Chapter 74: Side Story: The Secrets of Ordinary Fuguten
Yoru, the king of Ordinary Fuguten—a kingdom located on a western island—was sitting at his desk alone, greatly troubled. The failure of his recent politics and the subsequent decline in support he was facing bothered him.
As an island nation, Ordinary Fuguten had always been relatively protected from monster invasions. Witches never settled there because it had little tactical value, so it had historically been much stabler and richer than most other countries.
The opinions of the kings of Fuguten had always carried a lot of weight during international meetings. Even when they forced one-sided deals on weaker nations, no one had ever been able to speak up in protest. The reasoning behind that was quite simple—besides Fuguten and Giappon, two rich island nations, they had no one to turn to for economic and material support.
In a way, these two countries were the lifeline the rest of the world held on to. If other nations displeased them, they stopped sending food aid, dooming the other country.
And so, the other rulers always bent over backward to make sure the king of Fuguten would remain content.
It also explained why Fuguten didn't care much about the saint. They didn't need her, and they certainly weren't interested in pretending she was the leader of the world. While other countries had no choice but to cling to the faint hope the saint represented if they wanted to avoid collapse, Fuguten was different. They didn't need to revere some figurehead. Their kings, in particular, had always refused to give up any part of their authority—even if it were only for show.
In addition, Fuguten's remote island location also meant it was difficult for the saint to visit.
All in all, Fuguten neither won nor lost anything because of the saint. Her existence was practically irrelevant to them.
Interestingly enough, the rulers of Giappon—which were in a similar situation—didn't behave in the same way. Just like the other countries, they accepted the saint's (apparent) supremacy. From what King Yoru knew, their choice was motivated by a traumatic experience caused by the witch centuries ago.
As far as Fuguten was concerned, Giappon's behavior was quite convenient. It meant that the king of Fuguten, the only one who did not bow to the saint, was equal—no—even higher than the saint herself.
King Yoru groaned. "This is bad... Very, very bad..."
His authority had started slipping away from him a couple of years ago. Needless to say, the main culprit was Ellize, the so-called greatest saint in history.
She'd driven out countless monsters, healed the common people, introduced new crops, and reclaimed land from the witch. She was so overwhelmingly powerful that all the past saints looked like jokes in comparison.
In the span of a short few years, the tables had been entirely turned around. Fuguten had gone from being in the best position to being in the worst.
Ellize, being as powerful as she was, could have very well visited Fuguten to share her blessings. She wouldn't even have needed a boat. However, the nation had continued to insist year after year that they didn't need the saint's help, and that they weren't interested in worshipping her—their king kept them safe enough.
And so, they hadn't been able to bring themselves to ask for Ellize's aid. Worse than that, King Yoru was so scared that Ellize's presence would eat away at his authority that he'd doubled down and told Ellize he didn't need her to come.
He hadn't explicitly forbidden her from entering the country, but after being told her presence wasn't wanted by someone who was technically of the same rank—if not higher—Ellize would naturally find it hard to visit Fuguten.
Add to that the fact that Fuguten was located far, far away from her natal Giardino, and its relative safety compared to other nations, and it was little wonder why Ellize had prioritized other countries.
In the blink of an eye, Fuguten had gone from the safest, most stable country in the world to the worst one. While Fuguten had always been deemed to be a nation that was well-off, that was only in comparison to other countries. There were fewer monsters, sure, but the land and the people still suffered at their hands.
It wasn't too late to seek Ellize's help, but King Yoru's pride forbade him from doing so. It would be far too embarrassing. Had he not said a word, Ellize would have eventually visited. However, his own stubbornness had led to this situation.
"I'm in such a bind..."
King Yoru had become the foolish king who'd doomed his people out of pride. And, naturally, his people blamed him. They berated him every day.
Why isn't the king asking for the saint's help?!
Wait a minute, our royal idiot was the one who pushed her away in the first place!
Submit to the saint!
What's wrong with being under the saint?! She never even interferes with politics!
You're so useless, it's no wonder your wife left you!
If he didn't do anything, who knew when someone would start planning a coup to drag him down from his throne? And yet, he really didn't want to bow to the saint and beg for her help. It would be the same as admitting that his way had been wrong all along. He'd be dragged from his throne all the same for being a terrible politician!
No, he needed to find a way to get the saint to come to Fuguten without apologizing to her. Then, he'd be able to stand tall and keep his status above the other rulers.
King Yoru couldn't forget about his country's past glory. Suddenly, he got an idea—a foolish one that he was convinced would fix all of his issues.
◇
Under the cover of the night, ten men approached the academy. The men that made up Fuguten's Stealth Force were clad in black. At the king's order, they took care of espionage missions, investigated, assassinated, or abducted targets.
Tonight, their target was Ellize.
King Yoru didn't want to bow to the saint, but he wanted her in Fuguten. After pondering over the matter for a while, he'd reached a conclusion: all he needed to do was abduct her. If he kept her in Fuguten, he could monopolize her blessings. Then, his country would rise above all others, and they'd be forced to beg for his help again. Fuguten would be as prestigious and prosperous as it once was.
And if anyone wondered why Ellize had disappeared all of a sudden... Well, he could always blame it on the witch.
Sure, Ellize was strong enough to destroy an army of monsters, but surely she was as defenseless as a regular teenage girl while she was asleep. Not to mention that a merciful and benevolent saint like her probably wouldn't hurt humans even if she suddenly woke up.
As long as they managed to abduct her, they could work everything else out. If need be, they could even feed her drugs to turn her into an obedient doll who'd listen to King Yoru's every order.
And so, the men of the Stealth Force had been tasked with this ridiculous, shoddily conceived plan. As soon as they reached the entrance, though, they noticed that something was off.
"Guys, wait... Isn't one of us missing?" one of them asked, looking around and counting his comrades.
"You're right," another agreed. "Did someone get lost?"
"Whatever, let's leave the idiot behind and carry out our mission," a third one said.
One of them had disappeared, but instead of searching for him, they prioritized their mission. These men were cruel, and above all else, loyal to their king. They knew that their orders came before their lives or those of their comrades. Besides, if one of them had gotten lost so easily, it proved that he wasn't up to the task. Good-for-nothings weren't worth their time.
The nine men took out their grappling hooks, and after twirling them in the air for a moment, threw them at the academy's wall. Each of them latched on to the window frame on the top floor.
These men had done their homework before coming. They knew that Ellize stayed on the top floor of the academy. They also knew that Layla, the head of Ellize's guard, was carefully guarding the door of the saint's room. However, the window was unattended.
The nine men started climbing the wall one by one, aided by their rope. When the ninth man stepped forward to climb, he suddenly felt a presence behind him.
"Wh—"
His mouth was clamped shut as he tried to say "Who goes there?!" A needle was quickly stabbed into his neck. As the man felt his consciousness slip away, the last thing he saw was a pair of glasses reflecting the moonlight. He was then dragged away by his assailant and disappeared.
"Wait... Something's weird. Another one of our guys's gone," one of the men said.
"Again?"
"We can't write it off as a coincidence. Something must be going on."
"We might be under attack. Keep your guard up."
One deadbeat getting lost made sense, but two was suspicious. Someone had most likely attacked them. One of Ellize's knights might have noticed them and taken action.
The remaining eight men couldn't turn back, though. They continued to climb the wall, their senses on alert.
As he reached the third floor, the man at the rear suddenly felt like he was being watched. His eyes immediately darted toward the window of the third floor, and sure enough, someone was there! A man wearing glasses was staring at him through the glass panel.
"Ene—" he started, trying to warn his comrades that he'd spotted an enemy. Unfortunately for him, a huge hand suddenly sprung out of the wall and shut him up.
Was it a golem's hand? His enemy was most likely using earth magic, but when had he planted a golem inside the wall? The man finally realized his mistake. The four-eyed man hadn't planted a golem inside the wall—he'd turned the entire thing into a golem!
He didn't have the time to be impressed by the mysterious man's magical abilities. The large hand grabbed him, and he was dragged into the wall. He was stuck inside!
"All right, that's her room," one of the other men said. "I can't see Ellize because of the curtains, though."
"It doesn't matter, let's break the window," another said, putting a finger on the glass panel and slowly drawing a circle. He used fire magic to cut through the glass and opened up a hole. He put his hand in the hole and fumbled for the lock, successfully opening it. Five men, including him, entered the room.
Five? All of them wondered as they looked around. Where were the others? They'd only noticed two of their comrades going missing. When had the three other men disappeared?
"G-Guys... Why are there only five of us left? Where did the other three go?!"
"They might still be climbing."
The five men looked down at the wall through the window, but their allies were nowhere to be seen.
"N-No, they aren't!"
"W-Wait... Did someone else disappear?!"
Indeed, a sixth man had soundlessly disappeared while they'd been busy looking outside.
The four remaining men were terrified, but they were trained secret agents. They knew not to get lost in their emotions. They had to prioritize the mission.
"They've noticed us. We're under attack. That much is certain! There's no need for stealth anymore. Let's grab the girl and escape as quickly as possible!"
"Yes!"
The four men rushed toward the bed where the saint must've been sleeping and forcefully opened the canopy. The beautiful young saint...wasn't there! And neither was her bed!
They were finally starting to realize that something was truly off. It was hard to tell in the dark, but was this room truly the saint's room? Everything—from the walls to the furniture—felt sort of...sloppy, like they'd been hastily built.
"A-Are we truly...inside the academy?" one of the men asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Look! Through this window...I-I can see it! The academy!" he exclaimed.
The others ran up to him and looked outside the window he was pointing at. As he'd said, a little farther away was another building—the academy.
It made no sense. They were inside the academy, so how could they see it? Or...were they? If they weren't, then where the hell were they?!
"Damn! This is a trap! We need to get out, now!"
"Huh? Wh-Where did the others go?!"
They'd taken way too long to notice that something was wrong and now, it was too late for them to escape. Two of them had already disappeared once again.
The final two men stood back-to-back. They took out their weapons and looked around warily. They couldn't see anyone. An eerie silence surrounded them.
"Damn it! Where are those bastards?! Hey, can you see anything?" one asked his last remaining comrade. "Dude? Hey!"
He turned around to discover he was alone. He couldn't see his comrade, nor could he see an enemy.
Their squad had been made up of ten men, but in the blink of an eye, he'd been left alone. He'd gone through intense training over the years to build up a mind of steel, but this time, he simply couldn't bear it anymore. His teeth chattered, and his legs trembled.
Suddenly, something shone in the dark. He felt as though the gleam was mocking him. As if to confirm it, he heard someone snicker.
"I thought the cover of the night would help conceal my ruse, but a fake is hard to pass off as the real deal," a voice said. "To think I poured so much mana and energy into this building."
"Wh-Who are you?!" the secret agent asked. He could make out the shape that had gleamed in the dark—a pair of glasses.
In front of him stood Ellize's hardcore fan and a notorious pervert: Supple Ment. He wore a smile on his face.
The man wanted to rush at him and slay him, but his legs wouldn't move. He looked down and finally noticed that he was buried knee-deep in the ground.
"Careful," Supple said. "You're standing inside one of my golems. I must say I'm a bit disappointed. I know I rushed it somewhat, but I'd hoped it'd stand tall for a while longer. It has already started to collapse. I thought that I could save some mana by only building the wall—I'd prepared the wood and glass panels beforehand—but a building of this size certainly is challenging. It looks like one hour was my maximum. I still have a long way to go, don't I?"
"A...golem, you say? This huge building is a golem?!"
"My, my, no need to sound so surprised. It's not like I created this entire thing out of nowhere. I simply molded the clay I'd prepared ahead of time. This is nothing. I'm sure Lady Ellize could build a much better-looking building. She wouldn't overlook the fine details. I wonder if anyone would be able to tell it apart from the real thing..."
"You prepared ahead of time? Did you know that we planned to—" the secret agent tried to ask.
"I didn't," Supple cut him off. "This is simply a little research project of mine. You suddenly barged in, so I figured it was the perfect time to conduct a little experiment."
Despite his multiple shortcomings, Supple was a true researcher. After he'd seen Ellize craft weapons using earth magic, he'd realized that there was still much to discover about this particular branch of magic. While he specialized in earth magic, Supple knew he wouldn't be able to replicate the weapons Ellize had crafted if he was ever asked to. Even if he couldn't achieve a similar level of perfection, though, there still had to be things he could learn. And so, Supple had poured his energy into researching earth magic, day after day.
"Thank you for assisting me in my research," Supple said, angling his head just right so that it reflected the moonlight. "As a reward, I shall help you realize the sheer stupidity of your little stunt by drilling the magnificence of our glorious saint into your brain."
He walked up to the man. It was so dark that the secret agent couldn't see his face properly. All he could see was Supple's warped smile.
"S-Stop!"
He wanted to run away, but he couldn't—he was stuck in the ground.
Supple continued to approach, grinning.
"NOOOOOOO!!!"
The man's screams echoed in the dark of the night.
◇
Several days after receiving their mission from King Yoru, the ten men of the Stealth Force returned to Fuguten.
The king rejoiced and invited them to his private chambers at once. With this, his country was back on track. Fuguten would be rich and powerful, while the other nations would decline. He would be revered as the man who made it happen. King Yoru could already imagine the citizens bowing down and praising his courage and determination.
It was just him and the ten men inside his private chambers, no one else. After all, he couldn't have anyone else learn that he'd abducted Ellize. If word got out, it could mean war. No one but he and his secret agents knew about this plan.
"As expected of my elite force. I'm glad to see you back so soon," King Yoru praised them. "Now tell me, where is Ellize? Have you brought her to me?"
The men of the Stealth Force didn't answer. They silently moved to surround the king. Their faces hadn't shifted, and their movements looked so natural that King Yoru didn't suspect that anything was wrong until he was fully surrounded.
He'd initially thought that they must have stuffed Ellize into a bag, but as he looked around, he realized that they weren't carrying anything large enough to hold a person.
"Well? What is going on?" King Yoru asked.
"For..." one of the secret agents mumbled.
King Yoru couldn't make out the words. "Sorry?"
"For Lady Ellize!" the man screamed.
The other nine started repeating the same thing over and over again. "For Lady Ellize!" they all screamed.
"Huh? What in the world is wrong with you?!" King Yoru said.
His men were acting weird. They kept clamoring about their loyalty to Ellize, their faces distorted. They almost seemed to be in a trance.
While King Yoru had no way of knowing this, they looked exactly like Supple whenever he witnessed another one of Ellize's miracles.
After he'd caught them, Supple had made sure to instill Ellize's splendor into them. He'd made sure they remembered how beautiful, precious, and perfect she was. He hadn't given them a second to rest—he'd waxed poetic for hours about her qualities. After that, he'd dragged them along to observe Ellize from afar. Eventually, he'd succeeded in dyeing these men in his colors.
Why had they been so devoted to a stupid, greedy, horrible old man who didn't even care about his people? All King Yoru desired was power!
Abducting Ellize was bound to lead the greater part of the world down the path of despair once again. If Fuguten was the only country to profit from her blessings at such a juncture, it would soon become obvious that they'd abducted her, wouldn't it? Then the other countries would turn against them and all they'd win was war. Could they resist such a coalition? It was impossible.
Were they really supposed to throw their lives away for an idiot who couldn't even see that? What was the point? It was all so absurd. In what universe would it make sense to follow their king? Wasn't it better for them to pledge their loyalty to the most beautiful girl they'd ever seen?
I can't help it, I'm just a man in the end, they'd all thought.
And so, the men of the Stealth Force had betrayed King Yoru.
"For Lady Ellize!" they shouted in unison, approaching the foolish king who'd tried to harm the sublime saint.
That man wasn't worthy of sitting on the throne. First, they'd beat him up. Then, they could figure something out. Maybe they'd help one of his sons stage a coup.
The ten men lunged at the greedy man they'd sworn to serve.
◇
"Lady Ellize. The king of Fuguten has changed."
"Is that so?"
One morning, after I'd stepped out of my room, I heard the news from Layla.
To be honest, I didn't really care. Besides, I'd barely ever seen the king of Fuguten. He wasn't all that fond of me and always liked to keep me at a distance.
"The new king, His Majesty King Shinya, has sent you a letter to apologize for his predecessor's rudeness."
Rudeness? Huh? Is this about the fact that he said he didn't need me there? I mean, it was a pretty logical standpoint considering his country's position. Unlike the Bilberry Kingdom, Fuguten's never submitted to the saint's authority—not even as a formality.
"Fuguten has decided to change its ways, and King Shinya wishes to swear allegiance to you and enter your sphere of influence."
Interesting. The son's decided to do a 180, huh? I guess he wasn't happy with his daddy's politics. Sure, I'll welcome them.
Even though Fuguten was to become one of the nations under my authority, it was all for show. At the end of the day, the royal families of each country held the real power. With Fuguten joining my sphere of influence, though, I'd be forced to be more proactive and help them out for real. I didn't really mind, but I couldn't help but wonder what had prompted this change.
Perhaps the son had never agreed with his father. Would he be okay, though? There might be friction with his predecessor if he'd decided that on his own.
"What happened to King Yoru?" I asked.
"The previous king was...imprisoned to answer for his crimes and corruption."
Oh, jeez—looks like a lot was happening over there.
Whatever. Not my problem, I thought, looking through the window.
I was surprised to find a building I'd never seen before...or rather, the ruins of one. What the hell was that?
"What may that be?" I asked Layla.
"That's...a golem Mr. Supple made. I believe he tried to build a new building for the academy. Apparently, it collapsed in less than an hour."
A new building, huh? I guess lots of stuff is happening here too.
It was dangerous, though. What if someone mistook that building for the real one and entered it by mistake?
Nah, I'm sure there's no one stupid enough to do that.
Layla had a lot to report this morning, but as always, none of it really mattered to me.
Anyway, time for another day of watching pretty girls in their uniforms!
I was much more interested in that than in kings rising or falling halfway across the world.
(3.8k word count)
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