Interlude: The Melancholy of Hero Saionji
“Heroes must never be summoned for selfish desires. The next summoning shall only occur when a Demon King—or a calamity of equal scale—has arisen.”
A blood-bound pact that had endured for a thousand years.
No matter how corrupt the royal bloodlines became, no matter how many ages were consumed by endless war, this single covenant had always been upheld without fail.
Because the act of summoning from another world was a magic that defied the very laws of this world.
And yet—this time, a nation had broken that sacred rule for something as trivial as supplementing military strength.
That nation was the Garcia Kingdom, one of the four great powers of the continent.
As a result, the summoning resonated across existence itself—and a new Demon King was born.
This time, the Garcia Kingdom successfully summoned four heroes from a nation called Japan, from another world.
The fact that they hailed from the same homeland as the original hero brought a sense of relief to the entire kingdom.
The summoned were: Miyamoto Takeshi, Asagiri Kaito, Kujou Amane, and Saionji Reina.
Miyamoto, it was said, was Japan’s top swordsman.
His magic—foresight—was extraordinary.
Asagiri’s divine bow and Kujou’s white magic were also immensely powerful.
Truly, they were worthy of being called heroes.
But one of them posed a problem.
Saionji Reina.
The name of her magic was—
Heroic Oratorio.
According to reports, whenever she commanded an army, the level of every soldier rose by several tiers.
In other words, she possessed the ability to create the strongest army imaginable.
…And most likely, that same effect extended to the people as well.
“What shall we do, Your Majesty?”
“Hero Saionji is far too dangerous. At worst, she could destabilize my throne…! Therefore, she is not to leave the castle. Her magic likely doesn’t evolve anyway—just assign her some clerical work from the upper ranks. As for the other heroes, come up with a convincing explanation.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
However—
Saionji was too capable.
Every piece of state work she handled produced excellent results, and before long, tasks began to flow to her endlessly.
Now, she had become the most indispensable figure in the kingdom’s governance.
“The failure of the airship project and the Demon King’s revival were unexpected… but aside from that, everything is perfect.”
“As expected of His Majesty. Compared to other nations, we are utilizing the heroes most efficiently.”
“With the kingdom’s heroes, even a Demon King is nothing. There is nothing left to fear.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty.”
“Hahaha! Everything is going too well. Genius truly is the word for me.”
Before anyone realized it, the heroes of the Duchy and the Empire had already perished.
The Empire, judging by its condition, likely failed to summon any at all.
In other words—the kingdom stood alone in victory.
The king and his inner circle could not stop laughing.
◇◇◇
Within a certain chamber of Garcia Castle—
This was the study assigned to Hero Saionji.
Guards—under the pretense of protection—were always stationed nearby.
Saionji knew they were there to monitor her.
The other three heroes did not.
And she had no intention of telling them.
She didn’t want to burden them with unnecessary worry.
“Saionji-sama. Documents have arrived from the Royal Treasury.”
“Understood.”
Receiving the stack, she skimmed through its contents.
“…What is this mess of a report? Where is the Minister of Finance?”
“Apparently… he has gone on vacation to a provincial city…”
“A vacation? At a time like this? It looks to me like he dumped his unmanageable work onto me and fled the capital.”
“Well… I wouldn’t know…”
“…Sigh. What else?”
“Ah, yes. His Majesty requests that you ‘quickly come up with a military enhancement plan to rival the airship.’”
“…That’s practically his catchphrase now. Tell him, as always, that I’m ‘currently considering it.’”
“Yes, ma’am.”
At that moment—
“Saionji-sama. A member of the First Special Unit has come to see you.”
“…! Let them in immediately.”
A soldier entered, carrying the unmistakable presence of someone from the upper ranks.
“Saionji-sama, it has been a while.”
“It has. What brings you here, Zoma?”
“This morning, Captain Lily sent a message via carrier pigeon.”
He handed her a small letter.
Saionji frowned slightly as she read.
“….”
(I see. The assassins were repelled—that’s a relief… It also mentions a powerful ally, though no name is given. I wonder who that could be… Regardless, this is an excellent outcome. More importantly, I’m just glad the three of them—and Captain Lily’s group—are safe. I need to keep doing my best as well.)
“Have you read its contents, Zoma?”
“No.”
“Then read it now—and burn it immediately afterward.”
“…Are you certain?”
“Yes. Tell me—what does Captain Lily call you?”
“…Zoma-kun.”
“A captain who can’t even remember her own vice-captain’s name, yet remembers yours… that alone is enough reason to trust you.”
“I… see…”
After a respectful bow, Zoma left the room.
Saionji rose quietly and gazed out the window.
Rain poured steadily from the gray sky.
“…Hah… what will become of this country?”