I was received in the presence of Hasse, the king, accompanied by his military commanders.


    "I have returned to the capital after successfully subduing the rebellion. I may have caused you some concern during my absence, but there is no longer the slightest fear that the city will fall.


    "Mm. I believed in your brother-in-law''s victory.


    The king''s advisors around him look alternately at me and at the king. Even though I have increased the number of vassals who serve the king, there are, of course, the king''s favorites, and not all of them are like that.


    "As you may already know, this rebellion seems to have been orchestrated by the former king Paphus VI.


    "So it is so. That fool. ....... He''s wasting his time ......."


    For Hasse, his cousin, the former King Paphus VI, is an irreconcilable enemy. In the first place, Hasse''s father lost his position as king to Puffs VI.


    Just by looking at his expression, I could see that Hasse was very angry.


    "So," he said, "our plan is to finally destroy the western lords of the former king''s throne.


    "At last!"


    Hasse''s voice was enthusiastic. It has been a long time since we have been able to unify the Kingdom of Thirlwil," he said.


    If the unification is accomplished, Hasse will be the one who has nominally restored order. If the history of the kingdom continues as it is, he will surely be revered as the founder of the new order. It is hard not to dream about it.


    However, there are some of his retainers who are not so happy.


    It is clear that they consider me dangerous. If I am the de facto general and rule the kingdom, my power will naturally increase.


    What will I do then? That is what they are worried about.


    Their fears are justified, but they can''t move to remove me without any grounds. Without me, the world will be even more disturbed. Without me, there is no telling what the former king will do when he attacks from the west.


    I may be their poison to the dynasty, but without that poison, they will not be able to stop the disease that is the former king. It''s a bit of a pain, isn''t it?


    "We will finish up by defeating the powerful lords of the West, Counts Talmud and Samyut, who have been siding with the former king, and reunite the kingdom. Of course, we will need many soldiers and food. In order to procure these supplies, I ask your permission to add a temporary tax.


    I bowed reverently to Hasse."


    The next battle would not only be a long one, but also an extremely large one. We must prepare carefully for it.


    Especially if we suffer a painful defeat in a major battle, our banner may be swayed to the former king''s side at once.


    I don''t think I can win easily either. Many have failed and perished in battles with tens of thousands of men. We must be very careful.


    Hasse nodded his head in agreement.


    "You are right at every turn, brother-in-law. We must take every precaution in this battle. After all, we are restoring an order that has long been disjointed. I, too, have my heart filled with emotion."


    I wonder if he is thinking of the triumphal parade in the capital. If so, it''s natural for a king. We cannot blame him.


    Hasse is not a particularly good king. We know this well from our many meetings.


    However, he is not the most mediocre king among the kings of the past. In a time of peace, a man of this caliber would have done just fine.


    A king is different from a hero. It is enough to be at the top of the kingdom and to take care that the political situation does not get worse. At least, there is no story that the people in the neighborhood of the royal city lamented over his evil laws. He is at least doing the job of a king.


    The only problem is that this is a time that needs a great leader.


    To end the turbulent times, they will need men like me.


    So I''ll take the kingdom in return.


    "By the way, my brother-in-law, I have a favor to ask of you for the next battle of unification.


    Hasse asked.


    "Yes. What is it about?


    I would like to lead an army into battle, if that is all right with you?"


    I almost looked a little uncomfortable, but I hid it. In a word, I was in the way.


    "I see. If you can inspire me as a king, I will be very grateful. I''m sure many of your generals will be even more inspired."


    "No, I am thinking of having my brother-in-law rest for the next battle."


    At first, I did not understand the meaning of his words.


    "After all, it is I, the king, who should be the one to unite the country. Otherwise, who would recognize me as king? Sitting here in the capital is not enough to be a king. I must fight for my people in order to be respected.


    Hasse''s statement caused a stir. It was a statement that many of his subjects had not even considered.


    "Your Majesty, the next battle will not be an easy one. We must go into it determined to win. Please, will you leave this to the regent who has been fighting for so long?"


    "I know what you mean. But if I don''t fight as a king, I can''t help but feel ...... uneasy."


    Hasse looked disappointed. I got the impression that he was blaming someone else.


    "There are those around me who fear that if your brother-in-law continues to play such an active role, many of the people will eventually think that he should be the king. Needless to say, my brother-in-law has never betrayed me.


    Some of them were depressed. They did not expect the king to tell them why.


    "Even if my brother-in-law has no intention of doing so, the people will support a strong fighter. Then, if I finish the war, the royal family will be safe and sound.


    "I see. I understand. ......"


    Thanks, this is getting complicated.


    "Well, we still have a long way to go before we''re ready, so we''ll just have to take our time and make a decision.


    I said that for the time being and avoided getting into an argument right then and there.