Chapter 1: Project Lorelei (last part)

It's an intense song...

I was off in a corner, listening to it.

While there had been a slight commotion from the soldiers in the audience when

she started to sing, because they had strict orders to "Remain seated no matter what

happens, and listen to the music quietly," no one made a scene over it.

However, it was hard to blame them for being unsettled.

After all, this song was about an invasion of the Elfrieden Kingdom.

The lyrics "In the land beyond the mountains, where Ursula will be born

tomorrow," referred to the lands east of the Ursula Mountains which were once part

of Amidonia but were now part of Elfrieden.

It called for their horses and brave warriors to press forward towards there.

In other words, their national anthem was a song about crossing the Goldoa

Valley to invade the Elfrieden Kingdom.

I dunno... It felt like, did they really have to take it that far? It showed just how

vindictive a militaristic state could be that even their national anthem was trying to

incite the people.

While I was thinking about that, Aisha asked me in a hushed voice, "Is this all

right? Do you want to let her sing like this?"

"...Well, it's about what I expected," I responded in a whisper, with my arms

crossed. "Someone who was a general of the opposing army suddenly said she

wanted to participate in my music program. About the only reasons I could come up

with were 'to stir up the patriotism of the viewers,' or 'to wait for a chance to get

close to me and then strike.' After a cursory investigation into what sort of person

she was, I expected it to be the former. That's why I asked you to protect me, Aisha."

"You knew this would happen?!" Aisha exclaimed. "In that case, wouldn't it have

been better not to let her sing?"

"...Well, just watch," I said. "I'm going to turn her plans around on her."

While I was saying that, Margarita finished her song. As soon as she finished

singing, Margarita sat herself down on the spot.

When we walked over to her, she said, "I've shown you the pride of the

Amidonian people. Now, lop off my head."

She sat up straight. As I thought, she had come prepared for this. Being cut down

here was probably part of her plan. In fact, if I laid a hand on Margarita here, this

entire broadcast would be a wasted effort.

That's why I smiled, and said, "Why? I thought you sang well."

Perhaps because it wasn't the expected response, Margarita's eyes went wide.

I felt bad doing this to her when she'd had such strong resolve, but I wasn't about

to go along with her plans.

"You have a good voice, one that would work well for R&B, maybe," I said. "I have

lots of songs I'd like to hear in your voice. I'm sure the people feel the same way."

When I said that in an off-handed manner, Margarita glared at me. "...I sang the

Amidonian national anthem, you realize. If you let this outrage stand, people will

question your authority as the King of Elfrieden."

"Don't call it an outrage yourself... and so what?" I asked. "There's no law in

Elfrieden saying you can't sing another country's national anthem. This isn't

Amidonia."

I looked away from Margarita, turning towards the Jewel Voice Broadcast jewel

and saying, "What makes for a good country? It's not a simple question to answer.

However, if nothing else, I think a country that lets its people sing freely is a good

one. If a country lets you sing happy songs, sad songs, love songs, local songs, foreign

songs, military songs, and anti-war songs freely, I think that's the mark of a good

country."

Then, reaching out towards the jewel with my right hand, I asked, "What do you,

the viewers, think?"

◇ ◇ ◇

There was a tower on the west side of Van Castle.

That moss-covered tower with its bizarre and imposing presence was home to a

jail, and it was used to confine criminals of high status (nobility, knights, and higher).

While it was a jail for those of high status, it wasn't a luxury suite by any means.

Inside it was a typical dingy jail.

Under Amidonian rule, it had primarily been political prisoners who'd been

confined in this tower. Those people who were said to have plotted to overthrow the

state, or to oppose the direction of the country.

While they may have been said to have done those things, whether they actually

had was another matter. Sometimes these sorts of political crimes were used to take

down a political rival.

Underground there was a torture chamber used to extract confessions. It seems

that the nobles who were falsely accused would be forced to confess there, then sent

to the execution block along with their families. If you approached this tower at

night, you could hear the moaning of the prisoners who were being tortured during

the day, so at some point it had come to be known as the Moaning Tower.

In one of the jail cells of the Moaning Tower, Liscia and Carla were sitting on the

floor looking at one another across a set of iron bars. Carla, who was being kept as a

hostage against the Air Force, was currently imprisoned in this tower.

Liscia had brought in a simple Jewel Voice Broadcast receiver, and she was

watching Souma's program with Carla. They had taken it for a simple entertainment

program at first, but when that Amidonian general had suddenly appeared, the two

of them had realized Souma's true aim.

"Had he calculated that that female general would use the broadcast to stir up

patriotism..." Carla wondered.

"...so he showed off the freedom and magnanimity that would allow him to accept

that patriotism?" Liscia finished.

The two of them sighed in admiration.

Liscia traced the edge of the simple receiver with her finger. "Souma taught the

people of Amidonia that in Elfrieden people are free to sing whatever songs they

want. No, it's not just songs. Music, literature, paintings, sculptures... He showed that

every form of artistic self-expression is allowed."

"Self-expression, huh..." Carla said. "I can't think of anything the principality hates

more."

In a militaristic state like the Principality of Amidonia, it was easier to rule if the

people were all the same. That way they could gain the support of the people just by

calling for the downfall of Elfrieden. If they allowed for a diverse political discourse,

people might start suggesting, "We should make peace with Elfrieden, trade with

them, and coexist." That was the most frightening idea for the members of the

princely house, so anyone who espoused those sorts of ideas was thoroughly

suppressed.

However, with their defeat in the war and the death of Gaius VIII, the princely

house had lost their authority. Souma had chosen a time like this to make his

broadcast, teaching the people of the principality about the existence of something

called "freedom of expression."

They could sing whatever songs they wanted to, draw whatever pictures they

wanted to, and write whatever stories they wanted to.

He had shown the people of Van that the people restricting them from doing

those things were already gone.

"From here on... even if their crown prince, Julius, manages to regain power, I

doubt he can rule like they did before," said Liscia. "The people of Van have now

tasted the bliss of expressing themselves. If he wants to take that from them, he'll

have to crack down on it."

"If he does that, he'll only alienate his people more... huh." Carla sighed, resting

her back against the bars. "I think I finally get what Souma meant when he said,

'There's only work for a king before and after the war.' For him... he's still fighting

right now."

"Fighting..." Liscia murmured. "I see, so that's why Souma chose Aisha as his

partner." Liscia let out a sigh, leaning back against the bars. The two of them were

now back-to-back with the bars in between them. "I'm happy that he doesn't want

me to get hurt, but I get a little jealous. I'd like him to rely on me more..."

"Ha ha ha..." Carla laughed. "It just shows how much he cares for you."

"Does it?"

"It does," Carla assured her. "When he was whining to me on the battlefield, he

said he couldn't let you and the others hear him like that. Grandmother once said

that the more a man cares about someone, the more prideful he is around them."

"Y-You think...? Oh, wait, Carla, he was whining to you?" Liscia asked.

"It's because I mean nothing to him, I'll bet. I did oppose him, after all."

"Carla, Souma is...!"

When Liscia turned around and looked at Carla's face, she was at a loss for words.

Her expression showed none of her usual defiance; it was lonely somehow, with an

air of peaceful resignation.

"I know, Liscia," said Carla. "On the battlefield, he forced me to see the weight he's

carrying on his shoulders. He's no phony. He's a splendid king. You and King Albert

were right in your judgment of him. We were the ones who lacked your clarity of

vision."

"Huh?!" Liscia exclaimed. "If you've figured that out, then..."

"It's why I can't let you intercede on my behalf."

Liscia stood up and slammed on the bars. "Carla! Do you have any idea what

Duchess Walter and I are going through to..."

"No," said Carla. "That's not it, Liscia." She shook her head silently. Then, folding

her hands on her lap, she forced herself to say, "We made a mistake. That's why I

don't want to cause any more trouble for you. If you try to help us survive, you'll be

putting Souma in a bind. He's already pushing himself too hard to be king, so I don't

want to increase the burden on him anymore."

"Carla..." Liscia looked as if she were in pain.

Carla smiled weakly. "I don't want to be a burden on you and the one you love

any longer."

◇ ◇ ◇

"Now then, everyone, I think we'll have this person here close out the program

for us," I said. "Here's the number one singer, the Prima Lorelei, Juna Doma!"

Having finished with the lead-in to the last song, I moved off-stage to somewhere

the jewel wouldn't pick me up. When I got there, I found Margarita kneeling and

Aisha looking at her with a grim look on her face.

"...King of Elfrieden," snarled Margarita. "Did you know what I was going to do?"

She looked extremely frustrated as I approached.

"Yeah, kinda," I said. "Someone tried the same thing in the world I came from."

Although that had been in a movie. It was an old musical, but my grandpa had

loved it, so I had seen it a bunch of times.

Margarita hung her head. "I see... If someone has tried it before, it's little wonder I

failed."

I placed a hand on Margarita's shoulder. "Despite being from the Amidonian

military, you didn't rely on brute force, and you had a wonderful singing voice. How

about it? Why not try becoming a singer in our country for real? An R&B singer,

maybe."

"...You put me to shame with such kind words for a defeated soldier," she said

bitterly. "I'm not sure what this... arr and bee is, but given I have failed as a soldier,

perhaps that would be fine."

"Yeah, we can never have too many singers," I said. "You'd be more than

welcome."

A troubled smile formed on Margarita's tough-looking face. "...Let me think about

it."

◇ ◇ ◇

Margarita Wonder was hesitant at this point, but not long afterwards, she did

make her debut as an R&B singer from Amidonia. Her powerful singing with that

husky voice of hers mostly found support with middle-aged people.

Furthermore, with the larger-than-life personality she had cultivated on the

battlefield, and the courage to rival any man's, she took over hosting the program,

eventually becoming a mainstay of the kingdom's entertainment industry.

Regardless, the curtain now fell on the highly-eventful first broadcast of the

music program.