Volume 1 - CH 3.3

National Enrichment Arc

*Souma’s Perspective*

「The next ingredient is this!」(Poncho)

After we finished with eating my popular 『Fried Skewered Octopus』, we returned to our seat where Poncho opened the prepared box with new ingredient in front of us. After seeing the long cylindrical ingredient with brown color and covered in soil inside the box,

「Is this... “a root?”?」(Liecia)

「Root, or so what I think...」(Juna)

「It don’t look delicious...... can this really be eaten?」(Tomoe)

Question mark was floating atop Liecia, Juna-san and Tomoe-chan head. On the other hand,

「 So, it’s burdock[1]?」(Souma)

「It’s burdock, alright.」(Aisha)

I didn’t get surprised that only Aisha and I know that it was burdock. Well, since in western country, burdock cuisine was categorized as unconventional food, so it wasn’t something unusual, but what surprised me was that the western style dark elf Aisha knew about it. So to speak,

「If we don’t eat everything that could be eaten in the forest, we would quickly get nutritional deficiency.」(Aisha)

Aisha said it with a distant look on her eyes. That place’s food situation might be the cause for this hungry dark elf. But I don’t have any interest in that.

「If it is being introduced, then that means that it is edible, right?」(Liecia)

I nodded to Liecia who was asking for confirmation.

「It can be eaten, you know. You can enjoy its taste as it is or you can cook it together with sauce so that the sauce can permeate inside and then you can enjoy its texture. It’s mostly composed of dietary fiber that can’t be digested, so that means it can become a stomach medicine because it can stimulate bowel movement. It’s a helpful ally for people with constipation.」(Souma)

「... Please don’t mention bowel movement or constipation while we are in the middle of eating.」(Liecia)

「Since it make waste products easier to come out, of course it is also good for health and beauty.」(Souma)

「Uu... s-so when you said it like that, it’s quite fascinating....」(Liecia)

Well then, since we had confuted[2] Liecia, let’s start tasting the food.

This time was quite simple. First, after scrapping off the mud covered skin with a kitchen knife, the burdock was cut into long thin pieces before being covered in potato starch, and then thrown into the pot with the oil that I previously used. After they properly fried, they were taken out and divided into two portions, one portion was sprinkled with a pinch of salt and another one was sprinkled with a pinch of sugar, and finally, the 『Burdock Chips (potato chip and rusk[3] style)』was completed. Everyone took a bite and gave their reaction,

「Awa, its crunchiness is delicious.」(Liecia)

「This is... indeed a suitable partner for drinking beer.」(Poncho)

Liecia and Poncho who consumed the salty portions were munching them like they were in a snack bar.

「When it’s being chewed, the escaping oil began to dissolve the sugar, so that the sweet taste spread out in a rush inside the mouth.」(Juna)

「I want both of my mothers to taste this.」(Tomoe)

Juna-san and Tomoe-chan were tasting the sugary portions and gave out a gourmet like comment and a completely childish comment respectively. ...By the way Aisha was,

「If you eat both of them at the same time, the sweet taste is deliciously crunchy!」(Aisha)

...greedily devouring both portions. ...Yes, I also didn’t have anything to say this time.

◇　◇　◇

The next edible ingredients,『Red Bear’s Paw』, 『Sword Tiger’s Liver』, and『Grilled Salamander』came out, but I stopped their introductions. Certainly, they were ingredients that didn’t usually get eaten in this country, but I didn’t want ingredients that only could be acquired by adventurers. If by some chance the citizens could get their hands on it then I hope they could eat them without wasting it, just for the citizens to know this was enough. As expected, I also didn’t know the recipe for how to cook the bear’s paw.

Ah, by the way, when we were selecting ingredients, we excluded the poisonous ingredients like 「Pufferfish」 or 「Mushroom」. I know that it was edible with proper cooking method, but it was obvious that if starving amateurs get their hands on them, then it could end disastrously. Well, even that poisonous part could be eaten. In Ishikawa Prefecture, there is 『Pickled Pufferfish Ovary』[4], even the Nagano Prefecture there is an area that famous for eating fly agaric poisonous mushroom[5].......A human’s appetite is amazing, right?

Let’s return back to the story and see the next ingredients. However, it was something that made us completely dumbfounded.

「The next ingredients is this, yes!」(Poncho)

「「「「「 T-This is...」」」」」(Everyone)

This time everyone’s eyes popped out.

Inside the box that Poncho opened was a bluish-green jiggly object.

「This is... Zelring[6], right?」(Souma)

It was 『Zelring』: the jelly-like slime soft-bodied creature that inhabited the surrounding fields in this area. Even its appearance and ecology was giving off the similar feeling of the small fries in RPGs. Its trait was, generally speaking, their weakness. If you cut it, it died. If you smash it, it died. It lives by sticking on other creatures (or otherwise their corpses) and absorbing nutrients from them and there is no gender as they multiplied by self division.

It gave impressions of a unicellular amoeba-like organism transformed into a larger size.

Eh? You could eat it? It is edible?

「Wait a minute! This Zelring is dead right?」(Aisha)

Aisha noticed something out of place.

「Yes. This Zelring is already dead.」(Poncho)

「No-no-no, that’s strange you know? This is the first time I have ever seen a dead Zelring!」(Aisha)

「Ah, that’s right. Now that you mention it, it’s indeed strange.」(Liecia)

Liecia also noticed something and had the same opinion. But I didn’t see anything strange at all...

「So what you mean-dattebayo?[7]」(Souma)

「What with that tone... Zelrings are weak you know? If you cut its thin surface membrane with a blade, its bodily fluid will *swoosh* come pouring out. If you hit it with a club, it will go *splat* and have the same result. Afterwards, what remains is bluish-green puddle of liquid.」(Liecia)

「Is that true?」(Souma)

「Yes. That’s why “leaving a good corpse behind” is something unbelievable.」(Liecia)

Aisha also nodded at those words. I see, Aisha was a warrior while Liecia was a soldier, so they both had experience in battling Zelrings so they were able to perceive it as being out of place.

「So, then how could this Zelring end up in this state?」(Souma)

「There is a little secret behind it. I was taught by a faraway small western tribe, that by attacking the Zelring using a thin rod to destroy their core without breaking the surface membrane, after it dies, the body will remain intact. This is called 『Freshly killed Zelring』 by the locals.」(Poncho)

Freshly killed, huh? I wonder if it was like freshly killed fish...... but oh well, I see. As expected, it seemed that I was wrong to judge it as large unicellular organism.

「And then if some time has passed after we destroyed the core, its body fluids will lose its liquidity and gradually solidify.」(Poncho)

「Something like rigor mortis, huh?」(Souma)

「Yes. In addition, if we just leave it as it is, the body fluids will evaporate and it becomes a dried food. After it has been dead for about two hours, the body will become solid to some extent and during this time, it’s possible to use it for cooking. That is the current state of this Zelring, yes」(Poncho)

Umm... I understand that it could be used for cooking but the question is : Is it possible to eat it?

「When Zelring is in this state, you can cut it longitudinally with kitchen knife without destroying the body. Since the tissue fibers of the Zelring run along its body longitudinally, this method will preserve its texture better, yes.」(Poncho)

Poncho skillfully cut the Zelring into thin long pieces like he was making Ika Soumen[8]. After that, Poncho threw them into a pot of boiling water.

「Then we add a little salt to the boiling water and boil it until it hardens.」(Poncho)

Hm. It somehow resembled genuine soba or udon. It was boiled and became a brilliantly blue-green colored noodle that resembled Cha Soba[9]. Then, Poncho steadily put desiccated mushrooms and something like kombu[10] into the boiling pot. Is he trying to make dashi[11] from it? So he was making something like Nabeyakiudon[12]... Finally he seasoned it with more salt to raise the flavor, and served it in soup bowls.

「Here you are. The 『Zelring Udon』.」(Poncho)

「So it really is an udon!」(Souma)

「I-Is something wrong, Your Highness?」(Poncho)

「Ah, no, it’s nothing.」(Souma)

Ah that’s right, the language of this country was translated into Japanese in my ears. So perhaps it was something else and I heard it translated as “Udon”. How confusing.

Well, let’s just leave this matter behind; in front of my eyes was Kansai-style (green) udon in transparent soup.[13]

(Translator notes: Hoo... Boy... These 4 lines is a parody of Japanese CMs... I hope I get the right products reference)

Red Fox and Green Zelring♪[14]

The wind makes a speech 『This is a food?』[15]

Oh Zelring udon. So there is something like this.[16]

Delicious udon, Zelring-chan♪, Jealous?[17]

I’m just escaping from reality huh? Eemm, is this really a meal?

I looked at my surroundings and everyone had a face of 「Go ahead, eat it」. However there was no one who raised their hand and said 「Then, I’ll start eating」!

... Well since even Liecia and group had eaten something they had never eaten before.

It’s not fair if only I escape alone! Now, time to eat!!!!

*slurp*

「!?」(Souma)

「S-So, how is it, Souma?」(Liecia)

I heard Liecia’s worried voice, so I,

「...This is unexpectedly good.」(Souma)

Replied like that. Yes. What was this? This was completely different from what I imagined. I had imagined that it would have that fishy smell and be flaccid like ika soumen, but it had a slurpable chewiness and didn’t smell fishy at all. Rather than udon, this was similar to a pot of “kuzukiri”[18] or “Ma*ny”[19]. Only when I chewed at it somehow, there was a peculiar squeaky texture. Was this the fiber? This was my verdict: 「Appearance: Udon, Taste: Kuzukiri, Texture: Kyushu’s regional cuisine Okyuuto[20]」

Yes, this wasn’t bad. This wasn’t bad at all.

「It’s true...This is unexpectedly good!」(Liecia)

「The soup is carrying its deliciousness well.」(Juna-san)

「This is really from that Zelring? It’s suprising.」(Tomoe-chan)

「*sluuuuuuuuuuuuuuurp*」(Aisha)

The people who ate after me also gave out favorable impressions. Well, after all, it was delicious. It was nonsense to question whether this udon or plain udon was more delicious. Just like, udon and soba, whichever one was more delicious depend on someone’s tastes. This too, had its own charm.

「By the way, how about the nutritional content?」(Souma)

「Nutritional content...... That is to say, I don’t know, however it may be similar to gells taken from animal bone.」(Poncho)

「Collagen, huh?」(Souma)

So the Zelring possessed both the protein contained in animal bones and a plant’s dietary fiber. More and more, I didn’t know whether Zelring should be considered as an animal or a plant.

「In any case, I don’t hat think there is a problem in their nutritional content. Since Zelrings can be found almost everywhere, if they can be eaten, then it can reduce the food shortage, don’t you agree?」(Souma)

「That’s true. Zelrings are also easy to farm. Even with their feed being mere kitchen scraps, they will easily multiply.」(Liecia)

「...No, let’s not give them strange things to eat. If they ingest toxic substances, when that Zelring is eaten, it can cause food poisoning.」(Souma)

「T-That’s true, right」(Liecia)

「For now, let’s do some experimental Zelring farming. Hunting them in the wild is also a valid choice, but it will be bad if it decreased their numbers too much and disturb the ecosystem...」(Souma)

「I think that is a correct decision.」(Liecia)

Apart from that, Zelring Udon was very delicious.

◇　◇　◇

「Can you really eat it?」(Citizen A)

「But, the King and others are deliciously eating it.」(Citizen B)

「I will go to Adventurer Guild and put out a quest for Zelring’s capture.」(Citizen A)

「Ah, then I will also do the same」(Citizen B)

Such conversation seems to have been unfolding in every fountain plaza.

『Elfrieden’s signature dish are Zelring Dishes』

But at this time, who could have predicted that this line would speak the truth of the far future?

◇　◇　◇

「Then let’s introduce the next ingredients. The cooked dish has been prepared already.」(Poncho)

As Poncho said this, he opened the box; we then see the thing inside the box.

「「「「Ewww...」」」」(Other)

Everyone leaked out that voice from their mouth. Well, since what inside it was a “bug”. Nevertheless this dish, was a dish from the world... no Japan where I lived before.

「This is Locust[21] Tsukudani[22], right?」(Souma)

「Yes. This is called『Giant Locust Tsukudani』」(Poncho)

「Ah...Yes, certainly it’s big.」(Souma)

The locust in the Japan’s tsukudani was normally just the size of a cricket (Though, why I compared the size of an insect with another insect?) but this locust was as big as a kuruma prawn[23]. That color gave the feeling of a sweet and salty taste, so let’s test their inside taste...Hm? Tsukudani?

「This is tsukudani...」(Souma)

「Eh? Souma, you going to eat it?」(Liecia)

Liecia was looking at me with a surprised expression when I suddenly stabbed my fork at the giant locust. Certainly, normally someone would hesitate to eat it just by its appearance. Rather than eating it calmly, they would eat it more timidly. However, currently, I didn’t let myself bothered by this. After all I, absolutely need to ascertain this!

*chomp*, *munch munch*...

「!?」(Souma)

「Ho-How is it, Souma?」(Liecia)

The texture was like shrimp with its shell intact. However, more important than that.

This is...No doubt about it!

「This Tsukudani... uses Shouyu!」

「Souyuu?」(Liecia)

Shouyu. Soy sauce. The center of Japanese taste. If there is no this, sashimi or cooked food would be useless! Ramen, hamburgers, spaghetti, and other foreign cuisines would be turned into “Japanese Food” by this magical condiment! Perhaps I have been yearning for this taste ever since I came to this country! Since making fermented food is difficult, I reproduced mayonnaise, but even so, its flavor couldn’t rival this illusionary condiment! But on today’s dish, it was there in front of my eyes. Even if it was just a locust, but it looked like the ultimate dish for me.

「Eh? No way, Souma is cying?」(Liecia)

「How could I not cry? This is... The taste from my hometown.」(Souma)

「The taste from Souma’s hometown...」(Liecia)

「Does Souma-niisama’s hometown also have Locust Tsukudani?」(Tomoe)

I saw at Tomoe-chan who was deliciously crunching the locust tsukudani. That reminds me, when everyone was backing off, only this girl didn’t show any surprised expression...

「Perhaps this dish is...」(Souma)

「Yes. I often ate it in the Mystic Wolf Tribe’s village.」(Tomoe)

「Then, the Mystic Wolf Tribe can make shouyu!?」(Souma)

「Shooyuu...Is it maybe “Salted paste water”[24]?」(Tomoe)

「Salted paste water?」(Souma)

「Salted paste water is a condiment preferred by the Mystic Wolf Tribe, yes.」(Poncho)

Then, from the side, Poncho gave additional information.

「Originally, the Mystic Wolf Tribe pickled beans in salt and fermented it into “salted bean paste”[25] for condiment use. This process also generated a liquid on top that is taken out and then cured into “salted paste water”. Both condiments have a peculiar taste that can’t be found in this country.」(Poncho)

Yes. I was convinced by this explanation. After all I had read on some books that shouyu was born as a byproduct of miso production. In other words “salted bean paste” is miso, while “salted paste water” is shouyu (the reason why I didn’t heard it as “miso” and “shouyu” was probably because it wasn’t similar with modern “shouyu”).

Perhaps he Mystic Wolf Tribe’s cuisine was quite close to Japanese..... Hmm, wait a minute.

「Hey Tomoe-chan. This tsukudani is also made with sake right?」(Souma)

「Ah, yes. Sake that was made from a plant seed called Eni seed.」(Tomoe)

「What kind of seed is that?」(Souma)

「Umm... It’s a plant that grows in wetland, its ears have broom like tips that contained a lot of seeds that are similar to wheat grain.」(Tomoe)

Without any doubt, it was rice! The hope of the future!

For the plan to replace planting cash crops into food crops, I had thought to cultivate rice (wet field) that didn’t lose in fertility to wheat (dry field), however this country didn’t have the essential rice seeds so this plan underwent a setback. So that’s it, it grew wildly in the north, huh?  Of course, I must send orders to cultivate it. At any rate, the Mystic Wolf Trive... shouyu, miso and also rice; this tribe held many things that I desired.

......

「Alright, I have decided! The refugees from the Mystic Wolf Tribe will be granted a part of area in Parnam.」(Souma)

「Uee!?」(Tomoe)

「Accordingly, I want them to produce that salted bean paste and salted paste water. Since by planting a lot of soy beans, it’s possible to restore the land’s fertility[26].」(Souma)

「Wait, Souma, are you serious!?」(Liecia)

Liecia was flustered, but be it as it may, I was completely serious.

「Shouyu and miso... With salted paste water and salted bean paste, I can reproduce my country’s cuisine. Since it seems that there is also rice, don’t you want to eat tasty things that this world never seen?」(Souma)

「Th-That is...」(Liecia)

「Yes! I want to eat it all!」(Aisha)

Aisha vigorously raised her hand. This girl was really honest to her stomach.

「... Well not only Aisha, but I also thought that the citizens would also like to eat it. Then, should I release the recipes to the public so that they could personally make it after collecting the ingredients? Or perhaps they could open a shop using that cooking?

Either way, I believe it would greatly stimulate the economy」(Souma)

If the economy has high liquidity, then it will enrich this country. This is what I believe.[27]

That’s why I said this toward the citizens who were watching the broadcast.

「Only by through talented administration, we could continue to exist.  So, I will use that talent even if it comes from refugees. I don’t have any reason not to accept a tribe that has excellent food processing technology. That’s right... For the next five years, I will grant monopoly rights for the production of salted bean paste and salted paste water to the Mystic Wolf Tribe. If there is any other production, then it will be cracked down as illicit production. However, after five years has passed, then I will lift the ban on salted bean paste and salted paste water and it will be turned into a free market, so I encourage the Mystic Wolf Tribe to solidly make their business foundation during this period of five years. That is all.」(Souma)

◇　◇　◇

*Historical textbook*

After this proclamation, a section in the Capital City of Parnam was constructed as a residential area for the Mystic Wolf Tribe. Upon receiving the country’s support, they built factories that manufactured “Salted Bean Paste” and “Salted Paste Water”. In this world, there were many cases where the residential area given to the refugees turned into slums. This was because the refugees had limited economic activity (either they were unemployed or they were exploited as cheap labor, and other similar scenarios), so they often ended up struggling in poverty. However, in the case of Mystic Wolf Tribe, due to the monopoly rights bestowed to them by the King on “Salted Bean Paste” and “Salted Paste Water”, they were able to build business foundation and their residential area did not become another slum zone. After five years passed and the monopoly rights ended, the beastmen of this tribe completely assimilated ad becme part of the capital city’s citizen population. Even after the products, “Salted Bean Paste” and “Salted Paste Water” had their name changed to 『Miso』 and 『Shouyu』and their monopoly rights were rescinded, the Mystic Wolf Tribe keep devoting themselves to manufacturing these specialty products. And so, the Miso and Shouyu that was produced by the Mystic Wolf Tribe with the『Wolf』 hexagonal logo and that was sold under the 『Kikkourou[28]』brandname was loved by the citizens for many years to come.

◇　◇　◇

*Narrator*

In the fountain plaza, a rhythmical BGM and the gentle voice of Juna Dohma could be heard.

『Well, the broadcasting time or this program 「The King’s Brunch」 is soon reaching the time to say farewell. What do you think about becoming a host, Poncho-san?』(Juna)

『Y-Yes. I’m glad that my knowledge could be useful for the citizens even if it is only a little. However, I think that becoming a host was too heavy for me. I hope someone will replace me next time.』(Poncho)

『Let’s see, will there be another next time? What do you think, Your Majesty?』(Juna)

『That depends on the citizens’ request.』(Souma)

『So, I see. If there is a demand then it will be good. Right, Poncho-san?』(Juna)

『I-I personally don’t have any demand for it, yes!』(Poncho)

『Don’t say it like that, let’s do this again next time~ ♪』(Juna)

『Hiiii! Please leave me from that!』

『Thank you very much for watching and listening up until this point. The program is brought to you by me, Juna Dohma and』(Juna)

『Poncho Ishizuka Panacotta as the host. Yes!』(Poncho)

『Well then everyone. Gokigen’you[29]』(Juna)

When the BGM ceased to play, the image also vanished. Apparently, the program had ended.

When the broadcasting ended, sighs could be heard from every fountain plaza.

「Ah... So it has finished?」(Citizen C)

「It’s unexpectedly interesting. I want to see it more」(Citizen D)

「You’re right. Even if it isn’t daily, but I hope it will at least be broadcasted periodically.」(Citizen C)

「But if there is a request for it, then it will performed again right? Then what about trying to submit the request for it in the National Assembly?」(Citizen D)

「Ooh!  There’s that option. Then let’s discuss this with the mayor.」(Citizen C)

Such conversations occurred in every city.

After all, the entertainment in this country was only limited to gambling in bars. The citizens were presented with a 『Variety Show』 (Although Souma was just wanted to provide an 『Informational Program』 about the food problems, but there was Juna and Poncho’s banter, a section similar to cooking program, and scenes of beauties going “Kyaaa” whenever they tasted the strange food so this result was inevitable) with contents that provided new forms of entertainment right in front of their eyes. Of course they would be excited. Actually, several days later, the National Assembly submitted a 『Letter of Appeal about Holding a Periodical Royal Broadcast』to the King. Souma, who after accepting it, then established the new Elfrieden Royal Broadcast every evening.

Well, there were also people who had different viewpoints from the society’s viewpoint.

「When I first heard that the new king was enthroned suddenly, I was suspicious that it was an usurpation. However, that young king was unexpectedly a friendly person.」(Old Man A)

「That’s true. I kinda understand the reason King Albert abdicated」(Old Man B)

「The Princess also looked very lively. I doubt that her engagement was against her will.」(Old Man A)

「Their attitudes are so relaxed ith each other. Their relationship must also be very good.」(Old Man B)

「Hohoho, then in the next year a successor might be born.」(Old Man A)

「The child from the wise and kind King and the gallant princess, huh? I can’t wait to enjoy the coming age.」(Old Man B)

「You’re right. Hohoho」(Old Man A)

The elderly were quietly laughing together.

“Wise and kind king”... That was their evaluation for Souma.

However, that evaluation was only half-correct.

Souma definitely wasn’t a “kind king”.[30]

◇　◇　◇

「Give me the report on the neighboring countries’ state of affairs!」(Souma)

King’s Government Affairs Room: I was sitting on my personal seat and inquired to Hakuya who was standing at the other side of the table.[31]

The voice was cold. The gaze was chilly. It was an atmosphere that couldn’t be imagined to be the same personality at the cooking program several hours ago. After all, in this place there only Hakuya and I were around. At this time, Liecia and the others might be excited and celebrating the success of the Royal Broadcast. Aisha, who called herself my bodyguard and always inseparable from my side, was nailed down by the prepared feast.

After we left our seats at that party temporarily, we conducted a private talk in this government affairs room.

Hakuya was also unperturbed by the atmosphere I emitted, and stretched out the map of this world on top of the table.

The Continent Map

「I will begin the report. First is reviewing the surrounding countries: our country is located on the southeastern region of the Continent, the adjacent countries are in the north: the 『Eastern Nations Alliance』[32], in the west: the『Amidonia Dukedom』[33], and in the southwest: the 『Torgis Republic』[34]; make up these three nations. The other neighboring countries are the island nation of the 『Nine Headed Dragon Archipelago Union』[35] in the east beyond the ocean and the mercenary nation of 『Zem』[36] further west from he Amidonia Dukedom. From those countries, the number of countries that are friendly to us is 0, neutral to us are 4, and 1 country that is hostile to us.」(Hakuya)

「So, it seems we are really friendless, huh?」(Souma)

「With all due respect, I think it is an understandable situation as it is currently a turbulent period where the threat of Demon Lord Army is imminent. At present, every country is suspicious to each other, and the only nations that are considered friendly are those that are a 『Suzerain state』[37] or a 『Vassal state』[38].」(Hakuya)

「Can you even can call that friendship?」(Souma)

「If there is no need to worry about betrayal, then it can be considered as friendly, I think.」(Hakuya)

This prime minister said something preposterous so nonchalantly. Doesn’t that mean that calling a relationship of ‘domination・subjugation’ where one side can be used until it is broken without being able to voice a complaint is considered ‘friendship’? It’s just like the alliance between the Oda House and the Matsudaira House when Oda Nobunaga was still alive.[39]

「Then, is the hostile one Amidonia? Or Zem?」(Souma)

「It’s not Zem. Certainly they had bad impressions about “those matters”, however it’s not to the point of hostility. Of course, if the Amidonia Dukedom is openly hostile with us and appealed for reinforcement, they would only dispatch mercenaries.」(Hakuya)

「Amidonia, huh?... If I remember correctly, they had sent an “offer of assistance” to us, right?」(Souma)

「Yes. They have said that『because as a neighboring country, Elfrieden’s national stability is directly connected to our country’s national defense, if we are called to help pacify the Three Dukes, then we will send reinforcement.』」(Hakuya)

「Hahaha... They are so easy to understand.」(Souma)

It was very obvious that they were aiming to enlarge their territory by taking advantage of the friction between my side and the Three Dukes.

「But you know, I think they also said the same thing to the Three Dukes’ side.」(Souma)

「Like 『Let us overthrow the sham king Souma who usurped the throne together』. It is something not to be laughed at.」(Hakuya)

Well, even the Three Dukes would notice Amidonia’s ulterior motives. Since I wasn’t an unlikable king, they wouldn’t be able to swarm this country without any resistance. Of course, even Amidonia understands this, so in other words...

「If both side gave them an appeal for support, then they could move their army here, giving the appearance of a just cause.」(Souma)

「They would seize control of the western cities while sending their army to reinforce the “winning side”. And then, one way or another, they will give a reason to gain total control of the city and effectively assert it as their own country’s territory.」(Hakuya)

「An orthodox tactic, however it is effective」(Souma)

Well, there were many examples in the history of the previous world. Houjou Sou’un[40] 「Borrow the road for hunting to seize the castle[41].」Perhaps only a gullible person could not see through these simple tactics. Amidonia, who brims with deceit, Zem, which began to show hostile tendencies, and lastly the antagonism from the Three Dukes that knocked Elfrieden’s national unity out of balance. Oh my, isn’t this situation completely hopeless?

「However be it, as it may, what about the scenario that you had drawn?」(Souma)

I stared stoically at Hakuya. However Hakuya didn’t get perturbed for even for little bit and spoke out.

「Yes. For the time being the situation has completely changed into our favor.」(Hakuya)

Seeing that calm appearance, I roughly scratched my head.

「You... Know about it, right?」(Souma)

The policy that Hakuya adopted would result in several victims.

The scenario that Hakuya had drawn would incur great losses towards the enemy and grant great benefits to our allies. There was no doubt that this method was necessary for this country to emerge as a strong power. Nevertheless, for this scenario to be drawn, it was necessary for this country to shed blood. The meat would be cut and the bone would be severed, but that meat was the citizens. For this scenario, how many people would be sacrificed?

However Hakuya spoke out without a hint of timidity.

「Yes. The one who could seize this opportunity should seize it.」(Hakuya)

「...」(Souma)

「Supposedly, Your Majesty has also understood. That if this method came to fruition, it would also save many citizens.」(Hakuya)

「... I know about it. However, you see, I can only permit “this” once.」(Souma)

I stared at Hakuya’s eyes and honestly replied.

「In my world, there was a political thinker called Machiavelli that said the me thing in 『De Principatibus[42]』. He said that the characteristic of a wise ruler was that as a ruler after “this” had completely finished, there will be no second “this”. On the contrary if he decided to repeat “this” many times over, then sooner or later he would have become a tyrant and met his ruin.[43]」(Souma)

「...that Machiavelli-dono looks like a person with a surprisingly realistic[44] way of thinking.」(Hakuya)

Hakuya seems to be slightly interested. Ah. Since, it was something he liked. Machiavelli, in all respects, had a greatly realistic way of thinking, so I had read『De Principatibus』 numerous times.

...But I never thought that the day when this knowledge could be useful would arrive.

「Anyway, I give my consent for your “that” policy. That’s why...」(Souma)

「...」(Hakuya)

「Since the die has been cast, deal a killing blow.」(Souma)

◇　◇　◇

Author Note:

I never decided that Souma is a kind king.

☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽☾☽

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Oh my god... The footnotes is multiplying!

Now for a quick glance on the general noodle term that appeared in this chapter:

Soba is a noodle made from buckwheat and wheat flour.

Udon is thick white noodle made from wheat flour.

Soumen is very thin white noodle made from wheat flour.

[1] The original Japanese is Gobou or Greter Burdock or Arctium lappa or niubang or lappa.

Here is raw burdock:

[2] Yes this is a real word. Confute is a verb that means: prove (a person or an assertion) to be wrong.  And now you now.

[3] Rusk: a light, dry biscuit or piece of twice-baked bread, especially one prepared for use as baby food.

[4] In case you don’t know. Pufferfish’s ovaries are very poisonous.

[5] Fly Agaric Mushroom  (Amania muscaria) is poisonous, although it’s somewhat edible, just prepare your life when you eat one. I mean it’s a freaking red mushroom! And if you fail biology class, RED means WARNING. And no... you won't become bigger after eating this.

[6] Changing Zelrin into Zelring, because it reminding me of Poring-type enemies (Ragnarok Online Mob, pictured below)

[7] Souma goes dattebayo in here.

[8] Ika somen (イカそうめん, 烏賊素麺, ikasoumen, "squid noodles") refer to a type of sashimi made from raw squid cut into fine strips, vaguely resembling somen type noodles. Ika Musume worst nightmare

[9] Cha Soba noodles are soba noodles made from buckwheat and wheat flour with the added ingredient of fresh green tea leaves. It's really green.

[10] Kombu (昆布, konbu) is a species edible kelp from the family Laminariaceae and is widely eaten in East Asia. It is used in making Japanese dashi or soup stock. I’ll add the food picture later.

[11] Dashi (出汁): Japanese’s stock made from fish and kelp, used in Japanese cooking. Dashi forms the base for miso soup, clear broth, noodle broth, and many kinds of simmering liquid.

[12] Nabeyaki Udon (鍋焼きうどん) is a hot udon noodle soup traditionally served in individual donabe (earthernware pot) or iron pots. Besides udon noodles, the soup usually includes chicken, kamaboko (fish cake), mushrooms, and vegetables. I’ll add the food picture later. And now I am hungry for some udon....

[13] Kansai style Udon tends to have transparent clear soup, while Kanto style Udon tends to have darker soup. Remember this. This will come out on the next test.

[14] This line is a parody of Maru-chan brand of Cup Ramen: Akai Kitsune (red fox) and Midori Tanuki (green tanuki), Souma butchers the tanuki and replaced it with Zelring. See the CM here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgR0i4YwB-Q

[15] This line is a parody of  line from the Juumangokumanju CM: 「風が語りかけます」 「うまい、うますぎる」 The wind makes a speech: Delicious, truly delicious! See the CM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dppGFudPFUs (the product package is censored)

[16] A line from a CM about Suntory Natural Water brand:「奥大山の天然水、そういうのもあるのか」 “Natural water of ‘Mount Daisen’s Interior’ (奥大山is the name of the brand), So there is something like this. See the CM:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hmwgy9IgrQ Mount Daisen is in Tottori Prefecture.

[17] Ummm... I give up on this... I don’t know from what CM this come from... The original line: うまかおうどん、ゼルリンちゃん♪　しっとーや？. Even my Japanese meme knowledge didn’t help me at all in this.

[18] Kuzukiri are a kind of noodle made from Kudzu root starch. I’ll add the food picture later

[19] I think it’s Malony-brand noodle... Especially referring to their famousharusame noodles / cellophane noodle / Chinese glass noodle. Famous for their chewiness, in my editor’s words: [Editor’s note: I fucking love cellophane noodles. So chewy.]

[20] Okyuuto is a noodle made from seaweed originating from Hakata prefecture that soon spread out to Fukuoka City and then all of Kyuushu.

[21] Inago : Locust of either genus Oxya or family Catantopidae that is can be find on rice fields. Fun fact, the Roman word for locust and lobster is the same: Locusta.

[22] 佃煮 Tsukudani: a method of cooking where ingredient is boiled with Shouyu and sugar. Tsukudani means Village-Field style, since this originated in rural regions. Shouyu is Japanese style soy sauce. Expect no other substitution.

[23] Kuruma prawn or shrimp or Japanese tiger prawn or Marsupenaeus japonicus. (average size 12-15 cm).

[24]Hishiomizu醤醢水 literally mean: Salted Soy Paste Water. Shouyu is醤油. See the similarity on the first kanji?

[25] Mamebishio豆醤醢 literally mean: Salted Bean Paste.

[26] In case someone forget biology class. Legumes have rhizomes in their root where multitudes of symbiotic bacteria help the plant gather fixed nitrogen from the air. Plants need a lot of nitrogen, so nitrogen is one of the main components of soil fertility. Before the advent of cheap explosive material... errr, I mean cheap synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, one of the quickest ways to increase nitrogen amount in the field is by planting legumes and then to use it as green fertilizer after harvesting. This method is also very useful for organic farming or for poor farmers in third country or for land reclamation post intensive farming. And don’t get me started on biochar and land carbon-based reclamation. [Editor notes: For American readers, George Carver & his peanut plants. Also clover fields with bees~.]

[27] Don’t understand this? Read some Keynesian economy books.

[28] 亀甲狼（キッコーロー）Kikkourou. Literally means: Turtle Wolf. A Parody of Kikkoman亀甲万, the most popular brand of shouyu in Japan.

[29] A very formal Japanese catch’em’all greeting and farewell phrase. Just go read Reika-sama from the Wordpress of Estellion Sharlulu Asheel Vinchance Celenalia di Effalufiluu’luufilafaafee (the 35th). [Editor’s note: Onii-chan!!! Kyaaa~]

[30] Souma is indeed wise, but he wasn’t kind. So the elderly were only half-correct.

[31] Please imagine Souma is sitting in a Gendou Ikari pose. Steepling his hand.

[32] 東方諸国連合 Touhou Shokoku Rengou. Can means Eastern Nations Alliance or Allied Eastern Nations. The Nations can be substituted to Countries or States. I choose ENA, since it’s sounds like a girl’s name. (*Spoiler*: They are not ‘that’ united, hence the Alliance/Allied)

[33] アミドニア公国 Amidonia Koukoku: Can means Amidonia Dukedom or Dukedom of Amidonia. The Dukedom can be substituted with Duchy or Principality.

[34] トルギス共和国 Torugisu Kyouwakoku: Can either means Torgis Republic or Commonwealth. Subject to change if the raw say otherwise.

[35] 九頭龍諸島連合 Kuzuryuu Shotou Rengou. Nine Headed Dragon Archipelago Union. Why Union? Since *spoiler* they are more united than ENA. Also I found NHDAU acronym funny although UNHDA is also funny. Kuzuryuu is a famous Japan’s myth and folklore.

[36] 傭兵国家ゼムYouhei Kokka Zemu: Mercenary Nation Zem. Nation can be substituted with Country or State. Just like Swiss that was famous for their mercenary regiments.

[37] Suzerain state: A dominant nation controls the foreign policy and international relations of a subservient state while allowing the subservient nation to have internal autonomy.

[38] Vassal state: A state that is subordinate to another and would have to provide military power to the dominant state

[39] After defeating Imagawa House in the Battle of Okehazama, Oda Nobunaga subdued the Matsudaira House, which was previously allied to the Imagawa House, to become his ally/subordinate. Later, the Matsudaira House became the Tokugawa House. Seriously, play some Sengoku games or read some Sengoku manga.

[40] Houjou Sou’un 北条早雲. A Japanese Sengoku warlord (1432-1519), the founder of modern/late Houjou clan. A Sengoku otaku must know him to be quite crafty as he was able to build his basis of power in Kanto region.

[41] RL example: Germany's invasion of Czechoslovakia using Sudetenland as casus belli and then incorporateing it.

[42] Translated as “About Principalities” with Principalities means “ruler”. It is more commonly known as The Prince in English speaking world.

[43] Read “The Prince” Chapter 6-8 for spoiler... You have been warned

[44] Pragmatic and realistic is Genjitsuteki in Japanese.