In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 16 (Premium) Read online

  “That won’t do anything. This room has been sealed off thanks to my magic.”

  “A-A spellcaster?!” The emperor pointed a small blade at me as he composed himself. In response, Yae crawled her hand toward the sheathed blade at her waist.

  They presumably thought we were here to harm them, given Gardio’s involvement in the country’s ruin.

  “It’s been so long, I never expected that we’d be attacked by remnants of the Lowe Kingdom...”

  “We’re not here to attack you. We’re not even from Lowe to begin with. We were just asked by former Lowe subjects to investigate the whereabouts of their missing prince. We didn’t expect that he’d have become your heir.” The empress fell to the floor upon hearing what I said. A look of distress clouded her face as she looked at us.

  “...P-Please... H-He’s our son... I know he isn’t bound to us by blood, but we love him! Please don’t take him away!” The empress broke down and started crying. The emperor merely looked down at her with a miserable expression on his face.

  It seemed that they knew about the boy’s true lineage. I was glad that I hadn’t driven a wedge into their marriage, but I still felt kinda shitty. It felt like I was torturing them, almost. Lu and Yae evidently felt the same way, given the guilty looks on their faces.

  “...Have you come to take our son from us?” The emperor tightened the grip on his weapon as he stared us down, faint traces of contempt in his voice.

  “I’m capable of rapid teleportation magic. If I wanted to take him, he would already be gone. I came here to learn the truth from you. I want to know how the prince of Lowe became the heir to the Gardio empire. I want to know how all this started. We’ll make our decision on how to proceed afterward. I’m sorry to ask like this, but... Could you tell us your story?” It took a few moments for my words to sink in, and the Gardio emperor lowered his weapon. He threw it gently onto the sheets. He reached down and helped his wife up, before pulling her into a gentle embrace. The two of them then sat down on their bed together.

  “...It has long been a fear for me that this day would come. I never wanted anyone to learn our secret, much less threaten to expose it, but...” With a heavy sigh, the emperor looked down at the floor. He then began to speak his tale.

  ◇　◇　◇

  It was ten years ago.

  I was the heir to the Gardio empire. My father reigned as emperor.

  It was the wintertime when I, under my father’s orders, led an army in a charge against the Kingdom of Lowe.

  Gollems couldn’t function efficiently in Lowe’s land, due to the rich mithril ore dotted around their land. The twelve generals of Lowe wielded the beast emperor Gollems, which weren’t affected by this weakness. That was how Lowe had managed to repel all their invaders over time.

  But all that changed when one of the generals betrayed Lowe. After Isengard acquired a beast emperor, the dynamic shifted.

  Isengard developed a device that negated the mithril-induced weaknesses in Gollems. Gardio is a land plentiful in resources, and Isengard needed one of our raw materials to finalize their device. That’s how we became involved in all of this.

  The idea was to fight together against Lowe, and split the spoils afterward.

  I was strongly opposed to this, but my father was emperor, and his word was law. He drew up a strong negotiation that allowed Gardio to claim most of Lowe’s land after everything was over.

  Lowe had repelled Gardio’s invasions many times in previous generations. I can only assume that my father was after the immortalizing glory of being the first emperor to finally defeat them.

  Isengard had only one target, the Azure Ruin within Lowe’s territory. It was a hotbed of legacy Gollems, a site that was rich in ancient technology. According to Isengard, that’s all they wanted. We could have everything else.

  Isengard and Gardio combined to form an army of tens of thousands of Soldats. I commanded Gardio’s military, and the witch-king commanded Isengard’s. Together we ravaged the cities and people of Lowe.

  The twelve, or rather... Eleven generals of Lowe were defeated one after the other by our combined forces. Even though the beast emperors were monstrously powerful, it ended up being a fight of eleven versus several tens of thousands. It was an absolute defeat.

  The capital was crushed, and the entire country was wiped off the map overnight.

  The day after the battle, one of my close assistants discovered a dead body of interest. A wet nurse from Lowe’s royal castle. She held a baby in her arms, one we quickly identified. He wore clothes bearing the royal emblem of Lowe.

  He was the last prince of Lowe. The final survivor of the royal bloodline.

  If a prince of a ruined nation was left alive, it was possible he’d incite rebellion once fully grown. A common fact of war was to kill children like this, in order to prevent future uprisings.

  But... I hesitated and found I could not run my blade through the boy. How could I?

  After all... I’d been informed just a couple of days before... My own son had been born.

  My wife was never especially fertile, and we’d had trouble conceiving a child. Her happy face flashed through my mind.

  Perhaps it was guilt I felt, for being part of the force that killed his parents. Perhaps it was naive elation at having become a father myself... Perhaps it was just softness... But I couldn’t bring myself to snuff out that crying voice. He sounded as though he wanted to live.

  ... I was lucky. Only two people knew about the boy. Myself, and the assistant. I entrusted the baby to him and had them sent back to the imperial capital before anyone asked any questions. I burned his clothing, eliminating any evidence he was of Lowe lineage.

  I intended to leave him in an orphanage, and allow him to grow as a normal boy. I thought perhaps I’d keep an eye on him as he grew, and if he showed promise I’d have him join my son’s cabinet as a supportive member of the government.

  But... On the day I made it home, tragedy struck.

  My son had died. It was caused by unknown medical complications. Even though it was nobody’s fault, I still felt as though a knife had been thrust through my heart. And... While dealing with that grief, I began to consider the political implications.

  Due to my wife’s difficulty to conceive, my father had been pressuring me to leave her and have a child with someone else.

  My father had many mistresses, but I’m strictly monogamous. Since I was a young boy, I always felt a deep sense of disgust toward my father. He treated women very poorly and only saw my mother as a way to produce an heir.

  My father used women like tools, and only had a few male heirs. The only one to survive to adulthood was me.

  That was the kind of man my father was. If he learned of my son’s death, he’d have my wife taken from me. He’d likely even have her killed, reasoning that a woman who birthed a weak child was fundamentally useless. I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

  He was busy with Isengard due to the war negotiations and hadn’t seen the face of my newborn son yet. As vexing as it was, his lack of care was a quiet blessing that one time.

  My son’s death had not yet been reported to the emperor. It had happened out of the blue. In fact, my son died only moments before I reached my palace in the capital.

  I stopped it from being reported to my father and considered how I might avoid him learning the truth.

  It was then that I remember the baby.

  I had the little prince brought to me and ensured the silence of everyone who knew. And it was in that moment that the prince of Lowe became my son, the heir to the Gardio empire.

  “About a year later, my father collapsed and never woke up. I ascended to the imperial throne, and we no longer had to fear his foul attitude. But by that point, the little boy from Lowe had truly become our beloved son...” The empress of Gardio finished his story as he gently held his weeping wife.

  That was quite a story... I personally wanted to leave them alone, but I wasn’t sur
e if Colonel and the others would accept the situation.

  It had become awfully complicated.

  “We only have one desire. We wish for the boy... Lucrecion, to live by our side. We’ll do anything to keep our happy life.”

  “Please, I beg you... Please don’t take our little boy away from us!” The empress and emperor looked at me. H-How the hell did it come to this?! “...This is rough.”

  “For now we should tell the people from Lowe about this, we should. They would not want the prince to be sad, they would not.”

  “Well, they did mention how they didn’t want to see him destitute or anything. They probably just want to make him happy, I don’t think they’re going to start a revolution or anything...” I was kind of speculating there, but I didn’t think they were fueled by vengeance or anything. Yumina’s Mystic Eyes would’ve figured out if they had such intentions.

  The empress looked up at me, resolve flaring in her gaze.

  “...Can we speak with the people from Lowe? I wish for them to understand our perspective...”

  “Are you sure about this, Asteria...?” The empress nodded toward her uncertain husband.

  Guess there’s nothing for it... We’ve been pulled into this mess, so we might as well finish it. I don’t exactly want to see a family torn apart because of me.

  ... I hope the situation doesn’t get bad enough that I need to use my hypnosis to rewrite their memories, though. They don’t seem like bad people. I wouldn’t want to use that spell on them...

  ◇　◇　◇

  “...What? You’re telling me that Prince Lufredin is Gardio’s imperial prince? Is this a sick joke?!” First Lieutenant smacked her fist down against the table. The dark-skinned beauty stood up, shaking with fury.

  I understood her feelings. From her perspective, the country that had ruined her homeland had also stolen her prince.

  “I’m afraid it’s no joke. The prince is living as the heir to the Gardio empire’s throne. That’s the truth of the situation.” Sergeant, who usually had a thin smile on his face, looked to the ground in frustration.

  “This isn’t possible! He used our prince?! He used Lufredin as a cheap decoy?! A replacement for his own? What a bastard...” We were in the Red Cats’ main tent, and the mood was rather sour. Nia and Est were sitting off to the side, watching the scene unfold with unease in their eyes.

  “Gardio’s emperor wants to speak with you all. Will you take him up on it?”

  “He wants to speak?! What is there to discuss?! We demand Lufredin be returned to us, immediately! How dare those thieves try to take the moral high ground!” First Lieutenant spewed out her anger. Colonel, on the other hand, had his eyes closed and hadn’t said anything for a while.

  “Why don’t you guys just calm down! Touya isn’t a messenger for you people, understand? Meet the emperor on your own if you want to tell him that.” Lu scowled and started mouthing off toward First Lieutenant. She was probably angry. In response to Lu’s tirade, the dark-skinned woman backed off.

  The situation was simple enough. The Magitechnocracy of Isengard had waged war on the Kingdom of Lowe and dragged in the Gardio Empire.

  Lowe was an isolated nation and didn’t converse much with outsiders. I couldn’t help but feel things might have worked out differently if Isengard had tried to speak with them before the invasion... But it was too late for what-ifs.

  “What kind of talks do they even want to have with us? How do we know they’re not trying to gather us in one place and execute us?” First Lieutenant continued her angry tirade, but Colonel finally stood up and silenced her.

  “I do not believe he’s that kind of person. When the emperor was just a prince... I fought him, one-on-one. It was during the invasion of Lowe, and it was also the battle in which I lost my eye.” Colonel pointed toward his own face as he spoke. First Lieutenant and Sergeant expressed surprise at this revelation.

  “The instigator of that was definitely the witch-king of Isengard. As his Soldats surrounded our royal castle, I was elsewhere... The imperial prince of Gardio had led his army in a pincer movement. He told me to surrender peacefully, over and over, but I paid him no heed. Because I kept on fighting so stubbornly... My attention remained there, and the king I served ended up dying. I also lost my eye... It’s an ironic twist of fate that the man I was trying to kill... Saved our little prince.” Colonel laughed bitterly. He was right. If Colonel had beaten the prince of Gardio, then the king of Lowe likely still would’ve died, and the little prince might’ve died as well. There was no way to say for sure, but it was still possible.

  “Lowe’s territory is mostly under control of the Gardio empire now... But it’s true that they haven’t treated us unfairly. There’s no unjust taxation or oppression of our people. It’s peaceful. At least in the area around our former capital, Laevateinn. That’s the part governed by the emperor of Gardio. The land around the Azure Ruin, governed by Isengard, on the other hand... Isn’t so pretty. Either way, I do not believe the emperor would double-cross us.”

  “That doesn’t change the fact that they took our home from us... I’ll never forgive that.” First Lieutenant muttered under her breath.

  I didn’t think she had to forgive them, either. She was ultimately entitled to her feelings. But I hoped that the hatred wouldn’t carry on to future generations.

  If the chain of hatred was never broken, it would continue to cause misery for many. Teaching your kids stuff like “these guys are the enemy,” or “we can never afford to forgive them” was a wicked thing to do.

  I was an outsider on this situation, though... So perhaps I wasn’t qualified to comment...

  “If you talk with the emperor, I’ll promise your safety. I won’t let them catch you guys out, or do anything sneaky. Obviously, I won’t let you do anything to them, either...”

  “This decision can’t be left to us three alone. Let us confer with our associates first... We’ll need some time.”

  “Alright then. In that case, we’ll give you a week.”

  “Very well.” Colonel then left the tent with the others.

  I heaved a sigh and slumped back in my chair. Lowe and Gardio weren’t any of my business... But I’d still become part of the mess.

  “I wonder if they wanna take the prince away from the empire.”

  “I hope not. I don’t think it’s morally right to take a child and tell him that his parents aren’t his actual parents, and that they sided with the people who killed his real ones.” Est and Nia talked amongst themselves.

  “...I feel sorry for the boy.”

  “But it might be good for him to learn the truth, it might.” Lu and Yae shared their own thoughts. It was a pretty difficult situation.

  “Mmm... I could always use hypnosis on the three of them and tell them we couldn’t find the prince...”

  “...That seems a little cruel and uncaring of their feelings.”

  “You’re right... Sorry.” Est was correct. They’d spent the better part of a decade looking for him. It’d be too cruel for me to crush that dream.

  “Come to think of it... The emperor of Gardio assumed we were attackers from Isengard, right? Do the two countries have a bad relationship?”

  “I wouldn’t call it a good one. Isengard invaded Lowe so they could get their hands on the Azure Ruin, which was a treasure trove of ancient technology. But another site of historical interest, the Emerald Ruin, was later found in the Lowe territory that had been granted to Gardio. Isengard immediately tried to lay claim to it, and they’ve been in a dispute about it ever since. Some fear that Isengard might invade Gardio’s land to try and get it.” Seriously...? They’re going that far just for some ruins? They sound obsessed. “From what I understand, they’ve been searching for something in particular. Given their interest, I can only imagine it’s something left behind by an ancient civilization.” Hmm... So they’re after stuff from the Gollem-creation era... I guess it’s kinda like the stuff you’d find in Babylon’s Sto
rehouse, so I can understand why a country would want to get their hands on it.

  “Isengard rose to power after excavating several ancient Gollem technologies from their ruins. Soldats and Panzers are widespread in this world thanks to them.”

  “Soldats are the Gollems that can be controlled en masse by people, right? What’s a Panzer?”

  “They’re equipment-based Gollems. They’re basically Gollems that take the form of armor or a weapon. Something that can be worn or wielded, or attached. These Gollems often have a will of their own, making them much more reliable than regular weapons or gear.” What?! Like a mechsuit with an AI or something? Est elaborated, explaining that they didn’t have special abilities like Legacy Gollems or anything.

  Isengard began using their technology to expand their territory through military conquest. There were other strong nations, like the Lassei Military Kingdom, or the Kingdom of Strain to the north, but people were still worried Isengard could do anything at any time. That was the kind of reputation it had.

  “From what I hear, the witch-king of Isengard is a deranged old man. They say he even fused a Gollem’s arm to his body.” ... Now we’ve got cyborgs entering the story? This is ridiculous!

  I’d understand if he lost his arm in a fight or an accident, and replaced it... But apparently, that wasn’t what had happened.

  According to the rumors, he simply had his own arm removed and fitted a mechanical replacement because it was capable of more precise motions. That was a little much for me to understand... The old guy definitely sounded like the kind of person you wouldn’t want to invite around for dinner.

  “He likely had Lowe invaded due to his lust for new and strange technologies. His taste for technological understanding is unmatched.” Est’s words made me a little worried.

  We’d fought mutants in Isengard territory not long ago... And we were definitely spotted by villagers.

  That was really bad. I should’ve taken better precautions.

  “It’s still a difficult situation overall, however... Some of the technologies they’ve uncovered have bettered the world on a whole, after all.”