Blood Kin

"Landians and Seadians, huh?"

In the room that had been prepared for us in Mao's castle, I was

smacking myself in the head as I read Ichiha's report, which Yuriga had

brought to me.

With regards to the issue of what we should call the demons, we had

settled on calling them "Seadians" for now. Some of the Seadians wished to

return home, while others just wanted someplace safe to live. They were a

lot like the band of refugees led by Jirukoma and Komain. Actually,

considering the sequence of events that brought the Seadians to Haazar, the

Seadians essentially were refugees. That being the case, we could probably

handle this situation the same way.

If they insisted on going home, we'd drive them out. If they would

consider this world their new home, we'd accept them. The only difference

was that this time we'd be driving them out into monster-infested territory,

so they weren't going to go easily. It'd be suicide for them to head back

north with just their best soldiers. That meant they couldn't leave, even if

they wanted to—and if we tried to force them out, they'd hole themselves

up inside Haazar.

The tense situation between us and the Seadians was going to continue. I

wanted to put off forcing them to make a decision until we could at least set

up systems to support their return, but...there was a big problem with that.

"The question is...if I can convince Fuuga..."

Now that Fuuga had raised his fist, he was likely looking for a satisfying

reason to lower it. He'd gathered an army in the name of fully liberating the

Demon Lord's Domain, so he needed an accomplishment that equated to

such an endeavor. Until he had one, he couldn't really take the Seadians'

plight into consideration.

Thinking of how to end the war is already enough of a headache as is... I

thought, sighing.

"Erm... Sorry," Yuriga, who was beside me, apologized.

"Oh, my bad. I don't want to blame you for this, Yuriga."

"But it's all because of my brother."

"Hopefully, Fuuga understands the focus of the issue has changed too."

We did manage to close the gate in the north, but the situation in the

northern hemisphere remained unchanged. There was no telling when the

wall between north and south might break down, allowing a great surge of

monsters to push southwards. It had already reached the point where the

world of the south couldn't handle things on its own.

Yuriga brought a hand to her mouth as if thinking about something.

"Yeah... The problem has changed. So maybe my brother will..." she

pondered.

"Hm? What is it?"

"No. It's nothing." Yuriga shook her head.

What was that about? Well, whatever. I sighed and looked up to the

ceiling again. "Madam Mao. If you're listening, could you come here?"

"Is something the matter?" Mao replied, suddenly appearing before our

eyes.

"Whuh?!" Yuriga doubled back in shock.

Mao was a projection, a data entity, and this region itself. She was

probably aware of anything that happened in this castle.

"We fixed your bug, right? Can you take the Seadians back north on

your own now?" I asked, but Mao shook her head apologetically.

"I'm sorry. With your help, I was able to close that gate and terminate

the function that was causing me to create new dungeons, but it's an error

that developed over a long time... As a result of aging, you might say, I

can't be sure when I might cause another dangerous situation. It might be

fastest to shut me down outright, but that would mean abandoning my

children, so...I need to stay active a little longer."

It sounded like they needed Mao to maintain this city, else the Seadians

would struggle to survive without defensive systems like Jangar. Mao had

attempted to destroy herself for their sake before, but now that wasn't an

option for her.

Besides...when she looks like a girl and she acts all troubled like this, I

can't help but sympathize with her, you know?

If a machine bugs out and becomes a threat to people, it should be

destroyed. But because her projection looked human and expressed her

worries like one would, it became a lot harder to suggest scrapping her. Did

Mao's creators give her the form of a DIVAloid in order to make people feel

this way about her? Do Astro Boy and Doraemon have lives and minds of

their own? Is it right for a human to risk their life for a machine? I never

expected the day would come when I was forced to ask myself those kinds

of sci-fi questions.

Mao looked straight at me.

"However, by solving the most pressing issues, we've gained the time to

think things through. Also, I've collected your voice and genetic sample, so

you can transfer the authority to shut down my functions and some other

limited capacities to those who share a certain amount of your DNA."

"Wait, you don't mean Cian and my other children, do you?!"

"Yes. Your descendants, within a certain degree of kinship, will have the

ability to place restrictions on me."

Seriously? So it isn't just me? Cian, Kazuha, Enju, Leon, Kaito, and all

my unborn children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren could all get

caught up in this?

"If the countries of the south decide to set out for the northern

hemisphere, then they're going to want someone of your line, Souma,"

Yuriga said, calmly analyzing the situation. "If they can't have you

specifically, they'll want one of your children."

"This isn't funny. Jeez." I clutched my head.

The Nine-Headed Dragon Kingdom wouldn't be an issue because Cian

was already engaged to Princess Sharan. However, Kuu—the Head of the

Republic—had been saying he wanted formal marriage ties with us, and I'd

told him I'd consider it once he actually had a child. As for the Euphoria

Kingdom, Maria had married into our family, so that would be enough for

them as long as we had children, but...what about all the other countries?

The Dragon Knight Kingdom and Spirit Kingdom both were friendly

towards us, or felt indebted to us, so they were fine. It'd be dangerous if the

Lunarian Orthodox Papal State came after the children though. But most

urgently...

I looked at Yuriga, who began awkwardly scratching her cheek as she

figured out what I was thinking just by that glance.

"Well, my brother's going to want us to hurry up and make a baby, I'm

sure."

I'll bet... The largest potential problem was the Great Tiger Empire of

Haan. If Fuuga was interested in the northern hemisphere, he'd definitely

want to have one of my descendants. Should I have a child with Yuriga,

he'd probably want to have custody of it, and if we didn't have children, he

might go after one of my other kids. Either way, it couldn't be more of a

hassle.

"I wish he'd give me a break..." I grumbled.

"I don't think he will. I mean, I just started thinking about maybe having

a baby after I heard what she said..."

"Wha?!"

I looked at Yuriga in shock, but she simply shrugged.

"I still support my brother's dream. I know I said we'd marry so I could

beg for his life if he fails, but well... If my brother decides to take an

interest in the northern hemisphere instead of uniting the continent...I think

I'd be willing to help him with getting one of your children if he really

needs one. That would also protect the Kingdom of Friedonia."

How incredibly pragmatic of her. I had no idea what to say. She was a

lot like Liscia when it came to this.

"But do you think his retainers or people would be willing to accept a

sudden change in direction like that...?" I questioned.

"Yeah, that's the thing..." Yuriga let out a knowing sigh.

Beyond Fuuga's ambition of completely liberating the Demon Lord's

Domain was the great work of unifying the continent—a feat no one had

ever accomplished. It was likely what Fuuga had been aiming for all this

time, and his vassals and people must have been hoping he might pull it off.

If he said he was going to some northern hemisphere they had just

discovered, what would all those people think? Wouldn't they feel their

hopes had been betrayed? Would Fuuga lose the incredible charisma that

was holding his massive empire together?

Yuriga crossed her arms and groaned. "Hrm... I don't think he'd change

course immediately, setting aside the question of whether he wants to or

not. He might decide that he wants to get his hands on one of your kids so

that he can go north after uniting the south. And if that child happens to be

mine, carrying the blood of the Haans, then all the better."

"Ahh... Yeah, I could see that."

Fuuga's ambitions were grand, for better or for worse. With an end goal

in sight, he'd run towards it heedless of any danger, not worrying that he

might trip along the way. And if he tripped, he'd be able to accept he hadn't

been up to the task. It was that lack of forethought that had driven Fuuga to

become a great man.

"Maybe I should ask Tomoe to add me into the rotation... It'd be

embarrassing for her to track my condition, but I can't be fussy..." Yuriga

mumbled to herself.

I felt like I'd be stirring up trouble if I said anything, so I let her be.

We'd have to have a family meeting about it when we got back.

I'm bringing back nothing but bad news, huh? I thought, clutching my

head.

"Lord Souma. The wounded have been fully treated," Mao suddenly

reported, completely unrelated to anything we'd been talking about.

She said it with all the cheer of a fully automatic water heater reporting

that the bath was ready... Wait, the wounded?!

Snapping back to my senses, I cried out, "Right! What happened to

Carla and the others?!"

"The treatment is complete. However, rapid recovery requires stamina,

so I would expect it to be a while longer before they wake up. I'll have

them put in another room to rest."

"So they're okay then?! Thank goodness..."

As I leaned back in my chair, Yuriga put her hands on my shoulders to

offer some extra support. It was at that moment that Juna entered the room

and snapped off a tight, naval-style salute.

"Your Majesty, Grandmother's fleet has just arrived."

"They've made it, huh?"

If Excel had arrived, Castor would be with her. When I considered that I

had narrowly dodged the bullet of having to show Castor his daughter

floating around in a tank, maybe his timing was good. Still, Carla had

almost died because of me, and she'd saved my life. I meant to accept any

anger or resentment her father threw my way.

It'd feel better for me if he'd just haul off and punch me, but...if he really

puts his full strength into it, I'd die, so hopefully he'll hold back. The worst

thing would be if he wanted to complain but had to hold it in because I was

his liege. Even if there was nothing I could have done about it.

Man, this is depressing...

I longed for one of Liscia's lectures.

Once Excel and Castor joined us, we were hurried over to the room

where Carla was resting. Castor had already been informed of the situation.

He'd gone pale for a moment when he first heard the details, but was

relieved to hear she was being treated and her life wasn't at risk.

When I apologized for my decisions, all he had to say was, "No... If she

was able to risk her life defending her liege, I don't think there could be any

greater honor for someone born into a warrior family."

Still, he must have been worried. You could tell by how fast he was

walking towards her sick room.

"Carla! Are you okay?!"

"F-Father?"

As Castor rushed into the room, Carla sat up in bed and stared blankly at

us. She wasn't wearing her red armor now; instead, she was clad in a

hospital gown like the ones they used in my old world.

Castor grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Are you okay?! DDoes it hurt anywhere?!"

"I, uh, my shoulders hurt where you're grabbing them."

"Oh! S-Sorry."

Castor hurriedly let go and Carla coughed awkwardly. Then she

wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm okay. I feel exhausted all over, but nothing really hurts."

"Thank goodness..."

Castor fell to his knees, his relief sapping him of all energy. Despite

putting on a strong face, he'd been worried sick.

Seeing him like this, Carla worriedly cried out, "F-Father?!"

When Castor had settled down, Excel walked over and said, "Carla...

I'm so glad you were all right."

"Your Majesty! And Grandmother too!" Her eyes widened as she

noticed us, and then she looked deeply relieved. "Thank goodness. You all

made it through okay. I can't remember what happened after the giant shot

me..."

"Yeah. You saved me, Carla. Really...I can't thank you enough."

"Your dedication saved many people. As your grandmother, I couldn't

be more proud of you."

"N-No, you're giving me too much credit."

Carla frantically shook her head at what we were saying, but we hadn't

exaggerated in the slightest. If she hadn't been there, I might have died, and

if I'd died there, there probably wouldn't have been a truce with the

Seadians. No one could possibly doubt that Carla's presence had had a

major effect on the present.

"Also...I'm sorry." I bowed deeply to Carla. "My overly optimistic

decisions caused casualties we could have avoided, and put your life in

danger. I'm truly sorry."

"S-Sire, don't bow your head like that! I was the one who chose to put

myself in harm's way for you!"

Carla waved her hand back and forth in a hurried denial before stopping

and taking a deep breath.

"Besides," she continued, "I think I could have done better. I managed to

protect you once, but I lost consciousness, and was unable to do anything

else until the situation was over, even though Prince Cian was kind enough

to warn us."

"So, about Cian... Was he the reason that you were able to react to

defend me so quickly...?"

"Yes. When he said you wouldn't come back, I suspected something

might happen."

Carla often looked after the children with Liscia and the others. My

wives and I all had work that needed to be done and couldn't spend all our

time on raising the children, so it was likely Carla had spent a longer time

with them than any of us. Because of that, Carla had noticed Cian's

apparent ability to predict near-future dangers, and ultimately she'd taken

the warning more seriously than I had.

"Well, darn... I guess you and Cian saved me."

"It's kind of you to say that, but it was my duty to do so." Carla reached

towards the slave collar that served as proof of her loyalty to the royal

family. "Huh...?"

However, there was no collar there, bringing a confused look to Carla's

face.

"Ohh, if you're looking for your collar, it's gone. That thing doesn't

come off until you die or are freed from slavery. But turning that around, it

means it'll come off if you die... Your heart had completely stopped at one

point. It must have come off then."

"I was in that much danger, was I?"

Confronted once more with how close she'd come to death, Carla went

pale.

I smiled wryly and told her, "Ever since the incident with Mio, there's

been room to reduce the sentences of the members of the House of Vargas

who were just following the House of Carmine. I don't want to have to reenslave you after you saved my life, so you can consider yourself freed."

"Oh, but...what about my role, stopping you if the time comes?"

"You can do that without being a slave, can't you? Ah, but if you want

to rejoin the air force or be under Castor's command, I'll have to think

about it."

"No," Carla shook her head, "I'm still concerned for Prince Cian and the

others, so please let me continue to serve you at the castle. I have a long life

ahead of me. Taking a little detour isn't a problem."

"Yeah. It'd be a big help to me and Liscia if you'd do that."

"Okay!"

Then Excel slapped her fan against her palm.

"Now then, sire. I hate to pour cold water on the harmonious atmosphere

here, but... If Carla has awakened, then that means the other wounded

should have finished being treated too. That included our soldiers...and the

soldiers of the Great Tiger Empire."

"You're saying we have to return Fuuga's wounded to him, right?" I

said, a serious look on my face, and Excel nodded.

"Yes. And we have to end the war with the demons... No, the Seadians."

"Right. Now that everyone knows the other side's situation, there's no

point in continuing to fight the Seadians... It's going to be tough to make

Fuuga understand that though."

"But if we don't, then this quagmire will continue."

"Yeah, I know... Madam Mao."

"You called?"

Mao suddenly appeared in front of us. Castor and Carla were

dumbstruck, but Excel looked unperturbed thanks to a composure born of

her many years.

"Madam Mao. Come to think of it, what is Madam Tiamat doing? I

haven't seen her since the day we arrived."

"She's in my core, keeping an eye on me. To make sure I don't harm any

of you."

"Did you need something, Sir Souma?" came a familiar voice.

"Whoa?!"

I doubled back in shock as Madam Tiamat suddenly appeared in front of

us too.

Even knowing both of them could teleport, they appeared and

disappeared so suddenly that I had to assume they might be doing it on

purpose. Castor and Carla were both gaping, and the fan Excel was hiding

her mouth with—possibly to mask her own surprise—was quivering.

"The entity viewed as the Demon Lord, and Mother Dragon of the Star

Dragon Mountain Range, together in one room. Even I'm a little

intimidated by a combination like that. The things you see when you live as

long as I have..." Excel murmured.

Even though she said this, Lady Tiamat and Mao had lived for such eons

that they probably looked at Excel as no more than a baby. She wouldn't

stand a chance against either of them.

Regardless, the Mother Dragon was here, so I decided to talk business.

"Madam Tiamat. It sounds like Fuuga's men have been treated, so could

you send them back to him?"

"Very well. Would you like it done immediately?"

"Oh, no. We'll want to have one of the soldiers deliver a message to

Fuuga, so it can wait until after that."

Madam Tiamat nodded and then vanished. Considering her position, she

probably couldn't be seen taking our side.

Excel furrowed her brow. "If you're sending a message, then I assume

you're planning to hold a meeting with Sir Fuuga?"

"Yeah. Like I said before, we need to find an 'out' for him. If he were to

go wild here, it might close off the possibility of reconciling with the

Seadians."

The losses we took in this war were the result of him making decisions

for me. We're going to have to make our own choices from now on to avoid

a repeat of that.

"He's such a troublemaker." Excel let out a little sigh. "Even with the

door to the north closed, the world of the north is still swarming with

monsters, yes? We don't know when the door might open again, so his

ambitions to dominate the south are nothing but a nuisance."

"Yeah... But now that we've come into contact with Mao and her people,

I can finally see a way to end Fuuga's era and beat him."

That made Excel's eyes widen.

"Well, this is certainly unusual. You always rely on Sir Hakuya and me

when it comes to tactics and strategy, so I wouldn't have expected you to

speak of victory like that."

"Right. But this isn't in the domain of tactics or strategy."

This was something grander, yet more fundamental than either of those.

If tactics and strategy were what let a great man survive in troubled times,

then it was simply a matter of ending those troubles. We already had the

key to triggering that sort of paradigm shift.

It'll still involve butting heads with Fuuga at least once though...

The thought of the potential casualties weighed on me, but...I'd have to

think about that later. For now, I needed to resolve this current situation so

that we could move on to the next stage.