第５５６堀：異議あり (Part1)
### Chapter 556: Objection
**Objection**
The year is 523 of the Haire era.
This year marks a pivotal incident for the followers of Haire.
While the root causes trace back to the distant past, the spark that ignited the situation—and the point where it manifested—was undoubtedly the armed conflict between two powerful nations in this region.
One of these nations is Haiden, a magical kingdom said to have been founded by the three heroes chosen by Haire long ago. The other is the Findar Empire, a nation with a long history as a martial power that fought alongside those same three heroes.
After 500 years, these two nations found themselves in an armed clash.
Even former allies may find themselves at odds for the sake of their respective countries; such things are not uncommon.
However, this was different.
The diplomatic discord was far too inexplicable.
Haiden’s maneuvers seemed to actively court war, and Findar, left with no other choice, marched on Baide, a trading city within Haiden territory.
That was where the armed conflict finally erupted.
Had the two nations simply continued to fight, it would have been recorded as nothing more than a standard entry in military history. But an event occurred that transformed what should have been a mere footnote into the genesis of a major incident.
The forces defending Baide against the Findar Empire’s near-surprise attack consisted only of magic students who happened to be there for training and a small garrison stationed in the city.
Combined, they numbered barely five thousand. In contrast, the Findar Empire, fully intending to seize Baide, possessed an overwhelming force of over one hundred thousand.
At the time, two youths from the "Three Houses"—the noble families descended from the three heroes of Haire—were present, but even they could not hold back an army of one hundred thousand. No, defeat was inevitable.
The action taken by the two houses was neither surrender nor suicide.
Legend held that one of the three heroes from 500 years ago had been summoned from another world, and this was a fact. Thus, the two houses, waiting for their defeat in Baide, performed a Hero Summoning.
The summoning succeeded. With the power they gained, the two houses did not merely drive back the Findar Empire; they succeeded in reconciling with them.
Learning of the suspicious movements within their own country, they joined hands and began to act for the sake of peace.
Investigations revealed the lingering shadow of the Rila Kingdom, which had supposedly vanished long ago, along with the monsters they once controlled. This group, calling themselves the "Assembly of Wisdom" within Haiden, had been manipulating the kingdom from the shadows, steering it toward war.
Upon learning this truth, the heroes—Carrie Haiden, Kagura Kamishiro, and Stasia Findar—stormed the Haiden royal capital to save the kingdom and took action to expel the Assembly of Wisdom that had been whispering in the King’s ear.
***
**Side: Yuki**
While drafting such a history book, I wait with Georgin and Duke Kamishiro for the events to unfold.
"Hmm. It is not inaccurate, but there is absolutely no mention of your achievements, Yuki-sama. Is this truly acceptable?"
"Indeed. One can tell that a hero was summoned, but does it not make it seem as though everything thereafter was the sole accomplishment of Princess Carrie, Kagura, and Princess Stasia?"
The two of them comment while looking at the PC screen where I am typing.
We are currently waiting for Tarcram and Clay to storm the royal castle and propose their absurdities. In the meantime, I am writing a narrative that will circulate as a generally accessible "Hero’s Tale" to summarize the situation.
Oh, I have already met with the Haiden King and Carrie’s mother.
Naturally, the letters have been recovered, and all the detailed information has been conveyed.
Having been the ones struggling to keep the country afloat, they were not fools who would simply dismiss their daughters' words.
Well, the fact that there was concrete evidence was the biggest factor, of course.
"It’s fine as long as it’s not factually wrong. If I write that Weed took the lead in settling the conflict and brokering peace between Haiden and Findar, the prestige of both nations will suffer. That would be troublesome for future developments."
"Well, that may be true... but we cannot simply remain silent about Weed's involvement."
"As Georgin-dono says, it would be shameful to hide Weed's assistance and claim all the credit for ourselves."
"Well, it’s a matter of public perception. If the general populace learns that the heroes who helped them were actually a nation, it would only cause confusion. And writing that a foreign state intervened and forced a ceasefire wouldn't make much sense to them, either."
"Hmm. Indeed, the sudden intervention of a nation called Weed would be incomprehensible to them."
"However, if we hide it poorly, people will appear claiming that we stole the credit. It’s the perfect narrative for those who would be happy to see the prestige of Haiden and Findar decline."
"I understand that. Therefore, when the time is right, we shall select a few people from Weed and cast them as heroes. If we say it was hidden to avoid intervention from other nations, that should suffice."
"By that logic, does that mean you, Yuki-sama, will not be a hero?"
"Or rather, isn't Yuki-sama the hero himself? You are, after all, a person who came from Japan."
"I cannot afford to take on any more work. Once this problem subsides to a certain extent, there will be discussions not only with Haiden and Findar but with other nations as well."
"...Ah, that is true. This is not the end."
"...It was the beginning, wasn't it? In that case, Princess Carrie, my daughter Kagura, and Princess Stasia, who have been hoisted up as the heroes this time, are perfect for the role."
"Exactly. They serve as excellent figureheads, and they aren't yet heavily involved in the core of state affairs. My only concern is that Princess Stasia is a general."
"She is also a princess, after all. If it were His Majesty, he would immediately instruct her to act as a princess. What Princess Stasia needs to play right now is not the role of a general, but that of a 'Hero Princess' who has joined hands for the sake of friendship."
As the three of us middle-aged men discuss future plans, the fools storm into the audience chamber.
"Tarcram. And Clay of the Saber Corps. What is the meaning of this?"
The one asking is the Haiden King, a dignified, bearded man.
I thought he might be of a certain age since he is Princess Carrie’s uncle, but he is actually in his early thirties.
It seems he was about ten years younger than Carrie’s father, the previous king. As a result, there was no friction between them, and they were close brothers, with the succession already settled on Carrie’s father.
So, regarding the capture of the fools who created this unwelcome situation, when I showed him the evidence...
*"I will handle the cleanup. Do it thoroughly. These fools trampled on the wishes of my brother and sister-in-law, smeared mud on our friendly nation Findar, reopened old wounds, and even laid hands on my niece Carrie and my friend the Duke’s daughter, Kagura. Throw them out."*
He was absolutely furious.
Soldiers are already heading to surround the homes of Tarcram and everyone else on the list.
In other words, this is a fixed race from here on out.
The only question is whether the fools will honestly admit their crimes or struggle and worsen their standing.
There is no escape route left.
By the way, regarding the Haire matter, he agreed with Carrie’s opinion to simply observe their movements.
Well, I wouldn't want to poke a bush and have a snake come out.
Recalling such things, we listen to the lies of those fools from the Royal Guard’s waiting room, adjacent to the audience chamber.
"Your Majesty!! It is regarding the Baide incident."
"Baide? Did you not report yourself, Tarcram, that my niece, the Duke’s daughter Kagura, and the Lord of Baide, Catherine, had repelled the Findar army?"
"Yes. That is correct, but I felt a certain sense of unease. When I sought the cooperation of Clay Igot, captain of the Saber Corps, to investigate Baide... it turned out that Catherine herself had orchestrated everything."
"What do you mean? Clay. Tell me what you saw."
"Yes. With all due respect, what Tarcram-sama says is the truth. What I witnessed in Baide was Catherine-dono treating Princess Carrie and my Kagura as captives while speaking with members of the Findar army. In other words, the enemy did not attack Baide; Catherine-dono invited them in!!"
Yeah.
Language really is a mysterious thing.
Not a single word they are saying is factually incorrect.