Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 87: The Traitorous Prince
“Lord!”
“…Sword, huh.”
Kenya stepped into the Imperial Military Headquarters of the imperial capital.
Ordinarily, this was the office of the Emperor, the supreme ruler of Asgard. The room was heavily guarded, with numerous soldiers stationed around it.
But Kenya was the one exception.
The world’s strongest knight, who also happened to be the Emperor’s personal sword — there was no one in this country who could stand in his way.
“I came to ask about what happens next. If there’s anything I can do, I’ll do it. But I won’t allow anything that would hurt Kaguya.”
Kenya planted his hand firmly on the desk where Lord was skimming through documents, firing off his words in a rush.
“…What’s gotten into you all of a sudden? Did something happen?”
“…I want to stop the war.”
“…I see. Well, calm down. I could use a break too.”
Lord stood up from his chair and began brewing some tea. He gestured for Kenya to sit at the guest table, then sat down across from him. Slowly, Lord poured tea into their cups and added some grapes to the table.
“First off, do you even understand the current state of the world?”
“Nope!”
Kenya answered brightly. He had a rough idea, but he knew he didn’t see the full picture the way Lord did. So, when he didn’t know something, he was honest about it.
Seeing that, Lord spread out a world map on the table.
It looked somewhat like a map of Earth, but the shapes of the continents were noticeably different.
Then Lord placed chess pieces on the map.
“First, there’s our country — the Asgard Empire. The largest nation in the world, and at this point, the world’s enemy.”
He placed the king piece on top of Asgard.
“Then, the opposing World Federation — the merged EU and Asian Union. In terms of territory, they rival us, perhaps even surpass us. The largest collective force in the world.”
He placed the queen on the World Federation, specifically on the figure representing Nakabu, the de facto leader.
“And lastly, there’s one more. Know what it is?”
At Lord’s question, Kenya picked up a rook that had been sitting to the side and placed it next to the king.
“Odin, right? I don’t know where he is, though…”
“Yeah, me neither. I’ve got no idea where my brother’s hiding his troops.”
Lord picked up the rook Kenya had placed and shifted its position, sliding it alongside the king piece.
“Asgard, huh?”
“Our country’s vast. Honestly, there are parts we haven’t fully grasped. Even though we’ve conquered territories, there are plenty of areas we can’t properly govern yet. Japan was the same, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Outside of Tokyo, Japan was practically left untouched.”
“Exactly. I believe Odin is hiding somewhere within our borders.”
“I see… So those three forces are at a standoff right now?”
“Right. In terms of military strength, you could think of it as 4:3:7 — Asgard, Odin, and the World Federation.”
“So the balance is pretty even, but the World Federation’s got a slight edge, huh?”
“Yeah. That’s just the raw count of KOGs, though. They’ve merged their nations, while we’re still divided in half. But in our favor, we’ve got you, me, and the Three Heroes, along with plenty of skilled pilots. Based on my estimate, the real strength ratio is more like 5:2:5.”
“Can’t we just build more KOGs? I mean, there’s plenty of people. If we mass-produce them—”
“The number of pilots and the budget are the bottlenecks. Do you even know how much a KOG costs?”
“….”
Kenya fell silent. Lord let out a sigh, half-exasperated.
“In your country’s old currency, a mass-produced unit would run about five billion yen. A custom unit would exceed ten billion. Your own Take-Mikazuchi? Nearly fifty billion went into its research and development alone.”
“Wha—!?”
The number was so staggering that Kenya let out a weird sound. The figure was so high he couldn’t even begin to imagine it. Even when compared to five trillion yen… it still felt outrageous.
“The machines you’ve been slashing to pieces left and right cost more than a person could ever earn in a lifetime. That’s why pilot training is so crucial.”
Kenya recalled the battle where he had destroyed over a hundred units in a single day. In yen, that translated to about five hundred billion worth of machines reduced to scrap. The realization made his head spin.
Ad
“…Seriously? They cost that much? I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. You’re our country’s ace. Let me handle the money.”
“Don’t expect too much from me, though. I’m just a pilot — it’s not like I can change the course of a whole war.”
“You’re more like a JOKER card. The kind of card that can beat any other, depending on how it’s played. Just letting you loose on the battlefield is enough to turn everything upside down.”
“…You think so?”
“Absolutely. Even against enemy generals and aces, you’ll take them out without fail. That alone is enough to shatter enemy morale. You saw it yourself in Japan — the difference one person like Sieg could make.”
Kenya remembered.
He’d heard later that, despite the overwhelming difference in forces, the Japanese side had held out for three whole days, all because of the morale boost Sieg’s presence gave them.
In wars fought with missiles and bombers — battles removed from human hands — morale made little difference.
But with KOGs, morale could directly decide the outcome.
According to Lord, even if one side had double the forces, the side with maximum morale could still win.
That was how much a knight’s battle depended on spirit and skill.
That’s why Asgard had invested more than any other nation in training its knights.
“…I see. Got it. If it’s to end this war, then I’m prepared to kill. I’ve already killed plenty, after all.”
“Yeah… I suppose so.”
Ad
Hearing Kenya’s reply, Lord’s expression turned slightly complicated.
But Kenya couldn’t quite read the meaning behind it.
“Let’s get back to the point. Kenya — if you were in Odin’s position, what would you do?”
“Odin’s position… With this difference in military strength, he can’t win in a straight-up fight. Hmm… I guess… he’d hide?”
“Hiding to survive is a valid strategy. But that man isn’t the type to do that. He would rather die than settle for an ordinary life. He’ll go after sovereignty, no doubt about it.”
“So, what would he do then?”
“Kenya, in this world, everything tends to balance out in threes. Like how a stool can stand on three legs. Like rock-paper-scissors, or the balance between the judicial, executive, and legislative branches.”
“That got complicated all of a sudden. You mean the separation of powers, right?”
“Huh, so you actually know about it? I’m impressed.”
“Don’t underestimate me.”
(Though I only really know the term.)
“In short, as long as there are three forces, balance can be maintained. Right now, even if the situation is unstable, you could say the world is still somewhat holding together. But, for example — if the World Federation and Asgard continue to bleed each other dry in this war… who would be the one to benefit? Who would win in the end?”
“…That’d be Odin, right? Classic opportunist move. He just waits until the other two beat each other to a pulp, and then swoops in while he’s still fresh.”
“Exactly. The two who make the first move are bound to lose. But there is a way to break this balance — and I’ve suspected for some time that this would happen. That’s why I prioritized restructuring the military above all else, why I rushed to strengthen our forces… even if it meant losing Japan in the process.”
“Come on, quit stalling and just tell me already.”
“Alright. The answer is—”
Ad
Just then, a soldier came running, out of breath, barely able to speak.
He knocked, and shouted urgently through the door.
“Lord! The World Federation has just started broadcasting a global address! Please, you must see this immediately!”
“…Understood.”
Lord turned on a screen — a device similar to a television, capable of receiving even the unrestricted global transmissions sent out by the World Federation.
And on the screen… appeared a scene so surreal, Kenya was left speechless.
Only Lord seemed to have expected it; he pressed his fingers to his temple and glared at the image.
“So it’s finally come to this…”
“That’s… that’s the Asian Union’s representative, Genbu, right? But… the person standing next to him is—”
The footage showed Genbu, standing before a massive crowd, beginning his speech.
And standing proudly at his side was a man Kenya recognized all too well.
The speech began.
“Today, we welcome a new ally into the World Federation!”
Genbu’s voice boomed across the world.
“In order to defeat our greatest enemy, we have joined forces — even with those who were once our enemies. The one who nearly destroyed the EU, the butcher emperor himself, Lord Asgard — we will strike him down and bring true peace to the world! And to do that, we have gained the greatest of allies!”
“…No way. This has to be a joke…”
Kenya couldn’t stop the words from escaping his mouth.
Because, as Genbu turned to gesture toward the man beside him —
There stood—
“People of the World Federation, I am Odin. The first prince of the Asgard Empire: Odin Asgard.”
A composed, handsome face. A body honed like steel.
Just looking at him, it was hard not to feel drawn in — the kind of man who radiated an undeniable charisma, almost an aura.
“The world stands on the brink of destruction at the hands of my brother, Lord Asgard. He exiled me, the one who sought peace, stripping me of my birthright — all for the sake of forcing his ideology onto the world, even if it meant bathing it in blood. People of the World Federation…”
The Traitorous Prince smiled, a flawless, false smile, directed toward the entire world.
“For the sake of world peace, fight alongside me.”