Fools

Despite it being winter, Ria woke before dawn and, seeing Serge still fast asleep, quickly changed her clothes.

She went out to the garden from the veranda and drew Kotetsu.

It was her never-changing morning training. Each time she swung her katana, the sound of air being cleaved could be heard.

She traced through the forms. Over and over, slowly following the ideal image in her mind.

Sensing a presence, she pointed her katana in that direction. Kikuchi had been silently watching Ria from the veranda, making no sound.

"It seems you really are Tamura. Want to spar again?"

"I'm grateful for the offer, but…"

Ria picked up a pebble that was lying around and crushed it to powder with her fingers.

"I'm more than half inhuman now, so I'll have to decline."

"Was that magic just now?"

"No, just simple grip strength. I could crush even a diamond."

"Yeah, that's definitely inhuman…"

Kikuchi came out into the garden, and they began discussing martial arts. What Kikuchi wanted to know was whether martial arts had actually been useful in that world.

"Yes, quite. Rather, they were even useful in everyday life. During wars, I was often on horseback."

"War, huh… Did you kill many?"

"Direct kills… around three hundred people, I suppose. Well, I used a spear more often than a sword though."

"What about bows? They should have caused the most casualties in actual warfare. Also, are there no guns?"

"Bows aren't used much against humans. Magic is more reliable at long range. As for guns… come to think of it, there aren't any, but again, magic is more reliable."

"You can use magic too, right?"

"Yes. Like this."

Right then, Ria floated up into the air. She landed slowly, right beside Kikuchi.

His jaw nearly dropped in astonishment.

"Tamura-san, breakfast is ready. Please bring your companion as well."

Hearing the maid's call, Ria kicked Serge awake, had him fix his clothes, and headed to the tatami room. The two sat down facing Gozen.

"Oooh～, Japanese food for the first time in ages!"

Eyes sparkling, Serge said his thanks for the meal and began his assault on breakfast.

"Now then, Tamura… no, that name just doesn't feel right anymore."

"Please call me Ria. I'm already used to it."

"Then, Ria-san. I've already arranged to gather some people last night."

To be precise, meetings had been held every day since the Demon King's declaration.

"They're the people who actually run this country. I'll be coming along too."

"Understood. What time?"

"After lunch. Would you like to make any plans until then?"

"… Yes. I'd like to meet my family, but… with this appearance, I doubt they'd recognize me."

Even if they could understand, it would take considerable time. She didn't think it could be settled in just a morning.

Until the appointed time, Ria discussed various political matters with Gozen.

Regarding how each country had reacted to the Demon King's proclamation, as expected, America was insisting on protecting Earth in the name of freedom and justice. And surprisingly, Russia and China were in agreement. Though apparently, in their hearts, they looked down on the other world as an undeveloped frontier.

Japan was following America, but since Ars had designated the location as Japan's National Diet Building, it seemed they were being questioned about whether there was some connection with that world.

"If you'd given us advance notice, we could have handled things better."

"That's true. But he has no need for such considerations."

"Is this Demon King really that strong?"

"He himself is strong, but in terms of pure strength alone, I'm supposedly stronger. However, they have a demon nation over there, and their level of civilization is on a completely different level. We can't win."

"… Couldn't you have just defeated the Demon King?"

Looking back, that option had existed.

But by the time she learned they were connecting to Earth, she had already been outmaneuvered. And above all, the decisive factor was that the Divine Dragon supported the Demon King.

"By the time I understood the Demon King's goal, it was already too late."

Yes, the ideal of human-demon coexistence. She now thought it was something wonderful.

Even when told that the Great Collapse would destroy another world, Ria had sided with the Demon King. By the time she was informed that world was Earth, going to war against the demons was no longer possible. She had grown too attached to both the demons and her own citizens.

That man had been carefully orchestrating everything long before Ria was even born, even guiding Lemdria to peace through what was effectively a defeat.

"So the real negotiations start when that bastard arrives."

"Whether it will even be a negotiation… There's no doubt he's a formidable opponent."

Sipping her miso soup, Ria thought of the man who was so far away.

 

*

 

In a conference room within a heavily guarded section of the National Diet Building, over a dozen men had gathered.

They were current ministers, senior bureaucrats, and titans of the business world. This was certainly a lineup that could be said to move Japan.

These powerful figures stood and bowed as Gozen entered the room. Even though he himself said he was retired, his influence hadn't waned at all.

"Come now, raise your heads."

Following his words, everyone looked up and was surprised to see the two people who had followed him in.

One was a beauty with flowing black hair and golden eyes that overwhelmed all present. The other was a male who could only be described as a boy.

"Let me introduce them. Ria-san and Serge-kun from the other world."

"I am the Grand Duke of the Ogress Grand Duchy, Ryuke Riana Crystal Casalia Ogress."

Ria had changed into a pantsuit for this occasion. While intimidating them with formal attire from the other world would have been fine, she wanted to avoid standing out too much.

"I am a Baron of the Ogress Grand Duchy, Sagittarius Crystal Crowley."

Gozen introduced each of the men in the conference room one by one, but honestly, Ria found it tedious to remember them all.

Serge was writing down the information in a notebook he'd produced from somewhere.

"Now then, let's begin."

Gozen and Ria took their seats, and everyone else followed.

The long discussion began.

"So… first, I'd like to hear about that world. Should I address you as… Your Excellency? Is Japanese acceptable?"

"Your Excellency or Ryuke Riana is fine, but I'm often called Your Majesty. And yes, Japanese is fine."

"Then, Your Majesty, I'd like to ask about your world…"

"Serge, the map."

Serge projected a rough map of the Dragon Bone Continent in the air. While everyone was still surprised, Ria began her explanation.

"This blue area, the largest territory, is the Demonlands. The Demon King Ars rules it. The second largest to the south is Lemdria Kingdom. The third largest to the west is the Ogress Grand Duchy. There are other countries, but I'd like to proceed with these three for now."

"Excuse me, Your Majesty, when you say Demon King, do you mean… the king of demons, something like that?"

"Do I need to explain from there?"

Ria scratched her head. It was true that earthlings, who only had humans, wouldn't be able to understand.

"First, intelligent life in that world is broadly classified into three categories: humans, demi-humans, and demons. Among these, humans are the newest race, but their numbers are probably the largest. Demi-humans and demons are further subdivided. And the one who rules the demons is the Demon King."

"Could you explain these 'demons' in a bit more detail? Are they hostile to humans, or…?"

"They were hostile in the past. Even now, some uncivilized demons remain hostile. However, such barbaric races tend to be viewed as savages by other demons as well. And I might add, there are human savages too."

"How exactly are demons… different from humans?"

"That's difficult to classify… Until now, the definition was that demi-humans who were hostile to humans were demons. But with the current Demon King's invasion, humans and demons have made peace. Still, to give one example… vampires are demons."

Murmurs arose at those words.

"Did you say… vampires?"

"To name some others that are famous on Earth: goblins, dark elves, and werewolves."

Questions driven by the attendees' intellectual curiosity continued after that, but this wasn't supposed to be the main topic of today's discussion.

"So then, is this Demon King actively trying to destroy Earth?"

"The Demon King set the stage, but the ones who will destroy Earth are the Divine Dragons. To be precise… the Demon King created a situation where the Divine Dragons have no choice but to destroy Earth."

"What are these… Divine Dragons?"

"Dragons that slay gods. They have lived in that world for billions of years and are quite literally the gods of that world. To protect that world, they will destroy Earth without hesitation. The current situation is an attempt to hold them back and allow at least some of Earth's humans to emigrate."

"Based on what Your Majesty is saying, it sounds like they could destroy Earth without bothering to accept immigrants…"

"That's correct. So you could call this the Demon King's… personal sentiment. He was originally Japanese, after all."

"Japanese!?"

"He was summoned to that world at age fifteen and, as the Hero, defeated the previous Demon King. After that, he united the scattered demons and civilized them. Over a thousand years."

"Can humans live for a thousand years in that world?"

"If you use magic or ask the Divine Dragon, it's possible. I myself am expected to live for several hundred million years."

Several hundred million.

Human history was at most measured in tens of thousands of years. Ria waited for the stunned assembly to calm down.

Finally, the main topic was broached.

Telling them that Japanese citizens would have priority in emigration was Ria's role.

"How can we possibly transport tens of millions of people beyond the sky…?"

"We have the means for that. Using the floating continent, we can transport several million at a time. Repeat that about ten times and it's done."

"A floating… continent?"

"A flying island 120 kilometers long. It can even go into space. Apparently, it was originally built as an outer space exploration vessel."

"But what about facilities and equipment…?"

"We'll provide them. Within ten years, you should at least have a lifestyle equivalent to the 1980s."

"Absurd." "There's no way the people would accept this." "This is far too one-sided!"

The hostile gazes directed at her didn't bother Ria in the slightest.

"You seem to be misunderstanding something…"

Ria stood and turned her Dragon Eyes upon them. That alone was enough pressure to bind them to their chairs.

"This is neither a negotiation, nor a petition, nor even an order. It's simply a proposal."

With a slight smile, Ria declared.

"Just a proposal. Will all earthlings perish along with Earth, or will some earthlings survive? You have two choices."

Silence fell upon the conference room.

"Shall we take some time to think?"

Gozen, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

"Ria-san and the others, could you step outside for a moment?"

Drinking coffee from a vending machine, Ria and Serge leaned against the wall.

"… What do you think will happen?"

"They won't have an answer today. They'll probably consult with America."

"America, huh… What about China and Russia?"

"We can ignore both. Especially China—we're not accepting immigrants from the mainland anyway."

This had been decided in discussions with Ars. No immigrants would be accepted from China. Taiwan was a different matter. While they might be used to authoritarian rule, the people of that world wouldn't accept communism, and from the ruling class's perspective, it was evil.

"Islam's going to be a problem, huh～"

"Mecca won't exist anymore, after all. For that matter, Christianity will be a problem too."

Devout Christians might take this as the Last Judgment and accept death peacefully. But America would certainly resist.

"You can stop ICBMs too, right?"

"Probably. As for defending that world, we've left that to the Divine Dragon."

In reality, the Divine Dragon was an existence that protected the world itself, not the humans or demons within it.

However, it would be troublesome if too many people died. She had confirmed that much.

After just under an hour, Ria and Serge were called back to the conference room.

The conclusion was half-expected.

Pending.

They would discuss with their ally, America, and decide on a policy. Ria nodded slightly.

"That's fine, of course, but if you're counting on America's military power, I'd advise against it."

With a friendly smile, Ria made the same declaration as the Demon King.

"If you attack us, your country will disappear from the map."

"Well then, this is where we part."

Leaving the National Diet Building, Ria bid farewell to Gozen.

"Where are you going?"

"To my family. At the very least, I want to protect my own relatives."

She would also part ways with Serge here for now. The question was how much they would believe what she told them.

"Gozen, please compile a list of personnel to bring to the other world."

"… Do you truly intend to win against the entire world?"

"It won't even be a contest. That might be different if the goal were occupation, though."

If they were subjected to guerrilla warfare, things would certainly drag on. But the Demon King and the Divine Dragon's objective was to destroy Earth. They had no interest in territory or resources.

"I'll go on ahead then."

Serge teleported. From right there to his hometown from his previous life.

After a light bow, Ria also soared into the sky from that spot.

The group seeing them off stood dumbfounded. Gozen called out to them.

"Now then, let's get to work. It's a long shot, but it's still hope."

This will be my final service, Gozen murmured in his heart.