"Therefore, I shall marry my brother!!"
"Iris..."
In a separate chamber from where the conference was taking place, Iris spoke to Queen Isabella as if throwing a tantrum.
"But Iris... You never know when your magic might go out of control, do you? What if your magic were to go awry and something were to happen to President Nagato?"
As a precaution against the worst-case scenario, Queen Isabella, with a troubled expression, spoke as the magicians behind her erected magical barriers.
"It's alright!! I've become better at controlling my magic!!"
Iris proudly declared, puffing out her chest.
"Well, is that so!?"
Queen Isabella, visibly surprised, glanced at Phyllis and Beretta standing behind Iris, seeking confirmation.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Indeed, the princess has become adept at controlling her magic."
"...Is that true? But Iris, how did you learn to control your magic?"
"I worked hard to marry my brother!!"
When asked how she had learned to control her magic, Iris replied with an innocent smile.
"I see..."
This is troublesome. I've already mentioned it to Karen, and it wouldn't be right to marry off two important figures of the kingdom... No, perhaps it would be best to have them both married.
As Queen Isabella pondered the merits and demerits of marrying Iris and Karen, the day after the conference, Kazuya was casually speaking such words in a chamber of the Canaria Kingdom's royal castle.
Well, we have our own troubles to deal with here...
Since the interrupted conference and the subsequent discussion with Queen Isabella about strengthening the alliance by marrying either Iris or Karen, or both, Chitose's mood had been worse than ever before.
And to make matters worse, while Kazuya was in the royal castle, astute nobles and wealthy merchants, eyeing an advantage, were trying to get their daughters and granddaughters to become Kazuya's concubines, and these girls were actively approaching Kazuya, further souring Chitose's mood.
Putting aside Chitose's bad mood, later today, a dignitary from the neighbouring country of the Demon Union would be coming to this room, and a commemorative party for the alliance between Parabellum and the Canaria Kingdom was scheduled for the evening.
"President, they have arrived."
"Understood. Let them in."
A subordinate, who had been guarding the entrance, informed Kazuya that the dignitary from the Demon Union had arrived. Kazuya then instructed to let them in, and the door opened.
"Excuse me."
Stepping into the room as if feeling apprehensive, the one who entered was a dwarf man, covered in fur and only as tall as a primary school child, but still a full-fledged adult.
"Please."
Kazuya gestured for the dwarf man to sit, and the dwarf began his introduction.
"Nice to meet you. President Nagato, Lord Chitose. I am Marquis Gregor Oliver."
Having introduced himself thus, Marquis Oliver began speaking urgently.
"I'm sorry to rush, but President Nagato, are you aware that the Imperial Army has invaded our country?"
"Well, I am vaguely aware, but..."
"I see. Well then... to the point, we would like to form an alliance with our country."
"In other words, you want us to send reinforcements?"
"Yes. Exactly. The thing is, our demon army has suffered immense damage from the new weapons developed by the Imperial Army, allowing them to invade our territory. There's no other way but to seek your assistance to drive back the Imperial Army..."
"...What are these new weapons?"
Seizing the opportunity when Kazuya showed interest, Marquis Oliver disclosed one important piece of information after another.
"Yes. There are two of these new weapons. One is the magic artillery, and the other is called an automaton. It seems there are some wandering individuals in the empire, and one of them has created these for use against the demon and beast races."
Wait a minute! Are you saying there are several wanderers in the empire!?
Listening to Marquis Oliver's words, Kazuya learned for the first time that there were multiple wanderers in the empire.
As Kazuya silently listened and contemplated, Marquis Oliver continued his speech.
"In addition, our Demon King has been injured while fighting a wandering person claiming to be a hero, so the morale of our soldiers is declining..."
The Demon King!? Ah, I see, because he's the king of the "demons", he's called the Demon King...
"While I'm speaking here, the empire is massacring our brethren!! Please!! Please lend us your strength!!"
While perplexed by Marquis Oliver, who stood up from his chair and knelt before him, Kazuya replied.
"...I can send troops to wipe out the Imperial Army from the Demon Union's territory, but..."
"I-Is that true!?"
"Yes, but if it's a full-scale deployment, it will take one to two months for the formation and movement of the troops."
"That's alright. Just having reinforcements from you will save us."
"I see... Also, I'd like to send some units ahead of the main force to gather detailed information about the enemy, is that acceptable? I won't let anything happen that would disadvantage you."
I'm interested in the magic artillery and the automatons Tripper made. If possible, I'd like to capture them.
"That's fine, but..."
After a hesitant pause, Viscount Oliver's gaze turned to Kazuya as he spoke, as if seeking his reaction.
"Um... Your Excellency, what should we offer as compensation?"
...Compensation, hm? But there's nothing I particularly desire in exchange. What to do...
"Hmm. Flammable water, perhaps?"
Kazuya casually let slip his idea, receiving an unexpected response from Viscount Oliver.
"Flammable water? ...Indeed, we have some."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes. Within the territory of the Demon Alliance, there are several locations where large quantities of flammable water gush forth. ...It's black water, isn't it?"
Kazuya and Chitose exchanged surprised glances.
"Ah, indeed. I was referring to black, flammable water."
He gave it a try... With this, even if his abilities were unusable, he wouldn't have to worry about fuel. Well, there's plenty stocked up, anyway...
Kazuya's cheeks relaxed as if he had suddenly stumbled upon an oil field that had miraculously appeared on a shelf.
"Let's confirm the actual product before accepting it as compensation."
"Is such a thing suitable?"
Viscount Oliver, who had been nervously anticipating what kind of compensation would be demanded, felt somewhat deflated when he was asked for black water, which had little utility beyond occasional use by the surrounding residents.
Thus, although it wasn't officially settled, an alliance with the Demon Alliance was decided upon. Details of the alliance with the Demon Alliance would be worked out in the future.
After Viscount Oliver left the room with a relieved expression, Kazuya issued orders to the relevant departments, prepared for the dispatch of troops, issued emergency deployment orders to several special forces units, and began preparations for the party to celebrate the upcoming alliance between Parabellum and the Kingdom of Canary scheduled for the night, along with Chitose.
Amidst the dimly lit darkness illuminated by the moonlight, in the castle of the capital city, amid the gleaming lights of magical instruments, a grand party celebrating the alliance between Parabellum and the Kingdom of Canary was underway.
...I suppose I'll have to continue attending events like this in the future, but it's such a hassle.
Dressed as if he were a nobleman himself, holding a wine glass in one hand, Kazuya couldn't help but feel the probing gazes of male nobleman and the inviting glances filled with the allure of young maidens and mature women adorned in glamorous, revealing dresses.
For now, Chitose is keeping people away from me, but I wonder how long that will last.
Next to Kazuya, Chitose emitted a menacing aura, deterring nobles who attempted to approach him with the hope of getting closer. However, despite Chitose's constant presence by his side, there were nobles who began to stand out, attempting to speak to Kazuya.
At that moment, ignoring the crowded surroundings, Karen approached Kazuya, unfazed by Chitose's intimidating gaze.
"My, my, being popular is quite troublesome, isn't it, Kazuya?"
"I'm not fond of the attention... Anyway, that dress suits you well."
"Really? Thank you."
After exchanging greetings and receiving compliments on her dress from Kazuya, Karen smiled happily.
"...What's wrong? ...Could it be, Kazuya, you're not used to parties?"
Seeing Kazuya fidget uncomfortably, Karen asked inquisitively.
"...You understand?"
"Yes. But even in your former world, there must have been some sort of parties, being a ruler of a nation, right?"
"Ah, well, there were parties, but it's my first time attending one. I only recently assumed the presidency of Parabellum, just a few months ago. And even after I took office, I've been too busy with various matters to have the leisure to hold parties. Furthermore, I was born a commoner in this world, so I've never attended such parties frequented by nobles."
"Is that so? It seems plausible."
"I'm not lying. It's all true."
"...Come to think of it, when you met His Majesty in the audience chamber, you seemed unusually nervous. So that was the reason?"
Recalling Kazuya's demeanor during their previous encounter, Karen nodded to herself as if understanding and suddenly, the atmosphere in the venue grew noisy as Iris approached Kazuya, defying the wall of people surrounding him.
Although Iris rarely appeared even in formal events like the one where Kazuya was welcomed, the appearance of Iris at this party, filled with entertainment, caused a small commotion, but the nobles, who hadn't expected Iris to come to such an amusement-filled party, were astir with excitement.
And from all corners of the party venue, disdainful glances and whispers disparaging Iris were heard.
"(Look at her. Those eyes, so creepy.)"
"(Shh!! What if she hears you!? Even so, she's still a princess of this country, you know?)"
"(A girl with such polluted odd eyes is a princess? Truly the end of the world.)"
"(What are the guards doing? What if magical chaos breaks out here?)"
"(It's still unsettling. Those eyes.)"
"(Indeed. This is ruining the entire party. It would be best if they left promptly.)"
Iris, feeling the weight of such disdainful glances and words, clenched her dress tightly and walked towards Kazuya with her head bowed.
The cute dress she had worn for this party trembled slightly as if restraining sobs, and tears faintly glistened on her lightly made-up face. With a forced, painful smile, Iris looked up at Kazuya and spoke in a nasal voice.
"I w-wanted my b-brother to s-see me in a d-dress, but i-it seems I'm not w-welcome here, s-so I'll go h-home, okay?"
Confronted with Iris, who had bravely approached despite the negative emotions directed at her, Kazuya's body moved instinctively.
Kazuya bent down to meet Iris's short stature, gently stroking her head and speaking with as much sincerity as possible.
"You look very cute, Iris."
"R-really?"
"Yes, I'd want to marry someone as adorable as you."
Upon hearing Kazuya's words, Iris's eyes welled up with tears, and she embraced Kazuya tightly, burying her face in his military uniform. She struggled to contain her overflowing sobs of joy.
Kazuya tenderly held Iris as she cried, then excused himself to Karen, and, guided by Phyllis and Beretta, left the party venue.
The nobles left behind at the party venue watched in astonishment as Kazuya, the protagonist of the party, carried away Iris in his arms.
For the majority of nobles who witnessed the intimacy between Kazuya and Iris for the first time, they wondered if their earlier attitude towards Iris had soured Kazuya's impression of them, causing them to panic.
After escorting Iris, who had cried herself to sleep, to her room and leaving her in the care of Phyllis and Beretta, Kazuya reluctantly decided to return to the party venue once more.
"Oh? I thought you weren't coming back."
"I can't just disappear from the party, can I?"
Upon his return to the venue, Karen greeted Kazuya.
"Is that so? I don't think anyone would complain if you did. ...But it's quite bothersome to continue our conversation here. Let's go to the terrace."
Karen invited Kazuya to the small terrace, and they went out.
Since Chitose was standing at the only entrance to the terrace, there was no worry of their conversation being overheard, and the two could speak freely.
"That was quite a scene earlier."
"Well... yeah."
"And how is the princess?"
"She cried herself to sleep."
"I see..."
As they gazed up at the moonlit sky, Kazuya asked Karen.
"Hey, Karen?"
"What is it?"
"Do you also find Iris's eyes unsettling?"
"I don't feel anything about them. In this country, heterochromia is considered a symbol of impurity, but there are plenty of scumbags here who are more impure than anyone, even compared to the princess."
"I see."
After that, silence enveloped the terrace for a while.
"Oh, right, Kazuya. I heard you're dispatching troops to the Demon Allied Nations."
Breaking the long silence, Karen suddenly remembered and spoke.
"You have quite the sharp ears..."
"Oh, this is normal, you know?"
With an expression of exasperation, Kazuya replied, and Karen smiled wryly.
"I've heard that the situation in the Demon Allied Nations is quite dire. Apparently, due to the massive deployment of new weapons such as magical weapons and automatons, the demon army is facing continuous defeats. We're still gathering information in Parabellum, but all we know about these new weapons is their appearance."
Saying so, Kazuya handed Karen aerial photographs taken by the RQ-1 Predator.
"You never cease to amaze me, Kazuya."
Flipping through the aerial photographs, which were intricately detailed like paintings, Karen remarked.
The aerial photographs Karen was looking at depicted magical weapons with a round, egg-like body about six to seven meters long, with a thick, short limbs attached to it. They also depicted automatons resembling mannequins, with a large monocle on their faces, characteristic of these new weapons.
"…It's like a weapon crafted by the gods."
"A weapon crafted by the gods? What's that supposed to mean?"
Karen's murmured words drew Kazuya's attention.
"A weapon crafted by the gods refers to the weapons mentioned in the mythology of the Rowan faith. It seems that the gods of Rowan bestowed these weapons upon their followers to eradicate beings other than humans, such as demons and beastfolk. There was a time when I was researching the Rowan faith to better understand our enemies, and I came across descriptions in the literature that resembled these magical weapons and automatons."
"Mythology...hmm. What were the descriptions, by the way?"
"Well...there was mention of an 'undead legion' that would revive no matter how many times it was killed, and a 'mechanical giant' that single-handedly destroyed an entire country in one night. — There were various others as well. A 'giant dragon' capable of toppling mountains and filling valleys with each step, a 'pillar of sacred flame' descending from the heavens... It seems there were more, but they've been lost to time as they weren't recorded. Oh, and there was also a dubious account of holy sites floating in the sky to transport believers to the heavens— to the gods."
"Such tales exist, huh…"
"Yes. But they are merely myths. I don't believe they have any relevance to this new weapon."
"Well, I suppose you're right."
And so, the clandestine conversation between the two continued for some time thereafter.

Volume 02 Chapter 17 [Volume 02 Completed]