The Strategist Knows Everything

Silence flows among kings.

Naturally.

On this occasion, no, there's no way we can talk because no one of the highest ranks in this country talks.

Me and Mikana, and Her Highness Riasia, who have advanced to their normal position of sight, kneel down and await the words of His Majesty Ronald.

Meanwhile, speaking of His Majesty Ronald, he's been looking at me since earlier. I'm watching, but, hey, I don't know what I'm thinking.

I can't even read the inside out of my expression.

I guess it's because I'm hiding it.

What does this person think right now?

Are you guilty of me, or are you mocking me with a stupid military teacher?

Either way, it doesn't start without a conversation. And I can't cut it out.

Now I wonder what's going on, His Highness Leasia will give me a help boat.

"Uncle. Would you like to know why I called you?

His Highness Riasia asks His Majesty Ronald, without looking nervous.

In my position, even if I know I'm a respectable person, I don't respect you as an individual.

Is that the heart of His Highness Riasia?

Did you sensibly perceive the interior of His Royal Highness Liasia like that? His Majesty Ronald tells him with no expression.

"Liasia, it is not your uncle who is before you. The king."

"After doing something like a king, I want you to say it."

Turning that way, His Highness Leasia exasperated such irony.

Taunt is one of the effective hands when you pull someone into a conversation, but if you think about them and where they are, you can also be a bad guy.

Now is the time.

"Liasia. She's Arnold's daughter, and you're really busy and smart. But it was then that I called you. If you don't want me to leave, that mouth is closed."

His Majesty Ronald said so, and it took His Highness Leasia to seal his words.

But his eyes, staring at His Highness Leasia, look distinct from frustration and disgust.

Those eyes, at least, are not those that dwell on evil emotions.

Me and His Majesty Ronald's eyes meet.

Soon His Majesty Ronald's eyes returned to those that did not know what he was thinking.

For a moment I was concerned about the meaning of my eyes toward His Highness Leasia, but when I lost the opportunity to speak here, I thought I would not have the opportunity to do so from now on, so I pushed it behind my head and asked His Majesty Ronald.

"So does that mean you had something for me?

His Majesty Ronald nodded loudly at my words.

I told him to laugh at me.

"That's right. I'm trying to remember the face of the man I'm going to hell with."

Micah, a little behind me, tried to lift her hips, but the sound showed.

So take control of Micana with your hands.

Mikana is the first troop leader. Though a human being from another country, if you care about it, you can do whatever the King wants. If that bothers you, I'm talking about it.

Where a man rolled a pebble on the side of the road, so that he felt nothing, for the king, Micana's presence would be so small that it would not even be in sight.

So to the extent that Mikana has moved a little, I don't care.

But if Micah had eaten it, it would have been different.

It could have been a failure to bring Micah here.

I thought Micana could restrain herself, but the quote was a little sweet.

This needs to be done as soon as possible.

"I see. Even for me, for the sake of the future, I am sure His Majesty would like you to remember your face."

Focus on the "future” part.

For the first time, His Majesty Ronald changed his expression.

Sure, to me, going to Albion isn't much different than going to hell, but it's not like death has been confirmed.

There is absolutely nothing more than the involvement of imperfect people.

If the odds are unlimited and close to zero, but not absolute, it doesn't matter.

"... you think you can get out of Albion alive?

"Why did Albion crave me? Will you listen to me?

His Majesty narrows his eyes slightly when he looks at me.

You must be thinking about my intentions.

I can think of as many answers as I want.

First of all, I have an Albion national treasure, the Kamikaze Klarus.

In addition, I am close to the heavy towns of Velis, and I am one of Velis' most important personalities.

More importantly, he is also the commander who killed the soldiers of Albion the most.

Finally, there are rumors going around about a man who is genuinely unwilling, but who bewitched the supreme maiden, and from that side of the spectrum, my body, or neck, is worth it.

Which would His Majesty Ronald choose?

Or would you bring a different answer?

Waiting for the answer, His Majesty shakes his head slowly.

"I... have not heard anything"

Is that it?

I haven't heard anything from Albion.

Speaking of which, don't worry about being put on my conversation. Furthermore, it can be said that the Empire knew nothing later.

If there are any disadvantages, then the story of the incompetence of the contemporary emperor becomes widespread and the prestige of the emperor is diminished.

From what I can tell, His Majesty Ronald doesn't seem to care about the ratings there.

"I didn't know you weren't listening!? It wasn't my uncle who was negotiating!?

"I was just suggested. If you hand over Veris' master, Yukito Clay, Albion will leave the army. During the six-month ceasefire, full-scale peace negotiations begin. If peace succeeds, don't you think it's cheap, such as credibility from other countries, especially Velis?

"You dared to sell me out, knowing you'd lose your credibility?

His Majesty Ronald nodded.

And with a terrible smile, he apologized to me.

"I'm sorry. Yukito Clay."

If you just look at the look on your face, you obviously don't think I'm sorry.

But I feel uncomfortable.

This man is obviously a man of my kind.

To be seen well by people, I play a different self.

This man also plays "The King," as I play “Velis' Army Master."

But I know you're playing, but as a result, the reputation around you is down.

There's got to be more to it than just playing something.

In my case, I think that if I don't play the military teacher I can count on, and Sophia thinks that if I don't play the supreme maiden, That's because that's how I think around me.

I mean, me and Sophia are playing under pressure from around here, to put it badly.

But this man should be different.

For whatever it is, it is the opposite of the statue of the king that you seek around you and this man today.

So this man, though, is a complete speculation.

Conscious, he's playing the fool king.

To me, I don't see how this man's nature is making me smile terribly. And if it's nothing of nature, what it looks like now is something I dare to make.

Credit from other countries is very important. Will that Admiral Arnold keep a man on the king's throne who doesn't even know that?

The answer is no.

But I don't know why.

Why is this man, Ronald Blackford, daring to play King Fool?

Selling me will give you a truce with Albion, and peace. But when it comes to what you get and what you lose, what you lose is bigger.

I know, and you're selling me?

Were you in a situation where you had to sell me? Or did you decide that was best?

I don't know. What the hell is this guy thinking?

"White............!!

To the voice from behind, I turn around unexpectedly.

Shit. I was too focused on my thoughts to notice how Micah was doing.

"… Knox, Captain of Unit IV, Micah Hazard. Who are you listening to...... you know what I mean?

His Majesty Ronald opens his eyes.

I pull Micah's arm and try to get her to sit down, but Micah doesn't even freak out.

"I know...... Teng himself who betrayed our country and sold Yukito-sama! It's my enemy!

"I am still the king of the Empire, the ally of Velis... you know what I mean?

"We are not already an ally such as the Empire! of Velis."

"Micana!!

I will stop Micah with a loud voice.

Micah returned to me and looked around.

We were surrounded.

Appeared out of nowhere, by the knights of the Empire.

"Being up without my permission, rambling against me. Well, let's just say I didn't hear the insult to the whole empire. Still, let me restrain you?

"Please wait! I apologize for the disrespect of my men! So!"

"See you, Uncle! Although that is certainly disrespectful, there is also no fault in what my uncle said and did!!

The surrounding knights were frightened by how His Highness Riasia was doing.

Apparently, the knights think that His Highness Riasia is better up there than His Majesty Ronald.

Well, dignified, capable and overwhelmingly different, I'm sure.

If such a knight's mood is also manipulated by His Majesty Ronald.

Before His Royal Highness Leasia was present, he called the knight who kept him waiting.

To some extent, to compromise?

"Is that so……. Then take Micah Hazard to the other room. Liasia, you're on surveillance. From now on, I will discuss my treatment with Veris' military master."

"… thank you for your generous treatment. Dear Leasia, Best regards, Mikana. And Micah. She's quiet."

Micah nodded powerlessly at my words.

From the beginning, Mikana was not calm. But I was able to contain my anger.

However, His Majesty Ronald removed the restraint.

As silence ruled between kings and fled from them, the knight and His Highness Riasia, and Mikana, withdrew.

■ ■ ■

Between kings, it's just me and His Majesty Ronald.

Around looking at the knights earlier, it would be superficial that it was just the two of us. There must be an escort hiding somewhere.

"Whether it's my private room or between these kings, the knights of the escort will not leave"

"... I can't grasp the intent of the words. Does that mean the escort is still here?

In my words, His Majesty Ronald smiled vaguely.

For the first time, I thought I saw the expression on His Majesty's vegan face.

"There were reports of a mix of intermediaries from Albion among those escorts. So, to talk to you and me, I really had to pull the escort away. Apologize for the disrespect."

"... so you deliberately provoked Micana?

"There's that too. But it's the hostages who took her into custody that mean so much. I don't think you're going to get away with it, but I need you to go to Albion for anything more than Fiona being held hostage."

I exhale slowly as I look at His Majesty Ronald with a gentle smile.

I never thought I'd come off the mask from the other side.

But is this what it is?

Similar to Admiral Arnold. Especially when you say Fio's name, your face looks just like Admiral Arnold's when he checks with me on Her Highness Liacia's cheap condition.

"You don't have to be a hostage to escape."

"I guess so. But clever you might come up with a way to escape. As far as I'm concerned, it's troubling."

"... Is it for Fio?

If I asked about Fio, His Majesty Ronald had a troubled expression.

Once, he meditated his eyes, and His Majesty nodded.

"That's right. I wish her well. Probably the best in this country."

"So... why did you put the reluctant Fio on the battlefield?

"I am the king. During the great outbreak of the Warcraft, Arnold was in the sea, and Ligar was at the border. In the central part of the Empire, there was no one to draw in the soldiers… I was left with no choice but to use my own daughter, whom I had hidden"

"I was hiding it............?

His Majesty Ronald nodded at my words and exhaled.

"At the time of that child's birth, Arnold had told me that he had strong magic. So if you admit to being my child, that child, as a royal blood muscle, will be bound by destiny used as an instrument of war and political marriage with another country... so I hid that child. Civilians... I wanted them to live as normal children..."

Words are full of distress.

I guess it was Fio's happiness that I wished for. But my responsibility as king did not allow it.

I don't even want to imagine how I felt when I sent my child on the battlefield who wished me happiness.

But I can't even sympathize. Because of this, Fio was raised as an unrecognized child by his father, and as a convenient pawn, he is still used today.

"Fio... hates you"

"I know. That's how I treated him. Now, I can't be fatherly. … I was placed on the throne, hoping to be king of fools"

Suddenly, His Majesty Ronald spoke.

But that was predictable.

If you have three brothers, even, or if only one is overwhelmingly good, then there is no problem. But this brother, only one, has an overwhelmingly low ability and the other two are out-of-digit.

If you choose between two excellent people, there will always be a corner. For whoever is around them is not convinced.

That can cause the country to weaken.

Then you can give the throne to one of the incompetents. With that in mind, I expected this man to have been given the throne by the Emperor.

"To not crack the country?

"You have a good guess. Yes. My two brothers are excellent. Ligar was liked by the knights, and Arnold was liked by the civilians. Both were worthy of the throne. So between them, I took over the throne. To keep the two of you from contending. Even so, our brothers are rare and friendly to the royal family."

"... is His Majesty close?

"Those two care about me.... Well, so I had minimal responsibility. In other words, it is the responsibility of the King not to be said to be disqualified. And because of that responsibility, I tormented Fiona. I'm really sorry for what I did."

That's where the question arises.

To protect his lowest line as king, this man sent Fio to the battlefield.

But selling me is against it. No, including the response to His Highness Riasia, how come he's playing too much fool king and buying the antipathy around him?

"So... why are you doing something to make that effort a bubble now?

"... the Empire, also about the Empire and Albion, knew it would be destroyed. So I put my hands together with Velis on my last bet. But the front-line zone collapsed with a full-scale invasion of Albion that I wouldn't expect. Even if we fight like this, the people will suffer."

"You gave up fighting," he said?

"Exactly. At the time of your entry into the Empire, Albion had told me that you would invade in earnest. I thought it was just a threat, but I didn't think you'd prioritize dropping this one over attacking Velis... honestly, it was unexpected"

Is it because of the time lag between when we entered the country and when we were sent to the front?

But it's only natural to target the weaker. The inability to anticipate a full-scale invasion of Albion is shallow thinking, bad empire.

No, anticipating them and thinking about countermeasures, did the empire's plans collapse at a time when Admiral Arnold, the head of the empire, was handed over to his imperial naval counterpart?

"The First Fleet was supposed to kick the Imperial Navy in that way and come back to the Empire. And you and Arnold will bounce back the invasion from Albion. That was supposed to happen... but reality doesn't work inside."

Indeed, that is the most likely way for the Empire to survive.

In fact, I also assumed that I would fight with Admiral Arnold. The failure to read the actions of the Empire is the cause of defeat when it comes to defeat.

However.

"Me and Fio cooperated, and the imperial front was mutual. Even though Si Xian is both of you, I think it was still possible."

"The other way around. You and Fiona can somehow bring each other in. That was all the impending war. And Velis, too, can't send reinforcements here because he's got half of the sea under control by the Imperial Navy. If we fought like this, there would only be more sacrifices for the people"

It makes sense. But it won't be something that the top of the country should think about.

This man seems to take precedence over his country over his people.

Although that is very important, it can result in a lot of people in misery.

"It's a tricky move to defend both the country and the people. So sometimes you have to prioritize one."

"I know. So I gave up. The Empire."

With those words, everything finally connected.

From the beginning, this man was unwilling to defend a country called the Empire. So it didn't matter what the credibility of the country was.

What matters is the lives and lives of the people. If you can even protect it, it doesn't matter if there is no longer a country called the Empire.

That's what this guy thinks.

Extreme idea.

If you can't protect your country, at least reduce the people's sacrifice. I don't deny that idea. But it's too unstable up ahead.

After peace, His Majesty considers it unavoidable that he should surrender and be annexed to Albion. And I suppose you're also thinking of doing it with minimal sacrifice, as all imperial responsibility rests with the fool king.

However, the rule of Albion does not necessarily stabilize. Some will not be allowed to surrender.

Even if everything went exactly as I thought it would, Albion has that Stratos.

I can't imagine that the Empire will be safer than he is involved in Albion.

"At the top of the Albion, there is a man."

"...... I know about Yuri Stratos. So I accepted to send you to Albion."

"…… you want to ask me for Stratos?

"The Imperial Intelligence Network had also grasped that a man who had made a leap in the civil unrest in Velis was in Albion. So there was no formal alliance with Albion either. But things are changing. If you succeed in discussing Stratos, Albion's rampage will stop. And the Empire... will be a healthy country without the Fool King. If you fail, the Empire will surrender, be annexed, and the Fool King executed. It's all up to you. Anyway, you don't have to ask me to do that, do you?

How much difference does an execution make when you're gone?

In the end, either way, this guy is willing to carry the blame.

It would be easy to say that that is the way this man is king.

Then it is too unhappy.

"Your Majesty… you are quick to give up"

"If I can protect everything, I want to, too. But I have no power. In a world of war, I don't have the strength to keep my country alive. So we just have to give up something"

"Until a while ago, I was good at giving up, too. Especially, I gave up on things about myself right away...... But someone told me that I was worried. So I'm not giving up. You may also leave the country. We will withdraw from the enemy, we will surrender to the enemy. But I won't give up living to win. You are Fio's father. As a father, I owe you an apology. Until we do that, I don't think we should give up."

"Don't come to me. But that is the word of the capable. It's a hard word for those who don't have it..."

"Your character may not be suitable for a world of war, but in times of peace, you can be a famous man. I'm going to make this a peaceful time. In a time when those who do not want to fight do not have to fight. Then you don't have to give up anything."

"You think you can do that? The war has already begun. And we... No, you guys are disadvantaged. How do you cover it?"

It was a sincere inquiry.

Looking straight at them, I felt that thought, not allowing them to lie.

So I answered honestly.

"I turn down the culprit. This war, probably what Stratos started. Though the reason is unknown.

The fact is, even Albion, if you can do something about it, it's not that hard to end the war. "

"It's easy for me to go. Kings aren't as incompetent as I am, are they?

"I'm good at negotiating. Besides, if the words don't make sense, you can just follow them by force."

"Sounds like the opposite of a peaceful era, though?

"We will now build up sacrifices to reduce future sacrifices. If a decade-long war ends in five years, it's worth it."

It may be wrong to take a sword, screaming and hoping for peace.

But it's a waste of your life to be defenseless.

Damn, I think I'm sorry for that. I think a lot of people do.

Between kings, I hear people walking.

The knights of the escort must be back.

It would be worse to talk about this than there is an Albion.

"When my extradition is over, make sure Mikana is released."

"Let's promise that. In the name of Blackford."

"Thank you. Or one more thing, please."

"What is it?"

"Be nice to Fio. Earlier, you were delighted to see Master Leasia, weren't you? It can be just words, just attitudes. Be nice to Fio."

"... now I think..."

"It is the favor of those whom thou mayest send to the dead."

I know it's a cowardly way of asking. But if I don't, this guy won't snort at me.

His Majesty sighed and shook his head vertically.

"Okay. I promise to work hard."

"Enough. Well, thank you for your regards about Micana. Though, don't break your promise. She is a valued deputy...... benefactor and companion. If anything, I won't forgive you."

For once, just be careful, so threaten.

It's all possible to lie.

This threat alone would guarantee Micana's safety.

Well, you wouldn't have to worry about that.

If you look me in the eye, I can tell if you're trying to fake this one, and if you look at the status, I can guess if you're upset.

And His Majesty Ronald, he's not trying to fake this one, and his status hasn't shifted.

"I got it. As soon as Fiona's safe, I promise to free her and send her to Velis."

"…… then, Your Majesty. Good news."

When I said that, I flipped my coat and turned my back on His Majesty Ronald.

I am not lost in discussing Stratos. But there is no guarantee that we can discuss it for sure.

There is only one way to do this, but it is suspicious that it will work for Stratos. Pretty lucky, too.

But there is no choice not to.

Fiona is waiting. And Micana's safety is at stake.

If successful, the Empire and Velis will be saved. If it fails, the Empire will surrender to Albion and Velis will have the biggest pinch.

What pressure.

In the meantime, Randall, who brought the negotiations, can't be trusted. This may be the first time a situation has not had allies so far.

While sighing at the bad situation, I turn my shoulders gently.

I can only be more pessimistic than what I have to do.

Moreover,

"That bastard's got to hit him once."

Be quiet, I'm out of the king's room.