8
And then the day of the signing ceremony arrived.
Toko really did scatter invitations across the continent, as dignitaries from all sorts of nations showed up.
I ended up having to go around greeting them together with Toko, but the variety of guests was just overwhelming.
“Toko, may I ask you something?”
“Yeah, what is it?”
I asked Toko during a brief break in the greeting parade before the ceremony venue.
“Don’t you think the ranks of our guests are a bit…all over the place?”
“Hmm, you think so?”
“Yeah. For most countries it’s the usual diplomats, but there are a few that sent royalty or crown princes. And quite a few sent ministers or officials of that level, although not heads of state.
“Uh huh, uh huh.”
Then on the other hand, some of the so-called ‘diplomats’ seem to be more like token representatives they just sent for formality’s sake. And some are blatantly here for intel gathering above all else…”
“So Toko, just what kind of invitation did you send out?”
“Hmmm, as expected of my Suzuha nii, you are very observant.”
At my question, Toko grinned as if she were about to reveal the genius behind one of her schemes.
“Ah, this is the key part of my strategy for this occasion.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“I worded the invitation so that guests of any rank could justify attending, just to see who would actually show up and how enthusiastically they’d respond. Figuring out that wording was quite tricky, let me tell you.”
“I see.”
“And having it here at your castle, instead of mine, was also part of the plan. Sure, I made excuses about it representing our victory in the war and wanting to show you off and so on. But if it was just about that, I could’ve easily held it at my castle where far more people would attend—no nation has the power to refuse Uentas Principality anymore.”
“I understood the part about representing your victory, but not the ‘showing me off’ bit…but anyway, why here then?”
“Screening, Suzuha nii. Screening.”
“…Screening?”
“Yes! Given this rare opportunity to meet the man of the hour, you, how proactively would each nation act? What level of representative would they send? How well can they analyze the continental situation and gather intelligence? The caliber of guests attending this ceremony lays it all bare!”
“…I see, is that so?”
Toko’s grand scheme was a bit too sophisticated for me to fully grasp. N
oticing my confused expression, Toko seemed to take pity on me.
“Well, maybe those finer points are a bit over your head, Suzuha nii?”
“Yeah, I have to admit, us commoners don’t really think about such roundabout things.”
“—Anyway, there is one thing I need to apologize to you for, Suzuha nii.”
“What’s that?”
“The sushi, Suzuha nii. The sushi!”
“Ah…right…”
When I was made Count of Lohengrin Frontier Territory, Toko had lured me into accepting with the promise of “all-you-can-eat sushi.”
But that sushi promise has yet to be fulfilled.
Being made a noble against my will, getting saddled with all sorts of extra work, and still not being able to eat any sushi—it was like a triple punch to the gut.
Toko seemed well aware of the situation, as she clapped her hands together in a pleading gesture toward me.
“I’m really, really sorry! The preparations are underway, but the chef selection process is just taking so much time!”
“Ah, I can imagine it would be really difficult to find one willing to come to a place this remote…But on the other hand, the water and rice here are so delicious. So you’d think at least one chef would be willing to give it a try, right?”
“…Well, yes, I’m sure we could find chefs willing to come here, but there’s a high risk they might get along a little too well with you, if you know what I mean…”
“Huh?”
“Uh, nevermind, it’s nothing.”
I didn’t quite catch what Toko mumbled, but there seemed to be some circumstances involved.
“Well, I can’t be helped. I’ll just have to wait patiently.”
“I’m really sorry! But to make it up to you, I’ve arranged for delicious sushi from the capital to be served at the after-party following the signing ceremony today! After your match with Yuzuriha and the others is done, you and I can eat sushi together, okay?”
That’s right.
The sparring match with the two Amazoness ended up involving Suzuha and Yuzuriha as well.
It became a battle royale format with the five of us, including me.
“Now, I have a request, or rather a warning – I want Suzuha nii to go completely wild all out. Attack the other four with full force, mercilessly crushing them.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Think about it. This peace treaty was won by Suzuha nii against the Uentas Principality, and the signing ceremony is taking place at his castle. So today’s main event is Suzuha nii.”
“This is news to me…?”
“Even if it’s news to you, it’s undoubtedly true. If the main star is providing an opening act by sparring with the Amazoness and Yuzuriha, then it’s clear this is meant to showcase Suzuha nii’s overwhelming strength – to proclaim how formidable the new Lord is! Of course, everyone else is aware of this too!”
“Well, I suppose the logic tracks…”
“So for today’s mock battle, don’t hold back at all. Short of actually killing them, you can go as far as mercilessly crushing them. We even have a medical team on standby, so don’t worry!”
Being told to beat up girls in public makes me hesitant, but I understand what Toko is saying.
Aside from Suzuha, the Amazoness and Yuzuriha are martial arts masters known across the continent.
Toko is probably trying to use this opportunity to raise my reputation, and by extension, help her reign.
“Well, if everyone is aware…”
“Don’t worry. Everyone is on board!”
“Understood. In that case, I’ll do my best to act like I’m seriously trying to defeat you all!”
“You always end up going down some weird thought process and reaching a strange conclusion, but just focus on winning, okay?”
If everyone is aware, then I suppose this is all just a pretense, with the real negotiations already settled behind the scenes.
There’s no way I could actually fight seriously against the two Amazoness and Yuzuriha. I’d be defeated instantly.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
9 (Toko’s Perspective)
The peace treaty signing ceremony concluded smoothly, and preparations for the party were busily underway behind the scenes.
As an opening act before the party began, a battle royale was taking place in the courtyard between Suzuha’s brother, the two Amazoness, Yuzuriha, and Suzuha himself.
Normally the last person standing would be the winner,
but due to the extreme difference in ability, it inevitably became a four-on-one match against Suzuha’s brother.
The four surrounding him attacked simultaneously or with delays.
“Still, isn’t everyone taking this a bit too seriously?”
Toko remarked in amazement as she watched the fight from the front row VIP seats. Beside her, the Grand Duchess of Uentas, Ayano, commented:
“I suppose everyone simply has something they cannot concede.”
“Well, I guess, but…Ah, my bad this time. Having to come all the way out here for the signing was an inconvenience.”
“Not at all. We were the defeated side, and we need to take our prisoners back home regardless.”
“Still, I didn’t expect you, the Duchess herself, to attend the signing ceremony?”
“Of course I would attend. While we lost this time, I have no intention of being so dull as to miss the international debut of the Drosselmeyer Kingdom’s secret weapon.”
“Haha, that’s just like you, Duchess. By the way, there were plenty of idiots who didn’t even bother sending a diplomat, let alone declining the invitation!”
“They must either lack diplomatic sense or have catastrophically poor intelligence gathering…Well, I can’t speak for others, either.”
Ayano let out a sigh, clearly having deeply felt the sting of underestimating Suzuha’s brother – a mistake that would undoubtedly put her at the top of the victim list, at least internationally.
Seeing Ayano’s remorseful expression, even Toko stiffened a bit, before Ayano continued:
“By the way, I heard there’s a prize at stake for this battle royale.”
“Huh? I don’t know anything about that.”
“Before the match, I overheard a conversation between the two Amazoness and the Killing Goddess. Apparently, whoever lands a hit gets a celebratory kiss from the Lord of Lohengrin.”
“Whaaaaat!?”
Now the reason for everyone’s intensity became clear.
They all desperately wanted that celebratory kiss from Suzuha’s brother.
Seeing Toko’s flustered reaction, Ayano tilted her head quizzically.
“What’s wrong? they said this ‘reward’ was your suggestion.”
“If the reward was a kiss from Suzuha’s brother, then I want it too! I mean, sure, I did say there’d be a reward if everyone sparred in front of me on the day of the signing ceremony. But I never said the reward would be a kiss from him!”
“Then what is the reward?”
“Well…I actually never decided, but…!”
“So in the heat of the moment, the reward somehow became that. You have to take some responsibility for not clarifying the reward beforehand, Your Majesty.”
“Uuuu…Such idiocy…”
Toko held her head, wondering how to apologize to Suzuha’s brother.
She could just say something like “Victory deserves the reward of a celebratory kiss,” and probably get him to go along with it pretty easily. But still!
Seeing Toko’s distress, Ayano tilted her head again.
“What are you so worried about?”
“Of course I’m worried! If I’m suddenly accosted for a kiss under the pretense that it’s a reward from me, it would be a huge scandal!”
“Or could it be…you never imagined Suzuha ‘s brother would actually get hit by any of them?”
“Ah…!”
She had forgotten.
After all, today she had told him:
“Suzuha nii, utterly crush and demolish those four, no holds barred!”
“…You gave such a brutal instruction? I’m genuinely appalled.”
“It’s a misunderstanding! I only did that to showcase Suzuha nii’s strength!”
“And did you give any instructions to the Amazoness?”
“Nope, I didn’t tell them anything.”
“Then Lord Lohengrin’s complete victory is assured. We can just relax and watch.”
“Now that you mention it, you’re absolutely right…”
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