ Natasha Lindria——with the permission of Silver, acting sole monarch——this is how things came to be.
“So this is the Holy Kingdom……. Yes, it’s natural and rich and feels really nice here.”
“Pastoral, and a very pleasant atmosphere, I think.”
Leticia’s guard is Ramza alone.
To outside eyes that might seem somewhat lacking——but Ramza Crantzelt is a one-man army, and his protection is equivalent to a full division.
“Let me see, it should be right around here……oh, there it is.”
Leticia digs in her pocket and produces a letter.
It is one Zel sent, with a simple map of the Holy Kingdom enclosed.
“Hmm hmm……Ram, it’s this way.”
“Actually, I believe it’s the opposite direction.”
“Huh!?”
Exchanging an interaction very similar to that of a certain Saint and her retainer, Leticia and Ramza head toward the log house where the meeting is to be held.
“You’ve always had trouble reading maps, Leticia-sama.”
“Oh honestly, making fun of me again……!”
“No, I have absolutely no such intention.”
Leticia puffs out her cheeks, and Ramza gives a soft, wry smile.
They follow the map for a while, and in the distance a large wooden house comes into view.
“Oh, could that be it?”
“Yes, it appears so.”
Positioned at just the entrance of the log house were a rugged suit of plate armor and a large bird beastman, standing side by side and apparently discussing something.
“Zel, I’m starting to get hungry……”
“Once this meeting is done, I will make something.”
“Yay!”
Even at a distance, this pair stands out clearly——the prominent figures of the Holy Kingdom drawing eyes from all over the world.
Both groups notice each other, and greet their reunion with a warm atmosphere.
“Leticia-dono, welcome to the Holy Kingdom. You are most welcome here.”
“Silver-dono, thank you for the invitation today.”
Silver extends a warm welcome, and Leticia bows politely.
“Good to see you looking well too, Ramza-dono.”
“Silver as well——pardon me, Silver-dono——good to see you in good health.”
Ramza gives a small bow and immediately corrects his manner of speech.
Luna, watching, shakes her shoulders in amusement.
“Heheh, please use your usual form of address. If Ramza-dono speaks to me formally, it makes my back itch.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief.”
With greetings out of the way, Luna puts forward a suggestion.
“The weather is nice today. Would you care to take a look around our country first?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes——Leticia-dono showed us around Godba before, after all. I thought today should be my turn.”
“Oh, please, by all means.”
“Then right this way.”
Luna and Leticia walk side by side, with the two retainers following behind.
They make their way through lush fields and paddocks, a stable with horses running, a large vegetable market and other spots with a simple, wholesome feel.
Since the Holy Kingdom and the Godba Territory share a similar character as lands, the conversation naturally grows lively around the topic of agriculture.
Before long they arrive at a large open lot.
“This is the planned construction site for the Holy Castle. We’re only laying the foundations at the moment, so it isn’t much to look at——but I’m sure something impressive will stand here one day.”
“I look forward to seeing it completed. Please do invite us when the time comes. We’ll celebrate in grand style.”
“Heheh, thank you.”
As Luna and Leticia chat amiably, Ramza glances around at their surroundings.
(Houses, moats, watchtowers……the ones under construction are conspicuous.)
Some time has passed since the Holy Kingdom declared independence, but it doesn’t look to have developed much.
There are signs of a movement toward becoming a city, at least, but everything gives an impression of being ‘half-finished.’
And the reason was apparent to any eye.
“Silver, I can see you’re in the middle of building a nation, but you’re clearly short-handed. If it’s needed, I can dispatch people from our side——?”
“No, please don’t trouble yourself. I won’t go begging for labor from a Godba Territory still recovering from war.”
“I see. (That composed bearing……he’s already made some move. As expected of Silver. My concern was needless, it seems.).”
In reality this is not composure but simply Luna not having thought about it at all, and there is no secret strategy——but.
Following the earlier incident, Ramza’s assessment of Silver has become boundless, and he has read far too much into it.
As the four make their way around the Holy Kingdom, the people living there begin to stir.
“Could that be……Leticia-sama?”
“Oh, that’s the sovereign of the Godba Martial Nation!”
“Now, now, it’s the Holy Kingdom’s Godba Territory these days.”
“I hear she’s also governing the Kasorla Territory now? Remarkable for someone still so young.”
“But then, this is the Saint-sama’s doing. Everyone gathers under that person’s banner.”
Rekindling old ties with Leticia while demonstrating the connection to the Godba and Kasorla Territories——to that end, time has deliberately been set aside to tour the Holy Kingdom.
This was, of course, Zel’s idea.
Afterward, the group returns to the log house and takes their seats at a long table.
“Well then, shall we begin the first meeting.”
Deputy Chief Strategist Zel calls things to order, and Prime Minister Ramza gives a nod.
What will now be discussed is the matter of ‘compensation.’
The Godba Martial Nation and the Kasorla Sorcery Nation, exhausted by war, came under the Holy Kingdom’s umbrella to protect themselves from surrounding powers with the Empire at the forefront.
In exchange for the protection of the Saint’s faction, they had pledged to provide personnel, resources, and technology, and the details are to be worked out here.
“First, regarding the dispatch of personnel——as Silver mentioned earlier, we don’t need that for the time being. For now, please focus your efforts on your own postwar recovery.”
“Your consideration is appreciated.”
“Next, resource provision. Our country has no shortage of food, so what would be most helpful is mineral resources such as coal and iron ore——in particular, if we could have a share of magical stones.”
“I anticipated you might say that, and have already made the arrangements. If needed, as early as tomorrow.”
“My, how efficient.”
Zel blinks in surprise, and——
“You are too kind.”
——Ramza gives a small bow.
“On the other side——is there anything your territory needs?”
“Our troops sustained heavy losses in the recent battles, and our medical resources are running short. If at all possible, we would like to receive potions of some kind.”
“Understood. At a later date, we will send mid-grade potions to Godba Castle via Silver’s <Otherworld Gate>.”
“Thank you.”
As Zel and Ramza advance their constructive discussion——
“Come to think of it, I spotted a very colorful and unusual bird the other day.”
“Might it be that charming little bird with a small crest on its head?”
“Oh, have you seen one too, Leticia-dono?”
“Yes, just once before. That was——I believe it was the night before the war with the Kasorla Sorcery Nation……?”
——Chief Strategist Luna and Governor Leticia are cheerfully engaged in warm, unhurried small talk.
Neither of them is particularly good at difficult discussion, so work like meetings and negotiations is fundamentally left to their retainers.
As the meeting draws toward its conclusion, there comes a small knock at the door.
At Luna’s glance, Zel moves to handle it.
“Yes, who is it?”
“A priestess of the Saint Faith……Tselli Randoll. I wish to request an audience with Silver-sama……”
“I’m afraid——we are currently receiving an important guest——”
Just as he is about to politely decline, Luna’s sharp voice cuts through.
“——Zel, open the door right now.”
“But——”
“I have a bad feeling. This is most likely an emergency.”
Luna may be lacking in intelligence, but her sixth sense is the world’s finest.
Zel, who knows this well, opens the door at once——and there, collapsed, is Tselli Randoll, covered in blood.
“H-hey, what happened——! Can you hear me——!”
Zel calls out to her as he carries Tselli inside.
“Sh-she’s badly hurt……!”
Leticia gasps and presses her hand to her mouth, while——
“A single slash from behind. This is already——”
——Ramza swallows the words ‘beyond saving.’
“S-Silver-sama……please……convey something……to the Saint-sama……for me……”
Tselli is carrying a ‘message for the Saint,’ and she had fled all the way to the Holy Kingdom in order to deliver it.
That she is still alive now, still holding onto consciousness——it is the power of her ‘noble faith.’
“Silver——Tselli is still in time! Treatment, immediately!”
“Yes.”
With Leticia and Ramza present, she cannot use <Holy Dragon’s Breath>.
Luna sprints to the kitchen at full speed, pours water into a glass, channels her own magical energy into it, generates an Elixir——and brings it back immediately.
“Here, Tselli-san, please drink this potion.”
“……This……is……?”
“It is an Elixir, which I received from the Saint-sama in preparation for an emergency.”
“I——I can’t——I couldn’t possibly——!”
Tselli shakes her head and refuses in absolute terms.
“Wh-what are you saying!?”
“If you don’t want to die, drink it now!”
Leticia and Ramza raise their voices, but Tselli holds firm and does not yield.
Her own life——of no particular significance——against the precious Elixir of the Saint-sama.
As a senior member of the Saint Faith, which to prioritize was not something that even needed to be said.
In principle, a potion can also be effective if simply poured over a wound——but that would be trampling on Tselli’s will, and should only be a last resort.
(……What an unbelievably strong will. Tselli-san would die before drinking this……)
Judging this, Luna demonstrates a rare flash of quick thinking.
“Hmmm, this is a problem. The Saint-sama is saying ‘please drink it’……”
“I will drink it.”
Tselli reverses her position and drains the Elixir without the slightest hesitation.
For a Saint Faith believer, the Saint-sama’s word is ‘absolute law.’
Even if this were foul-smelling ditch water, if the Saint-sama said to drink it, they would drink it with a smile.